by G. R. Lyons
“Oh.” Colby frowned again, then looked up at Vic, studying him, trying to reason through it all. “Is that where you go every morning? To have sex with someone?”
Vic looked taken aback, then shook his head. “No. I go to the gym.” He paused, and when Colby gave him a confused look, he added, “It's a place for exercise. To get strong and healthy.”
“Oh.” Colby drew back a bit more. “Then when do you have sex?” he asked in a whisper.
Vic shrugged. “I don't. Not lately.”
Colby's eyes went wide.
“I haven't in a long time,” Vic added. “Just…haven't found the right person.” Colby thought Vic's gaze flicked down to his mouth, but he couldn't be sure, it happened so fast.
And if Vic didn't have his own person for having sex with like his friends had, did that mean it was only a matter of time before Vic used Colby, despite his promises?
Vic straightened, searching Colby's face like he could read his thoughts. “Not everyone has sex regularly. And some people don't want it at all. Like I said, Bad Man was an extreme.” He paused, then held up his hands. “There's lots of people in the world. Some are good.” He moved one hand out to the side, then did the same with the other hand, leaving a wide space between them. “Some are bad. Bad Man was way over here,” he continued, shaking his left hand, “but there are lots of people over on this side.” Vic waved his right hand, then lowered both to his lap and tilted his head in thought. “How did you figure out he was bad, anyway?”
Colby frowned. “I don't understand.”
“Well, it's just…people learn good from bad through experience, and considering how young you were when he took you and how that life was all you knew…I'm just wondering how you managed to come to that conclusion if you had no basis for comparison.”
“Oh.” Colby's chest ached. The answer to that was easy, and it made him hurt all over.
VIC WAITED, watching the boy, wondering what was going through his head. A long moment of silence passed, and Vic wasn't sure the boy was going to answer.
“Colby?”
Colby fidgeted, then scrambled out of the rocking chair and crawled over to Vic, climbing up into his lap. The move surprised him—Colby had endured a lot more human interaction that day than he had in weeks—but it looked as though the need for comfort outweighed his fear of being too close to people.
Vic drew him up close, keeping him contained and warm, and felt Colby relax slightly. Thank gods. Maybe the boy was making progress, after all.
“It was the puppy,” Colby whispered. He glanced up at Vic's face, and went on: “I'd never seen anything like it before. It was so cute and soft and warm. It looked so happy, and it wanted to play with me. And it curled up in my lap and fell asleep, and it felt so good.” Colby paused, and Vic saw tears shimmer in his eyes. “But then Bad Man got mad because puppy had its accident…”
Vic sighed and pulled him close. “I'm so sorry, kiddo.”
Colby sobbed, hugging his arms to his chest as he burrowed into Vic's embrace. “Why did he do it, Vic? Why did he have to hurt the puppy? It was so scared, and hurting, but Bad Man didn't stop.”
Vic squeezed his eyes shut and tried to rock the boy as he held him. The poor, sweet kid. Having to stand by and watch, helpless, as Ahriman took out his fury on a small, defenseless creature.
Colby ducked his head and cried, so Vic held him in silence, rubbing his back and murmuring soft, soothing sounds to him. It was too bad Ahriman was already dead. Vic would have loved to have a chance to rip the man apart for all the things he'd done.
He looked down at the boy, and got an idea.
“Hey, champ?”
Colby sniffed and slowly looked up at him as tears kept running down his cheeks.
“What if we got a puppy?” Vic asked. “Would you like that?”
Colby's tears stopped and his eyes brightened for a split second—just long enough for Vic to catch it—before his face crumpled again and he shrank in on himself. “No,” Colby sobbed.
“No?”
Colby shook his head. “I don't want you to hurt it if it has an accident.”
“Oh, kiddo.” Vic hugged him tight. “I wouldn't do that. Hey, look at me.” He waited until Colby slowly looked up from under his eyelashes. “I'd be firm with it, yeah, if it ever misbehaved, but I'd never hurt it. Not like that.”
Colby sniffed. “You wouldn't beat it with a stick?”
“No. Never.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. Besides…” Vic trailed off, thinking. “You know, my brother and I always wanted a dog when we were kids, but our dad didn't allow it.” He paused, then added, “And once I started working, I was at the office so much that it seemed cruel to leave a dog home alone all the time.” To say nothing of the fact that Vic rarely had a steady place of his own, anyway, spending most of his adulthood, until recently, bouncing from friend's couch to hotel room to boyfriend's bed. “But now…” Vic looked around. He had a house, and a yard, and was home all the time. And even if he weren't home, Colby would be. At least, until the boy decided he wanted to leave. “What would you think of that?”
Colby stared intently at Vic, a combination of hope and fear warring in his eyes before he gave an unsure nod.
Vic smiled, warming to the idea the more he thought about it. Having a dog in the house would liven things up a bit, not to mention giving Colby another source of comfort. And that didn't even touch on the fact that dogs made great therapy aids, giving someone something to focus on outside of himself, something to take care of. Maybe, one day, the simple need to walk the dog would even get Colby outside.
“Hmmm.” That got him thinking. He looked at Colby again. “Now, having a dog is a responsibility. We'll have to give it food and water every day, and make sure it gets exercise, and train it so it behaves. You think you can help me with that? If we get a dog, do you think you can come out of your room every day and help me take care of it?”
Colby nodded, his eyes wide with hope.
Vic smiled. “Good.” Maybe Cam would like it, too. Then again, would the dog be able to handle an invisible, tangible presence? Vic would have to take the ghost along with him when he picked out a dog, just to see what happened.
Colby shrieked, scrambling to curl up tighter in Vic's lap.
Vic froze, then held the boy closer. What the hells? “Colby? Hey, kiddo, what's wrong?”
Colby whimpered.
“Colby?”
“There's someone here,” the boy whispered.
Vic frowned. “What?” He looked all around, but the room was empty.
Colby whimpered again. “There's someone here,” he repeated.
Vic opened his mouth to say something, then looked up when he saw one of Cam's notepads fly across the room while a pen hurriedly scribbled out a note.
Can he see me?!
Vic stared at the words, then looked down at the trembling boy in his arms.
“Colby?” he asked, heart thudding in his chest. Was it possible? “Hey, kiddo? What did you see?”
Colby trembled and slowly peeked out, staring at the spot where the notepad hovered. “It's a boy,” he whispered.
Vic stared at Colby, then up at Cam's notepad. He slowly shook his head in awe.
“Yeah,” he answered Cam. “Yeah, I think he can.”
Chapter 11
VIC GOT Colby tucked into bed and shut the bedroom door, leaving the boy to rest in the dark. The poor kid had endured one hell of an overwhelming day as it was, only to have yet another stranger's presence thrown at him.
And just the fact that he could see Cam…
Vic sank onto the couch with a sigh.
Is he alright? Cam wrote, the notepad hovering at Vic's side as though Cam sat right next to him.
Vic blew out a breath. “I think so?” He shook his head. “I'd been putting off telling him about you, but I never would have guessed he could actually see you.”
Seriously. Cam paused
, then the pen wrote, I peeked in on him when he was sleeping a couple times, but I tried to stay away other than that. I didn't want him freaking out if he saw me accidentally move something.
Vic nodded slowly.
Shit. Is that gonna set him back if you tell him I've been here all along? It looked like he was finally starting to open up to you, and if I've ruined that–
“Hey.” Vic reached out until he encountered resistance, then slipped an arm around Cam's shoulders. “Don't worry about it, kiddo. Besides, you know you're my priority.”
Cam nudged him with his elbow. He's important, too.
Vic nodded. There was no arguing that point.
So I guess that means he's Tanasian, right? Like Summer?
Vic nodded. Summer Vas-kelen was one of Vic's clients—she'd technically been a rescue case—and was married to Athan, the man with whom Ryley had been cheating on Vic back when Vic and Ryley had been together. Now, oddly enough, Athan was a friend.
Summer was a bit odd—she had a tendency to see the world in her own, unique way thanks to the mental deficiencies with which she'd been born—but she was also a genius in addition to having the telepathic abilities that ran in Tanasian bloodlines. It was Summer who first saw Cam, and pointed out to Vic that the ghost was following him around. She got them started on the way toward developing a means of communication so that Vic could get Cam the therapy he needed.
It all came far too late, and was nowhere as efficient as being able to speak to one another face-to-face like the living could, but at least they had anything at all.
But Colby could see Cam? And both boys had suffered similar traumas. Maybe they would bond over it, or heal together. Hells, maybe Cam could finally have a friend as well as someone in his life other than just Vic. It seemed too good to be true.
Vic read Cam's words again, thinking them over. “Hmmm, yeah…” He pulled out his phone and called the hospital.
“Denmer General,” the receptionist answered. “How may I help you?”
“Hi, this is Victor Lucius with Sturmwyn Insurance. Is Nurse Kristi there by chance?”
“Let me check. Just one moment…Yes, she is. I'll transfer you.”
“Thank you.”
Vic heard a beep, and glanced at Cam's notepad as he waited. He probably could have gotten the information straight from the receptionist, but it would have required a lot more convincing on his part since Colby didn't have an insurance policy that listed Vic as his agent. Kristi, however, could skirt hospital policy. She'd been there when he'd brought Colby in, so she'd know exactly why Vic needed her to make an exception.
“Thank you for holding. This is Kristi.”
“Hey, Kristi, it's Vic Lucius.”
“Vic! Hey, how are you? Haven't seen you around here in a few weeks.” She paused for a split second, then added, “Though, of course, that's a good thing.”
“Yeah,” Vic said with a nod. Rescuing a kidnapped or disowned kid was one thing. Having to take that kid in for treatment of burns, scars, sexual assault, or other abuse always made a case so much worse. “Listen, I need a favor.”
“Sure thing. What's up?”
“You remember Colby?”
Kristi sucked in an audible breath. “Yeah. How could I forg– Wait, is he alright? Did something happen?”
“No, he's fine,” Vic rushed to assure her. “Still has a long way to go, but he's getting a little better every day.”
Kristi sighed. “Good. Thank gods. That poor kid.”
“Yeah. Anyway, we had an interesting situation, and I was wondering if your lab could run a genetic analysis on his blood work.”
“Yeah, of course.” Vic heard the rapid clicking of keys. “Anything particular they should be looking for?”
“See if he has any genetic markers for Tanasian ancestry,” Vic said, then paused, thinking it over, before he added, “Actually, if you could run his mother's DNA for the same thing, that would be great.”
“Do we have– Oh, that's right. That was the only other record tied to his.” Kristi kept typing rapidly for a few seconds, then said, “Done. I'll send you the results as soon as I get them.”
“Thanks, Kristi.”
“Anytime, Vic.”
Vic pocketed his phone, and looked over when he saw Cam writing again.
And are we really getting a dog?!
* * *
COLBY WOKE from his nap and heard Vic's voice coming from the living room. There were weird pauses between everything Vic said. He must have been talking on the phone.
Colby rubbed his eyes and looked around, though he couldn't see much in the dark room. He wasn't sure how Vic had done it, but he'd made almost all the light go away even during daytime. It made the room feel so safe. Made it hard to leave.
But Vic had promised him more music if he came out of the room. Granted, that wouldn't happen again until tomorrow. That was what Vic had said. So Colby had until then to work up the nerve to actually open the door and crawl out.
Especially since there was someone else in the house. Someone Vic hadn't warned him about. It almost seemed like Vic hadn't even known the boy was there.
Footsteps approached, and a knock sounded. “Colby? You awake, kiddo?”
Colby hesitated. He was still tense from all the activity of the morning, and just wanted to stay hiding out in the dark. Alone. But he knew Vic would look in on him anyway, and he didn't want Vic to be mad, not after Vic had promised him more music.
He was just about to respond when Vic said, “Hey, champ, if you're up, I'm just gonna check on you. Is that alright?”
Colby still didn't respond, but the door handle slowly turned, and the door inched open.
Vic looked in and gave him a smile. “Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling? Did you get any sleep?”
Colby nodded shyly, his hands tightening around the edge of the pillow.
Vic opened the door a little wider, and nodded to one side. “You wanna come out and meet Cam?”
Colby shook his head, and drew his knees up to his chest.
“Hey, that's alright,” Vic murmured. He slowly came into the room and perched on the side of the bed. “Been kind of an overwhelming day, hasn't it?”
Colby nodded.
Vic smiled. “You did so great though, champ. I'm so proud of you.”
Colby's hands loosened around the edge of the pillow.
“Maybe you can meet Cam tomorrow, huh? 'Cause he really wants to meet you.” Vic paused, then added, “Officially.”
Colby frowned. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he wasn't ready to ask.
“Anyway,” Vic went on, “are you hungry? You passed out before we could have lunch, and I was just about to go make dinner.”
Colby's stomach growled loud enough for them both to hear.
Vic chuckled. “Guess that answers that question. Tell you what: I'll go make something and bring it in here, and then maybe tomorrow we can try eating at the dining table instead. How does that sound?”
Colby nodded, grateful for a chance to hide out in the room before he had to face walking out that door again. It would be worth it tomorrow if Vic kept his promise about the music. For now, though, he needed to recover.
“Alright.” Vic smiled, then reached out and ran a hand through Colby's hair.
Colby froze, heart thudding in his chest as his vision tunneled down to nothing.
Vic said something else, but Colby didn't hear it.
He disappeared within his mental darkness.
VIC RAN his fingers through Colby's hair, unable to resist touching the boy, and said, “I'll be right back, alright?”
Colby didn't answer. Vic waited, thinking maybe the boy was just being shy again, but then he realized that Colby was staring blankly at something, not blinking, barely breathing.
“Colby?” Vic pulled his hand back. “Kiddo? What's wrong?”
Colby didn't move. He lay there, frozen, staring into nothingness.
Vic waved a hand in fro
nt of the boy's face and got no response. He held his fingers near Colby's lips, and felt tiny panted breaths, then pressed his fingers to Colby's neck, and felt a rapid pulse.
Shit. Panic response. Vic had no idea what he'd done to set it off, but he had to ease the boy back out of it. A cold shock might do it, but the poor kid had endured enough stimulation for one day. He looked all around, then stood up and grabbed the blankets, pulling them up over Colby's head.
Colby always said the dark was safe. Maybe the dark would help him come back.
The boy was utterly still for several seconds, then Vic saw movement under the blankets. Colby poked his head out, blinking slowly as though he didn't know where he was.
Vic crouched down so he wouldn't be towering over the boy. “Hey, kiddo,” he murmured.
Colby looked at him, then glanced all around before returning his focus to Vic's face. “This isn't the basement,” he whispered.
“No, champ. It's your room. And you're safe here.”
Colby frowned. “Bad Man…” he whispered, then trailed off, shaking his head in confusion before some sort of realization dawned on his face. “Oh,” he mouthed, then looked warily at Vic.
“I'm so sorry, kiddo. I didn't mean to scare you.”
Colby didn't say anything, but his expression did ease just noticeably.
Vic hesitated, then asked, “Can you tell me what I did wrong so that I won't do it again?”
Colby gave a tiny whimper and drew back, tucking his hands up under his chin while he clutched the edges of the blankets in his little fists. After a moment, he whispered, “My hair.”
Vic started to nod. “You don't like your hair touched?”
Colby gave a single, slow shake of his head.
“Can you tell me why?” Vic asked.
Colby hunched a tiny bit more. “Bad Man.”
Vic nodded. He'd figured as much, but that still didn't really explain it. “Can you tell me what he did?”
Colby's eyes flicked down to Vic's waist, then quickly away, barely opening his mouth as he spoke: “He'd hold my hair so I couldn't get away.”
Vic cringed, an awful picture filling his imagination: Colby on his knees, his mouth being forcibly drawn onto Ahriman's cock until he choked. The poor kid probably thought Vic was going to do the same, now.
