by E. M. Leya
Tevon blushed a deep red. "You didn't need to do that."
"I wanted to. I enjoy watching you lose control because of what I do." Randy relaxed by his side, tossing and arm over Tevon's waist. "It's good between us, Tev."
"Yeah, it is." Tevon glanced over at him. "Was that what that was? Showing me how good it is?"
"Nah, but I won't complain if it helped."
"I don't know what to do. I like living in the caves, but maybe it's time to move on." Tevon sighed and shook his head. "What do you want?"
"I'll do whatever you do. If you go inland so will I. If you stay here, so will I." Randy linked their hands. "Have you thought about doing both?"
"Both?"
"Yeah, I doubt the new doctor wants to spend all his time trapped in the caves. Maybe you work a rotation of some kind. Two weeks here, two weeks there. You can do it however you want, but it gives you both a chance to enjoy the comforts of inland."
"That's not a bad idea. What would you do then?"
Randy shrugged. "I don't know what to do. What if I take the job inland and miss training?"
"Then you talk to your brother and figure something else out. Nothing is set in stone. You can change things if they aren't working out." Tevon rubbed his thumb down Randy's cheek. "You can still train some. I'm sure Heath doesn't expect you to spend all your time out of the ocean. We're used to the old ways. It's going to take many of us time to adapt to the changes the king is making. I'm sure we aren't the only ones troubled and confused by everything going on."
He didn't want to think anymore. There were too many options and not enough answers. "Whatever I decide, we will make this work, okay? I just don't know what I want to do yet."
"Will you help me prepare the new clinic at least?" Tevon slid his foot down Randy's leg and pulled him back into his arms.
"Sure, when do we start?"
"As soon as Sage gives us the go ahead. I'm going to start making lists of everything we will need. I'm not even sure where to start looking to get some of the stuff. I figure I'll spend some time inland and figure it all out. Do you think Everest will let me use the computer at his shop until we get one set up at the clinic?"
"Sure, either his or we can go over to Sage's."
Tevon sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to get used to the human, aren't I?"
"You'll like Gary when you get to know him. He's been good for Sage. I admit I don't know if I'd ever have the balls to tell a human what I am, but I'm glad it worked for Sage. If you're uncomfortable, we can get a hotel room until the clinic is ready." Randy kissed Tevon's chin. "We can worry about that later. Right now, I just want to sleep in your arms for a few hours. We can go hunt when we wake up."
Tevon tensed. "I shouldn't… I've already been away too long as it is."
Randy tightened his hold on him. "And they know where to find you if they need you."
Tevon blinked at him several times and Randy waited for him to argue more, but instead, Tevon relaxed back into his arms and nodded.
"I'd rather be here anyway."
Randy grinned as he closed his eyes, wishing they could stay like this forever.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Randy glanced over at Everest and Sage, wishing they weren't here. It was a long swim inland, but he was sure he could make it. He'd been out swimming with Tevon several times a day, and was growing stronger each time. Still, Heath insisted that he have an escort inland just in case something went wrong.
With an exaggerated sigh, he tossed his robe on the rocks. "I'll be fine. We'll just go slow."
Tevon gave him a sympathetic smile, which only made him feel worse. He shouldn't have been surprised when Tevon agreed with Heath that having his brothers swim with him was a good idea, but it was still a blow to his ego to hear them all agree that he wasn't strong enough to go it alone. He'd looked forward to the long swim inland with just Tevon by his side.
"Come on, Randy, don't look at it like we are here because of you, look at it as us going swimming together again. You know how long it's been since we've all gone out together?" Everest playfully slugged Heath in the arm. "We even got the high and mighty king to join us this time."
Heath turned and shoved Everest into the water. "I'll show you high and mighty."
Everest shifted into his merman form, then turned, using his tail to splash water at Heath.
"Come on, let's get going." Sage lifted his robe over his head.
Randy glanced at Tevon, once again wishing they were alone. He stepped to Tevon and sighed. "You sure we can't go by ourselves?"
"This will be fun, and if anything should go wrong, there will be plenty of help around. It's better to be safe." Tevon reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be there in no time."
His nerves about shot, Randy nodded. "Not soon enough." He stepped back, and gestured to the water. "After you."
Tevon grinned and jumped into the water, his body shimmering as he shifted.
Randy followed, bringing on his own shift mid-jump. He just wanted to get this over. It wasn't really the swim that was putting him on edge, it was the doctor's appointment he had in less than twenty-four hours. He dreaded being looked at by a human, but even more, he feared what they might find. This was his only chance, failure would mean… He flipped his tail and dove deeper into the ocean, not wanting to think what it would mean.
Tevon and his brothers rushed to his side as he swam out of the caves. Everest smiled at him as he swam past. He was right, Randy didn't remember the last time he'd been swimming with his brothers, but this wasn't how he wanted it to happen. Sure, they'd told Everest and Sage he needed to go to help Tevon in the clinic, but no matter the reason, the fact that he used to be one of the strongest in the clan and now needed an escort, caused his gut to tighten with disgust. He vowed that even if he didn't train again, he would get back the strength he lost.
He focused on swimming, careful not to work his fin too hard. That was where he was weakest, and if he had problems, it would be from the muscles growing tired.
Tevon moved beside him, brushing him softly with his body. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just trying to take it slow. It's hard when I'm used to going fast."
Heath swam up to his other side. "Was wondering if you wanted to give the apartments a look while we're inland. That's if you still are considering the job."
Randy reached for Tevon's hand, wanting to keep him by his side as he glanced over at Heath. "Yeah, I'm still thinking about it. We can go look at the place, see what it's like. Have you seen it?"
Heath shook his head. "Not yet. I'm trusting them…" He nodded toward Everest and Sage. "Have no idea what I bought."
Randy grinned, he trusted Sage and Everest with his life, there wasn't a doubt that they made sure the place had everything they needed or could somehow get what they didn't have. "We can go over tonight."
Dolphins started to join them as they swam and Heath reached out to grab hold of one of their fins. "It can wait until later if you're too tired. I don't want you pushing too much. You have a big day tomorrow."
Randy glared at him and looked over at Sage and Everest to make sure they weren't listening.
"We have to start shopping for the apartment above the clinic," Tevon said. He then winked at Randy and gave his hand a tug. "There's a lot to do."
Heath rolled his eyes. He'd made it no secret over the last week that he wanted Randy to tell his brothers everything. It wasn't going to happen. Randy fought nightmares every night with his brothers teasing him about his issue. Once he was fixed up, he might tell them, but not now. It was hard enough to deal with things on his own, let alone having everyone know his business. The only reason he told Heath was because he was king and he needed to let him know his plans.
"We'll get it done. We get a bed first, the rest we can take our time on." Randy frowned as his chest started to feel tight. Most the time, he could hold his breath for close to half an hour without surfacing. "I need air." He released Tevon'
s hand and pushed up toward the surface.
Tevon followed. "You okay?"
"I don't know, my chest feels heavy." He frowned, seeing his brothers following them.
With a worried glance, Tevon pushed past him to the surface. Relieved that Tevon was checking the surface for humans, he continued up, not that it would matter if there were humans, he needed air now.
His lungs ached as he neared the area where Tevon floated. When Tevon ducked under the waves and gestured him up, relief swept through him. If there had been humans near, he would have had to shift before rising up and he wasn't sure he had the strength for it. His chest burned as he broke through the water and gasped for air. As his brothers surfaced beside him, he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the concern he would find etched on their faces. How the hell did he get so weak? When Tevon and he raced, they'd been under the water longer than now.
"Rand, you okay?" Heath touched his shoulder gently.
"Yeah, I just needed air. I don't know why, I used to swim a lot farther without having to surface." He sucked in another deep breath. "Tev and I swam longer than this just the other day."
"We weren't as deep." Tevon brushed his fin over Randy's. "The pressure is different. We also did short sprints, then rested. We won't go as deep and you should be fine."
A dolphin jumped over their heads, restlessly waiting for them to continue. Randy pushed his hair back as he glanced at his brothers, ashamed at his weakness. "Sorry, guys. I thought I was stronger."
"You'll get back to where you were." Sage smiled at him, but it didn't erase the worry in his eyes.
Randy nodded, but as he looked at his brothers, he admitted to himself that things might never get back to normal again. "I'm okay, guys. Let's get this done." He curled his fin around Tevon's for a moment, then dove into the water, praying silently that he could make it the rest of the way without having to rise up again.
As he pushed through the water, he tried to ignore how much closer everyone swam near him. His ego already bruised because of the issues with his cock, their overprotectiveness just added to it. He didn't want to need help, didn't want others to worry about him. His suffering made one thing very clear, he couldn't go back to training. There was no way he was well enough to teach the new members how to survive in the water when he could hardly do it himself.
Anger pushed him forward. The sooner he was alone and away from his overbearing brothers, the better. Their hearts were in the right place, and he would be doing the same thing if it was any of them at risk, but it didn't make it easier. He hated how weak he'd become. At times it seemed as if he was an entirely different person.
When the beach came into view, he slowed, letting Everest take the lead and check for humans. Once the all clear came, he shifted, and rose up out of the water. Tevon stayed by his side as they stepped onto the beach, the dry bags hanging from their wrists with clothes.
"You feel okay?" Tevon untied his bag and started to pull out his pants.
"Yeah, it was just that once. I was fine after I got that breath." Randy pulled out his own clothes and quickly dressed.
Sage walked over, taking the empty bags from them. "You didn't injure your spleen at all, did you?"
Randy glanced at Tevon, wondering the same thing since the spleen was what helped them hold their breath for so long.
"No, none at all. It was bruised, but his entire body was. I'm guessing it's just lack of exercise. Like it or not, your body is still weak. The more we swim, the stronger you'll get." Tevon slipped on his shoes.
"I hate this." Randy shoved his foot in a sock. "I've been swimming with you for a week now."
Heath and Everest finished dressing and came to stand beside him. He wished Barron were with them. He'd only been gone a short time, but there was always a void when he was away. He glanced up at his brothers and Tevon as he slipped his shoes on. "At least you guys didn't have to carry me here." He tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it.
"We aren't there yet." Everest slapped him upside the head and started up the rocky embankment to the sidewalk.
"I'll crawl before I let your scrawny ass carry me." Randy reached for Tevon's hand and followed his brothers up the rocks.
"It's not too far." Sage glanced back at them as they hit the sidewalk.
"I'm fine," Randy said defensively. He glanced up at the sky, silently cursing the sun. He didn't do well in the heat. Hell, most the time he came inland, it was at night. He sighed, recalling the last time he'd come over from the caves. He'd met a cute redheaded woman at the bar… He bit his lip as he wondered if that would be the last time his cock would ever work. He hoped not. The female hadn't been very good.
"You're frowning." Tevon gave his hand a squeeze. "You okay?"
Guilt coursed through him for thinking about the woman. He'd had a better time with Tevon over the last couple weeks than he had with any female, and that was with his cock not working. That said a lot. Just remembering some of the things he and Tevon had done caused his pulse to race, along with a longing to pull him aside, strip him naked, and do it all again. Randy paused, and kissed Tevon softly. "Everything is fine."
"You sure?" Tevon looked up at him, worried.
"We'll talk when we're alone, but I promise, everything is okay." Randy glanced up to see his brothers waiting on them. "Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting."
It was only a short walk to the clinic, but by the time they made it to the building, Randy leaned against Tevon for support, wishing he had his cane with him. His hip burned and his calves ached. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he struggled to keep up with the others as they waited at the door for them. He looked up, taking in the building, surprised at how big it was.
Sage came to his side and took his arm. "You look like shit."
Randy glared at him. "Thanks a lot, asshole."
Heath laughed. "We'll get you inside and you can sit down." He tossed Tevon the keys. "You get the honor. It's all yours."
Tevon caught the keys and glanced over at Randy as if he wasn't sure he should let go.
"It's okay. You deserve this, Tev." Randy took Sage's arm, pissed off he could hardly even support his own weight.
Tevon approached the door, glancing back at them with a smile before he put the key in the lock and opened the door. Randy grinned through his pain, happy that he had a part in making this happen. If he'd never been injured, they would never have known Tevon's desire for a clinic inland or the lack of equipment at the caves. At least something good came from his accident. Tevon met his gaze, reminding him that the clinic wasn't the only good thing that happened.
"Show me around." Randy took a step forward, ignoring the way his leg cramped. Sage stayed by his side, offering support as he stepped through the door.
Once inside, Tevon hooked his arm around Randy's waist, allowing him to lean against his shoulder. "Come sit on the stairs and relax a minute."
He allowed Tevon to lead him to the small staircase. His brothers scattered around the clinic as they looked around. He sat down, stretching out his leg. "I haven't hurt this bad since the first few days."
"I should have thought and brought some painkiller with us." Tevon brushed a long strand of hair out of Randy's face. "You aren't used to swimming hard."
"It means I need to do more."
"Slowly. You don't want to hurt yourself. We'll figure out a routine once we get stuff taken care of here."
Randy frowned, not wanting to think about his doctor's appointment in the morning. "I wish we were staying here tonight."
"So do I, but it won't take us long to furnish the place. We won't be at Sage's long." Tevon sat down on the step below him. "I could run out and find us something for tonight, but we'd need a truck to get it here."
"Sage has a truck, but it's okay. We can look tomorrow after the doctor's appointment. I've never owned a bed before. I like the thought of going out and picking one for us." Randy stretched his leg out, rolling his foot in circles.
"Cramps again?" Tevon lifted Randy's leg to his lap and started to massage the calf.
"Yeah. I'll be okay. I want to—"
"I like the place." Heath walked over to them. "You sure you will have enough room?"
Tevon continued to rub Randy's leg. "More than enough, my King. Our numbers as of now are not as high as they used to be. I doubt I will have more than one or two patients at any given time."
Heath leaned against the wall, and nodded to Randy's leg. "You going to be okay?"
"Just a cramp. I've been getting them since the accident." Randy pulled his leg down and stood. "I want to see the place." He turned and headed up the stairs, leaving Tevon and Heath watching him. The looks of pity were getting old. Once upstairs, he took several deep breaths, both to help ease the pain in his hip, and to calm his nerves. The small apartment wasn't as small as he'd expected. As he looked around the place, he envisioned it furnished with Tevon and him living together. He smiled as Tevon laid a hand on his shoulder. "I like it."
"Me, too." Tevon pressed his lips to Randy's ear. "I can't wait to be alone. Cook you breakfast in bed."
"You know how to cook?" Randy turned to him, shocked.
"No, but I'd like to learn. I've never set foot in a human kitchen. Closest I came was in college, but I lived off takeout and microwave food."
Randy laughed. "Me neither. Maybe we better find out what restaurants are in the area while we learn."
Tevon pointed toward the windows. "Ocean is only a block away. We can have fresh fish every night."
"Nope. I've lived off fish most my life. If we're going to be staying here, we are going to spoil ourselves on human food for a change." Randy linked his hand with Tevon's. "You going to show me the rest of the place?"
With a wink, Tevon gave his hand a squeeze. "Let me show you the bedroom. It's where I hope we spend most our time."
