Sharpening His Broken Talon (Living Art Book 2)

by River Mitchell

  The first song ended, and the room erupted into cheers and shouts of praise. It was then that Talon opened his eyes for the first time since he’d started singing. I made sure that I was the first thing he saw. The moment our eyes locked onto one another, I raised my hand and rubbed my palm over my heart. It was a gesture I had seen Talon use before. We both knew what I was saying, and the smile and mirrored movement was all I needed to relax. He was okay.

  “He is doing this for me, isn’t he?” I heard Tristan ask.

  12

  Talon

  Oh fuck, I was going to throw up. At least I made it through the first song and I couldn’t hear any boos. Okay, open your eyes, Talon. Listening to my inner command, I opened my eyes and looked straight into the eyes of the man who has been my rock for the past few weeks. Wow, that sounded melodramatic even to my own ears. It didn’t, however, make it any less true. He stuck with me through my insecurities, never pushed me, and believed in me from the start. I started to smile when I noticed his hand move up to cover his heart. Without a second’s thought, I copied his action and hoped he knew just how true the sentiment was.

  Taking courage from Tate, I looked at Fear, Alfie, and Tristan. All three of them were rubbing their chests above their hearts. I did the same and couldn’t hold back the smile aching to be let loose.

  “That’s my boy,” I heard my dad shout from the corner of the room near the entrance to the VIP room. Whipping my head around, I was stunned and overwhelmed at seeing my dad and Molly in tears and the rest of the guys along with Sheridan and Ben screaming and cheering louder than any of the teenagers.

  “Anyone want another song?” I heard Tanya ask the crowd and the noise level rose in response. “I am going to take that as a big fat yes.” The opening chords of Lukas Graham’s song “7 Years” started up, causing another wave of excitement when it was recognized. It didn’t take long for me to get lost in the song and just let myself go, and before I knew it, we had performed five songs. For the first time in my life, I felt absolutely free. I felt worthy, that at last I had done something that my family could be proud of.

  “Okay, guys, before we play our next song I think that now is the perfect time for us to introduce ourselves. I’m Tanya and I play bass, back there on drums is Boppy. The man to my left on guitar is Wink, and over there is Perry on keyboard. This right here,” Tanya said, putting her arm around my waist. “Is our angel, Talon. Isn’t he amazing?” When the shouted yesses and the cheers died down, she continued. “Did you know that he is the birthday man’s big brother? If it weren’t for Tristan, we would not be here rocking out with you tonight.”

  Playing the last five songs of the set was an experience I would never forget. The time seemed to go by in a flash and before I knew it, Tanya was announcing that we were going to take a break and be back in a few. The band and I walked off stage and my legs seemed to have a mind of their own; they wouldn’t stop moving. I could hear Tanya and the rest of the band calling my name, but I couldn’t stop. I walked as fast I could and headed straight to the bathroom, locking myself inside. The moment the door was locked, I could feel myself crumble. First, I lost whatever was left in my stomach. Second, I collapsed and rested my head on the floor. Yes, it was disgusting, but at the moment the adrenaline that was coursing through me only moments ago had completely left me, and I felt like a mass of boneless glue on the floor.

  It took me a while to realize the banging I could hear was someone knocking on the door and not my heart trying to break out of my chest.

  “T, are you okay?” I heard Tristan’s worried voice through the door. “Tanya said you got sick, so I brought you some water. Can you let me in?”

  It took me a minute to coordinate my arms enough to reach up and open the door. The moment I twisted the lock, my little brother’s face filled the gap in the open door. He held out a bottle of water and pushed his way into the small bathroom.

  “Thank you so much, T. You were so amazing. I can’t believe you would do that for me. I know how hard that must have been for you,” Tristan said in a rush while dropping down next to me on the floor and hugging me. “You’re my hero. I love you.” I had no way to answer him even if I could think of how to express what his words meant to me. So I just held him and squeezed him tight.

  “You okay in there?” Our dad’s timid voice broke apart our hug fest.

  “Yeah,” Tristan shouted through the door as he stood to pull the door open. “Is it okay to open it?” I could see the weariness in my brother as he asked. I nodded, because honestly a hug from my dad was exactly what I needed right now. No sooner had the thought entered my mind, I was wrapped up tight in the arms that have always been my sanctuary.

  “So fucking proud of you. You were phenomenal. My boy is a rock star.” I held my dad a little tighter and forgot about all the shit that had kept us apart. I knew it was my insecurities that caused the rift between us in the first place. I knew that he would never use my past as a way to hurt me and neither would anyone that he’d shared that part of my life with.

  “How you doing?” Dad asked me.

  Pulling out my notebook, I quickly wrote down a few words.

  * * *

  I just threw up, and I feel like my bones have turned to Jell-O…

  I’m sorry Dad.

  * * *

  “You have nothing to apologize for. I just hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you or be the cause of your pain. I am so sorry if by sharing what I did caused you even a second of it.” Nodding, I returned to my dad’s arms and knew that at least this part of my life was all good.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but I found you these. Thought you might need them.” I looked up and was greeted with the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Standing directly in front of me and behind Dad was Tate. His eyes were filled with concern but what outshone that was the relief at seeing me with my dad. I knew he wanted us to get back to a happy medium. He had said as much in the letters we’d exchanged. But what made him perfect was that he was holding out a new toothbrush and toothpaste. My hero.

  Tate

  The band’s break was over before we knew it and with the amount of people in the back vying for his attention, I wasn’t really able to talk to him to make sure he was really okay. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders at seeing him and Dane hugging. And I was pretty sure I wasn’t alone in that thought.

  The second and last set had just started and the guys and I were all huddled around one of the tables just off of the dance floor.

  “Do you think the band will ask him to join?” Drake asked as he walked up to join our group.

  “No way,” Dylan, Carter’s worse half, said. When he noticed that we are all staring at him, he continued, trying to explain. “He can sing all right, but it’s not like they can have a mute as the front man of the band. I wonder if they are going to hold auditions. You think you could put in a good word in for me, Car, honey?”

  “Are you for real right now?” Alfie asked, his shock evident in his voice and on his face.

  “What?” Dylan snapped back.

  “Nope, not happening. I am not letting the delusional donkey ruin this night. I shall not be drawn into it. I shall not,” Alfie stated then turned to Fear. “Did you see that? I am growing as a person. However, if you wanted to maybe, accidently punch his face in and I was to say…laugh hysterically, it wouldn’t take away from the fact that I took the high road, would it?” I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Alfie just cracked me up.

  “Yeah, sorry, baby, it would,” Fear helpfully replied. His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “Oh, well, if that’s the case, Dylan, shut the fuck up. Talon is not a fucking mute. He is currently on stage singing. We can all hear him. He is fucking fantastic. And just an FYI, we have all heard your attempt to sing and the kindest thing I can do for you is to say, bless your little heart but no. Don’t do that to yourself or the rest of the hearing population.” Alfie’s words were all said with a
smile, but the underlying meaning and anger was a clear message that Dylan had crossed a line. Dylan being Dylan, unfortunately, was so far up his own ass he could only see and care about himself. What Carter saw in this guy was a mystery to all of us. What we couldn’t fail to see, however, was that whatever he saw, he liked because he was in deep. Deep enough that no matter how many stupid comments Dylan made, Carter was always there to take the blame, protect, or run interference if needed.

  “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?” Dylan asked a very conflicted looking Carter.

  “Come on, Dylan; please let’s just enjoy the music and the rest of the party,” Carter pleaded.

  Stomping away with Carter on his heels was the only response any of us got.

  The rest of the evening went uncharacteristically smoothly. The band finished playing. The venue was cleared and cleaned, all the guests had left, leaving only the family.

  “Present time,” Molly shouted enthusiastically, getting a laugh from everyone.

  Dane bought Tristan a truck. Talon, a complete overhaul and paint job for said truck. Molly bought all new seat covers and mats. Fear bought him a brand new car stereo. Carter, James, Drake, and I bought him state of the art speakers and were going to install them tomorrow for him. Mama Sheri and Ben gave him 250 dollars for gas and whatever else he wanted to add. Hayley, John, and JJ got him a hands-free kit for his car. The nuggets brought him some fluffy dice, a car air freshener in the shape of a lily, and a family picture of all of us in our yellow and blue t-shirts cheering Tristan on at his try-out. On the back of the picture Griffin had very carefully written: “So we are always with you. Your crazy family. We love you.”

  “My turn,” Alfie said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  Throughout the whole gift giving, I kept my eyes on Talon. I wanted nothing more than to walk over to him and hold him my arms. Kiss his breath away, explore all the parts of him that I had yet to see or touch.

  “More? I thought you and Fear got me the stereo.” Tristan’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  “Nope, that was just Fear. This is from me,” Alfie said, holding out a thin folder.

  All of us watched as Tristan opened the folder and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

  “I took what you said and turned into a piece that can go wherever you want it. I can change anything you want. I spoke to Dane, and he said it’s okay if I fake ink it on you. If you like it, you can have one of the guys do it for real for you when you turn eighteen,” Alfie explained.

  We’d all seen the tattoo Alfie had designed for Tristan. He had been saying he wanted one for a long time. He wanted one to represent family. Alfie had taken objects or things that best described each of us and interwoven them to create a beautiful design.

  Talon: A knight in armor because, as Tristan explained, he had always been his little brother’s protector.

  Dane: A flying eagle, the loving father who shielded his whole family with his wings and looked out for any unseen troubles headed their way.

  Molly: A My Little Pony. Her prized possession as a child, the toy she kept hidden from her mother so it wouldn’t get thrown away. In the end, she gave it to Tristan to keep safe. Which he did and, unbeknownst to Molly, he still did.

  Fear: A tattoo gun with a shield on the side. Like all the men in the Parker line, they loved fiercely and protected those they cared about just as fervently.

  Sheridan: A high heel shoe made out of iron. The woman did love her fashion, but she was also unmovable. The mother anyone would dream of having.

  Ben: Union Jack.

  Lily: A beautiful water lily.

  Griffin: A paint brush and paint pallet. That kid was destined to be an artist like his big brother.

  All the guys and I were tattoo guns with different symbols on the side.

  I had a huge smiley face on mine. Tristan said that it was because I could make anyone laugh and smile.

  Drake: A green mohawk, which of course was self-explanatory.

  James: Black and gray with some epic shading. The same as his tattoo specialty.

  Carter: An old-fashioned anchor, which also matched his tattoo specialty.

  John: The U.S Army symbol.

  JJ: A teddy bear wearing a t-shirt saying “My daddy is my hero.”

  Hayley: An umbrella with hearts all over it. She mothered us all, even Mama Sheri at times.

  Alfie: An easel depicting a family portrait of Fear, Dane, Talon, Tristan, and a pregnant Molly. It was truly breathtaking.

  There was even a little raven resting on Molly’s umbrella. For her baby. Raven was the name she had chosen for her little girl.

  We all knew who each of us were and why because Tristan had explained what he’d wanted so many times we all knew it by heart.

  “Is it okay?” Alfie sounded unusually nervous.

  “When can I get it done? It’s perfect. Thank you.” Tristan sounded choked up.

  “Wow, I was starting to panic there for a minute. You can come by the shop tomorrow, and I will paint it on.”

  13

  Tate

  I was not sure how I managed it, but I had somehow finagled it to where I was driving Talon home in his car. Just the two of us alone for the first time since before he went on stage.

  “Want me to drop you straight back home? Or if you want, you can come back to mine for a bit,” I asked him. I really wanted him to come back to my place, but I didn’t want him to feel pressured.

  Talon pointed to me, letting me know he wanted to come back home with me, and I wasted no time in heading in that direction. I was not expecting anything to happen. All I wanted was a chance to spend time with the man that I had gradually fallen for through our letters and texts.

  Walking into my apartment in awkward silence was awful. I kept wanting to fill the gaps, but knew that I would just come out with something inappropriate that would not only make me look like a complete idiot, but also make me sound like a pervy perversion.

  “Can I get you a drink or anything? I know you didn’t eat anything earlier. I could order in. What do you think about pizza?” I asked.

  Talon nodded at my suggestion, and I wasted no time in ordering. With the order placed, I motioned him to follow me from the kitchen into the living room and told him to make himself at home. Because we needed something to fill the silence, I turned the television on and gave the remote to Talon to find us something to watch while I went and got something for us to drink.

  As soon as I entered the kitchen, I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to fuck this up, assume anything and do the wrong thing like pounce on the man when he really did just come over for pizza. I just really wanted to make the right move. Let him know just how much he meant to me.

  Two hours later, all the pizza was eaten, we watched a cheesy 80s movie, and drank a six-pack between us. And throughout the whole thing, I had tried to come up with a mega move that would knock Talon’s socks off, and if the rest of his clothes came off at the same time, all the better.

  I was just about to get up and get us each another beer when Talon passed me his notepad. Looking down, I couldn’t help but smile at what he’d written.

  * * *

  If you don’t make your move soon, I am going to have to,

  and I have no idea how to do it.

  * * *

  Putting the notepad to the side, I leaned forward, cradled his face with both palms, and licked the seam of his lips. It wasn’t a complete second before he responded. Pushing forward, I forced Talon back on the sofa so that my body covered him. I could feel his hands sneaking up my sides and beneath my t-shirt. The moment I felt his touch on my chest, I almost pulled away, it felt so good. His fingers were leaving trails of tingles that felt almost tattooed into my skin.

  Needing more, I broke the kiss, leaned back, and pulled my t-shirt over my head. I pulled at Talon’s shirt, encouraging him to remove his, which he did quickly.

  The moment I got my hands on his skin I knew it
would never be enough. I wanted to touch, explore, and taste every inch of this man.

  “Hit me upside the head if I do anything you don’t like, okay?”

  At Talon’s nod, I took my time inspecting and devouring every patch of exposed skin. Licking, sucking, touching.

  “Can I take these off?” I asked, tugging on the belt of his jeans. Instead of answering, he reached down and undid his belt and jeans, raised his hips, and wriggled his jeans down. Taking the opportunity to touch him again, I moved his hands and pulled. I don’t think he expected me to take his underwear off as well.

  “You okay?” He looked so beautiful lying out in front of me. The nerves coming from him in waves gave me pause. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down a few times. “Do you want to slow it down or…” He didn’t even give me the chance to finish my question. He lunged up from where he was lying and, with a hand on the back of my neck, pulled me back down over him. The only thing keeping his skin from mine was a layer of denim.

  I let my hands to continue to explore and trace every valley, dip, and shape of his body. With my mouth still occupied kissing, and Talon’s hands firmly keeping my head in place, I was in heaven. My hands were gradually working their way down his body. We both knew where I was headed; I just wanted to give him enough time to call a halt to things if he needed to. It was as if I was carrying out a countdown in my head. “5…4…3…2…1…touchdown.”

  Talon’s whole body jolted at my first touch on his cock, which was quickly followed by his hands tightening their grip of the hair at the back of my head and his kisses becoming more desperate.