Claws

Moral failings

I finished the book!!!!! Claws is complete!!!!! Prepare for the rapid-fire release of the next 14 chapters as I proofread them 😝💕

LUKA

     Apollo was increasingly absent from home. I knew he was off doing some important work by making a new generation, but it was still lonely.
     I told myself I should feel happy for him. My bird was finally overcoming his obstacles, was finally healing, but somehow it still didn't feel right to be without him. It was selfish, I knew it, but that knowledge didn't change anything.
     For the third day in a row, I made myself chicken ramen on the single-burner stove in our home that was feeling less and less like home. It tasted like water and sadness.
     Maybe I'll see him if I go to dinner tonight.
     And so it was planned— dinner at Dad's. What could go wrong?
     Checking my phone, I saw it was only noon. There was some serious time to kill before seeing my bird. So I did what any sane person would do and whipped out good old Shakespeare. Nothing better.
     About an hour passed before I grew bored of iambic pentameter. If Apollo had been there, we could have chatted, practiced agility, played a board game, snuggled....
     An idea came to me that I struggled with for several minutes. I could call Kye, but it had been months since the last time we had talked. I hadn't forgotten about him, but life had been so chaotic I hadn't had time to do anything except care for my bird and go to trials.
     Now that trail season was over, was it a good time for a relationship?
     I thought long and hard about what I was about to do and if I was ready for it. I had stable housing. I was emotionally available. My finances were in check. I was already pursuing my passions.
     Fuck it, I'm gonna call him.
     Activating Face ID, scrolling through my contacts, finding Kye, and pressing call. It was that easy.
     So why did I hesitate?
     Because I'm being a little bitch, that's why.
     I smacked the call button.
     The phone rang once, and I didn't know what to say if he picked up. Twice, and I started to panic. Three times, and I went to hang up— then I heard a "Hello?" on the other line.
     "Hey Kye, it's Luka." I greeted as coolly and calmly as I possibly could.
     "Hey, Luka!" Kye seemed excited to hear from me. "We haven't talked in forever, how are you doing?"
     "I'm doing okay, how are you?" I mirrored the question.
     "Eh." Kye verbally shrugged. "I'm doing alright. Life has its ups and downs. You know how it is."
"Definitely." I agreed before asking, "Kye, would you like to get together today?"
"What did you have in mind?" He asked readily.
Uh oh. I didn't think I'd get this far.
"Um...." I stalled for time, "We could go for a picnic if you're up for it?"
"Are you kidding?" He asked, and my heart dropped. Then he added, "I love picnics!"
Whew.
     "Pick me up at two thirty?" I asked.
     "Will do." Kye agreed. "See you then, Luka."
     "Bye!" I chirped, and the call ended.
     Excitement overpowered me, making me squeal and wiggle.
     With all the bottles up energy I had from the last few days, I set to work making a picnic. First, the main course— subs, I decided. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayonnaise, and thinly-sliced steak. Then fruit kebabs, of course, complete with grapes, cut apples, and strawberries. Dessert was a pint of cookies and cream ice cream that was hiding in the back of my freezer. And of course, two water bottles.
No wicker baskets were to be found anywhere in the house, so I opted for Apollo's agility backpack instead. Normally carrying a book, water bottle, and snack, I wasn't concerned about any kind of smell other than feathers and musk, which was constantly all over me anyways.
Last but not least, a blanket to eat on. This one was easy— I had a spare plaid quilt under the bed.
At two thirty on the dot, I heard the sound of an ATV pulling up in front of the house. I double-checked all of items I was bringing; nothing was left on the counters, and all of the food plus the blanket fit in Apollo's backpack perfectly.
There was a knocking at the door. Eager as a beaver, I walked over and opened it. Kye was on the other side holding a bouquet of wind-blown flowers. Sunflowers and baby's breath.
"Hi, Luka." The doctor greeted me with a smile.
"Hey!" I chirped back. "Are those for me?"
"Absolutely are." His deep voice rumbled as he spoke.
"I should put these in some water." I remarked blithely before adding, "Please, come in."
Kye obliged readily. As I set to work chopping off the bottom of the flowers' stems and placing them in a glass, my date asked, "Where's your bird, Luka?"
     "Off doing bigger and better things." I joked, "He decided to get all lovey-dovey on a bird in heat. Now my dad wants a fledgling from them, so I haven't see claw nor feather of him in half a week."
     "Wow." Kye remarked, "That's a lot to take in. How are you handling it?"
     Shrugging, I willfully let my guard down. "I'm worried about him." I confessed, "I'm worried that he's going to become so reliant on the aphrodisiac his partner produces during heat that he won't be able to have normal sex without panicking."
     "He has post traumatic stress disorder." I clarified at Kye's confused face, "Sex has always been really difficult for him."
     "Well," The other doctor began, "If worse comes to worse, he's in the best hands possible to help him through it."
     "Thank you." A small smile lit up my features, and I noticed that I was already done preparing the flowers.
     "Let's roll." I said eagerly.
     And with that, we were off. Kye handed me a spare full-face helmet when we got to the ATV, and helped me onto the passenger seat.
     "Come a little closer to me." He instructed, and I did as I was told.
     "Liiiiittle closer." Kye said again, and again, I complied.
     "Perfect." He hummed, "Now put your arms around my waist and hold on tight!"
     With that, we were off. It didn't take long to find the perfect picnic spot— Kye took me to an old oak on the far side of the ranch with low limbs and great shade.
     I set to work laying out the plaid blanket I had brought. Bending over to straighten out the edges, I felt eyes on me. At first I thought it might have been a lionheart nestled in the tree, but when I glanced up to look for one, I didn't have any luck. Turning around and scanning the ranch, all I saw was Kye looking in the complete opposite direction and scratching his beard.
     He was definitely staring at my ass.
I hadn't felt so sexy in a very long time. Stuffing down a smile, I took a seat on the blanket and said, "Come and sit with me."
Kye did so with a smile. "Thanks for making lunch, Luka." He thanked me.
"No problem!" I replied while handing him a sub from out of the black backpack sitting to my left. I took one as well, and we both unwrapped them from the Saran Wrap they were cocooned in.
Taking an eager bite from the sandwich, I noticed that it tasted.... off.
Chewing it carefully and with a perturbed expression, I tried not to let my confusion reach Kye.
     Why does this taste so odd?
Then it hit me. The only meat in the fridge was Apollo's. We were eating human flesh.
I looked over to warn Kye. To my horror, he was halfway through the sub.
"I don't know what you put in this Luka, but it is really good!" The doctor exclaimed.
There were two options here: I could tell him that I accidentally made it with human meat and never see him again, or pretend to be none the wiser.
Against my better judgement, I took another bite of the sandwich, feigning enjoyment.