Escape is Only Temporary [boyxboy]

Chapter XXV

"Stop provoking him and he won't scratch you," Shepherd scolded Reece lightly, not even an ounce of sympathy shifting his smile as he dabbed a damp cloth at the wound over the back of the man's hand. Reece hadn't done anything wrong. It was the damn cougar's fault, he had settled on Reece's jacket on purpose. Reece had only put it on the bed for a moment whilst he laced his boots and, in that time, the evil little rat had curled up on the jacket, nestling into the fabric and purring purely to agitate the wolf.

"All I did was move him a little. It's not my fault he's aggressive," Shepherd rolled his eyes playfully at Reece's pouting, wrapping a bandage around the man's hand once he had cleaned the wound. It was deeper than Reece had anticipated, and hurt like a bitch. Even with only one paw, that cougar could cause a hell of a lot of damage.

Shepherd had tried his best to save what was left of the cub's paw but, in the end, it was just safer to remove the whole leg. He had done a good job of it, considering he hadn't performed a surgery like that before, and Mischief was healing well. Reece couldn't truthfully say he was too pleased about the animal, nor how much attention it was stealing from him, however, there wasn't much he could do about it. Mischief was Shepherd's familiar, their souls were made to be bonded, life-long companions that Reece would never be able to come between. No matter how much he fucking wanted to.

"He's not aggressive," as if to prove Shepherd's point, the cougar hopped up onto the bed again, settling on his master's lap, "see? He's just a baby, he didn't mean to hurt you, did you, Mischief?" Well, the animal certainly lived up to his name. Ever since Shepherd had brought him home, Mischief had it out for Reece. He hissed at the man whenever he got close, lashing out with that one remaining paw when Reece tried to clean his wound, even just growling lowly if the wolf was in the same room as him. And, of course, Shepherd saw none of it. Shepherd only saw his little baby who couldn't harm a fly. Reece would tame the feline soon enough, or drown it, he hadn't decided.

"You're not bringing him with us," Reece was firm on that, rising from the bed and slinging his jacket over his shoulders. He grimaced at the smell. It smelt of fucking cat. And he knew that's exactly what the little bastard had intended. Mischief was practically smirking at Reece, stretching his head up so that Shepherd could scratch the spot under his chin that made his purrs grow to an even more irritating level.

"Reece, he's a cougar. Of course I'm not bringing him with us. Cam said she'd watch him, they actually get along. Unlike someone else..." Reece glowered at the animal nestled in Shepherd's arms as he carried it out of the bedroom. Mischief was all that Shepherd had cared about for the past few days. Reece had barely gotten any attention. Either Shepherd was cuddling with Mischief, or tending to his wound, or hand-rearing him because he was still consuming only milk at such a young age.

To begin with, it hadn't bothered Reece all that much. Mischief was Shepherd's familiar, that was amazing. It was rare for a warlock to find their familiar since they had a stronger bond with nature in general so it was difficult for them to connect with one single animal. Reece had been happy for Shepherd. He hadn't seen the man smiling like that in a long time. However, the jealousy was beginning to bubble. He wanted time alone with Shepherd. He had craved it since the night of the fight, and even more so after he had woken. Unfortunately, his wounds had been healing exceptionally slowly, and Shepherd seemed to have viewed him as nothing more than a patient from then on. It was as though their acceptance of one another, Shepherd's acceptance of being Reece's mate, was nothing more than an empty declaration.

"If you keep frowning like that, you'll give yourself lines," Reece looked up, finding Shepherd leaning against the doorframe, alone this time, a warm smile gracing his lips, "are you going to tell me what's up with you or do I have to deal with your bad mood all day?" Shepherd might have been trying to make light of the situation but Reece wasn't in the mood to joke. He had wanted a pleasant day with his family and, instead, he just wanted to crawl back into bed. There was something wrong with him, he knew it. He just couldn't figure out what it was.