CARNIVORE [MxM+]

Chapter 19 [Revised]

Alexei Abbots.

MY HEART HURTS. MY MIND IS FILLED. They're threatening to take me away, and I've forgotten everything I've ever known.

Tycho is passed out, limbs sprawled on the carpet at my feet. Blood stains the left side of his face because he hit his head on his way down. Riley is in front of him, calm as ever, and a first aid kit is open next to him. He was speaking quickly with Xavier.

He turns to speak to me. He's telling me nothing is wrong. That it will be okay, and it'll be over soon. I feel myself start to cry.

Xavier is in front of me now. His eyes are warm, the skin wrinkling at the outer edges. Crow's feet, people call them. A physical sign that someone smiles often, especially with their eyes. They make me feel warm. Secure. He's cupping my face now, talking to me. Slowly, his words make their way to me.

"You're okay, sweetheart. You're with me. You're safe." I feel my head shake, but I believe him, I realize. Suddenly, my therapist's face comes into view, teaching me how to deal with PTSD all over again. I listen to her. She's proven I can trust her. I breathe deeply and think of my partners.

When my breathing has calmed, and the real world is in front of me, I realize Tycho and Riley are gone. In their place is a drop of blood the diameter of my pinky. Xavier and I don't move, the tension solidifying our joints. Yet, like always, he knows just what to say to break it.

"I really liked that rug," Xavier tells me. I laugh at his disappointment. He bends down, his suit tightening around his back and shoulders. He rolls up the carpet and lifts it over his shoulder.

"I'm sure we could clean it. It isn't much blood." He considers my words for a second but decides against it.

"The memory it's now associated with is too dark for this brightly furnished living room. Riley would throw a fit, and you know it." I scoff. He's right, I do know it. When I first met Xavier and Riley, I was quick to observe that Riley was a neat freak and that he loved designing things.

Xaver set off, making his way to the back door. I don't know what to do, so I follow him like a puppy. I watch from the doorway as he throws it in the trashcan, wiping his hands afterward to get the dust off.

"C'mon. Let's go check on Tycho and Riley." He touches my shoulder as he passes, letting his fingers float across my skin.

"I was just wondering where they went," He doesn't ask why I don't remember. He knows. I feel ashamed, but bite it down. I will be healthy.

"They're in the spare bedroom across the hall from ours. Riley said Tycho only just grazed his head, so he should be fine. He'll make sure to check him for a concussion when he's awake, though."

"Do you think he'll be okay?" I can't help but see myself in Tycho, and it worries me.

"He will be if he never goes back to that house again. But I don't have an answer to that yet." I wanted to cry for him. I don't want him to ever have to face his stepfather again. I don't care what he did to me; I wish that on no one.

I pull on Xavier's hand to get him to turn around. He knows I'm serious when I say, "He will not be going back to his house."

He nods. I love him so much.

"And Alexei? I wanted to apologize for the way I took things back there. My emotions got the better of me. That's not very lawyer-like of me, I'm afraid." He adjusted his tie jokingly.

I laughed. "I forgive you. I don't blame you whatsoever."

His expression turned grim. "I'll make sure to apologize to Tycho as well, but I have an odd feeling he doesn't like me very much."