Page 75 of There's a Way

He can swim the pool back and forth underwater three times now, when he could barely do it one time when he first came to me. I’ve worked him up specifically so I can deny him air longer and longer in the playroom. The look of panic in his eyes, the way his body reacts — it’s what we both need. Davy was disappointed when I told him I’d never choke him the way Carlos and Bubbles did, but he’s come to love the way I do it, over time.

I stood my boy up and watched him walk across the room to make sure he’d recovered. When I was sure he was good, I told him, “Come upstairs when you’ve cleaned and put away everything we used.”

I went up to see how Micca was doing, and I found her in the workout room bench pressing the max my system allows – three hundred and fifty pounds.

“You’re handling that like it’s a boring rep exercise,” I noted.

She pushed the handles up and away, and sat up with a smile. “It’s why I couldn’t really work out with ya’ll before. The gym at Drake is set up for shifters. How’d your session with Davy go?”

I’d seen her working on the heavy bag once, going faster than I’d ever been able to manage, and she’d blushed and said she was just really into the moment. I’d never seen her go that fast again, and I figured she’d lost track of her timing or something. Thoughts for another day, though, so I answered her question. “Started out harsh and then had some tender moments, which isn’t like me, but that was the flow. I’m going to jump in the shower, and then I thought we might eat.”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

When I got out of the shower, no one was in the bedroom, so I made my way to the kitchen, where I found the table set,everyone’s favorite beer on the table, and Davy pulling some rolls out of the oven.

“Master! We’re just about ready to eat. Is beer okay, or do you want something else?”

“Beer is fine.”

I kind of wanted him on the floor, but it felt like we all needed to eat together at the table. I sent Davy downstairs to put a butt plug in before I gave him permission to sit with us, though.

The taco soup was beyond good, and I told Davy as much.

“It is,” Micca agreed, and then she sighed, and something didn’t sound right.

“Problem?” I asked.

She nodded. “Ya’ll know I can’t talk to you about Drake stuff, and that’s usually okay because it doesn’t affect you, but there’s something I know because of work, that I want to tell you, but I can’t.”

“Something about you?”

She shook her head. “No, but something that might affect you. So, let me just ask a question, and not tell you anything.”

Micca took a bite, considering. She swallowed, drank a swig of beer, and put the bottle down. “Why do you think Animal and Silver were told about supernaturals? Why not just spirit them off somewhere safe, without telling them about vampires, shifters, and other realms?”

I sat back and considered the question from a couple of angles. First, she was right. If the secret about supernaturals was such a big deal, you’d think it would be a need-to-know thing, and specifically with famous people, since the head-honcho vampires were especially concerned about me knowing.

And second, what was the purpose of her asking the question? There’s something she knows that she thinks I should know?

“Are either Silver or Animal in danger?” I asked.

“Not especially, I don’t think.”

“Could I be in danger, not knowing?”

She shook her head. “It isn’t something you need to know, but it’s something that could break trust between us, if you find out, knowing it’s something I knew all along. I can’t tell you anything else.” She sighed. “We go through lie detector type tests every so often, only it’s a shapeshifter or vampire asking the questions. We aren’t hooked up to a machine. The questions are usually asked with the wording of whether I’ve told you stuff, or told anyone else stuff. I haven’t told you anything; I just asked you a simple question. I can honestly tell them that the two of you know there’s stuff I can’t tell you, and that this frustrates me, but I haven’ttoldyou anything.”

“Thank you for giving me a heads up. I’m sorry you’ve been put in this position. As long as no one’s in danger, and everyone’s healthy and happy, I can wait to learn whatever it is.”

Not that I had much choice in the matter, but it sounded good to say it.

Unfortunately, Micca went home shortly after we ate, so it was just me and Davy in the bed that night. I understood she needed to let her bear out to sleep in the woods, but it bothered me I didn’t have a solution for how to permanently move her in.

I’d sold the lake property, but there probably wouldn’t have been a way for her to be a bear there, either. You could see most of the property from the water, and grizzly bears aren’t native to Tennessee.

Chapter 34

Davy

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