Page 77 of Bitter Heat
He supposed if Janus had to accept Kerry belonging to another alpha, then he’d have to accept that part of Janus belonged to Caleb. He just wanted to scratch the man’s eyes out for having had Janus’s heart first.
The next morningover breakfast, served in the dining room instead of the kitchen to accommodate the two new guests, Kerry agreed to meet with Mr. Deckel alone in the living room for a thorough interview regarding his situation as he understood it.
“At this point, we’re still at the discovery stage,” Mr. Deckel said, buttering his toast lightly. “I need to understand the situation inside and out, which means I’ll need to talk with your pater, and most likely, Janus, too, if they agree to it, and if you will approve of it.”
“If it’ll help,” Pater said, “I’d sell my soul to wolf-god’s fallen kin and happily.”
“I’m willing to be interviewed,” Janus said. “If Kerry’s all right with me disclosing what I know, amongst other, uh,particularsof our life.”
Eyes downcast, Kerry nodded, understanding not for the first time his in-law’s reluctance to discuss weighty matters while eating. He had to admit it did ruin his appetite. Still, he picked at his eggs and managed a few sips of the hearty morning stew Pater had served up. Then he put his spoon aside and waited for everyone else to finish up before shoving back from the table and asking Mr. Deckel, “How do we begin?”
“I’d like to start with Janus. I understand that his schedule requires him to travel up-mountain a bit to work with the doctor and that he won’t be home again until afternoon or evening. The interview should be short, as he has the least experience with your contracted alpha’s family. Then I’ll likely spend the bulk of the day talking with you, Kerry. And, Zeke, if you don’t mind, this afternoon I’d like an hour or two with you?”
“That all sounds fine with me,” Pater said.
“Kerry?” Mr. Deckel asked, his kind eyes boring into Kerry for permission to dig up the worst part of his life.
“Yes. In the meantime, I’ll…” He trailed off, glancing toward Caleb who fairly glowed in the morning sun coming in the windows and lighting on his hair. The man was ridiculously beautiful. No matter what Janus had said, how was it possible to stop loving someone who looked like that? He cleared his throat. “I’ll wait in my room if that’s all right.”
“I have some work to do, but Mr. Riggs, you can feel free to explore the house or the grounds,” Pater said.
“Of course,” Caleb said softly. “I wanted to go back down to the lake and dip my feet in. Rumor has it that it’s got healing waters.”
“It does indeed,” Pater agreed heartily.
Kerry couldn’t stop himself from adding, “Be careful with the baby on the trails. There are wildcats out there. I’d hate for him to be eaten up.”
There was a ring of shocked silence around the room, and Caleb’s eyes went almost comically wide before he bent his head to kiss his son’s soft, light brown hair. Kerry wished he didn’t feel a dart of satisfaction at having rattled the imperious and impervious man.
“Don’t mind Kerry,” Janus said with an awkward laugh. “He likes to tease about the wildcats, but I’ve been here for months and haven’t even really seen one yet.”
Kerry shot Janus a glare. “I’m not teasing.” He rose and nearly tripped over the edge of the large carpet beneath the table as he hastened to leave the room. “There are wildcats, and the baby shouldn’t be left alone.”
“I’m sure Mr. Riggs isn’t going to leave—” Pater said, but Kerry shot him a silencing look, too.
“Excuse me. I’m not fit for company,” Kerry said. “I should go to my room and get my head together for Mr. Deckel’s interview.”
“Call me Yosef.”
Kerry nodded. “Certainly. Until then…”
He tried to sweep out of the room, but his belly made that impossible. So, he waddled with as much dignity as he could muster—which probably wasn’t very much—leaving awkward silence in his wake.
Let them feel uncomfortable. He had felt that way for months physically, and now, with this well-intended invasion of his home by his lover’s ex…well, exsomething, he was even more uncomfortable. Why not share that joy around?
As he gained the second floor and turned to head down the hall to his room, he heard the scraping of chairs moving back from the table and his pater’s apologies for Kerry’s behavior. It was followed quickly by his insistence that there were indeed wildcats, and while they were usually harmless, it didn’t hurt to stay aware of one’s surroundings in the wilderness around the lake.
Kiwi tapped against his mirror and, seeing Kerry enter the room, turned to dance for him while bursting with demanding chirrups and screeches. Kerry released him from the cage, taking him in hand and letting him trot back and forth between his palms. Then Kiwi shook out his wings and flew across the room, landing on the windowsill to gaze outside.
“Do you want a bath?” Kerry asked, thinking that in his distraction of late, he hadn’t allowed Kiwi much time to play in the sink.
Kiwi bobbed and clicked, and then flew to rest on Kerry’s shoulder. Taking him into the bathroom, he stoppered the drain and turned on the tap. The water came out a bit fast, startling Kiwi into another scream. But Kerry adjusted it to a trickle and sat Kiwi in the basin, watching as he pushed his head under the stream, tilted his head from side to side, and then shook the water out over his wings.
Kiwi’s joy in the water reminded Kerry of Janus in the lake. While he’d made it clear that he didn’t believe in Hud’s Basin’s healing qualities, there was no doubt that Janus was in love with swimming in the lake. When the cooler months came, Kerry knew Janus would miss his long swims unless he was mad, like some of the older mountain alphas, and went swimming in the water even in the ice and snow of winter. Kerry supposed he wouldn’t be here this winter to find out. He’d be in the city with the baby, chestfeeding, and hoping he could survive two years in Monte and Lukas’s clutches.
He hoped he’d have two years, anyway. Once the chestfeeding came to an end, he’d likely go into heat within a month, and, well, that was an eventuality he wanted to stall for as long as possible.
A knock came at the door to his bedroom. Surprised that the interview with Janus had concluded so quickly, he shut off the tap and left Kiwi in the basin to investigate. Perhaps it was Pater coming to tell him off for scaring a boarder, and one doing him an incredibly undeserved favor at that. He’d deserved that lecture and would accept it shamefacedly.
