5. Adam
five
Adam
I 'm on fucking edge. It doesn't help that the stupid pendant is resting on the nightstand, red glow lighting up the area around it. It's taunting me. Making me want things I don't deserve to want because I'm a selfish, possessive fuck who doesn't share what's mine.
Or, I do, but only when it's my idea, my treat for Seth. Yeah, a nice little gift of a woman to warm our bed with us for a night to show Seth how much I appreciate him. Not someone he's lusting over and might want for more than one night.
My brows tug together, and my lips frown harder as I think about it.
Seth snores softly, his face pressed against my chest, an arm over my abdomen. I'm surprised his legs aren't wrapped around mine. He's like an octopus in his sleep. A needy, clingy octopus. One of my arms is tight around him, my hand stroking lazily down his back as I stew in my anger. My other hand rubs at my temples, then flexes and curls because I want to hit something.
I look down at Seth and narrow my eyes at him. He doesn't want me hitting anything else, and for him, I won't. Even if it takes all my restraint.
He told me about his dumb plan earlier. Or more like he told me we got found out for being with one another because I'm not very good at acting like a man who doesn't care about someone. The fact that I was so easy to read makes me want to punish myself.
I could've gotten Seth hurt all because I can't act like I'm not about to murder anyone who gets too close to him. I growl, thinking about the next thing he told me. How the crew wanted to bring another stranger on board, a male, to help with the golden woman, Essa's, need for companionship. I almost cracked a tooth when he told me that.
I snarl, an angry sound erupting from my throat. Seth stirs just a little. He's used to my late-night tossing, turning, and growling at the ceiling with all my angry thoughts.
If something were wrong, I'd wake him. He knows I would. Not to mention, with his heightened senses, he'd probably know about it before me. He relaxes back against me before I can pull my lips back together. I look stupid, making faces at the ceiling, but I'm expressive. What can I say?
"Fuck this," I murmur before slowly extricating myself from Seth's hold.
He tried his hardest to wear me out so I could fall asleep tonight, but it wasn't enough. He would've told me to keep going if he had the energy. I'm surprised he didn't ask me to keep going while he was asleep. He likes that kind of thing. I could still do it. He'd have no issues with it. But he really was tired, and he had a rough day.
It's my fault why it was so rough, but there was also the fact that we got a message this morning telling us to get transport up to the space port and hope that whoever our contact is could convince this crew to take us. We didn't even have fifteen minutes to get all our stuff and leave the hideout. Not that we have much. We've moved around so much in the last two years so no one could track us down. But getting our hopes up and our adrenaline working took out a lot of Seth's energy, and I only exasperated the problem by picking fights with him and the crew. He wants them to like us, so I can try not to make it harder for him.
The man I was cloned from was thirty-six when he was taken and forty when his DNA was secured for cloning. My body was aged to around twenty-five before they woke me from my slumber, and that was almost five years ago. You'd think with all of those years, I'd be better at controlling myself, but no, that's left up to Seth, who's around the same age even if his original was younger than my original when they were first introduced to one another.
I pull on a pair of sweats since I don't need to be roaming the ship naked. I'm about to leave when the red glow of the pendant grabs my attention again. It reminds me of what Seth told me earlier about the others wanting to bring on an actual pleasure crew to be with Essa. My lips pull back at the thought. I grab the pendant and shove it into my pocket.
My muscles are tense and tight, and I feel on edge. That doesn't stop me from leaning down, brushing the curls away from Seth's temple, and placing a kiss there. He stirs softly, and this time, he does wake. Not a lot, but enough that I say something.
"Shh, sleep, I'll be back in a minute."
"You good?" His voice is filled with sleep, and his eyes never open.
"I'm good, and I'll be good," I tell him.
I don't try to cause problems for us. It just happens. Especially when I'm stressed and even more so when I'm stressed and jealous. Seth's eyes flutter open, trying to wake himself from sleep because he doesn't trust me to be good.
I frown against his temple. "Sleep, Seth. You need to sleep. You're exhausted."
He grumbles something unintelligible but closes his eyes again. I watch him for a minute, ensuring he goes back to sleep. When his breathing evens out, I tug the blanket higher on him and run my hand over his hair.
I'm still pissed as hell about what he wants, but it doesn't stop me from caring about him, from loving him. There's a lot I would do for Seth and very, very little I wouldn't. I just need to figure out if this is one of those things I deny him.
I finger the pendant in my pocket and head out of the room. As I step outside, I listen for anyone making noise. Seth fell asleep a while ago, and I assume everyone else did, too.
We're just floating in space while waiting to determine if we were followed. Everyone's pretty sure no one did, but it's better to be out here in the middle of nowhere if there's a fight. Plus, there are fewer questions when someone ends up dead.
There's no sound in the ship. The only lighting in the hallways is the faint glow from dim lights lining the bottom edge of the flooring. I could turn on a light, but I'd rather no one know I'm awake.
I find the kitchen easy enough, but working the food synthesizer is a beast in and of itself. I frown at it for a few minutes, poking around on it and not understanding it enough to know I won't break it. Finally, I grunt at it and decide to grab a water canister instead. A shadow moves near the doorway, and I spin around, hands raised in fists.
Essa.
My eyes flash over her features. Her face is filled with uncertainty, her hands, with one too many fingers, held up like she wants me to know she isn't a threat. Her tail is tight around her ankle, not thrashing around like it was earlier. Her hair is down now, too, and I realize how long it is. Dark, black tresses that fan over her shoulders, down her back, over her chest. My eyes fall lower, over the tank top she's been wearing, but now her hair is covering where her nipples pebble against the fabric. She's wearing shorts now instead of the cargo pants, or at least I guess they could be considered shorts. They're more like long underwear, thin and white and tempting.
At first, she says nothing, her eyes moving to the pendant and its red glow. I scoff before switching its colors until it's green, telling her she can talk to me.
"I didn't know you were in here," Essa says, her yellow eyes almost glowing as she watches me soak her in.
It's dark in here, but I don't know how well she can see and I don't need to spend this conversation ogling her. I drop my hands down and straighten out before swiping a water and unscrewing the top.
Essa watches me, her tail slowly untwining from her ankle as I take a deep swig. Maybe she can see well in this light because her eyes definitely track down my body, and she's not shying away from outright staring at me. I set the water canister down, startling her a little, and she snaps her attention back to my face.
My dick hasn't gotten the memo that we're angry and hate Essa. No, it's in love with her and trying hard to get her attention. I'm not ashamed of my body or its reactions to beautiful creatures. She's probably already seen it tenting my sweats when she was doing her perusal of my body. There's no point in trying to hide it now.
"Why are you up?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the counter. Essa's eyes travel low again, but not low enough for me to tell if she's checking out my cock. No, they snag on my biceps, and I don't hate that either.
No, fuck. I do hate it. I hate her.
I scowl, and it has her frowning at me. Her tail is behind her now. Twitching back and forth in an almost irritated manner. I grit my teeth, unsure if I'm happy it's moving or upset.
Happy.
I'm ecstatic that she's not having a good time right now talking to me. She opens her mouth slightly, fangs pressing into her dark, lush lower lip. Her tongue snakes out, the tip wrapping around one fang and then the other before she swallows. I forget all about her tail while I watch that.
"I couldn't sleep. I heard someone in the hall and thought maybe Sloane or Avery was awake."
Her eyes dart anywhere but at me. She's lying. Which, fair, I wouldn't tell me the truth either, especially not when we got off on the worst possible foot. But still, I don't like people lying to me. My gaze narrows as her fingers twitch by her sides.
"Did you think it might've been Seth?" I ask, the accusation more of a snarl as it leaves my mouth.
My hands ball into fists again, my heart racketing in my chest at the thought of someone trying to take him from me. He's mine. Always mine. And she wants to take him. Take him from me. Leave me alone with no one.
"Were you hoping I was him? So you could what? Seduce him in the middle of the night with me asleep in our room?" I move closer to her, anger burning under my skin, my body itching for a fight.
"I wouldn't. I wasn't," Essa tells me, standing a little straighter. Her voice doesn't waver, but I don't believe her.
She's lying. Of course, she's lying. She wants to steal what's mine—take him for herself. He's perfect. Anyone would be lucky to have him, but he's mine, and I'm not giving him up.
I get close to her, invading her space, making sure she knows how upset I am.
Where are you? Seth's voice is loud in my mind.
He can sense that I'm losing control and knows my anger is ruling me. I don't answer him. I don't want him near her. I won't lose him, not when we're this close to being free from never having to run again.
Adam, you need to calm down. Please just stop whatever you're doing and wait for me.
Essa takes a step back, hitting the kitchen wall just a few feet away from the door. I close the space between us. I tell myself I'm not going to hurt her. I just want to make it clear she's not going to go near my male. She won't look at my mate. She won't even breathe the same air as him.
"Back away, or I will hurt you." Essa's voice is a soft melodic sound, the same one she tried to use on me earlier when Seth was screaming in my mind that she was fucking terrifying. Her pupils are constricted into tight vertical lines that vibrate in the middle of each golden eye.
I wonder if I'm supposed to be scared right now. I bet Seth would tell me to be scared.
"I'm not scared of you, sweetheart."
My lips kick up in probably the first smile I've had that didn't involve Seth on my cock. It grows even more when surprise flickers in Essa's eyes, her tongue snaking out of her mouth to wrap around one of her fangs. The movement catches my attention and I notice the clear liquid dripping from her lips. She's not scared of me either, and something about that has lust and anger warring hard inside me.
"I don't want to hurt you," Essa says, her voice quiet, her fangs digging into her lip as she speaks. "Please back away."
"I need you to understand that Seth is—" I lift my hand to place it on the wall beside her, and she lunges.
Her hand is in my hair, her teeth in my shoulder in an instant. I'm so shocked by the outburst that I don't fight back. By the time I realize what's going on, something's happening inside my body.
A calming, a relaxation. Anger isn't boiling inside of me. I'm not thinking about Seth being taken from me. I'm not thinking of anything other than her.
"You're safe," Essa says as she touches my shoulder, guiding me deeper into the kitchen.
I stare at her, my head tilting to the side. My lips part as I take in a slow inhale and release it even slower. My limbs feel heavy. The world feels fuzzy. It's like a dream, but I've never had one of those. I only have nightmares.
"Sit," Essa says, and my body comes alive with the desire to do as she says. Warmth washes over me as I sit, and my eyes move up to hers, and I realize I'm waiting for her praise.
"Thank you. That's good," Essa murmurs, almost like she's ashamed.
She shouldn't be. I've never heard anything so wonderful. I want to do more of what she says so she can keep making me feel good.
"You'll stay here. I'll get the first aid kit."
She winces as she looks at my shoulder, and I move my head to look at it, too. It takes so long to move my gaze to the two puncture marks on my skin. I like those. I like them so much that I'm smiling at them. A big, goofy smile. One I don't think I've ever worn in my life.
"What happened?" Seth asks.
Seth.
I raise my eyes to meet his gaze, and my smile grows even more. This is a wonderful dream.
"I told him to back away, or I'd have to hurt him," Essa says, her voice level. I miss the melodic sounds of it. I want the song to come back. I lift my eyes to her, hoping she can feel my intention because I can't speak. Speaking is too much work. Thinking anything that isn't Seth or Essa is too much work. "I need to care for him. He'll be attached until it wears off."
She walks closer to me, her tail wrapping around my ankle as she stands in front of me, between my legs. My cock tents my sweats, and I can feel myself leaking from the tip. I don't care about that, don't care about the mess, don't care that it makes me look vulnerable. Essa will take care of me. Mmm, I want someone to take care of me.
"You're doing so good." Essa's voice takes on a singsongy tone, and my cock jumps at the sound and the praise she lavishes on me. She ignores my cock, but her attention is still on me, so it's okay.
"My good little human," she murmurs as she cleans the wound in my shoulder. She can see all of my other scars, but she doesn't rush the cleaning like the doctors did. She tends to them like someone who cares. "I'm proud of you for being so calm."
"Will he remember this?" Seth asks, standing behind Essa and placing a hand on her upper arm.
I smile at them together. I like these two. I want them both. Both of them mine forever and ever. We'd be happy, we'd be safe. The best trio.
"He should, but I've never bitten a human," Essa says, the song in her voice disappearing again. She clenches her teeth for a moment. "I've never bitten anyone."
"Don't feel bad about it now," Seth chuckles. I like that sound. I want to tell him I like it when he laughs. I don't think I've ever told him that. I don't know why now. "I have no doubt he did this to himself."
Essa nods, pressing gauze to my shoulder and ripping some medical tape with her teeth. She adheres the gauze with the tape to my shoulder, brushing her fingers over the bandage and my skin. I break into goosebumps. Everywhere she touches, I feel warm.
"That's good," Essa says, her voice soft and melodic, just like I like it. "I'm going to sit next to you until it wears off."
She scoots me further into the booth of the table seating. She grabs my water canister from the counter and brings it over before sitting down with me. Seth slides in on the other side, and I smile at being so close to both of them.
"Drink," Essa says, placing the water in my hand. I shiver at the chance to do as she says and work as quickly as I can, even though it feels like I'm moving through something thick. Her fingers run over the short strands of my hair, her dark nails pressing soothingly into my scalp. "Good boy."
Seth makes a snorting sound, another laugh that makes my heart swell. Essa shoots him an unhappy look, and he bites his lips to keep from laughing anymore.
"If he remembers this, he's going to hate you," Seth says.
My brows tug together at that. I don't hate Essa. I could never hate Essa. I lean against her, wanting to feel her touch more of me. She runs her fingers through my hair some more, and I shift as close to her as I can so our thighs are touching, my shoulder pressed against her chest. My hands are on my lap, but if I move them just a little, I can feel her soft thighs.
"Don't touch me with your hands," Essa tells me, and I settle my hands back in my lap.
"So good at obeying," she whispers and squeezes the back of my neck, causing a soft whimpering sound to leave my lips.
She turns to face Seth but continues to rub my head. They speak words that are too hard for me to keep up with. My body tingles with relaxation and warmth. I'm safe here, safer than I've ever been.
"Sleep," Essa whispers into my ear, and yes, sleeping sounds amazing. Sleep is exactly what I need.
I lean my head against her shoulder, her dark hair pressed against my cheek. I want to reach out and spin some around my finger, but I don't get to touch. Not yet. I'll have to earn that. I can earn that.