Strange Love 110 Drunk Punch Love

Arei forced himself to use care when shutting the front door behind him, instead of slamming it with all the rage that was building up inside him. He stepped out onto lush gra.s.s that surrounded both sides of the narrow sidewalk that led to the steep stairs they'd used earlier. He narrowed his eyes against the dark pitch of night. In a stroke of the light provided by the lighthouse set out on the edge of the cliffs, Arei caught site of two figures. Setting his jaw in p.i.s.sed off determination, he stomped of toward them eating up the distance quickly with his large strides. Anger buzzed loudly in his ears drowning out whatever conversation the kid and Orion was having. He grabbed the boy by the shoulder and forced him to spin around to face him. "What the f.u.c.k was that?!" He stood toe to toe with the boy looking down at him, his rage building more. "How can you treat someone you 'love' like you are her? I wouldn't talk to my enemy the way you do her!"

Russ pulled away from his grip and glared up at him but didn't say anything.

Arei narrowed his eyes at the boy pus.h.i.+ng him for answers, but when he didn't respond Arei gritted his teeth and turned toward Orion. "Ry, you need to get this p.r.i.c.k out of here. If I have to go through one more incident like earlier, Jos wont have to worry about losing control and hurting the little a.s.shole I will!"

Orion let out a heavy sigh, "We were just discussing that option."

"No! There is no option to be had. This is abuse. She's covered in scars from his little outbursts not to mention all the mental torment he's inflicting! " He pointed in Russ's direction as he continued. "I'll not have it! She's went through enough in her life without a man-child causing more problems." Arei closed the distance between he and Russ glaring down at him in accusation.

Orion's eyes popped open in shock, "Scars?" He turned to Russ, but Russ's attention was directed at Arei, a hateful glare boring straight into him.

Russ shoved hard against the giant of a man. "Get off me! You just want me gone for your own gain! I've heard all about you. You walked out on her after letting her think you were someone else! How's that any better, for f.u.c.ks sake?!" Russ took a large step forward toward Arei to show he was not backing down so easily. "Admit it, you only have a problem with us arguing because you still have feeling for her."

Arei's mouth dropped, "Arguing? f.u.c.king arguing? Are you joking right now?" He pointed back to the house. "She's in there crying her eyes out, blaming herself, because of you this very second. She spent half of last night crying her eyes out, BLAMING HERSELF, because of you." Russ tried to interrupt but Arei stopped him. "NO! You know what, you're right. I do still love her, and yes I shouldn't have let her go so easily, and was too f.u.c.king scared to ask her if she could tell a difference between Orion and I..." He narrowed his eyes staring Russ dead in the eyes. "But you know what for some unfathonable reason she loves you, she wants you. I can honestly say I love her more because my ultimate desire is to see her happy. To do every thing in my power to keep that beautiful smile on her face, to see that content expression she gets when she's looking out over the ocean, to see the bright turquoise of her eyes brightened by the blush of her cheeks when she's embarra.s.sed." He slammed a finger hard into Russ's chest. "I haven't gotten to see any of that over the past two days because her eyes have been so f.u.c.king red-rimmed from tears-"

Anger burned Russ's very core. Unwilling to admit the truth of his words, instead, Russ struck out and punched the other man square in the jaw. Much like his fights with Orion, it was like punching a steal wall and seemed to do very little in the way of harm.

Arei rubbed his jaw. Irritation radiated from every pore of his body. "I hoped you enjoyed that, hope it somehow helped to ease your guilt." His arm shout out and hooked into the front of Russ's s.h.i.+rt. He Pulled the boy closer until their faces were nearly touching. His words were a hushed growl, "Because you'll not get a second one for free." He released the fabric and turned back to Orion. "I'm serious, the kid has to go. Take him back to his people," He snarled up a lip as he sent Russ a sideways glare. "Present their new leader to them, and pray they can make more of a man out of him than you have.

"Russ's eyes bugged when Orion nodded in silent agreement. "Wait! You can't send me away!"

Arei turned back to the pup, his arms folded tightly across his chest. "I can and I will."

Russ took several large angry steps forward, "Who are you to dictate what goes on in my life!?"

Orion blocked Russ's progress with his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut in irritation. "Enough." He nodded to Arei, "It's been decided. I agree with Arei, this isn't healthy for you or her. If this is what your relations.h.i.+p has been like for the past six months then it's no reason she felt the need to take out her aggressions in the sea." He held Russ's shocked gaze. "You are the reason for her murders of those human, aren't you? Do you think the council will let you off if they find out? You'll spend the next hundred years a prisoner of your own castle."

Russ's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? How... what... murders?"

Orion narrowed his eyes. "You can't be that dumb, boy. they've been all over the news. You know good and well she did it."

Russ sighed. "I... I suspected, but I didn't think it was because of me... I thought it was just what sirens did from time to time..."

Orion shook his head slowly and Arei clenched his jaws. It was Arei to finally answer though. "See that's the difference, KID. She's not a siren, is she? When she gets stressed out enough to take that form, there's no Joslyn left only the Kraken." He shook his head, "Isn't it obvious enough that the killings started after you started harra.s.sing her?"

Russ feel silent and sent Orion a pleading glance. Orion let out another heavy sigh. "It would seem these were only the latest of her victims. Our little girl has a knack for luring out and killing sc.u.mmy males."

Arei arched a brow in Russ's direction. "You knew this and yet you press your luck?"

Russ shook his head. "All the victims, if you look into it, have been accused of s.e.xual abuse around campus, ****, drugging girls, videoing things without the girls knowledge... and all the cases had been swept under the rug by the school because of their parents influence. Some of the girls were even kicked out of the school to help cover it." Russ shrugged. "It was justified." He ran his hand through his long blond hair. "I admit what we have is... rough... but I love her and I want to stand by her-"

"Be what she needs?" Arei pursed his lips his expression oozing sarcasm. "And how is marking her against her will any different, leaving huge scars over her thighs, verbally las.h.i.+ng out at her anytime her feelings doesn't match your own any different than those other guys? I bet you wouldn't be above forcing yourself on her because you think she's something you own."

Russ's face turned red and he looked away.

Arei nodded, "That's what I thought. How is that what she needs?" He turned to walk away but stopped not looking back at Russ or Orion. "If you keep this behavior up, there's only one thing that will come out of it. You will push her past her breaking point, she'll snap, either hurt or kill you, then she will blame herself for the rest of her very long life, if she doesn't choose to find her own end." His back was rigid, "I don't what to see that happen to her, and I'd hope you wouldn't either. Do the right thing leave without causing a scene."

***

Orion pecked on the door with his knuckle, "Are you awake in there?" He called out quietly through the closed door. By the time they'd came back inside, Jos and Sh.e.l.ly had already retired to their room. "I brought you something to eat. I know you probably don't feel like it but you need something on your stomach as sick as you were earlier." He heard light foot steps and the door slowly pushed open.

Jos smiled up at the large man standing in her doorway holding a serving tray and wearing a flowered ap.r.o.n. She couldn't help the slight giggle that escaped her lips. "What in the world?" She stepped out of the way as he walked in.

Orion set two bowls on the ground for Sh.e.l.ly. "I hate feeding you like this, it seems wrong but until you s.h.i.+ft back..." He turned and watched as Jos crawled back into the large king sized bed and sat cross-legged in the center clutching a pillow to her chest. He set the tray down in front of her. "I thought we could talk... If you feel up for it... that is..."

Jos smiled and nodded. "I wanted to talk to you as well." She said. She could feel her cheeks redden as she squeezed the pillow tighter. She watched as he set down on the edge of the bed and fiddled with the thick fabric of the ap.r.o.n.

"I-" They blurted in unison. "Sorry, you go-" They both quickly spouted. They both blushed slightly as they held each other's gaze. Jos buried her heated face in the lush thickness of the pillow.

Orion laughed, "Alright then," he smoothed out the ap.r.o.n. "I... wanted to apologize, I guess... and see how you're doing." He glanced up at her before returning his focus to his hands and the fabric.

Jos popped her head up over the pillow, "No, I should apologize. You didn't do anything wrong and I still blamed you... this whole time..."

Orion turned away in shame. "I am to blame for then and now. I could have... should have stepped in sooner and this wouldn't be happening. You wouldn't have gotten hurt, you wouldn't have lost control, wouldn't have wasted 300 years imprisoner in your own home... and you wouldn't be facing punishment now for nearly the same thing." He stared down at his hands as they fumbled with the fabric.

Jos gripped the pillow tight and slid the tray out of the way. She scooted to the foot of the bed where Orion sat. Hesitating for a brief second, she placed her hand over his and waited for his eyes to meet hers. "You don't have to apology for any of that. It was me, I did it to myself. I was foolish." She gave a light hearted laugh, "I bet you think I'm equally as foolish now, don't you?"

He turned his attention back to where her hand rested on his and patted it with his free hand. "I don't think you're foolish... but it doesn't mean I understand your logic when it comes to the boy."

Jos shrugged looking down at their hands. "I love him... It's that simple. He's young and makes the same mistakes everyone else does when they are that age older even..."

Orion nodded. "I understand, but why not walk away? What are you getting out of it? Obviously you couldn't handle the stress or you wouldn't have left with the vampire."

Jos let out a long sigh. "You're right. It got a bit overwhelming with Russ and probably will again, but what happened with Xavier had very little to do with Russ." Her eyes moved to Sh.e.l.ly who was curled up on a chase by the fire. "He manipulated me. He kept telling me Sh.e.l.ly was safe and with his brother... in a happy relations.h.i.+p... He kept making promises that I could talk to her and see her but never came through." Her clouded eyes met his and for the first time in a long while the clouds parted to a glint of certainty. "The day Arei and I got to the house. I heard from up stair that that b.a.s.t.a.r.d had known all along of the h.e.l.ls Sh.e.l.l was getting put through. When I saw her down there..." Jos's eyes burned into Orion's, "That was the first time I've ever had full control over the beast. You may have thought I lost complete control, but I didn't... not until I saw the look on Russ's face. The surprise and fear, I couldn't take it. The beast took over fully. For that I apologize, I know I put you and Arei both through h.e.l.l."

Orion nodded. "I can understand that completely and I don't fault you at all. h.e.l.l if I'd walked in on that I'd killed them all too, probably. But what happens when you lose control and Russ is the one hurt? He wouldn't be able to fight you off let along over power you. h.e.l.l it took Arei and I both to wear you down enough for Arei to subdue you." Jos sighed heavily and nodded. "You're right, and that's why I want you to turn me in." Her eyes met his a silent plea in them, "I don't want to hurt him or anyone else I love. Turn me in before that happens. Maybe if I'm locked away for another 300 hundred years, he could move on and be happy with his own family... his own people."

Orion shook his head. "That isn't a good enough reason."

Jos gave him a sad smile, "Then do it because it's the right thing to do, and because I deserve to be tried for my crimes." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. She whispered, "Do it because in your own way, you care for Russ, Sh.e.l.ly, and me and it's the right thing to do."

A tear streamed down his smooth cheek as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "I'll will, only if it's what you truly want... and I'll fight to be your guardian this time." He pulled back and looked down at her. "I promise I'll find a way to make up for everything."

She brushed his tear away as her own fell. "You have nothing to make up for. Just promise me you'll stay by Russ's side if the worst is to happen."