Chapter 8 - Fates, Fins, and Fangs

MY LIFE MIGHT BE CRAZY lately, but of one thing I was absolutely, completely certain. After I completed my nursing degree I was never, ever going back to school for anything else ever again. Not even if they paid me to attend.

I wanted to help people, sure. And I loved learning new things. But sitting through classes was like torture. Especially long, boring, mostly impractical classes that made you memorize facts you'd probably never use for the rest of your career. I closed the bookshop door and locked it to keep random people from wandering in after hours. Then I dragged my feet through the shop and up the spiral staircase in back that led to our apartment. Hel's mighty hound, I was exhausted.

I dropped my backpack in the corner of the landing and kicked off my shoes, making a beeline for the kitchen. Yeah, I probably shouldn't stress eat. And no, I didn't care.

I paused when I found Rhys opening a steaming hot pizza box, the evening radio news streaming on his phone. "Oh my god, is that what I smelled?" I breathed. "Please tell me there's enough to share."

He smiled his blinding white smile at me and handed me a plate. "Help yourself. I got extra mushrooms for you."

I grinned back at him. My roommates were weird, and often annoying. I mean, who listened to the radio anymore? And for the news? But they were also amazing, and wonderful, and we'd been living together long enough now to know how to look out for each other. I gestured at the second box that waited on the table. Rhys shrugged. "Chike should be home any minute now. Hawaiian, extra pineapple." He shuddered, as if the thought of pineapple on pizza was offensive to his very soul.

My thoughts returned again to how well we just...meshed. In some weird way, Rhys's suggestion about my love life didn't seem so crazy after all. Somehow, without even realizing it, I almost felt like we'd all been dating for a while now. Rhys loved nothing more than irritating Chike. But he also knew exactly what food he liked, when he'd be home from work, and probably a million other mundane, yet absolutely vital things. And it was probably the same with me.

I watched Rhys pile a couple slices of supreme pizza onto his plate, my mind whirling. The newscaster was yammering on about an uptick in the number of grisly deaths in several nearby cities, and Rhys frowned, reaching over to turn off that bit of buzzkill.

After dropping the little bomb about his interest in me—and his poly inclinations, Rhys hadn't really said anything more to me about relationship stuff. Of course, he had been pretty busy with his own job at the local high school. And I'd been cramming my head full of useless trivia facts about the human body....

"How's school going?" Rhys asked, apparently reading my mind as he headed out of the kitchen and toward the living room.

I followed along with my own plate, letting out a tired sigh. "It's school. Thank the gods I don't have much longer left before I graduate."

He chuckled and took a seat on the couch, stretching his long legs out to rest on the coffee table. "At least you get to graduate. I am cursed to remain perpetually surrounded by hormonal, gawking teenagers."

I winced and took a seat on the other end of the couch. Rhys taught at the local private school. It was a ritzy place, owned by a bigwig rich guy who seemed to think he ran the whole town, but it was still filled with teenagers. And...yuck. I wouldn't go back to my teen years for any amount of money. And looking like Rhys did, yeah...there was probably a lot of awkward stammering and drooling. I smirked at the thought of the tall, broad-shouldered blond standing up in front of a bunch of horny high schoolers, looking like he'd just stepped out of college himself, all perfect and chiseled, and boy next door. I'd be amazed if he could even get them to string words together.

I huffed a laugh. "How many of your students are failing because they can't concentrate?"

"Are you laughing at my pain?" he said, his smooth, deep voice full of woe. "It's excruciating!"

I laughed around a mouthful of pizza. "Somehow, I think you actually enjoy all the attention."

He rolled his light green eyes and shook his head. "That's not the sort of attention I enjoy at all. Besides, I'm overqualified. It's like trying to teach fine art to a bunch of chimpanzees."

So arrogant. But...probably not wrong.

I glanced at him to say something sarcastic about how humble he was, but the words froze on my lips. Rhys had opened his mouth to take a bite of pizza when he did that little shimmering thing that happened when I was around Chike. Only, instead of opalescent scales I saw...fangs. Long, white, glistening fangs.

He closed his mouth and turned to look at me, clearly realizing I was having a panic attack. "What's the matter? I thought you'd be inhaling your food by now." A sort of...rainbow colored haze flared around him for a minute. Then I blinked and everything went back to normal.

"Troy?" He set his plate aside and scooted closer, taking my plate from my unresisting hands and putting it on the coffee table with his. My heart thundered in my chest. This was how it started. This was going to make a great story for the folks at the MRI center when they discovered my giant brain tumor. I let out a shaky breath. Zeus's hairy ball sack, I was losing my mind.

Rhys took my hands and squeezed, drawing my attention back to his perfect—and not fang-filled—face. I let my eyes wander over his features, desperate for...something. I don't know if I wanted to see the other Rhys again or not. On one hand, seeing it might mean it was real and I wasn't dying of some neurological condition. On the other hand, not seeing it would mean I was, what...imagining it? Having a mental breakdown?

Rhys lifted a hand and brushed my shoulder-length hair back from my face, then cupped my jaw, making me look at him. "Troya? Anyone home?"

I huffed a shaky laugh. "Just...stress catching up with me, I guess. I'm fine."

He frowned in concern for a second, pressing his chiseled lips together, but then he gave me a fond look. "You do have quite a bit on your plate right now." His thumb stroked under my cheekbone and his light green eyes delved into mine. "And I'm sure Chike and I haven't helped by adding romantic troubles to the mix." He smiled his charming smile. The one that did things to my insides.

I closed my eyes in a long blink, my breath steadier and my frantic heartbeat slowing. I should be more nervous, with him sitting so close, touching me like this, looking at me like this. But something about Rhys was just...stupidly soothing. All of the sudden, I couldn't really understand why I'd been so upset a minute ago. Everything was fine, if Rhys was here, looking at me like that, like I was the center of the universe.

I drew in a deep breath. "Sorry," I said, feeling like an idiot. "I didn't mean to freak out on you. It's fine now, really."

He tilted his head, and a lock of that bright, golden hair fell across his forehead. "I'll never judge you for feeling," he said gently. "You can tell me anything, Troy."

I nodded. "Thanks."

He shifted his hand, so he could drag his big thumb gently across my bottom lip. "And all the other stuff can wait, if you want. So you can focus on school. I'll be here if and when you're ready to explore whatever's between us."

I stared at him, wide eyed. He wasn't that much older than me, but he was just so...mature. Adult? Not a hot mess like I constantly was. Ugh. "I told him," I blurted out like an idiot.

Rhys sat back and removed his hand from my face. "Oh?" He didn't even pretend not to know what I meant.

I nodded, tucking my hair behind my ear, suddenly beet red. "It was weird, but I told him I'm interested in you both...and that you said I didn't have to choose."

I risked a glance at him to find him staring at me with a wicked smirk on his face that made my insides tingle. "And what did our little mermaid have say about that?"

I glared at him. "Don't call him a mermaid, first off. Stop mocking his looks and his job all the time."

That only got me a deep chuckle as he picked up his plate. "I'm not mocking him. What did he say, when you told him about your kinky plans to engage in marathon sex with at least two men?"

I choked. "Oh, for fuck's sake! Shut up." I launched a throw pillow at his head. "He said...he was fine with it if I wanted to date you both and figure it out from there."

And I still couldn't believe it. What were the odds that I'd find not one but two hot guys who were interested in polyamory? I mean, seriously. This was me we were talking about. I wasn't overly self-conscious about my plain looks or my uh, generous padding—I'd worked hard to love who I was—but still, Chike and Rhys were epic levels of hot.

Rhys just smiled like the cat who ate the canary. "Chike's a smart little fish."

I rolled my eyes. Always with the fish jokes. So he was way into marine biology. And, okay, Chike did have some epic mermaid hair. But still. One of these days, he was going to get seriously pissed with all the teasing. I was amazed it hadn't happened before now. I knew for a fact that some of the orphan kids he'd grown up with bullied him for his looks. I think it was why he turned out so grumpy. But somehow, Rhys always got away with it and didn't end up beaten to a bloody pulp.

I picked up my plate as the cogs turned. Was it possible Rhys and Chike didn't hate each other the way I always thought?

My thoughts were interrupted by a muffled banging coming from downstairs.

"What the heck?" I said, setting my poor, unfinished pizza aside again. "Do you think Chike forgot his key or something?" Though if that was the case, wouldn't he just text one of us to let him in, rather than trying to beat the door down?

Rhys shrugged, then stood. "If it's a burglar, they're terrible at their chosen vocation, with all that noise."

I followed him down the stairs, my mind wanting to return to our earlier discussion. Marathon sex, he'd said. I shook my head at my own raunchy thoughts. I definitely did not ogle Rhys' broad shoulders and tight, trouser-clad ass as I followed him down the stairs. Nope. Not me. That would be inappropriate when we were on our way to investigate an attempted break and entry.

I really was losing my mind. As if the hallucinations weren't proof enough.

When we reached the front of the store, I wasn't surprised to see the telltale flash of lavender through the watery glass panes of the front door. What did surprise me was the pounding. Odin's testicles, he was going to break the door down. I reached the door first and unlocked it. Then I gaped at him in horror. "What the hell happened to your face?"

Chike swiped a hand under his nose, wiping away a trickle of blood. He had a cut on his cheek, and one eye looked like it would probably be black and blue tomorrow. "Fucking holier than thou pricks, is what happened," he muttered. "And I lost my damned key somewhere along the way."

I grabbed his arm and dragged him inside, slamming the door and locking it behind him. "Who did this? I'd offer to murder them, but they're dead the minute Gesa gets wind of it."

He gave me a scathing amethyst glare. Apparently, his contact lenses had survived the punch to the eye. "I don't need anyone to stick up for me," he growled. "I'm a fucking adult, Troy. And a man, just for bonus points. Why do you just assume they aren't worse off than me right now?"

I sighed, but didn't say what I was thinking. Of course I assumed he'd gotten his ass handed to him. He was the walking definition of a femme twink. Not that there was anything wrong with that. But he didn't exactly exude the street fighter vibe....

Rhys hung back for some reason, maybe not wanting to be the focus of Chike's misplaced anger. "That's a lot of blood," he commented calmly. "Maybe you should work on getting that nose to stop leaking all over the place."

Chike narrowed his eyes and glared up at the tall blond guy. "Don't think I won't kick your ass too, leach."

I rolled my eyes. So much drama. And I don't know why he thought Rhys was so clingy. He wasn't really leach-like at all. But then again...he was kind of touchy-feely with me lately. Maybe Chike had noticed.

I dragged Chike toward the stairs. "So, did you instigate it this time, or were you just defending yourself?" He had an ongoing feud with his old bullies. Every once in a while, they ran into each other and things got...fun.

He snorted, hand over his nose. "I never instigate things."

Rhys laughed softly from behind us on the stairs. "You absolutely do. Not that they don't deserve it. The hypocrites. But it doesn't seem fair, when you know you're stronger than they are."

Chike didn't look back at him. "Oh, shut up. You sound like my mother."

Rhys just chuckled again. "That's not true. I'm sure your mother wouldn't be enjoying this so much."

We reached the landing and I glanced back at Rhys to see him grinning. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He just shrugged one broad shoulder and winked at Chike. "He's just so cute when he bleeds."

Chike flipped him off, but his cheeks were red, and I didn't think it was all from his fight.

"You guys are idiots," I muttered, dragging Chike to the bathroom to clean up his face.

I handed the poor guy a damp washcloth and looked helplessly between Rhys and Chike. "Is it broken, do you think? Maybe we should go to the hospital. All I know about nose bleeds is don't choke on your own blood...."

Chike removed his hand from his nose. It was still bleeding a bit, and the bridge of his slender nose was all lumped up and swollen. "I'll be fine."

Rhys was leaning against the door frame, still smirking, but there was something in his eyes that freaked me out. "I can stop the bleeding for you, if you'd like," he offered, his feral eyes pinned on Chike's bleeding face.

Chike glowered at him. "I just bet you can. Aren't you better at starting the bleeding?"

The taller man rolled his eyes and paced over to look down at Chike. "Please. I've got more control than that. What do you take me for?"

I didn't get what they were yammering about, too busy focusing on Chike's poor, ruined face. It must hurt like a bitch.

Chike didn't resist when Rhys wrapped his long fingers around the shorter man's jaw and tilted his head so he could get a better look at his nose. "Broken. But I can help make sure it heals properly."

Chike didn't look at me when he spoke, his wary eyes still glued to Rhys' face. "Hey, Troy?" he said casually. "Will you go get me a fresh t-shirt? This one's a mess."

I frowned, but did as he said, leaving the two men to whatever they were glaring about. I hurried to Chike's room and snagged a purple t-shirt from his closet, then hurried back to the bathroom. A muffled gasp reached my ears as I came back down the hall. Rhys had probably just tried to set Chike's broken nose. This was a terrible idea. I rushed into the bathroom, then froze at the sight that greeted me. Both men straightened, and Rhys licked his lips, his eyes practically glowing.

"Uh...," I said intelligently. "Did you just lick him?"

Rhys smiled a hot, secretive little smile. "Why? Are you jealous, Troy? Want to do some licking of your own?"

I shook my head, trying not to get derailed. Because...what? "Are you kidding me right now?" I managed. "Were you two just making out or something?" Oh god, please say yes, please say yes.... So apparently, I was into that. Who knew?

Chike arched his eyebrows at me. "Oh, my gods. Look at her blush."

Rhys grinned. "It's mesmerizing."

I clenched the t-shirt I held into a little ball. "You guys were serious about sharing, weren't you?" I breathed. Holy fuck, it was like I'd won the lottery.

Rhys came to me and slid his big hands up my forearms. "Any time, love." He tilted his head. "If that's what you want."

Chike hurriedly finished washing his face, then yanked his bloody shirt off over his head, leaving his long hair disheveled. His nose already looked better, after whatever the hell they'd done to it. And the cut on his cheek...huh. I frowned. It must have been just a bit of blood from his nose, because there was no cut now. My beautiful, confusing best friend stepped up to my side, reaching out a hand to touch my cheek. "Absolutely serious," he said with a small, hesitant, but hopeful smile. "I think that's the only way either of us will get to be with you, Troy."

I didn't know what to make of that. But I did know my body was demanding we get naked. Like, yesterday.