Paladin - Jericho's Boys #1 - Ch. 19 (Patreon)

We're in the home stretch guys. You should have the end of this book this week. Yay. Still unedited and unbeta'd but yours. 

Arsen

Ever wasn’t okay.

It didn’t start as anything overt. There was no key moment Arsen could point to and say this was the day he noticed. It was subtle, insidious, creeping in a bit at a time unnoticed. The more Ever went to therapy, the closer his trauma floated to the surface, and that was affecting him in a number of ways. Something Dr. Jones assured Arsen was normal, even if it did nothing to make him feel better about it.

It started with nightmares, something Arsen was all too familiar with. Some nights, Ever would whimper and whine and mumble, but remain asleep. Those nights, just holding him seemed to be enough to ward off whatever memories were tormenting him. Other nights, he would wake sweaty and screaming, fighting Arsen in his disoriented state. But whenever Arsen asked what he’d dreamed about, Ever would always just blink and smile through his tears, saying he didn’t remember.

Arsen didn’t fault him for the lie. He knew better than anyone that talking about the nightmares only prolonged the space they occupied in your mind. He would provide whatever distraction Ever needed. Sometimes that was sex. Ever would demand Arsen fuck him—use him—until Ever was too exhausted for anything but a dreamless sleep. Other times, he’d put his headphones on and listen to music, wrapped around Arsen like he was a body pillow.

But day after day, Ever’s nightmares started bleeding into his reality. More often than not, Arsen woke not to find Ever struggling with sleep, but missing entirely.

Like now.

Arsen blinked open bleary eyes, glancing at the digital clock on the side table. It was a little after three in the morning. Ever was gone…again. Arsen sighed, rubbed his lids then rolled to his feet in one fluid movement.  The first few times he’d woken to find Ever missing, the panic had almost killed him, but now he just felt a pang of sadness as he padded barefoot and shirtless into the living room.

Ever sat on the sofa in his sleep shorts and Arsen’s t-shirt, gazing down into the bay like he was keeping watch. Which he was. He grew increasingly paranoid every day, certain the people who’d taken him would come back again and make good on their threat to sell him back into slavery. Arsen wanted to assure him that wasn’t the case, but until they figured out how deep the trafficking ring went, they were stuck in limbo.

The Mulvaney’s hacker, Calliope, had run down not one but two previous cases of human trafficking in Jamesville. A massage parlor who had a handful of women being trafficked for sex. And a rich couple who had a woman working as a domestic servant for over ten years. In those cases, the focus was on punishing the abusers, not how they victims ended up in the hands of those abusers. Which was really no help to them.

When Arsen touched Ever’s shoulder, he jumped, then looked over his shoulder, expression guilty. “Sorry.”

“Why are you up so late, besenok,” Arsen asked, sitting beside him then tugging him into his lap.

Ever shrugged, snuggling into his arms, not looking at him. “I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to wake you up. It’s late. You have to work soon.”

Arsen’s heart twisted, frustration feeling like a knot under his ribs. He wanted Ever to wake him if he was afraid. But he didn’t say that. Ever would just feel worse, and Arsen couldn’t handle making him feel bad. “What are you doing out here?”

Ever shrugged again, gaze floating away from him. “Nothing. Just…looking around.”

Arsen grazed his lips over Ever’s hair, squeezing him against him tightly. “I’m not going to let anybody hurt you. There’s an alarm on the doors downstairs and on the back entrance. Nobody’s getting in here without our knowing it.”

Jericho wasn’t a fool. He knew that protecting the neighborhood meant protecting himself. He’d always had an alarm system, but when he’d married Atticus, he’d insisted on upgrading it. He said he didn’t trust the low-budget tech Jericho had bought offline.

Atticus thought if it was cheap it was poorly made. Jericho had let him upgrade the system because it made Atticus happy. And all Jericho cared about was making Atticus happy.

“I know,” Ever said. “I just wanted to…see for myself,” he finished quietly.

Arsen sighed, tucking Ever’s head under his chin, keeping his hand pressed against his cheek, mostly so Ever couldn’t see the worried look on his face. He wasn’t worried for Ever’s safety, just his sanity. This lack of sleep wasn’t healthy. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was losing weight again. He tried hard to fake it for the others, laughing and joking, but the joy never reached his eyes anymore.

They were all worried. They wanted to run head first at the problem, kill first and ask questions later. Arsen did too. As far as he was concerned, he had no problems going in, guns blazing, shooting up the place and letting everyone know that anyone who messed with Ever would be handled with extreme prejudice. But that wasn’t how Jericho worked.

Jericho was a wait and see kind of guy. He wanted all the facts. For most of his life, he hadn’t had the Mulvaney’s wealth or connections. If any of Jericho’s boys were caught committing a crime, they would have done time for it. Even if the victim was a total shitbag.

While Jericho wasn’t waiting exactly, he was treading lightly. They knew at least one cop had been involved, but there was likely more. If they made too many inquiries too fast, they were likely to tip them off and that could cause them to retaliate against Ever. Calliope was doing her best to follow the money to see where it led, but it was slow going. These people, whoever they were, were good at covering their tracks.

“I’m sorry,” Ever whispered suddenly, startling Arsen from his thoughts.

“What?” Arsen mumbled, even though he’d heard him.

“I don’t want to be like this. I know you didn’t sign on to take care of me forever,” Ever said, voice soaked with tears.

Arsen felt like he was choking. Ever was breaking his heart. He didn’t know how to make him see what was so obvious to everyone else. “Of course, I did,” Arsen said, shaking his head. “I’ve been all in since the moment I saw you.”

“Maybe I should stop going to therapy,” Ever said suddenly. “Things just keep getting worse the more I go. I thought it was supposed to make me better. This doesn’t feel better. This feels awful. I hate it. I hate it. It was so much easier when I felt nothing at all.”

Arsen didn’t know what to say. Ever wasn’t wrong. The more he went to see the doctor, the worse it got. But everything Arsen read, said it was common. That, in therapy, things often got worse before they got better and that Ever needed to keep feeling his feelings so he could heal. But Arsen hated watching him suffer.

“What does Dr. Jones say about your nightmares and you sitting up all night keeping watch?” Arsen asked, continuing to stroke his hair. As Ever’s silence stretched, Arsen’s hand stilled. “Have you not told him?”

“Was I supposed to?” Ever asked, voice meek and full of mock innocence.

Arsen snorted. “Don’t play dumb with me. That cute face only gets you so far.”

Ever squirmed free of Arsen’s hold, so he could sit up, straddling his thighs, leveling the full force of his big puppy eyes and that full pouting mouth at him. “How far does it get me, exactly?” he asked, trapping his lower lip between his bunny teeth, rolling his hips against Arsen’s.

Arsen’s hands came around to grab his ass and squeeze, even as he said, “You can’t distract me with sex either.”

Ever’s brow went up, and he raked his gaze over Arsen in a way that left a trail of fire in its wake. “No?” he asked, dipping his head, brushing his lips along Arsen’s collarbone, his thumbs tracing over Arsen’s nipples. “You sure?”

Arsen’s eyes rolled, lids falling shut as he arched up under him without thought. Ever’s touch was lethal.

Arsen settled deeper into the sofa, hands gripping Ever’s hips, aligning their bodies in a way that made them both suck in a breath.

Shit.

“Besenok,” Arsen said, his name a warning.

Ever trailed his mouth upwards to suck at the spot just behind Arsen’s ear, the one that made goosebumps erupt along his skin and his dick hard. Well, harder. Ever had learned all of Arsen’s weak spots far too quickly.

“Senya,” Ever breathed into his ear.

Arsen couldn’t stop the near growl that fell from his lips. “You’re in so much trouble,” he teased, fingers threading in Ever’s hair to drag his mouth to his, nostrils flaring as Ever’s lips parted so easily. He was always so good for him. So responsive. So ready.

“Promise?” Ever asked against his lips.

Arsen ran his hands up under Ever’s shirt and along his back, tracing the familiar shape of his scars. Something Ever used to hate, but that now made him shiver.

“You’re such a little tease,” Arsen murmured, between deep drugging kisses.

Ever pulled back, locking eyes with him, pupils blown. “Who’s teasing?” he asked, then peeled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side.

Arsen sucked in a breath as Ever practically bent in half to capture one of Arsen’s nipples between his lips, biting down just hard enough to make him hiss, his hips bucking once again.

Ever made an appreciative sound, his hand dropping to trace the ridge of Arsen’s erection tenting his sweatpants.

He bit back a groan, his hand closing around Ever’s wrist. He should stop this. This wasn’t the time. Ever was using sex to try to distract him from the fact that he was keeping key information from his therapist. Ever wrenched his hand free of Arsen’s grip then slid it under his waistband, making an appreciative sound as his palm closed around the hard length of Arsen’s cock.

But it was working. Fuck, it was working so well. He fucked into Ever’s tightened fist, enjoying the rough catch and slide a little too much. How was he supposed to say no? Ever was so cute and sexy and he smelled like heaven and he was making these high pitched sort of frenzied noises like he was desperate for Arsen, like he needed him.

“Ever…” he breathed.

Ever moaned, then trailed his tongue along the corded tendon of Arsen’s neck. “I love when you say my name.”

Arsen used his free hand to knot his fingers in Ever’s hair, pulling him back up for another dirty kiss. “Ever,” he said again, this time against his open mouth.

Ever whimpered.

“What do you want,” Arsen asked, tongue teasing over Ever’s.

“You know what I want,” Ever whined.

“Say it,” Arsen demanded softly. “Nicely.”

“Fuck me. Please,” Ever begged into his mouth. “I need it. I want you inside me.”

Arsen bit Ever’s lower lip, then sucked at it. “Right here?”

“Hnf,” was the only response Ever seemed capable of managing, working Arsen with purpose. Fuck. He wasn’t going to refuse him. No matter how much of an asshole that made him.

He dumped Ever unceremoniously onto the sofa. “Don’t move.”

Ever blinked at him, but remained where he was. Arsen went to the bedroom to grab the lube. He wasn’t going to risk hurting Ever just because they were both too horny to wait. When he returned to the living room, he’d found that Ever hadn’t listened to his directive at all. He was bent over the back of the sofa, his cloth covered ass swaying enticingly.

The boy was a menace. “You are not being a very good boy,” Arsen murmured.

Ever looked over his shoulder. “No?” he asked, then hooked his thumbs into his shorts and slid them down to mid-thigh, revealing so much golden skin. The picture he made was obscene.  “How about now?”

Was this really the Ever he’d met just weeks ago? Fuck. Arsen didn’t even notice he was moving until he gripped Ever’s ass, bending to bite the flesh there just hard enough to make him moan. He slicked two fingers, then slid them over Ever’s hole, rubbing but not pushing in.

Ever keened, then made a sound of frustration when Arsen didn’t comply with his unspoken demand.

Arsen laughed low. “Are you going to be good?”

“Yes,” Ever hissed.

“Promise?”

“Yes,” Ever whined, pushing back against Arsen’s hand.

Arsen ran one hand along Ever’s spine to his hair as he sank his fingers from his other hand  inside him slowly, both of them making a desperate sound. Ever was not willing to wait for Arsen to work him open slowly. He fucked himself on Arsen’s  fingers again and again, until he gave another frustrated noise. “Hurry up,” he begged.

Arsen wanted to tease him a little more, but his cock was throbbing, desperate for the tight, sucking heat of Ever’s body. He pulled his fingers free, then shoved his sweatpants out of the way, kneeling between Ever’s open legs on the sofa. He took a moment to add more lube, before lining up, rubbing the head of his cock around Ever’s hole until he pushed back against him, taking Arsen in slowly without any help from him.

Jesus. He would never, ever get over how fucking good it felt being inside him. Ever was rocking himself back against Arsen, just fucking himself on his dick just as he’d done his fingers. Arsen fisted Ever’s hair, pulling him back against him so he could bite at his neck. His other hand found his hip, holding him still so he could drive into him over and over until the only sounds were their panting breaths and the slap of skin on skin and Ever’s high-pitched whines.

“Can I…” Ever begged, his hand hovering over his own cock.

“Yeah, touch yourself,” Arsen said. Ever never needed his permission, but he always wanted it. “I love watching you make yourself feel good.”

And he had the perfect position, staring down over Ever’s shoulder, watching him stroke his flushed and leaking cock with purpose. Jesus, he was so fucking pretty like this. Flushed and begging, too caught up in his own pleasure to be embarrassed by the sounds falling from his lips.

It was making Arsen crazy, forcing him to drive into him harder and deeper. He wasn’t going to last much longer anyway. Maybe it was the late hour, or the desperate conversation or just Ever’s clumsy but always effective seduction technique, but he could feel himself losing his resolve, hips snapping faster as he chased that shocky pleasure that drove him towards his release.

“Are you close?” Arsen breathed against his cheek.

“Yes. Yes. So…fuck…so, hnf,” Ever babbled.

Two more hard thrusts and Arsen was gone, his orgasm draining the last thoughts from his mind as he spilled inside him, leaving him feeling brain dead and loopy even as he continued to work his way in and out of Ever’s body in short, aborted thrusts.

Ever moaned, long and low, his release painting the back of the couch before he sagged forward, folding himself over the back of the couch once more, back heaving like he was fighting for air.

Arsen was too. He collapsed on top of him, not wanting to pull free just yet, knowing soon his body would make the choice for him. That’s when something caught his eye. He froze, frowning as he tried to make sense of the white, wispy clouds rolling along the edge of the bay doors.

Arsen blinked, then shook his head, like that might help clear up his confusion. Smoke. It was smoke. Actual smoke. Curling upwards towards the garage’s high ceilings. He sucked in a breath as flames erupted, licking their way up the inside of the wooden panels with startling quickness.

Holy fuck. Fire. There was a fire. Even as he thought it, the shrill sound of the alarm began to sound. Ever screamed, then slammed his hands over his ears, panicked.

“Ever!” he shouted, hoping to pull him from his spiral long enough to get him to safety. He yanked their clothes back into place. “We have to go. Now.”

Arsen pulled Ever to his feet, his blood pounding so hard, it left a metallic taste in his mouth. The alarm made it feel like his ear drums would rupture at any moment. But he had to get Ever out. The amount of flammable liquids down there was enough to turn the entire building into a bomb, one that could take out not just them but everyone living next door.

“Come on,” he said, uselessly, not giving Ever a choice as he gripped his wrist and dragged him towards the back of the apartment, where a door led to a side entrance with a set of stairs that opened to  the street. He was at the bottom tread when he realized his phone was still by his bedside table. He turned back, briefly considering running back to get it, but there was a hissing sound, then the sprinklers kicked on, dousing them in frigid water. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep the garage from going up in flames.

They burst through the door to find people already there and more coming from all over to watch the spectacle. Most of the people Arsen knew, but a few he didn’t recognize. The acrid smoke was thicker outside, burning his eyes and nose and causing him to tug Ever into the street where the others stood. Where it was hypothetically safer.

Arsen was relieved to see most of the boys from next door all standing there, safe. But it did nothing to relieve the lump in his throat. Silas, the guy who was the youth center’s current resident advisor of sorts, stumbled out the door with a large fire extinguisher, sweeping it over the flames now crawling up the brick towards the roof.

Arsen watched, dazed, as the flames died under a flood of white foam until only the smoke remained. It was only then he felt Ever’s blunt nails digging into his arm where he held onto him.

Arsen looked down to check on him, only to see Ever wasn’t watching the fire but something—or someone—else across the street. Arsen’s gaze followed, landing on two people who stood smirking, not even trying to hide. A man with greasy hair and ripped jeans, smoked a cigarette. Beside him, Cherry wore a smug expression and not much else, her dress barely covering enough skin to escape an indecency charge.

“Who’d Jericho piss off.”

Arsen dragged his attention from the two across the street, to address Silas’s question. He dabbed at his brow with his sleeve, sweating from the heat. Not Jericho. Ever. Ever who couldn’t tear his gaze from across the street. Ever who was trembling like a leaf beside him.

“Maybe it was an accident?” Arsen said, hedging.

Silas gave him a doubtful look but said nothing. The sound of sirens filled the air. When Arsen turned back to look at the two across the street, they’d vanished. But Ever continued to stare, like he was afraid to turn his back on them.

Arsen suddenly remembered something. “Can I use your phone, man?”

Silas’s eyes went wide, but he nodded, patting himself until he found his phone in his hoodie pocket, handing it to Arsen.

He dialed Jericho’s number. He answered before the phone had fully rang even once. “Hello?”

Arsen could tell he was awake, sounded like he was shutting a car door. in the car. “Coe.”

“Are you guys alright? We got an alert from the alarm company. Is it real? We’re on our way. What happened?”

The smoke was dissipating somewhat, leaving only the newly charred doors behind. But not even the fire could hide the message left behind, scorched deep into the wood, likely by some kind of accelerant. He could hear people on the street murmuring and pointing to the words as they were revealed.

“Someone left us a message. In fire,” Arsen said dully, staring at the words.

“Shit,” Jericho snapped. “We’ll be there soon. Don’t say shit to the cops.”

Arsen rolled his eyes. “Yeah, man. I know that.”

Jericho made a frustrated sound. “I know. I know. Shit. How’s the damage? Is it bad?”

“I don’t think so. Silas had a fire extinguisher and put it out. I think the sprinklers deployed though, so there might be water damage.”

“And you said those sprinklers were a waste of money,” Arsen heard Atticus say.

Arsen gathered Ever to him. “We’re definitely going to need some new doors. And maybe a few more of those giant fans.”

“As long as you’re both okay,” Jericho said, sounding grim but also relieved.

Arsen looked down at Ever, once more. “We’re alive.”

That was about all Arsen could commit to.

Now, Ever really wasn’t okay.