Fated Healing [Kindred of Arcadia 5] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (6 page)

Claybourne nodded slowly as if still thinking about the answer. “A lot of people overdid it in the

summer sun yesterday. She is more dehydrated than I would like to see. If she can get the fluids in she

should be fine.” Connor breathed out a sigh of relief.

Felix could understand their fear. He had been in high school when his mother had been killed for being

a half-breed. No matter your age, he didn’t think anyone would ever be prepared for the death of a parent.

He looked over to the sink and sighed.

Claybourne looked down at him. “Really?” he asked.

Felix winced. “I’m sorry. But you didn’t feed me this morning and I was counting on Ma’s super

muffins to pick me up.” He felt his shoulders sag.

“Don’t worry, Felix, those were just the batch to restock, I have some in the fridge you can have.”

Connor patted Felix on the head. He handed a flaxseed muffin to Claybourne and a blueberry muffin to

Felix. Felix didn’t wait. He pulled back the paper and tried to stuff the entire thing in his mouth. He

wriggled about and moaned. This was what he had been waiting for. When he opened his eyes, Claybourne

and the Arkadions were staring at him. “What? I’m hungry,” Felix protested. Connor eyed him carefully.

“You didn’t knock him up did you, Doc?” Connor asked. Claybourne immediately began to choke.

“Shit!” Felix began to whack him on the back. After a few seconds Claybourne began to nod that he

was okay. Claybourne stared down at Felix, a milky white color.

“Are you? Could you be?” he stuttered. Felix shook his head.

“No way. I have to shift my insides for that to happen. It takes conscious effort to do, so there is no way

to knock me up, so to speak,” Felix confirmed.

“Thank goodness!” Claybourne exclaimed.

Felix narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you want our baby someday?” he demanded.

“Tread lightly, Doc,” Connor whispered.

“Of course I do, I would just feel wretched for not feeding you if you were pregnant,” he said.

“Oh. That’s okay then,” Felix said and turned back to Connor.

“Can I please have another one?” He batted his eyelashes. Connor laughed and handed over another

muffin.

“Come on, hun, let’s leave these men to it,” Claybourne said, walking through the kitchen door back out

to the diner to leave.

Felix wrapped his muffin in a napkin and stuck it in his man bag. Connor watched, confused. Felix put

on a big-eyed, pitiful look and sniffled. “He doesn’t have any food in the house. He starves me.” Felix

sniffed again. Connor’s eyes filled with sympathy. He handed Felix two more muffins. Felix smiled up at

the bear and was in the process of putting the napkin-wrapped muffins in his man bag when an arm

wrapped around his waist and he was flipped over his mate’s shoulder.

“Stop telling people I don’t have any food. Just because you don’t know what to do with raw

ingredients does not mean there is no food in the house, and I am not starving you!” Claybourne smacked

him across the ass. Felix could feel the burn travel from his ass cheeks right into his cock. He knew the

second Claybourne realized he had gotten hard.

“Well, gentlemen, uh. Good luck with the diner today,” Claybourne said and hurried to the door.

“You’re the one who needs the luck with that one, Doc,” Emmett yelled out, laughing.

Once outside Felix began to squirm. Claybourne put him down and Felix immediately put his muffins

in his bag. He looked up at his mate.

“I’m hungry,” he complained. Claybourne palmed his face.

“We just left the diner.” Claybourne pointed to the door.

Felix shrugged. “I want sweets.” He kicked his toe on the sidewalk.

“You are so fucking adorable.” His mate pulled him off of his feet and kissed him before setting him

back on the sidewalk.

“Get me sweets and later I can be so adorably fucking you,” Felix said.

“Deal. Okay, off to Bobbles and Things.” Claybourne grabbed Felix’s hand as they walked across the

street to the candy store.

“Is it true that the old man who worked here tried to kill Sebastian?” Felix asked. Claybourne nodded.

“I’m glad he’s dead then,” Felix said.

Claybourne looked at him funny. “What’s the deal between you and Sebastian? If I didn’t know

otherwise I would say you were lovers,” Claybourne asked. His voice sounded a bit frosty. Felix stopped in

the middle of the sidewalk and stared at his mate.

“You’re jealous,” he whispered, smiling like an idiot.

“No I’m not.”

“You have nothing to be worried about, my little Tigger. Sebastian and I were kind of like cell mates

when we were in captivity. He and I were the only ones placed on the top shelf. We kept each other going.

He’s like my best friend and brother. I would do anything for him,” Felix said. Claybourne let out a deep

breath.

“One, don’t ever call me Tigger again. And two, I’m sorry I forgot about you being held captive. All I

could think about was the emotion in your voice when you spoke of him and it clouded my thinking. I

apologize most sincerely,” Claybourne said. He ran his hand over Felix’s hair.

“I love your fancy way of saying you’re sorry, though I don’t think I appreciate that the directive to not

call you Tigger was the first thing you mentioned.” Felix blew his mate kisses.

“You’re right. I’ll have to get you something extra special inside.” Claybourne nodded to the entrance

down the street to Bobbles and Things.

“You’re so good to me,” Felix said and they walked into the store.

“Congratulations you two!” A happy voice called out. Felix looked up and saw Rian beaming at them

from behind the counter.

“Thanks, Rian. Wow, this place looks different. You’ve done a great job.” Claybourne turned around to

stare at the store.

Felix had only been in the store once before Rian and Damian began running the place, but he had to

admit it did look marvelous. Before, it had been slightly dark and dingy, the only color coming from the

brightest candy containers. But Rian had used the different-colored candies to create a childhood fantasy.

Felix felt his mouth watering.

“So, gentleman, what will it be? We only have one more box of ‘Screw You’ chocolate, Damian and I

sent the rest of it to Ashby to be used for ice cream toppings. He was so excited. Gilberton never allowed

him in the store so this is the first time he’s able to offer gourmet chocolate at the parlor,” Rian said breezily.

“What is ‘Screw You’ chocolate?” Claybourne asked.

Felix turned to his mate. “It was the order that Gilberton used to lure Kent and Sebastian downstairs.

Rian returned the money to the pride and decided to give away the chocolate. I hope that old bastard is

spinning in his grave.”

“I go out there once a week to sprinkle rainbow-colored glitter on his grave,” Rian said. Both Felix and

Claybourne turned to Rian.

“That bastard gave me a hard time for years. It should say something when your own family doesn’t

claim your body. He was buried in a generic plot in the town cemetery since no one wanted to pay for the

burial.”

“Rian, that can’t be healthy,” Claybourne said, sounding concerned.

Rian waved him off. “I’m only doing it throughout Gay Pride month, I’m not obsessed or anything. I

could honestly be spending my time doing scandalous things up at Purgatory instead,” he said, sighing.

“In that case. I owe my mate some treats. Before we go home for cooking lessons.” Claybourne looked

around the shop. Felix gasped and clutched his chest. Claybourne ignored him.

Felix stumbled back against the counter before turning dramatically to Rian. “My mate hates me. First,

he tries to starve me, now, torture!” He collapsed his upper body over the counter into his arms.

“Oh you poor thing!” Rian comforted Felix who continued a litany of injustices.

“I don’t know how he’s going to teach me to cook. There’s no food in the house.” Felix stood up,

pretending to wipe his eyes.

“What about this one? It’s a variety pack?” Claybourne asked, pointing to the last box of the ‘Screw

You’ chocolate, having completely ignored Felix’s high drama.

Immediately Felix stopped his dramatic act and sidled up to his mate. “Yup, that would be perfect. Can

you feed them to me in bed?” he asked coyly.

“You are such a brat.” Claybourne clucked his tongue and walked past him to the checkout. Felix did

not like being ignored. Not one bit.

When the transaction was complete Claybourne nodded to Rian and started walking toward the door.

“Don’t forget we need to go to the clinic to pick up your Niagara pills before going home.” Felix turned

to Rian who was staring at him. He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Shifter Viagra. He’s getting older, you know. Bye now.” He waved to Rian and waltzed right past his

mate who was staring at him in shocked horror. He wasn’t thirty seconds outside the door before he was

flipped over his mate’s shoulder again. This time he was being marched with purpose toward the clinic.

“You know if you take me to the clinic it will only reinforce the rumor you need Niagara,” he said in a

singsong voice.

“You are the most impossible man I have ever met!” Claybourne fumed as he carried him back to the

car. He set him down and pointed to the car door, his neck muscles tight.

“Get in.” Claybourne walked over to his side. He thrust the candy at Felix who put it in his man bag.

The drive home was a quiet one. Claybourne stormed through the front door and headed to the

bedroom.

“What about my cooking lessons?” Felix asked.

“Starve!” Claybourne yelled before slamming the door. Felix sighed. Okay, maybe it wasn’t as funny as

he thought. He sighed and walked to the bedroom and opened the door.

“Not now, Felix,” Claybourne said through clenched teeth.

“Are you killing me? I don’t see your hands wrapped around my throat. So that means we can talk

about this,” Felix said as he hopped up on the bed.

Claybourne stopped his pacing and looked at his mate, confused. “If I choke you, will you leave me

alone?” he asked, sounding less mad and more curious.

“No.” Felix shook his head.

Claybourne sighed. “I’m sorry for getting so mad.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

“You want to tell me why? And there is no choice in the matter, I just thought asking was more polite,”

Felix informed him. He felt better when he saw a ghost of a smile on his mate’s lips.

“The short version is my dad used to publically humiliate me as a form of punishment. It’s why I’m so

obsessed over the small details. I tried never to give him any reason to start on me,” he said and lay back on

the bed, his arm stretched wide.

“My dad would ignore me,” Felix said in a small voice.

“Which is what I was doing in the store, which is why you like being so grandiose about things.”

Claybourne pulled Felix down to lay next to him.

“You try everything you can not to become the center of attention, and I do everything I can to be the

center of attention. We are perfectly matched aren’t we?” Felix rubbed his nose against Claybourne’s side.

“I’m sorry I humiliated you,” Felix whispered.

“I’m sorry I ignored you,” Claybourne said in return.

“First fight over?” Felix asked. Claybourne nodded.

“Yes! Now it’s time for make-up sex!” Felix sat up and stripped off his shirt and pants.

Claybourne quickly followed his example and began pulling off his clothes, though he hesitated before

dropping them to the floor. Felix smiled and waved his finger at him.

“Remember, dirty is good.” Felix licked his lips while keeping eye contact with his mate. Claybourne

dropped the clothes on the floor.

“I think I will reward you every time you’re dirty.” Felix leaned over his mate’s body.

“Could you…could you take me this time?” Claybourne asked in a rush. Felix paused, tongue out as he

leaned down to lick his mate.

“Lube. We need lube, like now,” Felix said, practically spinning in circles on the bed trying to remember

which dresser had the lube. Claybourne reached under the pillow and waved the tube at him.

“No wonder you’re a doctor, so damn smart.” Felix grabbed the tube and coated his fingers.

Claybourne went to turn on his stomach but Felix stopped him.

“I’d like to see your face, just try not to squeeze me with these delicious thighs of yours.” Felix ran his

tongue from kneecap to groin. Claybourne moaned and pulled his knees to his chest.

“How long has it been, my mate?” Felix asked, touching the small pink star with his lubed fingers. He

gently teased the opening, pausing randomly to apply pressure to the center, causing his mate to squirm.

“I haven’t been taken since medical school and even then it was a quick affair, just a way to release

stress,” Claybourne admitted.

“Good, I’ll be the only one to love on you.” Felix inserted a single finger and began to push against the

silken sides of his mate, stretching him slowly.

“God! I may come from just that, what are you doing to me?” Claybourne asked, gasping.