Breaking Order

Chapter 6: "Weakness"

This was stupid. This whole goddamn thing was stupid. Since me and Car had become "mates" or whatever the hell we were, things had changed.

On a personal level, we'd had the fight that prompted me to freak out a little bit, then we'd made up. Multiple times, in fact.

After that, I met my new best friend, a clueless witch named Sammy who Car and I had encountered in Knight Corp's training facility. Her magic was pink, and she'd blown up a target when I was trying to teach her how to aim. Naturally, she was totally fucking amazing, and I loved her.

She also happened to be in some sort of fucking confusion relationship with Timothy and a lady demon who I hadn't met, which meant I spent a bunch of my free time around Tim and Sam.

It stopped temporarily, though, when I'd gone to Seattle to do a job and come home to an empty house. Tim was working for Knight Corp doing some mission or something, and Sam was busy gallivanting around somewhere learning how to do all her witchy shit.

Speaking of my mission, I idly mused about Carbry while I absently tossed the remote in the air and caught it as it fell. I could tell Car had been incredibly reluctant for me to go on the mission in the first place. It would be my first time out since we'd gotten together, and my vampire's worry was palpable.

On some level, I understood his hesitation. I worried about him, too. But, he sucked it up like a good King Vampire, primarily because I told him the family I was going to help needed me.

Basically, the folks needed protection during the concluding phase of a court case wherein they were trying to keep parental rights of a thirteen year old child they adopted when the kid was two. In essence, the kid's biological father was trying to get the kid back, despite having no legal basis for his demands.

The biological father was a prick, had money and lived an asshole lifestyle to match: drugs, alcohol, the whole shebang. He claimed he was off all stuff and was rich enough to hire some fancy lawyers to try to game the system and wrest his son from the rightful legal parents.
The problem was that number one, the guy wasn't clean, despite what his $1000 an hour lawyers claimed, and number two, he had ties to the mafia that ran deep.

Legally, there was absolutely no way he'd win the case anyway. He'd terminated his parental rights when the kid was born, but the family was rightfully on edge thanks to all the mysterious messages they kept getting demanding they voluntarily relinquish their own parental rights of the child.

Needless to say, the biological father just needed a little...motivation to drop the case and leave the poor family alone...permanently. It had been an easy job, really. I didn't have to deal with any supernatural shit, just general human assholery.

Car's relief when I finally came home was palpable, though. I hadn't even been gone a month, and he was already doting on me as if I'd been away for years up until the point where he had to go back to work.

But now I had nothing to do, which is why I sat in the apartment feeling bored out of my fucking mind, throwing a remote in the air and catching it like an idiot.

Even Car was in meetings all night, leaving me sitting alone on the couch mindlessly listening to some shitty reality show as I watched the remote flip through the air then land in my hand over and over again. I wanted to do something...anything.

Scratch that. I wanted to fight something challenging, but last time I'd gone down to Knight Corp's training facility, I hadn't exactly felt welcome. No one was rude, but they all knew Car and I were a thing now. So, no one ever wanted to play with me anymore for fear of pissing off their ancient and scary boss if I got a little scratched up or something.

At least Car would be home soon. Maybe he'd be a good distraction. Right on cue, I heard the front door open.

"I'm in the living room!" I yelled.

Car walked into the den, eyes brightening as he saw me sitting there. When our eyes locked, he stared. God, why did he stare so much? I looked down at myself, suddenly self-conscious.

I didn't know what the big deal was. I just wasn't wearing pants. I hated pants. They were so restrictive. Making matters worse, Car's expression was unreadable, and I hated not being able to understand what he was thinking.

"Penny for your thoughts, King Vampire?"

He smiled, and my heart skipped, but only a little. "I missed you, Mer."

I blushed. Why had he been saying such stupid shit since we'd gotten together?

Before he could make me even more self-conscious about my current state of undress, I leaned into my discomfort and stood, stalking over to him with purpose and pulling him down to kiss me. There was no hesitation as he returned the embrace, running his hands down my sides as he pulled me closer and gave himself over to my demands.

I smiled against his lips. Good. He couldn't stare at me when he was distracted. Staring made me feel self-conscious, but kissing made me feel...alive. Finally and with apparent reluctance, he pulled away, leaving me a little miffed.

"How was your night?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

"Terrible," I said as I frowned and spoke truthfully, "I went downstairs looking for someone to spar with. Sam and Tim are gone, and no one will play with me because they're all scared of you."

He returned my frown. "That is a problem."

I nodded solemnly, "Indeed it is."

He rolled his eyes at my use of his favorite word, but he recovered and offered me a thoughtful look. "You know we could..." he trailed off.

"What?" I asked incredulously. I didn't like when he was abstruse.

"Well," he looked uncomfortable, as if he were weighing whether or not he should express his idea, "I know you're unhappy when you get bored. Perhaps we could spar today? The two of us?"

I stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before I finally managed to ask, "Aren't you afraid I'll kick your ass a little too well?"

He laughed then I added seriously, "Car, I never expected you to offer to do that considering the fact that you pitched a fit when I told you I was going to work because you thought I'd be in danger."

His expression fell, and he scowled, "I didn't pitch a fit. I simply voiced my concerns. I'd never try to stop you from doing what you want, Mer. I love you."

His admission made me feel awkward, and since I didn't know how to respond, I hugged him so that I could hide my face. "Yeah, yeah, me too...but for you. The loving thing, I mean."

He chuckled. Why the hell did he laugh so much? I closed my eyes and smiled as I heard him ask, "Well, what do you say?"

I smiled. "Hell yes, King Vampire."