Waking up in someone else's arms was definitely not something Taylor was used to... but he found that he didn't really mind. Cadon had followed him to bed after they'd showered, separately, and asked if he could hug him while they slept. It was an odd request, but he let him do as he pleased. The added warmth was a tad uncomfortable, though. He'd been so used to the chill that came along with Nikolai's banshee, and now that he was gone, the air-conditioner just didn't seem to do much, especially with a warm body beside him.
"Good morning," came a mixture of voices from behind him that quickly had Taylor sitting up and looking at the man lying beside him.
That's not his voice, but at the same time, it is.
He also looked a little different. His body was a little more tan, and his hair had darkened slightly.
He's... really handsome, now that I'm actually looking.
"You're going to make me lose control again if you keep looking at me like that, Tay," Cadon said as he reached up and ran his fingers through Taylor's messy hair.
"S-sorry," Taylor murmured as he looked away, only to realize that there was a light coming from beneath their door, meaning that someone had turned the light on in the other room.
"Don't worry. I called Sasha last night after you had fallen asleep and explained everything that had happened. She was upset about breaking up, at first, but then she decided to put her emotions on the back burner for now and help us get Nikolai back."
Taylor was honestly surprised. She was way more mature than he gave her credit for.
"She's a sweetheart, and it sucks that things happened this way. I'm not regretting it, but I do need to actually sit down and talk with her when this is all over. I'm not one who likes using calls or texts to handle very personal situations," Cadon said, earning a nod from Taylor. He definitely agreed with that.
"Her exorcist friend, Martin, is also here. They talked about what might happen today, last night, and texted me this morning that they were coming over. I let them in and we talked for a bit, but I couldn't keep myself from coming back here to check on you... then just getting back in bed so that you didn't wake up alone."
I have a feeling its not going to be hard to fall for this guy.
"They think that because we technically took Caleb back, that the other exorcist is going to return to try and reclaim him," Cadon said, drawing Taylor out of his thoughts.
They can't really take him back now, though. He's permanently part of Adoni.
"They think that they'll want him even more now that we've fused together."
Frowning, Taylor reached forward and wrapped him in a strong hug.
"I'll never let them take you away. We'll get Nikolai back and be rid of that exorcist," he said reassuringly as he felt Cadon's arms go around his waist and tug him closer.
"We will. So... want to shower together before we get this show on the road? I'm sure they'll be heading this way soon," Cadon said with a smirk as he looked up at Taylor.
The thought had his face burning as he quickly shook his head and climbed out of the bed.
"I'm good. I got it," he said as he hurried into the bathroom with an armful of clothing and shut the door to the sound of a quiet chuckle.
When he stepped out of the shower, he could hear voices coming from the other room... and they sounded uncomfortably familiar.
Quickly drying off, he yanked on his clothing and reached for the door handle. He very carefully turned it, then opened the door a tiny amount.
He'd been correct. The male police officer and exorcist were standing with their backs to him. The bedroom door had been left open, giving him a decent view of the scene. He could also see Cadon sitting on the couch with someone next to him.
Likely Sasha and her friend.
He tried to think of a way to help them when his eyes zeroed in on the exorcist's left hand.
He's got Nikolai's ring!
Of course he'd bring it to try and bribe them, or threaten, if that didn't work.
We might stand a chance if I can get him out of that, but I don't think I can sneak so close without being heard.
He was about to try, though, since that seemed like his only option now, but right before he started pushing the door open he noticed something take form in front of his eyes that he couldn't quite process immediately.
You're...
The fish, which was about four inches long, was a beautiful translucent gold as it slowly swam about before his nose. It flicked its tail as it ascended a few inches, then wiggled downward when it wanted to lower its body in the air.
Caleb must have sent you.
He wasn't sure why, though.
Looking up, back toward the group in the living room, he suddenly realized that it wasn't just the fish that was appearing. The entire wall he could see past the exorcist, which would normally be the front door, window, and part of the outer wall of the second bathroom, was now completely covered in iridescent fish tanks. All manner of creatures swam in the tanks, from little tiny darting fish to octopuses and grouper.
You upgraded again, huh?
It was gorgeous, but he knew that it wasn't meant to distract him. Returning his attention to the exorcist and the cop, they both seemed perplexed by the sudden illusion, but refused to be swayed. The exorcist, especially, was getting angry as he pulled out a lighter and flicked it on, then held up the little plastic toy ring that held Nicolai's soul.
I can't keep waiting.
He quickly sprinted forward as more fish began to float around the different rooms. It took some effort not to try and dodge any and accidentally give himself away.
Don't look. Please don't look!
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side this time.
The exorcist turned right as he reached out toward the ring. It was yanked back, and without a hint of hesitation, the lighter was lifted up to it.
Taylor only had a split second to make a decision, but he knew that once he'd done it, that it was definitely the right one. He closed his hand over the lighter's flame right before the fire could catch hold of the little plastic ring. At the same time, he shoved his other hand forward and since he doubted the man would release it easily, he just slipped his pointer finger through the center.
"Help me help save you and Kay!" he hissed out as pain radiated through his other hand from the burn he'd just obtained.
While his hand felt extremely hot, the ice that suddenly shot through his veins chilled its way through his body in every single direction. The abrupt change in temperature had him gasping and dropping to his knees, but even as the exorcist tried to remove the ring or lighter from either of his hands... he couldn't.
"You are getting on my last nerve, boy!" the man yelled as the police officer beside him unclasped the gun at his side.
Taylor wasn't aware of the situation enough to react, already shivering and feeling as if something else was taking control.
Caleb is now part of my human?
The thought wasn't his.
Nikolai?
He could feel the banshee test his arms and legs, clearly uncomfortable being in a body that wasn't Adoni's.
He did it to save him, Nikolai. Caleb asked him for his body, and he agreed. They kind of melded together over time, and are still changing, but they're going to really die for good if we can't help them right now.
The first response from Nikolai was a flare of rage that made Taylor want to whimper to the back of his own mind, but the banshee quickly changed emotions as he slowly lifted Taylor's head and looked toward the couch.
The fool exorcist, the crazy woman, and...
Cadon smiled and inclined his head slightly, his eyes now a perfect mix of Adon and Caleb's. He took a few moments to process that they really had permanently fused, then lifted Taylor's head toward the person immediately posing a threat to them. The gun was only a few inches from his face, but the officer wasn't the one talking, it was the stronger exorcist, the one that had tricked him and his little brother.
"Take the ring off, Taylor. I'm only going to tell you this once," the man said as he released his hand, clearly unable to remove it on his own. "That banshee will drain your life force faster than you think. You saw what it did to your friend."
He didn't doubt that. His body was already freezing and it was becoming hard to breathe, or even stay awake.
I'll take care of this. Let me have control.
Something frigid began to erase the heat from the burn in his palm, then extend outward. He looked down, in a daze, and saw Nikolai's baseball bat materializing.
"We need to shoot him before it can start attacking. As much as I didn't want blood on my hands, we're being paid too much to make a mistake at the end!" the exorcist said as he snatched the hesitant officer's gun, then pressed it against Taylor's head.
"Sorry that things had to come to this. I tried to save you and your friend from them, but you just couldn't keep from meddling," he said as he began to squeeze the trigger.
A long, drawn-out hiss began slipping from between Taylor's slightly-parted lips, but the warning, unfortunately, fell on overconfident ears. Right before the gun went off, two arms appeared from behind the exorcist. One grabbed the gun and jerked it upright at the last second, sending its bullet into the middle of the chalkboard behind him, cracking it nearly in two.
The other arm snaked beneath the man's neck and then pulled back tightly, blocking off his airflow without an ounce of remorse. Taylor watched through his eyes, but Nikolai still had complete control of his body as he slowly stood up, a cold shiver of glee running through his system as he watched the person before him choking to death.
"Welcome back, Niko," Cadon finally said as he grinned from behind the exorcist. Even with the man's struggles, he couldn't seem to break the hold around his neck, and without the officers help, who was now being surrounded by two people and a banshee, he quickly fell unconscious and dropped to the floor.
The gun switched hands at that point, slipping into Cadon's fingers as the man's grip relaxed with his loss of consciousness. It was immediately turned toward the officer, but Cadon backed up a few feet so that the man couldn't lunge for it and try to take it back.
"You okay, Taylor?" Sasha asked as she knelt beside him, but hesitated to help get him to his feet.
Nikolai still had control, and his baseball bat was still firmly grasped in his left hand.
"My father paid them to get rid of us, once and for all," he finally said as he stood up and turned his attention to the police officer. The man looked like he was about to piss himself... and he should.
Taylor could feel Nikolai's rage trembling just beneath the surface of his skin. He desperately wanted to swing his bat and strike the man until he was a bloody corpse on the floor... but they needed him alive.
"Where are they?" Cadon asked, not wanting to waste anymore time.
The officer glared at him, but Cadon just nodded toward Nikolai.
"Want to kill him?"
Taylor felt the banshee flare inside his body, sending icicles through his veins.
"Yes," Nikolai growled through his mouth, lifting his bat as if the simple question was a go-ahead to complete the deed.
"Wait, wait! They only live about two blocks away. They wanted to stay close so that they could keep an eye on the situation. I can take you there right now, if you'd like," he said, lifting his hands to try and calm Nikolai's anger.
He wasn't sure if Nikolai could even follow if they tried to leave the house again, but the banshee definitely wanted to try. Thankfully, Cadon was the voice of reason in this odd situation, and quickly spoke up.
"I have a better idea. Hey Sash?"
Sasha was already dialing her phone as she smirked up at him and hit send, then lifted the item to her ear.
"I got you, babe. Ex or not, I'm going to make sure that this situation gets straightened out and you boys can finally have some peace."
Martin took the time she was talking with the police department to walk over to Taylor. Nikolai was far more focused on the police officer, so he didn't even spare the simple exorcist a glance.
"Are you okay in there, Taylor?" he asked after observing him for a few moments.
It took a lot of effort, but Nikolai did relent his control, partially, to allow him to respond.
"Y-yeah, jut c-cold."
He gave an acknowledging nod to that, then turned when Sasha got off the phone and hopped up from the couch.
"There are a few cars on their way here, and a few heading to the boy's parent's house. I also made sure to tell them about the other two officers you texted me about earlier. By the way, your parents hadn't even changed their names, and Caleb's mother simply just took Nikolai's father's, so it was easy to find them without this guy's help," she said as she walked to the door, unlocking it as she squinted through the illusion of fish tanks.
It took only five minutes for the police cars to arrive. Once they had both the offending officer and the more powerful, yet still thankfully unconscious exorcist in handcuffs and out of the house, Cadon relinquished the gun he'd taken and sat down at the dinner table to discuss everything that had gone on. It was quite a long story, and at first, the officers didn't seem to believe him... but it was hard to ignore the little goldfish swimming about their heads, or the translucent octopus that had escaped its imaginary tank by the door and was working on climbing up onto the table.
"Don't worry about them," Cadon said for the third time as he reached out and picked up the animal, then got up to slip it back into its tank.
"I was just getting to the part where the wraith kind of fused with me, so this is what he did to try and distract the officer and exorcist that had attacked us. I guess he can't quite turn it on and off as he'd like, and I'm not too sure how to do it, either, but pay it no mind. They are harmless little guys."
A shark about four foot long nonchalantly swam between them on its way to nowhere, then disappeared into the wall right beside the gaping hole leading to the basement. A crime scene investigator had been working right near the opening and jumped abruptly, screeching like... well, a banshee.
With both of their enemies on their way to a prison cell, Nikolai was much calmer and even assisted in the investigation. Of course, a lot of the workers were afraid of him, especially since he refused to put away his ethereal baseball bat, but thankfully he allowed Taylor to have some control, and also do most of the talking.
It was about forty minutes later that the head officer decided to call the other group he had sent to their parent's home and arrest them. There was more than enough evidence, and right off the bat he thought it was strange as hell to have built over a basement in general, and so abruptly right after both of your kids go missing, but that wasn't something he had been aware of. The parents had covered it up perfectly... until their older son's soul became trapped behind that wall and Taylor had moved in.
They continued their discussion for another hour before Taylor was asked for the keys to the house so that the investigators could work as needed. They promised that they wouldn't move Nikolai's remains, and also said that they would immediately send out a task force to retrieve Caleb's. Sasha and Martin had both given their testimonies concerning the events they had witnessed, then been asked to leave for the evening but remain in touch for questioning. They were hesitant to leave them both alone, but Cadon eventually convinced them that they would be fine.
With that done, Taylor was given full control of his body as Nikolai retreated to rest and quickly packed himself a large suitcase, then walked back into the living room area at the same time Cadon brought his own to the front door.
"Here are the card keys to a hotel room on the other side of town. Don't tell anyone that you are there. No other officer knows about this, I grabbed the room on my way here after what your friend told me. I figured that we would probably need to investigate for a while. I'll call you tomorrow to check in, but for now, please go get some rest," the head officer said as he handed them each a key, then turned to head toward the basement.
"I guess this is it for tonight... and possibly the majority of this whole thing," Taylor said quietly as they wheeled their suitcases out to Adon's car and hopped in.
Cadon immediately locked the doors, then reached into the back and retrieved a blanket to tightly tuck around Taylor's shivering body.
"T-thanks, didn't realize I was this cold."
Smiling, Cadon mussed up his hair before getting them on the road.
"Don't worry. We'll get this all taken care of... and then figure out how we can tie up our last loose string."
Taylor looked up into the pull-down mirror on his side, frowning as a second set of eyes flashed through his own for a brief moment.
"We'll figure something out. I won't let him suffer for the rest of his existence, and I don't want him to die."
Cadon nodded.
"We'll figure it out. Let's rest for tonight, then deal with everything else tomorrow."
Taylor nodded and curled up as best he could with his seatbelt on.
"I'm sorry to fall asleep so suddenly..."
Cadon chuckled and winked at him before returning his attention to the road.
"I know how it is. Nikolai can't help but chill your body and make you extra tired. Go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Thank you.
It didn't take long before he was out cold, finally able to relax a little with most of their immediate troubles off their shoulders.