Blood & Thunder (THIRDS 2)

“No, we won’t, because whatever’s going through your head right now isn’t happening. You want to do a sing-along—”

“Sing-off,” Dex corrected.

“That machine enters the building and it’s going back out via the nearest window. Be weird on your own time.” Tony stormed off and Calvin stepped up to Dex, studying him.

“You didn’t really buy a karaoke machine for the break room, did you?”

“What?” Dex laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I didn’t. This whole case has him on edge.”

Calvin appeared to give it some thought when it occurred to him. “And you were taking some of the edge off.”

“When it seems like the world’s burning down around you, a little sense of normality can go a long way.” Dex resumed his seat, knowing Calvin had some ’splaining to do. “The sing-off is real, though. I’m going to crush those Beta bastards. Can you sing?” He waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll still beat them. So, you and Hobbs.”

Calvin cleared his throat and took a seat, his cheeks going pink. “What about us?”

“Dude, I walked in on you two sucking face like a couple of college kids, come on. Whatever you say stays between us. If you can trust me with your life, you can trust me with this. Something’s been up with you guys for months, and if you haven’t noticed, the team’s been worried.”

Calvin’s head shot up and he turned to Dex. “They don’t suspect anything, do they?”

“Nah. Whatever they’re thinking, it’s nothing close to that, but if you don’t sort it out soon, Sloane’s going to get wind something’s wrong, and you don’t want him interrogating you. It’s not fun. So?”

“You know Hobbs and I grew up together. We both came from a rough neighborhood. No segregated schools, at least not officially. Inside was a different matter. There were more Humans than Therians. We got shit for being friends. On top of that, Hobbs got bullied for his mutism. Those assholes knew he couldn’t fight back. He was bigger than them, stronger, but he was so crippled by his anxiety, he didn’t stand a chance.

“I don’t think a day went by where I didn’t end up in the principal’s office for fighting, but I had to protect him. My mom wanted to put me in another school, one strictly Human, but I refused to leave Hobbs behind in that shithole to fend for himself. He needed me. I can count on one hand the number of times we weren’t together. By college, Hobbs had gotten better with his mutism and the anxiety. We shared an apartment. Man, it was so much fun. We did some pretty stupid shit,” Calvin said with a laugh. His expression grew somber, and he looked down at his fingers, lost in thought. “Anyway, things were good. After college, we got recruited by the THIRDS and moved into a bigger apartment together. We figured there was no point in spending a load of money on rent when we could save that money and help get our families out of the ghettos they were living in.

“Everything was cool between us. We’d never been closer. Then last year, we had this big Fourth of July party at our apartment, and both of us got shitfaced. We hooked up with these guys, the four of us in Hobbs’s bedroom, and everything was fine until Hobbs started fucking this guy. He was blond, about my height and size. I bolted. I couldn’t be in the same room while he screwed that guy.”

“What did Hobbs do after you bolted?”

“He came after me. We had a huge fight, mostly because I was so pissed off at him and at myself. I didn’t know what the hell I was feeling. All I knew was that I couldn’t stand seeing him fuck another guy. It was selfish, I know. I told him I needed some space. You should have seen his face. It was like I’d stabbed him in the heart. For days I hid out in my room, making sure when I came out I didn’t bump into him. He was so damn patient and good. He’d make me sandwiches and leave them in the fridge for me.” Calvin’s eyes grew glassy and he gave a sniff.

“He caught me one afternoon in the hall, and when he tried to apologize, as if he was the reason I was acting like such an asshole, I lost it. I told him I didn’t want him fucking anyone else because… of how I felt about him. I couldn’t say the words, mostly because until the explosion, I couldn’t say exactly what it was I felt. I told him somewhere along the way, things had changed. The way I felt about him changed. I thought I was going to lose my mind waiting for him to say something. In the end, he hugged me and said we’d work it out.” Calvin let out a heavy sigh. “He’s scared we’ll lose our friendship. I tried to tell him it would never happen. If things didn’t work out, I’d never stop being his be

st friend.”

“How’s he feel about what just happened?” Dex asked, nodding to the closed door beside him.

Calvin shrugged, a small smile coming onto his hopeful face. “He kissed me back. That’s a good sign, right?”

Dex threw an arm around Calvin and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “I think so. Give him time. It’s a lot to take in. I’m betting Hobbs isn’t the kind of guy crazy about change, especially when it concerns the possibility of losing his best friend.”

“Thanks, Dex. I’m gonna head back in, say good-bye. Maddock and Sloane agree he needs more time to recuperate. I’ll see you at HQ.”

“No problem, buddy.” Dex sat there long after Calvin had disappeared inside. He’d known his teammates were close, but he hadn’t known they were that close. “Man, this team is incestuous.” At least he had Rosa and Letty to keep the balance. Speaking of Rosa, she’d been right about Sloane. He was miserable to be around when he had something stuck in his craw, and he made everyone else around him miserable. Usually Dex kept Sloane from spending too much time grumping, finding ways to make him smile. Dex missed that smile.

With a groan, he let his head fall back against the chair. “Man, I am so screwed.”

“YOU SURE you’re ready to go back?”

Sloane sat on the blue couch beside Cael’s bed, glad to see the young Therian looking like his old self. A pang of guilt hit him for the reprimand he’d intended to give Dex, and he chastised himself for being such a sentimental idiot. Now he was going to feel guilty about doing his job because of Cael?

“Yep.” Cael patted his stomach with a laugh. “If I stay here any longer eating Rosa’s cooking, I won’t fit into my uniform.” His smile faded. “Hey, you got a minute?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I’m worried about Dex.”

“Oh?” Sloane sat back, stretching his legs and meeting Cael’s concerned gaze.