A Little Roughed Up at The Asylum Safe House - Part Seven

Second day of curfew here and...it's hella weird! lol

But all and all not much has changed. Still being carefully and writing the words.

Hope you enjoy this part as much as I enjoy watching it unfold!

And happy reading!

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Part One

Part Two 

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six 

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Fat. Fluffy. Clumsy.

And...dangerous.

Not what everyone else was probably thinking while looking at the thing stumbling along the treeline, but Pike would feel a lot better if Seth would give him that gun back. Just to hold. In case.

Instead, his Dom kept him close, lips brushing the tender spot behind his ear as he spoke softly. “I’ve got you, pixie. We can go inside if you need to.”

Putting a few walls between himself and the dog would be fucking awesome, but Pike lifted his gaze to Quint, cutting off the automatic ‘Hell yes’ that wanted to come out. The other sub looked...different. His deep blue eyes sparked with anticipation, his smile, framed by the shadow of stubble he hadn’t bothered to shave over the past two days, was warm and relaxed.

Usually, Pike would be happy to see Quint looking, well, happy, but it was weird not knowing the cause of it. Was Quint that much of a dog person? Heart sinking, Pike eyed the demon in the cute disguise of white and gray fur.

It hadn’t come any closer, which was something at least.

But if Quint wanted to keep it, Pike wouldn’t be able to go near him when it was around. The very idea had panic clawing at his throat. His breaths came in short bursts and his eyes burned as he turned to tuck his face against Seth’s shoulder.

His own reaction was embarrassing.

Who the fuck freaks out over a stupid puppy?

Except...puppies got bigger. And vicious. And grew big, sharp teeth. Even the smaller ones were kinda like piranhas. Imagining them chewing the flesh off his legs whenever chicks carried them around in their purses wasn’t much of a stretch.

“Talk to me, Pike.” Muscular arms around him, voice low, Seth somehow managed to block out everything else and lock Pike’s focus on him and him alone. When Pike lifted his gaze to meet his Dom’s eyes, it was like the rest of the world disappeared. “I won’t let it get close to you and neither will Quint, but don’t try to tough it out because you’re ashamed of how you feel.”

Seth knew him too well. And he wouldn’t let Pike play shit off like everything was cool, but leaving Quint out here alone wasn’t an option. Things were too fucked up lately and something was up.

Forcing a shaky smile, Pike rested his cheek against his Dom’s broad chest. “I won’t pretend, but I don’t wanna go inside. Not yet.” He snuck another look at Quint. “Do you think he...wants to keep it?”

“No, he’s too protective of you to even consider it.” Seth’s brow creased slightly as his gaze followed Quint to where he’d joined Curtis at the side of the house, watching the dirt road. The big black bird seemed to be guiding the dog in that direction. “I think we’re about to have some company. Someone he knows well.”

Pike followed Seth’s gaze, bringing his fingers up to curl around the open collar of his Dom’s dark blue shirt. A car door slammed in the distance, then another. Boots on gravel made it clear whoever was coming wasn’t trying to hide their approach.

Then there was coughing.

“Where’s Jared?” With Avery in his arms, Rhodey stepped into view, his grey eyes sweeping over the group before landing on Dallas. “Go get him. Tell him Avery’s sick.” His attention snapped to Seth as Dallas quickly nodded and bolted inside. “You and Quint can help, but I want Jared to take the lead. Whatever it fucking takes, you make him better.”

After giving Pike a reassuring squeeze, Seth pushed to his feet. He approached Rhodey, smiling at Avery when the sub looked up at him from his Dom’s arms.

“It’s just a cough.” Avery covered his mouth with his arm, coughing, then groaning. “I’ll live.”

Touching his inner wrist to Avery’s forehead, Seth clucked his tongue. “Yes, you will, but you’re running a fever. You’re made of strong stuff, my boy. Still human. You should have taken more time to recover after being out in the cold so long.”

Rhodey let out a low growl, cradling Avery even closer, so the sub almost disappeared between his massive chest and huge arms. “This is my fucking fault. I should have made you stay.”

Letting out a painful sounding cough even as he gave his Dom a slanted smile, Avery tipped his chin up. “I would’ve just followed you, and you’d have been forced to beat me while I was hacking up a lung. This is much more practical.”

“Smartass little viper.” Rhodey pressed his lips to Avery’s forehead, which was sheened with sweat. “I’m going to beat you anyway for getting sick, how about that?”

The back door swung open, Jared striding down the steps with one of those no-nonsense looks on his face. Everyone seemed to get a whole lot more serious as he stepped up to Rhodey, snapping his fingers at Quint and motioning him back. “We don’t need to turn this into a damn plague house. If this is the flu, it’s dangerous for Reed to get exposed, and I don’t want to chance it with Noah either. Let’s get him set up in one of the rooms upstairs. Seth, get the kit so we can test him.” He gave Rhodey a long look. “This is why I wanted you back when I was giving everyone their flu shots.”

Rhodey blew out a breath, tension around his eyes, in his stance, though his voice sounded like it always did. Like he expected the world to fall in line to his command and was surprised when it didn’t. “We stopped the German ambassador from getting assassinated and killed a whole bunch of bad motherfuckers, it seemed like a good reason to pass. And he never gets sick. I figured he was like me.”

“You were wrong. And it would serve you right if you got it too.” Despite his sharp tone, Jared’s expression held some understanding. He put his hand on Rhodey’s shoulder, guiding him toward the stairs. “He’s in good health so he’ll get through this just fine. You’ll need to make sure he rests, though. Your sub is as stubborn as you are when it comes to taking care of himself.”

Jaw hardening, Rhodey shook his head as he made his way up the steps. “I take care of him. I keep shit like this from happening. It’s my fucking job.”

Holding the door, Jared gave Rhodey a long look. “It’s our job, my man. We’ve got him.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Seth watched them go, bringing his hand up like he was going to rub it over his face. Then he stopped, letting out a heavy sigh. He glanced back, his brow raised at Quint’s broad grin when a man came into view.

“Stephan.” Quint cut across the yard in long strides, hugging the stranger. “Damn, it’s been too long.”

Almost putting his hand in his forgotten plate of food—which he wasn’t all that interested in anymore—Pike sat up a bit, eyes narrowing as he took in the new guy who was hugging Quint with one arm and slapping Curtis on the back in greeting.

Reed scooted off his own blanket as his brother made an irritated sound and took off. Joining Pike on his blanket, Reed spoke low. “I don’t know about you, but I’m already not liking this guy too much.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

Not that Pike could pick out a fucking thing wrong with the guy. Except that he was wearing a goddamn faded red and black plaid shirt that made him fit in too well with the surroundings. And he had some seriously toned muscle under it. And his thick beard framed a really sexy mouth and gave all his stupidly perfect features a nice rugged look. His wavy brown hair was messy in all the right ways, which sucked even more.

And he had this accent…

Having a sexy accent on top of those looks should be an actual fucking crime.

Arm still over Quint’s shoulders, the man, Stephan, whistled as the big black bird flew overhead, then gestured as he spoke. “Bleib zurück.”

The bird made a clicking sound, soaring back toward the trees, the dog barking, then trailing after it through the grass.

“He’s German.” Crawling over, Danny hid behind Pike, talking in a whisper. “Me and Jamie have a student from there and he only said that to the other kids for the first few weeks. It means ‘stay back’.”

Ugh, does that mean I have to like the dude because he’s keeping the dog away?

Stephan laughed, nodding at something Curtis said and squeezing Quint’s shoulder.

Yeah...no.

“I’m going to go get those supplies for Jared.” Casting one last look toward Quint, Seth stopped at Pike’s side. He caught Pike’s eye, then winked. “Behave.”

Grinning, Pike gave his Dom his most angelic smile. He’d read Seth loud and clear. “I will, sir. I promise.”

In other words?

Game on.

****

That look spelled trouble. Danny had been around the subs of The Asylum long enough not to miss it. And worse, the way Pike glanced over at Reed like they were sharing some kind of secret?

It was spreading.

Hopefully, it was the only thing spreading. Danny’s chest tightened as he thought of how pale Avery had been. How worried Rhodey looked. He’d almost ran to him, he’d wanted to hug Avery, hug Rhodey, ask them how the trip had gone and make sure neither had new scars from bullet wounds, but...this wasn’t the time. They both needed the doctors.

Danny needed to stay out of the way.

And avoid trouble.

Which was going to be very hard when he was anywhere near Pike and Reed.

That’s not fair. You were the one who got Pike in that whole mess. Seth is busy and Quint’s...distracted. If nothing else, you can make sure Pike has everything he needs. He’s hurt because of you.

Guilt made it easier to stop counting the weeks since he’d gotten his own flu shot. Slipping close to Pike’s side, Danny scrambled for a way to distract Pike from whatever he was planning.

Because that look was still in his eyes.

“This pasta salad Keiran made is really good.” Danny picked up the fork from Pike’s plate, spearing a few curly noodles on it. “Have you tried it yet? I don’t usually do this many carbs, but it made him happy that I stuck around to taste test for him and after I had a few bites, I couldn’t stop. I’ll need to figure out a way to get some cardio in to burn it off.”

Pike frowned at him, but took the bite Danny brought to his lips, speaking around it. “You burn off any more anything and you’re gonna disappear, man. Stop it with that shit or I’m telling Jared.”

Lips parting, Danny stared at Pike. After how upset Jared had gotten with Keiran, there was no way Danny was taking one step out of line. He’d already passed his limit of bad behaviour for a lifetime. “Please don’t, he needs to focus on making Avery better, not me… I’ve been eating, I just...need to be aware of not overdoing it.”

“Uh huh.” Pike didn’t sound convinced, but his eyes took on a gleam that was kinda scary. He leaned in a bit. “I won’t say anything, but you’ve gotta play along with us and keep this new guy away from Quint and Curtis. He’s way too friendly. And he’s probably a serial killer or some shit.”

Cold spilled down Danny’s spine. He looked at the new man, ducking his head as he glanced over. “Really? I thought he seemed nice, but… Should we warn someone? And how do you want me to distract him? Please don’t make me be bait.”

“No, not really.” Reed punched Pike’s shoulder, then winced and put his hand to his side. “Don’t mess with him, Pike, he doesn’t know you’re joking.” He turned his attention to Danny, reaching out with his free hand to rub Danny’s arm. “I’m going to help Pike inside and that’ll get Curtis and Quint to come with us. You like dogs, right? Go play with the puppy. Ask the guy its name and be all sweet and...you. See if you can find out why he’s here.”

This did not sound like the kind of mission that should be assigned to Danny at all, but when he looked at Pike and saw the uncertainty in his eyes as the other sub’s focus went to Quint?

There was no way Danny could say no.

Taking a deep, bracing breath, Danny nodded and pushed to his feet. As he made his way toward the trees, he could hear the strain in Reed’s voice as he got up and tried to bring Pike with him. Curtis shouted for him to stop, his voice coming closer. Then Quint’s followed.

So far, the plan was working.

Attention on the puppy, Danny tried to ignore the shadow of the bird falling over him as it flew closer. He’d never really worried about birds until Wren asked him to watch a movie about them.

Which had given him nightmares for months.

The sweet little bark the puppy let out brought a smile to his lips as he got closer. A giggle escaped as the little ball of fluffy fur ran straight to him and he lowered to his knees, sputtering as the puppy licked his face.

“Look at you!” Danny stroked the puppy’s back as it did its best to knock him over. “Who’s a good boy? Are you a boy? I’m very happy to meet you. Everything’s so scary out here, but you’re not.” He buried his face in the puppy’s fur. “I wish Jacks and Shea were here. They’d love you.”

Quiet footsteps came to his side and Danny sucked in a breath as a hand settled on his shoulder.

The new man crouched by his side, his accent only seeming to make his words softer, not harsh like most expected with a language that definitely could be. “They will be with you soon, my boy. Rhodey contacted them. He got them your letters.”

“He did?” Forgetting what should be a natural fear of a man he was pretty sure was another merc, Danny lifted his gaze to meet eyes that were a warm, golden brown with a hint of green. “How do you know?”

Stephan smiled, holding out his arm, the shadow overhead disappearing as the bird swooped down, landing on Stephan’s forearm and going still. “Because I helped arrange it. With my line of work, I have very good connections. People we can trust to keep them safe, without exposing anyone else.”

All right, Danny didn’t care how Pike and Reed felt about the guy, Stephan was his new hero. He held out his hand even as his eyes burned with tears of gratitude. “You probably already know, but...I’m Danny.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Danny. My name is Stephan.” Stephan’s warm and slightly calloused hand, so much bigger than Danny’s, surrounded his with a light pressure. He nudged his bearded chin toward the puppy. “This is Koda. And this…” He nodded toward the bird. “Is Bram. He’s a raven and he’s very gentle. You don’t need to be afraid of him.” He kept his eyes on the bird. “Say ‘hello’, Bram.”

The raven leaned a bit toward Danny, its black eyes seeming to read him for a moment. Then it spoke. “How does that make you feel?”

Blinking, Danny spat out a laugh. The words were so clear, in a deep voice that sounded a lot like Stephan. He grinned at the man. “That’s amazing. I guess it works well to let him ask stuff that can get real cliche.”

“It really does.” Stephan chuckled, stroking the bird’s feathers. “Bram also likes helping me teach other animals. He adopted Koda from a litter that was brought to Vani’s compound. I didn’t want to expose Pike so quickly, but these two are inseparable so there was no way I could leave him behind. I’m sure it hasn’t earned me any fans.” He met Danny’s eyes, something in his own making it obvious he already had a good read on things here. “Along with my profession and my established relationships with Quint and Curtis.”

Danny wouldn’t rat out Pike and Reed, but this man would be impossible to hide anything from. So he did his best to change the subject. “What else can Bram say?”

Giving him a knowing smile, Stephan lifted his shoulders. “Whatever he pleases. Raven’s are notorious for not performing on command. He speaks to entertain himself. I’ve only had him a few years. Before that, his exposure was for...a very specific purpose.”

“Is that bad?” Danny was supposed to be learning all he could about the man, but with Koda licking his face and being so cuddly, it was hard to focus.

Until Bram let out a low, eerie sound. Like the music from one of Wren’s favorite horror movies.

And Stephan nodded. “It could have been. Very bad. He’s...fascinating.”

Swallowing hard, Danny wrapped his arms around the puppy, letting the fresh scent of the forest air that clung to him filter out everything else. Including what he now knew. What he was afraid might still be true.

The bird had been meant as a trap.

That hadn’t been sprung.

Yet.

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Part 8

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