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Chapter 8.0: Keeping Strong

Reaper Residence

How does one tell the public that they survived a headshot from a high calibre rifle?

Simple.

You lie.

My mom and Alexiel with their infinite wisdom when it comes to public relations, told the media that despite what the every spectator on that football field - and what was recorded on the big jumbo screen and live on air - the bullet went through my chest. 'Told' is of course up for interpretation. From what I was 'Told' my mother may have greased a couple of paws.

When that didn't work, she took a 'Four Pronged Approach'.

I had no idea what that meant until she bashed my father with a chair for daring to check my genitals for 'signs of damage'.

In any case, the news was I was being kept in the hospital for recovery and rehabilitation for a month. Nothing about a coma or having to extract the fragmented bullet from my brain. Especially nothing about the fact that the doctors deemed me dead for a day, were about to wrap me up and ship me to the morgue when I started breathing.

Naturally, the doctors had to be bribed as well. From what I heard, several superheroes came down and personally explained the situation.

My furry behind was starting to get a little sore from sitting in front my dad's computer browsing the news concerning my 'miraculous' recovery. Alexiel was working hard to ensure everyone knew I was back and better than ever. The mention of possibly a biography of my life coming out maybe, perhaps, 'if all goes well and I'm not assassinated again' sometime in the foreseeable future made me shudder. Apparently, my near death experience gave me a new perspective on life.

Thinking about my 'life', I regarded the ring that now sat comfortably around my finger. A pit of fear bubbled in my chest when I considered that none of this could've been possible had it not been for Cliff's interference... which involved a Seal.

Twin fears poked and prodded my heart.

Was the world ready to accept a gay polygamous relationship between a famous author, a budding movie star and a similarly budding football player?

Was I ready?

Then... when I came down to it, do I dare destroy the Seal for fear of all of this falling apart?

Was I happy with the knowledge I had not one but two people so committed to me that they put their trust in my dwindling health even against hope?

Even if that happiness was built around something as evil as the Seal?

Then of course, there were these Chaos Lords.

What did they want and why were they investing so much in me?

For once, I wished that I could summon the gods at whim. I was tempted to enter Haven and talk to Truce the God of Peace but I doubted even the gods knew what was happening. Something about the Chaos Lords... they just spoke of a power beyond the gods...

I don't know what it was...

I never noticed that I had typed in 'wedding' into the search box of my dad's default search engine. A grunt of disgust escaped me and I shut the machine down. There were so many things in the air and I didn't have enough hands to catch them all.

My greatest fear was what Cliff would try now that it was publically announced that I had come back. His attempt at the game was ingenious. I don't know if he knew I had regenerative abilities or their essential weakness but he certainly planned the attempt very well. I actually died... and some mysterious lifeline had come to save me.

I rested my chin on my paw as I stared out the broad windows of my parents' mansion. After that attempt, my mother had insisted I move back in with them, much to my dismay. Protest as I might, there was no arguing with a superhero.

The room I had been assigned was the same room I stayed in during my late teenager years. The walls seemed so bare and that crisp 'new house' smell still hung in the air. The view of the hedge maze and the gardens from the window was so alien compared to the concrete jungle of Shellington.

A bit of stir craziness began to creep into me and I jumped off my bed, heading out the door.

The instant I opened the door, I was greeted by familiar but unexpected sight.

"Dave?"

A brilliant, toothy smile crossed the ebony-scaled, draconic features. His ruby eyes shone with relief. "So your regenerative abilities can save you from a headshot. You realise that gives your father plausible reason to take the term 'fuck your brains out' literally, you know?"

My heart sunk and I instinctively plugged my ears. "Yarf! Don't let him hear you say that!"

"Too late," the dragon laughed. "He suggested it. You might want to sleep with one eye open tonight."

Damnit... I forgot I was sleeping under the same roof as my father.

A light-blue parcel wrapped in teal gift wrap with a rosy-red bow was suddenly pressed against my chest.

"I thought you might want to read this," Dave suggested.

I gently undid the bow and tore into the wrapper with a claw. The words 'My Dad is Trying to Fuck Me' met my gaze. My curiosity was piqued. Regarding the blurb, it was actually a biographical account of a poor teenager girl who was raped by her father and 'travelled through a road riddled with drugs, one-night flings, depressing failures and multiple suicide attempts learned to forgive the man who had turned her road rocky'.

"Huh... This actually looks interesting," I admitted, tucking the book under my arm. "You didn't just come here to drop off a gift, did you?"

Dave shook his head and gestured with a hand. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure."

I stepped aside and brought up the old chair for him to sit on while I parked my ass back on my bed. His large, black, leathery wings curled behind him as his tail lashed out slowly like a snake. I was unused to seeing him anything but a lab coat. In casual wear, he seemed less of the college professor who worked constantly with my father on various project and was like an uncle to me. If anything, he the sanity to my dad's _in_sanity. With that manila folder, however, he seemed far more like the private investigator come to accuse me of murder.

"Jacob, what do you know of the drug soma?"

I frowned at that word. "Are we talking the mythical type of soma here?"

"I guess not," the dragon responded, turning away, his brow furrowing slightly, accentuating the red stripes that covered his entire body. "Soma may take its name for the mythical drink that grants divinity from ancient times but in reality, there has been a drug that's been circulating called soma."

My mind recalled one particular adventure where a certain alchemist was trying to extract soma from a powerful stone created from painstaking purification of all the world's elements for centuries on end. Soma was meant to grant mortals 'the greatest gift the gods could bestow' for their countless years of work and toil, even crossing generations. The alchemist thought that meant immortality.

Funny thing though...

'The greatest gift' a god could bestow...

... is death.

"What does it do?" I asked.

"That's was something I'd hope you could shed some light on." Dave reached into the folder and handed me what looked like a manifest.

"When we caught the guy that shot you, we got him to talk..."

My eyes darted up to meet Dave's. "You caught the guy!?"

"I think that's something Chad will have to talk to you about," the dragon responded grimly. "Word of advice, before you jump into this whole 'marriage' thing, you best have a chat with him. Him and Devlin."

Why couldn't he have given me a book entitled 'I'm Getting Married to Two Guys after being in a coma for a month?'

"Alright..." I regarded the manifest. My eyes boggled when I saw the list of names. "Whoa... is this...?"

"Half the football league has been receiving shipments of soma," Dave answered grimly. "Over the last month, your mother was on a vendetta to catch them all. She personally led raids to catch them red-handed. We've discovered that the suppliers are none other than the Virulent Vipers of the Dark Nexus."

I shook my head in disbelief. If this got out... Football season would be over. Arrests would be made and there had to be at least ten people from each team who had received the shipment. With half the league either jailed or banned, the league would crumble.

But I doubted this was all an attempt to sabotage a rival sport.

"Why...?" I asked.

"That's something I was hoping you'd be able to find out, Jake," Dave answered. He leaned over, poking the sheet with an obsidian claw. "See, I don't think that all of these people ordered these shipments. We've called all the names on that list over the month. Tested them all. Some came up as positive. Most negative. All claimed that they just 'received' the packages one way or another."

Suspicion was starting to run through my veins.

"Are their stories consistent across multiple teams?"

"Yes. Some who we found guilty claimed the same thing. Yes, they ordered more afterwards. There were instructions with the packages on how to get more. However, initial contact was made abruptly."

Why would the Virulent Vipers drop off the drugs just like that?

A frown crossed my muzzle. "Dave... How'd you know the Vipers were involved?"

"The guy who shot you told us. Interesting fact, we interrogated him up until news of your revival came about. Not you coming out of the hospital. You actually surviving the shot to the head. He seemed pretty sure you were dead but when the doctors put you in intensive care instead of the morgue, he just..." Worry crossed the dragon's features. "He just seemed to know. He had kept his lips tightly shut even under the most intense interrogation. RBI and CCIA agents went wild with him. This became a federal affair. We were about to call in the IntSec but when you had even the smaller sliver of survival... he just opened up."

I gripped the manifest tightly. "On what condition?" I growled softly.

Dave met my gaze sternly. I could tell by that stare that there was no arguing with the resolution. I could rant and rave all I wanted but he would just argue be back down. He was a college professor. He was adept at defending his point of view.

"That he talk to you personally. No cameras. No third party observers. Just you and him."

My ears flatted against my skull. "Who is this guy?"

Though I already had a sneaking suspicion I knew.

"You'd best find out when Chad gets here... He deserves the honour as he did catch the guy before he made sure you were dead."

My fists clenched around the manifest, almost tearing it to shreds with my claws.

"You'll want to keep that," Dave warned.

"Why?"

"Turn it over. Fifth name from the top."

I did as I was instructed.

My heart plummeted.

'Devlin Reaper'

"No..." My eyes darted to Dave. "He didn't -"

"Devlin is safe," the dragon reassured me. "The instant he got the package, he came to us and told us about it, confirming our suspicions about what the Vipers' operations. But that says two things... First..."

"He's a target," I finished.

I didn't miss the fact that the name stated 'Devlin Reaper' not 'Devlin Rooks'. This was a recent manifest. That could mean that the Vipers were trying to use Dev as leverage against me. Get him hooked on their drugs so they could use him as a meat shield when I came after them.

And I was going to go after them.

I was going to tear off their heads, stick my paw in them and make them into punching gloves with moving, sharpened teeth so I could tear off the balls of any remaining Vipers.

"Yes. They know your weakness, Jacob. They'll be trying to get Dev. You need to keep an eye on him. In more ways than one."

My lips quivered as I regarded Dave again. "What do you mean?"

The dragon sighed, leaning forward and avoiding my gaze. "I trust Devlin... but when you were shot, morale was down and he never left your bedside. He is the quarterback, however, and he had to rejoin the game regardless of his commitment to you. But he sucked, Jacob. His mind was constantly on you and by halftime, he was torn from the field and replaced with the backup. The next game was worse.

"Then... He just got better."

"Maybe he just realised I was coming back...?"

"No," Dave said sadly. "This occurred after he gave us the shipment. He suddenly got better. Got bigger and there were no signs of change on your part. No Jacob... I suspect... he may have..."

"No!" I barked, leaping to my feet and tossing the manifest aside. "Dev would never -!"

Dave held up his hands in surrender. "I know... I know... But you just need to make sure. Besides, I still owe him for getting me a sample of the drugs so I've given him the benefit of the doubt... Still, it doesn't absolve him entirely."

I fumed... I wanted to hit Dave right there and then, to tell him that the man I loved would never do that. But I reigned myself in. I didn't doubt Dev but I didn't doubt Dave either.

I sat back down with a huff.

"You still haven't told me what this soma does."

Nodding slowly, the dragon reached into his folder and pulled out what appeared to be an image taken from a microscope.

"Again, I was hoping you'd be better equipped to tell me... After all..."

My jaw dropped.

"... you are the world's expert on Seals."

Chapter 8.1: Jumping off a Cliff

Shellington Maximum Security Facility

A Seal.

Not the Seal my dad had deciphered before in the aftermath of my disastrous VRCSs game with Cliff.

A different one.

A Seal embedded into the very molecular structure of the drug soma.

A thousand thoughts swirled around in my head. Possibilities, fears, worries... and moreover... the fear that whatever this new Seal was doing might have spread to my mate. I trusted Dev... but... what if he had a slip of faith? Just a tiny stumble?

Would that be enough for the Seal to take hold?

As the guard at the door buzzed me in, I drew strength from the knowledge that soon, I would have the answers to these questions. Escorted by two heavily armed guards, I walked down a hallway lined with countless supervillains, mass murderers and people who were sentenced to life imprisonment for unspeakable atrocities.

A few flights of steps later, we came an eerily quiet section of the facility. It was bitingly cold. Rows of thick, black, iron doors lined the walls. We stopped in front of cell number 5.

"If you get into trouble," one of the guards muttered. "You're dead."

"I figured as much," I muttered. "How long do I have?"

"Thirty minutes. Then we come in. If the guy has his paws around your throat, we shoot."

"And if I have my paws around his throat?"

The guard smirked darkly. "We jack off."

For the first time, I wondered if this place was designed not only to keep Rillotia's worst villains incarcerated... but also Rillotia's cruellest guards busy.

I nodded and the other guard pulled the door open.

There was a simple, metal table sitting at the centre of the room with two chairs, one of which was already occupied. A set of handcuffs were chained to the table and the table itself was welded into the floor.

I took my seat opposite to the captive, giving him a blank stare. I didn't trust myself to make the first move.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Cliff asked with a smirk.

I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out a small, plastic bag marked with numerous numbers. The metal pieces inside jingled softly as I set it on the table.

"Imagine what it'd be like to have these pieces imbedded into your brain one by one," I mused darkly. "I think it'd be a bit of poetic justice, don't you?"

"Don't tell me you're mad, Jake," the coyote said, leaning back casually. "It's nothing personal, it's just business."

Wham!

I slammed the table with my fists. I never noticed I was actually standing up until I was pointing an accusing finger at Cliff. "You made this personal, Cliff! You shot me! You were aiming for Dev as well! If Chad hadn't stopped you..."

"I probably would've shot him. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and right now," I snarled.

"Because you can't," Cliff laughed. "I hold something you want."

It killed me to acknowledge that he was right and I sat back down, baring my fangs.

"Let's keep this short but sweet, shall we?" Cliff answered, smiling at me casually. "I want out of this prison. You're going to do that for me."

"You want out?" I growled darkly. "Fine. I can arrange that. Let's get you over to Welensha or Minteroca. I think they've got better seats than these." I gestured at the metal chair I occupied. "I hear they're nice and electrified."

"Funny," the coyote answered. "But jokes aside, you know I can blow the lid on your secret. Judging by how quickly your mother and that blasted lawyer of hers covered up your superpowers, I'm willing to bet you've invested a lot of money into ensuring your identity isn't discovered. Let's not forget the fact that if I tell the Vipers, not only will they aim their shots at you but at your boyfriend, too."

"You can't hold that over my head forever, Cliff." For emphasis, I closed the gravity around his neck. For a second, his eyes bulged and his lips tightened as his airways began to close forcefully.

"No... I can't," he managed to choke. "But come on, Jake..." He offered me a crooked grin. "I'll trade you something more than just your boyfriend's lives."

The gravity around his throat dropped. "What could you possibly offer me?"

Cliff didn't give me the satisfaction of rugging his throat. Instead, he held up two fingers. "Two things. The identity of the guy who's distributing the drugs in the football league under the Viper's name."

Damnit... That was something I wanted.

"Why would you sell out one of your own?"

"Simple. He's not one of us."

I stared daggers at him and he clearly flinched. "Explain."

"Remember, Reaper, there was a blotched drug trade attempt over a month ago. One of the Vipers died. The trade wasn't for the Vipers to give the drugs. No. The Vipers were meant to pick-up the drugs. The source of the soma isn't the Vipers. We're being framed for it."

I had forgotten about that botched drug trade. Now that I thought about it, it seemed odd that the Vipers would suffer such a loss if they were the ones doing the trading. Furthermore, one would think that after such an attempt, they'd put a halt to their drug trafficking for a while.

"You know who's behind it?"

"I can find out," Cliff muttered. "I was multitasking the day I shot you, Reaper." His grin was less than encouraging. "Be happy that I wasn't also trying to kill your boyfriend while I was researching the identity of the bastard who's giving the Vipers a bad name."

"Give the Vipers a bad name?" I snorted. "Right."

The coyote seemed amused. "When you live on the other side of the fence, Reaper, 'bad' becomes 'normal'. Get me out of here, and I'll find out who that asshole is. I assume you're going to take care of it from that point on."

"Not willing to bloody your own paws? That's new."

Wham!

This time it was Cliff who struck the table. "This jackass is putting my head on the chopping block, Reaper!"

"You're on death row as it is just for trying to shoot me. I don't think he had anything to do with that."

"You're as naive as ever." Cliff reached into his jaw and I winced when he plucked out a tooth. It was plastic and he held it up for me to see. "You know what this is?"

"Your weapon of choice?"

His emerald eyes filled with more amusement. "You have no idea how right you are."

What...? I was trying to be insulting!

"It's a portable matter transport unit. Years ahead of what modern technology can muster. With this, I can get out of here with the click my fangs. That said, any Viper can come in here as well. This is my last chance, Reaper. If I don't produce results, I won't be put on death row. I'll be thrown into the M-Pits."

'M-Pits'?

I doubted that stood for 'man pits'.

"I take it that's worse than being electrocuted to death?"

Cliff clutched the fake tooth in his paws tightly. Fear was clear in his eyes, his fangs clamped together tightly. "Imagine being thrown into combat against hordes of monsters with little more than your claws and fangs. Imagine winning... and then watching as more just keep pouring out and all your 'loyal fans' are out there baying for your blood."

His eyes met mine. Part of his gaze was begging me... the other was filled with hatred and fear... neither of which was directed at me. The latter part of his stare seemed to drift beyond me at some unseen nightmare. I was almost tempted to look over my shoulder. "There's never been a winner to the M-Pits, Jake. And it gets worse. You fall in the M-Pits and the medics come in, fix you right up, inject you full of drugs and replace anything on the spot with cybernetics. Then they push you right back out to combat. The only time you ever stop is when people get bored."

"And you choose to live in this world?" I exclaimed.

"There's not much of a choice when people see you as nothing more than a criminal."

"That was your choice!"

WHAM!

Cliff was suddenly at his feet. "No it wasn't!" An accusing finger poked my nose. "Think about it, Reaper. You're exactly like me! You may put on an air of the 'goody-goody hero' but deep down, you're just as rotten as I am. You'll do anything to get your way. And you know what else? Killing is your preferred method to get your way."

"What!?" I shouted, rising to my feet. "That's not -"

"Has there ever been one occasion where you didn't kill anyone to get your way?"

I froze.

My adventures were logged in my books.

In my books... someone always died.

The bad guy.

In the end, the hero got their way.

I was the hero.

"There was no other choice..." I muttered.

"Just like I didn't have a choice," Cliff snarled, sitting back down. "We're ruled by the perceptions of others, Reaper. You and I experienced the same things in high school. You and I were both pelted with tomatoes at that protest. Do you know why I ended up in the Dark Nexus and you a famous author?"

"Because you're an asshole?"

"Because your parents altered people's perceptions," Cliff snarled. "Think about it. Don't you think that after that protest, people would've recognised you after you became famous? Why do you think people haven't gone out of their way to out you? More than a hundred people were there and could easily identify you and not once has anyone ever stepped up and told the whole world who you really are."

"That's a lie!"

I gave him exactly what he wanted.

"Deny it all you want, Reaper. But there's no escaping the truth. Just look at how many times your parents have gone out of their way to 'protect' you."

I tried not to look.

I really tried.

But... I couldn't.

When I got shot... My mom covered it all up.

When I was being interrogated by that brash badger for having fought Cliff for the first time, my mom covered for me.

My dad probably pulled some strings of his own but he would've been a lot more careful.

"There's nothing wrong with relying on people for help," I answered, defiantly.

"And that's your problem right there, Jake," Cliff sniggered, a cruel grin planted on his face. "You rely on people. You can't stand on your own two feet. You need people to hold your hand and help you walk even now. There's nothing wrong with having people back you up. But when you just rely on people, then you might as well not exist."

He leaned forward, almost nose to nose with me. "Because let me tell you something, Jake. When you constantly holding your hand, the path you carve in life, isn't your own. The 'Jake Reaper' people will see is what your guardians want them to see. They don't see the real you."

I mustered the remnants of my courage. "You're just jealous."

Cliff's eyes narrowed at me and he bit his lip slightly. It was a nervous habit of his. One that I still remembered. Whenever he was stressed, he would always bite his lower lip. When he was really nervous, he'd start bleeding.

"You know what? I am. I'm jealous that you started off in a rich family. I'm jealous that you were born on a pedestal. But I'm sick of your arrogance. You think that you can come down from your high and mighty throne and just 'be like one of us'? Well fuck you, Jake. It doesn't work like that. Deep down, you still look down on us and whenever you get in some deep shit, you just get your guardian angels to swoop down and lift you back up.

"Now I have two more questions for you," he growled, lifting two fingers. "One... Is that who you want to be? And two... Deep down, who do you think you are?"

The coyote leaned back into his chair and folded his arms across his chest again. I remained silent. I had no answers to his question. Knowing my parents... I just had to ask if I was just a product of their machinations. I wondered if the Jacob Reaper that I saw in the mirror was the Jacob Reaper people saw when they looked at me.

"I'll expect to be out of here by tonight, Jake."

I glared at Cliff. "Why do you even want me to get you out of here when you're fully capable of escaping yourself?"

That cruel grin appeared again. "Because I want you to see yourself for the first time, Jacob. I want you to see the Jacob Reaper that I see. The one who is basically my reflection. Face it, Jake. Why aren't you out there saving people's sorry asses like a regular superhero? Because you're lazy fuck. You claim you're not cut out for it but you and I both know that with your powers, you could be the most powerful superhero out there.

"Next, are you here because you want to negotiate or are you here because you want to rip my guts out?" Cliff grinned sadistically. "I never told you what I wanted. And yet you came here. I bet deep down, in your heart, you would have loved to splatter my remains all over this cell.

"Then, ask yourself why you're seriously considering cooperating with me. Because you're a liar Jacob. You're a sneaky son-of-a-bitch and ultimately, you'll do anything it takes to get what you want. Hell, I bet you're lying to yourself right now. You're so arrogant that I bet you're trying to rationalise why the fuck you'd even consider working with me to bring the asshole who's manipulating the Vipers. You're lying to yourself just as you're lying to others just to preserve your image.

"Let's not forget as well that right you think more with your cock than anything else." He smirked at me. "Seriously, two guys, Jake? A footballer and an actor. I'd say that's lust and greed all in the same package right there. What's that now?" He began counting off points with his fingers. "Sloth, Wrath, Lust, Greed and Pride. Five out of seven sins, right? I bet we could come up with something for the other two."

I never noticed but I had shrunken into my seat and my head was bowed. I tried to muster the strength to bring my gaze back up to meet Cliff's. I did... Once... but the instant I met his smug expression, I was slammed straight back down by a ten tonne weight labelled 'Truth'.

Because... everything he said was true.

How could I rightfully claim to be doing things for the good of the world when I was going about it in such a horrid, sinful way?

Hell, was I even doing what was good for the world?

Like Dev mentioned once before, what happens if the Seals were used for good? If a superhero possessed a Seal, would I really destroy the Seal just because it was my 'job' to do so?

"You're going to get me out of here, Jacob," Cliff chuckled darkly.

The door to the cell sprang open, bringing blissful light into the darkness. I didn't feel the warmth or a spark of hope.

I felt trapped.

This cell seemed like it was made for me.

Numbly, I rose and followed the guards out of the cell.

"Hey Jake."

I told myself not to turn around. To keep walking and ignore whatever else he had to say.

I didn't get away fast enough.

"Yarf."

Yeah...

Y.A.R.F.

You Are Royally Fucked.

Chapter 8.2: My Secret Garden

Reaper Residence

The sun had long set, casting my room in utter darkness.

My heart felt so heavy that it practically pinned me to by bed for the rest of the day. Even when dinner was due downstairs and my stomach tried to tell me I needed sustenance, I couldn't bring myself to my feet.

Cliff's words continued to haunt me and I didn't dare to close my eyes. Every time I so much as blinked, I would see his smug features hovering in front of me. I would be back in that cell and he'd be telling me things I knew deep down were true but I still tried to deny.

The lessons I learned in the other world also slipped in between visions of Cliff's accusations.

Here I was, stuck in my own little world, assuming that what I saw in the mirror was exactly what everyone else saw. Worse, all those Seals I had broken? I claimed that those who wielded the Seals had no right to alter the world around them, forcing their view of the world onto others. But in the end, wasn't I doing the same thing? Forcing people to fit my perceptions of the world?

Was I wrong?

Have I been wrong this entire time?

These questions continued to swirl around in my head and the more I questioned, the more questions arose with no answers in the horizon.

One of the biggest questions that haunted me was...

'Why am I doing this?'

What was I fighting for?

What was my cause?

Looking at my counterpart in the other world, he fought with so much conviction. Every step he made was made with confidence. He had a destination. If I asked him, I'm sure he could tell me exactly what he wanted out of life. Even if it was just to slaughter little children and rape their mothers, he still would be able to answer me.

But as for me?

What was my goal? My objective?

To keep following these paper cranes?

The free the world of all Seals?

I had no idea...

Maybe it was to live happily ever after with Chad and Dev?

I missed them both... If anything, they were the only stable platform I had in my life. I'm sure they had their goals.

But again... could I learn to have them as support and not rely on them?

I could smell Chad's freshly cut grass scent in the air.

I became aware of a pair of arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

"You know, you're really cute when you're distracted." Chad nuzzled my neck affectionately, even licking my ear. "I'm assuming the meeting with Cliff didn't go over so well?"

I twisted around, never realising that I had turned on my side. My nose pressed up against his.

"I never got to ask... Why did you go up and stop Cliff?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied, gently pressing his lips against mine. "I love you."

I brushed my tongue against his lips, curling my arms around his lean, athletic form. His ass felt so nice against my paws. It had been so long since I had his body so close to mine.

"Even after I showed you that I had been keeping a colossal secret from you? Even after I basically broke up with you? You still loved me?"

Chad sniggered and let his fingers crawl slowly up under my shirt, running over my abdominals and bringing a faint tickling sensation across my body. I squirmed and he grinned.

"Jake, we all have our secrets and I'm willing to wager that even after we say 'I do', we're still going to keep some secrets from one another."

"We are...?" I asked cautiously.

What secrets?

I feared catching him in bed with another man... Though, I guess being in a polygamous that was kind of moot. If he fell in love with someone else and as long as he loved us as well, what was stopping us from extending our family?

Hell, that might be a way of finding a 'son'.

"Sure," Chad replied with a coy smile. "How else are we going to pull of 'surprise sex' without the surprise?"

I pushed him back with a smirk. "Lecher." He maintained his grip on me, running his paws up to my armpits and tickling me. Despite my dark mood, I couldn't help but laugh. Chad rolled on top of me, pressing those hard muscles against me, the heat of his body melting the icy touch of Cliff's words.

"Okay! Okay! Stop!" I cried, pushing him away slightly.

Chad gave me one last good tickle before resting beside me once more, one arm resting over my chest. Even though he was fully clothed and there was only faint light coming in from the hallway, I could still make out the strong definitions in his body and his adorable, puppy-like face.

"So you've got secrets, huh?" I asked, the smile still on my face.

"We all do," he answered with a wink. "For instance, it's secret that Dev and I had sex about twenty times while you were out."

For some reason, I kind of felt insulted.

"What!?"

"Hey, we're all engaged right?"

I could tell by that smirk on his face that he was expecting me to act incredulously. In retrospect, I couldn't fault them. They did promise to try and love one another and chances were, they did find that spark while I was in a coma. Sex would naturally follow. Still, there was a diva in me that demanded they abstain from any sexual pleasure - especially with one another - while I was fighting for my life.

"I suppose..." I muttered.

"To be fair, he never gave up on you, Jake," Chad answered. "My hope flickered constantly but he returned to your bedside every day, would always talk to you, begging you to open your eyes." He chortled softly, looking past me with a reminiscent look on his face. "In fact, the first night we did it... I had to tear him away from you. He was begging to stay but the nurses wouldn't let him. I took him back to his place and he just broke down, reminded of all the times we spent there together.

"I took him over to his bed and... You know what?" Chad smiled softly. "I... I just couldn't leave him there. I guess..." His eyes drifted back towards me. "What started off as a partnership for your sake... it turned to a partnership built around you... Then, as I tried to comfort him... comfort turned into... something else..."

"Sex...?" I choked.

He slapped my cheek lightly. "No, you silly, yarfing wolf. Love." He grinned at me, holding me tightly. "I genuinely love him, Jake. You should've seen it. For about the first week or so, I kept taking care of him. Trying to show him a fun time and all that. He was always a downer and after every time we had sex, he'd always break down, telling me how much he missed you. He always made me cry too..."

Chad rubbed his left eye and smiled softly. "Then, by the second week, you know what he did?"

"What?"

"He took me skydiving."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"I don't know," Chad laughed, throwing his head back. "It was just so... random. He said he felt guilty about me always trying to cheer him up so he promised to do his part. Then he took me mountain biking... Did you know he doesn't know how to ride a bike?"

"Still!?" I exclaimed with a laugh. "How did he go biking with you then?"

"With training wheels. And it wasn't so much as 'mountain biking' as 'biking on gently sloping hills... on roads.'"

"Tell me you took pictures."

"Plenty."

I didn't know what brought me more joy. The fact that somewhere beneath that tough, footballer's exterior, my best friend was still in there. Well... my best friend and fiancé. Or the fact that Chad and Dev were getting along so well.

"Oh! This you'll love!" Chad exclaimed, clapping his paws together. "We took us zorbing!"

"Whu...?"

Animated now, Chad said, "It's basically where they stick you in these massive, plastic hamster balls and roll you down a hill or over water. Jake, it was damn awesome! We are so going this weekend!"

I broke into a grin, trying to keep all the 'ball' jokes I had stored inside of me.

"And I guess... After that..." Chad slowly trailed off. "Well... We just came together. The sex was even better because well... It wasn't just me having sex with him. It was the two of us loving one another and expressing it through sex."

"Do I have to tell you that I'm really hard right now?"

My husky snickered and pressed his leg up against my apparent hard-on. "I can tell." A smile touched his lips. "But my point is, Jake... None of this could've been possible without you. You brought us together. All three of us. Granted, you had to get shot in the process but still..."

The smile on my face was no longer forced. I actually felt... genuinely happy.

That... and I couldn't wait to get in bed with them both!

"So how'd you end up deciding to get married?" I asked.

"You mean how did we end up both marrying you," he answered, nuzzling me gently. "It was his idea. Kind of crazy though. We were visiting you and he had somehow convinced the nurses to let us put you in a wheelchair and bring you to the roof for some fresh air."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked. "What if suddenly flat lined?"

"That's what I thought," Chad answered, rolling his eyes. "But apparently, after Dev told them that he was about to propose, they gave us thirty minutes. So, we brought you up to the roof. Then..." His voice grew distant, his smile becoming dreamy. "We just... talked. He told me how while he had grown to love me, he couldn't forget about you. He wanted to be with both of us and he asked me never to give up hope on you. I told him I never would. We laughed a bit about how we first met... Spoke about all the times we had together no matter how short it was. Then he asked me to look up."

"Let me guess," I began, "He got someone to skywrite 'Will you marry me?'"

"That... and..." Chad grinned. "He actually timed it right so that the instant he fell on his knees and brought up that velvet case with a ring in it, these hidden 'flower cannons' started shooting rose petals into the air. We were literally showered with rose petals."

My jaw dropped and my mind was blown.

"What!?" I exclaimed. Jealousy boiled up inside me. Dev had gone to such lengths to propose to Chad and I had missed it all!

"Don't worry," Chad answered, waving away my concerns. "Here's a little one of his secrets, Jake. He's planning to do a second proposal. Ten times more romantic than what he did for me."

My heart clenched in anticipation. "Damnit... Now I wish you hadn't told me..."

"See? We've got a good reason to keep secrets."

I was starting to realise that...

My heart suddenly wasn't weighting me down anymore and I found the strength to rise to me feet and quickly leap off my bed.

"Did I saw something wrong?" Chad asked, puzzled.

"No," I answered, throwing him a small smile. "You just said the right thing. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

My smile felt much stronger as I said, "It's a secret."

Chapter 8.3: My Secret to Keep

Shellington Maximum Security Facility

Cliff was lying down on his hard, moth-eaten bed when I arrived. He didn't seem at all surprised as I emerged from a gravitational warp beside him. The remnants of the black tendrils vanished behind me. He didn't even get up to greet me.

"This was a lot sooner than I expected," the coyote said. "Did you fall that far so fast already, Jake?"

"I fell but someone was there to pick me up," I replied bluntly. "You coming?"

"What if I wanted to stay here a little longer?" His cocky smirk was really starting to irritate me. "These beds are quite comfortable after you get used to be them."

"You're coming with me or we'll see just how comfortable that bed is once I teleport one of its springs into your brain."

Cliff sniggered, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, sitting up to greet me at last. "Wow Jake, what happened to that goody-goody wuffie that I met just this morning?"

I seized the collar of his orange prison jumper, yanking him off the bed and pressing his nose against mine. "You wanted me to start acting like who I am on the inside?" I growled. "Well you got it. Now get ready to leave or I swear, I'll teleport you out of here one piece at a time."

My threat fell on deaf ears and Cliff merely lifted his paws in mocking surrender. "Okay. I'm in your capable paws. God knows, you make a better criminal than I ever will."

"Watch it, Thornton."

"Wow, using surnames now. You are bad."

I growled at him. A crystal gathered in my paw and I flicked it out the barred window. Once it was a suitable distance away, I seized Cliff and pulled us both into a flash. Cliff didn't cry or scream as I had hoped as we soared into the middle of the night sky. He did cling onto me tightly but his heartbeat was calm and even.

"So, how'd you get in anyway?" Cliff shouted over the winds. "You need those crystals to teleport around, right? I never saw one."

"I flicked one through the window," I growled.

"How far can you throw them?"

"Far enough," I scowled. "No more questions or I drop you here and now."

"We got a deal, remember?" he reminded me, his cocky tone once more creeping into his voice.

"Yeah. And I upheld my end of the bargain," I answered, my own confidence entering my words. "I got you out. What happens afterwards... Well... That's up to you."

For the first time, I sensed his heartbeat pick up.

"Back at our meeting, you mentioned you knew that I was with Chad and Dev. How long have you known?"

Cliff scoffed. "Ever since that idiot of a footballer decided to marry you two. You know he's going to get ripped apart if he ever comes out, right?" Underneath his scorn, I could sense a degree of... concern.

"He won't get that far if you decide to shoot him in the head. Speaking of which..." I dropped him slightly just as I threw another crystal off into the distance. We flashed to a higher point in the sky. "You are not to hurt him or Chad, you got me?"

Cliff smirked slightly. "I promise I won't give any order or make any attempt at your fiancés lives. I can't say much for the rest of the Vipers. You happy?"

"Almost." I let him fall a little, forcing him to dangle on my arm. One more flash kept us suitably aloft. No fear marred his features. "When this is all over, I don't want to see you again. Ever. Got that?"

"What? Not even if I'm feeling particularly horny?"

I drew him up, nose to nose and with my fangs bared. "Not even if you were the last fucking man in the whole goddamn universe. Got it?"

Cliff shrugged, cocky smirk still in place. "Sure thing. Your loss. I'm sure you haven't forgotten all the fun we've had together. Or how good my aim is."

"Asshole."

I flashed one more time, my feet landing on solid ground. The alleyway in the middle of the city was far enough from the prison so that if and when everyone realised Cliff had gone missing, he'd have plenty of time to get away. Part of me wished he'd get caught and executed on the spot but I realised I needed him alive.

Cliff was my only resource into finding out who was framing the Vipers and who was trying to turn my Dev into a drug-addicted meathead. Every fibre of my being hated him... but on some degree... I still trusted him.

I threw him against the brick wall. "Go on," I growled. "Next time we meet, you better know who's behind all this."

Cliff dusted himself off theatrically. "Don't worry, Jake. I've got just as much resting on finding this guy than you do. I'll be in touch. Hopefully without a bullet this time."

I watched him leave the alleyway. A swagger would've been expected but instead, he crept around the corner cautiously, every movement taken with care and precision. I had no idea what his world was like nor did I want to know but clearly, whatever went on in the Dark Nexus was far more dangerous that the rest of the world.

My thoughts swam with the idea that I had actually broken someone out of prison and that I had proved Cliff right. I would do anything to get what I wanted.

But in the end... If what I wanted could bring others happiness as well... I thought it was worth it.

Like Chad has said, I had brought him and Dev together. Not saying that I wanted to get shot in the head but keeping a secret from Dev and Chad that day had ultimately brought my two mates closer. Albeit without me.

That calmed the storm in my head.

My thoughts in place, I flashed back to the mansion.

Everyone was long asleep by the time I quietly wandered through the dark hallways back to my room. The luxurious furnishings of my home reminded me of the great influence my parents had in my life. A resolution formed in my mind and my heart.

Once I got married with Chad and Dev, once we actually said 'I do'... I was going to leave this place behind.

Like my counterpart in the other world said, just because we may have sinned in the past, it doesn't mean we can't start anew.

I was going to start anew.

With Chad and Dev.

No more paper cranes.

No more Seal hunting.

No more Cliff.

First, though, I had to get some things straight. Well... I guess I couldn't use the term 'straight', now could I?

Light cut through the darkness of the hallway, emanating from my room. Curious, I cautiously approached. Dev and Chad's scent lingered in the air. I pushed the door gently open and there were my two mates, sitting on my bed, paws clasped tightly together and with their matching rings glimmering in the lamplight.

"Jake!" Dev exclaimed, breaking into a big grin. He peeled away from Chad and practically bowled me over. His huge, muscular arms swung me around and practically carried me over to the bed. I bounced off the sheets as he lay down beside me, Chad occupying the other side.

"This is the part where we have the 'after coma sex', isn't it?" I asked.

Chad bobbed is head from side to side. "Maybe... But Dev and I were talking about the secrets again and we thought that since you've come out to us and told us you're basically a superhero, so is your mom and your dad helps to defeat evil magical symbols of doom, that we should a very important secret each."

Dev nodded. "Me first." He sat up, big grin on his face. Quickly, he reached into the pockets of his tightly fitting pants and pulled out a rapidly folded piece of paper. "Tell me what you think this is."

"Your adoption papers?" I asked, taking the sheet. My eyes boggled when I saw the writing on it. "No way!"

"Yep!" Dev exclaimed brightly. "Gay marriage is accepted in Crescenta! I got a transfer application to play for the Pandenburg Manticores and they said yes! We can move there as soon as Chad is done with his movie and we can officially get married! Isn't that great!?"

It was perfect!

A new country.

A new start.

I just had to make sure my dad didn't hunt us down and try to sneak himself into the country to rape one of us.

"Dev... This is amazing!" I couldn't help but grin.

"Okay!" Chad announced, sitting up beside me. "Now it's my turn."

We both turned to him expectantly.

He too reached into his pocket.

Was he going to bring out a contract for a movie over in Crescenta?

Maybe a theatre production? Chad really did have a beautiful voice. Little husky but hey, he was a husky.

But no... It wasn't a contract.

It was the last thing I was expecting.

A glimmer of silver shone in his paws.

A silver ticket.

...

Yarf.