“Not me,” I managed to squeak out, so surprised that I couldn’t say more in that moment.
He frowned and some of the rage slowly left his eyes and then a bit more before he flinched. “Taylor?You thinkTaylorcould ever hurtTracey?” Link burst out laughing when I shrugged. “Oh, Bev, she’d feed him his balls. Never doubt that about your friend. She’d—do not worry—”
He laughed all over again and kissed my hair.
Okay, good. I shared a look with Loki though and I was surprised when the familiar glanced away. So he knew Link wasn’t always calm and chill?
Of course a familiar would know if his warlock had some rage most didn’t. Totally fair that Loki wouldn’t bust Link either.
“Wait, okay, so this is about Taylor and Tracey,” Link muttered and shot me confused looks when we got back to jogging yet again.
“I said that,” I reminded him.
“Right, you did.”
“A few times,” I drawled. “And Winter would never hurt me.”
“Good to know,” he said, his voice bland.
I felt the need to defend him or say more for some reason. “We’re not even having sex yet.”
“Not my business.”
No, it wasn’t, so I was really confused. “So yes, this is about Taylor and Tracey.”
“He is not hurting her.”
“How can you know that he isn’t during… You know,” I pushed.
“Because…” He sighed. “I can tell you that anything they’re doing is consensual. Tracey would never allow anything else. Ibusted them because Taylor has started watching her the way Wyatt watches you.”
“Maybe not the best example given what happened between us.”
“Yeah, fair,” Link said, clearing his throat. “I meant he watches her in that—never mind. What are you—give me context here, Bev. Just spit it out and—”
That was probably best since dancing around was causing misunderstandings and making things more uncomfortable.
“Woodchuck and Cheese were both telling me things when they realized I figured out from their joint session,” I tattled. “Woodchuck was saying how much Tracey had to heal herself after and that Taylor was too violent with her compared to other men she’s been with. She was around now even if they started at his apartment.
“Cheese agreed since he was at his apartment the one time and it scared him. He’s worried about Taylor’s anger issues, and while he understands women scream during sex, this was too much, and I wasnotgoing to be the one to try and navigate this. I’m going to have to tell them to talk to their familiars, but then I realized they would actually know best.
“Well, maybe not Cheese because he’s not as tight with Taylor, but Woodchuck would. She’s always at Tracey’s side. Well, notduringsex, but of course she would know Tracey’s sex life. And I realized I’m the last person to handle this, and you’re right that Tracey wouldn’t put up with being abusedexceptmaybe Taylor given the situation we’re in.
“I mean she would if he still kept me safe. She totally would. We both know that. She’d died for me. She’s not only said that but shown it. She believes in all of this enough that she will die for all of this, so what’s Taylor abusing her if it meant my protection? Or maybe she doesn’t understand it’s abuse or can’t see it’s over the line like I did with Wyatt?
“And what do I know about any of this? I’m an idiot most days about social anything and then I really don’t know about relationships. So maybe it felt good, but it was too much, and she doesn’t know how to go back and change things? And he doesn’t check again and that could be abuse? Maybe? I don’t know, but it seemed too much.
“What they were telling me was too much. Like real life isn’t porn. Even I know that even if I haven’t watched much porn, but Cheese said Taylor had to fix hisbed. And that was too much. The floors were scratched and Taylor was weirdly amused and Cheese didn’t like it. He doesn’t know Taylor anymore and now that they’re connected—he didn’t like it.
“And okay, that could be a bevy of things that would be weird for a familiar who knew a kid and was relinked to aman. Maybe? But—maybe Woodchuck was letting Cheese influence her? Or one opened the floodgates and let it’s worry in along with everything else. I really don’t know, but I didn’t like what I heard from them and it was upsetting.
“I have that a lot. Likea lot. The familiars tell me way too fucking much. Even what Loki tells me—I shouldn’t know all of that and it’s difficult. Really difficult, but this time I was worried and I can’t—I can’t fail Tracey, and I feel like I did for not being able to handle this and be the friend she needed. It really upset me and so I ran to you—asked you to run I guess.”
I kept rambling and that helped me not be embarrassed as to the specifics, but Woodchuck gave me thelistof how Tracey was hurt. Some of it was understandable.
Her hips? Sure, I felt that even from my limited experience.
Lower back? Yeah, that was after Wyatt’s desk for sure. My butt too.
