CLAYTON
“So,” Clayton said, desperate to get the attention away from himself, and happy to use Mal’s current state of shock to move things along. “Let’s go rescue the rest of the kids, shall we? Princess Stinky’s spell is still on code yellow, but it’s drifting to orange.”
It was difficult to tell while observing the spell with an anxious heart, but he was fairly certain the danger to his kids was increasing.
With his new memories in place, Clayton had doubled his need to rescue Tommy and Merry. It was weird being so much older than them when, once upon a time, they were the big kids he’d worshiped so dearly. They’d done their best to protect him and keep him safe, and now it was his turn.
“The kids can wait a few more minutes, Red,” Mal said, rubbing his face against Clayton’s hair like a cat marking his territory. “Tell me what you want out of this situation. No, don’tlook at them,” Mal caught Clayton’s chin and made him face Mal when Clayton tried to see what his parents thought. “What they want doesn’t matter. If you want them gone, then they’re gone. I can get the kids back myself if I need to.”
“Mal, I don’t want you to bump off my parents.”
“I won’t need to. I can keep them away while we deal with this. If you need time away from them to sort out your thoughts, I’ll make it happen.”
“I…” What did Clayton want? He didn’t have the first clue, but he did know that he didn’t want them to go away. “I want them to stay. Let’s figure this all out together once we get the rest of the family back.”
Mal nodded in satisfaction. “Then that’s what will happen.”
“Sheesh, you don’t need to be so dramatic about it. Ican get the kids back myself if I need to.”Clayton said in a gruff voice, trying to sound like Mal. “How powerful are you anyway?”
Mal shrugged, but it was in an annoyingly smug way that made Clayton want to suck his dick on the spot. But since Clayton’s parents were there—and a mystery creature he kept forgetting about—he refrained.
Instead, Clayton decided to address the mystery creature in the room—er, void.
“Excuse me, my good friend,” Clayton began, ignoring Mal’s snort of amusement and his parents’ (he had parents!) look of confusion at his sudden change in demeanor. “Could I trouble you to tell me who you are?”
Mal leaned down and whispered into Clayton’s ear. “It turns me on when you get fussy and proper.”
Clayton’s ear became molten-hot, and he jabbed Mal in the ribs with his elbow as hard as he could. Mal rubbed his side with an air of betrayed innocence, but Clayton didn’t believe he’d injured the man one bit.
The hazy creature before them whispered, “I am Here.”
“Yes, as are we all. Though I’m not entirely certain where here is,” Clayton said after a moment of confusion. “Can you tell me your name?”
Clayton could have sworn that the misty creature gave a sigh weighted with ancient frustration without making a sound. “My name is Here, you absolute… Ahem. Please excuse me. I’ve been under a considerable amount of strain since I was invaded. I meant no disrespect.”
Clayton’s toes were practically wiggling in his shoes. Someone who knew how to be polite? Now this, he could work with. “No worries, my good man, um, person, um… entity? Quite understandable. You say you were invaded?”
“What’s it saying?” Mal interjected, putting himself between Clayton and Here.
Clayton shoved Mal away and hissed, “I’d know ifsomeonewasn’t interrupting me every three seconds.”
“How am I supposed to know if it’s hitting on you if I don’t check in?”
Elena stroked Naerith’s head like a puppy and said, “Aw, honey, Mal is just like you.”
Naerith leaned into her hand and gave her a besotted grin. “He knows quality when he sees it.”
Clayton averted his gaze because watching his incredibly hot parents flirt wasn’t something he ever needed to do. Fortunately, he had other business to pay attention to.
“Tell your mate that you’re not my type.”
When Clayton relayed the information, instead of being pacified, Mal snarled, “How can Clayton not be your type? Are you stupid?”
“I’m a sentient pocket dimension. We don’t mate.”
“Okay, okay, enough,” Clayton said, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to fend off an impending stress headache. “First of all, Mal, do the thing you did earlier so you cancommunicate with Here on your own. Second, I would like to save the rest of our family before I grow old and die. Can we all make that happen, please?”
Mal made a grumbly noise before agreeing. “Fine.”
