Reaper

Chapter 17 -Evander

The night had been perfect, even if Kouzen’s outfit had driven him wild. He hadn’t planned on the intimate moment on the slope but the second he sat himself between his legs he couldn’t help it. He smiled to himself, he felt calm for once. Usually rage flowed through him, it’s why he’d targeted others to start with. His dad told him being an alpha meant he had hormones others didn’t and he had to control them. His control had been beating the s**t out of other kids because he was stronger. Now he wanted to focus it on helping Kouzen, he felt like he had a purpose; even if it was just holding his hand while he did all the work.

He got to his house and walked to the backyard, tossing the rest of his clothes on the porch. His dad came out and he looked at him, giving him a small smile before shifting. His black scales reflected the dim moonlight and glimmered in the porch light, “Good night then, huh? I’m happy for you, Van. Keep what I said in mind though, alright?”

Evander grumbled at him, his throat tinging orange where his softer underside ran up his throat. His dad held his hands up defensively, not wanting him to spray fire. He let a little spark fall from his mouth as a warning and shook his head. He had spikes that resembled short branches on his head, they clacked against the actual branches above him and his father took the hint, going back in the house. Nothing would ruin his night.

He launched himself through the trees and went for a flight, enjoying the night air. It was the perfect fall weather; not too hot, not too cold. The breeze ran over his flanks and he let out a delighted roar into the night sky as he flew up higher and higher. He took the time to think over their next date. Maybe he’d take Kouzen for a joy ride and to a picnic, that could be cute. He snorted at himself, what had Kou done? He wanted to do something cute for him.

He focused on flying, rolling and spiraling in the clouds for fun before returning back to the house. He’d flown an hour or more, getting all the giddy feelings out of his system. He landed back into the yard, shifting feet above the ground to land gracefully on his feet. He’d practiced that for years, not that it looked as cool naked. He went back to his clothes, digging his phone out of his pocket before walking inside. He tossed his clothes in the laundry room then headed straight to his room.

He grinned, expecting a text by now. He flopped on his bed and unlocked his phone to see no new messages. He rolled his eyes and texted him first. ‘Hey, you forget something?’

He startled awake later, his dad rushing into his room, “Get up, you need to come downstairs. Hurry, Van.”

He bristled, wanting to yell at him but something about the urgency in his dad’s tone told him not to argue. He pulled boxers and sleep pants on, realizing he’d fallen asleep waiting on a message from Kou. He grabbed his phone, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as he noticed Kouzen hadn’t even seen his message yet. It was 2 A.M., he would’ve definitely been home by now.

Sleepily, he made his way down to the front room, rubbing his eyes. All the lights were on and he could hear both his dad and his uncle in the room talking. A third voice joined them and it woke his brain up more: Nick. He stepped into the living room and their eyes connected in concern, “What happened to Kouzen?”

“I was hoping you had him,” Nick ran a frantic hand through his hair. His body posture changed, eyes becoming more calculating. Evander began to fill with anger in his panic, his dad and uncle quickly coming to this sides and holding his arms to calm him. Nick noticed and looked like he had questions but he didn’t ask. He sighed and looked at the group, “Can you help me find him?”

Evander was quick to volunteer, hustling out of the house into the yard. He tossed his clothes aside surprising the newcomer before shifting. He crouched down for him to get on and he looked between his family members. His uncle and dad smiled at him, “You can ride with any of us.”

They followed suit, throwing their clothes off and shifting. Nick just stood there, his mind clearly making a plan. He didn’t want to ride and it was making Evander impatient. He huffed and shifted on his feet, his dad nuzzling the side of his neck to calm him. Every minute he wasted now was a minute Kouzen wasn’t being found.

He finally moved, climbing onto his Uncle’s back. It made sense, his Uncle had the most to lose if something happened to the Prince’s husband. If this were a trick, it’d take the whole clan down. Evander didn’t want to play chess with this man, that was for sure. They took off, Evander leading the way to the road. He knew which way he’d gone, not that, that would help once turn-offs came into play on the highway below.

Nick shouted over the wind as they rode, “He would take exit 87! That’s the way we take to get out this way from the house!”

His uncle grunted as they continued to follow the road. Evander had a hard time imagining Nick hadn’t already done these steps, but he supposed even if he had, fresh eyes would help. He couldn’t help but think maybe he’d gotten a call on his way home. They’d never find him if that was the case, it was impossible to know where it would have called him. He couldn’t talk in his dragon body but once they landed he’d bring it up.

Evander glanced over, the man was afraid. Whether for his son or because he was riding on the back of a dragon it was hard to say. Evander scanned the ground carefully, wishing he had powers that allowed him to find the horned freak. They flew for 30 minutes, tracing the whole route to the house. There were no signs of the car on the sides of the roads or any accidents. They landed at his house, the dragons shifting back.

If anyone cared that they were naked, they hid it well. His mom came running out of the house, looking at his husband with hope. At the small shake of his head, Shikamaru gripped his arm and then acknowledged their company, “ I am so sorry we had to bother you this late at night. We really appreciate your help.”

“It’s our pleasure,” His uncle smiled, shaking Shika’s hand. This was the perfect opportunity to strengthen their ties to the demon royalty and his uncle knew it. Not that he didn’t care about a missing young adult, but it was clear by the look on his face that fortune had smiled on him that it was a Prince’s child. Thankfully, neither of Kouzen’s parents seemed offended by it.

“Maybe he got a call for a uh… pick-up while he was driving home. I can try and do a fly-over of the areas surrounding the highway but who knows how many cars match the description or how far it’d take him,” Evander sighed. His dad and uncle gave him an odd look but Nick knew exactly what he was talking about. He let out a distressed hum and nodded, he hadn’t even considered it and it clearly made it much harder to find him if that was the case.

“He had his phone but I can’t track it, it’s been turned off,” Nick scratched his chin as he motioned everyone into the house. Being top of the clan they were used to nice dwellings but the mansion they walked into made them all feel completely out of place. It was extravagantly decorated and it fit the Prince well, though Evander had such a hard time placing Kouzen in the bright whites and golds of the décor.

“He was using it to navigate. Maybe it died?” Evander threw the information out, Nick giving a nod to him in thanks for trying to fill in the blanks. His brothers came next, the two dressed in suits to get to work. Nick motioned to them and then excused himself for a moment, the twins following.

“You must be cold. Can I get you some robes and tea?” Shika smiled anxiously. He was having a hard time, his hands wringing. Evander had seen Kouzen do that same movement when he’d first started beating him. He’d corner him and nervousness would permeate he whole area as his hands squeezed and wound around and around each other. He gave a half smile, now he knew where he got it from. He felt guilty knowing he’d beat that stress response out of him.

“That would be lovely. Uh, Prince Shikamaru… I am Tarben Alfson. You know my son already. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, usually I’m just yelling in the office,” His dad laughed nervously.

Shika gave a softer smile, nodding and shaking his hand. He disappeared, quickly coming back with soft terry robes. They wrapped themselves in them, taking seats in the living room as he made tea, “It’s weird seeing each other an we’re not mad at each other, Tarben. It’s nice we can come together peacefully for once.”

“I agree,” his dad laughed, taking the tea gratefully when it came. Shika took a seat, silence settling over them like the eye of a storm. Nick came back, the twins dashing out of the front door behind him.

“I have my boys running an errand for my business, hopefully it will give us some answers. You are free to go home, they will come get the SUV later. Can you let me know if you hear from him, Evander?” Nick looked extremely tired, humans aged differently and it was the first time Evander noticed just how old and worn down he looked. He always carried himself with the confidence of James Bond but right now he was Sherlock Holmes coming down off his drug high.

Shika gave a worried look to the door before looking to his husband with all the trust in the world. He joined him at this side, “Of course, you are guests. You can stay if you’d like to. Finish your tea or I can whip up something to eat. You came all this way for our boy.”

“It is our pleasure to help, Prince. We’ll head home so your family can focus on the search,” His uncle gripped Shika’s hand for support. Shika tipped his head thankfully and collected the robes, shuffling off into the house.

“Evander, a word?” Nick stopped him and pulled him aside.

“Yes, sir?” Evander rubbed his tired face. He was worried more than he’d ever worried before. Kouzen had left his clan last, driven gods knows where and his dragon was pacing inside his soul. He’d tear the world apart to protect him.

“If you hear from him, please call right away,” he handed Evander a business card. All black except a phone number, “Talk immediately when the line is answered. State your name and that it’s for Kou and they’ll transfer you to me right away.”

“What kind of super spy s**t is this?” Evander laughed a little, not sure how he was going to get the card home.

“I run an ‘agency’. We help people. Everything else isn’t important. That’s the fastest way to get ahold of me,” Nick patted his shoulder.

Evander nodded slowly, leaving the house. He joined his dad and uncle and the three shifted and left. He kept the card tightly clutched in his claws until landing, going to his room and putting it somewhere safe. He ripped a map out of his desk drawer and spread it out. No way in hell was he sleeping now, he couldn’t.

His dad came in after getting pajama pants on, knocking softly on the door, “Come in.”

He was pouring all his brain power into the map, marking places Kou could potentially be pulled to over others. He walked over to look over the map too, furrowing his brow, “You okay?”

“No. I’m far from okay,” Evander sighed, “I really care about him dad.”

“Did you… did you do anything to him? We can get you to Norway now,” His dad looked to him cautiously. Anger flared through every vein in his body.

“I would never hurt him so bad he couldn’t go home, Dad. Not to mention, those days are over. I would protect him just like you protect mom,” he growled so low in his body he swore the ground vibrated. His dad studied his face, trying to determine whether he believed him.

“Still, maybe it’s better if we send you sooner. What if his family draws that conclusion?” His dad tried to touch his shoulder and he moved away swiftly.

“If they did, it looks more guilty that I fled,” Evander’s eyes were almost slits, “How do I know you didn’t do anything?”

“Van, I’m just saying you took off by yourself after your date. There is no alibi and we haven’t found the car. We could pull the car right off the highway and… I’m just trying to look out for you,” His dad gave him a look of sympathy.

“It’s the emperor’s grandson. He runs the whole realm, he can easily pull me out of Norway,” Evander grabbed the map and moved further away.

“I’ve already talked with your Uncle, we both think it’s best if you go early. Let this blow over. You aren’t fleeing, you have important studies to be a leader. Van, let the clan protect you,” His dad followed, his voice filling up with his own ire.

“I don’t need protected! I didn’t do anything!” his roar brought his mom in, eyes red from tears. They’d already made up their minds. He glowered at them both, sitting down defeated, “Leave.”

“Van, honey,” his mom approached but he let out a warning growl. His dad flared to life, getting in front of his wife to protect her.

“Don’t talk to your mother and I like that. Get your head out of your ass, Van,” His dad’s tone grew with fury. They roared at each other, both launching into a full out brawl in the blink of an eye. His mother screamed. The neighbors were over in an instant, yanking them apart from each other. It wasn’t easy since they weren’t equipped to wrangle two alphas to the ground, but they managed with his mother’s assistance.

“How dare you!” Evander spit at his dad as he was dragged to his bed.

“Call the clan patrol. My son needs to go to the lock up,” his dad rubbed his swelling jaw and wiped blood from his nose. Evander seethed, the only thing holding him back still was the look his mother had on her face, “You’ll be on a flight tomorrow night. Your mom will pack your essentials, your Grand Uncle will arrange the rest.”

His mom sobbed as his dad took her out the room. She’d clearly been told she wasn’t allowed an opinion on the matter. The clan patrol was there fast, putting him in cuffs that diminished his strength. He was fed suppressants, his cousin Sven grimacing as he shoved them into his mouth as head of the patrol, “Sorry Van, protocol.”

“I know,” Evander’s face was stuck in rage. Sven was meek in the cloud of his hormones, dealing with him cautiously until the suppressants kicked in. The smell evaporated and his strength waned by the time he was put into a little jail cell.

“Did you really kidnap that kid? The one you always beat up?” Sven frowned at him as he locked the cell.

“I would never hurt Kouzen. He’s my boyfriend, I will come back and find him. You can tell my dad I said it,” he slumped against the wall, he was so tired thanks to all his strength being drained from him. Sven reached through and gave his shoulder a squeeze, at least someone believed him. His eyelids got heavy and he passed out.

He was delirious when he awoke, bits and pieces of pictures flittering across his mind like moths near a candle. His whole body felt heavy and his ears were aching. It took him a moment to realize he was on a plane. He frowned as his brain connected everything: he was on his way to Norway and his reaper was missing.