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"I'll take care of you," Arden assured both her and Porter. "Amy, come along."
"Right behind you, big guy." She turned and laid a hand on Porter's shoulder. "Go and get your guy. I'm going to rest up as much as possible, but I can't promise I won't pop up when I don't feel like vomiting and passing out at the same time."
Porter chuckled. "We'll catch up soon."
"Very soon, little brother." She kissed his cheek. "I missed you so much." Her voice caught and she suddenly sounded young and vulnerable like when they were children.
"I missed you too,” he whispered, his heart swelling. She was here with him. He thought he would never see her again and now she was alive and well in his home. If he wasn’t so upset about Jaygen, he would be jumping for joy. “Get some rest.”
Porter watched as Arden cleared his throat and nodded toward the door. She followed him, stopping in the doorway to give him a smile before she left. Once she was gone, Porter reached down, grabbed Foi's arms, and pulled him to his feet.
"There's nothing we can do for tonight," he said as he grabbed Foi's chin and made him look into his eyes. "Let's go and sleep with Oz and Cyrus. Tomorrow, we're going to kill my bastard of a father."
Cyrus refusedto stop clinging to Porter. He hovered around him all morning, peeking over his shoulder as he wrote and holding on to him whenever he tried to go anywhere.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Cyrus asked.
Porter chuckled. Leave it to Cyrus to think about him when he was the one that had been passed out cold the night before. Then again, it was only the second time Porter had seen him in his true form. The wings, the tail, the horns, a sleeping Cyrus, in his true form was absolutely beautiful. To think the incubus hid it all the time. Cyrus was unique and he only fell more in love with him.
"I'm fine," Porter turned in his seat and pulled Cyrus into his lap. "Besides, we don't have time to be anything other than fine right now. Jaygen has been in my personal hell for twelve hours. We need to go and get him."
Cyrus frowned. "I feel so bad for him," he whispered. "Once, I got him drunk and he spilled a little about his past. Jaygen might be strong, but I'm more concerned about his psyche. He was tortured when he was young."
Porter's heart sank. "What do you mean?"
He glanced around the empty room. They had all piled up in Ozni's room the night before, but now Oz was with Foi making sure he was fully healed. Amy had taken Porter's room and last he checked, she was still curled up and snoring.
Cyrus leaned toward him. "Cats like Jaygen typically live on their own. Tigers aren't known for running in packs, but their numbers have been dwindling. But Jaygen's father wanted his kids to be able to survive all on their own. He was tough on his brothers, but he was worst on Jaygen." He shook his head. "Their world was closing in, more humans popping up day by day. Eventually, even the tigers started sticking together from different families because of it and Jaygen was supposed to lead them. To take care of all of them."
"And?" Porter pushed gently when Cyrus stopped talking.
"Let's just say his father didn't give him any freedom. Some kids get to run and play and others don't. I was hidden away because of who I was, but only once I hit puberty. Jaygen? All he knew was train and fight. And when he failed? He starved or was beaten. If everything wasn't perfect, he suffered. I mean eventually, you learn not to mess up. There's a reason he's so under control now, why everything has to go precisely his way. Otherwise, he doesn't know how to handle it."
Porter's stomach tightened. "No wonder."
He'd contemplated why Jaygen was so uptight, but now he understood. Why would he continue to screw up when the punishment had been ingrained in him for so long? Porter felt even closer to him now. It was the same way he'd slowly started to learn to give his father whatever he wanted, anything not to have to suffer.
And it made even more sense why Jaygen and Foi butted heads. Jaygen needed order and control and Foi was wild and free. Foi was everything he'd never been able to have and experience.
"We have to get him back," Porter said, his voice wavering. "Let's get ready to go."
Cyrus nodded. "I'm ready."
They collected themselves and met Ozni and Foi in the garage. Arden stood nearby, his arms crossed over his large chest as he watched them going over the plan.
"Keep an eye on my sister," Porter said as he stood with the passenger door open. "When she wakes up, tell her to stay put. I'll be back soon."
"I'll try, but I get the feeling that if Amy wants to do something, she does it."
Porter grinned. "You're right about that. Even if you locked her up, she might find her way to me anyway." He shook his head. "Try to take care of her."
"I will. All of you, be careful. What would I do if my favorite hosts ended up dead?" he grunted.
There was a coldness in Arden's voice that didn't quite reach his eyes. Porter knew he was worried about all of them, but this was their fight. Arden had to look after Amy, the other hosts, and PGD itself. Without thinking, Porter threw himself at Arden and hugged him tightly.
"Just in case I don't come back, thank you," Porter whispered, “for everything. If you wouldn't have threatened to leave me in a gutter the first night I met you, I never would have come here and met everyone."
"Don't make it sound like I'm an asshole!" Arden groaned before his big arms wrapped around Porter and held him tightly. "Come back in one piece or I'll be pissed."
