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"Of course," Jaygen said.
"Hey grumpy cat, do you love us too?" Foi asked.
Without so much as a drop of hesitation, Jaygen replied "That goes without saying. Now go to sleep or I will assume you weren't thoroughly worn out and see to it that you are."
The room again went silent As everyone's breathing started to even out, Jaygen spoke again.
"I love each of you.”
Cyrus checkedeach of the boxes being picked up and packed into the truck. He counted again to be sure that everything was being taken with them to Oxdale. Jaygen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head at the incubus.
"I've told you a thousand times that I won't forget anything, Cyrus. And if we do it's not as if we can't come back and get it."
The man sniffed. "And let someone put their grubby hands on my stuff? No way!" Cyrus shook his head and picked up his clipboard. "I'll do this the old fashioned way, thank you very much."
"He gets that from you," Ozni whispered. "You're rubbing off on him."
Jaygen groaned. "I would say that's a good thing but he's impeding the schedule. We still need to fly to Las Ry and drive two hours to Oxdale. Our flight takes off in four hours. We should have been gone an hour ago," he said, casting a glare at Foi’s door.
"It's not my fault! And no one needs to be that damn early to a flight," Foi yelled from inside of his room.
"You were supposed to be finished packing days ago," the tiger growled. "Stop talking and pack before I have to come back in there!"
Cyrus grinned as they argued back and forth.They were never going to change, were they?He let them bicker as he went back to checking off boxes.So far so good.
Arden walked down the hall and stopped in front of them. As he looked up and down the hallway, Cyrus saw a wave of emotions on his face before he went back to being stoic and calm.
"Awww you're gonna miss us, aren't you?" Cy asked.
"Of course. Things are going to be a lot more peaceful around here without my star troublemakers."
Cyrus placed a hand on his chest and faked a gasp. "We were model citizens!"
"Never that," Arden said as he reached out and pulled Cyrus into a hug. "But yes, I will miss the hell outta all of you."
"We'll miss you too," Cy whispered, rubbing his face against the man's massive chest as his voice got choked up. "You've been so good to us."
Arden had given Cyrus a home that he could actually appreciate. Working in the brothels hadn't been for him no matter how frequently he was fed. Coming to the host bar, playing the fantasy, and eventually falling in love was everything he ever could have hoped for and more.
"Hey, do I get a hug?"
Cyrus pulled back and smiled at Porter. As always he looked amazing. Since they were going directly to Oxdale and meeting the hosts at the bar that Arden had purchased, he wanted to look his best. Of course, Cy had helped with his outfit. The red pencil skirt, white blouse, and delicate string of pearls around his neck made him look elegant. Cyrus had even styled his wig putting big, soft ringlets in his black hair. He looked beautiful.
Arden grinned and tugged Porter into a bone crushing hug. "Porter."
"Don't squash me to death," the human grunted out before he got a little space and laughed. Reaching out, he took Arden's hand. "Seriously, thank you for everything you've done for me. I know you put a lot on the line to keep me safe and if there's ever anything I can do for you, I will."
Arden laid a hand on top of Porter's. "You've already done more than enough." His smile widened. "And I couldn't let you end up in a gutter trying not to get murdered."
Porter burst out laughing. "I thought I knew everything back then, huh?"
"Yep. You were a pain in the ass."
Cyrus's heart squeezed watching the two of them together. They chatted easily, like old friends. The affection in their eyes made Cyrus warm all over. His little family made him proud.
"Look here, mutt. You better get that mess cleaned up in twenty minutes or I will waste more time flogging you." Jaygen stepped out of Foi's room and adjusted his shirt. "Porter, can you stay on him?"
"Yes, Sir." Porter stood on the tips of his toes, waited for Arden to bend down, and pressed his lips against the man's cheek. "I better go make sure he's ready to go. We have a bar to run!"
