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"Yes, Arden." Foi nodded, for once not arguing. "We'll be ready in twenty minutes."
"Make it ten." Arden shook his head. "Hurry up."
They dispersed and moved quickly, not wanting to irritate Arden anymore when he was in so serious of a mood. After they showered faster than Porter ever thought possible Foi put on clothes, Cy changed and bandaged his arm and then fixed a bandaid onto Porter's cheek while the human slipped into comfortable clothes. Jaygen and Oz joined them, sitting in the chairs that Ozni had pulled over from Cyrus’s little table. Porter sat on the bed with Cyrus and Foi joined them.
"What's going on?" Jaygen asked, leaning forward with concern written on his face. "Has something happened?"
"Yes," Cyrus answered, no quips or flirting in sight for once. "We're waiting for Arden."
"I'm here." Arden let himself in and closed the door behind him. "And I've taken care of the problem downstairs." He looked over at Porter who tried to shrink from sight. "What is going on, Porter?"
Porter swallowed thickly. God, he didn't want to tell them. Foi and Cy said that he wouldn't get kicked out, but honestly he wouldn't blame Arden if he did. He was dangerous, a walking, ticking time bomb that could explode and ruin everything they'd built for each other.
"Porter." Cyrus touched his cheek. "It's okay, I promise you that."
"We're right here with you," Foi added, a hard edge to his voice oozing protectiveness. "Tell us so we can help you."
Porter wasn't sure if he could do it, but he also couldn't hide the truth anymore. These people had taken him in, showed him the ropes, and cared about him when no one in his life ever had. He'd gone from fearing and looking down on them to feeling as if they were the only family he'd ever had beside his sister. No, he couldn't lie to them.
He took a steadying breath before he lifted his head and looked at each of them. "My name is Porter Manetti. My father is Gabriel and I ran away from him."
"He's a-" Arden started.
"Mafia boss," Jaygen finished, his face serious now. "I've heard stories about him."
"I can guarantee you that whatever you've heard is probably true times ten." Porter shivered, closing his eyes as he spoke. "My father is not a good man. He's been trying to make me into him for years. I've done...horrible things."
Cyrus squeezed his arm tightly and Porter let him. Telling these people about his past, it wasn't easy. For weeks he'd shoved it all down, pretending that life before hadn't existed. It was all that kept him sane until he was alone at night and the thoughts crept in tearing him apart.
"I left the night he made me cut a man and promised he wouldn't kill him. He had his right hand man, Michele, do it. And then he told me the next day we'd go out together. I knew what that meant. He would have forced me to kill again and I...I couldn't do it."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Cyrus whispered.
He opened his eyes and gazed at Cyrus. "In my house? It is." Porter shook his head. "Arden found me." He glanced at the older man. "He saved me. And I've been hiding out here ever since."
"And you have no contact with them?" Arden asked.
"None. We ran into Alex randomly today." Porter frowned. "I didn't even know any of my father's men came here. They all talk down about supernaturals, but if he was at the brothel he was coming to see someone so I guess it’s bullshit.” He uttered a humorless laugh. “ I can't believe I used to listen to them."
Jaygen frowned. "Surely you could speak to him and tell him that you don't wish to be-"
Porter's barking laugh cut Jaygen off. "Speak to him? You want me to speak to him?" Porter jumped off the bed, pulling himself free of Cyrus and Foi's arms. "My father despises me. The moment I was born, my mother died. That was because ofme."
"Porter." Ozni frowned.
"No, it's true." Porter's voice became choked as tears lined his eyes. "He's beaten me more times than I can count, sliced me open with knives, locked me in dark closets, broken my arm when I tried to run.” Porter laughed, the sound bordering on insanity even to his own ears.
“You know what his great fifteenth birthday present was?” Porter asked. “He wanted me to be a man, so he took me to the brothels everyday for six months and made me fuck any woman he chose while hewatched." Porter pointed to Jaygen who looked green. "Yeah, that's the right reaction. 'Congrats son, you're a man now. Hold these women down and make them scream.' Those were his exact words. And when I still showed an interest in feminine things, Michele was happy to hold me down and makemescream. And my father still watched. He laughed at me. When it was over, he’d toss a towel at me so I could clean up my own blood and Michele’s come and tell me that next time I should man up and it wouldn’t happen.” Porter couldn’t stop shaking, thinking back to those endless nights. He fixed Jaygen with a glare. “So, I don't want to hear how that...creature can be reasoned with. You fucking got it?"
Jaygen nodded, still looking sick. His neat little facade was gone and Porter saw underneath the ill, he was pissed off. The way he gripped the chair, his nails burying into the wood, he was on the edge of losing all control.
To be fair, they all looked like they were about to lose it. Porter snapped his mouth shut. He'd said way too much, uttered things to them that he never thought he would tell another person, ever.
"Don't give me that look as if you pity me," he whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. "I survived that place. I might be fucked up and sadistic and pathetic, but I am never going back." Porter hung his head. "If you want me to leave, say so. I'll pack my things and move on."
"Oh, don't say stupid fucking shit!" Jaygen snapped, making Porter's head shoot up. He was across the room, his hands on Porter's cheeks, gripping them tightly. "You think we have so little integrity we would abandon you to that man?"
"For once I'm agreeing with that cat," Foi growled. "You're not going anywhere."
