Nexus Chapter 25

25.
      Damn, when had Khettah gotten this heavy?  Drew was still more than half asleep, she was lying on her back, she tried to move her feet but the leopard lying across them was just too heavy.  There was also something across her chest.  Drew cracked one eye open against the glare of the early morning sunshine pouring into her room.  She spotted Seth’s tanned arm flung across her chest.  She turned her head to see him better.  He lay on his stomach, one arm curled under the pillow that supported his head and the other arm flung over Drew’s breasts, his hand tucked under her, even in his sleep he was holding her, the thought made her smile.  
      She tried to move her legs again, but couldn’t so she lifted her head to scowl at her sentin.
      But it wasn’t Khettah lying across her legs.
      “Damn it Khan you’re heavy, shift up a bit.”  
      “Hmm,” Seth murmured sleepily and smiled at Drew.  “Good morning beautiful.”  
      Drew felt her breath catch, the man was incredibly yummy all sleep tousled.  
      The perfect lines of his shoulders making her tingle in all the right places.  
      She wished she could wake up next to him every morning.  The thought made her chest ache.  She knew he didn’t want that.  She was grateful for what he was willing to give her and she’d take it and try not to wish for more.  
      “Morning,” she smiled.  
      She needed to get Khan off her legs he was putting them to sleep.  
      “Khan get off my legs, and where is Khettah?”
      Drew’s sentin lifted her head from Seth’s other side.  
      Seth laughed.  “Looks like we have to get a bigger bed, if these two are planning on making a habit of sneaking” He gave Khan a mock angry stare. “on to it after we are asleep.”    
      Drew felt hope stir in her chest, maybe last night wasn’t a once off thing after all.  
      “Khan, vamoose, and take Khettah with you.”  Seth ordered the sentins out.  
      Khan got up and sauntered back to Seth’s room with Khettah close behind him.  
      “Now that they are gone,” Seth purred at Drew, and used the hand he had over her to pull her under him as he lifted himself up.  “There is part of my anatomy that is wide awake and very happy that we are naked and in bed.”  
      Drew squealed as he pulled her under him.
      The growl echoing around the room stopped any plans they might have had.  
      Seth cursed.
      “I swear I’m going to disable Ross’s growl box.”  
      Drew laughed, “He did say it’s important.”
      “Yeah but does he have order us around –  ‘Omegas, get your asses down to the kitchen now, its important.’ gees!”
      “We could just ignore him.” Her husky whisper had Seth tempted to do just that.  
      “Drew, oh god.” He dropped his forehead onto the pillow nuzzling into her neck. Then sighed.  “He’ll just come fetch us.”
      “Well then, we better go hop in the shower and get dressed.”  Drew hated those words as they came out her mouth.
      The thought of getting Drew into the shower had Seth groaning.  He rolled away from her and got out of bed.  Standing at the foot of the bed gloriously naked, he told her.
      “Go shower, I’ll go to mine cause if I get in yours with you.  We wont be getting out there till the water is ice cold and even then we probably won’t get out.”  He walked into his room, giving her a view of his ass that almost made the interruption worth it.   
      Drew lay there for a second with a silly grin on her face.  Then she got up and got into the shower.  
      
      Drew walked past Ross as she came into the kitchen and cuffed him across the back of the head.  
      “What the hell was that for?” He gapped at her, from his seat at the wooden table.
      “For having really shitty timing.”  She grumped and sank into the bench.  
      “And for growling orders at us.” Seth grinned, he’d gotten to the kitchen doorway just in time to see Drew smack Ross across the back of the head.  It made him feel better to know that she’d resented the interruption too.  
      Dante came stalking in, “Sorry I’m late, this place is set out different than wolf central.”  
      Ross looked like he’d just stepped into the twilight zone so Drew filled him in.
      “Dante – Ross and vice versa.  Dante’s an omega.”  
      “Hell no he’s not, he’s a wolf.”  
      “So - I’m a woman.”
      “Yeah, but you’re a leopard.”  
      “Shall I ask him to show you the mark?  I won’t mind seeing Dante shirtless again.”  
      Dante grinned at that comment, and took a seat at the bench.  
      “Drew!” Seth gasped.  
      “What? Hot Bod’s R Us, remember”  
      “Yeah, but you are only allowed to admire mine, remember.” He dropped down next to her on the bench.  
      “Jealous much?” she grinned at him.  
      “Gods, that was payback for Kelly wasn’t it.”  
      Drew just gave him a naughty smile.  
      “Ok I’m missing chunks of this conversation so I’m just going to ignore it.”  Ross frowned.  
      “So Dante really is a Omega?”  
      “Yeah he is.”  Seth answered.
      “Gotta be honest, I didn’t even know the Omega were real before I found the mark and ended up showing Cole.” Dante admitted.  “He insisted that the Omega aren’t just a scary tale for naughty little mythos and who you are. Kinda blew me away.”   
      “Yeah very few believe we exist.”  Seth answered
      “Where are Marcus and Darius?”  Drew was wondering why they weren’t there.
      “The drove Selphie to fetch her cousin Esbeth.”
      “Esbeth the nymph historian?  That cousin?”  Seth asked.  
      “Yeah.”
      “Why?”
      “I was in here early this morning, Selph was making coffee, and we were having our usual morning chatter when I mentioned the nexus.  She was so shocked she dropped the cup she’d been holding.”  
      “Why?”
      
      “Apparently she’s heard the term before, the nexus is a nymph prophesy.  She doesn’t have too many details, but she’s worked up enough that I think it’s a big deal in nymph culture.  So Gabe told her to go fetch Esbeth, who will know all the details.”
      “Good maybe we can get to the bottom of this.  When did they leave?”  Seth asked Ross.
      “Right after I called you.”  
      “They should be gone for about an hour then, that gives us a little time, will you and Drew get Dante up to date on what’s been happening.  There is somewhere I need to go.”
      “Sure.” Drew smiled.  
      Seth got up off the bench and kissed the top of her head.  
      “No ogling Dante’s bare chest.” He teased her. “Or Ross’s.”  
      He walked out the back door of the kitchen with the sound of her laughter in his ears.  
      
      The mausoleum was dark and cold.  Seth moved down the stairs flipping the light switch as he went. Lights scones in the walls lit up making the tomb bright.  
      Seth stopped at the foot of the stairs.  
      “Hey baby brother.”  He grabbed the back of a chair that was kept there for these visits, and moved it over to the side of the glass covering that housed the perfect corps, that had been his brother.
      When Kyle died, Gabriel had laid a hand on Kyle’s chest and murmured something.  He’d told Seth that Kyle’s body was in a status, it would never decompose, staying as it was when he died.  Gabriel had even healed the damage to Kyle’s heart, he had apologized to Seth for not having the power to do that  before Kyle’s death.  
      Then Gabriel had told Seth Kyle’s death was one of those things that had to be and that Seth shouldn’t morn his brother that he wasn’t really gone.  
      Seth had been too distraught to care or even get what Gabriel was saying, but in the many years since he’d become grateful for the gift Gabe had given him.   He came here often to talk to his brother, he found comfort in keeping Kyle updated on things in his life, and what was happening with the Omegas and the compound.  Even though he knew Kyle couldn’t really hear him, and that this was just a shell, his brother gone those many years ago.  
      Seth dropped the chair next to the glass of the coffin and sat down.  He stared at the face of his sibling, so much like his own.  Kyle’s hair was darker than Seth’s, not curly at all and much longer.   It lay across the white of Kyle’s shirt like a dark cloak, keeping Kyle warm even in death.
      Seth had always teased Kyle, saying that his hip length dark hair was his biggest vanity.   Kyle had always laughed and told Seth to shut-up.
      “I’ve got good news Kyle.  Veronica is dead, gone forever.  Drew killed her.  So you can rest easy, bro, she can’t hurt either one of us ever again.” Seth spoke quietly to his brother.
      “Good it’s about time that bitch bit the dust.”  Kyle sat cross-legged on top of his glass coffin.  
      Seth didn’t hear him.
        “Who is Drew?” he knew he wouldn’t get an answer but he asked anyway.  
      “You should have seen it little bro, she was awesome, she shifted faster than I can and took Veronica down.  I missed her shift. But I saw her standing with her fangs wrapped around the bitch’s throat. She did what Gabriel refused to let me do.” Seth smiled.
      His voice was soft with wonder. “She killed Veronica to protect me Kyle.”
      “She sounds hard-core cool.  When did she rock up at the compound?”
      “Amazing to think she’s only been a lycos a little while, I’m starting to think the best thing I’ve ever done was turn her.  Accident or not.”  
      “Ahh,” Kyle grinned. “Now the pieces are starting to fall into place”
      “And last night,” Seth shook his head not daring to believe it had been real. “wow, it was perfect, she was perfect. If only…”  Seth didn’t finish.
      “If only what? Spit it out.”  Kyle jumped off the coffin and moved closer to his brother, wishing Seth could hear him.  
      “No, it can never happen.  I don’t deserve to try for that type of happiness.  I’ll enjoy her while she allows it, but I wont give her my heart.  I killed you because of a woman, and I won’t have the happiness you never got to have.”  
      Kyle started pacing the stone floor of the mausoleum.  Right now he’d give his left ball to beat the shit out of his stubborn brother.  
      “Shit Seth, don’t be a fucking moron.  Grab it with both hands.  I don’t balm you for what happened.  It was my own fault.  I want to let a woman lead me round by the dick then I must suffer the consequences.  I didn’t see what an idiot I was being.  You can’t still be blaming yourself for what happened?”  Kyle stopped and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.    
      “I’m sorry baby brother, I’m sorry that you are dead because of me.”
      “Crap.  You are still blaming yourself.” Kyle gave his brother a deadpan stare.
      “I swear your more stubborn than fifteen mules and a donkey. Damn, there has to be some way I can get this through your head.”  
      He leaned in to his brother and screamed in his ear.
      “Don’t you dare give up something good because of what happened fifty years ago.”  
      Seth jumped, he looked around, that was weird, he’d felt the fine hairs on his neck rise up and the air had gotten suddenly cold around him.  
      “Look Kyle, I’m going to go, I need to get to meeting with the other Omega, so I can find out what’s up with this nexus thing.  I’ll come see you soon again.  Love you baby bro.”
      Seth moved the chair back to the stairs flipped off the light and left.
      “No wait, don’t leave me in the dark agai… Shit, he left me in the dark again.”  
      Kyle turned toward the presence of his sentin in the pitch black of the mausoleum. “You know Khaish, sometimes it really sucks being a ghost.”