Page 40 of Expecting The Unexpected

CHAPTER 12

Walking into his room, Spencer turned and fell backwards onto his bed. Gods be damned, he was tired. He had gone to Hron’s office to work on gathering information on the Brais clutch house, which was not as easy as it sounded. It wasn’t like the Nakaka were big on talking about their homes. However, they were surprisingly up to date on today’s technology, and as a result there were those that seemed to enjoy social media as much as the humans. It was there as well as in some hacked e-mails, that Spencer was able to gather a great deal of information, and it was all documented and waiting on Hron’s desk for him to review. However, it was Tumm’s e-mails that bothered him the most.

It wasn’t that the Nakaka didn’t have an e-mail, it was who he was messaging and the messages themselves. The man was seriously into cooking. His social media was the one that annoyed so many. Shared recipes with cutesy pictures and even the people he e-mailed, it was all about food and different ways to make the stuff. Was the man a chef, or a wannabe chef? It seemed odd that the first-born son to the ancients would be so into cooking, but Spencer couldn’t find anything to explain the man’s obsessive interest.

“I was the first ancient guard created. I remember it as if it were yesterday.”

Spencer gasped as he sat straight up, and realized his balcony door was open. The sun was due to rise, and the Nakaka would be getting ready for Nestling which was why Spencer had no clue why Throg would be here at this point and time. Yet there he was, standing and looking out to the sky. “Madame Pele was so beautiful. I felt as if it was wrong to look upon her as she and Aumakaua explained the Nakaka, and why they were created. They told me that troubled times were coming, and the ancients would need Nakaka like me to guard them and keep them safe. We all were as much their children as the humans. I had to give an oath to protect the ancients with my life for all time. I felt honored and I lived up to every word I spoke, until...”

Throg stopped talking for a moment, and then his voice softened even more. “We had been alive for centuries and nothing had ever happened. We became lax. Seeing the ancients with their Viatas we yearned for something like they had. None of us ever believed we could have a Viata, because our sole reason for creation was to protect the ancients... but we yearned... I yearned. I met Corbin one day while in town with Krerr and Stok. They had wanted to take their youngest son into town and introduce him to the people he would one day protect. Nas and I were the guards of the two, along with their dozen boys. I had scouted ahead to ensure there were no surprises awaiting any of them, when I met one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen in my long life.”

Spencer felt his animal hiss and scratch, not liking to hear about how beautiful his mate had found another man, but he pushed his animal back and didn’t say a word as Throg continued speaking.

“He was leaning over the fountain in the middle of town and slipped... falling forward. I immediately caught him, and he turned to me with those big blue eyes, and smiled. I felt a fluttering I had never felt before. I was so dumbstruck I didn’t let him go. Then, he laughed, and I knew I wanted to hear it again. He thanked me and introduced himself. Once I did the same, we began to talk, and I loved the sound of his voice. I could listen to him speak for hours and never get tired of it.” Throg dropped his gaze down towards the ground, whispering, “I was so stupid.”

Spencer slowly made his way to the balcony, wanting to ease his mate’s pain, but not knowing how. His animal didn’t like hearing how his mate had fallen in love with another man almost at first sight, but for some reason it was important for Throg to talk about this and Spencer had to listen. What was important to his mate was important to him.

“I would spend every moment with Corbin that I could. It wasn’t easy when I’m so limited to just the night, and more than once I almost waited too late to return. We would talk into the night and have late dinners together. I would steal a kiss whenever I could.” Throg snorted, “I never noticed he never did the same. I was so lost in the man I was blind. We never went far in our relationship when it came to sex, but I did give him a couple of blow jobs and we docked once, but that was it. I wanted more, but something would always happen... until that night.”

Throg turned, and Spencer could see the toll it was taking on Throg to talk to him about this, but he didn’t let it stop him, surprising Spencer with a question, but he could also tell the Nakaka didn’t want an answer. “Did you know this time of the morning is the hardest on the Nakaka? We are weakest at the brink of dawn. Throg pushed off the banister and walked to the opening of the door, but didn’t come through.

“I had been working nonstop on my assigned evenings, and even took extra nights when I knew Corbin couldn’t meet with me, just so I could save time to take extended leave. I had planned to ask Corbin to become my Viata.”

Spencer gasped. “How...?”

Before Spencer could complete his question, Throg continued as if Spencer hadn’t even tried to speak. “It is possible for the Nakaka. Unlike shifters that can only mark their mates, we can accept anyone as our Viata without the flicker. We have three glands in our tails. Once is for lubrication, one for pregnancy and one for bonding. I wanted Corbin. I... I loved Corbin. I thought he loved me.”

Spencer saw the raw pain in Throg’s tight, sad features and felt the need to hold him, but Spencer knew it wasn’t something Throg would want at this time, so he listened. “Corbin and I weren’t scheduled to meet that... that night and I was scheduled to work, but I got a message from Corbin that he needed to see me. Stern agreed to cover for me for a few hours so I could go to him. Corbin met me at the door and greeted me with a kiss. I was surprised at the passion behind that kiss, and then he started removing my clothing, and telling me how much he needed me. I should have known something was wrong. I should have known that I was being played, but all I knew was how long and how bad I had wanted this man. I didn’t question it I just went with it. We made love... no... we fucked for hours. Corbin fell asleep, and as much as I had wanted to be with him, I knew I had to go back, because I had to relieve Sern. When I got close to the clutch house, I knew something was wrong. I could smell the blood... the death... but it was the sight of at least twenty ancient guards coming into view that unsettled me the most. So many ancient guards not within the walls. So many ancient guards lured away, so that our clutch could be decimated. I rushed inside and found Sern lying over Hron. Sern was almost dead, but I got him to change to stone so he could heal. He didn’t want to, because he was concerned that the ones that attacked were still there, but they weren’t. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. There were so many dead... slaughtered. Men were missing, and I knew we had little time to find them and hope they were still alive.”

Throg looked up to the sky, “We only had a few hours before the sun would rise. Instead of staying and taking care of the wounded, I put a few of the older chickpeas in charge of caring for the injured.”

Spencer gasped, causing Throg to look in his direction and give a small smile. “Not the babies, my Viata. When I say chickpea, it’s because even at two hundred and fifty, they are still children to me. I gathered the ancient guards and split them into two... one group were to guard the clutch house, and the others were to take to the skies and find those that dared harm our family.” Shaking his head, Throg whispered, “I was so damn angry.”

“You wanted to protect your people by taking out the threat,” Spencer whispered, disrupting Throg’s accounting for that horrible time in his life.

Shaking his head, Throg corrected, “No, young one. I was not so noble. I wanted revenge, pure and simple. I wanted all those responsible for the deaths of my family to die, and I wanted their families just as dead as they were. I wanted them to know... to know...”

“You wanted them to feel the depth of pain you were feeling for the loss of the ones you loved,” Spencer said in understanding.

Sighing heavily, Throg said, “Yes. I led my men towards the town. The only ones safe were the children and one lone woman. All others were killed.”

“What about Corbin?” Spencer asked quietly.

“I wanted him spared. I knew he couldn’t have been part of the attack, because he had been with me.” Throg quietly said at first, and then his tone hardened, his fists tightened, and his eyes closed as if he didn’t want to see... to go back to that time, but was unable to stop himself. “I found him in the arms of another man. They were kissing and laughing. I knew him from the town, but never knew his name. He was bloody and laughing between kisses, then he pulled away from Corbin, saying, “Your plan went off perfectly, my love. They have been decimated. The Nakaka will turn to stone in but an hour, and we will return and take out the rest.”

“Oh gods. Corbin planned the attack? He killed your people?” Spencer said, in complete shock, then asked, “What did you do?”

“I landed by their side, and ripped the other man from Corbin’s arms and ripped his spine out, then I went to Corbin demanding to know what he had done. He told me. He had planned the entire attack. Our meeting was no accident. He played a part to gain my trust... he was the diversion as were so many others. When I told him I had loved him, he laughed. My anger grew and I couldn’t stop myself. I ripped his heart out, just as I felt he had done to me. I then went and assisted in taking out each of the deceivers and any and all they cared about, except the children. When we were finished, I swore right then and there, I would never allow any man to ever hold my heart again. I had failed at my duties once, and would never make that mistake again,” Throg rasped.

Spencer felt his heart clench at Throg’s words. He began to back up, whispering, “I understand.”

His mate had been hurt in a way Spencer couldn’t defend. He couldn’t continue to look on at the one Fate had deemed his. The one that Spencer had known he loved practically from the start, and realized that he had to let him go.

“No, Spencer, you don’t understand. You are my Salvator. I gave it a lot of thought. I listened to Norval and Krerr. I realized they were right. The god and goddess never said the ancient guards could never have a Viata. We decided that the day we were duped and our people paid the price,” Throg softly said.

Spencer could hear Throg had come closer, but he couldn’t begin to hope at what those words meant.

“I realized I was not only tossing the goddess’s gift back in her face, I was doing to you what had been done to me. I was breaking your heart... taking what you had to offer me and crushing it, with not only my actions, but my words,” Throg softly said as he lifted Spencer’s chin, so he had no choice but to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I can do it, but I swear to you I will make it up to you. Every day the gods bless us to be together, I will do whatever it takes to make you believe that I do want you. I’ve always wanted you and I always will.”