Page 33 of Angels of the Night

CHAPTER 25

The beep of the monitors Lance was connected to made Zachary flinch, waking him from the slumber that had taken over his body. Stretching his hands above his head, the man checked his watch, surprised to see only ten minutes passed since he dozed off. Ten minutes that seemed like an eternity, Zachary sighed.

He checked his father's expression, looking for a sign of improvement, something that could give him hope that the older man would wake up soon but couldn't find anything. Regret and guilt washing over him, he covered his face with both hands, wishing he could turn back time and talk to his father before the start of the rescue mission.

“Baby, please. Let's get to The Base. You can't continue like this. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since you slept. Your body needs to rest.” Saint's gentle voice made Zachary raise his head, guilt and helplessness washing over him at the sight of his two boyfriends' worry-filled eyes.

“Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You, on the other hand, look exhausted and in greater need of sleep than me. Plus, what if he wakes up while I'm gone? He will be all alone, and I don't want to...” Zachary's voice broke, and he stopped, unable to continue.

“I'll stay with him. One or two nights won't kill me. This man has watched over me for almost a decade. Your friends are right, son; you should go and sleep for a while. You wouldn't want your father to see your tired face and start to worry from the first second he wakes up, would you?” The man who spoke was in his mid to late fifties and had the most fascinating blue eyes Zachary had ever seen.

“Very well, Sir. I'll take your advice. Thank you for the care and consideration you show to my father. I didn't keep in touch with him like a good son should, but I suspect you are his employer, Rowan's protector. Nice to meet you, I wish it was under other, happier circumstances, though.” Zachary wholeheartedly extended his hand, a pale smile forming at the corner of his lips.

“My name is Fabian Bloom, meeting you is a great honor for me. Can you two young gentlemen leave us alone for a moment?” The older man turned to Caleb and Saint, who silently nodded, stepping out of the room. “You are a fine young man, exactly how I expected. I want you to know he was immensely proud of you and loved you with everything he had.”

“I—I thought he was disappointed in me, disapproved of my choices and always saw me as a burden. When he divorced my mother, I thought he would take me with him, but instead I was left behind. Now, however, things have changed so dramatically, I don't know what to think anymore.” Zachary looked defeated and lost, making Fabian's heart ache.

“It's easy. Talk to him. Your father is a great listener, an open man, who will tell the truth to your face, no matter how painful, then he'll start to heal you. It will be a long, difficult, sometimes even painful process, but it will pay off. Once, a frightened, helpless, innocent thirteen-year-old, whose innocence was shattered in the cruelest way, was made to believe becoming evil was the only path to follow. Instead of talking with his loving uncle, he listened to that poisonous voice, becoming a monster.”

Fabian fell silent, staring blankly ahead for a moment, then discreetly wiped the lone tear from the corner of his eye. He pulled out the other chair, gesturing to Zachary to leave the room and took Lance's hand between his own. With a small nod, the younger man stepped outside, where he threw himself in the arms of Saint and Caleb.

Zachary started to cry, letting out strangled sobs that shook his body, while the other two men lightly rubbed his back. They patiently waited for their lover to let out all the emotions pent up inside his soul since he found out the truth about Phillip's twisted, evil nature. Exchanging a meaningful look, Saint and Caleb decided to spend the night with Zachary because he needed their company more than ever.

The ride to The Base was a silent one, Lance's son dozing off as soon as he sat in the car, exhausted by the events of the day and the whirlwind of emotions from earlier. From the corner of his eye, Caleb examined his lover's face in the rear view mirror, his heart aching at the sight of the pain lingering there even when the man slept.

“I think we should take Zachary to his house, help him to get into bed, and then leave. He needs to sleep, and our presence there would prevent him from doing so.” Turning to Saint, Caleb spoke in a barely audible voice.

The older man shook his head. “On the contrary. You see, in moments like this, being in the company of someone who cares is more important than physical rest. When Alvin died, I was left alone to deal with the grief, when all I wanted was to talk to someone, anyone, about anything. The silence was driving me crazy, and then he showed up at my doorstep.” Speaking in a melancholic voice, Saint smiled to the distant memory.

“Zachary? Do the two of you know each other from that long? I thought you met him while working on that substance theft case.” Surprised by Saint's revelation, Caleb raised his voice a little but realized almost immediately and covered his mouth with one hand, in an apologetic gesture.

“No, it was almost four years earlier, when I freshly graduated from the Police Academy. I was twenty, Zachary eighteen, and, under that tough, hot-shot young CIA agent, he screamed vulnerability. I was always the protective type, with my younger brother, the guys at the Academy, even with my parents, and seeing him like that made my instincts kick in.” Some things never change, Saint thought, remembering the veil of pain covering those expressive light-green eyes.

“Here we are. Will you please get out and open the gate for me? You need to give it a hard push, sometimes it gets stuck.” Caleb flashed a grin in Saint's direction, winking. “Thank you, love, for making things easier.” He smiled gratefully once the older man got back into the vehicle.

“Hey guys, why did we stop?” Speaking in a thick voice, Zachary looked around disoriented, his eyes still heavy with sleep. “Where are we?”

“At your place. We brought you here to avoid all the questions the guys at The Base would have thrown your way. The news about what happened to Berl Abramsky, and that you are his son, should have spread by now and being in the center of attention is the last thing you need.” Saint's low, almost sweet voice had a calming effect on Zachary, who gave him a gratitude-filled look.

“Thank you, guys, for thinking about me, I don't know if I could handle the pressure and all those curious looks directed at me. On the other hand, the perspective of being alone with my thoughts is a little terrifying right now, but I guess that...”

“Zachary, baby, no one said anything about you being alone. We are here to keep you company, for as long as you want us to. Now let's get you into the house and fix a light dinner.” As he stopped the car, Caleb smiled in the rear view mirror, his turquoise eyes shining with affection.

“I do the cooking. You two barbarians stay away from my pots, pans and cooking utensils. Those are valuable objects that have to be handled according to their purpose, not used in obscure ways as I'm sure you would do if I'd let you.”

Zachary's words were greeted with enthusiasm by Caleb and Saint, who were aware that none of them possessed the man's advanced and refined cooking skills. Anyway, in his great generosity, Lance's son allowed them to peel and slice the vegetables while he prepared the steaks. That evening, Zachary felt the need to try for the first time one of his father's favorite recipes, baked steak and vegetable mix.

While the dinner was cooking, he went upstairs and made the bed for the night, the idea of sleeping on the clean, fresh-smelling sheets being suddenly very tempting. As he changed the pillowcases, Zachary realized he wouldn't be alone in that big bed. His men would be there with him, their breath warm against his skin, their voices heavenly music to his ears.

Like never before, he felt the need, almost an urge, to be with Saint and Caleb, to completely surrender his body to their hands and lips, to let himself be filled to the brim. Never before, not even in the most intimate moments he and Saint shared, did Zachary feel so complete like the first night the three of them shared the bed. A dreamy expression on his face, he went downstairs, where the other two greeted him with a collective sigh of relief.

From time to time, when he thought Zachary wasn't paying attention, Caleb discreetly examined the older man's expression, searching for the slightest sign of distress. The concern Caleb showed for the wellbeing of their partner warmed Saint's heart as he thought about how much his young lover and Ardan were alike, always looking after those around them, always giving more than they get.

Dinner was finally ready, and the three men ate in a comfortable, homey atmosphere, the soft sounds of appreciation coming from Saint and Caleb filling the air, much to Zachary's contentment. To express their gratitude for their partner's impressive cooking skills, the two took cleaning the table and doing the dishes upon themselves.

The kitchen was sparkling clean in no time, but, by the time they finished, tiredness started to take over the three men, who barely dragged themselves upstairs. However, the clean citrus and lavender scent in Zachary's bedroom made them feel invigorated again, making all the stress accumulated during the day magically disappear.

Just like their first time together at The Base, the three started to undress each other with tenderness, randomly placed small, sweet kisses accompanying every move they made. The proverbial butterflies started to roil in the pit of Zachary's stomach, making him tremble with desire. Saint's and Caleb's feather-light caresses brought him back to life once again, making him feel important, cherished, complete.

Naked as the day they were born, the three admired each other for a moment, their eyes drinking one another's beauty, the thirst never really quenched, then moved on the bed, sliding under the covers. Saint and Caleb were flanking Zachary, patiently waiting for the man to tell them what he wanted. After a few seconds of silence, he finally talked.

“Guys, I have something to tell you.” The man cleared his throat, voice thick with emotion, then continued, “All my life, I was afraid to get emotionally attached because all those who I showed affection to either abandoned me, like my father, or ignored me, like my mother. There was a third category of people, who...”

“Hush, my love. You should leave the past behind, where it belongs, the only memories you should keep are those of happy, joyous times. You are here now, with us, and we’ll never let you go.” Saint sealed the promise with a soft, tender kiss.

“And this is where I wanted to get to.” Zachary sighed, grateful and relieved that his boyfriend brought him back from the dark, dangerous path his mind had started to wander. “I want you in my life, now and forever. Both of you. As lovers, best friends, partners in everything. The question is, do you want me in your lives too?”

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