Page 18 of Black Widow's Bite

“It was you,” I whispered. “He’s coming back, Cain, and he wants to drown us. He’s going to take our little spider and hold her under until she stops kicking, just like you.” I gripped Addy until my knuckles turned white. He couldn’t take her. I’d fall away again and then I’d never be able to get back to earth. The tethers were getting so weak now, I wouldn’t hold on much longer on my own.

“Piper, you’re hurting her,” Wyatt warned, grabbing my arm. I loosened my grip just a bit and felt my little spider gasp in a breath. She wasn’t drowning yet, not yet. I stroked her hair, humming a tune she sang to me... or not her, someone else? Who sang that song? Had I met them yet?

“How do you know he’s coming?” Cain demanded, drawing me back to the kitchen. It was so damp here. Why was the floor wet?

“I don’t know who, or why, or when. I just know what will happen, and that it can’t happen. He wants your toys, Cain. You know he doesn’t like it when you have toys. He’s going to play with them and break them and we won’t get the pieces back together this time.” I groaned, my stomach clenching and my head pounding. I felt my little spider rubbing my face, whispering to me.

“Cain, do you know what the fuck he’s going on about?” Wyatt asked, kicking the towel by his foot in frustration. “This feels like one of those things we shouldn’t ignore.”

“I think... I think he’s saying that my brother has found me,” Cain growled.

Chapter 20

Addison

As Friday nights went, ours ended up being pretty wild. It had started out normal enough. I’d stopped at the market on the way home from the lab and picked up some steaks at Cain’s request. After I’d handed them off, I stole away to shower and change into more comfortable clothes. I still used Cain’s shower in his on-suite, and he didn’t seem to mind. It had the best water pressure in the house, and it was less likely that one of the guys would come in and surprise me there. Feeling much more relaxed in my sweats and an old tee shirt, I returned to the kitchen and found Wyatt already sitting at the table, two beers in his hand. He handed one to me with a smile, and we both sat and watched as Cain busied himself around the kitchen.

I would have offered to help, but I knew better than to disrupt him while he worked. He was a solo cook, and he’d get pretty nasty if he had to dodge around anyone while he worked. He seemed to instinctively know how to cook things to the perfect temperature. I never saw him use a thermometer or set a timer. I bet he would make a talented chef. He even enjoyed cursing out other people in the kitchen. Unfortunately, he’d probably end up stabbing someone if he was working with knives all the time, so maybe cooking was best left as a hobby. Once he’d declared the steaks done, we’d all grabbed a plate, andwere having a perfectly lovely dinner when Piper had suddenly thrown himself down the stairs.

He landed in a heap at the bottom, and his eyes were so glassy and pupils so dilated I’d thought for a moment that he was dead. Cain had sprung out of his chair and run over to him, swearing and demanding to know what he’d taken. I wonder if maybe he’d O.D.’d before. I knew he wasn’t exactly careful with his recreational substances. Though I guess it would be hard to be if you constantly forgot you’d taken something and took more.

Piper was trying to tell us something, but none of it made any sense. It was just a jumble of random words strung together. Then his lips turned a terrifying shade of blue and he started gasping like he couldn’t breathe. Cain had hauled him up by his armpits, trying to sit him up, and then he just began heaving. It was like we’d just fished him out of the lake. Buckets of water poured out of his mouth as he emptied his lungs and his stomach, gasping for air. Wyatt swore and jumped up, running to grab some towels for the mess, while I just stared in horror. After another heave of water, I saw a little spider, legs curled up and on its back, floating in the puddle he’d created in the middle of the kitchen. Had he eaten a spider? My skin prickled as I watched the little body drift across the floor.

Gingerly, I stepped across the spreading puddle, moving to Piper’s side as Cain slammed his back, trying to dislodge the last of the water. I touched Piper’s cheek gently, and I watched as the clouds over his eyes faded, and he seemed to actually see me in front of him for the first time. His pupils were still huge and looked so horribly frightened. He grabbed my hand and pinned it against his face like it was the only thing holding him together. Cain was still trying to get some answers, asking him what happened, still convinced he was high on something.But his eyes were clear now, and I’d never seen someone look so terrified.

“I remember... I remember going to sleep.” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “But something bad tugged at me and pulled me out. Something bad is going to happen... or did happen? Maybe both, I think.” Piper looked so tired. I didn’t remember seeing him yesterday at all. How long had he been out of it? Suffering in this weird dream state by himself?

“Well, you fell down the fucking stairs, was that the bad thing? Man, what the fuck is this? Is this water?” Wyatt was trying in vain to sop up the mess, which was spreading towards the cabinets. I could still see the spider floating away, and the image gave me a chill.

“It looked like you nearly drowned,” I whispered, trying to figure out how that would be possible. Unless he’d shoved his head in a bucket, or the sink maybe, there were no bathtubs that he could have slipped into or fallen asleep in. I yelped in surprise when he grabbed me, pulling me down onto his lap like I was a lifejacket and he was alone in the ocean.

His arms were shaking as they wrapped around me. “I did. He was drowning me in the tub. I couldn’t breathe, and no one came to save me. Then he just stopped.” he murmured. “I woke up on the floor. I coughed up so much water I thought it would never stop coming out.” My heart ached as I stroked his cheek, trying to soothe him as best I could. He wasn’t making sense anymore, and I tried to pull him back to Earth. I saw Austin’s head poke out, drawn downstairs by the noise. He looked like we had woken him up, his face a mask of concern.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Cain was snarling behind me, and I shot him a glare. Now was not the time to be yelling at Piper.

“It was you,” Piper whispered, and his eyes widened into saucers. “He’s coming back, Cain, and he wants to drown us.He’s going to take our little spider and hold her under until she stops kicking, just like you.” My lungs gave a little squeak as Piper’s arms tightened around my chest, squeezing the air out of me. I squirmed, but he was holding on so tight I couldn’t break free of his hold.

Wyatt was down beside him quickly, tugging on his arms. “Piper, you’re hurting her.” he snapped, and Piper finally released his death grip so I could gasp air back into my lungs. He stroked my hair gently, humming a song I didn’t recognize, his eyes unfocused and cloudy. Cain was still trying to interrogate him about this mysterious person he thought was going to kill me, and Wyatt stayed close by, ready to pull me away if Piper decided to crush me again.

“I don’t know who, or why, or when. I just know what will happen, and that it can’t happen. He wants your toys, Cain. You know he doesn’t like it when you have toys. He’s going to play with them and break them and we won’t get the pieces back together this time.” Piper shook, and I petted his hair gently, trying to get him to calm down.

I stroked his cheek, feeling his tears dampen my hand. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “It’s going to be okay.” He closed his eyes and curled up against me, his face twisted in pain.

“Cain, do you know what the fuck he’s going on about?” Wyatt asked. He’d stood back up to deal with the mess on the floor, kicking at the towel. “This feels like one of those things we shouldn’t ignore.” I nodded along with him. This didn’t feel like Piper’s normal ramblings to me either, and my veins filled with an icy dread.

“I think... I think he’s saying that my brother has found me,” Cain growled. I stared at him, wide-eyed and confused. He had a brother? He’d never mentioned anything about his family, but no one here really had. I had a feeling that none of us had anygood things to say about family. Wyatt seemed to know what he was talking about, though, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

“I thought you said that was impossible.” he replied quietly, and they shared a quick wordless exchange. I had a feeling that whatever this was, it wasn’t for everyone’s ears, at least not right now.

“Austin, can you help me take Piper back upstairs?” I asked, and he bounded over quickly. We’d leave Cain and Wyatt to discuss whatever secrets were threatening us, and I’d press Wyatt for information later on. With Austin’s help, I got untangled from Piper’s arms and we got him to his feet, but he was swaying dangerously like he couldn’t find his balance. Austin propped him up on his shoulder for support, and I helped to guide him back upstairs.

Piper’s door had been left open, and his room looked like someone had ransacked it. Austin didn’t react to the mess, though, so I guess this was just how Piper lived. I pulled his comforter down and helped Austin set Piper on the bed. As soon as he was lying down, Piper started to shake, like he was freezing to death, and it made my heart ache. I crawled over to him and curled up at his side, stroking his arm to try to calm him down. He turned into me and wrapped me in his arms, holding on for dear life. Austin turned off the light, and I expected that he would leave, but instead, he just closed the door and crawled in beside us, tucking himself against my back and pulling the comforter over the three of us.

“I’ll stay, just in case,” Austin whispered in my ear. Probably for the best, I wouldn’t know what I’d do if Piper coughed up any more water or tried to squeeze me to death again. Gradually, his shakes began to slow, and Piper grew quiet as he drifted off to sleep. I heard Austin’s breath slow as he too fell asleep behind me, and I tried to settle my own mind so I could get some sleep as well.

I had a fairly restless night, sandwiched between the two guys. I wasn’t used to the restricted space they provided, and I found it tricky to get into a comfortable position with the tangle of heavy limbs around me. At some point early in the morning, Piper began mumbling in his sleep, his breath tickling across my face. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he didn’t seem in much distress at least, so I rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep. Piper’s arms tightened around me and pulled me flush against him, continuing his nonsensical sleep ramblings into my hair. Eventually, his mumbling trailed off, and I managed to slip into a light doze.

It was later morning when I became aware of a slight movement along my abdomen, Piper’s fingers tickling up under my shirt. I ignored him. He moved a lot in his sleep, so this wasn’t particularly new. His fingers seemed to always be exploring some part of me, even when he was deep asleep. He brushed along the underside of my breast, and I felt his hard length pressing against my hip. I was still tired from the lack of sleep last night, so I kept my eyes shut, and he seemed content to just touch my skin. I must’ve started to doze off again when I felt a tugging, and my shirt was being pulled up over my head. Shivering at the rush of cold air against my chest, I sighed when Piper’s hands returned to my sides, warming me up.

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