Brothers - 60. Chapter 60

DEVYN

The car flew through the air, dropping into the river with an explosive splash. Water flooded around the vehicle as it slowly sank.

Devyn let out a loud laugh as he watched. A moment later, he realised he had no idea how to get the car back out, and the wolf let out a groan, turning to Patrick. He pointed at the screen, signing what he hoped meant ‘new car’.

“You realise the goal of the game is to pick people up and drive them to their destination, right?” Patrick smirked, resetting the game yet again for Devyn. “Driving off bridges, with or without them in the car, is not winning any points.”

“But this-”

Devyn clamped his mouth shut with a groan. He wasn’t supposed to talk.

‘I like this.’

His fingers were tired of signing, and the wolf couldn’t wait until he could shift again. But he had to wait for Jason to get home, because the neko didn’t like wolf kisses.

Grabbing the steering wheel, Devyn pushed a pedal with his foot, the car on screen speeding straight into a building. He grunted, trying to find the reset button.

‘More?’ he signed at Patrick.

The werewolf frowned, taking Devyn’s hands to adjust one of the signs.

“Don’t spell that one out. It’s this sign. And your father wanted to keep this one set up for Jason. Maybe after he tries it out, you two can switch games. But you can’t play in your wolf form.”

Devyn frowned at his pinched hands, copying the drawn out gesture. It seemed too big. What if he accidentally hit someone with his elbows?

His internal conflict was interrupted by a sudden acrid stench, the smell of fading terror smothering Jason’s scent. Devyn growled, grabbing his cane as he hobbled toward the front door.

“Devyn? Devyn, settle down. It’s not strong; Jason’s not in danger,” Patrick called after him.

The door opened. Jason stepped through the door, and Devyn threw his arms around his mate, pulling the neko into a smothering hug. He glared at Richard as the man stepped into the house.

“He did really well for the first time,” Richard smiled. “Didn’t miss a single stop or red light. We just need to work on getting up over ten kilometres an hour.”

‘No,’ Devyn signed firmly behind Jason’s back. ‘No more. No more.’

He struggled to keep himself calm. Being stressed would only make Jason more stressed. Already he could feel the tension bleeding out of his mate, and Devyn wrapped his arms around the neko, holding him tightly.

“Hey Richard, I brought in the mail,” Patrick said, stepping into the room. “I hope you don’t mind; there was a package, and I didn’t want it to get stolen.”

“Is that a common occurrence in the pack house?” Richard asked.

“Not as common in the pack house because everyone can smell your business. But before the pack houses opened, it was a pretty big issue, yes,” Patrick shrugged, pulling the man into their own hug.

“That was, what, a hundred years ago?” Richard smirked.

“No, only fifty,” Patrick laughed.

Devyn felt Jason pull away. The neko glanced at Richard and Patrick warily, before pressing his lips against Devyn’s. The wolf’s hands lowered to pull Jason closer. His tongue ran over Jason’s mouth, trying to get inside, but Jason resisted the attempt.

“Okay you two, that’s enough,” Richard said, startling Devyn. “We don’t need to give the old guy a heart attack with your kissing.”

“Oh please, let the kids have their fun. I’m not that old,” Patrick snorted.

“Yeah? Your roots are showing, old man.”

“Shit!”

Patrick pulled away from Richard, racing out of the room as Richard laughed. The man followed him, leaving Devyn and Jason alone.

Jason’s hand rose, gently caressing the wolf’s cheek, and Devyn let out a soft moan. Pushing closer to the neko, Devyn licked his brother’s cheek, offering a calming kiss.

‘R u o k?’ he signed awkwardly.

Jason’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but he nodded. Raising his own hands, the neko signed back slowly.

‘Why are you signing?’

‘Mr. Daniel wants us to sign.’

It took ages to finger spell everything. When he lowered his hands, Jason took them, gently working them through the gestures Devyn had just spelled out.

‘Again,’ he signed finally, and Devyn frowned at his hands, slowly signing through the sentence on his own.

“Hey, are you two okay in here? You’re awfully quiet,” Richard said, ducking his head out of the kitchen.

‘Yes. I’m helping Devyn with his signing,’ Jason signed.

“Okay. Not sure what most of that was, but I got the yes part at least,” Richard shrugged. “When you get a chance, there’s a box from the orphanage for you, and an envelope from the palace. I’m not touching either of them.”

Devyn’s ears pricked up at the words, though in this form, they couldn’t do much but wiggle slightly. A tinge of fear shot through him, but he kept himself calm on the outside.

‘Why would they send a box?’ he signed.

Jason shrugged, heading toward the kitchen. Devyn followed him, grabbing the neko’s hand securely. Jason squeezed his hand gently, and the wolf leaned against him for support, his cane tapping quietly in his other hand.

A large box sat on the table, a small envelope laying on top of it. Devyn watched the neko run a claw through the top of the envelope. Four gold coins fell into Jason’s hand, and the neko’s eyes widened in shock.

“Oh, you got paid?” Richard smiled. “You should set a couple of those aside for later, so you and Devyn have some money to use if you decide to get your own place.”

Jason tucked a couple of the coins into his pocket, handing the other two to Richard. The man blinked, then pushed Jason’s hand back.

“No, keep them. The crown is supposed to send us money to help take care of you. I don’t need any of your money,” he said.

“I saw Mom open a letter like that,” Devyn said, a sudden memory crawling from the depths of his mind. “There was gold in it.”

Richard let out a long sigh.

“I wish I could say I was surprised,” he muttered.

Devyn frowned, realising he’d talked. He wasn’t supposed to talk. The wolf shut his mouth, pressing his lips together as though it would take the words back.

A sudden gasp broke his focus, and Devyn hurried to his brother’s side, peering into the now open box. Inside were several folded papers, shoved beside a stack of clear CD cases. A blue scarf sat at the bottom. Devyn frowned at the careless appearance of the contents.

Jason was trembling next to the wolf, a hand frozen halfway toward the stack of discs.

“Jason? Are you okay?” Richard asked.

The neko shrugged, hugging the box against his chest. He carried it from the room, vanishing upstairs.

“Give him a moment, both of you,” Patrick said, stopping Devyn from following Jason. “I think this is something he needs to do on his own.”

‘Y?’ Devyn signed.

“Because that box holds memories for him that might be private.”

Devyn frowned, staring after his brother. He didn’t know how Patrick knew that, but the wolf could smell Jason’s sorrow. This wasn’t just sadness, his mate was feeling this deep in his heart.

JASON

“Up you go Jaskaa.”

Tortoiseshell arms lifted the five year old neko off the ground, seating him on the back of a tall horse. On the computer screen, Jason screamed in a mix of fear and delight as the horse took a step forward.

“Don’t call him that,” the neko holding the camera scolded.

“Why not? He should have pride in where he came from,” the Ythin said, holding Jason up.

The camera shut off, leaving a blank screen behind. Jason sat in front of the computer, curled up around Elroy as he watched the CD play out. Memories filtered slowly through his mind, blurry thoughts of his father replaced with a joyful Ythin. He could feel warm arms hugging him, the tortoiseshell tucking him in at night.

Another disc replaced the current one. Jason hesitated before pressing play. This was the last disc, and none of the previous ones had a single image of his mother. She’d always been behind the camera.

Caterwauling filled the room, Jason’s ears flicking in surprise as the screen lit up with a sunbaked field. Mountains could be seen in the distance, across a desert.

The camera shook slightly as the neko holding it took a deep breath. The singing continued, one voice splitting into two, and Jason shivered. He knew this song, one he could never remember the words to. There were none.

In the field, a grey Niwo was kicking a football to her son. The caterwauling drowned out their laughs, the camera staying a distance back, as though Jason’s father was respecting his own traditions as well as those of his mate.

The football bounced toward the camera, and the young neko ran toward it. He forgot the ball as the strains of his father’s song hit his ears, and soon, Jason was demanding to be picked up by his father.

“I’m sorry, young one. I can’t hold the camera and you,” his father said.

“Oh, give me the camera,” the Niwo laughed, as the screen went dark.

It brightened a moment later, Jason sitting on the Ythin’s hip. The caterwauling picked up again, quieter, more subdued, but though the Niwo wrinkled her nose, she did nothing to stop the singing that Jason loved so much.

“Happy birthday khüü minii,” the tortoiseshell murmured, before the camera cut off again.

Jason stared at the screen, Elroy held tight against his chest. Agony burned in his gut, the ache of losing a family he barely remembered. He wanted to be alone, but a sudden thought flashed through his mind, a question of what was the point of it all?

The neko let out a sharp whistle.

Seconds later, the door slammed open, Devyn racing across the room with his cane. Jason stood up, turning into the wolf’s assault as arms wrapped around him. Tears streamed from his eyes, Jason crushing Devyn against himself. There didn’t have to be a point. He had Devyn. The wolf loved him, and he loved the wolf. There didn’t need to be anything else.

He released the wolf a minute later, wiping at his eyes.

‘Stay here please.’

‘I no go,’ Devyn signed back, bringing the smallest smile to Jason’s lips.

The neko began pulling out papers, frowning at their crumpled state; as though the person who packed them had been in a hurry to get the job over with. A small book sat at the bottom of the box, a tiny blue handprint on the front. Jason opened it carefully, his heart skipping a beat at a picture of an Ythin and a Niwo holding a tiny bundle. The next page showed a record of Jason as a newborn, the neko curled up in a pink blanket with blind eyes.

Beside him, Devyn pulled off his clothes, tossing them to the side before shifting. The wolf set his head on Jason’s knee, and the neko stroked his head gently, wishing his throat still worked. Devyn was a good boy, and he deserved to hear Jason say that.

Slowly, the pain in his heart dulled to a steady pang. He felt wounds long scarred over reopening every time he saw his parents in a picture. One of him as an infant being blessed by a Niwo priest as his parents watched, one of him, five years old, sitting up in a chair while Ythin nekos cut his hair, the locks falling into the blue scarf that now lay at the bottom of the box on his desk. His father watched the hair fall with a proud look in his eyes, but his mother seemed uncomfortable around the crowd of Ythin.

Jason dimly remembered an argument from around that time, one that made more sense with what he’d learned of the Ythin from the palace library. His parents had always seemed happy to him, but there were memories buried, of raised voices and hissed conversations. The happy marriage he remembered crumbled before the teen neko, as he realised it was all arranged to bring better standing or breeding to the Ythin family he had come from.

And one final memory, prompted by a picture of an empty bedroom. He remembered holding Elroy, looking at the barren room one last time before being hurried to the car. They had moved from Khorsa, fled like thieves in the night, to make a fresh start in Astara.

A start that had been ended before they even reached the city.

DEVYN

Pages rustled quietly in his ears, but Devyn didn’t mind. His mate continued petting him while he read. The wolf was happy enough.

A soft knock on the door roused them both, and Jason gently brushed Devyn’s chin off his leg. Crossing the room, the neko opened the door, letting Patrick into the room a moment later.

“Dinner’s ready. If you’re not up to eating downstairs, I can make you both a plate for up here. Or a bowl,” the elf added, glancing at Devyn.

The wolf’s tail wagged at the thought, his tongue running over dry lips. Beside him, Jason shrugged, his hands signing for the elf. Devyn couldn’t understand most of the signs, but he got the impression Jason wanted to be alone for now. Though the neko had told him to stay. The wolf wasn’t going to leave until his mate told him to.

“I completely understand. But we’re here for you if you want to talk about it,” Patrick replied quietly. “I’ll bring up some crackers at least. You need to eat something, even if you don’t feel like it. Trust me on this.”

He retreated from the room, the door closing quietly behind him. Jason returned to his seat, and Devyn took up his former position, a small whine escaping him when the petting didn’t continue.

Instead, Jason peered back into his box, a frown on his lips as he pulled out a sheet of paper. A key fell from the sheet, bouncing off Devyn’s nose, and the wolf let out a startled yelp.

Jason patted his head gently as he bent to retrieve the key. The neko stared at the metal for a moment, before his eyes turned back to the letter.

There was a moment of silence.

And then Jason let out a shocked gasp, standing up. Devyn was knocked off his leg again, and the wolf let out an annoyed grunt. How was he supposed to be a good therapy wolf if he kept getting knocked around?

His question went unanswered. Jason darted toward the door, paper and key in hand. Devyn scrambled after him, following the neko down the stairs. A brief flash of pride filled him at how well Jason was handling the stairs now, but Devyn shook it off, racing into the kitchen with his mate.

Jason slapped the paper onto the table in front of Richard, his hands signing frantically as soon as they were free. Their father stared at the neko in confusion, shaking his head.

“Jason, slow down. I don’t understand,” he frowned.

Patrick set a plate in front of Richard, his eyes following Jason’s hands.

“That’s wonderful, Jason.”

The words only left Devyn confused himself. What were they talking about? What was wonderful? Something good had happened, he guessed, but the wolf had no idea what.

The neko shrugged at the elf’s reply, motioning toward the paper that was now in Richard’s hands.

“Oh. Well… congratulations? Do you want to go see it?” the man asked, looking up at Jason.

Devyn let out a low bark, demanding to be let in on the secret. He had no idea what was happening, but he needed to know. What if it was bad for Jason?

‘Tomorrow,’ Jason signed a moment later, glancing at Devyn.

“Is that a no? You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want,” Richard said, staring at the neko. “Even if you’re an adult, I’m not going to make you go anywhere. But honestly, I didn’t realise nekos were adults at seventeen.”

“Oh yeah, Dowager Finley made that a law when Queen Erin died. It was the only way he could rule without a regent,” Patrick spoke up. “And he said tomorrow, by the way.”

Jason signed again, Devyn staring at his hands, but the neko was using strange signs, signs the wolf had never seen before. To his surprise, Patrick signed back, not bothering to talk out loud.

“Okay, that’s not fair. Are you two signing in Rellanic?” Richard demanded.

Patrick nodded with a smirk, leaving Devyn confused. There were multiple sign languages? He thought there was only one.

The elf leaned toward Richard, whispering into the man’s ear, and Richard frowned.

“Sure, but you’re doing another hour behind the wheel,” he said.

Jason let out a silent groan, but nodded. Devyn had to piece together his next sentence.

‘If I like it, can wolf and I stay there Varya night?’

Patrick laughed at the sign.

“Which wolf?”

Devyn’s head cocked in confusion, watching Jason’s face heat up. The neko signed a D a second later, glancing at Devyn.

‘Wolf, not Werewolf,’ his hands signed a moment later, and the pieces fell into place for Devyn. His brother called him Wolf in sign language. Devyn’s chest filled with happiness, his tail wagging wildly as he licked his brother’s hip.

He paused as another thought came to mind. Stay where? Did Jason get a house from the box of memories?