Soul Bond: Part 8

Next ep!  Jared and Liam are being a big more vociferous than I had originally thought.  It looks like maybe 15 or possibly even 16 episodes total before we're done.  So, you know, half way there!

Enjoy!

8

            Liam absolutely loved the weight of Jared on him.  It made him feel powerful and important to not only hold Jared’s weight but to have made the man feel so sated and relaxed.  He couldn’t explain why, he wasn’t normally such a smug lover, but knowing that he’d made Jared feel so good was doing arrogant things to his ego.  Perhaps it was because he could feel Jared’s emotions and he knew, without a doubt, that everything Jared had experienced under his hands had been exactly what he wanted, what he needed.  He’d never been bonded to anyone before, and he certainly never had sex quite like that, but the effect had been amazing.  Knowing that he was pleasing his lover had always been high on Liam’s list of wants.  With Jared, there was no mistaking exactly how it had been for him.

            Jared was so relaxed, in fact, that the link between them was wide open.  Liam wasn’t sure if Jared knew he was broadcasting his feelings so clearly.  Even if he did, Liam didn’t think he’d care at the moment.  The man was tired and sore, but very happy and satisfied.  He’d never experienced Jared’s feelings this openly.  And even though he was just as pleased and sated, he knew he’d be remiss in letting this opportunity pass by.  He felt bad, but he needed to push into Jared’s situation a little.

            “You’re wide open, right now, did you know that?” Liam asked, keeping his voice soft because he didn’t want to disturb the wonderful languor they had fallen into.

            “I know,” Jared snorted.

            “Funny, smartass,” Liam chuckled.  “I meant the bond.”

            The man gave a small contented sigh, “I’m feeling pretty damn good right now.  So good,” Jared sighed again, then yawned.  “I’m sure everything’s on display.”

            Liam waited for a moment before he spoke again.  This could go one of two ways; either Jared would tense back up and his emotions would cloud again, or Jared would answer his questions. “We should probably talk about some stuff then.”

            The ensuing beat of silence was interrupted by another yawn from Jared.  “Sure.  About what?”   

            “Tell me more about yourself, angel,” Liam asked quietly, because he desperately wanted to know everything about this man.  What he told Jared was true.  The bond they shared didn’t create feelings, but it broke down the barriers quicker.

            Jared’s voice was soft and sleepy, “What do you want to know?”

            Liam shrugged, jostling Jared’s head in the process.  He slipped a hand into the man’s hair and massaged his scalp in apology.  “Everything.  Tell me about where you lived, your job, your friends and what you do for fun.”

            Jared was silent for a long moment.  Liam could feel a tiny tendril of anxiety, but, mostly, Jared was confused. 

            “You aren’t some trick I picked up to take home and fuck and never call again.  I want to know about you.”  Liam worked hard to keep the irritation from his tone.  He didn’t know what he had done to make Jared think that this wasn’t a big deal.

            “There’s really not that much to tell, Liam,” Jared said softly. 

            Carefully, Liam turned sideways and laid Jared on the bed next to him so that they could look at each other.  This was a conversation they needed to have face to face.  Jared didn’t have the benefit of feeling Liam’s emotions as strongly as Liam felt his, so he would have to show the man that he was really interested.  Once Jared was settled, Liam threw his leg over the smaller man’s hips, keeping him close.

              “Tell me anyway.  Tell me about where you lived,” Liam said, carefully keeping his will out of the command.  He didn’t want to push too much.  The last thing he wanted was for Jared to resent him when they finally figured this out and the bond was broken.  Just the thought of losing the bond gave Liam a pang in his chest.  He pushed all that aside and focused on his lover.

            Jared’s smile was soft and a little self deprecating.  “I lived in a tiny shit hole basement apartment.  Marvin had to have his water playtime in the bathtub.  I didn’t even have room for a fish tank.”

            Liam’s eyebrows shot up.  “You’d put him in a fish tank?”

            The laugh was warm and melodic and Liam found himself grinning.  “No, of course not.  But I’ve always wanted to keep fish.  I just didn’t have the room.”

            “What kind of fish?” Liam asked.

            “Didn’t matter.  There are thousands of awesome breeds out there.”

            “So, if room didn’t matter, if you had space for anything, what would you get?”

            Jared’s face lit up.  “I’d have a huge tank.  Like, a hundred gallons.  And I’d keep live coral and clown fish and angelfish and starfish and anemones and—“

            “No,” Liam teased.  “You haven’t given this any thought at all.”

            Jared chuckled and Liam was relieved that the man knew he was kidding.  “Yeah.  So I have an active imagination.  Someday, I’ll have the space for all that.”

            Liam nodded.  “So being on the Tribunal’s payroll didn’t mean you have enough money to get your own house?”

            Jared gave a one shoulder shrug.  “The pay is pretty good.  But I put myself through college and there were a lot of loans to pay back.”

            “What did you get your degree in?”

            Liam had thought that was an innocent enough question until Jared blushed.  He mumbled something under his breath that, even being as close as they were, Liam didn’t catch.  He had to prod and cajole a little before Jared finally huffed out a breath and relented.

            “Fine arts.  I wanted to work for a museum.”

            To say that Liam was surprised would have been an understatement.  He would have never pegged Jared as an art lover.  But now that he knew, it made sense.  He studied the man for a moment, then nodded.  “So how did you end up working for the Tribunal instead of The Met?”

            “Fell into it, really.  My mentor knew Morgan.  And when I graduated and couldn’t find a job with a museum, he talked to her and she suggested applying to the Investigations office in Caribou.  About six weeks later, I started working as the aide to the director.”

            Jared’s tone sounded like this was no big deal, but his emotions started swirling.  Liam was quiet for a few moments as he tried to sort them out.  Anxiety was definitely at the top, followed closely by some anger and resentment.  What was that all about?

            “How long did you work there before…everything?” Liam asked carefully.

            “I’d just had my fifth anniversary.  They brought cake into the office to celebrate.  It’s one of the last things I remember.”

            Liam nodded, filing away that information.  They knew that whoever had caused Jared’s memory loss had to be work related.  It was the only thing from the last eight months that Jared couldn’t remember.  And there was one person that would have the most cause to mess with Jared’s recollections.

            “Did you like your boss?”

            Jared’s eyes widened and the shock reverberated down the link. “Mr. Ridgley?  He’s a great boss.  I loved working for him.”

            Liam could tell by Jared’s tone and face that he was being absolutely sincere.  But the emotions that came down the bond did not match the words and tone at all.  Jared wasn’t that good of an actor.  Hell, Spencer Tracy wasn’t that good of an actor.  It only took a few seconds for Liam come to the conclusion that Jared was certain that his boss was amazing.  But what the man knew and what he had experienced were completely different.

            “Angel,” Liam said quietly, doing his best to keep his voice soothing.  “You’re feelings don’t match with what you just said.”

            Jared sat up fast and scooted away a few inches until he reached the end of the mattress and had to stop or fall off.  “You think my boss did this?” Jared asked incredulously.  “There’s no way.  No way, Liam!  I’m telling you, Mr. Ridgley is an amazing boss.  He’s kind and compassionate and always leads a fair and unbiased investigation.  There is no way in hell he would do this to someone, let alone me.  He’s not responsible for this.”

            Liam reached out and took hold of Jared’s arm, tugging the man back into his embrace when Jared started to tremble.  Liam squeezed tight, knowing Jared loved to be held, and made soothing noises in his ear.  He hadn’t meant to upset Jared but at least they now had a starting point.

            When Jared was calmed down, Liam pulled back far enough to see his face without letting the man go.  “I’m hearing what you’re saying, Jared.  I know you believe it.  But you’re feelings towards the man are completely opposite.  Your emotions are telling me that you think he’s arrogant and pompous and pretentious.  You feel like he’s lazy and makes you do most of his work, which isn’t your job.  You think he’s totally unequipped to handle the job.”

            “No.  I—“ Jared stopped and shook his head.  Then he took a deep, shaky breath.  He was a little bit suspicious.  “Really?”

            “Really,” Liam assured him.  “I mean, I’m extrapolating a bit from the emotions and feelings I’m getting from you, but yeah.  I’m not going to ever lie to you, but especially not about something this important.”

            “I don’t think any of those things about him,” Jared protested weakly.

            “You don’t,” Liam agreed.  “But you feel them.”

            Jared nodded slowly.  His breath whooshed out of his lungs and he tucked himself close to Liam.  His voice was muffled by Liam’s throat when he asked, “What do we do now?”

            “I think,” Liam said slowly, “That’s why we did this whole bond thing in the first place, right?  So we could get to the bottom of it.   It gives us a starting point at least, angel.  I think that we need to go talk to Kelly.”

            “Right now?” Jared asked, his voice going high.

            Liam couldn’t help but laugh.  “Well, maybe we should shower first.”

            Jared didn’t laugh like Liam expected him to.  Liam hugged him closer, trying to keep him from shaking apart.  Jared clung and Liam loved that he felt safe enough to use Liam as his shelter. 

            “I’m scared,” Jared whispered, voice barely audible.

            “I know, angel.  I know you are.  But I’m going to take care of you.  I’m going to keep you safe.  Bond or no bond, I’ll keep you safe.  I promise.”

            Jared’s relieved sigh was music to Liam’s ears.  He believed him.  He knew Liam would take care of him.  Liam made a solemn vow never to break that trust.  He held Jared until the man stopped shaking, until his emotions calmed down and all Liam could feel was the barest hint of fear.  That probably wouldn’t go away for a long while.  But for now, Jared felt safe.

            “Come on.  Let’s get clean and dressed and head over to talk to Kelly.  The sooner we get that done, the sooner we can get back here and get back into bed.

            Jared gave a weak laugh.  “Deal.” 

 

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