The Moon's Light

Chapter Twenty-Two

I never managed to guess what it was Jason hadn't been able to say. I supposed it didn't really matter and things went right back to normal once Katty came back fed. She apologized for putting me in red, telling me she hadn't meant to. I could only shrug it off. Neither of them had followed through on their obvious desire for me, so I couldn't really fault them for it.

I glanced over my shoulder, distracted from the game I was playing with Logan as Katty went digging through kitchen cabinets, hunting for something. I quickly refocused before I ended up losing a life. Katty found whatever she had been looking for and hauled it off into her bedroom. Some sort of industrious bug had bitten her and she was scrubbing the entire apartment clean.

The thought that I should offer to help occurred, but she seemed content to do it on her own. And she kept sending me and Logan fond looks every time she passed so she couldn't possibly be upset or irritated. I hoped. Even if she had just had to pick up Logan from school for fighting.

Jason woke up and moved into the kitchen to cook while Katty continued her cleaning vendetta. She took a break while the four of us ate and then Jason was off to work while Logan went to bed. I told Katty I could do the dishes and she happily thanked me as she got back to wherever she had left off. I was barely started when someone knocked on the door.

Not sure if Katty had heard it, I went to get it. And felt my heart stop when I got a look at who was on the other side.

Sophia gave me a hungry smile. I retreated a step, glancing towards Katty as she made a timely appearance. She smoothly placed herself in between me and Sophia while demonstrating nothing but friendly ease as she greeted Sophia. "Hello Sophia. This is a surprise."

Sophia answered but I didn't catch it. A hundred different scenarios were running through my head. None of them good. I feared Sophia was here to ask for me back. I wasn't entirely clear how Katty and Jason had retrieved me from Pierre, but if there were any loophole where Sophia could demand me back as recompense...

"Max. Would you...?"

My name and the gentle tone Katty used broke me out of the terror seeping in and reminded me of my place. I couldn't be standing here gawking when there was work to be done. I suddenly wished I had offered to help Katty with the house work. The happier she was with me, the less likely she would be to just hand me over.

I got to work making tea and listened to Sophia talking while she and Katty settled at the table. "I see you got the human back. Pierre was not at all pleased about the snapped neck but I think he understands your point now. I must say, I was rather displeased that I was denied a second in command while he healed."

I hesitated, frozen. Snapped neck?! Cold fear that this was the outrage Sophia would be claiming me over warred with the warm heat creeping up my back at the thought of such vicious tactics used on my behalf. I sort of wished I had been conscious when that had happened. Katty's response took a moment to sink in and bring me back to the present.

"I suppose I should be sorry but I'm really not. Your second has poor planning and bad information if he thought I wouldn't protect what's mine. Not really a point in his favor."

Sophia just chuckled, apparently not as upset as her words might have indicated. "Perhaps he will learn from this experience then." Her attention shifted to me as I brought tea cups over. I couldn't keep my hands from shaking and rattling the cups. "So nice to see he's been working out for you. Did you put down his friends then?"

I retreated back to the kitchen to finish fixing the tea. "No. Just let my members adopt them."

"I was getting very close to putting him down actually. He was just so out of control. I found the best motivator for good behavior was deprivation. Whether it be companionship, food, mobility, any number of things really. My favorite was orgasm denial. Have you found his spot yet?"