Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 9 ( M)

I take care of my needs hastily under the hot spray of the showerhead, enjoying the inviting warmth of the steam that filled the small, stark white room. This room was much more enjoyable than the one we had in the hospital quarters, not as spacious but much more comfortable and we were able to adjust the lighting away from the stark fluorescents that lined the halls and illuminated every room. 

"Artifice," I call, stepping out of the shower. "Where is Verando Mercer?"

I here the delicate chime. "Verando Mercer. Scanning. Unknown. It would seem that I have been asked to lose track of him." I hesitate as I scrub myself off with a towel. Quickly, I make my way to the door and peer into the bedroom to see that he's gone. 

"How can someone do that?" My heart leaps when Artifice answers.

"I have a manual. One could pull up the manual, enter my passcodes and give me specific instruction. I am Artifice. I am eternally at your service." 

I glare towards the ceiling. Well, that's annoying. "Not very safe, is it?" I'm arguing with a machine, I must be desperate. My attempts did nothing to soothe my lust, I'm grouchy and irritable, maybe arguing with Artifice was better for me than hunting down my sulking husband.

"I assure you, Nicolas, I'm the safest artificial being there is. My passcodes are encrypted, if one took the time to figure them out then one must have a good reason."

"Or a really crappy one. When did this happen Artifice?"

"This morning. At 7:43 AM." I curse. Not long after we left, he had planned it this way all along. He doesn't want to go with me because he wants to be here. I run my hand through my damp hair, why am I surprised? He told me as much. 

"Artifice. Rename Verando Mercer 'asshole', please. He'll think it's quite funny. Even if he tells you to stop, I'd like to have sole command over that." I giggle to myself as I pull on my pants, laying the foundation for possible use later. 

"I see this makes you happy. Alright, Nicolas. I will do as you ask. Ha. Ha."

I decide Artifice maybe isn't so creepy after all as I button up my jeans and pull on a long sleeve, pale v-neck. As I look at myself in the mirror, I lift the shirt casually to gaze at my abdomen and turn from side to side. Healthy. Bastards. I look trim as I always did, my fingers trace the faint lines of my hips and slide up to the hardly visible lower abdominal muscles. While I'm not the meek man I was when he met me, my body rejected putting on the mass muscle tone a Lycan welcomed. I rest my hand flat under my navel and roll my eyes at myself, yanking my shirt down to storm out of the room.

Entering the living area, I note that Gary is cooking and it seems this family eats much more casually than my own. They freely move around with plates, sitting or standing, perched or leaned. There's no formal etiquette, no casual chit chat about trends or politics. I listen as Tonic hears about Silva's day, spying that Gary is making a rather sour face as he stirs a pot of rice. I casually make my way over to the tall, white-haired man. 

"Thank you for dinner. Do you like to cook?"

"I do." He says roughly. He looks so much like Verando, it makes my heart jump, the snow-white hair is quite an exotic touch. His icy eyes glance towards me and he does my favorite dramatic eye-roll and I smile at him as any strange relative would.

"Can I help?" I ask curiously. He thinks it over and grumbles that I can chop an onion if I so, please. I happily oblige, strategically facing out to scan over the group. Helen sits curled up at Tyler's feet like a loyal puppy, leaning against his knee as she listens to him talk. One might think it was a sub servant roll but I recognize it well as Verando often took the position whenever I read, it was a closeness, a bond. Touching as much as possible while still occupying different spaces. The cool, inviting floor over the stuffy, hot couch.