MARIANNE CAME RUNNING out of the house the moment the car came to a stop. Caiden got out slowly, wincing a little as his legs protested. He was still stiff and sore from being tied up, but that would soon be gone.
“Caiden!” Marianne flung herself into his arms, and Caiden took a reflexive step backwards, hanging onto her as she clung to him. He felt her crying, sobbing into his shoulder, and he kissed her cheek.
“I’m okay, Mari. I’m okay.”
“Thank God,” she said, pulling back and smiling a watery little smile at him. “We were so worried, Cai.”
“I was a bit worried myself for a while,” Caiden said. He looked over at Gray. “Until Gray and the troops showed up.”
“Yes, well, if Marianne had not called me, things might have ended very differently,” Gray said.
“Let’s go inside,” Marianne said. She took Caiden’s hand and then Gray’s. “Auntie Lou’s been in tears since we discovered you were gone.”
“Where is she?” Caiden asked. He felt the need to hug his aunt and reassure her that he was fine and home safe and sound.
“Just inside. Hien’s with her, Shelly too. Coop, Nora, Stavros, and Gina as well.” Marianne bit her lip. “Stavros and Gina feel responsible, you both should know. They feel like this is their fault because Spiro’s their son.”
“Oh hell no,” Caiden began, but Gray cut him off.
“I’ll talk to them. I’ll explain things and reassure them that they are not to blame in any way for any of this.”
“You’re a good egg, Gray,” Marianne said.
“A good egg? What happened to the apples?” Gray asked.
Marianne laughed and tugged them both along into the house.
Inside, Caiden went straight to his aunt. He hugged her tight, feeling the tremors of her slight frame against him as she wept. She didn’t say anything and neither did he, and they stood together for some time as Marianne and Gray engaged everyone else in polite conversation. Finally, Caiden pulled back and looked deeply into his aunt’s eyes.
“You haven’t lost me,” he said. “I’m harder to lose than people think.”
Auntie Lou chuckled weakly. “You’re a tough cookie, that’s certain. I’m so glad you’re home, Cai. So glad.” And then she hugged him again.
Behind him, Caiden heard Gray cough and say, “Why don’t we go into the kitchen and give them a bit of space?”
“He’s a very good man, your Gray,” Auntie Lou said to Caiden.
“Yeah, I rather like him,” Caiden said.
“I swear, when he got here, I’ve never seen anyone quite so angry. He was almost glowing silver. Marianne called him as soon as we realised you were gone, and Hien called the police. I don’t know where Gray was, but he got here first, with his friend, Zara from Interpol,” she said.
“And the army?” Caiden asked.
“I believe so. Zara said something about sy’lph technology, but to be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention.”
“I think that’s pretty understandable, Auntie Lou.”
“Yes. Well, Gray, he was furious. He and Zara spoke together in a language that I didn’t recognise, and then he went outside. Zara said he had to calm himself a little, as he was in danger of losing his temper and cracking the synthetic body that protects his real body from our eyesight. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, he went outside, and I suppose he made some more calls while he was there, because then the house seemed to be crawling with police and medics and soldiers. It was all quite frightening.”
“I bet,” Caiden said.
“The most frightening thing was that we didn’t know where you were. That’s when Cooper arrived, and he listened to what happened, then he made a call and ten minutes later, Nora showed up with a very old Aboriginal man they called Lofty.”
“Was he short?” Caiden asked.
“Not particularly.” Auntie Lou laughed. “So I suppose he didn’t get the name because of the slang for short bloke. Anyway,” she grew serious again, “he was a tracker, they said, the best on the Peninsula, so everyone pretty much followed his directions, and he figured out which tyre marks came from the van that took you and where they went. Aboriginal trackers are in a league of their own, aren’t they? They’re amazing.”
“They really are. And I’m going to have to send him the biggest thank you basket, because if it wasn’t for him . . .” Caiden trailed off.
“Oh, Cai,” his aunt said, “was it really Spiro who was involved with this Free Earth group?”
“Yeah.” Caiden sighed. “He really hates what he is. He was prepared to martyr himself in the eyes of Free Earth, just to help rid the planet of all mythica.”
“His parents are mortified,” Auntie Lou said. “They feel responsible.”
“It’s not their fault that he’s crazy and hates himself. God, they’re such lovely people!”
“I know, but we don’t know that they always were, do we? I’m not saying that they’re to blame, just that you can never really tell. As we know by Spiro!”
“I don’t think his parents are any way at fault,” Caiden said. “It’s my gut feeling.”
“I trust your gut,” Auntie Lou said. “But we should go and join everyone. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Caiden hugged her once more. “Me too, Auntie Lou.”
They went into the kitchen together, and Caiden saw that Marianne had prepared tea, coffee, and iced water for their guests. He gave the group a sheepish grin as they all looked at him when he entered the room.
“So, how about that for a bit of an adventure, eh?” he said.
“How can you be so blasé?” Gray asked. “What happened was awful.”
“Better to laugh than cry,” Cooper said.
“How’s Bluey?” Caiden asked. He didn’t really want to get into a discussion about comparative methods of dealing with things. And thoughts of Bluey had been weighing on him, as Caiden had imagined all manner of terrible outcomes for his friend.
“He’s good,” Nora said. “He should be out of hospital the day after tomorrow. He’s got a solid noggin, that boy. The blow to the head was quite hard.”
“And if it had been a little higher and to the left, we’d be focusing on a funeral,” Cooper said.
“Fuck,” Caiden said. He moved to the table, its familiar green and white Formica top so comforting after the day he had spent in the windswept ruins of Inneston. It was strange how something so incongruous could make him feel so very relieved and reassure him that he was well and truly safe.
“And Free Earth have all been caught,” Gray said. “Zara has informed me that the operation to arrest all the members—around the world—went off without a hitch.”
“Thanks to alien tech,” Hien said.
“Earth is our home now,” Gray said. “We would be terrible citizens if we didn’t help in times of crisis.”
“You’re a good lad, Gray,” Cooper said.
“Ah. Yes.” Caiden was amused to see that Gray looked a little unsettled by the compliment. “Anyway, I’m afraid I have to go off again, though this time it’s only back to Ardrossan and my office. I need to write a report, make some calls, that sort of thing.”
Caiden went to him. “I’ll walk you out.”
“All right.”
They walked out of the kitchen and down the corridor to the front door. Caiden opened it and stepped out onto the verandah with Gray. He looked down towards the sea, sparkling blue and clear now that the storm had passed. Seagulls soared overhead, screeching at each other, and by the water’s edge were three seals. His selkie perked up within him at the sight of the seals but after a moment subsided. Caiden was amused that his mythica half was less interested in seals that were not at all selkie and were simply seals.
“I was hoping perhaps that we could see each other this evening,” Gray said, his voice pulling Caiden from his thoughts. “Although, I think maybe your family should spend tonight with you.”
Caiden pulled a rueful face. “Yeah, I think you’re right about that. And I really want a good night’s sleep.”
“Of course. My apologies, I wasn’t thinking clearly about your needs, only my own.” Gray looked slightly abashed. “However, I hope that we can do something together tomorrow?”
“And when you say ‘do something together,’ I hope you mean go back to your place and have loads of hot sex?”
Gray blushed, and then he laughed. “I was going to lead up to that gradually, but yes, I was hoping for some of that.”
“Then I’d love to.”
“Wonderful. I’ll give you a call this evening to let you know how the office went today, and if I have to go in tomorrow morning, and then we can arrange what time Tom and I will come and pick you up.”
“Sounds good,” Caiden said.
Gray moved to face him. “Caiden, I had no idea that my rushing off the way I did would affect you as it did. Marianne told me,” he explained, and Caiden groaned. “I am truly, deeply sorry. I care a very great deal about you, and I would like to spend more time with you. I’d like to get to know you and . . . oh dear. I’m terrible at this.”
Caiden laughed. “You want to have a relationship type thing?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I like the sound of that. I like it a lot.”
Gray moved closer, cupped Caiden’s face between his hands and kissed him. It was soft and slow and gentle, and when the kiss ended, Caiden felt as if his world had returned to its rightful tilt on its axis.
“I’ll call you tonight,” Gray said.
“Awesome.”
“Until then, then,” Gray said and stepped back and then left the verandah, walking quickly over to his car and sliding into the back seat. Caiden watched as Tom started the engine and drove off.
He sighed and turned and went back into the house. Gray was gone again, but he wasn’t gone far, and he wasn’t gone for long. That meant everything to Caiden. He was smiling when he went back into the kitchen to rejoin his family and friends.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Auntie Lou said once again as soon as he joined them. “Caiden, I don’t want you to think I’m overreacting, but would you mind terribly letting me know when you’ll be home when you go out? Just for a little while.”
Caiden went to her and hugged her. “I don’t mind at all, Auntie Lou. I’ll call you when I go out, although I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere much for a while.”
“You’ll be going to Gray’s though, won’t you?” Marianne asked.
“Of course. I can give you his phone number if that would help?” Caiden asked his aunt.
She nodded. “Thank you, dear, it would. I don’t mean to be a pain about this, but I was so worried.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I lost your father and your mother. I couldn’t bear to lose either of you as well.”
Marianne rushed to her, and Caiden hugged them both. “You won’t lose us,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“No way,” Marianne agreed. “You’ve got more chance of losing all your hair than you have of losing us.”
Auntie Lou laughed softly at that. “I love you both very much. I want you to know that. I know we don’t say it very often, well, at all actually, but after everything that’s happened, I think it’s important that you both know how much I care about you.”
Caiden pulled back from the hug and gazed at her. “Auntie Lou,” he said seriously, “I love you too.”
“I love you as well,” Marianne said.
Auntie Lou dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “You’re good kids,” she said.
“And you’re the best aunt in the world,” Marianne said, hugging her again.
“Too bloody right,” Caiden agreed, once again joining the group hug. “Love you, sis,” he added.
“Back atcha, bro,” Marianne said.