(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75: A threat made with love

The Captain reached out his fingers, grazing the space just beneath Kellen’s eyes to wipe away the tears threatening to fall. Kellen sighed at the touch, but froze at the words that came out of the Captain’s mouth.

"Good boy." He murmured, and Kellen felt his heart race for a different reason. Combined with the way he looked, Kellen felt in over his head. The Captain chuckled at Kellen’s expression. "Didn’t like that?" He asked, and Kellen gave him a look. Kellen pushed Gwen’s arms off of him, and she released him slowly. The mood was ruined for the night, and Kellen knew it was his fault. Everyone had been having such a good time until all of his shit was brought up. It was always like this. It was one of the reasons he never spoke about himself. Feeling awkward, he wasn’t quite sure how to recover from this situation.

"Well, no, I didn’t." Kellen told him rather firmly, lying more to himself than the Captain. The way the Captain’s eyes glinted told Kellen that he didn’t believe him in the slightest. Taylor’s laughter over the phone distracted Kellen from his thoughts.

"I think you said something about not being the kinky one, Kellen? Can I make an argument that both of you are kinky, and neither one more than the other? As your primary physician, there are some things I cannot disclose, but as your friend, I do have some questions." Hill was particularly interested in what Taylor had to say, which didn’t surprise Kellen. What did surprise him was how interested Casper was in what she was going to say. Brent, however, scoffed, waving his hand in disinterest.

"Of course he’s kinky. The man kept going back over and over to the front lines after literally getting beaten out of gates. Over and over. Anyone who does that is kinky." Brent shrugged, aware of what that said about him. Hill laughed, reached out, and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess that’s right." She agreed easily, and Gwen wiped her eyes. Casper was kind enough to grab her some paper towels from the kitchen since Kellen didn’t have any tissues or something like it in sight.

"Then I hope I don’t enjoy my time on the front lines. So far I’ve managed to avoid the Esper curse of losing their humanity. I don’t want to start now." She said with a sniffle, and Hill laughed, smiling at the young Esper.

"Oh sweetheart, I don’t think you’re going to get out of there unscathed, but if you ever need some help, I’m always available." Gwen blinked at Hill’s clear offer. Then she blushed.

"Absolutely do not hit on my sister in front of me, or I will beat your ass." Kellen warned Hill, and she gave him a cheeky grin.

"Oh? You are what army?" She asked, and Kellen pointed at the Captain, accidentally making contact with his chest since he thought he was sitting further back on the couch. Kellen winced when he felt his nail graze his skin even through the dress shirt he wore.

"The Brother-in-law package, I believe. He knows what you are like, and I’m sure he’d be willing to help me." Brent snorted, crossing his arms as he looked over his friend and his sister. Both looked like a mess, but he was glad they were already back to joking. Too much seriousness, and Brent wanted to flee.

"With a fee is written all over that man’s face. Are you sure you should be worrying about your sister right now Kellen? It looks like you’re more likely to get devoured, Kellen." Kellen didn’t let his words bother him. He had known there would probably be a fee involved, and Kellen thought he’d be able to handle it.

"I will always worry about my sister. That is my right as her older brother. Keep your hands to yourself, everyone. She’s practically a minor." Gwen, who was well over the age of 18, in fact, even into her 20’s, glared at her older brother. She crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.

"I am not a minor at all, Kellen. You’re treating me like a child." She protested.

"As he should. They’re all monsters, Gwen. I know you like to have your fun, but be careful. There are some people on staff who have a reputation." It was obvious what Taylor wasn’t saying, and Hill paled. "Oh, I wasn’t really speaking about you, Hill. In the grand scheme of things, you’re like a gentle giant compared to some of the other things I have to deal with." That only made everyone curious about what she was referring to. Was it wounds, bruises, or something else entirely? "And on that note, I shall leave you all in suspense, and I am going to end the call. Mom’s been waiting patiently for me to finish for us to continue work on our puzzle. I won’t see you till Monday, everyone. I actually plan to take my weekend off this time." She hung up and everyone sat there rather awkwardly.

"Well, did we want to continue drinking, or shall we call it a night?" Brent broke the silence to ask the question, and everyone shared a look. "Yeah, I thought so. I’ll help clean up. Captain Thatcher, did you want our help to bring the chairs back over?" He asked and the Captain shook his head.

"No, not at all. I have a feeling we’ll be over here more often than over at my place, so might as well tuck them against a wall for now to keep them out of the way. But if you could help me clean up the empties, that would be appreciated." Kellen was a little surprised that he spoke for the two of them, but then again, one didn’t become a Captain of a Guild without having a controlling personality. The others began shuffling around, moving the stools until they were almost out of line of sight. Kellen, knowing at this point that no one was going to let him help, headed for the kitchen and filled up the kettle. He turned it on, and pulled down a mug for himself to make a cup of tea. After everything that had happened today, he really needed some normalcy to calm himself down. Gwen joined him in the kitchen while everyone else went around cleaning up. No one bothered the siblings, allowing them some time alone. Kellen glanced at his sister, frowning at how puffy her eyes were. Of course, she’d recover quickly, she was an Esper, but he hated seeing her this way.

"If you ever think you deserve to be abandoned again, I’m going to knock your lights out." Gwen threatened quietly as the kettle popped. Kellen laughed, knowing damn well that she wouldn’t be able to do that to him, because he couldn’t do that to her. But he appreciated her care.