Chapter Twelve

The loud pounding on the outer door woke her up with a start.

“We’re waiting downstairs for you.”

“Go away Phoenix.”

“Come eat, or face Quinn.” He growled before he turned and stomped down the stairs.

“That sounded like an order.”

“Ignore Phoenix, I do it all the time.”

“And Quinn?”

“She’s harder to ignore. Are you hungry?”

“What time is it?”

“Morning. You slept the rest of the day and all night.”

“You should have woken me.”

He leaned over and kissed her. It was slow and drugging. His tongue licked her lips until she opened. He devoured her making her body arch towards his. When the kiss was over, she forgot what she had been saying.

“You needed your rest. I figured you could eat in the morning. How do you feel?”

“Hungry.” She stretched feeling better than yesterday. “I feel like I have more energy.”

“Then we should go get you some breakfast.”

She went to wash her face and then came back to change her clothes before she looked at him ready to go downstairs and face his family.

He took her hand, and they left his rooms and walked down the staircase. She wondered who had the other floor on this side of the house.

“Brandi,” Quinn walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. Now there are two of us. There are days when I feel outnumbered.”

“Woman power.” She raised her fist, and Quinn bumped it. They laughed.

“Today we did what I call a power breakfast. We have omelets a few are filled with vegetables. Most of them are filled with meat.” She stopped to glare at the guys. “We also have grits. The guys will eat them, but they won’t eat oatmeal, go figure. Then, of course, we have meat as a side. There is toast if you want it. The guys feel it’s worthless food unless it’s part of a sandwich, or it’s on a pizza.”

“It all sounds good I’ll try a little of everything.” She sat at the table where there were two empty seats.

“Do you want toast?” Jabari asked her.

“Only if you share it with me.”

He gave her his dark and dangerous look. The one that made her stomach jump before it melted into a heated stare. That was the one he had given her before his head went back, and the muscles and veins in his neck stood out in stark clarity as she sucked on his cock. His arms had become stiff as his muscles jumped and his roar had rocked the car as he came in her mouth. She licked her lips.

Quinn was staring at her with a knowing smile on her face. Brandi felt flush and picked up her apple juice to hide her embarrassment.

“I’m working on a project downtown. The new smart building, so I’ll have to leave soon.”

“I can’t wait to get a look inside.” She stopped talking and stared at her plate. “I’m sure it will be great since you’re working on it.”

She reached out, and Jabari was reaching for her. She held his hand tight until she could smile again.

“What about the backyard?”

“We’re doing that on the weekend. The crew is grateful for the extra money. I say we have about six more Saturdays and a few Sundays, and the job will be done.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” She started eating letting the conversation flow around her. When they were done, she pitched in and helped with cleaning the kitchen.

“Brandi, would you mind if I examined you and Fie?”

She gave Mekhi a smile. “I would appreciate it.”

Maybe he would find something the other doctors hadn’t. She cautioned herself not to get her hopes up. It was too hard to recover when you realized your diagnosis hadn’t changed.

“I’m going to see Quinn off first.”

She had to smile. Quinn was so small, and he looked like a huge shadow behind her making sure nothing happened to her.

“We’ll be in the basement,” Jabari told him. He went to the freezer and took out a large bag filled with freezer bags. He handed it to Slade before he left the room and came back with Fie.

“Mekhi has space downstairs where he treats us.” He took her hand and led her down, followed by his brothers. They walked over to a large room that was bright. As far as offices went it was nice.

She sat on a chair and watched as Slade placed the freezer bag on a long table.

“What do you have?” Mekhi asked as he walked in.

“Someone entered Brandi’s condo when we were out. They left this in the corner under her rug.”

“How did you find it?” Slade asked.

“Fie showed me where it was.”

“Thanks, Fie. I love you so much.” She gave him rubs and then kissed him as he squirmed in her arms until he found his way to her shoulder.

“We forgot to feed him last night.”

“I fed him, and Fie knows you were tired and needed your sleep.”

She hugged her cat close. Jabari took the freezer bags off one layer at a time until she could see a cocoon with hairy black legs coming out of it.

“These are Romulan beetles.”

“Why would someone leave a beetle at my place?”

His brothers turned to look at her.

“These beetles aren’t from earth.”

“Oh. That makes even less sense.”

Jabari went to sit next to her before he swept her up and placed her on his lap.

“Something's in the world kill. These kill painfully. They burrow deep inside your body and eat your organs.”

Her body was shivering even as her head was shaking. What was happening? She was already dying who could want her dead faster?

Mekhi pulled out a burner and lit it. She was tense as the fire jumped up like it was greedy for something to burn. He opened the bag and poured the beetles into the flame. The screeching as they burned hurt her ears. The smell was something she would always remember. Then he melted the plastic bag until it was nothing but a clump.

“If even one of them got loose, the earth would be in danger. They multiply by splitting in half. And they would eat through every warm bodied creature on this planet.”

“Why does someone want me dead so badly that they would risk the world to kill me?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Can I examine Fie?”

She nodded and let Mekhi take him. She had still been holding him. He sat on the table like a good boy, and she grinned at him.

“Can you neuter him, or should I take him to a vet?” There were six indrawn breaths.

“Don’t get sensitive. I’m not doing it to be mean.”

“You can’t neuter him.” Mekhi told her.

“Is he going to die?” That’s what the vet told her, but he was looking so much better now. She wanted him to live even if she couldn’t.

“No, he will live.”

“Brandi, Fie is a special cat. I know this planet neuters them, and I agree. Fie, on the other hand, is a cat you don’t want to neuter.” Jabari said.

“But why?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t have him neutered.”

“All right, but you have to take care of him.”

“I will.”

She couldn’t stand the thought of her cat being hurt any more than he had been. Maybe she should have pushed, but this was one fight she didn’t want to win.

There was a loud roar before a tiger strode into the room. She screamed and tried to get out of Jabari’s arms.

“It’s just Tee.”

“I know Tee, and that’s not her.”

“We seem to attract special cats.”

Tee hissed at Fie and faked a pounce.

“My baby!”

Fie went up on his back legs and hissed. The sound was deadly. Tee switched forms and jumped up on the table. They walked around each other before Tee butted him with her head. Fie rubbed against her. She jumped down, and he followed.

“What just happened?”

“Long story, I’ll tell you all about it later.”

“She turned into a tiger right and then a cat? I didn’t imagine that?”

“No, she does that. Unless you’re the enemy, she’s friendly.”

“I don’t think she likes me.”

“She does, believe me. Now it’s your turn to get up on the table.” Mekhi wiped it down.

“Maybe you can save me like you saved Fie.” She joked.

Mekhi took her vitals before having her lay back. He placed a clear material over her that acted like a scanner.

“Can you really see inside my body using this?”

“I can.”

“What do you see?”

“I see life but a thousand times faster than normal. Your organs are breaking down too fast. Even though they are repairing themselves at faster than normal speeds, the decomposition is beginning to win.”

“That’s what Dr. Herman said. It’s some new disease.”

“No, it isn’t. Whatever is doing this is alien to this planet.”

“How can you be sure? Do you know what it is?”

“I can’t be a hundred percent sure because I don’t know how your species came to inhabit the planet.”

“We have two theories. One is evolution.”

“Which I would believe if I saw it still happening today.”

“The other is a supreme being, God.” She always bought into the belief in a God. It was something she kept to herself, but she believed.

“That’s the problem.”

“Why?”

“It means I can’t be sure this planet is your origin, and I don’t know what organisms were once native to this planet or another you may have come from. If I believe that you were created on this planet, and it’s been as viable as it is now from the time of your creation, then I have to believe that whatever has infiltrated your system is not from this planet.”

“Why can’t you see it?”

Mekhi looked at Jabari, there was sadness in his eyes.

“Some organisms can mask their presence. Unless you know what you’re looking for you won’t find them.”

“Bottom line, I’m dying.”

“Yes.”