Mommy Dearest: Chapter 7

[solarbaby614]

Summary: Want. Take. Have.
 

“A tiger never returns to his pray he did not finish off.”

-Chinese Proverb

Casey clinched his eyes tight, turning from the woman beside him. “No. You’re not real. Not anymore.”

 

There was a huff from beside him. “I gave your mother my word that I would keep an eye out for you. That’s merely what I’m doing.”

 

He glared up at her. “It’s not possible. Astronema doesn’t exist anymore.”

 

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “But I’m real enough.”

 

“Real enough for what?” Casey pulled himself off the bed, wincing as it pulled at stitches on his side.

 

“To show you the truth.” She reached out as if to brush his hair, only to pout when he flinched away. “Just look in the mirror.”

 

He eyed her and shifted his position to try and catch a glimpse without doing any more damage than he had done already. When he saw made him freeze and his blood turn cold. “No. There is no way.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No!” Denial laced his voice. “It’s not possible.”

 

“Your instincts are coming to surface. You are becoming what you were always meant to be. Your mother’s son.”

 

“What are you?”

 

“Casey, you shouldn’t be up.”

 

He turned to the voice and realized that it was RJ standing in the doorway. His master started to head over to him only to stop when Casey flinched back. “No. Don’t come closer.”

 

“What?” RJ sent red ranger a confused look. He took a hesitant step forward when Casey jerked back again. “What are you talking about?”

 

“No! Stay back!”

 

“Casey?”

 

Casey shot past RJ, through the open door into the main area of the loft. He only made it half way across the mat before the pain in his side became too much and he collapsed to his knees. From the side of his vision, he caught sight of someone kneeling beside him. A hand reached out and Casey scrambled away.

 

“What is the matter with you?” RJ paled when his student’s head jerked up and he felt a chill down to his bones.

 

Casey’s eyes were gold.

 

“Casey?”

 

The red ranger scrambled to his feet, grasping his side.

 

Astronema approached him. “Come on Casey, let’s play.” She seemed to almost pout when he shook his head.

 

“Just go away.” He shivered as he felt a whisper in his back of his mind. It forced images of pain and death to the front and Casey gave a whimper.

 

“I’m your true teacher, Casey.” Astronema whispered to him. “It’s my lessons that you still remember. I trained you to be my right hand one day, yet you turned your back on it all. On me.” She shifted out of his view. “Now’s your time to make amends. Take him. Break him.”

 

“She wants you gone.” His head fell forward and he pressed both hands to either temple. “You challenge her claim. You’re a pawn. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

 

RJ’s other arm snaked out and he gripped both of the cub’s shoulders while meeting his gaze unflinching. “You’re sick, Casey. That arrow did something to you.”

 

Casey blinked and Astronema whispered along his throat. No breath teased his senses and he knew that was wrong. Astronema would draw air into her lungs if it was real. She would pull the cool winds cross his skin and down his spin but at the moment she was curiously still.

 

“Free yourself.”

 

The tiger lowered his head and he resisted the thought. He pressed the image of RJ broken and bent to his will from his mind. It left a stain in its wake causing him to shudder and reach out to grasp the shoulders that rose slightly above his own. He pulled the other man forward and viciously slammed his forehead into his master’s chin.

 

RJ’s grip loosened, in the surprise attack and Casey shoved him away. “You reek of humanity and morals.”

 

Astronema stepped up to RJ and seemed to give him a once over, before smiling with approval. RJ continued to watch Casey wearily as she returned to the tiger’s side. “Yet you still want him.”

 

She seemed amused by the blush that crossed his face. “He’s only human, Casey. You’re not.” She leaned forward and whispered. “Just take him. There’s nothing stopping you.”

 

Casey glanced at her, before taking a step toward the wolf. He paused for a moment, shaking his head. This was wrong. He didn’t want to do this. Hurting RJ was the last thing that he wanted.

 

But there it was. Something down inside fought against him. It kept trying to push him forward. A dark voice that whispered in the back of his mind that kept getting louder and more prominent with every breath he took.

 

“Listen to it. Take what you want.”

 

“No, I can’t.”

 

“Yes, you can. Do it.”

 

Both Astronema and the voice were starting to make sense. Fighting against it was just too hard. He did want RJ. Why shouldn’t he have what he wanted? He smirked and started his approach again. His eyes seemed to almost glow.

 

RJ shifted back, falling into a defensive position. “I don’t want to hurt you, Casey.”

 

He paused. “You won’t.”

 

RJ barely had time to relax before Casey leapt at him. There was a brief struggle before the tiger had his mentor on his stomach, his arms pinned behind his back. He leaned forward and whispered. “I won’t give you the chance.”

 

There was a low groan in his ear as RJ felt Casey rubbed his body up against him.

 

“Casey…” He hissed.

 

Casey chuckled. “What’s wrong, RJ? Don’t you like this?” He pressed down and leaned his head against the side of RJ’s, sniffing. “You do. I can smell. The panic,” He nuzzled the wolf’s head, “the fear, the humiliation. It sours your scent. But underneath it all I can smell lust.” His teeth brush the master’s neck, just begging for the chance to make its mark.

 

RJ tried to buck his captor off, only achieving some unneeded friction. He was ashamed to find his body was responding to Casey’s actions. “What are you doing?”

 

“Taking what I want.” He laughed darkly. “Want. Take. Have.” One of his hands slid down RJ’s side, eliciting a shiver in response.

 

Any thoughts of taking this any farther was cut short as he heard echoing laughter come from down stairs.

 

“It looks as though we’ll have company soon.”

 

Casey growled and glanced up to see Astronema watching the two of them. Damn, he’d forgotten she was there. With one quick move he leaned down and nipped at RJ’s ear. “We’ll finish this later.”

 

Then the weight was gone. RJ flipped over onto his back and looked around, but Casey has seemingly disappeared.

 

“RJ?”

 

He looked up to see Lily and Theo coming down the stairs. They shot him a worried look as they took in his disheveled appearance.

 

RJ merely shut his eyes and ran a shaky hand through his hair, only to realize both it and his arms were soaked with blood.

 

Casey’s blood.