Jason walked out of the restaurant with Mikael, and they both turned towards the nearest alley, stepping into the shadows soon after. He could sense his kin here, when they were close enough, and he felt Mikael swiftly moving from one shadow to another. He followed a similar route, and soon enough they were standing on the airstrip with Alex, near his small private plane. "I can only assume from your eagerness, that your ventures are either going very well, or very poorly indeed," he said, one eyebrow raised. "Well enough," Mikael said, and Alex nodded, looking thoughtful. "Violet Cove? That was yours?" he asked, though it was clear he was only seeking confirmation of what he'd already figured out. "It was," said Mikael, sounding a little impatient, "And we've some further trails to follow before they run cold." Alex gave him a smile, and bowed his head slightly, understanding, "Of course, I won't hold you up much longer." He looked at both of them intently then, before continuing,
The rest of the lunch was enjoyable, with Lukas being such good company, though Ashallia couldn't help but miss Jason's presence. Even as scary as he could be sometimes, she realised she couldn't help but feel connected to him, and it was clearly true in reverse. She was also beginning to feel that even as intimidating as they could be, she was safe with them. Lukas' presence was particularly calming, and she was grateful for the afternoon together, though their waitress had begun giving her glares as Lukas completely ignored her flirtations. It was amusing to watch, but Lukas seemed to tire of the attention quickly, and they headed back to the hotel soon after they finished eating. Kicking her shoes off and laying back across the large bed, she sighed softly, and Lukas smiled. "Missing him already?" he asked, starting to unpack some of his shopping, and she turned her head to him, frowning. He laughed softly, "It's written all over you, Ash," he grinned, "but I'm glad. He needs yo
Mikael sensed it, the moment Jason suddenly disappeared from the shadows, and he knew Cameron and Nate would have too. He hesitated, close on his own man's tail, but as they turned around looking over their shoulder again, he abandoned it. They clearly knew they were coming, and something wasn't right. Jason had felt it too, he knew. As he wound his way from shadow to shadow, towards where Jason had stepped out, his phone suddenly buzzed, and he paused. No one should be messaging him now, but it was a group chat notification from Lukas, requesting they check in. He immediately felt on edge, and responded quickly. Jason, however, didn't. After waiting a long few minutes, he pulled an earpiece from one of his many pockets, and connected it to his phone, just as Lukas' name appeared again, calling him. Cameron and Nate were on the call too, he realised, as he answered. "What's going on?!" Mikael asked impatiently, wondering why their work was being interrupted, and Lukas' voice came th
Ashallia frowned at Alex as he shushed her, but feel silent. She wanted to know more, still stunned at how far they'd travelled so quickly, but he was right. Finding Jason was all that mattered now. She sighed softly, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. After a moment, she realised she could sense him, but only just."He's that way, but.. it's weak, I can barely feel it," she said, her worry for him rising, "Does that mean..?" Lukas shook his head, squeezing her hand gently, "No, we don't know anything yet. Try not to think the worst." She gave him a weak smile, but Alex frowned at her, "You can sense which direction he's in?" he asked, and she nodded. "That was how he first knew," Lukas explained, his voice soft, "He said it was like a strange pulling sensation, drawing him to her." Alex looked thoughtful at that, then grabbed her other hand, "Can you tell how far?" he asked, and she thought a moment, shaking her head. "Usually it's stronger the closer we are, and it's weak
Lukas eyed Ashallia warily as she followed the other two. He could sense her weariness now, after she'd drawn it from Nate, and it made him feel concerned. It seemed she was similar to him, feeling the need to help others, but he knew all too well that there was only so much that one person could bear.She was already looking more pale, but seemed determined to keep up with Alex and Nate, as they moved through the shadows silently, along another corridor. They paused at the end, where two doorways stood opposite each other, one on either side. The right had a small shadow mark beside it, marking it as clear. They turned to the other, and Alex summoned a singular small orb this time, sending it forward to check for a reaction as it crossed the threshold. The air was thick with apprehension, that stayed after it crossed with no response from within. Alex changed the orb then, duplicating it into many, and shoving them forward, hard. Still nothing, and Nate stepped forward carefully, m
Ash frowned at Lukas, sensing his unease, and hesitation, as he sent the message. It was echoed in Alex and Mikael behind her, and she couldn't help feeling some herself, wondering what their other cousins were like to cause them to feel like this, assuming that's who 'Vik' was. She heard Mikael moving some stuff around behind her, then dragging a large, sturdy metal barrel over. Alex noticed, and helped him, and they began picking up and put the oddly shaped guns inside, barrel down. When all but three were inside, Alex raised an eyebrow at Mikael, "We can't blow it, we don't know how it will react. It could just spread it." Mikael nodded, putting the lid on firmly, "We can seal it," he said, pulling something small from his pocket, and cutting it open with a knife. Alex nodded, helping him carefully spread the substance around the rim, before they lit it and stepped back. It went up in sudden flames, with an enormous heat that she felt even as far back as she was from it. Alex che
Jason pulled her hips close as he kissed her deeply, letting his need for her overwhelm him. She embraced it fully, returning his kiss as she wrapped her arms around him, and he felt her need for him too. Yet there was something else there too, something.. deeper. He looked down into her beautiful green eyes as he tried to place the feeling, and she smiled up at him, blushing. He smiled back, and she lifted his shirt until he pulled it over his head, letting it drop to the floor, before lifting hers. She raised her arms, letting him remove it, and he pushed her back towards the bed, removing the rest of his clothes before joining her. Hooking his thumbs in the sides of her underwear, he trailed soft kisses along the soft skin of her legs as he removed them slowly. As he positioned himself over her, she smiled at him again, that feeling only growing stronger. He felt it too, he realised suddenly, as he looked into her eyes once more. It was only small, like a tiny spark of something
Ash sighed softly as he curled his body around her, and she snuggled back into him, entwining her fingers with his as he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled her tight against him then, whispering softly in her ear, "Mine." She couldn't help but smile, nodding her head gently as she felt waves of fierce possessiveness coming from him, intertwined with those warmth threads of affection. "Yes," she whispered back, and he sighed with the same contentment she always felt now, when wrapped safely in his arms. It surprised her, the way she'd started to feel for him, but she knew she wouldn't change it for the world. The world had certainly never made her feel so safe, and wanted, and loved, like he did. His brothers too, who'd shown more care for her in the past week, than most people had in her whole life.There were rare exceptions, of course, who she missed dearly, but overall, it was increasingly seeming like leaving had truly been the best thing for her. Even with the scary parts. She