Silas promised her answers after they both had grieved Gregory."What are those fire-y stones?" Her wolf sniffed disapprovingly. Nostrils of a wolf pick up copying scents on inanimate objects all the time yet she found nothing. Silas cracked a smile. Her face felt caked in remnants of sleep to return him one."They are brimstones." He held one out on his palm. She didn't understand but her eyes darted in the dark of soon arriving dawn. Why was he treating it so carelessly? What if naked eyes were exposed to its power?"How come I feel I should know what this is? Does this have power, like in biblical sense?" She remembered something of church. Myths from Bible. There was that word-myths. Silas rocked back in his chair, his sigh drowned the creaking noise."No Vanessa. Not the Bible. It does have power though. Power separating body from soul." She had promised herself on her way up, for the sake of piecing together a past to survive the future, she will not act like her world turned
There was a neatness in the way she sliced through air, previously missing. It was magic- unbridled magic. Greggory had warned him oof something there about but it stayed plastered to the back of his mind. Only now, he felt.... enchanted. He'd alter the ramifications if he could stop using Disney language. Noah found himself staring, it seemed so impossible that she existed in this time and place. Vanessa fixed her hair, they buzzed with electricity, more frizzy than before, she worried about the drool at her mouth. She was late to another one of the meets. Noah was going to be there, dark and brooding, at the head of the table. At the heels of embarrassment followed anger, why should she care at all? They were in a designated war room, filled with high tech gears, electronic appliances she always feared would short-circuit of their own accord. She stepped inside the doorway, with hinges hanging useless, because there was no door and beelined for her seat next to Silas. Noah hadn't
His sweatshirt was good, but it wasn't him. Infact, it drove the point home- he was walking with her now, showering her with just enough attention so she won't look for it elsewhere, but drawing an opaque wall if she chose to come closer."If that wasn't a risk-baying for blood and everything. Would you believe my idea was sound?"Distance was his niche, one he had perfected to the T. Yet, nothing had prepared him for this. Same girl, more vibrant, thrumming with endless energy, he could feel her brain jostling, heart galloping. The nervousness in her scent, mixed with determination. And that kindness in green eyes. The simple kindness that needed to be protected.It'd be so easy, it was tempting- to bury her head in the expanse of his chest. Noah had aged since she last saw him, so h
His sweatshirt was good, but it wasn't him. Infact, it drove the point home- he was walking with her now, showering her with just enough attention so she won't look for it elsewhere, but drawing an opaque wall if she chose to come closer."If that wasn't a risk-baying for blood and everything. Would you believe my idea was sound?"Distance was his niche, one he had perfected to the T. Yet, nothing had prepared him for this. Same girl, more vibrant, thrumming with endless energy, he could feel her brain jostling, heart galloping. The nervousness in her scent, mixed with determination. And that kindness in green eyes. The simple kindness that needed to be protected.It'd be so easy, it was tempting- to bury her head in the expanse of his chest. Noah had aged since she last saw him, so h
The next morning, Vanessa woke up with a grin determination. The extraction would be simple, and she'd help keep it that way. She'll stay hidden until Calvin showers himself first. The plan was precise, like an arrow shot out of the bow waiting to lodge in its target. Nothing short of physical anomaly could disrupt the flow. People involved only on need-to-know basis. There was nothing that could go wrong if played by rule to rule. They weren't supposed to have this information but they did. No one defected front he enemy's side yet. Just Noah and his bandits were furiously meticulous to have figured this one out. Jodie had warned Evanthat Calvin had only one weakness- and if they can't exploit it, they'll never stay a step ahead of him. Connivingly, foresight had turned the odds in their favor. Noah had taken away his living bio-agents for the experiment: the rogue agents with relatively stable genomes. Since Calvin needed more of them, he'd try to win over his followers. The rogue
The bullets were made to not pierce through their obstacle, the distance took care of the rest, so once lodged in- they'd have no exit wounds. The shell casings retrieved soon as they fall. It was a matter of aggregate six seconds. To kill four men, and take the passenger with them. Ian was under local anesthesia- just a heavier dose. It'd prove difficult to knock an adult wolf down but it was enough for a six-going on seven kid. Rhys took the bridge, Evan the west route to den territory while Noah hid the boy in a body bag (easier to carry) when he hardly weighed 60 pounds. Noah always kept it to himself but he was impressed of the fragile strength children represented. By the time everyone grew up, they had an adulterated understanding of strength. Like something to be proven, it became more about others.Vanessa stayed in the emergency room, expecting the worst. Because she had felt his pulse go out for a second. The life plucked. His life but then his scent was appearing closer.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Exhaustion, accusation and blame-all three she lay at his feet. This is what she had meant. Noah's pertenatural habit of not being answerable to anyone had to change. Vanessa had no idea Ian was to be held there for three weeks. She wanted him back in his bed, his childlike flutter of eyes to find himself amidst his favorite stuff toys or the wooden puppets he liked to make. Hand printed wallpaper in the room and a bird's nest just like he wanted. He had written that list down for her. Disappearing behind the trees, what Vanessa first thought was merely a grassy berm raised on hydraulic lifts to reveal a plas-crete reinforced bunker. She eased into the space realizing both of them were alone, she didn't want an audience. Abandoned hallway led to the big conference room where they first met the select leaders of the pack. The coolly neutral atmosphere was tampered with warm yellow lights pocketed in the roof above her and in the walls to her side- no windows.
Oh the rabbit was a brilliant hindsight. The ground shook left, right then left, right. He was upside down. Leg caught in a snare trap, wolf panted. He growled, absolutely furious, every small creature quit it's chittering at the behest of a predator. Then, to her surprise, he laughed. She had never seen a wolf laugh before. He was barking and huffing, tongue lolling. He had written her off as innocent. And walked right into a snare trap. He would have otherwise noticed it, but clearly, she was better at making them work from a distance. She can't be much further. The thought spurred him on. The vine sturdy enough to hold his weight took five hooked lashes to break him free. Vanessa grinned when she saw him land on his back with an audible thump. Served him right.Licking his abused ankle, he spent several minutes undoing the trap when suddenly the vines straightened back to their original shape. The evidence of the trap marked by his labored breath and nothing but. Clever. Very cle
'Love does find a way afterall. No matter what obstacles are laid before us, if our love is pure, it will win at the end, no matter what.' Vanessa thought as a smile lit her face up. She was sitting comfortably on a couch, in a large sweatshirt that belonged to Noah, now her husband.She thought back to their wedding ceremony, it was a wonderful affair filled with laughter, love and hope. All their friends had come, looking clean in their dresses and suits. Noah had left last night, in wolf form, hollering and calling loudly to the moon. A makeshift bachelor party- a wild run in the forest and then some chilled beer at a cliff with a nice view. That left Vanessa to sit back at home, thumbing through her favorite book and smiling now and then. It was midnight when she decided to call it a night and go to bed- her last night as a single lady. Just then, she caught sight of a rustling figure outside the window. It was Noah, his hair windswept and his cheeks red from being drunk. He was
She watched his face, less shy about its location on the map of her body. He was smiling to himself, mischievous, his eyes on his work. Small pool of sweat gathered at her lower back, at the dimples he liked so much. He was finger painting.She gasped, trying to twist away as he wrote more. But he didn't have to. "Noah...." Was she going to weep? She didn't want to weep. "Is that a yes or a no?" The wolf was relaxed this time around. Like it had gotten what it wanted for the time being, she knew the decision was equally human. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you." "If you can stop snotting, maybe then..." She hit his shoulder. When he kissed her, on the psychic plane, his wolf appeared. Battered, strong, feral. And with him- a bond. It was a great shining thing, like a falling moon. An orb born of love tumbling in the creeks, in the meadows. She had only to catch it. And she did. With it came a smaller bond-Ian. Unafraid, she linked herself to it. The distance between them felt like sph
The last thing she remembered was his claws digging in her ass, and their pleasure sated bodies a tangle of limbs. Where was he now? Not next to her. But he had slept, the bed held his impressions. Coming to herself, she blushed. His smell was so strong on her, hers had nearly vanished. She had an inkling that these were the signs of mating bond completing itself. Even he would smell more like Vanessa than himself. The animal was playing for keeps, and it wanted to be kept as an equal. She found him sitting on the porch stairs. She grabbed his shirt, shivered at how sensitized her skin felt, trying desperately to keep herself from looking at the spot of blood on lavender sheets. Thankfully, they weren't white. His marks, teeth, hand, claws pulsed in her body. Her body held his secrets more tenderly than it did anything else. He sensed her approach, straightening his legs, making space for her between them. She went, hiding behind her hair. His content was contagious. Bare chested
The satisfaction coursing through him was so arrogant, so unfaltering in its ownership, her wolf quivered a little in fear. If he consumed her, would she live to see another day? Intrigued, he rubbed his jaw against the inside of her legs, her scent decadent, strong. He fumbled with his jeans before pulling them down. His wolf wanted to take. To turn her around on hands and knees, mount her, and when she'd arch her neck in pleasure, take a bite. It'll hurt but he'd share the pain. "Noah?" She was still here. Legs spread, waiting for him. He smiled. His mind was playing tricks on him, he won't take her like an animal. That'll have to wait. He suddenly dipped his head and she shoved a discarded pillow to her face. Which was a good thing. Because the scream that tore out of her was no human. Her eyes shifted, her wolf begging to have her equal measure of the sensations. His eyes still on her face, he licked her between her thighs. The tender bud begged for his attention, which in h
When he threw up his shields, she was back in front of him. Tonight, there was no leash. She wanted to play, he'll abide. The wolf bared its teeth.... She shot out with a grin. Adrenaline shot through her, she was nowhere near as fast as him. But she could read his thought clear as a bright sunny day. Apart from the high of the chase, she was humbled by the trust. He lowered his shields to nil and let her in. She had yet to do that.He was getting closer, the wolf didn't try to hide the heavy breathing, his massive lungs resounding in warning because he wanted her to know when he was near. Claws out, canines protruding, Noah was no longer human. Not a single part of him. Heart raising hard and fast, she sharpened her run into the direction of lower range, a steep one her much smaller body could maintain running at. Noah's much larger frame would tumble at this speed, so he pulled out an old trick. He laid down and rolled like a barrel. Laughter bubbled inside of her. 'Nice trick.'
"I am sorry I made you feel unwelcome. Consider this an apology." He kissed her knuckles, a small key pressed to her palm, the soft crinkle of paper-a note. She couldn't read his thoughts anymore. But he walked away with a purpose. Dusk clambered in the Nebraska, the summer of dragging afternoons fast learning to evade the gossamery warmth for autumn seeping in sycamore trees, yellow golden leaves ready to replace the greens. Beyond the moonbeam dancing stream, stood two peaks, protecting the land from the unknowns, so many unknowns. The peaks, they are not exultant, and they no longer believe themselves to be the instrument of some great intention. They are, but a shadow of those living beings looking up at them, creatures grasping at life with stained hands. Waiting. Hoping. Vanessa hid her gasp, swallowing the thick ball of emotion in her throat. A heavy weight ruffled the decidous low hanging branches in the trees but she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Her soul
Home.The black villa doors opened to reveal the place she had thought would save her from the mountain of debt she had buried herself under. The debt was the answer she had been waiting for, and apparently so was Silas. Greggory Flynn, she had kept his ashes in a thurible, had never given her complete answers. They arrived, to find Mikhail, Beatrice and Rourke waiting for them in the foyer. Vanessa was searching for Mrs.Kemp and her cupcake smelling apron. Beatrice looked healthier but the awkward distance between her and Mikhail didn't go unnoticed by anyone. "This here, little heathen, has more body count than me, brother. What do you say to that?" Evan dragged Vanessa from under Noah's arm to his side, strangling her in a side hug. Vanessa was beyond grateful. She didn't know how to break ice with Mikhail. The last time he had her tied to a chair in the basement, he had his reasons but that didn't make it okay. She didn't know where to go with him from here. She loved Noah but
Vanessa shuffled inside her closet, her claustrophobia all but gone. She was done packing but not ready to head back home. Things felt so incomplete. In past two days, she had tried to access Calvin's mind but had failed. When all of them, Selene, Falkner, Silas, Noah, Evan and Jodie convene for finalizing border control policies she had to tell them. She wanted everyone to know there were others like her, the Communion will want a hard proof. "Come in." She knew it was Evan. "Hii. I am resigning. Consider this official." He had been in a jolly good mood, he always was when he worked on secret plans but this time, Vanessa knew it was about Jodie. His mind was a back to back movie night on weekends, filled with lewd imagery of things he'd like to do to her.The powers did have it's shortcomings. "Resigning?" His shields were up. "Yes." Evan folded his legs, sat on the newly purchased futon, which Noah had gifted Vanessa because she liked to sleep on the floor. Bed after thirty six
He begrudgingly admitted nudity was her last preserve right now. She shifted but did a very poor job of hiding herself, the swell of her ass, small and pert with tan lines- he groaned- held his attention. Until he moved it to her shoulder. Stripes, more stripes of red, white, yellow, blue. What the fuck was it? How did she get bruises this bad? Before he could ask, she begged for a clothing. Anything he might have. He stripped off his shirt and threw it to her. She scrambled into it like she was on fire. No more inadvertent strip show, his cat saddened by the perspectiveShe knew what he was going to ask. It was always there, in the manner people stood, slightly skewed, uncomfortable of her reaction even before she had reacted. Scars. He had seen them. And she knew he won't let it go. "You aren't going anywhere until you answer me." Lonely, she wanted to be with her own kind after being denied association for so long. Walter Desmond's death made her breath for the first time, free