Ash let him lead her to a small Italian style cafe, where they sat and had coffee while waiting for Nate to join them again. Jason's company was enjoyable, if sometimes quiet, but he spoke in other ways, especially touch. Like now, as he held her hand over the table, lightly stroking her fingers with his thumb. It was sweet, and she smiled at him, enjoying the feel of him being close. It wasn't long until Nate found them, and Jason moved to sit beside her instead, resting his hand on her thigh as Nate sat opposite. She turned his hand over, slipping her fingers between his and squeezing his hand gently, and he returned it. Most of lunch was spent that way, with lots of little touches, in between eating and talking, and she found herself enjoying it immensely. Nate was good company too, warm and friendly, seeming more like Lukas than Alex, but a little more reserved. She felt lucky to have all of them in her life now, but couldn't help feeling a little nervous as their talk turned to
The walk back to the hotel was a pleasant one, as he enjoyed Ash's presence next to him. He could feel her contentment, as she chatted casually to both of them, and couldn't help but let it infect him too. The mood changed as they entered the room, though, finding Luke and Cameron still there. They looked anything but happy, and there was still a certain tension in the air. Nate noticed it immediately too, "What?" he said as he looked over at them, and they both sighed heavily. "Vik is still hesitant," Cameron said, sounding irritated, "Alex and Mikael went with him, hoping to convince them." Jason swore under his breath, shaking his head, and Nate sighed deeply. "It'll be days before they get back," Nate said, sounding frustrated, "How can he still not see the urgency?!" Cameron shrugged, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Can we really be all that surprised?" he said, "Running and hiding when the shit hits the fan is about their only reliable consistency." Lukas nodde
Ashallia woke early the following morning, yawning and stretching before she opened her eyes, lifting her head to look towards the soft voices she heard. Seeing that Alex was back and sitting talking to Jason and Nate, she reached to grab Jason's shirt off the floor, pulling it on before she sat up. "Good morning, Miss Ash," Alex said to her, and she smiled, "Morning," she answered sleepily, grabbing her underwear off the floor too. She pulled them on and walked over to kiss Jason's cheek, giving the other two a smile as she found some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. She showered leisurely, enjoying the warmth as she washed herself thoroughly, stepping out a while later to dry and dress herself. When she walked out of the bathroom again a while later, Alex stood, grinning at her. "Lovely as always," he said, looking her over, and she frowned at him, feeling a sense of.. anticipation coming from him. He smiled wider, offering her his outstretched out, "Would you like to se
He felt her melting into him as he kissed her, and she returned it, moaning softly. Their need for each other quickly rose again, and he didn't even try to contain his this time, only briefly breaking the intense kiss to pull his shirt off, then hers, before pushing her backwards. She gasped as her back hit the hallway wall, and he covered her mouth again with his own, teasing her tongue with his. Hers responded immediately, and her fingers reached for the buttons on his jeans, undoing them quickly and pushing them downwards, as he reached behind her, unclipping her bra in one swift motion, pulling the straps off along her arms and letting it drop to the floor. His pants followed, then hers, and he lifted her a moment later, her legs wrapping around his waist as she tilted her head back, moaning his name softly. Her voice was full of the deep, powerful need they both felt, and he sought to satisfy it, holding her hips and lifting his head, looking into her eyes as his hard cock met
Mikael sighed as he arrived back at the hotel room in Belgrave, finding it empty. It had been a long, frustrating few days dealing with Vik and his brothers, and he still wasn't sure it was the best idea to involve them in this, even given how dire the situation was. They were here now though, with everything they'd insisted on bringing, but something still had him feeling on edge about it, and he didn't like it one bit. After checking both rooms and finding them empty, he stepped into the shadows again, stepping out of them again a moment later, just inside Ashallia's front door. He smiled then, hearing them chatting and laughing by the fire, and kicked his shoes off and joined them. They looked hesitant when he entered the room, looking to see if he'd brought others with him, but relaxed some when they realised he was alone."Welcome, cousin," Alex said from the couch, "Did they get everything past the border already?" Mikael grabbed the plush footstool and seated himself on it, sh
Lukas didn't want to voice it, none of them did, but it was Alex who finally spoke, "No," he said firmly, looking angrier by the second. "I'm done with fucking hiding. After everything, after finally finding one of ours, I'm not going back to that. This time we fight." Mikael raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at the others. One by one, they each nodded slowly, even Lukas himself, who usually did everything in his power to avoid unnecessary violence. But this was necessary, he knew. It had to end. The longer it went on, the more collateral damage there would be. Mikael looked up then, as Ash and Jason came back downstairs, dressed this time. Sensing the tense feeling in the room, Jason raised an eyebrow, and Mikael answered him, "They're coming," he said simply. Ash's eyes widened, and she looked up at Jason, who's face darkened as he swore under his breath."We want to fight," Cameron said, and Alex nodded. "No more running," Nate added, and Alex and Mikael both looked at Jason w
Ashallia felt her nervousness rising now, as they began preparing. Cameron came back fairly quickly, with Mikael's stuff, letting them know Lukas had gone to some old bluestone house that Mikael and Jason seemed familiar with. The others didn't know it, which surprised her, and Alex noticed her small frown, "We went to ground last time," he said softly, "There was very little contact between each of our groups, to avoid being found."She nodded slowly, "So Vik and his brothers won't know this place either?" she asked, but Jason shook his head. "Erik knows of it," he said quietly, "Each of us knew how to reach our brothers, and just one from each group of cousins, if it was absolutely necessary." Mikael nodded at that, "Alex, Viktor, and I, and Lukas, Nate, and Tomas, we didn't use it much. But Jason, Cameron, and Erik, they've always had the most skill in stealth. They left rare messages for each other.""Before the others left us high and dry, anyway," Alex added, and they nodded sol
Mikael watched Jason and Ash head back upstairs, before turning to the others, "I'll make sure everything here is turned off and locked down," he said quietly, and Alex nodded. "We'll go pack our things," he said, looking at Nate, "but Cameron can stay with you, following from a distance behind, until you're closer." Mikael frowned a little at that, knowing it was safer alone, but eventually nodded, "Alright, but only most of the way, and far behind. I'll stop a little way southeast of town and you can circle around and go in first. Lukas will be there already." They nodded then, and Alex and Nate grabbed their shoes and moved towards a shadow, "We'll wait a few hours to follow you, a while apart from each other," Alex said. "Be careful," Mikael replied , and they both nodded as they slipped into the shadows and away. Cameron began putting out the fire, while Mikael went room by room, turning everything off that needed to be, and checking doors and windows. They met back in the livi
One year and six months later:The bunker had provided exactly what they'd sought, though its origins were still shrouded in mystery.They'd been able to set up something of a home here, secure and well defended. Lukas had been able to reverse engineer the phone they'd taken from Craig, and not only been able to use its new technology, but also trace the last few members that posed a significant threat, along with the last of their munitions.He'd also been able to send lengthy transcripts and history to several other news networks not yet taken over by Newscience, who were more than eager to break the story of his other, shadier organisation, and its links to his other businesses and donation recipients. The story had rocked the country, with many politicians' and business' involvement being publicly exposed. Newscience had collapsed, along with many underground smuggling networks, with enough of an impact to make any who might fill the void feel more than a little wary. They heard
He felt her rush of emotion as she uttered the word, and he smiled wide, taking her hand and placing the ring on her finger. She blushed brightly, and he could feel his own cheeks flushing a little, and pulled her down beside him, wrapping her in his arms as he kissed her deeply. His own rush of emotion only got stronger, and he let it overwhelm him, knowing she'd feel just how deep his love was for her. And he felt hers too, overwhelming her as she returned his kiss, softly and tenderly, and for a long moment it was as though only the two of them existed, wrapped up in each other's deep feeling of love. When they finally moved apart, she was smiling wide at him, still blushing, but happy. So happy. He felt that too, within himself, despite everything, and he never wanted to be without it again. Or without her. "I love you," she whispered softly, and he touched his nose gently to hers, "I love you," he responded, and her face brightened even more. He kissed her again, and they lost
Ash returned his kiss with a sense of wonder, feeling that incredible rush of darkness, and now everything from him. Only that everything from him was everything from her, too, and the arousal they both felt was spiralled upwards again, more intense than ever. She suddenly felt an all encompassing need for him, and clamped her muscles tight around him, drawing her hips back slowly. He gasped, breaking their kiss, and she moved her hands, placing them on the tree trunk behind her to support herself as she began moving her hips back and forth, using her muscles in time with them. He swore under his breath and began thrusting in time with her, burying his head in the curve of her neck again as he moaned in intense pleasure. She did the same, feeling her own pleasure being heightened by his, as his was by her own, climbing higher and higher. His thrusts grew harder and rougher, as his gaze turned more intense, and she moved her hands to around his neck, holding herself up and letting hi
Jason stared wide-eyed at the large concrete structure. This was a lot more than just a bunker, he realised, and wondered if it was truly abandoned. He squatted low, motioning for Ashallia to do the same, and crept closer slowly, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any kind of activity. Yet it all seemed still, and he wondered who would ever build something like this, and then just leave it. It looked advanced for the time it must have been here, too. Jack looked to have been in his 50s, at least, and he'd said it had been here at least that long. It was incredibly strange, but it could also be incredibly useful, especially with the tunnels he mentioned. He pulled out his phone, lifting it up to snap a picture, and sent it to the others. Even then there was no movement, and he exchanged a look with Ash, who looked as confused as he did. "Who do you think built it?" she asked softly, her voice barely audible, and he shrugged. "I have no idea," he said, feeling absolutely perplexed, "
Ash froze as she turned and saw the second man with a crossbow, and reached out for Jason. He turned, and she heard him sigh deeply as the stranger stepped closer, keeping his crossbow aimed at them. He seemed unable to decide who to focus it in though, shifting between them two of them, looking tense, and at least a little bit afraid. "Jack," he called out suddenly, with a thick northern accent, "I've got 'em over 'ere," he said, lowering his voice as he spoke to the two of them instead. "How many more o' ye are there?" he asked, and Jason sighed again. "Just the two of us, for now," he said, as he slowly moved in front of Ash, putting her between him and the large tree. "The fuck ye mean, 'for now'?" another voice asked, coming around from behind the tree, where the first shooter had been. Jason shrugged, looking far too casual, though she could sense his tension through their connection, and assumed it was deliberate. "More are coming," he said calmly, "but we mean no harm. Just
Jason pulled her into an embrace again, kissing her deeply, letting her feel all of his desire for her. It had been too long, he needed her, and he could feel her need for him too. It only made it even harder to control his own. He sighed deeply as he pulled away from her a moment later, feeling Lukas coming quickly towards them through the shadows. She could feel it too, he knew, though he still felt her mild disappointment as he broke the kiss. They needed to find somewhere alone, and soon. He gave her an affectionate smile, and she returned it, her cheeks looking flushed with arousal. Lukas moved into their shadow a moment later, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the two of them. "Hope I'm not interrupting," he said with a grin, only making her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. Jason smiled, shaking his head at his brother, amused, "Not yet," he said, making Ash's eyes widen. He took her hand then, and turned to Lukas, "We'll go further on foot, if you'll wait for the others h
Ash smiled, feeling an enormous sense of relief as each of them stepped out of the shadows in the small dining room of the old house, finally safe. Or safer, at least. "So, where to?" asked Alex, and Mikael sighed, "Almost anywhere but here, but first," he turned and gave Jason a look that made him nod, before taking another one of those tiny devices from the seam of his jeans. "You're going to blow it up?" Ash asked, her eyes wide, and Alex patted her shoulder, "Let's call it, 'helping it collapse'," he said, sounding apathetic. "You don't care? That it'll be gone?" she asked, a touch of sadness in her voice, and Jason shook his head, "It's just a building," he said softly, "Everything that has ever meant something to me, will still live on." He reached over to touch her cheek, and she blushed, knowing he included her as part of that. He kissed her forehead softly, and she smiled up at him, before realising that they were all looking at her, waiting. "What?" she asked, confused, an
Lukas headed back down, unable to contain a small smirk as he stepped out back in the room with the others, "They're fine," he said, "Just.. busy for a moment." Mikael sighed and Cameron rolled his eyes, "Now, of all times?" he asked, and Lukas shrugged. "They'll do what they need to," he said quietly, "and from the sound of that collapse, we may not get to the surface until Alex and Nate get here anyway." Cameron looked at Mikael then, tilting his head, "How long has it been? Maybe that was them starting to dig us out?" he said, sounding hopeful. Mikael frowned in thought for a moment, but shook his head gently, "I doubt the collapse will have reached the surface, given how far down we are, and Ash should have heard them if they tried the stairs." He looked questioningly at Lukas, who shrugged, "She didn't mention hearing them." Cameron sighed, crossing his arms and resting back against some crates, "So, we just wait? Until they're done being 'busy'?" he said, sounding impatient no
Jason pulled Ashallia under him more, covering her protectively as the room continued to shake, more dust and chunks of concrete falling around them. "Are you guys alright?" he asked, trying to see through the dust towards them. He heard Cameron coughing, which was certainly an improvement on him being unconscious just a few minutes before, and Mikael and Lukas groaned softly. "We're okay," Lukas said, his voice sounding strained, "Is that all of them?" he asked, and Ashallia coughed again, trying to cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve, "I could only sense him, I transferred what I could from you two.." she said weakly, and Cameron groaned a soft, "Thank you." As the room fell still and silent again, they waited a long moment, then began to slowly get up. Looking around the room, a sense of dismay filled them all. Large chunks of the ceiling had caved, and streams of dust stopped and started in various places, making the whole thing look unstable, and worse, he saw that the sta