by Harris, Noah
Johnny glanced toward the front door, frowning. “If we leave, he’s going to be vulnerable to attack. If we stay, he’s obviously going to be attacked as well. Children and Vigil, both are after us, but we have a better chance of getting the Children to back off than the Vigil. Kell…well, I’ll let him tell you what’s been bothering him. Needless to say, they’re going to be a definite problem in the near future.”
“You really believe the Children will listen? They were just as willing to throw you and I away as soon as they were talked into treating Kell like a threat rather than a potential ally,” Ash said.
Johnny snorted. “I knew from the moment Kell bullied them into taking me back that my time with them was limited. The Children haven’t changed, and I knew the Coven wasn’t going to stand by what they said for very long. It was only a matter of time before they turned their back on me again.”
Kell appeared in the open doorway, eyeing them both shrewdly. “That’s because nothing has changed. They’re still doing things the same way they’ve done for centuries and they’re not going to behave any differently until they’re forced to.”
Ash smiled at Kell, relieved to see him. “Feeling any better?”
“I was, until I realized you passed out after having a vision. So the real question is, are you okay?” Kell asked.
Keeping his thoughts clouded, Ash nodded slowly. “Haven’t had one like that in a while but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to deal with them when they’re big like that. I’ll be okay, I’m more worried about you.”
Kell rested his hand over his stomach, either for comfort or just protective instinct, Ash couldn’t tell. “Just thinking.”
“Keller Thorne,” Johnny intoned.
Kell winced. “Okay, maybe I was thinking about the…dreams I’ve been having.”
Ash took a deep breath, turning to the lit stove to set the nearby kettle of water on it. “The ones which’ve been waking you up almost every night?”
“Have you two really known every time?” Kell asked.
Johnny snorted. “Just because we don’t say anything, doesn’t mean we don’t know. We just figured when you were ready to talk about it, you would.”
Kell sighed. “I’ve been having thoughts and feelings, I don’t know if they’re prophetic, but they sure feel like it.”
Ash winced as he thought about his own vision. “About the Vigil?”
Kell blinked. “How did you know?”
Ash chuckled ruefully. “What do you think my vision was about? It was the Vigil alright, coming here and…attacking us.”
A spasm of fear passed over Kell’s face and for a moment, Ash feared some of the memory of his vision had passed to Kell through their telepathy. Yet, no horror came over Kell’s face and Ash could see no immediate panic flitting through the WindWard’s mind either.
Kell scoffed. “I was going to ask when your vision happened, but I don’t think it matters too much, does it?”
“It doesn’t?” Johnny asked cautiously.
Kell shook his head. “If I’ve been having this feeling about the Vigil, which has only been getting worse, and Ash is having visions about them, it means we need to get moving soon.”
“To leave would expose us,” Ash pointed out.
“And staying means we’re just sitting ducks. We’ve been sitting up here, hoping I could have the twins before the world went to shit. But it doesn’t sound like we’re going to get that chance, and I think deep down we all knew it, too. From the minute this all started, I never had a chance to really just sit back and believe it was all going to be okay. Every moment of peace we’ve had has been fought for and worked toward with every bit of blood and sweat we have,” Kell railed, voice growing louder.
Johnny’s eyes lit with amusement. “That still doesn’t leave us with a solution. I think the best bet is for us to bring the Children back into the fold before we move onto bigger things, like the Vigil.”
Kell snorted. “I know what I said a moment ago, but I didn’t mean for you to go charging off to try and talk to them. They were easily talked into turning on us. I can’t see us trusting them to keep their word.”
“You’re not wrong, but I’ll place money that they hate the Vigil more than they’re afraid of you,” Johnny said.
Kell raised a brow. “And yet, the Vigil is still out there trying to kill all of us, Coven and Pack included, and they’re still willing to throw me under the bus, and you two with me.”
“They were also willing to ignore both of us when the Vigil showed up to their ambush on the highway,” Johnny said.
“The Vigil showed up and immediately attacked,” Kell countered.
Ash squinted down at Kell. “You’re more resistant to this than I would’ve thought. You’ve always made it sound as if you want the Children to unify and work with both one another and us as well.”
Kell grunted. “I did and I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to throw myself at their feet and hope they get smart. They’ve had a few chances to learn but all they want to do is stick with the way things were before. They don’t want change, and they’re willing to kill anyone who dares pose a threat to that.”
It was then that Ash noticed Kell’s hands had wrapped protectively around his stomach as he spoke. In a flash of understanding, Ash realized Kell wasn’t thinking about just them, or about the world in general. His thoughts were locked solely on the children waiting to be born, who would be innocent and vulnerable for years, at the mercy of anyone stronger than them. To place themselves in the hands of the Children would be to endanger their children, and the future Kell dreamed of for them.
Johnny stepped forward, laying his hands atop Kell’s. “You know full well that we’d never allow anything to happen to you or the children. If I didn’t think this was the best option we had, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”
Ash stood apart from them, watching as Kell took measure of both Johnny and his words. Even Ash, who considered himself to be difficult to manipulate or persuade, found himself warming to Johnny’s words. There was a sheer confidence and fiercely protective air to him as he reassured Kell, one Ash had never seen completely, only glimpsed in his friend from time to time. Johnny had come a long way since the painfully shy boy Ash had met as a child, and the bitter man he had almost become. It was intoxicating to see, and it eased some of Ash’s own worries.
Finally Kell turned from Johnny and looked to Ash. “What do you think? Is it really our only option?”
Ash could see Kell was already relenting to Johnny’s reasoning, and was accepting the inevitable. Yet it was the gesture of seeking Ash’s opinion that mattered most. Even though the relationship had begun with Kell and Johnny, Ash had never felt excluded or less important once he’d been brought in to join the duo. Whether it was decision making or intimacy, both Kell and Johnny included Ash effortlessly. The only thing which bothered Ash still, was that the intimacy between he and Johnny had yet to deepen on a physical level. They touched, hugged, and enjoyed the pleasure of one another, but most of their sexual contact was done through the context of making love with Kell.
Johnny raised a brow. “Ash?”
Ash shook his head, smiling reassuringly. “Sorry, still a little scattered I guess. But he’s right Kell, there’s no other option that I can see. We can’t take on both the Vigil and the Children, not just the three of us. If we can get the Children to back off, and maybe even help us against the Vigil, we’d be safe.”
“And if the Children turn their backs on us again, or try to hunt us all over again?” Kell asked doubtfully.
Johnny rubbed his hands over Kell’s. “Then we’ll deal with it if it comes to that. We can’t stand around worrying about what could or might be, not when we have a more immediate threat ready to knock down our doors.”
And there it was again, the bold and complete sense of confidence pouring out from Johnny. Every word he spoke was said with great care, while still being bold and dec
isive. The impatient, irrational decisions Johnny had made in the past seemed content to remain there. Johnny was thinking forward, and he wasn’t willing to risk the three of them, and their children, on another impulsive decision. Between the incoming children, and Kell himself, Ash was amazed and smitten with the change which had come over Johnny.
Yet there was one more issue hanging around them and Ash wanted to see if Johnny would be the one to bring it up. It surprised him more that Kell hadn’t realized that in his current state, he would be more of a risk than a help in their new endeavor.
As Johnny looked up at him, Ash realized the same thought was passing through his friend’s mind. Neither man wanted to approach the topic, not with Kell both exhausted and fresh from his worry over both them and the children. He and Johnny would have time to discuss things before they were forced to tell Kell and deal afterward with whatever fallout followed.
Ash stepped forward, bending to kiss Kell’s forehead. “Why don’t you get some rest? If the cold spot on the bed was any sign, you need more sleep.”
“You two were woken up too,” Kell said.
Johnny smirked. “And like Ash said, you were up for far longer than we were. Do you need one of us to lay with you?”
Kell rolled his eyes, slapping Johnny’s stomach playfully. “I don’t need you guys to hold me and sing me a lullaby to get to sleep, thank you very much.”
Johnny rubbed the spot where Kell hit him. “No, you apparently still have the strength to abuse me, so I suppose you don’t need help getting to bed either.”
Kell snorted, waving Johnny off before he turned to Ash, standing on the tips of his toes to kiss his cheek. With that, the smaller man padded off, making his way carefully into the bedroom to hopefully get a few more hours sleep. Ash smiled fondly, his fingers resting on the spot where Kell had kissed him.
Johnny whistled. “And here I thought I had it bad.”
Ash eyed him. “You do. You think I don’t see you getting starry eyed when he gives you that little smile of his? I don’t need to read your thoughts Johnny Oakes, I know what’s going on.”
“Then you tell me what we’re going to tell him that doesn’t end with a hurricane in the middle of the mountains,” Johnny said once he was sure Kell was out of earshot.
“Oh what, the big bad Johnny Oakes, rebel of the Children, master of the dreaded Blood Magic, is scared of a little pregnant omega?” Ash teased.
Johnny snorted. “And you’re not?”
“He has his powers under control, even if he doubts himself,” Ash said.
Johnny raised a brow. “I wasn’t referring to his powers.”
Ash grinned at that, turning to take the kettle from the stovetop as it began to whistle. He understood full well what Johnny meant. When Kell got riled up, he had a tendency to create a path of destruction that was equal parts impressive and terrifying. The warmth Kell normally evinced became a boiling cauldron of fury and sound. He had a way of making sure his point was made, even if it meant drilling it into someone else’s head as hard as possible.
“I’m sure between the two of us, we’ll find a way to tell him without him chewing us out,” Ash said.
“You’re far more confident in our powers of persuasion than I am,” Johnny chuckled.
“I just believe in us,” Ash said simply.
And he found that it was the truth, and not just for him and Johnny. He truly believed that so long as they had one another, the three of them could get through anything. For all their worries and their fears, none of them had backed down in the face of adversity. They’d banded together and faced down the Children and Vigil both. While Ash had yet to deal with the actual trial of facing those who’d once been on his side, he was confident he could get through it with Kell and Johnny at his side.
Johnny
The days had grown progressively more beautiful as the stormy weather of early spring was left behind. Warm sun beat down on Johnny as he waited outside the cave where Kell was meeting with Maya. He knew full well Kell was in no danger so long as he was in Maya’s immediate presence. He remembered all too clearly the immense power she had drawn upon to wipe out Carson’s group of Vigil soldiers, doing it with the careless ease of a god.
Johnny had already spoken to the WoodWard before Kell had gone to have his weekly tea with her. He hadn’t been surprised to find she was on board with their plan and was willing to keep an eye on Kell while they were away. The problem was going to be convincing Kell it was a good idea, and to keep his cool. Kell was a warm and kind person, but when his pride was pricked, he could be a handful, which Johnny wanted to avoid.
He’d spent the better part of the two hours he stood outside the cave entrance trying to think what he was going to say. Johnny could occasionally hear soft voices drifting from the cave, and once, Kell’s laughter rolling out. The sound warmed Johnny and he winced as he realized he was going to have to leave his mate behind. While he would have Ash at his side, and he knew Kell would be safe, it would break his heart to leave Kell again.
By the time Kell emerged into the afternoon sun, squinting against the harsh glare of the light, Johnny realized he didn’t have any proper speech planned. Maya was behind Kell, her gray eyes sparkling in amusement, as if she could read Johnny’s thoughts. Keeping his worry from the forefront of his mind, Johnny stepped away from the wall to greet them.
Kell blinked. “Good lord, have you been standing out here the whole time?”
“We agreed you shouldn’t be alone.” Johnny reminded him.
“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to stand out here the entire time. I thought you might go help Ash with whatever he’s doing, go for a run, or something,” Kell said.
Johnny held out his arm. “And instead, I got to stand out here and enjoy the day while I waited for my mate. All things considered, I’d call that a good use of my time.”
Kell smiled. “Someone’s being a flatterer today, what are you up to?”
Johnny pushed his arm closer to Kell. “Who says I have to be up to anything in order to flatter you?”
Kell took Johnny’s offered arm, still looking both suspicious and amused. “Oh, he’s pulling out the full gentlemanly charm. Now I know he’s up to something.”
Maya grinned. “Always be wary around a man bearing compliments and charm, they’re likely to steal something of yours.”
Kell leaned against Johnny. “I think it’s safe to say he’s got everything I have to give.”
Once there’d a been a time in his life where Johnny would have rolled his eyes, scoffing under his breath, to hear someone say that about another. Having something so tender and sweet said about him, with a carelessness that could only come from being genuine, caused a squeezing in his chest. For a moment, he could only stare down at Kell, his eyes stinging as he looked down at the man who’d been the catalyst to the greatest change in his life.
It was at that moment, even though he felt guilty at choosing to leave Kell behind, that Johnny felt his resolve harden. Kell, and the children growing within him, represented everything Johnny felt was worth protecting in the world. If he had to endure Kell being angry with him in order to save him, Johnny would. There was nothing Johnny wasn’t willing to do in order to save the person who’d begun the process of saving himself.
Maya hummed, turning back toward the cave so her voice echoed. “I’ll see you again soon Kell, perhaps our Warden friends will be here by then.”
Johnny watched her go, cocking his head. “Warden?”
Kell eyed him. “The original word for the Wards, didn’t you know?”
Johnny shook his head. “Can’t say it sounds familiar, the old tales only called them Wards. If I’m being honest, I never looked into the tales myself and never got around to it when we were staying with the Coven.”
“Well, remember how she talked about there being other Wards out in the world? That’s who she’s talking about. Apparently she’s been chatting with them. How, I don’t know, but she’s
been setting up a visit with them. She talked about it before, but she always made it sound like she was going to wait until after I had the twins before she brought them in. I don’t know what suddenly changed, but it was all she could talk about during tea today,” Kell explained as they began to walk back to the cottage.
Maya had mentioned bringing in extra protection, but Johnny hadn’t expected her to bring in a platoon of Wards to guard Kell. Then again, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it might also be for the sake of Kell’s coming birth. Although Kell had been better than ever at controlling his powers, despite the surge of emotions he experienced frequently while pregnant, he would be vulnerable when the time came. Johnny wondered if perhaps Maya was bringing the Wards in to keep Kell’s powers contained somehow.
“Did she?” Johnny asked after a moment, trying to sound innocent.
Kell nodded. “She was practically foaming at the mouth over it. Even brought in some special tea to ‘celebrate’ the news that the other Wards would be making their way here. She said it was some sort of rose tea, but it tasted like chocolate and ginger to me.”
“That’s probably just the pregnancy hormones screwing with your taste buds. I distinctly remember you thinking the stew I made just had to have had chili powder in it,” Johnny said.
“Look, all I’m saying is it tasted like chili to me,” Kell replied.
Johnny snorted. “It was a venison stew, with nothing remotely like chili powder or any kind of chili in it. Your taste buds were lying to you Kell.”
As the cottage came into view, Kell stopped. “So, when are you and Ash leaving?”
Johnny tensed. “What makes you think we’re leaving?”
Kell smiled knowingly up at him. “You really think I don’t know? If we’re going to bring the Children around and deal with the Vigil, we can’t do it from up here. And there’s no way you two are taking me with you.”
Johnny winced. “I was trying to think of a way to tell you.”