by LJ Swallow
I swallow. "Good."
Xander sighs and leans over to switch on the car radio. "I don't want to sound like a chauvinist asshole, but I think we need to teach you more skills to defend yourself. I mean, Ewan freaked when he couldn't find you, and I admit I was a bit worried too."
A muscle in his cheek twitches.
"Or maybe just teach me how to use my bloody powers!" I snap then draw in a shaky breath.
"Did something happen to you?" he asks in a low voice. "You're tense."
I breathe out, pushing away the truth ready to come out of my mouth and find vague words instead. "I had a stressful evening."
Xander huffs. "Yeah, waste of fucking time. I questioned the succubi before I killed her, and she’s no idea who Portia is. No demons apart from those predators. Sure, we cleared out that gang but they’re low life, a demon underclass. Their kind live for one thing only."
I dig nails into my palm. Don’t I know it.
"I hope Joss and Heath had a better evening than us and found some clues. The longer this goes on, the worse things could get between us and the fae," he says. "I don’t have time to chase around. I need names and to deal with the fucking problem."
Xander slams his foot on the accelerator and I lurch, gripping the seat.
"You didn’t stay behind for your fun," I say with a weak smile. "At least you would’ve achieved something for yourself."
For a moment Xander stares ahead, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Some things are more important."
I think his pause is the end of the conversation as I stare at his hard-set jaw, but he turns his head to me. "I spent a long time looking for you, Vee, and I can’t lose you." The strange intensity in his eyes matches that from before, but is as unfathomable. He looks back at the road. "Besides, it’s not like you could ride home on Ewan’s bike dressed like that."
His attempt to backpedal doesn’t fool either of us.
JOSS
Vee's distress hits my radar as soon as she walks into the lounge room. She flops on to the armchair and leans down to undo her shoes, before kicking them off and wriggling her toes. Xander heads into the kitchen to speak to Heath.
What happened? "Where's Ewan?" I ask.
"Some demons were at the club. He stayed behind because one of them disappeared." Her voice is flat. "We came home because I wasn't feeling well."
"Bad night, huh?"
"I think she had too much to drink." Xander walks passed. "I'm going to shower the demon filth off me."
His footsteps thud upstairs as I focus on Vee’s face. "You don't seem drunk. Did someone try to attack you again?"
Vee abruptly stands and grabs her shoes from the floor. "I'm tired, Joss. Long night. Eye opening."
I watch in disbelief as she follows Xander upstairs. A thought crosses my mind: is she heading after him? Or avoiding me? My bedroom door opens with a familiar creak. Okay, she’s not following Xander.
A weird response to me though. I put down the book I was reading and pad up the stairs after her. "Vee?" I rap on my bedroom door.
Xander appears from his adjacent bedroom, shirtless, holding a towel. He shakes his head at me. "You three are sad bastards, all desperate for her attention. Just go out and get laid, Joss."
"Shut the fuck up. Something's wrong. What happened?"
Xander shrugs. "We lost her for ten minutes or so. She was throwing up in the bathrooms, apparently."
I didn’t detect any drunkenness around her. The club isn’t far; she couldn’t sober up this quickly. "Who found her?"
"Ewan."
"And he said nothing happened? No demons or fae approached her?"
"Ewan would've said if there'd been any problems. The girl's not used to clubs and drinking. That's all."
"And did you find any information?"
He snorts. "Nope. Wild fucking goose chase."
"Wasn't a wasted exercise if you found some renegades."
"True." He pushes down the handle on the bathroom door. "I’m getting my shower. Stay out of her bed."
"My bed," I remind him.
He shakes his head and walks into the bathroom. I knock on my door again. "Vee?"
A tired Vee opens the door and stares back at me. She's changed into flannel pyjamas with black cats on them, brushed hair framing her face. A mess of emotions emanates from her and I can’t sort through which is strongest. Upset? Fear? Anger? What the fuck happened to her?
"Can I come in?" I ask.
Without speaking, Vee steps back and I close the door behind me. My room looks the same, but with her possessions spread around. The lemon scent I associate with Vee and a subtle perfume she wore tonight fill the air around.
"You look like you need a hug," I tell her and open my arms. "I guess you felt a little out of your depth tonight?"
Vee hesitates before stepping into my embrace. She doesn't hold me in return but her body gradually relaxes in my arms. I place my chin on her head, relishing the warmth but worried by the confused emotions within her. This is what I worry about: Vee might be our missing Fifth, but how strong is she? She's not one of us yet.
"Ewan and Xander should've looked after you properly."
The emotion in her switches, annoyance bubbling through, and she pulls back to look at me. "I don't need looking after. Hell, I've lived my own life without four big, bad guys looking after me."
"Wow, okay." I stroke her hair. "You gotta understand most girls we come across need rescuing."
Despite her hard look, tears reach her eyes, and she swallows. "I don’t want this conversation. I had a shit night. If you want to help me, do your Joss thing."
"My Joss thing?" I itch to follow this up with the same banter as earlier, but her face warns me not to. "I'll do whatever you need," I whisper and cup her cheek. "What do you need?"
Vee’s mouth so close, with her skin velvet soft beneath my fingers, and her scent surrounding us, all pull together in an intoxicating mix. My need to protect and be what Vee needs is challenged by a need of my own. Would kissing her amplify my ability to take away whatever upsets her? Or would my physical desire rush through and wipe that power away, replacing the comfort with something else? I ache for this girl, literally some days, but now I hurt because I want to show her I can be tender and loving. I want to show that my straight-down-the-line statements that I want sex with her are only part of how I feel.
I hold both Vee's cheeks with my hands and extend my arms so the intimacy drops. She looks back, pale. "Just a hug, Joss."
I do as she asks. Ewan can tell me what happened because her evasive words hide a truth. "I wish you'd tell me what’s really wrong."
I'm surprised when her arms wrap around my torso. "It doesn't matter. But one things for sure, it won't happen again, and I'm ready to fight every last one of the bastards."
I detect an intense anger pushing out the fear; an inner strength greater than I expected. I’m positive she’s using this to deal with whatever the hell happened tonight. My need to protect her is joined by a new realisation: I underestimated her.
We’ve all underestimated Vee, and I believe there’s more to Truth that we still don’t know.
10
VEE
My memories follow me into my dreams, confusion wrecking my head. They're vague, disturbing, the magic causing me to fade in and out of awareness. I remember his mouth on mine. His taste. Scent.
How he looked like Ewan.
I turn in bed and cover my head with a pillow, anger at the violation seeping in. I wish Ewan hadn't killed the bastard; I'd rather have ended him myself. Like many girls, I've experienced sly groping from guys conveniently close on buses, along with unwarranted comments. Once before I had a guy kiss me without consent and I rewarded him with a knee to the balls. But this...
Helpless. I don't do helpless. The guys need to show me how I can defend myself against these people who want to prey on or kill me. If my power needs working on to reach full strength, I need to protect myself in the meanti
me. Give me daggers, holy water, or whatever else they use, and I’ve no qualms about using them anymore.
Before we left the room, Ewan explained there was nothing I could’ve done in the situation. The incubi and succubi acted in pairs, distracting the victim so the other could use magic to induce arousal and then sleep. Only once their victim slept could they take the energy they needed by sexual assault.
Ewan told me I was lucky, and I understand what he meant but couldn’t say. Lucky I wasn't raped. I shake away the thought. I don't want to run through the memories again. Can't.
The unspoken question hovered between us last night. Why did the incubus disguise himself as Ewan? I want to ask, but I know the answer. Of the two guys I spent time with last night, he's the one I fight my attraction to. I've no doubt if Heath or Joss had been present, it could easily be one of them.
But it wasn't, and now I can't look Ewan in the face.
The sun's barely risen when my sleepless night ends with a need to take in fresh air and nature to clear my mind. I step out the back door, heading for the path towards the open fields, and find Xander outside, alone, on his phone. He hastily finishes the call when he hears my feet crunch across the ground and tucks his phone away.
"You're up early for somebody who had a heavy night," he says. "How's the hangover?"
Still wound tight from the events last night, I snap back at him. "I wasn't drunk."
"Sure." His eyes glisten with amusement. Xander’s jacketless in the cool morning, a black shirt unbuttoned across a grey T-shirt, which stretches across the contours of his chest. His eyes are bright, curious even. "Where are you headed?"
"A walk," I say.
"Not far, I hope."
"Not sure."
"Want some company?"
I fold my arms across my chest. "Really?"
"Why so shocked?"
"I'm too tired for War games if that's your intention."
He grins. "No, I'm in a better mood today."
We trudge away from the house, across the field towards the woods bordering the property. My breath mists around my face, and the crisp air carries the damp earthy scent around. We don't speak, but the discomfort I expected isn't with us. I guess the desire to be around them all also applies to the guy I don't particularly like spending time with.
I wait for some snark or a reference to our encounter in the club before Ewan arrived. Was that moment between us a challenge? Or a warning? He stares ahead, hands in pockets and cheeks reddened by the cool. He's as beautiful as the other guys, but the tension around him rarely leaves. I’m confused because I secretly love the idea of meeting his challenge and seeing where things could lead.
I also like that Xander's the guy less inclined to wrap me in cotton wool; he could solve one problem. I halt. "Can I ask you something? My power, whatever it is, can you teach me how to use it?"
Xander scrunches his face up. "You already know. You've been doing it for years—detecting lies."
"Not that, the other thing. The light."
"Ah." Xander purses his lips. "I would, but, to be completely honest with you, I don't know what your true powers are, and I can't teach you anything."
My spirits sink into my shoes. I was sure this man knew secrets the others held back, that as War he'd know how to use our individual abilities.
"But you knew I'd... explode or whatever when we were at Portia's house."
"Yeah, we know you enhance our powers, but not how. I didn't know what would happen that day, just that you would amplify my power through connecting to me. I've no idea how Heath summons the energy to kill. Or how Ewan’s and Joss’s powers work."
"But you felt stronger with me?"
"Oh yeah, you definitely turned my strength up a notch or ten." He grins. "Maybe the light was the energy; something inside you ‘charging up’. Who the hell knows?"
"I bloody wish I did." I pause. "I felt stronger at that moment though; angrier."
"Huh. Maybe it's a two way thing and you take on some of our individual powers when we connect."
"That'd be awesome." I voice my thoughts. "All four powers. I'd wreck the world! Every last evil bastard."
Xander gives me a strange look. "You sound like you want to start with someone in particular."
"I need to learn how first."
"Yeah, not sure I can help you with that part. Sorry."
The only way to hide my frustration at his words is to walk away.
"I can teach you other things," he calls as I approach the nearby trees. "If you want."
"What things?" I turn.
"Self-defence."
"I know self-defence. I took classes."
"Against the supernatural?" he asks. "I doubt it. Their weak spots are different to humans, and from race to race."
We study each other for a moment. His attitude to me last night, the semi-proposition as we stood against the wall in the club, pissed me off, but he's the only guy not treating me with kid gloves.
"Unless they use magic," I mutter.
Xander steps forward and frowns down at me. "Did something happen? I sense something's not right; I did last night when we drove home."
I suck my lips together and wait for the "tell the truth" to pass. "Show me some self-defence moves, then."
Xander wrinkles his nose. "I dunno..."
"What? Why? Scared I'll beat you?" I retort.
"Seriously? No. I'm scared I'll hurt you."
"Try me." I beckon him with both hands. "Bring it on, Pony Boy." Portia's nickname for the boys amuses me, mostly because it clearly pissed them off. "But no knives."
In an instant, Xander lunges and seizes me, one arm around my neck. I claw at his arm but his grip tightens. I'm shocked by his sudden move and on the burn spreading through from where our bodies touch.
Again. This reaction to all four men is beyond a joke.
XANDER
Holy hell.
My body courses with an overwhelming energy, fuelled by her mocking implication she could match my combat skills. I fight down how this clouds my head because this is the reason I stay disconnected from Vee, mentally and physically. She’s the centre of us all, and something not yet understood places her inside our hearts and souls too. Seizing hold of Vee has the opposite effect to what I intended; she’s gained control of me by shattering the barrier I attempted to build.
Which means I focus on the task, literally, in hand to rebuild this. I push down the awareness of how soft the skin is on her arms, how her warmth fills me with heat, and forge on.
"An assailant would hold you tighter than this. Show me what you'd do."
"I'll hurt you," she says through gritted teeth and jabs an elbow upwards into my neck. I flinch as she collides with my windpipe.
"Good." I release her, and as she faces me, I’m distracted again. Why when I look into Vee’s eyes, do I see something my soul craves, a missing piece I can’t grasp? Mesmerised, I miss her next move, as she side steps and catches one leg around mine.
I stumble but regain my footing. What the fuck? I trap her long leg, between my thighs. Should I throw her to the ground? Win? "Nice try, Verity."
She drags her leg away and crosses her arms. "Thanks. What next?"
I run my tongue along my teeth. Fine. "Vamps, you go here." I indicate my neck with a slicing motion. "If you have a knife, hold it horizontally against their throat and push. Head gone, dead vamp."
She blinks. "You must carry bloody sharp knives."
"They're silver. Slices through the bastards like butter."
Did she just pale? "Okay."
"Explaining what to do is harder with demons because there're so many varieties. With most, it's a simple kill—to the heart, exactly the way you would with a human. Some are stronger, but holy water in the face slows them down."
A familiar confusion purses Vee’s lips. "If you have superpowers, why do you need knives?"
I give an amused snort. "Superpowers?"
"Powers that can kill, then
."
"Hand to hand is quicker and easier sometimes. Draws less attention too."
I frown as laughter bubbles from Vee. "Knifing people or cutting their heads off draws less attention?"
"Demons. Not people. And yes. Look at it this way, using powers takes energy. If we use that energy up on lowlife, and harder enemies follow, we aren’t at our best to fight them. Okay?" I get Vee’s need to understand her new life, but her incessant questioning of what we’ve done for years annoys me.
"And now I’m here you have more energy."
"Precisely."
"Am I supposed to take a backpack of supplies with me everywhere?" she says, mouth twitching in amusement. "Ask them to stop their nefarious deeds while I select a weapon?"
"This isn't a joke," I growl.
"Sorry. Sarcasm is my superpower." For fuck’s sake. She catches my annoyance. "Xander, sorry, humour is my way of dealing with this headfuck, okay?"
I huff. "Yes, we carry most in our car and take what we anticipate we'll need when we confront them." I hold my jacket to one side, revealing a knife tucked into my coat. "And I anticipate always."
Vee studies the knife. "What about the fae?"
"We don't kill them. Though my brother needs reminding about that."
"But what if they're trying to kill me? Y'know, like that guy did."
I push a hand through my hair. "Just disarm them somehow. Ask them a lot of questions. Confuse them. Whatever. Usually they have demons do their dirty work. You'll be fine. If you believe your life is under threat, I'm sure your powers will trigger."
"But magic? How do I resist that?"
"Vee, we're not invincible. We're susceptible to magic."
Her face clouds and she shakes her hands out by her sides, loosening the muscles. "Right, so I beat the hell out of everything before they get as far as magic."
I curl my mouth in amusement. "I guess you could try, but that might become problematic if you accidentally 'beat the hell' out of a human. I think you'd probably need a bit more practice first, though. You're clearly not capable of one on one, since I beat you that easily."