by Shen Hart
His information was something, not ideal but better than nothing. Dan had stood and brushed himself off and was rubbing his throat. The blood was drying on his cheek. The cuts didn't seem too deep. He had the good sense to stay quiet.
I asked Kit, "Have you met him yourself?"
He shook his head. "Only for a second, not enough to pick him out of a crowd, sorry."
I smiled and opened my arms. "Thank you. That was helpful."
He stepped forward and hugged me lightly before kissing my cheek. It was always good to end on a trusting note when you had something good with a fae.
He looked back to Dan and offered his hand, "No hard feelings."
Dan grudgingly took his hand. I glared at him until he smiled and said, "Of course, no hard feelings. It was my mistake."
Kit smiled and accepted it good-naturedly before turning and leaving, taking the shadows with him. I had a brief moment of pining after the shadows had left. It’d been such a long time since I’d danced with them and enjoyed their affections. I’d only felt their touch during desperate times when I needed their protection.
I focused on what was in front of me and walked up to Dan. I inspected his throat and cheek. His cheek only took a few seconds to tidy up. Pink marks remained, but it wasn't too eye-catching and his throat barely had a mark.
His shoulders slumped a little, and he finally said, "You knew him?"
I shrugged. "I met him yesterday."
He growled and muttered to himself. I came very close to pinning him against the wall and reminding him of his place, but I restrained myself. Instead, I turned and said, "Come with me. You have some things you need to learn."
A deep rumbling echoed around the alley as thunder rolled around overhead. A bright flash of lightning shot across the dark sky and the large raindrops fell, colliding with the ground in great crashes. I held back the strong urge to dance and looked back to make sure that Dan was close behind me. We wandered through the almost-empty city for a little while. The rain ran down us in rivulets, and I allowed Dan a little time to think back on the situation we'd been through. I enjoyed the wild energy of the storm raging around us and the peaceful cleansing of the rain while trying to pull together my own tumultuous thoughts and feelings. I was supposed to be an alpha, I was supposed to guide the pack, and yet it'd been so long and I didn't know if I wanted to return to it at all. The cubs didn’t seem to be too bad, despite the issues, but I had enjoyed the complete freedom of being alone. At least, I told myself it was complete freedom.
After we had wandered around the city for a short while and were thoroughly soaked, I decided it was time to talk. Dan looked miserable. I wasn’t sure whether that was purely from his encounter with Kit or if the rain was getting to him, too. We stepped into a little cafe and wandered over to the unoccupied table tucked up the corner. The waitress gave us a bemused expression when she gave us the menus as we dripped. Small puddles formed at our feet, but I ignored them. Once the coffee and muffins had been ordered I started, in slightly hushed tones. I saw no reason to beat around the bush.
"Why did you treat Kieran that way?"
Dan sighed softly. His hand went to touch his cheek but he changed his mind and picked up his muffin instead. The thoughts seemed to rattle around his head, which was slightly irksome given the amount of time he’d had to think on it.
"It seemed appropriate."
The light, tangy lemon sponge was exactly what I needed in that moment. It contrasted with the smooth bitterness of the coffee fantastically. I focused back on Dan. I wanted to ask if that was all he really had for me after all of that thinking, but settled on, "Why?"
He looked at me, his brow furrowed, and words danced around his lips while they tried to form sentences. "He chose to be awkward. We all knew that he had the information I wanted. I saw no reason to waste everyone’s time. He apparently did. There are consequences to wasting precious time."
He said it as though it was the most obvious, simple thing in the world. I replied with, "Is that how you normally interact with him?"
He took another bite of his muffin and a sip of his coffee while I have to assume that he was running previous interactions back through his mind. "No, I suppose I don't."
"Then why was this time different?"
He looked down and away. I asked, "It was because I was there?"
He looked me straight in the eye and said, "As a member of a pack, I have certain responsibilities. Particularly in a pack such as ours. That means that I am expected to act in a certain way."
I cocked my head. I hadn’t heard him speak in such a defensive tone before. "You are, yes, but that wasn't it."
He maintained a strong eye contact while he searched my face, trying to discern some hidden meaning in my words. "Dan, how many fae have you actually dealt with?"
"Just him."
I smiled and nodded, "So you're not really familiar with them and their... idiosyncrasies?"
He finished his muffin and his coffee before shrugging. "No, I suppose I'm not."
I didn’t like the way he crossed his arms loosely and leaned back in his chair while stretching his legs. His mouth held in a stubborn hard line. He'd shut down. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, reminding myself that he was a cub. His behaviour, while unacceptable, was not worthy of aggression. I needed to open him up and help him understand, to learn. I was out of practise at the alpha thing, but I was trying.
"Fae are... interesting creatures. They have to be handled in a very specific way. I adore them, they're very much my people, but you cannot be aggressive towards them. You cannot intimidate them if you ever want them on your side. It will fail."
He nodded and leaned forwards just a little, "What was that whole hug and kiss thing all about?"
I smiled. "It's a sign of trust and mild affection. I allowed him close and showed him that everything's good between us, that I trusted him. That makes him feel good and keeps him on my side."
He thought it through for a moment. "So... they're absurdly high-strung, aggressive princesses? Is that what you're telling me?"
I laughed, "I suppose that's one way of putting it, yes."
He smiled. "Well that shouldn’t be too difficult to remember. I’ll try and have it mind next time I deal with one."
He said, more quietly, his eyes kept a little lower than before, "Why didn't you stop him?"
I ran my tongue over my teeth while I thought about how to phrase it. "I knew he wouldn't do any real harm to you. I had to play my role and have him perceive me the way he did. If I had have stepped in, he would have lost trust in me and viewed me as another aggressor, and thus the potential lead would have been lost."
He ran it through his mind before he smiled and ran his fingers over his cheek idly. "Why are you the way you are with Alex? I know you have history, but your behaviour seems odd, out of place."
I looked at him and curled my lip a little. That was not an acceptable line of questioning. He looked away for a second before I leaned back in my chair and rested my hands on the table, trying to decide whether to allow him that information or not.
He was trying, he was showing some submission, so I said, "We have a long history. The fact remains that we're both your alphas, and you will respect us both, equally."
He leaned forwards, "You like the shadows, don’t you?"
I didn’t like that. My affinity with shadows was something that I kept completely under wraps. It was an unusual skill and way of being, which made it dangerous. His line of questioning, that curiosity and thought process wasn’t something I liked. It wasn’t particularly unusual to have someone deal with shadows how I had, many fae and related creatures had them as pets.
I shrugged. “They’re cool little things, fun to pet sometimes.”
He gave a quiet laugh, "We're more alike than you'd have me believe."
I kept my face blank and said, "Perhaps."
With that, we paid our bill and took the long route back to the apartment.
We were both lost in our thoughts. I hoped that he’d learned from his dealings with Kit. He had potential, he was intelligent, but he was also pushy and asked too many questions. The conversation cropped up occasionally as one of us would comment on a landmark or the other made some statement about a TV show or a movie. We weren't relaxed or particularly comfortable in each other's company, but some progress was being made.
17
The following few days were relatively peaceful, to the point that the cubs were getting restless. Alex went back and forth about whether he was trying to ignore me and act as though I didn't exist or trying to be friendly. I left him to his decisions and went along with whatever he was in the mood for at the time. After trekking around a couple more black market get-togethers and ruffling feathers in that scene, we'd reached a dead end. People admitted that there was a man, someone who was odd and asking about the sirens. None of them could, or would, identify him or give us anything more than that. So we did the best thing we could do to relax, unwind, and vent - we went out drinking.
I didn't keep too close an eye on the cubs and paid very little attention to Alex. I made sure they were within sight, but nothing more than that. My old pack instincts were beginning to kick in, and I didn't know how I felt about that. So I drowned it out with alcohol and the heavy beats of good music. The club was packed with warm, scantily-clad bodies. The beat pulsed through the air and became intoxicating. I knocked back my bright purple drink and returned to the dance floor. I was aware of Nik and Alex being locked in some conversation at a table up a dark corner, Dan was dancing with a girl, and Ryan was trying to pick up another girl over near the bar. Everything was fine. I pushed my way between the people to reach the centre of the dance floor, where I switched off all thought and moved with the music. Over the course of the following songs various people of both genders joined me, pressing their bodies close to mine. I moved with them but paid them no real attention. I wasn't in the mood for company that night. I needed to relax, to feel the music and the escape of the buzz of alcohol. I needed my own internal peace, not the passion of a one-night stand.
The pale red glow of the overhead lights were all that stopped the club from descending into pitch black, occasional pale blue strokes cut through the darkness which gave an interesting effect to things. The harsh light cut across people's features, highlighting the curves of hips, breasts, and cheekbones. They took on a whole new appearance for the briefest of moments before the darkness reclaimed the room once more. I pushed my way past a pair of particularly amorous humans and made my way to the bar. I glanced around to check on everyone else. Alex was still with Nik up the corner, Dan had his hands all over the woman but was fine, but Ryan, however, had vanished. I pursed my lips and ordered another purple drink.
My mind told me to forget about him; he was having a bit of fun with some woman somewhere, there was nothing wrong with that. My instincts, however, shouted that I needed to find him. I told my instincts to go fuck themselves and did a shot of whatever the guy next to me happened to buy me. I flashed him my most charming smile and thanked him, but my instincts refused to back down. The temptation was to do another shot, but the raven pushed forward, and I sighed before walking in the direction of the exit. Sometimes, I hated being an alpha. I was emotionally and energetically tied to the cubs and Alex. At that point, only the bond to Alex was strong, and that I did my best to shut down and cut out. The bonds with the cubs were slowly growing, though, and there was enough there to make me try and find Ryan.
I cursed him and the Sisters for putting me in that position. I wanted my quiet life back, the one where I didn't have to turn down a good-looking guy and more drinks in favour of tracking down a horny shifter. The raven stepped back in favour of the wolf when I stepped out of the exit into the cool night. The air was damp and sharp after the rainfall earlier in the day. I sniffed the air, trying to pick out Ryan's soft, almost sweet scent. The layers of alcohol, perfume, dirt, and much more made it hard to pick out any one scent. I slowly walked down the alley, past the Selkies that were having plenty of fun, to the end.
Finally I caught his scent; it was intermingled with a sickly sweet, honey-and-candyfloss scent. I wrinkled my nose. It almost made me gag. It had the faint tags of a succubus, but it wasn't quite right. I growled to myself and swore that if some worthless succubus parasite had tried to sink her claws into my cub, I'd rip her apart. With that in mind, I walked quickly in the direction of the scent. It led down a backstreet into another alley, twisting and turning before I heard him. At first his small gasps suggested he was having fun, but the sharp tang of fear and adrenaline told me otherwise. I bared my teeth and jogged towards him, determined to free him from whatever parasite had dared try and harm him.
Her honey blonde hair hung down her back, almost reaching her ass. The rich red dress hugged her curves and highlighted her long, tanned legs. She had her claws literally into Ryan. He was pinned to the wall trying to struggle against her. She licked up his throat, savouring the rivulet of blood that ran down it. I snarled and ran up to her. I dragged her off him and threw her against the opposite wall. She regained her balance quickly and bared her teeth at me, ready to attack in return. I shifted my wolf teeth and kicked her in the ribs, knocking the breath from her. Ryan was standing behind me, gathering his wits about him and recovering from the ordeal. The moment it took me to glance back at Ryan was enough. She lashed out with sharp claws that grazed my shoulder. I spun and sank my own claws into her neck and pinned her to the wall. She struggled, which only made it worse for her. I leaned in, feeling the intoxication of the fear beginning to take hold. I grazed my teeth over her throat, drawing the smallest drops of blood. She gasped and choked. Finally, I dropped her, allowing her to slump to the ground as I regained control of myself.
"Do not come near my pack again. Do you understand?"
She gulped and nodded, trying to pull herself back together again. I turned and looked Ryan over. He was a little shaken and refused to make eye contact, but I didn't see any major injuries. I ran my thumb over the marks on his throat. He jumped when I first touched them, but he allowed my touch.
I looked up at him. "I will keep you safe, understand?"
He nodded and looked down and away. The woman, the parasite, stood shakily and I faced her once more. I looked at her properly and snarled, "You're a siren."
She nodded meekly, clearly trying the innocent act. "I just needed to eat. it's been so long..."
I growled, "Do I look like I give a shit about how long it's been for you?"
She swallowed hard. I gritted my teeth and tried to calm myself. "For some reason which you do not need to know, I'm here to try and stop your kind from vanishing."
Her eyes went wide and her bottom lip trembled. I snarled at her, "Don't try that act with me."
She smiled and crossed her arms. The innocent wounded puppy façade dropped immediately. Sirens were manipulative bitches. They played whatever card they felt was necessary to get what they wanted. She said with slight disbelief, "You're really trying to help us?"
I rolled my eyes. "I am, much to my chagrin."
She pursed her lips and looked at me suspiciously. "Then I won't touch your precious pack, if you won't harm me. I'll see if I can help you put a stop to the brutal murder of my sisters."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, you seem to be under the impression that you're in a position of power here..."
She took a step backwards. "Well, what I meant to say was... I won't go near your pack again, and I'll do everything I can to help you."
I gritted my teeth and contemplated breaking her neck; one more missing wouldn't be such a bad thing.
I gave her my phone number. "Call me the moment you have any information. If I catch you near any of my pack again, I won't think twice about ripping that pretty little throat open, clear?"
She nodded and practically ran out of the alley. I fought against all my instincts and drives that screamed to chase her.
&
nbsp; I turned back to Ryan and looked him over properly. He kept his eyes low and didn't move as I ran my fingers over the small patches of blood that showed through shirt. I almost felt a little sorry for the poor, wretched thing.
He eventually looked at me. "I'm sorry. I fucked up."
I gave him a half smile and brushed my hand over his arm, it was intended to soothe him. The gesture felt slightly odd, but natural and right.
He carried on. "I couldn't help it. She was stunning and intoxicating, I lost myself..."
I squeezed his hand. "We all fuck up sometimes. You were there when I forgot to ground the pain from healing you."
His lips flickered with the hint of a smile as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I really want this pack thing to work, ya know?"
I knew a little too well, I just refused to admit it to myself. "I do."
"I haven't had a pack before. I mean, I ran with Nik for a good while before this, but it was never a full pack. I want to fit in, I want to belong and feel pride in myself and have my pack proud of me."
The words tumbled out of his mouth as though they'd been caged for days or weeks. "I don't want to fuck it up. I feel slightly useless; Dan has his connections to the black markets and trades, Nik's great with his fists and seems to be getting close to Alex. I just... I don't know what I'm meant to do. I'm not sure where I fit. I saw her as an escape for a moment. I'd meant to try and talk to her, but this bliss descended over me. That voice, man... that voice."
I slipped my fingers under his chin and made him look at me "You fit. You're one of my pack. You have your place."
His smiled and brushed his cheek against my hand as his wolf came forward just a little. My own wolf pushed forward and took control just long enough for me to brush my cheek against his. It lasted but a second, but he perked up and grinned at me. His green eyes gained a little light, and he looked as though a weight had been lifted from him. I couldn't help but smile in return. It felt good to be accepted.