keeper (d. Hale)

the kitsune lied.

Derek didn't dare move as Delilah settled against as if he was her favourite place to be in the entire world and she had no intention of ever leaving it.

The decaying spider lily remained splatter across the kitchen table. It's blackened pedals sticking to the wood as if it was slowly becoming part of the grain that swirled and crashed like a raging ocean wave. If you choose to take your eyes away from it for even a second, it might a well be as it curled and threatened to be swept away.

The pained silence of the room crackled like a gnashing of teeth. Bone on bone, slowly grinding into dust.

The men across the table looked fearfully at Delilah and the sardonic smile that painted her face into a mask they barely recognized.

Neither of them moved, not even Derek, who looked distrustingly back at them. He didn't fully understand what was happening but he did know that if they dared to make any move, any threatening gesture, whether it would be the slightest breath out of place, he would kill them without hesitation.

Delilah would always come first. Always.

As if seeing the direction of the werewolf's thoughts layout before them, neither men moved. That suited him just fine.

Derek could feel Delilah letting out a series of slow even breaths across his neck. He would normally think she was asleep but the clicking of her claws across the top of the kitchen table kept him attuned to the present situation.

That was until the front door or the house opened and the twins returned from their patrol.

"Peter? Derek?" Aiden called out.

"We are in here," Delilah called back, causing the others in the room to jump from the sound of her voice and the stopping of her nails.

With their focus so intent on Delilah, they did not notice the rapid drying of the spider lily before them. Delilah rolled her head to the side to stretch her neck in a manner that could on dictate a satisfaction that this had not been done in a long time. She leaned away from Derek, closure to the table. But not too far as the arm around her waist tightened, ensuring she stayed with him.

With a sharp inhale she blew her breath out across the table and the occupants watched at the lily dissolved into an ash that carried away like the spattering of a long forgotten dust until its shape was unrecognizable.

"Shoes off!" Delilah shouted sweetly a moment later, snapping the room from momentary spell she had captured them in.

The sound of the boys dropping to the floor to remove their mud soaked footwear lightly thudded from the hallway.

"Peter, darling, do me a favour," Delilah cooed as her head rested on her hand against the table. "Deaton has an iron bracelet in his left jacket pocket. Can you fetch it, please?"

Peter shifted his eyes to Derek before nodding slowly as he reached over to Deaton, who did not move a muscle. He sat ramrod straight in his chair as Peter moved his hands along the other man's jacket until he found what he was looking for.

Peter held up the thin bracelet to show her that he had done as she asked before he slipped it into his own pocket for safe keeping.

"Let me be clear Alan," she spoke lowly with a hiss as the kitchen light reflected off its metallic surface. "If you bring that into my house again, I will kill you."

Deaton opened his mouth to speak but Delilah held up a finger to silence him.

"We both known this flower was not meant for you, but don't make me change my mind."