Plot Rivera (COMPLETE)

Part Seven: Discourse Between Husband and Wife +18

"Damn it," Eternity growled frustratedly, just as Hayley, Jackson, and the surviving members of the Crescent wolf pack gathered around her and Elijah.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," Hayley said as she joined Eternity's side, winded and covered in enemy blood.

Both women shot glares at Elijah, who shared in their frustration, but didn't feel an ounce of regret for interfering. He remained unmoved by their angry looks or those of the remaining Crescents, even as they stood in the carnage of his actions. Bodies and parts of bodies lay all around them, including those belonging to the Crescent ranks.

"What the hell was that, Elijah?" Growled Hayley. "We had everything under control until you decided to screw it up by interfering. Now some of our own people are dead, which they wouldn't be, if you had just stayed away and let us handle this."

Still, he remained unmoved. He simply smiled at the young woman unpleasantly.

Then Eternity intercepted, asking Hayley to take the wolves and return to the bayou, so that they could rest to fight another day. The brunette did as asked, but remained clearly furious at how things went down as she marched away with her people following ground until it was just the Original and his lady.

"I told you to stay hidden, no matter what you saw," the ethereal beauty raged, once the Crescents were gone. "Yet, like the jealous fool you are, you just couldn't bother! Now Leo Rivera is gone and the entire operation has been shot to hell!"

"For the time being. He won't be breathing for much longer," Elijah replied calmly, though inside he was a tightly wound ball of anger himself. "Now that I am aware of this plot against us, we will find him. I'm not worried."

Eternity looked at him incredulously, "Are you mad? You've just given him leave to gather more allies and a greater army. While none can pose threat to me and I can defend you well against them all, I was trying to keep casualties of the innocent to a minimum in the process with this operation. I was thinking of others who do not deserve death, but will die should things escalate to a full scale war between us and them."

"Loss of innocent life is the price of war," countered Elijah calmly. "You know this better than anyone, even me. Yet, you naively think that you can avoid it."

"It's not being naive, Elijah," his lady shot back angrily. "It's having a duty of care that you so obviously lack!"

Elijah's jaw tightened at her tone, his own temper flaring to life in reaction to hers. However, before it could explode, he stomped down that fire by breaking eye contact and taking a deep, calming breath. Once he was settled, he looked up at Eternity, calmer than before.

"It's not that I don't care, Sweetheart," he rumbled. "I do care, despite what you might think, but my priority is the safety of this family, which includes you and our son. If war is what has to come to pass to ensure that we remain safe, then that is what I am willing to let happen, even if innocent lives are lost in the process."

Eternity shook her head and scoffed, "You are so short-sighted. You are thinking it has to be one or the other with family taking the priority, but why can it not be both, Elijah? Hmm? Why can't we protect both family and strangers alike?"

She closed her eyes and let out a calm breath of her own, "We can have both. I would have proved as much, if you hadn't interfered. Yet, now I suppose that might not matter."

"Well, perhaps, if you hadn't been sneaking around behind my back and had been more forthcoming with what you were up to, I wouldn't have had felt the need to step in," Elijah replied, his voice quaking with his quiet anger that he continued to try keeping it contained.