Painted Moments

18 Friendly Slap Back

Chapter 18
Friendly Slap Back

    Finally dressed and my bag repacked, never know when you need to run, I walk downstairs to find them. From the stairs I can hear shouting from the back of the house. What are they doing back there? I thought they were going to work out.
    Following the noise to Uncle Trev's study I tried to figure out what had them all uppity this time. What I found shocked the heck out of me. Two Huntsmen family members were standing over My Luc who had his hands chained behind his back like a criminal while Aspen and Mason were yelling over each other in incomprehensible garble.
     They might as well have been grunting like gorillas. Suddenly Aspen pushed Mason into the book shelves.
     "I'm just trying to protect what is left of my family! Cordelia doesn't know what she wants! She is too young! It is my job to protect you!"
    Mason wasn't about to give up easily as he pushed away from the shelves and shoved his hands into Aspen's chest.
    "By locking up an innocent man who is just as much a victim in this as we all are. You didn't even wait for the full story! You don't know what's going on on our end."
    Aspen was right back in his face trying to use his height to intimidate Mason into backing down. It wasn't working well.
     "Your messages were enough to discern that this boy is a liability! Your mother said the other side will want him and to keep an eye on him. I heard her!"
      "You're taking her words out of context. You don't even know how he is related to us!"
     I had seen and heard enough.
      "WHAT THE HECK IS LUC DOING CUFFED ON THE FLOOR LIKE A BEATEN DOG!"
      Everyone snapped to attention. The two young hunters, recruits I trained last year, looked nervous. Aspen may be General of the council, and I may be considered weak on the personal abilities side of things, but I make up for it when it comes to running my Hunters. 
    Aspen has never been involved with the hunters until now. He has always been too much of an intellectual to be interested in them.
    Only Mason has seen me this way. That's the way I like it. I prefer normal over combat ready every second of the day. When I am needed however, I don't hold back, and I don't have time to mess around.
     I am the acting Head of the family when my Mother and Father are detained or unavailable. I am the eldest twin, master Strategist, blade master, and leader of the Hunters. I am the one on the front lines while my brother is the shadow you fear in the dark. He is a master assassin, with a level of intelligence that would break Einstein. We are the Veta twin heirs, and Aspen had just thrown Mason against a wall and locked my Lover in chains.
      "Just what did you mean Aspen?That I don't know what I want? Are you trying to say I'm too young to protect those who follow me? So the big brave General for the council should step in and take the reins?"
     "That's not what I meant Cori, I would never challenge your position. I just want to secure any problematic situations. This boy..."
     "Problematic! Is that why you saw fit to throw your superior against the wall? Kneel!"
     "Cori I..."
     "I SAID, kneel."
     Aspen assumed a sloppy position on the floor in front of me. It just showed he had no training in Huntsmen etiquette. I hated to do this, but Aspen clearly didn't understand that Mason sent him those messages out of courtesy. He should have been following them like orders considering his new status, but it seems he is wholly misinformed.
    "Christopher report."
    "Yes My Lady, General Aspen has secured the council in a safe house in Venice. He has also secured key members of the family in four other unknown to me safe house locations. All contact is being done only through safe newly made blackout postcards. Messages only My Lady, no vocal or video. I believe this has caused the misunderstanding."
    I watched the top of Aspen's head. He had done work worthy of praise, but when it came to my brother and me he is too emotionally invested. I can't have him throwing his weight around like this. The way he treated Mason just now undermines our authority. That's the last thing we need right now.
    "I see... Aspen you have done well in your duties. However, you seem to have mistaken something. There are three generals in total. On a normal everyday basis you would be on equal footing with the other two generals. Meaning you don't have the authority to give those generals orders. You would discuss the issues, present your ideas to my parents, and then they would decide.
    Unfortunately for you, this is not a normal state of affairs. As such, until the true Heads are released, my brother and I hold their positions. Therefore you report to us. You have no authority to demand our compliance to your onesideded opinion on a good day. Today you have no right to speak unless spoken to. Do I make myself clear?"
    "Yes My Lady..."
     Aspen seemed to be about to add to his exasperated acknowledgment of my role in these events. Before he said anything else stupid, I cut him off.
     "Now I would like to introduce myself and my brother to you properly according to protocol. You may stand."
He got to his feet and crossed his arms glaring at me like he used to when we were misbehaving children at school. However, this was a whole new ballgame with a new set of rules that he was not aware of.
    "Aspen, you know of our intelligence division, I'd like to officially introduce you to General Mason, holder of his position for three years."
    "Wait Mason? But I thought..."
    "You thought wrong, imagine my sister and I as lion cubs Aspen. Consider our last three years of service to the family, proof that we can lead, and that we do know what we want."
     "We?"
     Aspen turned to me with a sceptical look in his eyes. It was infuriating.
     "That's right Aspen, I am General Cori, leader of the Hunters division for the last three years. I regret the misunderstanding and the conditions with which you were brought on so suddenly. I take it we lost Trudy during the battle."
     "No, she joined the other side. Wait a minute!"
    Aspen shook his hands out as if he could press pause on the room.
   "You mean to tell me that the last three successful demon hunts were under your supervision?"
     He gestured to me looking me up and down with disbelief, and my patience with him completely evaporated.
     "That is what I'm telling you Aspen. Out of the three of us you are just going to have to accept that my brother and I are the ones with more experience! Your behavior so far towards us is not only disrespectful, it is highly inappropriate considering your new rank. So we will be watching you closely. Believe me regardless of our closeness I will replace you if it is for the betterment of my people."
    Mason walked over to me to take a stand against the shocked and bewildered man in front of me. Aspen looked haggard. Like a tornado had picked him up and dropped him upside down, leaving him to sort out the mess himself.
     "I will say though Cori that he has taken to the job like a fish to water."
    I could understand Mason pointing out Aspen's successes in this renewal rebellion, as they called it, but I was not ready to give him a passing grade with the frantic power drunk display I just witnessed fresh in my mind.
    "He still has some rough edges to smooth out Mason if he can't understand a request for his expertise is not permission to override our orders."
    Something flashed in Aspen's eyes causing me fresh worry, but he looked away from me too quickly for me to truly assess it.
     "As your sister and friend  Aspen I understand your need to protect us. However, as your leader, I am disappointed by your overstep. The council is your charge, not my brother or me."
    "Um Koi, could you add me to that list,... I mean...My Lady? I'm kinda still on lock down over here sweetheart."
    My face went a bit red at the fact that I had just done a major flex in front of Luc. Oh gosh, that's embarrassing.
   "Right, sorry. Christopher, Fredrick, release him."
   Aspen moved in between me and Luc blocking my view of him.
   "Cori the council has demanded he is to be apprehended and brought in for questioning."
   When he saw my stone-faced reaction to the council's demands he turned to Mason.
    "Didn't your message say you needed Alexia for an interrogation Mason?"
    "I asked for you to bring someone versed in interrogation to help with questioning him. I never meant for him to be treated as a suspect."
    I'm done with all this male posturing. Aspen is being ridiculous.
    "Enough of this. Move Aspen, or I will move you myself."
     He glared at me before he finally backed up. He looked so put out over the idea that he had to release Luc. He kept shooting him looks like he wanted to shred him.
    Christopher had only gotten Luc's feet unchained when Luc lost his patience with Aspen's attitude.
    "What is your problem? I haven't done anything, and I just met you. Not the best first impression by the way."
   Aspen shocked everyone in the room as he exploded towards Luc.
    "You are the problem! Who the heck are you, and where do you get off disrespecting her by calling her sweetheart? Keep your dirty eyes to yourself, filthy pig."
    Aspen marched over to Luc like a raging bull. He was in full defense mode. I had seen him do this once to a guy at the mall when I was sixteen. He had catcalled me and gotten very nasty with the name calling when I didn't respond. Aspen had been coming out of a store to meet up with us, and before I knew it he had antagonized the guy into taking the first swing. He wasn't really a trained fighter, but Aspen is still a capable brawler when he needs to be.
    "A disgusting pet Cog like you will never be good enough for Cori! So keep a decent tongue in your mouth at the very least trash!"
    With one last insult he spit in Luc's face.
    I was stunned. I had never heard Aspen talk down to someone like that. Let alone My Luc! I wasn't able to do more than feel the rage for a second before Mason had him in a headlock pulling him away from Luc who had proved quite easily that he was not a cog by popping the chain between the cuffs still holding his hands behind his back.
    Mason pulling Aspen away didn't save him for long as Luc made quick work of my Huntsmen's confusion. Sweeping their legs out from behind and cracking their heads solidly against the floor. Luc was new to a Nephilim rage. I doubt he could control himself right now even if he tried.
It all happened so fast I honestly didn't know what to do. Mason once again found himself against the shelves as Luc threw him off of Aspen. This time it was hard enough to bruise and make him slide to the floor in pain. Aspen wasn't faring much better as he was confronted with a very pissed off Nephilim pulling him upright by his shoulder and punching his guts out.
    Luc has been training and fighting with Mason since they were eight years old. If this keeps up I don't think Aspen will come out of this without at least a few broken bones. My hunters were already up again and moving to free Aspen from Luc's hold. They were ready to use deadly force if need be.
   "Stand down now!"
   Mason shouted at them. It got me moving though I honestly didn't really know how to stop the events already in motion.
   Still I followed suit as Mason immediately got into combat position. Approaching Luc from both sides. We started baiting him into dropping his prey. Aspen fell from his hands like a wet blanket once he perceived the new threat, but he stood in front of Aspen's collapsed body guarding his prey. Luc's rage was palpable as he turned on Mason first. He seemed to be completely ignoring me though.
    "Mason, um, just keep him distracted long enough for me to get under his guard and knock him out."
    "I got a better idea Sissy."
    "I don't like that look in your eyes Macy."
    Mason grabbed the coat rack by the door and charged Luc using the smoothed out coat hooks like a pitch fork to ram Luc into the wall. That's gotta hurt his wound!
    "Stay focused Cordeliah! If he goes after Aspen again he is going to end up in intensive care."
     "Fine, what do you want me to do?"
     "Kiss him."
     "What? I can't..."
     "Trust me on this Sissy. Divert his thought process. Help him change gears!"
     Luc was already breaking pieces off the coat rack, and pushing to gain his freedom. Mason grunted against his hold as Luc progressively won ground against him. I was panicking trying to figure out how I was going to even get close to Luc.
    "How am I supposed to just..."
    "You're not! Mason, what are you thinking!"
    Aspen yelling and gasping through his pain unfortunately caught Luc's attention.
    Just as Mason was screaming you idiot! Luc dislodged the coat rack and snapped it in half. Mason barely had time to trip Luc before he got to Aspen again. Throwing himself bodily on top of him. Mason locked Luc's arms behind his head and rolled them over on their backs.
    "Now Cori!"
    "What! Like that, are you kidding me!"
    "Would you rather he kill Aspen?"
    "Oh this is weird, this is weird, this is so freaking weird."
    I started shaking and wringing my hands with nerves incapable of backing off or moving forward.
    "You think it's weird? How do you think I feel? How about Lucas when he comes out of this caught between us! Just do it already."
    "My Lady, I think he is right."
   I looked at Fredrick in a panic.
   "If he is romantically involved with you he will calm down if you divert his attention. I've seen my mom do it for my father."
    "What does your mom and dad have to do with Cori?"
    "Shut up!" We all yelled.
    Apparently everyone had figured out what was going on in the room except the highly out of character dim witted Aspen!
    "Are you sure it will work Fred?"
    "Yes, My Lady, it works every time."
     "Well I don't need an audience so you two take Aspen out of the room. Get him patched up and get some ice for those noggins."
   Finally finding a groove within my role of authority over the hunters I straightened my spine. This may be embarrassing, but if I look at it with the eyes of a hunter on a mission I can get through it.
    Luc's eyes followed Aspen out of the room. He didn't even look away once he was out of sight. His struggles just increased as he got an arm free, and Mason took an elbow to the ribs. Grappling him back into position, He wrapped his legs around him in a judo hold. Mason was getting a bit exasperated with me. His voice dripped in sarcasm as he snapped at me.
   "Take your time Cori, it's not like your boyfriend is playing a game of lumpy Mason pillow over here."
   Getting down on my knees beside them I leaned over trying to reach him. His face was red with rage. It was a bit scary.   
   On top of that he wouldn't even look at me. He was so focused on the idea of destroying Aspen. Not to mention he was practically jamming his head into Mason's trying to break his nose.
    "If he smashes my face in just because you're suddenly shy to kiss him around me Cori; I swear I'm going to make you pay for it."
    Now I was getting exasperated!
    "I can't get close enough. He is too far down on that side and he keeps pulling away from me from this side. What am I supposed to do!"
    "Think of something cause I promise you Aspen will die if he gets free."
    Okay, the shock of the situation has officially worn off! This is ridiculous. Aspen is a jerk. Lucas has gone into his first rage and Mason is being the bad side of a donkey! Fine, he wants me to fix this. I will freaking fix this.
    I didn't think about the consequences of my actions. If Lucas wanted to be stubborn, so could I. Climbing on top of them so that I could put my weight against him and stop some of his struggles. I grasped his chin and tried to force him to look at me. It wasn't working and I'm getting pissed off. How dare he ignore me like this. Rage or no rage I'm supposed to come first in his life.
    I can't explain the instinct that flooded through me at that moment. All I knew was I demanded his attention now. Not with words, but with my actions. I changed my target from a simple kiss on his lips to his exposed neck as he craned his head towards the door.
    Payback time. I lunged down and bit hard into the cords of muscle between his neck and shoulder. Two things happened at once. Lucas locked up as if he had been shocked before relaxing almost completely. Then Mason let him go.
    As I had my eyes closed I didn't notice Mason rolling us off of him and making his escape till I felt Luc's weight settle on top of me. Pinning me to the floor. My eyes flew open to the sound of the office door shutting soundly.