Hooked [Complete]

49. Training

It was the first time he'd spoken directly to her, even looked directly at her, in the month since Ostara.

Suddenly she felt like going a little Druantia on Sean. "Who said it would be an accident?"

He tapped his chest, above his heart. "So you wanna finish the job you started, huh?"

She sighed. She hated the way he looked at her now, with such...animosity.

"No, of course not." She put the safety on the weapon. "I'm sorry I was careless."

There was an uncomfortable silence. All over the camp. Everyone had stopped what they were doing, watching the exchange between Sean and Dru. Hearne and Carrie watched them with identical calculating expressions. Hearne shot Carrie a look. A silent godly exchange took place. Carrie nodded with tight lips and looked away.

"Faraday, you don't need the target practice, and Dru needs to head down to Asheville to pick up some supplies for a side-project she's come up with, for the hunt. Why don't you go with her?"

Dru looked at Hearne, surprised. The last thing she ever thought Hearne would do was put her in a one on one situation with Sean. What did he mean by that? He was supposed to be keeping them apart, keeping Sean safe from her, not throwing them uncomfortably together. "But I need the target practice," she objected.

"You can practice later."

"The hunt is only two weeks away."

Hearne laughed. "You're not hunting at Beltane," he said flatly.

Now Dru had a whole new reason for being irritated with Hearne. She furrowed her brows at him. "But I want to. It's a huge deal for you," she gestured around to the three dozen people Hearne had recruited as part of the home team Huntsmen. "I want to be a part of that."

He laughed, a look of complete astonishment on his face. "Do you know how dangerous wild boar are, Dru? Do you know how much of my attention it would take to ensure your safety? No, it's out of the question."

"So you just get to decide what I can and can't do?" She hissed. Carrie smirked, trying not to laugh. Sean looked highly uncomfortable, but she ignored them both as she advanced on Hearne.

"Yes, I do," he said calmly, taking her left hand and fingering her ring. "This witch accepts your ring and returns my promise, Lord Cernunnos. I surrender my mortal existence into your care, until I surrender my soul into your making, on the Beltane after your horns and our Greenspark arise." He quoted her covenant exactly, word for word. "Remember saying that?" He stepped close and whispered in her ear, "Remember sealing that?"

He was reminding her of the lovemaking that had followed her promise. He had done something to her soul with that sex, sealing her vow, binding her closer to him than ever. He tugged at her will now, reminding her how much more powerful his was.

She made a sound of exasperation and shoved the crossbow at him, "I hate you," she muttered, as she stomped up toward the lodge.

"No, you don't," he called cheerfully after her.

She didn't, of course she didn't, but she didn't turn around and smile at him. She made her way to the deck of the lodge, and poured herself a lemonade from the refreshment table. She watched Sean, Carrie and Hearne in conversation. Sean glanced up at the deck twice, shaking his head. He didn't want to go to Asheville with Dru, anymore than she wanted to go with him. Hearne spoke mostly to Carrie, and finally she sighed, and nodded, and put a hand on Sean's arm, and said something. He rolled his eyes and stomped up the path, just like Dru had done.

He joined her on the deck, pouring his own drink. "Gods are stupid, huh?"

"Yeah."

"She compel you to take me to Asheville?"

"No," he admitted begrudgingly, "but she probably would have, if I hadn't agreed. They think we need to work some stuff out. Hearne says our energy is distracting to the...people," he gestured at the crowd of Mystic Mountainers and pagan students. "And Carrie always does exactly whatever that fucker suggests she does."

"Except take him back," Dru noted.

"Except that," Sean agreed.

They watched Hearne and Carrie together. It looked like they were talking about the Mystic Mountain men. Hearne was gesturing to them, and Carrie was nodding, or sometimes shaking her head, pointing at them as she talked. Hearne wasn't even aware that he was touching Carrie as they talked...her back, her arm, once even touching her face. Carrie unconsciously drew her arm through his. Dru narrowed her eyes, noting that Carrie looked suddenly...different. Her glamour had shifted slightly. Her coppery mane looked wilder, and her nose was spattered with freckles. The Lord and Lady were getting more and more comfortable with each other, now that they had a common cause and spoke daily of things beyond their bitter history.

"It sucks playing second fiddle to a professional," Dru said dryly.

Sean laughed...really laughed. His laughter was infectious, and Dru found herself smiling at him.

When he finally stopped laughing, he took a long drink of lemonade. "I forgot how funny your one-liners are," he said quietly.

Dru pressed her lips tightly. She hadn't forgotten anything, not really. She couldn't tell him that, though. "I guess we better go," she gestured at Sean's jeep.

"Where are we going?" Sean asked.

"To the military surplus store," Dru said.

He raised his eyebrows, and his voice was thick with Witchtimbre. "There are lot of very interesting items there."

Sean's eyes darkened to near black. She'd never seen them like that before, but she's seen Angus Og's eyes darken in much more intimate circumstances. She stepped away from Sean. "Get a grip, sexwitch," she said tolerantly. "The hardware store probably has a better selection. We need to stop by there, too, but only if you can behave."

"Easier said than done," he said calmly.

"Not really. Don't you have a prescription for that?"

"Yeah. How do you feel about that?"

She shrugged. "It's not my business what you do, is it?"

"No," he smiled. "I meant in principle."

"A little green is okay. I have no right to judge, considering the drugs I used to take."

"When you were a Druid?"

She smiled. "Then, and when I was sixteen in this life, Sean. I've tried to tell you over and over, I'm no innocent. You just never heard me. It's why we couldn't work. I'm far too...bad for a guy trying to keep his dark desires in check. You need a good, sweet girl you can worship to keep you straight, sexwitch. A girl like Carrie. She's twelve thousand years old, but underneath, she's a much sweeter girl than me, isn't she?"

He sighed in resignation. "You better tell me about this project on the way. I'll need a couple of hits and the conversational distraction."

A/N: Hmmmm, what do you think? Can Sean and Dru become friends like Cernunnos and Cerridwen? Don't forget to vote if you are looking forward to Beltane! Thanks!