An Unexpected Love Story

Chapter Twenty Four:

"I feel rather useless not being able to read." I lean against the cart as he grabs all the items on the list.

"I saw that sugar hound. We have chocolate sauce in the freezer." He puts it back, turning abruptly.

The edge, it touches my consciousness, caressing my brain gently. The demonic aura that is not Sesshoumaru's floats close by, watching.

"I feel it too." His eyes widen, I can even see his hair stand up, the slightest movement. I hold my breath.

"Maksmir, he's here." And once more Sesshoumaru is off faster then an Olympic sprinter. Down the aisle filled with canned goods I try my best to keep up.

Stumbling after him, the aura plays on the edge of my psyche. It caresses the ends of my thought, it's something I haven't had to deal with in such a long time. I find it hard to focus all my energy onto where it could be.

That's when I see him. He stands, tall and strong, much like Sesshoumaru. His aura hangs around him, blanketing him, almost like armour. I catch my eyes with his and it's like they're on fire, they smoulder in their sockets. Sesshoumaru takes this opportunity to step in between us.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, I see you've settled down then." His eyes are alight and he smiles. I feel like I've been wrapped in blankets, the heat that emanates from him is so great I find it a little hard to breathe.

"That I have, why are you not with Aleks and Demitri." I wrap my arm around him for I'm worried Sesshoumaru will take out all his anger on an equal opponent. His words are sharp when they leave his lips.

"The boys needed to learn how to fend for themselves. They needed to become independent. So I left and travelled and now I've come back." That's why they didn't know where he was. Sesshoumaru loosens next to me.

I feel like we should invite the poor man home for dinner.

Maksmir is cautionary, like he's worried he's going to lose control. As he stands in the aisle I just study him.

A thick wool coat falls from his burly frame, it's tattered and has seen better days. He relaxes a little when he notices me looking at him. Placing a hand in his pocket he takes a moment to give Sesshomaru a look over, looking for anything different after all these years.

"I'm surprised you're not dead too." Sesshoumaru says coldly.

"I left right after you. That's when Alexei and Vlad decided to mate with those humans." I take my queue to untangle my arm and shuffle away. If they were going to break out into a brawl in the middle of a grocery store, I was going to be as far away as possible.

The list of food needed is written in his beautiful hand writing and I've made it into a game, trying to get as far away from them as possible. It's like hide and seek but without people. Only it's much harder looking for peas then it is looking for a person.

Peas can't shout olly olly oxen free when you've given up. Maybe peas are considered a foreign food in Russia.

As I stand contemplating whether or not peas are a foreign food, Sesshoumaru finds me. "Did you get everything?"

"Are peas considered a foreign food here?"

"Can I have the list? It will be much easier if I have the list."

I give him the list.

xxx

Aleks, Demitri and Maks are set to arrive within the hour. It's been so long since we've seen the boys and it makes me so happy that Maksmir finally went home to them.

Sesshoumaru's in the kitchen as always, while I'm getting frustrated at my closet again.

"I have nothing to wear!" Shouting, I turn. He's leaning in the doorway, laughing at my conundrum.