"So what's the plan?" Dylan gazed out the window beside him.
They've been driving through a whole night into the early hours of the morning.
Jade sighed "We're heading straight for the Divisions."
"The Divisions? As in the hunting region Divisions?"
Jade glanced towards him "The very one"
"Luna, I've heard stories about the Divisions!" Dylan exclaimed "and not the kind of stories you would tell your kids!"
Jade smirked. She thought it was funny seeing a werewolf scared of a place where there'd be humans.
Chances were some of those stories involved her dad. He was quiet notorious back in the day. "Look - We're only going be there so I can find my brother, he'll figure something out. And how many times do I have to tell you! My name is Jade not Luna. Just Jade!"
"Fine..." he muttered
Jade sighed contently "we're here," she parked her car outside a little cottage.
"Are you sure?" he whispered
He imagined big grey buildings and a suffocating cloud of fear, not a small cottage in the middle of what seemed to be a forest.
It almost seemed nice. Almost.
Jade rang the doorbell only once "Not quite. We're on the outskirts of it. It's a little more peaceful here, less dark and deadly. My Aunt lives here. Tanner said he'd be staying with her before he left"
Before Dylan could ask any more questions the door opened to reveal a lady that seemed to be in her late 40's with dark brown hair and weary brown eyes.
Jade immediately beamed towards her, while introducing herself "Oh my, you have grown so much!" the lady voiced while bringing her into a hug "and who is this handsome young man?"
"Dylan." Jade offered lightly "A friend of mine."
Katherine nodded towards him "You can call me Kat. It's nice to meet you."
"Pleasures all mine." Dylan replied shyly.
The older women turned her attention back to Jade "I'm so happy you came to visit"
"I'm sorry we can't stay for long, Kat. We just came by to ask for Tanner''
Katherine froze — Dylan recognised her expression, it was an emotion he knew all too well. But he had to be wrong. Oh, Goddess how he hoped he was wrong "Excuse me?"
"I really need my brother, it's urgent." The older women's face drained of all colour, a flash of something close to panic surpassed her features.
And that's when Dylan knew, he just knew it in his heart.
And even he held his breath for a moment.
Dylan wordlessly took Jade's hand "I-I'm not feeling well, Luna. Is it alright if we can just go in for a minute or two?"
"But Tanner-"
He squeezed her hand more out of reflex than anything else "Please."
"We have been travelling for a while now..." Jade lingered for a moment
Kat forced a small laugh "The living room is straight down the hall and to your left, can't miss it. The poor boy looks like death, let him have some tea, at least."
"...Fine...lets head in but only for a couple minutes. Thank you, Katherine." Jade relented giving Dylan a glance before shooting a grateful smile towards the older women in front of her. She then turned away and walked down the hall.
Kat shook her head, her joyful smile dropping as soon as Jade rounded the corner "How could this possibly have happened..."
Dylan didn't know. But he did know Jade would break. He knew she'd fall to pieces. He had done the same thing when this happened to him so he also knew how to lessen the blow.
"We can't avoid her getting hurt, but we can let her know she isn't alone."
"You're right" Katherine closed her eyes in concentration before re-opening them with a bright look "I know what to do."
Dylan sheepishly nodded "Okay, I'll just be inside then" Katherine immediately grabbed her phone as Dylan headed down the hall.
This had to work.
No, this needed to work.
She waited at the dial tone when finally the other person picked up "Name and reason." a deep voice answered.
Only he would answer his phone like that, if she hadn't know him since he were child she would've thought it rude.
"Sebastian?"
"Katherine." His tone remained formal and concise.
"It's Jade-"
"where is she?" all of a sudden his voice pumped with consternation
Katherine smiled a little at his eagerness. The two of them were always so close when they were younger "she's here. At the cottage"
"I'll be there first thing when I finish my rounds."
She rushed to tell him before he'd hang up on her "She doesn't know!"
"What. Do. You mean she doesn't know." he seethed
Kat sighed "I'm calling you for a reason, Sebastian."
There was an audible pause on the other end before either of them had said anything, before his somewhat strong and hollow voice whispered a gruff:
"...I'm on my way now."
* * *
"Dylan, we don't have time to sit here."
Kat sensed his unease and decided to distract Jade "If you don't mind me asking, who are you running from?"
"we're not running...just...relocating" Jade muttered while crossing her arms.
Dylan chuckled a small bit at her attempt to lessen the situation they were in. It surprised him that after years of sadness he could still smile and it was all because of the girl sitting next to him — all because of his Luna.
The familiar ring of the doorbell snapped Dylan out of his thoughts "I'll go get that." Kat stated warmly as her gaze lingered on Jade before leaving the room.
"What are you doing?" She asked turning to him with an accusing look "Tell me the truth?"
He couldn't lie to her, she knew it and he knew it "It's not my place to say..."
"Excuse me?" before Dylan could reply, a tall frightening man that possibly rivalled the aura of his own Alpha, had entered the room "Bash!" Jade used his childhood nickname.
'Those were the days when things were much simpler and life was worth living' Bash silently mused to himself.
Dylan stood from where he sat "I-If it's alright, I'd like to take you up on that offer on tea? But I make tea a special way, would you give me the chance to show you?" Katherine nodded her head slightly before leaving the room with him.
His slight diversion leaving Jade alone with her childhood friend.
Sebastian had an impressive physique, anyone could plainly see. Maybe even equal to Slate's. He had changed so much since the last time Jade had seen him. It seemed as if he held his head higher and carried more bitterness in his gaze, but as soon as they made contact with her green ones — they softened, if only, a fraction.
Without so much as a second to waste he embraced her — his strong arms circling her waist.
Since the moment she left, a small part of him left with her. Every single day, Bash yearned to see her face, or even hear her voice but he couldn't leave the walls, he had responsibilities and nowhere to go "Took your time in coming back, didn't ya?" He'd never admit it but it hurt like hell when she was gone.
"Just a little" Jade couldn't fight the smile that stained her lips. Something about being near him put her at ease.
Even if most people would shy away from him because he had a hard exterior she knew he was still the little boy that used to make her laugh.
Bash hugged her tightly "I'm so sorry"
Ask anyone and they'd tell you the same thing. Sebastian never apologises. Because the late and great Sebastian never makes mistakes. But in this case, somehow he did. And apologies weren't enough to stave away the guilt that plagued him.
"What?" she quirked an eyebrow.
He clenched his jaw "I should've gone to you myself, but I trusted him to tell you, I trusted him and now..." his eyes were screwed shut — frankly he couldn't muster up the courage to look at her, not right now at least.
Had it been any other moment he would've craved to see her enchanting green gaze that had him wrapped around her finger.
But he barely had the strength to be in the same room. He was a warrior in all walks of life but in front of her, he reverted back into a mere coward.
"Bash...?" Jade couldn't help the way her voice quivered. Collecting herself quickly she breathed deeply and tried to sound strong "what is it?"
He pulled his head away but still held her close to him "....Tanner. I tried to save him, we had our best Healers but...but it was too late. We couldn't save him. He was attacked. Jade...his gone. Tanner...Tanner is dead.''
no
No
NO
NO
NO
She froze.
Her feet were glued to the floor while her mind was ablaze, yet completely blank.
"He was shot by a vampire seeking revenge for an assassination brought by the Divisions, they thought Tanner was one of our Hunters." Bash tried his best to obtain an even voice.
He knew Tanner was close to her, he knew he was the only family she had left. Tanner was Bash's best friend and he knew that the pain he felt was only a quarter of what she was going through.
Jade didn't know what she was feeling.
Anger, fear, sadness, loss, grief, regret.
Tears streamed down her face yet she refused to let one whimper escape her throat "I shouldn't have let him go. I told him to leave, I told him to go" her voice broke as her body collapsed in Bash's arms.
"It's not your fault" Bash grunted as he held her in his arms.
Something in him snapped at seeing his her like this, normally he wouldn't care if a girl cried but it was different this time.
It was Jade Leichhardt.
Her breathing hitched as the realisation hit her.
This was real, her brother was dead, her brother was gone and all because of someone who held something against the Division.
Jade sobbed uncontrollably "No!You're lying! You're lying! He's not dead" she screamed again.
"It's going to be okay," Bash whispered as he held Jade against his chest "It's going to be all right."
No it wasn't, at least not to her.
She buried her face against his toned chest, clutching his shirt to the point her knuckles became white.
Jade wanted to scream again, she wanted to stop time, she wanted to pause and rewind but her voice was hoarse and thick with tiredness. She hadn't slept at all the night before and now she had wished she did.
Bash lifted her up in his arms "Katherine, is there a spare room? she needs rest"
Katherine walked into the room "Yes, of course...upstairs, first door on your right" Kat was a straight forward person when she wanted to be but she knew that telling Jade her brother was dead was something she couldn't do. Something she didn't have the heart to do.
He nodded his head firmly before making his way inside the room and shutting the door behind him with the back of his foot before placing Jade down on the bed. Her eyes were still remained closed but Bash could see the pain she held behind them.
Jade didn't want to talk.
He didn't dare push her to
She didn't want to open her eyes but she needed to. She yearned for Bash to know how thankful she was that he was there with her.
She owed him that much.
So, after a moment of silence Jade slowly opened her tired gaze. Her mouth opened and closed trying to find her voice so that she could say a simple 'thank you'
But no matter how hard Jade tried she couldn't find her voice.
"I know, Jade, I know," he whispered as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Sleep. I'll be right here" he said softly — she was the only person on earth he would talk to with such tenderness.
With one last look Jade shut her eyes — diving into the welcome arms of darkness.
As her breathing became even and her features slightly relaxed, Sebastian stared at her and brushed a strand of hair away from her face "...Jade."
In all the years of being a professional Division leader, he had protected many supernaturals and humans alike. He had once been hired to protect a Vampire Prince, or to train Werewolf pack Warriors, and to even guard mere humans.
Bash couldn't help but feel like he was failing in the one thing he was qualified to do. Protect. Had he known that Tanner was in danger he would've been there in a heartbeat. Jade meant more to him than the sun and stars. Her brother meant just as much too so it antagonised him that he has slipped through his fingers.
He gripped her hand. Why couldn't things be different? She didn't deserve any of this. She deserved better, and deep inside, he truly believed that.