Thane
I stare in stunned silence as the door swings the rest of the way open, exposing a red haired girl in what looks like combat gear, a black leather jacket, camouflage pants, and black combat boots. Her black leather gloves are fingerless, and her bright red hair is pulled into low pigtails so her black baseball cap can stay low on her forehead.
"Honestly Astrea, I thought you'd be happy to see me. But if you really want to know, I'm here because if you're going to go rogue then I'm joining you...no questions asked." The girl chuckles, and I relax a little at the realization that they know each other.
"Nesryn..." Astrea scowls as she returns her gun to its holster, and the girl shakes her head as she puts her hands on her hips, pulling my attention to both of the guns on her belt and the hunting knife strapped to her thigh.
"Don't you start, I've known you for years Star, the only way you'd go rogue is if their is something hinky going on in the agency." She argues, and I watch silently as Astrea grunts and let's her in.
"Don't get moody, I come bearing gifts." She chuckles as she saunters in with two duffle bags stuffed to the brim, dropping them on the tiny couch as Astrea shuts and re-locks the door.
Who exactly is she? She seems to understand Astrea without her having to utter a single word.
"And a little friend who's missed you terribly." She continues, and I continue watching in surprise as the hood of her jacket starts squirming before a ball of white fur appears, and Astrea's eyes sparkle with silent adoration as she carefully takes the tiny creature into her hands as it squirms and whines, licking her face enthusiastically.
I think this is the first time I've seen Astrea smile, ever seen her expression soften from its frozen blank state...her eye and body language has been my only way of reading her emotions before now.
"Ivory has missed you Star, it's not often you leave your sweet familiar behind on a mission. She tore half of my pillows to shreds because of separation anxiety of hers...little beast even growled at me when I tried to touch the toy you left for her." Nesryn mutters as she watches the fox act like a sweetheart towards my mate, looking a bit miffed. I chuckle at the interaction, which draws the red heads attention to me.
"You're Thane right? The name is Nesryn, I work with Astrea." She says as she holds a hand out to me, and as I take it I catch the woodsy scent of a shifter...not sure which one.
"Nice to meet you...how exactly did you track us down?" I reply, and she chuckles.
"One, me and Astrea are partners...this is our little hidey hole for long term missions, we stash emergency gear here just in case something goes wrong. And two, I'm the best Tracker in the agency...I can find anyone."
"The best?" I question, and she smirks triumphantly.
"Yep...and Astrea is the best Enforcer, which is why we're partners." She answers, and I watch in awe as she turns to the wall beside us and removes the small painting hanging there to reveal a screen of some kind. After pressing a few buttons and letting the thing scan her eye, the sound of a lock releasing draws my attention to a large compartment that appears behind a large chest near the floor.
"I'm glad this thing worked, it's been here for years." She chuckles as she pushes the chest to the side, and as she pulls the compartment open I stare open mouthed at the large amount of stuff crammed in there.
Hand guns, ammo, knives, walkie talkies, a few cellphones, two large folders stuffed to capacity, and other cases whose contents are unknown.
"Damn...you guys are packing..." I murmur, and she laughs.
"Got that right, we made sure this thing is always loaded for bear....uh, no offense..." She trails off, and I shake my head.
"None taken...when exactly did you guys put this here?" I ask, and she taps her chin in thought.
"Not long after our first mission here, we decided it would be best to have a place to lay low, and have a secret stash...that the agency doesn't even know about...in case we ever got cut off from ICE. I guess this counts as cut off..." She explains, and I glance at Astrea to see her rubbing under the foxes chin...an unknown emotion on her face.
"Oh, I also brought all your stuff from our apartment...clothes, shoes, etc., I knew the agency would raid our place after you defected. I know how light you travel, I figured you would need it." She continues, gesturing to one of the duffle bags on the couch. Astrea nods, placing Ivory on the other bed.
"I'd probably change now if I were you, your outfit stands out."
"Later, need to go out." She replies before exiting the room swiftly, and I blink in surprise as the door shuts behind her.
"She'll be back soon, she's going out to hunt...she probably hasn't fed in a while." Nes murmurs as she pulls out a long case and sets it on the bed, and I suddenly remember the fact that Astrea is a vampire...and though I don't really know much about that species, I do know they feed on blood for some of their diet.
"Any idea when she'll be back?" I ask, and Nes shrugs.
"Not sure, she'll probably blow off a little steam while she's out there...so maybe an hour or so." She replies as she pulls out pieces of what look like a sniper rifle out of the case, which looks about as big as she is.
Sighing, I sit down on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid little Ivory as she curls up to take a nap.
"Since you know what's going on and I don't, can you tell me why we're running from ICE?" I ask, and she nods.
"It's a good thing your sitting down, cause this is gonna shock the hell outta you."
Astrea
This is going to be harder than I thought...
I drop the carcass of the second elk I've drained to ground, it's blood a bland aftertaste on the back of my tongue...I'm nearly about to burst with how much blood I've consumed but I still feel my thirst raging in my belly...in my throat...
The thing with vampires and their thirst is that it comes down to quality over quantity, once we meet our mates we crave their blood only...not just because it's smells and tastes the best, but because it feeds us better in comparison. A short feeding on our mate is the equivalent of draining three elk...it restores our full strength with less consumption...
Quality over quantity...
Wiping my mouth on the back of my gloved hand, I groan and turn my eyes to the night sky, the cold night glittering with beautiful stars...I close my eyes and try to get myself together, reminding myself that despite what my body wants, Thane will never be someone I'll be able to feed on...so I'm just going to have to deal with it.
Sighing, I open my eyes and begin moving swiftly through the forest back to the motel, now that I've fed my thirst I need to return to Nes and Thane. No point in staying out here longer than necessary...I've already been gone for an hour.
Once I reach the edge of the woods I creep silently along the shadows to the motel, making sure nobody is watching as I reach the parking lot. Taking out the key, I pause as I see Nes standing next to the door...the cigarette she's smoking glowing in the darkness as the smoke trails up into the sky. I never understood the appeal of that habit of hers, but I don't question it anymore...what she does to take the edge off isn't my business.
"Have a good hunt?" She asks, her lips curling up at the corners as she exhales a puff of smoke.
"Yeah." I answer as I put my key away and head inside, honestly looking forward to a shower and a change of clothes. Shutting the door behind me, I'm suddenly flooded with Thanes warm, woodsy scent mixed with what smells like old spice body wash...the air warm and damp from running hot water. As I look up to check the room, I halt in my tracks as I take in the sight before me...
All six foot five inches of it...
Thane stands at the bed with his back to me, going through his bag...obviously looking for clothes since he's currently wearing nothing but a towel that's wrapped around his hips...his wet hair dripping down the tanned skin of his back distractingly, and I try to keep my eyes from wandering further down by focusing on the intricate tattoo on his back...the design shifting as his muscles ripple...
Dear Goddess...
Against my will, a sound that can only be described as a lowly growl escapes my throat before I can stop myself...and Thane stiffens as it reaches his ears, I clench both my teeth and my fists as he slowly turns to face me...giving me an unobstructed view of his chest and arms...and an unfamiliar flood of heat fills my entire body as I look over the thick muscles...
"Astrea..." He practically purrs, and I make the mistake of meeting his gaze, his hazel eyes now glowing dark gold and filled with a hungry look that sends another wave of heat through me...my fangs instinctively flicking out as his scent drowns my senses...
Swallowing hard, I tear my eyes away only to trail down his chest, my attention drawn to a trail of dark hair that starts beneath his belly button and down beneath his tow--
No...no, no, no...get it together!
"Pardon me..." I murmur before flitting back out the door, leaning my back against it as I deeply inhale the frigid night air like my life depends on it....my heart racing as I press my hand over it in a desperate attempt to quiet it.
What the hell is wrong with me?
"Astrea, are you okay?" Nes asks, and I nearly jump at the sound of her voice...I had almost forgotten she was even out here.
"Fine..." I reply with some effort, and I look up to her shocked expression.
"Oh. My. Goddess....no fucking way!" She exclaims, and I curse at quickly she figures it out.
"He's your mate isn't he?!" She says with the biggest smile on her face, and I immediately try to shut her up.
"No..." I answer, but she puts out her cigarette before putting her hands on her hips.
"Don't bullshit me Star, your entire face is redder than a tomato and your heart is beating three times faster than a vampires normally does....considering that and the fact that he was planning on taking a shower before I came out here, you no doubt got a glimpse of him either naked or close to it..." She argues, and another image of Thane flashes through my mind...how his wet hair cast a dark shadow over his glowing eyes as he stared, how his muscles twitched underneath my gaze...the ink of another tattoo on his left arm...the faint scars that showed on his damp skin...
Shit...I'm never going to get that image out of my head.
"And considering you've never had this reaction to accidentally seeing a guy like that...I know damn well he's your beloved." Nes continues, and I groan in defeat...she knows me too well.
"It doesn't matter..." I sigh.
"Yes it does...you think the pull is strong now? Wait until your mage side kicks in and you two Soul Resound...at that point you either give into the pull or go insane trying to resist..."
I stay quiet, and she places a hand on my shoulder.
"I know you Star...why you're trying to stay away, why you're afraid...but don't you dare think that you don't deserve love." She says with an intense expression, and I let out another sigh as she knocks on the door before entering...leaving me alone outside in the cold.
What the hell am I going to do?