Hunting

Ant followed me onto the subway platform and we hopped down into the tunnel to see if we could find Rob before he got hurt, or hurt someone else. He didn’t say anything until we were well into the tunnel near Central Park.

“You don’t even question me coming with you anymore.” He said as a means to start the conversation he wanted to have.

“You’ll come anyway.” I said. “It’s like trying to ignore Jin. I can’t do that either.”

Ant sighed. “You know Dee’s making this all harder by ignoring her powers.”

I asked, “How so?” as we stepped to the far edge of the tracks as a train came hurdling down the tracks completely unaware that we were walking there. The joys of supernatural powers. I was learning that when I was with Ant his shadow power encompassed us both without my need to hold a veil, freeing me for other things. Ryan says that’s how it works for him too being Chevalier. Our bond was similar if only reversed.

“She’s manipulating all of you without realizing. I watched her do ith with Dev just now. He was seething anger, and then it was gone. She doesn’t even have to touch him. She’s got her hooks into Sage too. Sage is easily manipulated though, we see Adam doing it.”

“You’re bold today.” I smirked at my friend and now bodyguard.

“Dee through a canary because Dev had to go. She stormed off in a temper tantrum. You think that’s normal behavior for an adult.”

I laughed. “No, but that’s Dee.”

“No, that’s her emotions getting the better of her. She sucks down Dev’s anger, and Sage’s attraction to you both, and makes it all about her. She can’t do that with you. At least not easily. You’ve noticed everyone but you and Matt bend to her will.”

I sighed. “What do you want me to do about it Ant?”

He shrugged. “Nox. I can’t protect you from her.”

“I don’t need protection from her.”

“I think you do.” He said. But we didn’t get to finish the conversation as a blur of motion jumped up onto the next platform in sight and we started to run after it. Ant was faster and he had no problem being first. And I didn’t have to worry about him. He knew how to fight, but more importantly he knew not to kill whatever it was.

I caught up with Ant grappling with a werewolf. It wasn’t Rob, he was a cat – leopard I think. The wolf was trying to bit Ant’s neck but the vampire was holding the shifted man from him with ease. Ant smirked at me, “Well you going to do your thing before it bites me?”

I grinned at him and put my hand on the wolf’s back and sent my pack magic through it – willing the werewolf to calm down. When it had stilled Ant set the wolf down and I willed it to shift into human form. It fought me. But I won.

There was a lot of things I was learning about my abilities. As peace keeper, I had more abilities than Cari did as Enforcer. I spanned the races – such was my connection to the cosmos. There was no denying I was Ascendant. I wondered when women would start clamouring at my door for me to give them a child. Maybe they already were and Jin was keeping them at bay. I’d have to ask her and hope I didn’t sound arrogant.

The wolf shifted into a naked man who was staring wide eyed up at me. “They said you’d kill me.”

I frowned, “Who said I’d kill you?”

He shook his head. “No. I was the bait.”

That made Ant get up and take up a defensive position. I extended my senses to see if there was anyone around. But other than the few humans who were ignoring us because of our supernatural nature there was no one around. This wasn’t an ambush.

“Why would I kill you?” I asked.

“I was to be bait.”

“Bait for what?” Ant asked, but the man looked at me and was wide eyed with fear. He didn’t look well, eyes sunken and body skeletal.

“Where do you live?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t want to go back.”

I nodded. “Okay. Can you come with me?”

The man shivered. I looked at Ant, “Can you get us to The Resort this time of day?”

Ant nodded. “Yeah. We’ll have to take the service elevator up from the basement though.”

“That’s fine.” I said. “Just get us there so we can deal with him. I need to go look for Rob.”