I waited for whoever was going to discharge me. I wasn’t going to sit here forever but when I tried to move my entire body ached. Dee stopped me and I sighed when I laid back down. “I guess I missed our date.”

Dee laughed. “We all missed our date.”

I frowned. “Sage and Dev didn’t go see a movie?”

She shook her head, “You were in a coma.”

“That doesn’t mean you should stop living cause I was dying.”

Dee took my hand in hers and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. “We didn’t stop living. Dev and Sage came here and watched a movie they had already seen to watch it with you.”

A woman in white walked into the room, “It was all very sweet. Seeing the three of them huddled around a laptop with you in the middle. I think the nurses that day had to throw out your friends well after visiting hours were over.” She smiled at Dee and I clutched at her hand when she tried to leave. The woman’s blue eyes were like ice. I didn’t want to be left alone with her. The patterns around her swirled and shifted and she had no control of them like most Venatori. I couldn’t look at her and had to turn my head.

Dee patted my hand and stood up but she didn’t leave. The doctor spoke again. “I’m Dr. Eriksen. I’ve been monitoring you and your miraculous recovery. We are very glad to have you awake.”

“It’s good to be awake and not dead.”

She let out a forced laugh. “Keep that sense of humor Mr. Sétanta.”

“Nox.” I instructed and looked at her. “So tell me doc, can I go home?”

“Sadly, Nox, no that’s not possible yet. Your muscles are showing signs of atrophy for two weeks of disuses, we want to monitor that. You jumped from a building and we fear that you might be suffering again from depression and would like you to admit yourself into a facility suicide watch program for the next few months.”

“I didn’t try to kill myself. I was saving Garrett.” I was astounded. “It’s not like it’s the first time I jumped from the building.”

Dee gasped. She didn’t know about me or my ability. Dev hadn’t told her?

Dr Eriksen looked at me with exasperation. “Nox. The only other time on medical record that you’ve done these things is when you admitted to trying to kill yourself.”

“I was fucking 13 the last time I tried to kill myself. It’s been ten years.”

“Mr. Sétanta, please. It is in your own best interest to recover appropriately and we’ll watch you for any more signs of suicide. We do not want a field hunter becoming metus.”

Dee put her hand on my shoulder. “What can it hurt Nox. Maybe a break will be good for you?”

“A break? You mean it’s good for me to admit to trying to kill myself. To put my self in a facility where they will keep sharp objects from me. A place where even a pencil is dangerous. Why do you want me to go into that hell?” I looked up at Dee.

She was frowning. “You jumped from a building Nox. We don’t want you to hurt yourself again.”

“You think I tried to kill myself?”

“I don’t know, Nox. You jumped from a building.”

I looked at Dr. Eriksen as I pulled my hand from Dee’s. “Fine. I will willingly submit to suicide watch in the Infimary’s phsyce ward.”

Dee gasped and she tried to take my hand again but I wouldn’t let her. Dr Eriksen nodded, “Madison will be along shortly to take you there. She’s been assisting in your care while here just in case you woke up.”

The good doctor left leaving me alone with Dee.

“Nox, don’t be mad at me.” Dee pleaded.

“You don’t even know me and you believe them over what I’m saying. Why shouldn’t I be mad at you?”

“Nox.”

“Don’t. Okay. I’m going into the pschye ward because you think I’m trying to kill myself.” I looked at her and her green and brown eyes and saw golden flecks floating in the iris. Fuck! I thought to myself as I recalled fleeting images from my dream. “I’ve jumped from the top of the AU building since I was 10 years old. I broke my arm doing it once because I landed wrong, and once I did it to kill myself. But I didn’t, the moment I jumped I used my ability to slow and land, I however busted my collar bone because I hadn’t been fully prepared. It was habit to spread wings of air, soften the dirt. I wasn’t going to die, my own brain wouldn’t even allow me that curtousey. Garrett Spence was posseessed by a demon. The demon took Garrett over the edge and left his body, condemning his pawn to death if I didn’t save him. I still didn’t save him but I tried.”

“You died Nox. All the emergency people were thinking it Dev said. Everyone who say you that day had thought you were dead, and then all of a sudden you were breathing. Your heart was beating. No one was even sure you would wake up again. But your body continued to heal rapidly. The took you into surgery and you came out with no scars whatsoever. The nurses are baffled. If this were a human hospital they’d be freaking out.”

“It’s not a human hospital.” I said and rolled over and winced in pain. Dee sat down in the chair behind me, the chair scuffed as she shifted it. We’d wait in awkward silence until Madison returned to take me away to the fucking pschye ward.

All Scenes

The light was blaring and white. And the sound of beeping monitors echoed in my ears like blaring alarms. I growled at the discomfort I was in. My arms were immobile and so were my legs. I struggled against whatever was holding me down. I felt a hand touch my cheek and a soft voice sounded in my ear, “Nox, darling, calm down, it’s alright. You are safe. Calm down and I’ll unbind you.”

I recognized the voice and did as she asked. I smelled roses and felt her hands work the straps on my arms first. I laid still completely waiting for her to unbind me. She muttered to me “Shhh. It’s okay Nox.”

I opened my eyes and blinked back the tears that stung them. I watched Dee undo the bindings on my legs. I tried to speak but I couldn’t my mouth was dry. Dee placed a few ice chips against my lips. I asked, “What are you doing here?”

Dee smiled. “I’m just visiting. But I can manage this much.”

“How long have I been out of it?”

Dee raised the bed so I was sitting up. “A few days. Your nurse says you should be dead.”

“I’ve heard that before.” I sighed. “The boys okay?”

Dee nodded as she sat down in the empty chair. “They have been staying with Kai while Sage stays in your apartment. Dev and I stop by and visit when we aren’t working.”

“How many days, Dee?”

A small girl came in and I saw the purple streak in her hair. I recognized her of course, how could I forget Madison. She took my vitals. “You’ve been in a coma for two weeks while your body healed from crushed bones and internal bleeding. You should have died from that jump Nox. What ever possessed you to jump?”

I frowned, “And Garrett?”

“He died on impact. We thought you were dead too until you gasped when we pulled his dead body from the top of yours.”

“Walker said you could do amazing things, but I didn’t think you could do it while you were dead.”

“Was I dead?” I asked.

“No one really knows. But you should have died Nox. There was no way you should have survived with Garrett dead on top of you.”

I sighed. “When can I go?”

Madison laughed, “Your doctor needs to see you and I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere soon.”

“We’ll keep you company. Even your father has stopped by.” Dee said. “He’s a nice man. The boys love him.”

“They do.” I said. “He loves them.”

Madison spoke at the door, “Your doctor will come by soon and see you, until then don’t move and drink very little.”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am”

All Scenes

There was pain, I could feel it. But I didn’t care. The world around me swam with colors. It was like the place I’d been with Dev. Except the ground was recently tilled soil done up in neat little rows. The trees at the edge of my sight were colorful, beautiful autumn colors, but it was warmer than expected on a cool fall day. The sun was bright. In the middle was a large tree barren of all leaves. I’d seen it before. It shifted and changed as I moved towards it. The branches phased and changed like I was flipping a page in a book. It was an old gnarled oak tree, the branches got thinner as it reached towards the sky but each limb was strong. The roots were a mound of strength.

There were three knots in the tree arranged in a triangle just before the branches upwards. I stepped onto the stone statue of a dragon at the base of the tree and ran my fingers over the gnarled knots. The opened and three eyes stared back at me and I fell backwards landing in small pond. Two fish swam around me, nipping, kissing at my fingers as I righted myself. The eyes blinked at me, each a different color. The first dark deep blue so dark and so blue I thought I would drown in the depths of the sea. The one at the apex was green and brown with beautiful flecks of gold scatterd in their brilliance. The last was blue like ice, but so much warmer than it.

They eyes followed my movements as I stood up. The sun was warm and as it fell towards the ground to set into dusk it perched itself upon a branch and held itself there. Forever on the branch caught in the branches to never set upon the world. But it didn’t struggle, it looked like it wanted to be there.

The moon rose from the never setting sun and the sky grew dark and the stars shown in the distance, the moon got caught in the branches. Together sun and moon kissed and a baby sprang forth born of both the light and the darkness. Above the baby hung a mobile made of bats that tried to get away but instead flew in circles entertaining the new child.

A wolf howled atop a stone outcropping nearby. The sound reverberated through my body. I could feel a pack nearby. Their songs echoed back in the distance. At the base of the tree the dragon statue sat atop a copper ring. I bent down and ran my fingers over the shiny metal and felt my power push flee in fear. I placed my other hand on the ring and felt the connection to the tree, to the earth, to every thing around me.

There was a peircing cry and I looked the other side of the tree to see a basket covered in red and white gingham. A child was wrapped nestled in the basket, cold and shivering and when I lifted her from the basket the world fell away.

There was nothing in my arms. Nothing around me but the void of dreams. I stood in a circle. No I floated in a sphere – the sphere Dev had shown me. But there were strings attached to me. Some were bright and others dim. Some were thick and old, and others were tiny but strong.

One was a vine stretching miles away. I couldn’t see anything it connected to but when I touched it I could smell the forest around me. I could feel the wolves. I felt the full moon rise and fall and I felt their bodies shift and change through the phases of the moon.

The thin red line looked nothing more line a peice of fishing wire except it was blood red and so thin I could almost see through it. But no matter how hard you pulled on it the string never lost it’s shape. It didn’t stretch or bend. It was constant.

I found a thread of fire. It was warm to the touch but not hot when I placed my hand on it I felt my little dragon holding on to his snoppy. There were beeping sounds around him and I felt him shiver. I let go startled from the experience.

So many connections. The strongest ones were the ones I knew. I could feel Sage’s energy pulsing through one before I even touched it. I could smell the scent of lavender and jasmine as I let go. Dev light and airy, and I could hear soft sounds of music playing as I touched his chord. It was a guitar string ironically.

I understood I was seeing connections. How Nick saw the world. These were mine. Each one someone I had tied myself to. Dee was there too but I felt nothing when I found hers. I knew it was her, the pink glow was unique to her. So strong, but so silent.

My father was there, and Dorian too. Jace and Adrian. And so many other tiny connections I’d made tied to myself. Strong and weak and some nearly broken. I touched one of ash and it crumbled to the ground. There was a howl of pain – my pain as I opened my eyes.

All Scenes

Garrett was hardly in shape, but he was Venatori and the demon carried his body to the roof ahead of of me without a problem. The door swung wide and scraped against the ground in the wind. The sun was bright but it was cool up here on the top of the AU building.

The demon’s eyes were glowing red when he looked at me. He laughed. “I’d prefer not to die,” it said to me.

“So why did you run up?” I asked. It was such a stupid move.

It laughed. “I have a plan. And you have a choice to make. You can save the man who tormented you your whole life or you can let him die.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“No more talking, boy. I will have you back and the others too. I will have you.” The last words were said as he stepped up on the ledge of the roof. He turned to face me and the smile was dark and made me shudder with fear. I couldn’t help it I wanted to close my eyes and make it all go away. The demon took a step back and I watched as it left Garrett in a black mist just as his weight carried him backwards.

I was standing on the precipice of a decision. I had to make a decision. A split second decision. There were eight seconds to the bottom, even one second delay could mean death. I didn’t think. It wasn’t because I liked the man, but I could see the fear in Garrett’s eyes as he realized what had happened. I cleared the distance to the edge at a run and dove over the edge. One… I spearheaded my way down to Garrett I moved past him and flipped on to my back. Two… I wove air around us and I felt my body catch against the thickening air. Three… I sent weaves to soften the earth below earth and water to make sure it was as soft as it could be. Four… Garrett’s body collided with mine and I wrapped my arms and legs around him and spread my weaves tighter and thicker than I had before. Five… I didn’t want to die saving this bastard. But I couldn’t let him die either without trying. Six… He deserved to die, but not like that. He deserved to be brought to justice, but this wasn’t justice. I was the better man. Seven …. I was the man he made me and I would forever be grateful even to my dying day.

Eight… I felt my body collide with the earth below and I felt the bones shatter. There was no pain… there was nothing but blackness…

All Scenes

Garrett was talking with Dae’lin in her office. I knocked and I paled when I saw the look on Garrett’s face. He waved for me to enter not that I had been waiting for his invitation. Dae’lin’s back was to me when I entered and when the door closed the windows went black. Not the shades being pulled down, they turned black. Dae’lin turned around and I saw dead dark eyes and I took a step backwards. The door knob was stabbing into my backside and I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t magic, but fear. Nothing but fear…

“So good of you to join us.” A voice said from Dae’lin’s mouth, but it wasn’t hers. She reached for me and I cringed away from her but there was no where for me to go as her cold fingers traced along the tattoo and down my jawline. “Fear never tasted so good from anyone else.”

There was a flash of light and then several tentacles of air and fire were behind Dae’lin and I stared at them. Dae’lin couldn’t do that. Dae’lin couldn’t touch more than one element at a time, but this demon had possession of her, he could. His fingers dug into my chin as he grabbed it and made me look at Dae’lin’s dead eyes. “What did you do?”

I felt a crushing pain around me as the demon beat at my shield on a plane I couldn’t see. It was like my heart was being crushed in my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Darkness swept over me as I lost consciousness.

It had to be only two or three seconds as I gasped for breath and the demon was standing over me. “It’s stronger than before. What did you do?”

Dae’lin’s small hand flew across my cheek and I felt my teeth rattle in my head. I could taste the blood blooming in my mouth. The demon growled, “Oh the strength. I could break you couldn’t I boy.”

Garrett put his hands on Dae’lin’s shoulders and spoke, “Let me be your vessel. I want nothing more than to do your bidding Morpheus. Let me have him back.”

Dae’lin looked up at him and he laughed. “If I inhabit you, he will not stop and think about killing you. This one, he loves. He’ll not hurt her.”

I reached up in one quick motion and grabbed Dae’lin’s throat and squeezed. I didn’t just use my hand. I wrapped air around her neck and I put a bubble of air and sucked out the air from inside.

Dae’lin’s hand flailed and she grabbed hold of Garrett and I watched as the demon passed through Dae’lin into Garrett. Dae’lin fell into my arms and the demon in Garrett’s body opened the door and started to run. I dropped my patterns around Dae’lin and wrapped her in the elements quickly before I took off after Garrett. He ran for the stairs and like an idiot he ran upstairs. Why the fuck to the bad guys always run up. There was nothing down. He could get away. Unless he didn’t intend to get away. Fuck!

All Scenes

When I got upstairs Dorian was waiting for me by the door. The glass bowl I used was missing and I wondered who cleaned it up. “Did I scare them a lot?” I asked Dorian as we walked out of the front door into the late summer air.

“You scared me a lot. I’m sure that you scared those you love more.”

“You aren’t going to comment on the number of people I love?” I asked with a wry smile. I didn’t really expect an answer. Dorian was very much about image and I did not fit his image.

He smirked. “Nox, you have never been a normal boy. Why should your love life be simple? There is a lot of things that your heart needs to make up for. I never thought I’d see the day where you committed to anything other than your children.”

The train station around the corner was busy, there were people waiting which meant the train was late. Tempers would fly but for once I was hardly in a rush. Dorian was still smirking at me. “I see the change in you.”

I smiled. “What change?”

“A burden lifted. The patterns around you they are flowing without faultering. I know you can’t see yourself and I don’t half your talent for drawing as you do, but the change is so fundamental to your general being that I’m surprised no ever saw it before.” He shook his head.

“No one sees things like I do.” I said. “I know you say you can see parts of it. Dev showed me what my shield looks like now. I feel better.”

The train rattled to a stop and we waited until everyone piled off so we could enter a full car. We held on to the rail above our heads as it clacked down the track making stops. We didn’t talk, but Dorian’s eyes never really strayed from me.

We got off the train at our stop and when we reached the surface I asked Dorian, “Is it that different?”

He nodded. “Yes, Nox. I’m trying to find the differences so I can explain it to you, but it’s like I know it’s different but I can’t really see what was wrong before. But something was wrong.”

The AU building was in sight, the towering buildings all around us. It was a beautiful sight amist the square buildings. It’s form unique. It was why the Eriksen’s built it that way – to stand out – to hide in plain sight.

Once inside the AU building I looked up and followed the glass elevator up and frowned. Some fears weren’t so easily conquered. But we climbed into the next available car up and I took a breath and hummed a tune that Dev had sang to me the night before. When we hit HQ Dorian took my elbow and walked me out. He was chuckling to himself. “I have never seen you so calm on an elevator before. Is this new?”

I smiled. “Yeah. Dev was with me last time. He sang to me. He does that when I get anxious. I think it’s starting to stick.”

“First Sage, now Devin. I hope she’s as good for you as both of them.”

I smiled. “I’m sure she will be. I’m going to take the stairs to find Garrett.”

Dorian shook his head and pointed towards Dae’lin’s office. “I told Dae’lin to give him a ring and you can talk to him there.”

“Thanks.” I pressed a kiss to Dorian’s cheek. “For everything, Dorian. I don’t thank you enough.”

“You are my boy. Always will be Nox. Even Kai can’t take that away from us.”

I smiled at him and waved as he walked away. He wasn’t blood, but he was truly the only father I ever needed.

All Scenes

I left Dorian sitting on the couch flipping through stations again. Sage was sitting at his computer in his basement office busily typing away at his computer. I stood behind him and watched for a little while. I placed my hands on his shoulders and pressed my thumbs into his tense muscles. “You work too hard.”

He groaned before he anwsered me lolling his head back between my hands and looking up at me. “I’m stressed over you.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry, love.”

He turned around and pulled me into his down into his lap. “It’s alright, Nox. You killed that thing with your power. I knew what happened, but when you had done it before it was nothing like this.”

I dropped my eyes. “I got carried away. When I was aware of what I’d done my body retaliated. It was on fire. And then there was you and Dev and Dee around me and I was okay again.”

“You like him don’t you?” Sage asked me. He didn’t make me meet his eyes, but I looked up to see him frowning and looking down as well.

“I like him a lot.”

“You’ll leave me for him.” He said quietly.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sage.” I didn’t know how to tell him.

“I’m not what you need, he is. I see it.” Sage looked up. “I’m okay with that. That you love him. I know you love me.”

“I do love you. I haredly know Dev. But you are right, I do have feelings for him, maybe not love yet, but it’s possible.”

Sage gave me a wry grin, “Back when you were talking to Margo, we talked too. Told her that I didn’t think I could be what you needed me to be. I can’t be the man you need. But I can’t see see a life without your smile or your cooking in my life.” He grinned playfully at me. “I don’t need to be everything. Dev and Dee can fill in the gaps. I grew up knowing that my life was different from others. I grew up thinking I was never going to be enough. Turns out I don’t need to be. I just need to be me right?”

I nodded. “I love you Nox. And if I made you upset with Dee and Dev I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t angry. I was angry that I was jealous. That you were sleeping with her and Dev and I were being good. I need you to say it Sage. Like so many other things I need need to hear the words.”

Sage pulled me down for a kiss. His tongue slipped into my mouth and we both hummed against each other. When we parted Sage pressed my forehead against his. “Nox, you can sleep with Dev and/or Dee without me present.” He pulled back and smiled. “I know we said it was for watching you, but with them, I know you won’t leave us. You won’t take Drake and Fae from me, you won’t keep Matt from coming here. I know that with them, we’ll be happy. Maybe one day we can all live together, all seven of us.”

I laughed, “That sounds like a really big apartment we’d have to have.”

Sage nodded. “One day. Some day.” He kissed me. “I have to get back to work. You going to the AU building?”

I nodded. “I am. I’ll bring all the boys back with me. We might be doing a family sleep over for a few nights.”

Sage grinned. “That’s fine with me. I like puppy piles.”

“Me too.” I kissed him. “Me too.”

All Scenes

I took a shower. I got dressed and went down stairs. It all seemed so surreal after what had happened. I felt numb but I needed to see the boys. All three of them. I found Dorian sitting on the couch flipping channels on Sage’s television. “What you stil doing here?”

He smiled at me, “I figured you could use someone to talk to since you aren’t seeing Margo anymore.” Dorian turned the idiot box off and turned towards me and patted the chair next to him. “Talk to me Nox.”

“I don’t even know where to start, Dorian.” I said as I sat down next to him. I leaned against him like I had many times over the years and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “I don’t know what to make of all this.”

“All of what?” he asked to coax more words to flow.

“Sage. And Dev. And Dee. Me, us. Any of it. The boys. Garrett. Margo. Hell my father. I just don’t know Dorian.”

He pressed his lips to my temple. “Start where it makes sense.”

“Nothing makes sense. I want my boys. I want to hold them right now. Keep them safe. I failed last night.”

Dorian chuckled. “I don’t think you failed. You can’t keep them from danger no matter how hard you try.”

“But it’s my fault.” My eyes burned with unshed tears.

“It maybe, but that thing is responsible for hurting the boys. You didn’t tell it to. From what Devin says you were working on saving yourself. Which I think was a necessary step, don’t you?”

“Not if it means my boys get hurt.”

Dorian laughed. “You’ve been a father for a few months and the children aren’t even your blood and you would do anything for them. You are a much better man than I am.”

I shook my head. “No I’m not.”

“I wasn’t much younger than you when you came into my life, Nox. You were a scared little boy and I never loved you. Not the way you do Drake. Not when you needed it most.” Dorian’s voice was filled with regret and sorry. It made my heart ache.

“You were what I needed, when I needed it, Dorian.”

“No my boy, I wasn’t. You needed to be loved after your mother threw you away. I didn’t.”

I shrugged. “But you cared for me. You were what I needed to get through. Always a strong shoulder to cry on. I might have needed love, Dorian. But you were what I needed when I needed it. I don’t care that you didn’t love me then. I’m okay with who I am because of you.”

Dorian shook his head. “Always amaze me. I do love you, as much as my own son.”

I grinned up at him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I know. Let me say good-bye to Sage and you can walk me back to the AU building.”

All Scenes

I woke alone in bed. There was no warmth other than the comforter piled on top of me. I shifted to my back and I heard movemnt to my left. I turned my head and saw Dorian sitting there. “You scared everyone, my boy.”

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

Dorian nodded. “Drake is fine. Deborah says the cut healed quickly while she was standing there watching what happened. Faelen is having a panic attack because he changed. Sage is working. Devin is making coffee for the two of us. He called in sick, refused to go to work while you lay unconscious.”

“How long have I been out?”

“It’s 2pm now. Sage called me and told me you dropped after killing a creature.” Dorian moved over to me and placed his hand on my head. “No one saw what it was but you, Nox. Can you tell me what you saw?”

“It was a creature. Give me m notebook.” I sat up and nodded towards the drawer he was sitting next to.

Dorian handed me the spiral sketchbook with the pencil embedded in the spine. “It’s not under your pillow.” He commented I took it from his graceful hands.

“Sage says it gives me nightmares.”

Dev came in bearing two cups of coffee. He smiled when he saw me and handed Dorian a cup. “I’ll go make another.”

I shook my head. “I’m alright.”

Dorian offered me his. “I’ll go make my own. You can have this one.” I took the black coffee from Dorian and smiled. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

I sipped the coffee and set it on the nightstand and started drawing. Dev sat next to me on the bed sipping his own coffee. His inky black hair was disheveld and I just wanted to run my hands through it and make it even more so. He snickered at me and placed a kiss on my neck. “I’m going to go tell Sage you are awake, and call Dee tell her the good news.”

I nodded. I was left alone in the dim light of Sage’s bedroom – our bedroom. And drew what I remembered of the monster that had attacked Drake and Faelen. I remembered the red glowing eyes. I manipulated the make up of the pencil and the color turned red as I colored in the eyes. They were flat against the paper but they felt like they were boring into my soul. It was the same eyes I saw every night. The same that had made me bloody only yesterday.

That thing and Garrett were connected. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but they were connected.

Sage walked into the room and flipped on the light and snuck into his room where he kept the video feeds. My watcher boyfriend had been watching me sleep. He smiled at me as he whispered, “I wasn’t recording.”

He wrapped his arms around me and I nodded. “I know. You didn’t want to leave but you had to I get it. Did you tell Dev?”

He nodded against my neck. “I told him how to turn it on, I couldn’t stand not being up here with you.” He pressed a light kiss to my temple. “Is that what hurt the boys?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And I think Garrett sent it to me. I think it’s a nightmare. I’ll have to speak with Ant about it, he’s the only one I know who knows about the old monsters of our legends.”

Dev laughed, “You mean there are things you don’t know about?”

I looked up and smiled at him. “Dee said hi, I’m glad you are awake. And she told me to hit you hard in the arm. But I’m not going to.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“The Venatori don’t hunt legendary monsters. At least not most of us. There are specialized Venatori who do. They aren’t like us. They are savage and viscious and they kill whatever stands in their way, human, monster, supernatural. We call them Metus. Latin for fear and dread. Those that become metus are worse than the people I grew up with. They are like the serial killers of all things. If we find a metus in our territory we usually send an army of hunters to kill it. Metus don’t care what damage they do.” I knew I was scaring them. I meant to. Metus were real. I knew old creatures existed. This was old had to be.

Dev pulled me close and hugged me. Sage wrapped his arms around both of us and spoke softly, “If it scares you that much I don’t think I want to know more, Nox. You’ll keep us safe.”

I sighed. “I’ll do what I can Sage.” I felt safe in their arms but I had to go talk to Garrett. “I need to talk to Garrett.”

Sage shook his head. “No. I don’t want you going near him.”

Dev agreed. “I don’t think I do either, if he sends things with glowing eyes after you.”

“I have to know why.”

Sage sighed. “Be careful Nox. I have to get back to work. I’m glad you are okay. I love you.” The last he whispered in my ear then pressed a kiss to my mouth.

Dev and I watched Sage leave the room. He was tapping away at his phone before he even left the room. I asked, “Did what we do work?”

Dev smiled. “Yeah. I think that’s why it came after us. Or after the weakest link.” Dev touched my temple with both hands and he projected an image into my head. My breath caught but he pressed his lips to mine and I relaxed into the image. He was showing me my shield. He whispered against my lips, “It’s beautiful. Shimmering with reds, golds, blues, and greens.” He let go of my head and I let go of the breath I’d been holding. “I’ve never seen anything like it Nox. Not a black vein in sight. I’ll check it every night for a while. I’d almost like you to spend the night away from us.”

I shook my head. “Not anytime soon.”

Dev nodded in agreement. “I agree. Right now you need to protect your family and I get that. And I don’t think Sage is going to let you out of his sight for that long. Call me later?”

I smiled. “I can do that. You going?”

“Yeah. I have to get to work too. Dee said she’d call later check on the boys after school.” He pressed another kiss to my lips and I let out a soft moan. He laughed. “You are so easy pretty boy.”

I grinned at him. “Only for you.”

“Is that another collective you?” Dev grinned.

“Yeah I think so. I…” Dev pressed his finger to my lips and interrupted my words.

“Not yet pretty boy. Not yet. But I know.” He kissed my forehead and walked away. “Call me pretty boy.”

I listened to him walk down the stairs and close the basement door behind him. He was saying goodbye to Sage. And when I thought I might be jealous I found out I really wasn’t. Maybe there was room for all of them.

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