*”Lies; they always come back to haunt you.” – Lisa Renee Jones*
****
**Neron***
The ride home was quiet and tense. Kwame doubled as our driver and miracle worker with the way he helped me with the police investigating the explosion. Too many questions were asked, chalking this up as a possible terrorist attack. If only they knew the terrorists in question were of the magical variety, neither foreign nor domestic.
I looked in the review mirror at the women and the girls in the back seats. Alana and Aiyana buried their faces in the torsos of my sister and my girlfriend. Kiya rubbed circles on Alana’s back while Nuria played with Aiyana’s coils. Nuria’s face contorted and relaxed at a constant, yet rapid pace, as if she was thinking to herself. Kiya held the look of worry, her faraway eyes glued to her window.
Moments ago, all five of us could’ve gotten seriously hurt. Tearing my eyes from the rearview mirror to the side mirror, my hands balled at my sides, rocking with anger.
Someone threatened Aiyana and Alana to deliver a message to Kiya and me. The enemy had been watching us and none of us knew. Coupled with what happened to Phoebe, based on Nuria’ s account, it was only a matter of time before the other avatars are attacked in some way shape, or form.
I could’ve lost so much today. That’s what pissed me off the most. If I had acted a second too late, nor suspected the change in the air….
Are my mother and grandparents still at home?” I asked Kwame through our mind-link.
“*No*. *They left for the Iron Stone Pack to meet Ezekiel*. *They’ve made it there safely and are planning on returning later this evening.”
Relief flooded my veins. I didn’t want to worry Mom. How could she not be worried when she could’ve lost “both” her children today?
**Listen, Neron*,” Kwame said. “*If there is anything you want me to do, let me know*. *What you’ve been through today is enough to make a grown man piss their pants and I want to make sure you’re okay*.”
I huffed silently through my nose. “*I’m alright, physically at least*. *Losing my car is the least of my worries*.” I thought about Alana and Aiyana again. “*What do you think I should do with the girls*? *They’re so shaken up and I don’t want to make the problem worse.**
*
**Talk to them*. *Give them the space to express their fears and reinforce that they’re safe*. * Right now, they’re probably terrified of this happening again and losing both you and Kiya*. They need to believe everything is going to be okay*.”
“*How soon should I talk to them*?”
“Hmm*.” Kwame tapped his finger against the steering wheel. “There really isn’t a right answer to this question*. *I’d ask them to see if they want to talk about it and go from there*. * If they don’t want to, give them space for them to come to you when they’re ready*.”
**Got it*. *I appreciate your advice, dude”.”
*I’ve been a dad for three years and an older brother for fifteen*. *I picked up a few tips and tricks along the way*.”
Chuckling softly, we bumped fists and fell into a comfortable silence.
Ten minutes later, the six of us rolled into the garage after my guards opened the gates. When the girls hopped out of the car, they immediately took off running inside the pack house, grabbing each other’s hands along the way. Kiya paused and released a heavy, forlorn sigh before turning to the trunk and grasping as many bags as she could carry.
I attempted to reach out to her, only to be interrupted by Nuria tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “I need to see Phoebe.”
I turned around to face her. “You won’t reach the lands before nightfall, Nuri.”
“I know and I don’t care.” She narrowed her eyes. “My mate needs me, Neron. She told me she’ s alright, but I need to see it for myself. I’m going, whether you like it or not.”
Fear gripped my soul like a predator to its prey because I need my sister to be safe. But the safest place she’ll be is Garnet Moon beside Phoebe. Who am I to get in her way? After giving it some thought, I nodded. My eyes followed Kiya as she stomped the pathway inside the pack house.
“Take a couple of guards as escorts with you, okay?” I spoke. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone, not after what happened today.”
Nuria huffed, but reluctantly nodded. “If it’ll make you happy.”
“It will, tremendously.”
Nuria may be an overgrown brat sometimes, but I know she understands. Her eyes shined for a brief second before nodding, turning away to walk to the house. I turned toward the trunk to gather the rest of the bags, thanked Kwame for his help, and went inside my four-story home. Tracking Kiya’s scent, I found her in the common room with the bags on the wide table, gently removing the items we brought from their bags. Lupin, normally found in his dog bed, was nowhere to be seen.
Silently, I set my bags beside hers.
“There could be broken glass inside the bags,” I mentioned. “You should be careful.”
“I’m fine.” She replied coldly, her words stinging my heart. “Broken glass hasn’t stopped me before-ugh!”
Kiya pulled out her bloody finger from one bag, immediately bringing it to her mouth. She cursed up a storm under her breath. I walked up to her, pulled her finger out of her
mouth, and cradled it in my hands. She raised her head to meet mine, and that’s when I saw the tornado of emotions churning in her big browns.
I didn’t say a word when I dragged her out of the common room into one of the empty bathrooms on the first floor. The Omegas occupied the kitchen. Flipping on the faucet, I ran her finger under the running water, the red fading to clear. Kiya didn’t flinch nor whine, but stood still, like she was trying to block the entire world out.
“You don’t have to do this, Neron.” She whispered when I closed the faucet. “I’ll heal just fine.”
“Regardless of the healing factor, every cut and wound should be taken care of,” I responded. ” And I wanted to do this, Kiya.”
Kiya hummed, but said nothing else. Her cut closed up just as expected, leaving behind an invisible scar.
This was where I’d let her hand go and she’d return to the common room. I *couldn’t* let her go. Instead, I pressed my fingers across her hand, running over every line on her palm, against the smooth skin on the back, over her knuckles, and her fingertips.
She painted her nails in pastel pink.
In this very bathroom, I could feel the walls Kiya was slowly building up around her. Each brick she laid down was to prevent me from seeing the very pain she was feeling. Every slab was to protect herself, but separated her from the world around her. I couldn’t let her finish building that wall.
What happened today scared the shit out of me. I lost my car, but that could never compare to almost losing her. The arrows that pierced through the passenger windows hit the side where Kiya was standing at. If I hadn’t pushed her out of the way, she’d be on the ground with two arrows deep in her back. Whoever shot those damn things out wanted to kill her.
We came together as a couple just *this morning*, only to have death almost take her from me a few hours later.
I wanted to roar. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hold my girlfriend and never let her go. Today was too close of a call, and I thanked my instincts and Onyx for helping me to move as quickly as I did.
*But, if I hadn’t*…*if I wasn’t fast enough*…
My hands reached up and cradled both sides of her face. Kiya looked up at me and placed her hands over mine, her eyes glistening with tears. She rose on the tips of her toes and I leaned down to her level, our lips meeting each other halfway. Through the kiss, I felt all she was pouring onto my lips, throwing her arms around my neck for solace.
Fear.
Anger.
Frustration.
Sadness.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifted her up, and planted her on the soapstone countertop.
Our bodies pressed heatedly together with her back pushed against the mirror, sighing heavily through our noses. Her sugary lips sweetened from the cherry lip balm she put on earlier today. The thud of our hearts beat synchronously against one another as we poured what we couldn’t say through our locked lips. Her arms tightened around my neck and mine around her back, unwilling to let her go for a second.
The walls Kiya built crumbled, eliminating the distance between our souls.
When we broke our kiss, we pressed our foreheads together, savoring in the presence of one another. My hands strayed from her hips to her waist, massaging the tense muscles underneath her shirt.
No blemish. No wound. No scar.
“I’m okay, Neron.” She said, cupping my cheek with her palm. “I promise I am. It’ll take more than an explosion to get rid of me.”
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t find it in me. I suppose when you brush up against death one too many times; you develop a morbid sense of humor to cope.
“I know.” I sighed. “But I don’t want to find out what does get rid of you.”
“Hey,” She whispered, her thumb nudging my cheek. “I’m here, and that’s what matters. It was a close call today, but I won’t live in fear because of it. We knew Apophis was going to try something.”
“A god wouldn’t have resorted to blowing up a car and trying to arrow you in the back, though.”
“Which brings me back to what the girls told me.” The softness in Kiya’s eyes hardened in a flash. “A woman threatened to hurt them. Once I find out who she is, I’m strangling her.”
“I’ll help with disposing of the body.” I smirked. “No one would ever find her.”
“Ah, you’re an expert? Should I be impressed or concerned?” She shot me a teasing smile. I laughed and kissed her again.
“When you have pack members who love to binge-watch serial killer documentaries, you learn some things.”
“I’ll be sure to call you if I need to hide evidence of my crimes.”
“Please, I’d hide them for you.”
Her laughter gave my heart wings to take flight. My lovely woman breathed and kissed me, bringing her hand down to ghost her fingers over my carotid pulse.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” She murmured. “You saved my life today, Neron. You saved Nuria and the girls, too. How can I repay you?”
“You’re doing enough by staying at my side. That’s all I want.” I tapped my nose with my finger, smiling when she went cross-eyed for a brief second. Settling my head on her shoulder, I squeezed her tighter, drowning myself in her fragrant scent. “Can I hold you for just a little longer?”
I felt Kiya’s head on my shoulder, securing herself there like it’s her home. A low growl rumbled in my chest when her hands went to my hair. “Sure. I’d like that.”
After five minutes, we left the bathroom and finished with unpacking our shopping bags. Broken glass settled at the bottom and I tossed those bags in the trash. Kiya and I gathered the clothes and other items for the girls in our arms and headed toward their bedroom door.
“Girls?” Kiya asked after knocking once. “Can Neron and I come in?”
I heard mild shuffling and hesitant footsteps behind the door. Kiya and I spared a glance, obviously worried about them. After half a second, the doorknob twisted, and the door was cracked open, revealing Alana and Aiyana poking their heads out with hesitancy and sadness. I tried my best to smile, holding onto their cosmetics and craft kits.
“Do you mind if we come in?” I asked.
They looked at each other for a brief second before widening the door for us to walk in. I set their items on the beds while my girlfriend put their clothes in their individual closets. The girls lingered behind us, silent as mice but nervous as kittens.
“There we go.” Kiya dusted her hands and pulled the closet doors closed while I finished lining their lotion and soap bottles in the bathroom. “Now, you two will feel a little more at home, okay?”
They nodded silently.
This couldn’t go on. We *had* to talk about what happened today. Sighing, I walked over to Alana’s bed, unkempt with her green blanket tangled at the head of the bed, and sat on it. I miscalculated the difference between the bed and my weight and sunk down a lot more than I’d like to admit, creating a huge crater with my ass alone.
***Haha! Fat-ass.” Onyx snorted.