Snippet #1853044

Ari paused at the tree line. Here she could view the Wolf Pack camp and she wondered what type of response she was likely to get from the Wolves inside. After all it was her fault that Sean had chased after her to Newhaven and was now injured. She had cost them their leader and as far as she knew he was dead. She should hate Sesh for that, but she found in her walk that she admired the boy. He had something that she didn’t, skill with words. What came from his lips was like poison, sweet tasting truth but it later seeped through her mind, permeating every thought she had. She leaned against the aspen beside her, resting her face against the cool bark. What a cruel fate it would be, to sleep when the snow came, to be stripped bare of all that you had, exposed to the world and elements. Not even the Twins themselves would stand a chance against something so powerful. She kissed the tree, pale lips pressing against even paler bark, and silently Ari wished the tree well. Gathering the courage she needed, Ari took a deep breath and stepped forward. Suddenly she knew what it was like to be the aspen, to be exposed to prying eyes, eyes that judged and sought things from her. The Wolves that had bothered to turn an eye at her hurriedly turned back towards their gossip. She felt herself relax, glad that no one seemed to care, seemed to worry about why she had come back alone. They were just too busy with their own issues to focus on her. She walked down through the paths, searching for Franklin, ignoring the Wolves just like the way they ignored her. In fact, no one moved forward to restrain her or talk to her as she wandered past fires. Most of the Wolves had their head bent low, whispering to each other in excited but terrified tones. Her ears caught bits and pieces from the sentences that were just hushed whispers: attack, Crimson, loss and Shadow. She slid to a sudden stop her eyes widening as what they were talking about hit her full force.

Indrani’s people, the Crimson, had been attacked last night by the Wolves. Why? Her heart raced in her chest, clenching and unclenching her fists as she stormed forward. It couldn’t have been ordered by Sean, he wouldn’t….would he? No. It was evident that the attack was their loss; the morale between the assassins seemed lower than normal. However there was this sense of fear that could be felt though the air. Whoever, whatever this Shadow was it had impressed itself deeply on the minds of the Wolves that had seen it in action and it frightened them. Ari trembled, her adrenaline kicking into gear as she nearly ran through the people. The Lust made her more sensitive to her feelings and others feelings and right now, she was drowning in the fear. She rushed forward, carelessly bumping into a Wolf who had been backing away from a group of men. He turned catching her arm and dragging her back towards him.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the little recruit,” he snickered, his breath hot against her face. His hand tightened across her arm and it took everything she had not to whimper in pain. “Where you been? Where is the Alpha?”

Ari didn’t answer, biting down on the inside of her lip as he twisted, her skin stretching under his grip and smarting terribly. She couldn’t help the whimper that came from her throat and the Wolf smiled, as if her pain caused him pleasure. He lips pulled into a sneer, right into her face, his eyes darkening with a deep hunger.

“Can’t talk? What’s the matter sweet heart, do I frighten you,” he laughed, glaring at some of the Wolves behind him who muttered their disapproval. “Come on love…talk.” He yanked her arm jerking her body into his before lowering his voice to a dark whisper, “You’re nothing but a pretty object, no fight.”

Ari snapped her eyes to his face, looking him dead in the eye. The corner of her lips pulled into a smile and with a blur of movement she found herself standing over the Wolf, his eyes wide as he lay stomach down on the ground. Her foot was pressed into his shoulder blade, his arm extended out behind him, wrapped tightly in her hands.

“Watch your mouth Wolf,” she snarled before dropping his arm and walking calmly away. Some of the Wolves had stopped in their whisperings to stare at her and her challenger. She walked with a sway in her hips, her head held high as some of the Wolves parted to let her past. He could cause her discomfort but insult was something she wouldn’t take lightly. She smirked as she caught the eyes of another young Wolf, cold calculating. Suddenly she felt as if she could take on all the Wolves here, take them down effortlessly, as casually as if she were swatting a bug that had hit her face. She had survived an attack by Kirsten and his men; elite Hunters that had never missed a kill. Yet she stood here now, in front of the Wolves, shining and commanding. Let them come. She would be a stone wall against the sea, may they break their bodies as they run at her. She could take on the world.
She smiled sweetly, glancing at another Wolf from under her bangs, watching as the Wolf opened his mouth in amazement. She winked at him before moving on. The air became warm around her and her feet floated over the snow as she walked. The torn dress, the fabric rough and brown along the bottom, outlined her form perfectly, clinging to her body to directly define it. The laced up front stretched as she puffed out her chest, making her way to her cabin with confidence. There she would find a change of clothes, her familiar daggers, taken from a dead foe. She tossed her hair out of the way of her eyes, her body language demanding respect and thrumming with a power unmatched. She nodded to a couple of Wolves, their eyes widening as they saw her before hurrying on. Unfortunately, the power she felt and gave off was no deterrent towards attack. Seemingly all the Wolves were away from her sleeping chambers and she walked confidently forward until a body collided with hers, dragging her quickly out of sight behind a building. She made a move to fight back but it was blocked and almost every attempt she made was thwarted. Only after her attacker grabbed her wrist and had her pinned against the wall of a building did she stop moving.

Ari recognized the fire red hair, the eyes….
“Alex?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she squinted into his face. He smiled at her nodding and soon his image became clearer, sharper. Ari lunged forward, hugging him tightly and he returned the embrace. His hand stroked her hair, his chin resting on the top of her head as her head lay on his chest. He smiled lightly, breathing in her pine scent.

“I’m glad to see your safe,” he whispered lightly, “Where is Sean?”

“He….he got hurt, protecting me,” Ari hesitated, feeling his grip tighten on her back.

“How bad,” he growled his voice low.

“I didn’t see the wound, only saw him fall. For all I know he could be dead,” she whispered. Somewhere in the camp a cry arose, a shriek and Ari had the gut wrenching feeling that someone who was Enlightened had overheard them. Alex took her hand again, pulling her towards his own sleeping quarter. She went without hesitation and without quarrel. He shut the door after her and looked deep into her face, his eyes scanning over her face, memorizing every detail.

“Franklin isn’t here Ari, he’s moving to Newhaven in search of you. Adria is in charge and she’s… That stunt that you pulled, no matter how amazing that was, is going to reach her and now with the knowledge of Sean in someone else’s head…you’re not entirely safe. You will stay here, hidden until Sean or Franklin gets back.”

Ari nodded, content to be left alone for awhile finding Alex’s room to be quite cozy compared to the outside world. The feeling of the power had dimmed, the adrenaline fading from her body slowly. She looked around his room and he smiled gently at her.

“I’ll be back with some clothes from your room and your daggers, I assume that’s what you would like,” his eyes brightened as she nodded. He laughed lightly as her stomach rumbled ominously, adding in its wish for food as well. “Something small then,” he nodded, thinking of the apple he had saved in the chest at the bottom of his bed. Quickly he passed her, walking over to the coffer and throwing it open. From it he pulled several knives, papers, and many different clothes. Finally he found it, sitting shiny and red against his cream colored shirt. He plucked the apple from its resting place and handing to her before turning back to put his things away. When he twisted back to look at her she was gorging herself in the fruit, her teeth cutting through the skin and pulling the good parts from the core. He smiled and patted her head before slipping outside, glad that she was safe in his room for now.
Ari was happy, content to be home. She slipped back into her quite reserved mood, nibbling on the apple given to her by Alex while wandering over to his bed. She flopped down onto it, biting into the apple with a deep crunch. Yes, it felt good to be home.