by Martha Woods
"That's right Liam, it is selfish. You can't just expect for me to sit alone in some house while you and everyone else here risks your lives to save a member of my family." She brushed his hand away, groaning to herself, "I love you Liam, I really, truly do. But you have to stop treating me like I can't fight for myself, especially when it comes to protecting those that I love."
"So, what am I supposed to do then?" He threw his hands up in the air, voice thick with frustration, "You want to walk out there side by side? Into potential mortal danger, leave Abigail with the possibility of losing both of her parents in one night?"
"I want to save my father! I want to actually have a part in these things that affect all of us, not just you!" She pointed angrily at him, Cassandra moving in wordlessly to take Abigail off her hands. "This is my father in danger, my family that is on the line, not yours! I'm not going to just sit back and let myself be pushed out of helping the people that mean something to me, I wouldn't if it was any of you and I'm not going to with him!"
There were many things that Liam considered saying, so many things about selfishness and the need to put others needs before your own, but he remained silent. As clouded by emotion and pride as he was, he wasn't so arrogant as to think that his own reasons for wanting her safe were any different, being driven by an overwhelming dread of seeing her come to harm and wanting her as far away from danger as possible. He knew he wasn't being fair to her, that she was far stronger than any of them had given her credit even before the emergence of her powers, but he still couldn't shake that impulse, that he needed to protect his pack from all dangers. Even if said danger turned out to be themselves. If he went out there with his wife he was afraid of what would happen, if she would see the things that he was capable of and find herself disgusted. Then again, the thought of her enjoying it was equally concerning, considering that before today the thought of her involved in any sort of violence was... Laughable at best.
He wanted to protest, to say that there was no way that she was going to be within one hundred miles of what was coming, but he couldn't. Not if he wanted the respect of the woman that he loved and that loved him.
"Fine." He sighed, her eyes going wide in response. "But you need to promise me that you'll stay by my side every step of the way, I'm not taking any chances here."
"Of course, I'm not stupid, you have far more experience in this than I do Liam. I'm not going to ignore that."
"And me?" Leah raised an eyebrow at their exchange, deciding now was the time to make her voice known. "Am I supposed to run and hide with Cayden and Abigail and let you two throw yourselves into the fray?"
"I'm sorry mom, but since Cayden is still hurt and Skylar is coming along..." Liam pulled Leah into his arms, stroking up and down her back with his hand. "I... We need someone to be there to protect Abigail, in case... In case either of us don't make it. We'll only be able to focus if we know that there are strong people watching over our child, and you and Cayden are exactly that."
"When you put it that way..." Leah groaned, "I can't exactly say no to that, can I?"
"Afraid not." He chuckled, "Sorry mom, looks like you'll have to bust skulls some other night."
"Lucky for them." Michael walked over, shaking his head fondly. "You weren't around to see it, but mom was kind of a legend in some circles for a while."
"Oh really? A legend of what exactly?"
Leah blushed as the memories came back to her, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled, "Some of the younger members wanted my advice with sparring, so I offered to show them a few tricks. I... May have temporarily broken one or two of them."
"When you say younger... How young are we talking?"
"About... Fifteen, maybe twenty years younger?"
Skylar snorted from their side, the image of what she knew as a kindly middle-aged woman beating men and women into the ground so ridiculous she could hardly contain herself. At the same time though, if you were looking it was plain to see, the roughness of her knuckles compared to the rest of her hands, the faint scars of stray nicks dusting along her neck just underneath her collar. Now that she was thinking about it, the image in her head was starting to make more and more sense.
"There isn't anyone I'd rather have watching over my child Leah." Skylar pulled her in for a hug of her own, breathing in softly against her. "I'm sad I won't get to see you work, but knowing Abigail will be with you puts me at ease."
Leah shook her head, sighing resignedly to herself, "I guess I really have no choice then. Cayden, lead the way."
"Wait." The hunter looked between everyone, easily seeing through the thin veneer of happiness that they put on to hide the grim determination they all felt, knowing that what they were about to attempt was not only no laughing matter, it was incredibly dangerous. He sought out one face in particular, that of the woman looking right back at him with unabashed concern, her eyes drawn to his wounded side every time his face pinched in pain. Farah walked slowly over to him, her hands coming up to cup the sides of his face and pull him into her, their lips melting against each other as they slowly explored what they had so recently come to enjoy and had so quickly come to dread losing.
"I'll be careful, I will look over all of our friends tonight. You do the same, ok?" She nuzzled against his cheek, breathing in his scent once more. "We will all be home tonight, all of us."
"Ok." He nodded, breathing deeply and exhaling heavily, feeling more confident with every breath he took. "Ok. We can do this."
With one final kiss, he squeezed her hand, turning away to the rest of the group. "You're all good at what you do, but that doesn't mean you're invincible. The biggest mistake I made when I was a hunter was forgetting that, and now I have a scar in my side that's evidence of that." He offered his arm to Leah, who took Abigail off Cassandra's hands. "Stick together, don't think that you're stronger than everyone else, that's a good way to get yourselves killed."
Liam and Skylar pressed one last kiss to Abigail's forehead, the small group of three stepping out carefully into the night and walking towards Cayden's car.
"I don't have a baby chair, you're going to have to hold her." He grimaced. "Is that going to be alright?"
"I'm sturdier than I look, if anything happens I can protect her."
"Alright." He nodded, getting into the car and checking the glove box. He pulled out a small pistol, checking the chamber before holding it out to Leah. "Do you know how to use one of these?"
"I took a few lessons with some of the locals a few years ago, there was very little else to do honestly." She turned the gun over in her hand, taking note of the engravings in the slide. "What monsters was this going to be used on?"
"The human kind." He grunted as he turned the key in the ignition, shaking his head to himself. "It was just a gift anyway."
* * *
The mood turned much more somber after Cayden and Leah had left, Abigail bundled up safely and on her way out of town to somewhere safe. Liam in particular was on the verge of tearing his hair out, once more being reunited with his daughter only for circumstances to force them apart once more. He wanted to scream, to smash something or someone into the ground, and right now his thoughts only turned to Sarconi, that vile little man who had been a thorn in his side since he had come into town two weeks ago. If he had been a little faster when he had attacked, if he had taken less time with Grayson, if he had controlled himself just a little more... There was no way around it, the fact that Liam had let him get away was the entire reason why Andrew was being held captive, and Liam knew that. If she was still the intelligent woman that he had fallen in love with, then Skylar knew that as well, and it was only a matter of time before she came to resent that.
As if she could sense what he was thinking, Skylar laid her hand on his neck, pulling him against her chest while she stroked a hand up and down his back. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, I can tell you that you’re wrong.”
He huffed a laugh, closing his eyes from the
feel of her hand working against him. “If I had of killed him before then none of this would be happening, you can see that right?”
“Of course I can.” She said, “But I can also see that we can’t change the past, and you can’t tell the future. This isn’t your fault, and I’ll never think it was.” She pouted at him, mock glaring. “But I will get pretty angry if you keep blaming yourself, and that will be your fault.”
“Guess I’d better cheer up then huh?” He opened his eyes, looking over towards the rest of their gathered allies. “This is very dangerous, what we’re about to do. If anyone wants to step out, I don’t blame you.”
Hayley shook her head along with Michael and Farah. “No way, we’re coming along on this. If it’s important to Skylar, then you can bet that we’re going to be involved in protecting it, it doesn’t matter who that toad has backing him.”
“We already beat him into submission once brother,” Michael grinned, chuckling, “We can do it again.”
“His men attempted to kill me, they almost succeeded in killing Cayden.” Farah spoke with a fire behind her eyes, body tense as she spaced out her words. “I will not sit by and miss my chance to tear apart the man who gave them that mission.”
Liam looked over all of them, his chest swelling with pride as he saw the determination in their eyes. “Well alright then, looks like we’re all in this together. What about you?” Cassandra inclined her head when she was addressed. “What are you going to do?”
The witch crossed her arms in thought, shifting from foot to foot while she considered her answer. “I... Am not particularly invested in whoever Skylar’s father is, nor do I much care why that man has such a vendetta against you. But...” She looked just as confused as Michael and Hayley when she continued, “I have gotten attached to Skylar, so I do not wish to see her be hurt in any way. We have... Formed a bond, I believe.”
Hayley’s eyes widened, while Skylar merely looked happy. Clearly, she didn’t understand the significance of what Cassandra had just said. “Cassandra, do you mean what I think you mean?”
“I do, surprisingly. Believe me, no one is more confused about this than I.”
“Um, I’m sorry.” Skylar and Liam looked between the two of them, clearly out of the loop. “What do you mean about a bond? I thought you just considered us to be close now.”
“No, it’s far more than that.” Cassandra smiled gently, gesturing over to Hayley. “When witches of our clans form a bond, it is different from the bond that you associate with friends and family. It’s something that transcends all blood and culture and leaves you with the most pure connection you can imagine. And somehow, against all odds and my normally impeccable instincts, I feel that connection with you.”
Skylar placed her hand against her chest, at a momentary loss for words. “I... I’m not sure what to say Cass... I had no idea you felt that way.” She surprised the witch by wrapping her in her arms, squeezing tightly around her and burying her head in the crook of her neck. “Thank you so much for this, I’m happy that you’re here.”
“Yes, well, that’s quite enough of that.” Cassandra awkwardly pushed Skylar away, no one missing the faint dusting of pink across her face. “We have some very important things to discuss before tonight, and we shouldn’t delay any further. If you will... Take a seat please.”
Those still gathered took seats around the room, watching with rapt interest as Cassandra swept aside her previous embarrassment and warmth, her face becoming a mask of cold, calculating efficiency. “As Liam said before, if he had killed this man when he had the chance this would not be happening tonight. I am not begrudging you for your moment of humanity or weakness, or whatever you consider it to be, but I will say this. We will not allow the same mistake to happen again.”
Liam nodded, clenching his fists and looking down at his feet. “I’ll hunt them down one by one if I have to, I will not allow them to hurt any more of us. Not tonight, not any other night. They will all die tonight, all of them.”
“Not before saving my father.” Skylar looked between the two of them, making sure they could see just how serious she was. “I don’t want either of you to prioritize killing anyone over saving my father’s life. After that...” She sighed, waving her hand limply and sitting back. “After that then you can do what you need to, whether or not I like it doesn’t much matter in the end.”
“Skylar...”
She chuckled bitterly, “Did you think that just because my powers emerged that I would suddenly be completely fine with killing people? I don’t want anyone to have to die, no matter how bad they may be.” She shrugged. “Actually, I’m fine with Sarconi being killed, I have limits. My point is that I understand why you have to do what you need to, I just don’t have to like it.”
“I’m sorry Skylar, I just... I hope you don’t see me any differently.” Liam blinked when she laughed, covering his hand with hers.
“I don’t think badly of you at all Liam, I’m talking about them. I hate them for leaving this as the only option, for attacking us so horribly that we have no choice but to retaliate like this.” She shook her head, grunting to herself, “I hate the fact we have to kill them, and I hate them for making us do something so horrible. It’s unforgivable.”
“That’s what I love about you Skylar, you see the worth in everyone, even someone as twisted and misguided as those that would follow a man like him.” He chuckled, “Given half the chance, I’m almost certain that you’d welcome them with open arms if they came to you for forgiveness.”
“I would, why shouldn’t I?” She tapped idly at her chin. “You’ve done things that a lot of people would think made you a monster, and so has Cayden. That doesn’t change the fact that the two of you are some of the most important people in my life, and I wouldn’t give up those bonds for anything. Not being able to forgive people is... It’s short sighted, to say the least. But again,” Skylar clenched her fist, the lights in the room dimming slightly. “I have my limits.”
Cassandra hummed, taking note of the dark tone that her eyes had taken. “That’s another thing that I wanted to talk to you about. I know that the man they have kidnapped means a lot to you, and that places a great deal of stress upon a person, but it is very important that you remain calm and in control tonight.”
“I’m not going to let myself lose it, I know I need to stay focused if my dad’s going to make it out alive.”
“It’s easy to say that, it’s an entirely different thing to practice, especially when the lives of people that you care for are on the line. I’m sure your husband can tell you just how difficult that can be.” She smirked at his embarrassed expression, saying, “I thought as much. With someone like him a loss of control can be terrifying, but with someone like you... That could be utterly catastrophic, for them and for us.”
Farah was quick to jump into the conversation, seeing how badly those words, well-meaning though they may have been, were affecting Skylar. Cassandra may have been trying to warn them, but an unfortunate side effect was that they were only putting themselves more on edge, and if they were to survive that couldn’t happen.
“Don’t worry Sky,” She said, “We’re sure that you can keep yourself under control, this is just something to let us all know how important this is. It’s been a rough few weeks for us, and tonight hasn’t been much of a picnic, so it’s natural that everyone would be under a lot of stress.” She looked pointedly over at Cassandra. “That’s what you were trying to say, right?”
“I... Yes, yes of course it was. Listen to your friend Skylar, it was just a general warning, not a condemnation.”
“Still, it makes me think...” Skylar turned to her friends, running a finger over the palm of her hand. “I really am dangerous now, aren’t I? Like... There’s just so much I can do now, what if I end up hurting one of you?”
“But you won’t, because that’s not who you are.” Liam looked at her fiercely, tone brokering no argument, “The woman I married is one of t
he most compassionate women I’ve ever met, who wouldn’t even dream of hurting her friend’s feelings, let alone actually injuring them.”
“He’s right,” Hayley said, “Besides, even if you did end up slipping a bit, it’s not like we’re just going to leave and cut our losses with you. You seem to be forgetting that three of the women in this room are witches, and the two men are shifters, not exactly known for being on the friendliest of terms with each other.” She giggled, “If we can find a way to work through all the bullshit then we can deal with an occasional hiccup from you, if that even happened.”
“Exactly, so don’t worry about it.” Michael grinned, nudging her side. “Stressing out about this is only going to give you wrinkles, and you don’t want that do you? Abigail will come back and think you’re her grandmother at this rate.”
“Ok, fine I get it.” Skylar shook her head, willing her giggles away as she breathed. “You all have so much faith in me, that’s wonderful, thank you. Just promise that if you think things are getting out of hand you’ll stop me, can you do that much for me?”
“When you say stop you... What exactly do you mean?”
“I mean that if I’m going to hurt you, or Abigail, or anyone who I shouldn’t be pointed at, you need to put me down and make me stay down, however it is that may be.”
Liam took her hand. “Skylar...”
“I may be new to all of this, but I’m not going to be some mindless weapon. I’m more than that, which means you need to treat me like I’m more than that. Hold me accountable for what I do and step in if it isn’t what I should be doing.”
The others were uneasy about the request, even Cassandra was shifting uncomfortably, but one by one they all nodded their heads. “Ok Sky, if that’s what it takes. We’ve got your back.”
She smiled when she felt her hand being squeezed reassuringly. “Always.”
* * *
Cayden’s knuckles were white around the steering wheel, looking from side to side as they drove down the road out of town. Leah was doing her best to make sure that Abigail was comfortable in the back seat, though with her own hand tight around the grip of the pistol she was clearly on edge as well. The silence of the night as they drove was almost deafening, not even the sounds of animals were anywhere to be heard, only the dull roll of tire over asphalt.
