by Martha Woods
Farah felt her hole being filled, and that was it for her. She tightened around him, tight ass milking him for all that he could give her, so sensitive that she could feel every pulse that shot through his length as his release shot deep into her body. She was a panting, sweating, almost drooling mess as her vision whited out, the only thing she was aware of was the last shallow, instinctive thrusts that he pushed into her before she collapsed on top of him, hand blindly shooting out to undo his bindings even as her face buried itself into her chest.
Cayden rubbed his wrists before wrapping them around her, neither of them having the energy to even remove themselves from each other, Cayden only feeling himself become free when he softened enough that she couldn't grip him any longer.
"Well, that was..." He chuckled, chest still shaking. "That was unexpected."
"Mm." She grunted, pressing a lazy kiss to his lips. "But so good too."
"No arguments there." He tightened his hold, nuzzling against her cheek. "You never cease to amaze me, you know that right?"
She laughed, a light, twinkling sound that was enough to almost physically lighten the room in his eyes. "I think that look you get in your eyes whenever I try something new is enough to tip me off there."
"Well can you blame me?" He coughed awkwardly, looking away from her. "I've uh... Never done that with anyone before, always thought about it but... Yeah I kind of lost myself a little bit."
"I'm not complaining." Farah shifted, wincing at the slight sting in her backside. "Though I think I might have gone a little too far, I'm probably going to be feeling this tomorrow."
"Want me to kiss it better?"
"Stop."
* * *
Farah was curled up on Cayden's chest, the two of them enjoying the day passing by, the clouds in the sky starting to darken as night began to fall. Neither of them had anywhere they had to be for the next few days, they could just lay there for as long as they wanted, basking in being next to the person that they had come so quickly to love more than anything else in the world. Which brought them to a point that still managed to hurt even after a month, that there was someone sleeping in this town right now that didn't get to do that, and wouldn't be able to ever again.
"Cayden?" Farah leaned on her elbow, looking up at him. "How was Liam when you saw him last night? Was he as bad as last time?"
"I think we're becoming genuine friends now. So I'd say it was much worse than last time..."
She rolled her eyes. "Cayden..."
"It sounds like I'm joking but I'm completely serious." He sighed, "Even when things got less heated between us he still wasn't exactly... Welcoming, you know? And that was fine, we had our own way that we worked, and everything was fine. We were just trying to get along for you and Skylar's sake's. Now that Skylar's gone..."
"You're worried about what his friendship could really mean?"
"Yeah. He's an Alpha, Farah, and I'm a Hunter. Regardless of all the shit that we've been through together, that's still a big deal, and the fact that he's really starting to see past that worries me. I'm wondering if maybe he's starting to lose himself."
"Or maybe, you big idiot, maybe he's finally realized that he needs someone to be there for him now. That he's not going to be able to heal on his own."
Cayden nodded, embarrassed. "I hadn't actually thought of it that way, I suppose that makes sense. Still, you've got to admit that it doesn't really seem like Liam to do something like this."
"Mm, you're right there. For as long as I've known him Liam has had a tendency to be... Stubborn. It's not something that can be overcome easily, and while I'm happy that the two of you are connecting I'd be lying if I said I ever wanted it to be because of something like this." Farah shuddered, "That man that was there that night, the one who... Who was going to have you killed... Who was he?"
Cayden sighed, his eyes going dark and his grip on her waist tightening for a moment. "He is a remnant of my past that I honestly would have been happy to forget all about, are you sure that you want to know about him? Things got... Things got pretty bad for a while."
She nodded, grasping his hand in reassurance. "I'm certain Cayden, I want to know everything about you, no matter how bad it may be."
"Alright," He said, his voice soft, "Don't say I didn't warn you. The man's name is Christian, and we used to work together."
Cayden looked off to the side, not able to bring himself to look at her while he recalled his past, to think back to the kind of man that he used to be. The memories were not pleasant ones.
"When my father was killed... When he died I went to a very dark place, I didn't just blame the one that killed him, I blamed all of you, no matter what kind of creature it was I blamed them for my father's death." He shook his head. "He found me getting shitfaced in a bar, I'd been taking whatever jobs I could get just to work the anger out and they were finally getting sick of me. They were about two steps from kicking my ass out before he put his hand up."
Farah frowned, running a finger over his chest. "I'm... I'm sorry about your father Cayden. I'm sure that must have been awful."
"Yeah well," He clicked his tongue, "That's life now isn't it? Turns out Christian knew my father, used to work with him actually. He said he was 'Sorry for my loss, he was an amazing man and an incredible hunter.'" Cayden scoffed, "Said my father knew what to do to win the war, and that I should go with him and take his place. Of course, the whole time that I'm sitting there enraptured by this man I'm ignoring how everyone else in the bar is making a conscious effort to not step in and throw him out the front door."
"Why would his fellow hunter's do that?"
"Because unknown to a young and angry me, Christian is barely more than a fucking monster. The shit that we did together..." He got that haunted look in his eyes again, like he was remembering a nightmare that he wasn't sure was real or fake. "He took me to his base that night and there was this vampire, young, must have barely been older than I was. He was thrashing around, clearly, they'd been doing something to him before I got there. Christian just gave me a knife and said, 'Choose.'"
Farah leaned in. "Choose what?"
"I thought that he meant to choose whether they lived or died. He just... Laughed. He said that they were going to die anyway, that wasn't what he was telling me. He said that he meant choose how long it was before they died." He clenched his fist, closing his eyes when the memories came flooding back like yesterday. "It was a long time before he died, and that was my choice that I had made. I went to bed that night and puked my guts out over everything, after that everything got easier."
"Torture, murder, nothing was below Christian and his 'Followers', no shit, that's what he calls them. That should have been the first sign that I should have gotten out of there. But he was good, that's why people from outside his group kept working with him, because if you hired him to kill something then you could be absolutely sure that they were going to die, and not well." Cayden sat up in bed, Farah's arms falling off of him before she could stop them. "I did terrible things Farah, things that will haunt me till the end of my life. I've killed innocent people, witches like you and Hayley, who are just trying to live their lives. But that didn't matter, because you weren't humans, you were something else, it didn't matter if you weren't doing anything evil, it was only a matter of time."
"That was in another life Cayden, there is a reason that you were standing by our side and not his that night." She pressed a kiss lightly to his cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head against him. "You're not the only one who's made mistakes, but you are someone who's been trying to make up for them. How many other people can say that?"
"I dragged a werewolf out of his house, made him kneel on his front lawn and shot him in front of his wife. I went back to sleep at the base and didn't feel a moment of remorse over any of it, what could possibly make up for something like that?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Now every time I close my eyes I see her face, begging me not to do it. I ne
ver found out what happened to her, she was just a regular human. Given what I found that made me leave, she's probably long dead."
"Why do you say that?"
"Turns out that their plan for humanity wasn't just about killing the monsters, it was about 'Purity'. I'm sure you can think of a few places that have had that sort of thinking before. They weren't content to just kill paranormals and be done with it like I was, they made sure to go through and kill every single person that had been involved in helping or sheltering them as well. Given the chance they would have probably rode through and slaughtered this whole down just on principle. I found out that this was going on, went to Christian and told him to go fuck himself. I was gone the next day."
"Merde, I've met monsters before but... He sounds almost demonic." Farah sighed, squeezing a hand around her arm. "And he took someone dear away from us, I would love to get my hands on him."
"Trust me, you're not alone in that. According to the Hunters that I'm still in contact with, he's got a kill order out on him now. Word about our little three-way alliance has been making waves in the community, rest of the clans are starting to come around to the idea, a couple are even trying to make their own attempts at peace. They saw him as a relic of another age even when he was in his prime, now he's just a dirty little secret that could blow this whole thing out of the water."
"It sounds like he would be easy to kill in this state now."
He hummed thoughtfully, "It does sound like that, doesn't it? I'm pretty sure that if I asked around I could even get a few tips on where he's gone."
Farah ran her hands through his hair, scratching at his scalp and smiling at the pleasured groan she got in return. "I think... That if we killed him, we would finally be able to get a sense of closure. We'd be able to put Skylar to rest knowing that we did all we could to avenge her. It might even help Liam heal, knowing that the people that took his wife away could no longer do it to anyone else, that the only thing they would ever do again was feed the worms."
"I'll ask around with the others, make sure that everyone wants to be involved before I go ahead with any plans. This would be a big undertaking, and it would be dangerous, so I want to make absolutely sure that everyone is prepared to do what they have to do."
"You can count me in Cayden, now and always." She squeezed his hand, pulling him back down onto the bed. "But I think that can wait until tomorrow, don't you?"
"Oh? And what do you plan to do with me the rest of the night?"
She smirked, teeth glinting in the dying light. "Well, we discovered something rather incredible before didn't we?" She kissed the shell of his ear, Cayden shuddered when she tugged on it with her teeth. "It would be a shame to only do it once..."
* * *
Out of town, through the trees and up the mountain, past legions of animals and over the buried bones of countless foes, Hayley and Michael sat in Cassandra's kitchen, the two of them sipping at some pleasantly warm coffee to stave off the chill that had been prevalent in the air since the seasons had changed.
Though the three of them had been affected just as much as the rest of the group, they were trying to push forward as best they could. They all felt that pain of loss, the loss of a best friend, of family, but they knew they had to be strong for the others, especially Liam and Leah.
Hayley sighed contently as she took another sip, the warmth shooting through her body and pushing away the cold for another few minutes. Though she could easily dispel the cold and heat up the room, she knew better than to assume she was allowed to do that in someone else's house. Judging by the pleasant smile on Cassandra's face, that was the right decision, the older witch enjoying the bite of the chilled air against her skin, choosing to sip from a glass of iced tea rather than coffee.
"I didn't know you liked the cold." Michael hadn't stopped staring at her the entire time, shivering from the mere sight of her and her ice cube filled drink. "Even if you do though this seems a little... Extreme."
"Really?" She arched an eyebrow, smirking at his incredulous expression. "I always got the impression that you considered me to be an 'Ice Queen'. Was I incorrect in assuming that?"
Michael chuckled, looking back down at his coffee, the steam rising and collecting on his lips. "You got me there I guess, no hard feelings, right?"
"Of course not." She took a sip of iced tea, breathing out softly and leaning back in her seat. "I worked hard to build this image, it would be a shame if no one appreciated it."
"Yeah, a shame." Hayley shook her head. "Why use the carrot when you can just keep hitting them with the stick?"
"Exactly." Cassandra placed her glass down on the table, crossing her legs and looking pointedly at them. "Now, while I've come to enjoy our little sit downs, what exactly is the purpose of this one?"
The two of them sighed, missing the moment of peace already. "We're worried about the two of them Cassandra."
"As am I, I thought that was plain to see with all of us."
"Liam's drinking is getting worse, I'm not sure he can hold it together much longer." Michael grimaced, feeling like he was betraying his brother but knowing that he had to say something. "A couple of times I've seen him going through some books, you know, like the one that you gave us."
Cassandra nodded in understanding, her fist suddenly clenching. "You think that he's going to try to do something to bring her back, regardless of the consequences."
Michael nodded, heart heavy. "I've never seen him love anyone like he did Skylar, and it scares me to think of what he'd do to try and bring her back. I already lost a sister, I can't afford to lose a brother. Not again."
"Leah thought much the same." Cassandra looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching. "She is holding together well given the circumstances, but it's easy to see that this is a burden on her soul."
"How is she?" Hayley looked away. "I've wanted to check up on her myself but... I know it's selfish, but I couldn't do that yet, it was too much for me to take."
"She just lost a daughter, a daughter not by blood, but by choice. In my experience those bonds are always stronger, which makes the pain of loss even greater. With that in mind I'm sure you can guess how she is right now, it breaks my heart every time we see each other."
"You've seen Liam as well, neither of them are in a good place."
"No, they are not, which is why I've had to take care of Abigail on the few occasions where his drinking has truly overcome him." Cassandra grunted, displeasure clear across her face. "I do not begrudge him for needing something to numb the pain, it is only human to need to do that. But I would prefer if he at least chose something that would not leave him so thoroughly gone if he went overboard. He still has a child to take care of."
Michael nodded, pushing his coffee away from him. The taste wasn't agreeing with him anymore. "I'll talk to him about it when I next see him."
"No, I will." The older witch allowed herself a small smile. "He's going to need someone to scream at him if it calls for it, I at least won't feel bad about it."
"Well, when you put it that way..." Michael and Hayley chuckled, quickly sobering when their minds traveled.
"It doesn't feel real, does it?" Hayley blinked, her vision rapidly blurring from building tears. "Even after all this time, it doesn't feel real that Skylar is gone. I keep thinking that she's going to walk through the front door and tell us that she's all better. But that's not going to happen is it?"
"No, it's not." Cassandra reached across the table, taking both their hands. "All we can do is take care of those that have been left behind, to respect those that we've lost."
"Those are beautiful words, where did you hear that?"
Her grip briefly tightened, before she breathed out slowly. "After I killed my brother, those that didn't turn against me were quick to offer advice, much of it meaningless but I appreciated the intent all the same. Those particular ones were said by the elder, not long before I decided to leave. The only one who had been left behind then was me
, but not now. Now there are other people that are depending on me, and I will not fail them."
Hayley and Michael looked between each other, choosing their next words carefully. "Do... Do you want to talk about him? It seems like something important that happened to you so..."
"Not yet." Cassandra shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to relive something like that just yet. One of these days I'll tell you but... But not today."
"Ok. We can wait until you're ready, as long as you need to take we'll be here."
She laughed, "I'm not the person that needs comforting right now, or did you forget that already? My brother is dead and gone, has been for decades, but Liam and Leah... No that pain is still very much fresh, and it is not going to heal on its own."
"I just don't know what to do..." Michael hung his head in his hands, Hayley rubbing circles into his back. "They're my family, and I just feel so useless. I want to be able to help them because I know that they're hurting, I am too, but I just don't know what to say to let them know that things will be alright."
"There isn't anything you can say for that, not when the wound is so fresh and so ghastly." Cassandra thought back to the past, shaking her head to banish the thoughts. "When you suffer a loss like this, it's like your very soul has been ripped from your body. There isn't anything that can heal that aside from time, anything else will just mask the pain."
"So we just have to sit here? Just lay back and watch our friends suffer in agony while they mourn the loss of a wife and a daughter?" Hayley hummed to herself, determination set on her face. "No, I won't believe that, there has to be something, even something tiny, which can make the pain that they are going through even just a modicum less unbearable. I'm not going to call myself a friend of theirs unless I make that promise."
