Ever since they'd broke his legs when he was 6 he'd tried to forget his mother that was until Kaleb had publicly broken silence. Now he couldn't stop thinking about her, for the first time in his life he'd searched for her, she was dead. Never to be replaced. But 3 years after he'd been taken to the arrow training facility Mariah had had another son Areash; he was now 22 and lived in New York. Vasic was going to meet him, but first he wanted to find out about his life. The searches had shown that Areash, like Vasic, was a tk but only a gradient 6 his main gifts lay in tp where he was a gradient 9.6. Areash had been trained in communications but had disappeared when their mother had been rehabilitated, he'd only been 14. Areash had remained invisible until at 18 he enrolled at New York's university to study law; he was now completing the bar. Questions plagued Vasic, how had Areash supported himself? What had Areash done in those missing years?

The only way left was surveillance. Areash had just left for a class; Vasic got a visual lock and ported in. The living room was neat, but there was comfy furniture with bright colours everywhere, why did his brother live like this, how had he avoided rehabilitation? Vasic walked down the hall and into the next room, there was a girl asleep on a bed, she was small with long blonde hair.

…

Her mother was being torn apart, her arms tearing from her torso the screams echoed in Aly's ears she felt the blood splash her face as one arm tore fully severing the artery and then she sensed a presence in the room, realising that she was asleep she woke. Aly lay there for a minuet pretending to still be asleep whilst she gathered information about the intruder. He was stood near the door, his breathing calm, and indicating that he was over 6 foot, he smelt like mountain air after a storm, fresh, clean, peaceful, with a hint of ice, but no scent of aggression. She opened her eyes and turned toward the intruder, he stood by the door dressed all in black, it took a second of directly looking at him to see him clearly but then she did. He was tall, dark hair, with the most intense grey eyes she'd ever seen, they were like Reash's but more. They must be related. ''Areash is at class.''

''Why do you think I'm looking for Areash?''

''I've never met you, so you can't be looking for me''

''I am Vasic, Areash's brother''

Aly looked him over, he's an arrow the thought flashed in her mind like a neon sign. What did he want with them? Did he want to get to know Reash? Stranger things had happened, or was he examining him for rehabilitation, Kaleb had told her that the protocol had changed and that was no longer an option, but arrows were evil, out of the hundreds she met during her captivity she had only ever met one decent arrow. She'd ask him. She could kill him if she needed to but she'd wait just in case. Areash still missed his mother, a brother could fill the void that Mariah had left in his life. ''I know you're an arrow, why the sudden interest in Areash?''

….

Everything in Vasic went still. He must, must have misheard this woman; she was sat in bed accusing him of being an arrow. Deny he must deny. But she looked completely unfazed by the knowledge like she didn't care he was a mass murderer. And she knew he was, also he thought she only seemed concerned about his intentions towards his brother, not worried at all about her own safety, considering that she looked human and very breakable it was a very foolish stance. ''Who are you? Why are you in here, you're not listed as living here?'' she looked him straight in the eyes, she had the most amazing blue eyes, they were like sapphires. The though disturbed him, it should not have occurred. He should have ported away the moment he saw her but part of him had been curious. Now was not a good time for his conditioning to erode even further than it already had.

….

Although his voice calmed Aly, she found it flat, it lacked all emotion. She had nothing to lose by answering his questions she was gathering her energy ready to kill him in a split second if he tried anything. ''I'm Aly. I own this property and I live here with Areash, he is my tenant''. She'd stuck with the story they'd both devised many years ago. Vasic remained standing perfectly straight, in the middle of the door ''that is unusual, how many years have you lived with my brother?'' he was still avoiding Aly's questions. The bastard. ''Why should I answer any more of your questions when you haven't answered mine?''

''Recent political changes within the psy have made it possible for me to reconnect with my family, I learnt that my mother was dead and that I had a brother, I wished to get to know him.'' His voice remained even showing no hint of emotion.

He looked as cold as ice but something in her gut was telling her that he was telling the truth. ''Go sit in the living room. I'll be in a minuet'' he stared at her for a second before turning around and walking back towards the living room. Aly got up and tried to decide what she should wear whilst entertaining her roommate's serial killer brother. A fucking arrow, Reash was going to be pissed. Today was not turning out to be a good day for Aly. First she'd dreamed of her mother's murder and now she had one of the monsters responsible in her house, hell he could have been present at the raid that destroyed her pack and captured her family for torture. Reash had better appreciate her doing this for him.

…..

Vasic sat on the sofa it was dark brown with lime green cushions all over it. Was this his brother's taste as he first thought or was it Aly's? Why did she live with Areash? Was she his lover? Sudden anger gripped Vasic, he contained the emotion immediately, it shouldn't have slipped through the controls in his mind. She walked straight passed him through to the kitchenette ''would you like a drink Vasic?'' she was acting like she didn't care that he was an arrow, she'd hinted that she knew exactly what an arrow was, but maybe she didn't. ''No thank you.'' He discreetly scanned her with the gauntlet, she appeared to be human, why would a human ever know what an arrow was? Anyone who met an arrow enough to recognise one would be dead, especially a human. She walked in with a glass of juice and sat opposite him so she could see both him and the doors. Maybe she was afraid; he couldn't stop thinking of how she was able to identify him as an arrow. Who was she?

''so how did you intend to meet Areash if he was at class, during his regular study hours, a fact that you would have been able to obtain'' she sipped her juice as if she hadn't just poked a bear. Vasic had told her the truth so far, he might as well continue ''I wanted to find out about him as a person before I approached him, I thought that his home might display some of the details''

She shrugged. ''That's kinda logical, in a fucked up way'' she took another sip of juice before saying ''so what did you want to know?'' Vasic looked at Aly for a moment , she looked to be in her late 20's , she'd shown loyalty to Areash before but now she might as well be throwing him under a bus. This woman confused Vasic, who was she?

….

Aly started tapping her foot , she was not a patient person, the moment she'd escaped santano Enrique she had shed all the enforced psy mannerisms she'd used to appease the monster. ''Well. You going to ask or not? I haven't got all day'' a look of shock flashed across Vasic's face it had only been there for a fraction of a second but Aly had seen it. Maybe he wasn't a psychotic murderer like the arrows she had known; maybe he was like Areash, Patton and Kaleb? Forced to pretend so that he could fit into society without being lobotomised. God, Aly really hoped that was the case. His eyes were so dam sexy she could imagine losing herself in them while he stroked her all over. Wtf! I really really need to get laid Aly thought.

…

Vasic had been thinking of his questions when he'd had a sudden visual flash into his mind Aly naked underneath him while he ran his hands over her breasts she'd been looking up at him smiling. She'd looked beautiful and his. He forced the thought away ''how has Areash support himself since our mother died? And where did he disappear to for 4 years?'' she smiled and Vasic felt his gut tighten she really was beautiful, but he knew better that to think he could ever have her, she might be married to his brother and that would have been the least of their problems. ''That's simple'' Aly said ''he hasn't supported himself, I have. He disappeared because when I found him Areash was a jax junkie and it took me a while to get him clean and together enough to cope with society.'' She paused ''would you like some food? I need to eat'' she got up and walked back to the kitchen. Vasic smelt coffee and bacon. If what Aly said was true then she was a Good Samaritan who had taken a teenage boy off the streets, fed, clothed and educated him as well as making him get clean of jax. That should have been impossible. jax was highly addictive and even addicts who had been forced to stay clean via incarceration resumed the habit the moment they could but Areash was clean, with no signs of drug use. Aly was walking back into the living room with her bacon sandwich and coffee she resumed her seat, Vasic let her finish her breakfast before asking ''how did you get Areash clean and why?''

….

Why does that matter thought Aly, no psy should ever ask that. It showed concern. Vasic must really care for Areash. Patton had been right;
she needed to trust her instincts more. Just because she couldn't consciously use her empathy didn't mean her subconscious couldn't. ''I gradually reduced his dosage until he was sober, that combined with intense cognitive therapy got Areash clean. As to why, when I found him he looked so lost, I just… I just couldn't leave him there with a clear conscious''