''What the fuck Aly?'' Reash shouted after they made it back to the apartment.
''Huh?''
''Don't huh me!'' Reash looked closely at his best friend, he couldn't understand her. She had been flirting with Vasic. He was an arrow. Aly had been set on the path to destroy them when she was just a baby; her sole purpose in life was to get justice for her family, her pack. ''You were flirting with Vasic''
''No I wasn't. Your imagining things Reash'' Aly started to walk away to her room
''I am not'' he shouted, grabbing her arm ''what are you doing? You've worked too hard to screw everything up now!'' they both had, along with Patton they had been slowly killing off the arrows responsible for her family's torture and murders. It had taken years but only one remained Ming Le Bon. It was going to take careful planning but he too would die.
''Things are still on track, I'm going to meet the snow dancers next week'' Aly said softly, she looked him straight in the eyes, her pain plain to see ''There planning on killing him, but I need to know how to un cage my tiger first''
''We were going to kill him. I don't want to share the kill.'' The bastard had signed his mother's rehabilitation warrant, broke Aly's mind caging her changeling half and then repeatedly given her back to Santano to use as his personal torture toy. Areash wanted to choke the bastard slowly, to make him beg.
''He tortured the alphas mate, for over a decade! She needs and deserves the kill'' Aly looked at him with those big blue eyes ''I can't take that away from her… please Reash, let's not argue. Our plans are nearly complete, we'll both have our vengeance'' Aly leaned into him and he bought his arms around her. ''The nightmares could finally stop'' she said. The pleading in Aly's voice broke him, Areash couldn't stay mad with Aly, she had saved him, given him a purpose. They were still two little broken pieces trying to make themselves whole.
''Just stay away from Vasic'' Areash pulled away from Aly so that he could look her in the eyes ''were so close to justice, I can't let him ruin it''
''Have you ever considered that he could be like you?'' Aly asked ''he might help us''
Areash considered this for a minute, his mother had told him that Vasic would be lost, that his trainers would destroy his humanity until only a monster remained obedient to his master, Ming. He was still considering it when Aly started to tell him what had occurred while he and Lex had gone to get drinks. Was it possible that Vasic had somehow retained some of his humanity even when he been an arrow for so long? Areash didn't know, didn't think it was worth the risk. ''We can't risk it Aly. If you're wrong then everything we've worked for will be ruined.'' He took a deep breath Aly was still in his arms she needed the contact like she needed air, Ming had subjected her to sensory deprivation for months in order to break into her mind, if she was willing to give up the kill to someone who needed it more than so could he, but he wouldn't compromise over Vasic.
….
Vasic was in the desert, it was peaceful, the insects and reptiles scurried about, minding their own business, leaving Vasic to think. Aden appeared besides him.
''Did you find out what you wanted about Areash?''
''Some, there's still a lot of missing information. Did the search on Aly show up anything?''
''She's listed as Alison Chloe Krycheck''
Vasic's mind stood on immediate alert, ''Krycheck? As in Kaleb?''
''I cannot determine that. She didn't exist on any record until Santano Enrique was executed, but 2 days after his death she appeared on doctoral registers, bank accounts, social security, property listings, the full works. It appears someone was hiding her. Given the timing it would be logical that she is linked to Kaleb somehow, but I cannot find a direct link between them''
''It would explain how she knew I was an arrow and why she wasn't afraid, but what would Kaleb be doing with a human?''
''Are you sure she's human?''
''I've scanned her with the gauntlet, it showed her as human.'' Vasic examined the gauntlet attached to his arm, and brought up the results from the previous week ''a DNA sample would be more accurate but I am having difficulty obtaining one discreetly''
''Did you make plans to see them both again? If we know there both defiantly out I'll break in and get the DNA sample''
''I'll arrange it tomorrow'' Aly was probably getting ready for bed now, getting into the vest top and underwear Vasic had dreamed of ripping off her last night. The dreams were coming every night now, always he would wake up in the act of coming. It had finally happened, the strain of his life had broken his mind and now Vasic was going insane. He needed to finalize his affairs before he killed himself.
Aden suddenly looked at him ''you might not be insane, human males often claim to become insane with lust or love. She could help you adapt to this new age''
''Stay out of my mind''
''I didn't mean to intrude; it's just that the thought was very dominant''
''I'm sorry Aden.'' Vasic turned to watch a snake slither past ''I just don't know what to do about her''
''We need more information about her but there's very little personal information, she's a psychotherapist who deals specifically in people who have been traumatised by violence, rape or severe loss. She owns several properties and is rich. But I don't know how much of it is true as the records I've found go back to her 18th birthday but didn't exist until she was 25'' Aden paused ''Sebastian just dropped out of the net'' yet another dead arrow. ''We need to find his body and clean up the scene''