"Thank you." Loch said. He had vomited right after they had appeared back at the safe house, then he had rinsed his mouth with water and moved to thank Jade. He had been found not guilty.
Jade nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked very thin, probably because of the weeks he had spent alone in the streets, he wasn't very tall, but he would probably grow as his wolf matured. His warm sand like skin looked ashen and pale as he didn't have a place to stay before he was taken to the safe house, even if he obviously was fit enough, he wasn't very muscular like Joël, Noah or Bastien were, that would change with the training.
"I know you must be hungry, would you like to go for some food with me? It's almost lunch time anyways." Jade said, looking at his light brown eyes with no expression in her own. She wasn't used to being this kind.
"You mean going outside?" He asked, "I don't think that's a good idea." He said, looking around the house, feeling tense.
"Look, you can not hide here for the rest of your life, your wolf won't come out if you stay calm, it only does when you are angry, or anxious, when you are provoked."
"I wasn't angry or anxious that night and I shifted anyways, I attacked a girl and I almost end up in jail because of it." He said, tightening his fist, rising his voice slightly. Jade hardened her gaze, silver circling her pupils, Loch swallowed hard, looking away from her. He could feel the power of her wolf, pushing him into submission.
"Nothing will happen as long as I'm with you, if you wolf decides to come out and play I will push him back, ok?" Jade said and he nodded. "Ok, let's go."
On their way out Emma grabbed Jade's hand, asking silently where she was going.
"I need to talk to him in private, so I'm taking him out for food, do not cook, I'll bring food for all of us, ok?" Jade whispered, squeezing Emma's hand in her own and watching her nod.
"Okay, be safe." Emma said, leaning in to kiss Jade's lips. "I'll see you soon." Jade nodded and moved outside.
They went to that burger place Jade liked so much, they went in and sat. Loch was nervous, constantly looking around, little beads of sweat showing on his forehead.
"Calm down, everything is going to be fine."
"It's just... I'm uncomfortable, I feel like every person here is screaming in my ears, I can smell and almost taste everything they are eating, I just want them to shut up!" He said, banging his hands against the table and then moving his hands up to cover his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Hey, hey look at me." Jade said, "look at me!" She demanded and he shyly looked up at her. "This is not something you can block, your senses are enhanced now, that's just the way it is, you must find a way to deal with it. You must get used to it because those senses will come in handy some day, they may even save your life."
"How do you do it?" He asked, looking up at her with creased eyebrows.
"I focus in only one sound, when you direct your focus to one, the rest end up being just background and they won't bother you anymore, right now I'm focusing on the music they are putting through the speakers, I like the music here." Jade said, looking at him with intense blue eyes. "Listen closely, you almost can't hear the music with all the chatter and the sound coming from the kitchen, but in most restaurants there is music, like in this one."
Jade watched the guy close his eyes, obviously trying his best to listen. He shook his head, clenching his hands at the sides of his head.
"They are talking to loudly, I can't..."
"Focus..." Jade said and Loch tilted his head to the side slightly, he nodded.
"I think I hear something."
"Do you know the song?" Jade asked and the guy shook his head.
"I know about cars and bikes, not so much about music."
"That's fine, just focus, once you do, everything else will turn to background."
Their food came, they ate in silence. Jade was humming to the melody of the song playing as she munched on her fries quietly.
"You want to know what happened the day of the attack, don't you?" Loch asked and Jade only looked at him.
"I don't remember very well, it was our second day there, we were all sitting around the fire. My friend Mike insisted on telling us horror stories, they were terrible and didn't scare anyone, so I took the chance to go relieve myself. I walked deeper into the woods and then i started hearing screams. I couldn't see the camp from where I was, but the last thing I remember seeing is a monster, big, rabid, with sharp claws, it pushed me to the ground, standing over me, ready to pounce. The rest is fuzzy and dark."
Jade nodded, the information Loch had just given her didn't really give her anything to work with.
"Was it true what you said in the trial? Did I attack her cause I wanted to mate with her? Is she my mate?"
"I did not lie in trial, everything I said is true and everything my uncle said is true. However, I do not know if what was explained applies to you, it can, but maybe that wasn't your case, you will know that once you have taken control of your wolf and start hanging out with the girl."
"So, you are not sure she's my mate, you only said that to get me out of jail."
"Exactly, she's not my mate, I cannot be sure she's yours, but what I said could have happened with you, it has happened in the past and I did not lie in that trial."
Loch nodded and they both stayed in silence for a few minutes.
"Thank you," he said, "for getting me out of this, I know all the odds were against me, but you got me out of it and I just... Thank you." He said, Jade nodded.
"I invited you here not only to talk to you about the attack, but also because my uncle sent me a letter. He is the leader of my pack in my absence and he offered to take you in and train you, you would be in a very good environment, the place is full of lycans of many different kinds, most of them are full bloods, but we are in constant contact with other packs so you would learn how to interact with our kind, you would learn our history, you would learn who are our enemies and who are our allies, and lastly, you would have a family, once you are initiated into the pack all the wolves would be your brothers and sisters."
"Can I have a few days to think about it?"
"I'll be leaving in three days, that's all the time I can give you."
Loch nodded, looking down at his hands on the table. Jade looked back at him briefly, looking for her wallet and leaving the money on the table before walking out, taking with them the food they had bought for the rest.
They were on their way to an alley, where they were going to hide to appear in the safe house, when Jade stopped walking, she was looking at an unknown point in the distance.
"Jade?" Loch asked. Jade didn't move her gaze to him, she looked for something in her pocket and muttered a quiet spell, dropping the keys on Loch's hand.
"I just remembered I have something to do, this is a portkey, it will activate in a few minutes and take you back to the safe house, take the food with you, I'll be there later. Go to the alley, no one can see." Jade said, not letting Loch say anything as she walked away.
Loch could do nothing but do as she had said.
...
"Where is Jade?" Emma asked as soon as she saw Loch appearing at the front of the safe house alone.
"She said she had something to do and that she would be here in a few hours." He said, regarding the frown on Emma's face. "I brought the food, I'm sure you guys are terribly hungry."
"Lauren and Amy left so you can have a little more if you want, I'll go take some of this to Karma and tell Joël to come here."
Loch nodded and sat down at the table, grabbing another burger and some fries, he hadn't eaten properly in weeks, it felt like heaven.
Joël and Emma came back a few minutes later, sitting beside them to eat. Emma smiled when she noticed that Jade had remembered that she wasn't too fond of burgers and had gotten her favorite sandwich instead.
While sitting there in silence with the boys Emma couldn't help but feel Jade's emotions inside of her. Emma had noticed that Jade's feelings where hard to pinpoint cause they were muted, restrained, Jade had such a tight hold on her feelings that it was hard for Emma to feel them unconsciously, she had to look for them.
Emma could tell that she was ok, she was doubting something, considering it, there was a lot of worry as well, but overall Jade seemed to be fine. Emma just didn't understood why Jade hadn't told her she had something to do, and she didn't have to, Emma just felt better when she did and Jade usually did it.
"Go home, try to rest, I know you haven't been sleeping well lately and you can be sure it won't get any easier when she leaves." Joël said, looking at Emma with soft eyes.
"You will keep an eye on Loch and Karma?"
"I will, go."
...
When Jade made it home she found Emma with her back to her, the white haired girl was painting and Jade was there to watch how she wiped some of the paint away in one of Jade's black shirts. Jade smiled and stayed there for a while, looking at Emma's profile through the mirror. She was wearing her glasses, like she did most of the time when she was reading, painting, or doing anything that required to see up close. The cheek Jade could see was smeared with paint as well and Emma sported a subtle frown, blue eyes moving over her creation, her head tilted slightly to the side. Jade watched her for a moment longer, walking behind her without making any nose, curling her arms around Emma's waist and feeling the girl jump against her chest with a start.
"You idiot," Emma huffed, bringing up her paintbrush and almost sticking it in Jade's eye, "I've told you to not do that."
"You know I'm not good at following orders." Jade whispered, burying her face in Emma's neck and breathing in deeply, tightening her arms around her. Emma knew that something was off by Jade's tone alone, she squirmed in her arms until Jade let her turn around to face her.
Emma leaned in, kissing her slowly, feeling Jade respond, lips moving against lips as they shared soft sighs and content moans. When they pulled away Emma moved even closer to hold Jade close, her hands caressing that sensitive spot between her shoulder blades.
Emma looked at her and she knew that Jade's mind was somewhere else, she was visibly troubled. Emma smiled at her, but Jade was still looking right past her.
"Hey," she whispered, cupping Jade's jaw with her hands.
"I have a lot to think of, I'm just..." Jade started, but Emma shut her up with a hard kiss.
"Shut up and kiss me." Emma said, unzipping Jade's jacket and pushing it off of her, she knew Jade needed a moment to breathe and Emma could give it to her.
"Keep on the glasses." Jade husked, picking Emma up between kisses and moving her towards the bed.
"Kinky." Emma said, letting out a soft chuckle as Jade moved her hands under her shirt.
...
"You ok?" Emma asked, they were both still basking in the afterglow, bodies bare, intertwined and spent. Jade was on her back with Emma curled into her side, her head resting on Jade's shoulder. "You are quieter than usual."
"You know I've never been very vocal." Jade whispered, her nose pressed to the top of Emma's head. The white haired girl blushed.
"I'm not talking about that Jade," Emma said, lightly smacking her abs, "you have barely said two words since you came home, I thought this would get your mind off of whatever is bothering you, at least for a while..."
"It did, it really did." Jade said, tightening her arms around Emma. "I'm just torn, it will go away, I promise."
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Emma asked, placing a soft kiss a top Jade's breast and tightening the thin bedsheets around them.
"Someone asked me to do something today, something that I don't feel okay doing, I don't want to do it Emma, but I know it is necessary." Jade said, her hold on Emma tightening as the room got progressively colder. Emma traced the lines of her abs slowly, feeling as Jade relaxed and the temperature stabilized once again.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, you are the most powerful person after the Queen, you have all the ministries of magic in the world under your command, you have the power to change laws and lock people up. No one can make you do anything." Emma said, pushing herself up to look down at Jade.
"It wasn't an order, it was a personal request made by someone who I don't want to disappoint, I know why they asked that of me, I understand it, but it's not something I am comfortable doing, it probably is the right thing to do, but still..." Jade trailed off, looking away from Emma.
"Hey, hey," Emma whispered, cupping Jade's cheek. "Look at me."
"Do you think it is the right thing to do?" Emma asked, looking into Jade's eyes.
"With what has been happening lately, the attacks, the kidnappings, the war... I think it is for the best, but still it's not something I would do if this person hadn't asked, I don't think I would do it, I wouldn't make that call."
Emma sighed, looking down at Jade and caressing her cheek, the tips of her fingers buried in her dark hair.
"I love you and whatever you do I'm gonna be by your side, okay? I'm not going to leave you." Emma whispered, looking into Jade's eyes and leaning down to give her a soft kiss.
"Whatever i do?" Jade asked, her eyes clouded with emotion. "I wouldn't want you to stay by my side if I really turned into a monster."
"I thought you already were a ruthless, cold hearted monster." Emma smiled, kissing Jade's forehead.
Jade growled, turning her head away.
"You know what I mean."
"Yes, I do, but I know that everything you do is for the right reasons and that's more than I could ever ask of you." Emma whispered, leaning down to kiss Jade tenderly, the lycan sighed into the kiss, curling her arms around Emma's bare waist and bringing her closer.
They parted after a few minutes, rolling onto their sides and sharing lazy kisses.
"Em..." Jade whispered, opening her eyes and caressing Emma's side with her fingertips. The white haired girl hummed, pulling back slightly to look at Jade, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her forefinger. "Do I make you happy?" Jade asked. Emma looked back at her with a frown, smiling at the vulnerability hiding behind Jade's gaze.
"Of course you do."
"You didn't even think about it." Jade said, looking intensely into Emma's blue eyes.
"I don't have to think much about it, you make me happy, Jade. Where is this coming from?" Emma said, propping herself up.
"We have been doing whatever we are doing for a while now and I haven't taken you out for a date yet. You are younger than me and I work a lot and when I'm not away I'm working from here, when I'm not doing any of that I'm taking care of Alex... My point is that you are young and you should be doing other kind of things, having fun and things like that." Jade looked away from Emma, feeling insecure, doubting her capacity to make her mate happy.
"Jade, you are only 4 years older than me, that's not much and I think we have gone to more than one date..." Emma said, and Jade arched her eyebrows, not buying any of it. "Remember that time we went to that party with Clara and her siblings, we danced, we had drinks, we chatted a bit and you took me home, I still remember that note you left me the morning after," Emma said, blushing and Jade smirked. "There was also the time we went to buy my glasses, we talked, you were not being an ass, you even got me ice cream and everything. There were also the times we have gone to take walks together, or the times we have gone for lunch and for coffee together..."
"I'm not sure any of that counts as a date..." Jade began and Emma cut her off with a kiss.
"I don't need a grand gesture, I like the little things you do for me, I value them, because that's a lot more than anyone else has done for me." Emma said truthfully, her heart warm with the worry she could see in Jade's eyes.
"I could do better than that." Jade said, frowning to herself, ashamed.
"I'm sure you could, but I understand that this is not the time for dating, we are in the middle of a war, you are constantly working yourself to exhaustion, you have too many things to worry about, please don't make this another one." Emma said, looking into Jade's eyes and bringing her hand up to place a soft kiss to the back of it, she could still see the doubt in Jade's eyes. "We are not whatever Jade, we are together, we are in a relationship, we are girlfriends, we are mates and I don't need you to take me out in fancy dates to be happy, or to know that you love me. To see you come home with take out and have a quiet dinner together with you makes me happy, to watch a movie with Alex and you makes me happy, the fact that you know exactly how I like my coffee and that you make it for me every morning and leave it ready for me makes me happy, to lay down with you makes me happy, to sleep next to you makes me happy, to feel how tight you hold me makes unbelievably happy." Emma paused, pushing her glasses to the top of her head and cupping Jade's face with both hands, giving her gentle kisses and brushing Jade's nose with her own, feeling Jade smile just slightly into the kiss. "To make love with you..." Emma whispered in Jade's ear, taking the lobe into her mouth and giving it a sharp suck. "It makes me very, very happy." She said accentuating every word a light nip, her hand moving dangerously low. "The way you love me..." Emma said, her hand cupping Jade's center, teasing her clit with slow, hard circles. "...it is simple, natural..." Her fingers moved down, collecting wetness with the very tips and slowly pushing inside the lycan, drawing out a low moan from deep inside Jade's chest. "...it's effortless and perfect and I wouldn't have it any other way." Emma smiled, her nose brushing over the underside of Jade's jaw, her fingers moving slowly in and out of her mate, her thumb gentle moving to press hard against the straining bud, her fingers brushing over that sensitive spot on Jade's front wall, feeling the woman tense in her arms and let out a muffled whimper. "Having you here, showing me your worries, talking about them with me, telling me about your fears and the things that make you feel insecure. I know you don't do this with anyone else, you trust me, you respect me and you value my opinion, that makes me very happy, too." Emma whispered, taking Jade's lips with her own, kissing her deeply, swiping her tongue over her bottom lip and feeling as Jade parted her own to take her in, tongues meeting briefly in the middle and making them both sigh in response. Emma's pace getting quicker as her trusts gained strength, the base of her hand hitting forcefully Jade's clit every time she pushed her curled fingers inside.
"You make me happy, Jade, I don't need, or want anything else." Emma whispered, her forehead on Jade's. "I love you." She said, her eyes closed as she felt Jade's walls flutter around her fingers, the lycan finally coming undone with a shake of her hips and a rumbling groan.
"I love you too." Jade said, forcing Emma onto her back and pinning her hands against the bed, sucking her fingers clean and moving down towards the girl's center.
A moan broke last Emma's lips as soon as Jade's tongue flicked against her clit, her breathing hitching when teeth tightened playfully around the pink bud.
"Yes," Emma sighed, a smile on her lips, "that makes me happy too."
...
Flashback
Amy was laying in the grass, panting and sweating, the imprint of Jade's fist coloring her cheek, her wand loosely wrapped between her fingers as she tried to take a breath.
"I'm sorry Jade," she said between gulps of air, "I've been trying really hard, I don't know why I can't do it." Amy said, sitting up and looking at her mentor standing right in front of her. They had been practicing physical combat before going through magical dueling.
Jade had been trying to teach Amy the curse that would probably signify Amy's salvation or end. The killing curse.
Amy couldn't do it.
The blonde veela was frustrated because she hadn't had such issues before, she was good, she practiced her wand movements every waking hour, she read about the spells, jinxes and curses Jade would be teaching her, she listened and payed attention to corrections, she knew there wasn't time and she had improved, she made sure not to make the same mistake twice, but now she was hitting a slump, she couldn't perform the killing curse, and Jade didn't seem surprised.
Jade kept her face impassive as she sat in front of her.
"Tell me what am I doing wrong?" Amy said, highly frustrated as she gazed into Jade's icy blue eyes.
"You are not doing anything wrong," Jade said, "your wand movements are perfect, you are doing everything correctly you just don't have what it takes to perform this curse."
Amy looked at Jade with a frown, her head tilted slightly to the side as she tightened her grip around her wand.
"I didn't mean that as an insult," Jade said, taking a deep breath, "as you know, magic is energy, but is also fueled by feelings, by your intentions, by your beliefs, by all those things you desire. There are people who simply don't value life, or that don't value a life that is not their own, for them, performing the killing curse is easy, because someone who doesn't value life doesn't have much trouble taking it." Jade said. "There are others who have lived poorly, who have been broken once or many times, their hearts get darker by pain and loss and hatred and that gives them the power to perform the curse. And then, then there are those who are like you, pure and unstained, unable to perform the curse because they just don't have it in themselves to extinguish the light in someone's eyes. There are others who have been broken, but that also value life like nothing else and that prevents them for making the curse."
There was a long moment of silence in which Amy took in Jade's words.
"Emma is unable to perform that curse, she's an excellent witch, but she's also a Seer of the Fallen, she sees death constantly and values life over anything else. She might be able to kill someone, but not through the killing curse, she doesn't have what it takes. Lauren, on the other hand, wasn't able to perform the curse until after Camille and Loup were killed." Jade said and Amy began to understand why she couldn't perform the curse, she literally didn't have it in her.
"What about you?" Amy asked quietly, knowing that Jade didn't share with anyone except for Emma and Lauren.
Jade gaze got lost and Amy watched as emotion filtered in her eyes slowly, icy blue eyes melting into pools of clear sadness and pain as the corners of her lips pulled downwards, her whole composure falling apart after that seemingly simple question.
A second later. A second later, Jade was back to herself, ice freezing and lips pulling into a thin line as she glared at Amy.
"I was mistreated since the day I was born," Jade said, her anger frazzling in the air, "I didn't know kindness until I was in high school, believe me, I have way more than I need to perform the killing curse." Jade said, looking away quickly, her voice taking unfamiliar undertones as she stood up and walked away, a secret hiding behind red lips.
Joël, who was watching them duel from the sidelines stood up with a sigh.
"Stop trying with the killing curse, you won't be able to do it, not know, while you are still pure an innocent." He said, standing in front of Amy and pointing his wand at the spider that was locked in a small cage. "It's not something you have to be ashamed of, of course is easier to win a duel with someone if you shoot them with a killing curse, but that doesn't mean that you can't survive without that curse, you can, Jade has made sure of it, you just have to learn all the other spells and jinxes she taught you to the point of perfection and you will be fine."
Amy nodded, her eyes widening slightly when the tip of his wand started glowing green.
"I wasn't able to perform this curse until very recently..." He whispered, the curse hitting the spider and killing it instantly. "...it needs anger, pain, agony." He looked up at Amy. "Or a mix of the three."
"Your sister." Amy whispered, her voice pained as she thought of her, of Joël's twin sister.
He nodded.
"Not even my father's death gave me what I needed to do it." He said. "Be glad that you can't do it yet, be glad you still don't really know pain, don't know loss, be glad, Amy." He said, taking a defensive stance and motioning her to start another duel.
END OF FLASHBACK
...
Ren's lips were as soft as always, right then, they tasted like the chocolate Amy had put in her mouth a minute before, the blonde couldn't help but run her tongue over the bottom one, feeling Ren's hand tighten in her blonde hair, pulling her head back so she could bite Amy's lip, pulling at it with a deep groan and letting it go to latch her lips around Amy's.
"Ren, we really should stop this..." Amy said, sighing loudly and closing her eyes as Ren only pulled her closer, whispering in her ear.
"You never want me to stop." Ren said, ignoring her and placing open mouthed kisses all over Amy's neck.
"We are in a public park, love, I really don't think..." Amy didn't have to finish, Ren had pulled away from her after the words 'public park' had registered in her brain.
Ren groaned, her whole face taking a red hue as she looked away from Amy, she had obviously gotten too carried away.
"I'm sorry." Ren whispered, shuffling on the grass so they weren't so close.
"It's fine," Amy said, reaching to take Ren's hand, the light reflecting off of her watch as she did so, it felt so good to have her right by her side.
"There's something bothering you, what is it?" Ren asked, kissing the back of Amy's hand.
"The killing curse, I just can't do it." Amy said, looking at the green in Ren's eyes, she wondered how they, being so alive and beautiful, could have the same color of a curse that took life in mere seconds.
"I truly hope you are never able to." Ren whispered, leaning forward to kiss Amy's forehead, curling her arm around Amy's front and pulling her close so she was leaning against Ren's front. "I know it could save your life in battle, it is the easiest way to get rid of an enemy, but you being unable to do it only means that you don't know agony, you don't know what it is to suffer so much you want to kill or be killed to get rid of the pain, it means you value life..." Ren said, her voice soft in Amy's ear. "...I personally would like to keep you that way."
"Jade..." Amy said like an after thought. "She said that she has suffered so much that she has more than enough to do that curse..."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Ren said, "the only gift her father ever gave her was knife and he told her to use it if she ever wanted comfort from him or from her mother."
Amy frowned, that atrocity of it too much for her to comprehend. She buried her face in Ren's neck, holding her hand.
"That explains the scars." Amy whispered, Ren nodded, kissing the top of her head.
"There is just something about the way she said it," Amy whispered, "the way she looked... It just made me feel like that wasn't it."
"I wouldn't know what else could it be, I mean, her father was abusive, worse than my foster parents were, he was a lycan, he was very strong, a hit from him had to hurt a lot worse than any hit my foster father ever gave me and she never knew anything else. If something else happened to her she hasn't told me about it and I doubt she will, she doesn't know how to rely on others, she has learned some of that from Nicklaus and from her ex girlfriend and now with Emma, but she usually wouldn't ask for help or to talk about what's troubling her." Ren said, Amy hummed absentmindedly and the lycan arched her eyebrows. "Since when are you so interested in her?"
"The war we will fight is to ensure she sits on the throne of Fallen Leaves, I should know more about the person who we will be defending, don't you think?"
"I guess..." Ren said.
"I haven't forgiven you for not telling me you are the other Protector."
"When we met and this whole thing started I didn't know I would be the other protector, I had quitted." Ren said. "And then the subject just never came up."
"What made you change your mind to begin with?" Amy asked curiously, turning her face to look up at Ren.
"Some memories that had been blocked in my mind came back to me and they made a difference, suddenly everything seemed more personal, it felt like I was a part of this, that I truly owed my life and my loyalty to Hermione and I do, she was there and she saved me when that lycan attacked me, he would have bitten more than my leg if she hadn't gotten there when she did, she took care of me and she taught me how to control it. After knowing that I just knew I couldn't leave her alone with all of this."
Amy nodded in understanding, leaning up to place a gentle kiss on Ren's jaw.
"How can one person control everything?" Amy asked, thinking about how Hermione and the Guardians who came before her, and the Facis who came before them had ruled over everyone else.
"Power, belle. During the ancient times the Facis' were simply more powerful than everyone else and they would intervene if they felt that someone was committing a crime, everyone else accepted their laws and accepted to be under their reign cause they were just. Then the magical world started evolving and all around the world wars started out for one reason or another, Wizards, they were unable to finish them on their own so the Guardian intervened, putting and end to them all like the Facis' used to do. In all the magical wars, vampires and werewolves, the goblin war, the conflict between giants and centaurs, the bad blood between veelas and lycans, the Facis always found a way to fix the situation, they had the power and the wisdom to do so, that's why they ruled and that's why the Gods sent the Guardian and the Protectors to do as they did after they were gone, that's why every ministry of magic in the world responds to us, that's why their every move and decision has to be approved by the Pentagon, to avoid wars and to stop them if it gets to that point. The Kingdom of Fallen Leaves doesn't really works as a Kingdom, it really isn't a kingdom, but some things are retained, some of the formalities, some of the festivities, some of the customs as a reminder of the Facis family. The colors, red and gold for the fire dragon, blue and silver for the ice dragon, the symbols are the only things that have changed, the sun and the moon for Apollo and Artemis..."
"The Gods who came up with the idea of the Guardian and the protectors." Amy finished for her and Ren nodded. "Why Fallen Leaves, that used to be my family's castle, why was it named Fallen Leaves?"
"For the dead leaves that cover the ground during autumn, they represent all those that died during war times, it offers them the honor and the respect that they deserve." Ren answered.
"Why Hermione avoids leaving at all cost?" Amy wondered.
"Because she could get killed and we need her to win the war, and because there are things hiding within the castle walls, things that if taken by the wrong hands could mean the end, chaos and destruction." Ren said, her voice low, Amy's eyes widened slightly, it all made sense now, with the threat of war, Hermione couldn't afford the risk of leaving whatever was inside the castle without protection.
"What hides inside?"
"I'd tell you if I knew, but I don't so..." Ren said and Amy sighed.
"Shouldn't we be doing something instead of seating here, doing nothing? Jade is working her ass off to find out what happened in the American Ministry of Magic and before that she was making sure everything was running smoothly, keeping track of the attacks and making sure the people who put them in motion don't see the light of the sun. Shouldn't we be doing something?" Amy said with frustration.
"We are doing something, we are training, we are getting as powerful as we can for the war, more than anything else, we have to make sure we do not get killed before then. That's what is asked of us right now, you will go in a mission with Jade soon, and more will come after, try to enjoy this relative peace while it last."
"Let's go back home then." Amy said, taking Ren's face with her hands.
"What? Why?" Ren asked, her lips turning into a pout.
"I have to make love to you as many times as I can before I leave, or get killed, whichever comes first." Amy said, pecking her lips multiple times before standing up.
Ren looked up at her with pink cheeks, green eyes bright and happy.
"Can we go for ice cream first?" Ren asked, giving Amy that smile that made her weak at the knees.
"You for sure know how to kill the mood." Amy said, rolling her eyes and pulling her girlfrind to her feet, receiving her with her lips.
"Why?" Ren whispered, her tongue gently trading the spot under Amy's ear. "You don't know what I'm going to do with it." Ren husked and Amy's whole body tensed, her mind running rampant with possibilities. She turned to Ren kissing her lips, confused once Ren started laughing.
"I was kidding, I just really want ice cream." Ren said and Amy huffed, turning to walk away from her girlfriend.
Amy let out a yelp when Ren came to hold her from behind.
"I could eat you after, though." The lycan whispered, licking the shell of Amy's ear and running away before the veela could respond.
Amy glared at her girlfriend's back before shaking her head and running to catch up with her. Amy jumped onto Ren's back once she was close enough, knowing that Ren wouldn't fall and laughing as her girlfriend carried her to the ice cream shop all the way in a piggy back ride. She couldn't be happier.
...
Emma entered the study, knowing that Jade would hear her coming. It was night time, it was late, and there was something telling Emma that Jade had gotten up from bed as soon as Emma had fallen asleep.
Emma watched the mountains of parchments rolled up on Jade's desk, the woman reading intently, her brow slightly furrowed and her mouth pursed in a clear sign of anger.
Emma moved to stand behind her, curling her arms around Jade's shoulders and kissing softly the side of her face, hearing her mate sigh.
"What are those?" Emma asked.
"Documents, papers from the American Ministry of Magic, Klaus and I are trying to find anything we can about the attacks they were covering up, the lycan attacks in which the children were taken, it seems like Loch's the only lucky enough to get away. It makes sense, that this happened here and not somewhere else, keeping tracks of recurring attacks in America, that may lead to something else was Thomas' job. Of course, it wouldn't have gotten to the Pentagon if the Ministry didn't report it, but I'm sure Thomas helped cover this up, he must know where they were taken." Jade said.
Emma didn't need Jade to speak the words aloud to know her mate felt guilty.
"You were head of the Pentagon, you had more work, you thought you could trust Thomas, this is not your fault, he was never your friend, but he acted like it, you couldn't have known." Emma insisted and Jade shook her head, keeping her eyes on the parchments.
"I know, it still feel like it is, though." Jade said and Emma moved her chair with her hands, sitting on Jade's lap and cupping her jaw.
"It isn't your fault." Emma insisted, looking into Jade's eyes and leaning forward to kiss her.
"I won't be able to finish any of this if you keep doing that." Jade murmured between kisses.
"We have never played secretary," Emma whispered, her fingers playing with the hem of Jade's sweater, threatening to pull it up. "You have never fucked me on this desk, Lady West." Emma said, kissing Jade's neck and blushing slightly. "Would you like me to bring my glasses?"
Jade resisted the urge to moan and grabbed onto Emma's hips, pushing her away.
"Right now I'm really busy, Miss Blume, if you want a date with me and my desk you will have to wait for an empty spot on my agenda." Jade said, her voice all business while her hands lingered over the back of Emma's thighs. The white haired girl laughed and leaned forward to kiss Jade once again.
"Didn't know you had such self control." Emma said.
"I'm a lycan, self-control is all my life is about." Jade answered.
They kissed for a moment, Jade was distracted by a sound coming from the living room or the kitchen. At first she guessed it must have been Amy or Ren, so she continued to kiss Emma, her ears alert to any sound. It took her just a second to notice that there were more than one pair of footsteps. Her eyes widened mid-kiss and she pulled away from Emma.
"Did you bring your wand with you?" Jade asked her mate.
"No, I left it upstairs, why?"
"Here, take my wand," Jade knew the footsteps were nearing the study so she grabbed onto Emma's arms and looked intensely into her eyes. "There's people in the house, that shelf over there is a door, it leads to some stairs that lead to the attic, to Alex's room, take her and go to the safe house, now!" Jade said, knowing they were close.
"No! I won't leave you." Emma said, her eyes wide with panic.
"She's my daughter Emma, I'm trusting you with her, you have to go." Jade said, opening the secret door and pushing Emma inside. The attackers were at the door now, Jade could no longer hear they steps, but they we were there, she knew.
Emma looked at her with watery eyes. Jade locked the door with a quick flick of her wrist, enchanting it so it wouldn't open. Her hands rose with purpose and the door was covered by thick ice.
"Emma I need you to go, now." Jade said, she could feel the magic of the attackers, trying spell after spell to open the door.
"I love you, and I'll come back for you." Emma said, a tear trailing down her cheek, pulling Jade by the neck into a hard kiss.
"I love you too and I'll see you soon, now go." Jade said, giving Emma once last look before closing the secret door, hearing Emma's quick steps sprint up the stairs.
...
Both Amy and Ren woke up with a start, a huge explosion coming from down stairs and making the walls of the house shake. Ren jumped to her feet, running out of the room, a spell almost hitting her in her haste to get out.
Amy knew perfectly what was going on, she grabbed her wand and followed her girlfriend, covering her back as more cloaked men started entering from the windows, Amy shot them with every spell and curse she knew, feeling agitated and scared, her wand shaking in her palm as she did her best to immobilize them.
They were outnumbered and Amy found herself doing more defensive than offense charms to protect herself, casting shields that would repeal the spells thrown at them. They were trapped in the corridor, unable to go downstairs by the men standing there and shooting curse after curse at them, their wands shining green as Ren tried to attack them while keeping the curses from reaching her and Amy.
"GET DOWN!" Jade shouted from the stairs and in a second Ren had pulled Amy to the ground, covering her with her body as flames shot out Jade's hands, engulfing the group of men on the stairs, passing above Amy and Ren and forcing the men that were coming from the bedrooms to retreat. The house was flooded by the screams of those engulfed in the fire as they fell down the stairs, their clothing catching the flames quickly as it progressed to eat at their skin.
A spell came shooting from the group of retreating men, Amy watched Jade's eyes widen as she pushed Lauren down the stairs, her body colliding with Amy's own as they both tumbled down the stairs. The second the spell met the wall a explosion occurred, destroying the wall and part of the ceiling, sending Jade crashing against the opposite wall as pieces of debris from the wall and ceiling crushed her.
Amy had to keep Ren from running up the stairs again, they couldn't see anything but darkness. Jade had been too close to the explosion, Amy knew that that coupled with how narrow the space had been in the corridor, couldn't mean anything good.
There was a moment of silence in which Amy looked around the first floor of the house, the study was destroyed for what she could see and there were men in cloaks strewn around on the floor, they were all dead, and those who weren't were on their way there, their blood dripping on the floor of Ren's house.
Amy heard a cracking sound coming from behind her just as a muffled thump came from up stairs. Emma came to stand beside Amy, looking around the place with horror, the whole situation bringing back memories she didn't want remember. Pieces of rubble started falling down along with Jade's body, the men had kicked it down the stairs.
Lauren moved to get her sister as a spell shot from above, Amy sent a shield charm to protect her girlfriend as the attackers came into view, descending the stairs and shooting the curses against her and Emma.
There were 8 attackers, Lauren was the closest to them, pulling Jade's body from the foot of the stairs and as far away as she could from the attackers.
Amy kept using her wand to deflect the curses coming at her, they were coming to quickly and from many different places, she could do nothing more than to defend herself, unable to go into offensive.
Ren disappeared from Jade's side, appearing behind the man that was constantly attacking Amy and breaking his neck, letting his body drop before disappearing again and doing the same to another, giving Amy the chance to immobilize two others that were sending curses at her and Emma. The men were shouting amongst themselves, unable to find Lauren.
"You bitch stop that now, or I will slit this whore's throat." A man hissed out, the fight stopping as everyone turned to look at him.
Amy's eyes widened once she saw him holding Jade's body up, she was bloody, her front visibly staining with blood as there was a piece of debris sticking from her chest, her right arm was falling limply and obviously broken, the right leg was soaked in blood from thigh to calf. Amy gagged as soon as she saw bone sticking out from Jade's ivory skin.
The three of them could see that he was the only thing keeping Jade standing and Amy knew she was losing to much blood to make it out alive, but somehow Jade still had her eyes open, her chest heaving in agonized breaths as blood dripped from her broken lips, her good hand holding onto the hand the man had at her throat, the blade of the dagger digging at her skin and making dark red blood trail down her pale neck.
"That's not happening." Lauren said, appearing behind him and digging her clawed hand into his back.
Amy saw his eyes widen, and felt like something crushed her chest as she watched him unconsciously drag the blade along Jade's neck, blood pouring out instantly as they both fell to the ground. The man's heart in Ren's hand and Jade's blood spilling on the floor.
Amy watched Ren's expression collapse, the unbeating heart falling from her hand as she fell to her knees by her sister's side, an agonized expression taking over her face as she watched the light extinguish from Jade's eyes.
The moment was broken by the the heartbreaking cry coming from Emma's lips, the girl fell to her knees, trying to crawl towards Jade's body when a flash of green hit her in the chest. She collapsed a second later, tears in her cheeks. Dead.
Ren was frozen, her whole being breaking into pieces at the sight of her sister and best friend, dead, on the floor at her feet.
Amy barely had time to put up a shield, deflecting two killing curses coming her way when two of the remaining three attackers sent them her way, one of the curses bounced off of the shield and hit one of the men in the chest, killing him instantly.
Amy shot a quick immobilizing charm to the other when a flash of green brushed the corner of her eye. She turned just in time to see her girlfriend fall next to Jade, eyes unblinking and soaked with tears, void of life. Dead.
Amy stared at her dead emerald eyes without reaction, something she couldn't control building inside of her until it exploded in the form of a chilling scream tearing from her throat, waves of magic pushing out of her body and hitting the attacker, sending him crashing against the wall. Amy's insides broke each other apart, her eyes shining blue as feathers burst from her pores, her back ripping apart as light blue feathered wings expanded to their full length, talons growing from her nails as her facial features sharpened.
Fury, agony, sorrow and pain all turned into one as the veela looked at her fallen mate, her heart withering in seconds as uncontrollable rage flooded her, leaving her seeing nothing but red as she let her wand fall to the ground, flying towards the man at blinding speed and making him crash harder against the wall.
Amy looked into his eyes as she sunk her talons into his chest, pulling them down slowly from the top of his abdomen to the bottom, she looked into his eyes as his insides split apart, blood bubbling in his throat and coming out of his mouth in a cough, red droplets staining Amy's face as she watched the light fade from his eyes.
She held him in place with a hand to his neck for a few seconds, letting him drop to the ground and turning around slowly, walking towards Lauren. Ren. Her mate.
The veela picked her mate up in her arms easily, walking towards the backyard and leaving behind the house in ruins, the tips of her wings brushing against the grass with every step she took.
Amy sat down in the grass, Ren's limp body on her lap as the veela's wings came around their bodies, enveloping them gently as Amy looked down at Ren's face, closing her eyes gently and bringing their mouths together for the last time, a cry breaking past her lips as she clutched Lauren to her chest. The loud wail tearing from her chest could be heard for miles as a circle of fire closed around them, thunder cracking in the sky as lightning touched the earth, the downpour carrying the agony and the sorrow of the veela. The fire refused to die as the water fell upon it, the cry of the veela making the earth vibrate, animals running away as the grass, the flowers and trees died, fallen leaves covering the ground as Amy buried her face in Ren's neck, her cries echoing in the wind.
A few miles away, in Amy's bedroom, the rose that Ren once gave her and that had stayed beautiful and alive for months, withered in nothing but seconds, just like Amy's heart.
...
A/N: please, stick around until next chapter at least.