Chapter 16: Running in the Company of Wolves
Claire jerked from her nightmare to hear the gentle sounds of the shower running in the background of the dimly lit room. The baying and snarls from her dream were still echoing in her ears along with her panicked heartbeat. The age-old fear to call out for Chris was on her lips as she forgot where she currently was.
Raising shaking hands to her face, she sat up, and took in the hotel room with a huff of irritation.
She had gone to sleep with the swirling words of Michaels and Diaz in her head. What was on the USS George W. Bush could be a game changer for their enemies, and what was worse, the United States had already been importing specific items from Spain that may have already been infected. A message had gone out to Hunnigan and the teams back home, but with most of the communications down, the messaging system had been pushed back to an almost archaic method.
The last thought she had before she fell asleep was of Albert Wesker's smooth voice warping into his old promise. "Dear heart."
Claire rubbed her bare arms and glanced over to see the bathroom door ahead was partially open. The steam from the shower was wafting through the slip of the beautifully carved door.
It took her a solid moment to realize that it wasn't part of her dream-like state. A lump on the floor beside the bed drew her eyes and she noted the familiar dark green vest of Sebastian's lying on the ground. Pulling the covers back, she slipped from the bed quietly and paused at the bathroom door. Her knuckles rapped against the old wood.
"Claire?" Sebastian's deep voice responded, his voice sounding distorted by the close quarters. The baying in Claire's mind flared against her consciousness again.
"Can I come in?" She asked from the threshold.
"So polite." he answered in an amused tone. It made her smile to herself as she stared down at the floor. "Come in, little Red."
Pushing into the bathroom with a slight squint, Claire's eyes latched onto his form as he leaned out from the shower. Her stomach clenched at the expression that seemed to pull her closer.
His eyes darkened while he took in her bare form. Claire had washed her small clothes and hung them up before bed. She didn't bother to redress or to conceal herself from him now.
"How did it go down in the mines?" She asked nonchalantly while she walked up to stand on the outside rim of the tub.
She leaned a shoulder on the wall as she looked up at him with her sleepy smile. Waking up to his presence was something she could get used to. Wanted to get used to it.
"Orski twisted his ankle, and I had to rescue him. We're lucky he doesn't have red hair, or you'd have competition." Sebastian said as he ran a hand through his dripping dark hair.
"Guess I'll have to try harder." She retorted with a sweet smile.
His usual smirk was falling into place as he cocked his head at her. He gave her a slow once over, eyes dipping low and rising slowly as she leaned her lithe form without shame. She met his stare with a slight raise to her eyebrow.
"Hm," Claire said as she pinched her chin and did her absolute best not to react to his intense study. "Your rescues are kind of messy though. Does Orski know you have a hero complex?"
"You think I have a hero complex? Really?" Sebastian was shifting forward a bit as he set his forearm on the same wall she leaned on.
"Definitely." Claire said with mock severity.
She trailed her eyes toward the ceiling while she shrugged a shoulder, a lock of her hair was catching and dropping to her collarbone. Observing his throat bob, she battled with a cat-like smile that threatened to spill over.
"Hunk, the man, the myth, the legend." She lifted her hands up like she was seeing artwork in her mind's eye.
"Known for being ruthless, efficient, and cunning, is just—" She bit her lip and swung her head back to him. "—One big, handsome softie, who has a penchant for the troubled and the willing. Hide your daughters and your sons."
"Okay, you're done." Sebastian wrapped a wet hand around her bicep and yanked her into the shower.
Claire let out a gleeful laugh as she stumbled into his wet body. One of his arms was sliding around her waist as he pulled her back into the spray of the shower. His golden-hazel gaze was boring down into hers with a pleased look as he watched her laugh.
Claire beamed up at him as he got her giggles under control. She pressed her hands into his chest while leaning forward to give him a kiss.
"Welcome home, Sebastian." She whispered. Her hands remained on his chest while her thoughts of home seemed to burrow deeper into her heart.
Sebastian returned her affection, and the twist of a smile was pressing against her lips.
Fingers were pressing deeper into the skin at his chest when Claire found herself focusing on the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her hands. He had mentioned the concept of a home being a person earlier, and she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.
When Claire thought of home, she had continuously thought of those empty chairs and the people who should have been sitting in them. After the loss of her parents, it didn't matter where her and Chris went or what they'd been through. She had known she could count on him to be there—until he wasn't.
Home had been lost to a palisade of honorable absences and lonely houses that were held together by steady hands she worked to own.
"Hey," Sebastian's voice called her back as he lifted her chin with warm fingers. "What happened to that smile?"
"I—" Claire tried before she swallowed and hesitated.
It had been six years since she had caught the interest of a man known as Death. It had only been five days since the man himself had come back into her life, and yet in five days, she had learned more about herself and her needs than she had in her entire life. Sebastian made her feel safe, but it was more than his rescues and timely saves. It was the absolute care he took to check in with her. He never took from her will, he simply asked for control.
Words were on the tip of her tongue, and she felt true fear at what that could mean for them.
"I was dreaming earlier about running in the company of wolves." She replied instead when she lifted her hand from his chest to slowly run her fingers up to his cheek. She leaned in, lips gliding along his as she murmured, "Ishtar's wolves."
Sebastian closed the last distance and lightly took her bottom lip in his teeth before he drew back again and said, "Tell me what became of Ishtar's wolves, Claire."
His words should have been an invitation, but Claire heard the command in them.
A soft sound answered him in response and Claire was wetting her lips when she stared up at him with a look of searching hunger. She watched as he homed in on that look and matched it. Desire was pressing in her chest like an empire of steel.
"In the shepherd's tale, the shepherds were her lovers, and as a punishment for their love, she changed them into wolves. Soon, their own town hunted them, and loyal sheepdogs tore them apart. The wolves that got away would run the woods, now an enemy to the women of the town. Women were bound by the moon in their homes." Claire explained, as she stepped in closer to him, bringing their bodies flush. "Soon, the generations of women craved to know what lay in the jaws of beasts who had learned to call to them so sweetly."
Sebastian hummed in response and his hand was pushing her bangs back from her face. He paused then and his posture straightened.
Claire refocused her attention and looked up to see him staring at the spot above her brow with a frown.
"What's this?" His fingers played on the sensitive skin of her head, tracing the small bruise she knew was forming. His voice edged with a threat. "Did someone hit you?"
"It was nothing. How many bruises have I managed to collect in these last few days, anyway?" Claire said with a shrug as she thought of Wesker's hands probing her mouth.
The arm around her waist tightened as he waited for her to explain.
"I had an incident with Michaels... Didn't they tell you what happened?" She asked while she watched his expression sharpen.
"No, but I didn't exactly wait for a report." His voice took on an intense rasp when he was frustrated and Claire knew it was an inappropriate time to admire it, but she couldn't help the desire to lean into his voice.
"Has anyone ever told you that you can be quite charming and possessive?" Claire asked with her fingertips pressing over the skin at his heart again.
His own hand was running over hers and he pressed her hand down further as if to invite her to know the thumping cadence.
"Charming? No." He scoffed. "Possessive? I think you like that." The teeth in his smile were a bidden challenge.
"I like a lot of things you do, Sebastian." Her voice was a rising chase.
"But in these last few days, you have dropped your rifle, failed a mission, and are now skipping reports. What could distract such a man?" She continued in a sultry voice that surprised even her.
When he raised an eyebrow and smirked, she laughed.
She felt his chuckle in his chest as the drone of the shower hid the low tone he emitted. His hand lowered and ran down her hip toward her outer thigh. Hooking his fingers under her leg, Sebastian was anchoring it over his hip. With dizzying speed, he spun and pinned her back to the shower wall, his arousal pushing against her tightly
"Just one particularly troubled redhead who dreams of wolves, sleeps with my shirts, and sometimes makes me consider punishment when she isn't forthcoming." He huskily responded while his nose dragged across the hollow of her throat.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? That last part is always what I want from you." Claire was tipping her head back while her hips flexed against his.
"Is that right?" He moved to trail his lips up her shoulder slowly. His voice wrapped around her thinning clarity.
When he reached her neck once more, she released a soft sound and tilted her head back for the jaws that called to her so sweetly.
His stubble scraped against the skin of her neck as he murmured, "Would you like to try something a little different with me tonight?"
"Please." She said softly as she tried to control the throbbing need between her legs that clenched at his tone.
"Do you trust me?" He asked as a hand slid down and ran slowly up to the heat between her legs.
"More than you know, Sebastian." Claire's voice echoed her absolute certainty. The need layered beneath in a wavering pitch.
"I do like the way you say my name like that." His hand was sliding up her grounded leg before he lifted her high onto his hips. She slid her other leg around his waist in response and circled her arms around his neck. "In fact, I've never liked hearing my own name so much until you used it."
With her legs wrapped around him, he let her waist go, and she braced herself further back into the wall. His wet hair dripped into his eyes as he grinned impishly down at her beautifully stretched torso. Hands traced the definition in her toned stomach before he flipped one hand and ran his knuckles across her right breast. The action earned him soft sounds that made him laugh quietly.
"Sebastian," Claire pleaded, and he smiled slowly to hear his name breathed from her mouth. "Please don't make me wait."
His eyes were feeding at the sight of her coveted expression. It was enough to make her back arch as desire caused her legs to shake around him. He continued to tease her body with soft touches as he watched her unravel below him with whispered pleas he seemed to thrive on.
He had turned her game back on her before he left for the mines, and she had been easily stimulated since.
Sebastian finally positioned his tip at her entrance before he slid into her throbbing center slowly. Claire's fingers dug into his shoulders as she clamped down around him, earning a hiss from the mercenary.
Sebastian set a slow pace as he took his time to lift and pull her down onto his length with one large hand that gripped her left hip. He would pause every so often as he tore at her mouth.
She returned the greedy pulls at his lips while one of her hands wandered from his shoulders to gripping the hair at his nape.
This was different from their first time. Along with her rising orgasm, she felt her chest tighten at the sweet way he held her and watched her intently. He touched her as if she was the most precious thing he had ever held.
Death bowed to Life.
"I wasn't sure of it at first," He was murmuring into her mouth with a pant. The hand at her hip was curling around her jutted hip bone while he ground her further down onto himself. "But the first time I called you a good girl, I thought I saw your entire body clench."
The words she had swallowed earlier rolled through her mind as she ground down in his arms and he hit a spot inside her that made her plead his name like a prayer over and over again.
"You continue to respond to me in ways that I never expect." His mouth was at her ear, teeth nipping at her lobe. "You're mine now, Claire Redfield. Absolutely all mine."
Sebastian reached his free hand down, gently began to circle her clit with his thumb while he pulled his head back and stared down into her eyes.
"Yours." She gasped as her orgasm began to rise.
As her cries began to spill from her throat, Sebastian stopped his hand and stilted his hips, pushing her slightly back into the wall. Claire let out a long soft cry as her release slammed to a stop.
"You don't get to come until I tell you." His voice was rough from his own need and the intensity she saw staring back at her caused her breath to catch.
He lifted her hips slowly and brought her back down as she grasped his face and kissed him with soft whimpers and moans at the sensation of him jarring through her.
She cried out as he slammed back into her harshly and bit her lips.
"Be a good girl for me, Claire." He ordered when he slid his hand up from her clit and slowly roved to encircle her neck.
His large hand wrapped around her throat gently while he applied a small amount of pressure and watched her expression. The water from the shower was lightly hitting his back, and Claire felt lost while she admired the dark hair curling around his bright eyes.
Her hand slid around the wrist of the hand that held her neck and she squeezed with a consenting nod. He had asked for her trust, and she displayed it with a silent command.
Death bowed to Life, but Life would always surrender to Death.
"Put your hands up if you want to stop at any time." He growled when he leaned down toward her and waited before she nodded again.
Sebastian tilted his head with his mouth slightly open while he watched her face closely and increased his pace again. It wasn't long until she felt her orgasm begin to build along with the pressure around her neck, her grip tightened over his and she heard him moan loudly as he pushed into her heat.
"Just look at you…stunning and all mine." Sebastian's voice had turned guttural as he panted.
Claire looked up into his beautiful face as he began to tremble under her. The raw look in his expression made her eyes shutter, and the sounds he was continuing to make were everything to Claire's senses. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned back further into the wall.
"Look at me." Sebastian's voice made her eyes open again as her body climbed higher and higher.
The lack of oxygen and the spreading warmth from her center led to that old cardinal thing she knew slept in her chest. Her response was to let him see that primal side through the teeth of her smile as she squeezed his wrist harder in an order.
Sebastian cut her air completely off and her back began to bow.
Cerulean eyes were meeting gold while she beckoned to the man known as Death in the absence of all but her damning need. Both hands were white at Sebastian's wrist.
"You're doing so well." Sebastian groaned while he responded to her call and kept a brutal pace against the wall.
Claire could feel every portion of him in heightened detail as he slid in and out of her, her mouth opened slowly as her vision began to drown in his. Her need for her release matched the need to breathe.
"Now, Claire." She heard him say harshly as he let go of her throat.
She inhaled and the white-hot crescendo of her release tore from her center and sent ripples throughout her body. Her following scream was weak while her stomach contracted harshly around the twist of her release. Tears she didn't understand were filling her eyes and she found herself clinging tightly to Sebastian with her hips bucking against his.
Sebastian's exquisite sounds of approval soon drew her attention, and he pulled her chin up with a hand while he whispered softly into her mouth. "Good girl, you're ok. I've got you. I've got you, Claire."
Claire was crying softly as she clutched his neck and took his affection greedily.
Sebastian was breathing raggedly as his hand reached into her wet hair and pulled her head back as he attacked her swollen lips and pressed his chest fully against hers, encasing her against the wall further. She surrendered to the intense emotions rising in her chest while he swallowed her breaths, and he slowly lost his own.
He let out a loud moan as he owned her hips with one hand and drove into her at a deep pace, making the air leave her lungs in a different way. She felt the second orgasm pulling at her with the way his pelvic bone pressed against hers and she uttered her own guttural sounds as she yanked her head further upwards to pull his hold taunt in her hair.
"Please let me come again, sir." She whimpered.
Sebastian uttered a moan that made her toes curl. When he nodded and bit her mouth harshly, she let go again and was unstoppable in his hold.
Claire felt as his body went rigid around her fluttering inner walls, and he pushed into her once more before he shuddered. His breathy moan of release was swallowed by her this time while she kissed the corner of his mouth and gripped the hair at his nape tightly. She couldn't stop trembling in his arms no matter how hard she tried.
A bliss of unnatural quiet had taken over her mind, and the only sounds to reach her were the ones Sebastian gave her.
Sebastian slowed to a stop as he lifted his head and pulled her from the wall, now securely in his arms. He sought her mouth and kissed her gently while they both caught their breath.
They stayed like that for a long time as Sebastian whispered soft praises into her ear and peppered her skin with his mouth. Claire continued to cling to him, apologizing for her tears and shakes.
He wouldn't hear any of it as he continued his aftercare of affection, allowing her to recover for as long as she needed.
"Sebastian," Claire whispered her truth as he nuzzled his face into her neck. "You make me feel so safe."
He held her tighter after that, wiping away the tears as they slipped over her cheeks. She didn't want to leave the bubble they had carved out in the shower. The reality of their situation was far from her mind when he held her like this.
Soon she whispered to him that she was alright, and he was sliding her slowly off him, placing her feet back on the ground. His arms wrapped back around her in an embrace as he stared down into her smiling face.
His eyes held her in a way that suddenly made her feel very shy and completely cherished at the same time.
There was something so very possessive and protective in his face that made Claire realize why the women of the legends preferred the wolves over the shepherds.
Claire had stepped out shortly after to allow him to finish his shower and Sebastian had reluctantly released her with a dominating kiss that had made her curious as to how long he would need to rest before he could go again. He saw the look in her eyes and let out the kind of genuine laugh that made his eyes crinkle in the corners. He almost hadn't let her leave his side.
"Are you going to tell me what happened tonight?" He asked as she was lost in her sluggish thoughts. His voice was relaxed and smooth. The question made her pause as she was toweling herself off.
Claire swallowed harshly as reality slammed down around her. The image of the blonde tyrant and his slithering voice flittered to the forefront of her memory again. She realized she should have led with the report on Wesker. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether she should tell him.
Ultimately deciding that deception with him wasn't what she wanted, she took a breath before saying, "Wesker was here. He killed the two researchers in the lab and gave me a little update on my condition. Michaels found me in the lab alone with his dead researchers. He thought it was me and so he hit me with his crutch. Diaz stopped him quickly though. Lucky for him."
The shower curtain opened.
Sebastian's face changed as he looked at her. It was slight, but it was enough to make Claire's breathing hitch in her heightened state.
What were their odds when even the most infamous mercenary knew enough to react in fear to his name? Claire knew what a man like Wesker was capable of when his interest was piqued. She hadn't forgotten about the fate of Steve Burnside.
"Wesker is the one who hired me to steal the Las Plagas." Sebastian admitted quietly then.
Claire felt her lips wobble and she pressed them into a firm line as the truth came out. She had purposely not asked him. Part of her didn't want to know, while the other part felt better off not knowing.
She hadn't had many illusions about how this might end with Sebastian, or even her life. As much as she wanted things to be different, she was infected with a known, out of control, dangerous virus and she was steadily falling for a mercenary who could choose to disappear like smoke if he needed to.
If she managed to save Leon, it would be the best outcome she could hope for without understanding what came after. If there was an after.
"He intercepted the blood sample report, Sebastian. He knew about the virus, and he knows why it hasn't mutated further. I—" Her mind kept circling around Sebastian working for Wesker. "—This is more complicated now. He's going to come for me, and he'll come for you too. My own government is going to come for me if I go back after this. I need to disappear, I need to run, you shouldn't have even..."
Her breaths were coming faster. A panic attack just below the surface and she could no longer think clearly as she looked back up into his eyes. What she was feeling for him couldn't protect them.
"Claire," Sebastian said as he gripped the shower curtain tighter, he moved to shut the water off. "No one is going to take you from me."
"You can't promise that." She found herself whispering. Raw vulnerability curling in her chest. "No one can at this point. Are you going to guard me every second of every day? Will you give your life up to the poor sick girl who can't even go out in public without the fear of spilling an accidental drop of blood?"
She dropped her hand from the towel rack and took a step back toward the door. The flash of Wesker's red and gold eyes was searing into her thoughts.
"You're right. I can't promise you won't get taken, but—" His voice was tight as he reached for the towel now.
"Why? Why, Sebastian?" She demanded. Her voice held anger that didn't belong on his shoulders. "You've known me for what—almost five days now?"
With a clench of her heart, Claire realized that five days had been enough for her. Despite that, the future for them seemed so distant now. A story beyond the horizon and promises that could never be kept.
"What life can I possibly offer you that you can't find elsewhere? You're a charming man, you can find another little redhead that can't accidently kill you. Or were you going to trade your life for a monster like me?" Claire hissed more at herself than him.
Sebastian stared down at her silently as he paused, and it was suddenly too much of an answer for Claire.
She decided she needed to put distance between them for the moment as her thoughts were spiraling through her. This wasn't something she could pretend she could give him anymore, no matter how much she wanted and craved it. She had been marked six years ago, and the current stability in the virus didn't mean anything with their impending fight ahead, or with Albert Wesker waiting for the right moment.
Sebastian's life was in as much danger as hers. She wouldn't have him added to the list of people she had failed.
Claire let out a whimper, and Sebastian jerked his gaze back to hers. Something like anger brimming in his eyes.
"Claire," Sebastian said softly as he reached out a slow hand toward her. The placating gesture was reserved for frightened animals. "I don't care if—"
Not even bothering with drying off further, she snatched up her drying clothes from the extra towel hooks on the left and flew through the bathroom door.
With legs shoved in through panties and jeans, Claire was breathing harshly when she heard the bathroom door knock against the bathroom wall. Yanking on her bra and camisole, she snatched up her shoes, jacket, and gun holster on the lounge chair.
"Claire, stop—" Sebastian was calling as she threw open the hotel room door and moved for the stairs.
The sound of pain lining his voice was foreign in her ears; it was a sound that scared her more than she wanted to acknowledge. A sob was slithering from her throat when she slammed her palms against the stairs door and began to descend toward the first floor.
Claire was nearly hyperventilating as she made it to the last step, pausing just before the door to the first-floor hallway.
She leaned against the wall and took a moment to gather herself while she tried to get a grasp on their situation. Half of her hoped Sebastian charged after her, and the other half prayed he stayed away. It didn't matter that her heart felt like it was splitting in two.
When Claire realized didn't hear Sebastian's footsteps on the stairs, she found she was truly grateful to have him not see her fall apart for once. Wet hair was dripping and soaking the back of her camisole. Her pants and top stuck to her still-damp body while she peered down at her bare feet.
Huffing in anger at herself, she wiped her eyes, began to yank on her socks and shoved her feet into the poor battered boots she had been carrying. With a quick wring to her hair, she finger combed it back before throwing it up into a ponytail.
When she pulled her jacket on, she took a steadying breath and pushed out into the hall. She would take a quick walk before she would go back to Sebastian. She hadn't meant to flee, but the cursed words she wanted to tell him kept hitching into her throat and it would only make things worse.
A man in the hall had been reaching for the handle when Claire had burst forth into the hallway lobby, and she jumped in surprise.
For a moment, Claire thought she was looking at Leon. With a frantic blink of wet eyes, she took a second to take in the tall man with messy blonde hair, a kind face, and bright blue eyes. He smiled warmly at her sudden appearance, but the smile faltered as he took a closer look at her.
"Well, hello. Sorry, are you ok?" He asked. A slight Cajun twang rang out in his voice.
"I—yes. Sorry I almost hit you with the door. I just needed some fresh air—bad dreams" She frantically spoke as she tried not to fidget under his assessing gaze.
"Can't imagine why you'd have bad dreams. Outbreaks never do seem to happen in Hawaii or anywhere nice like that." He said smoothly as he looked her over. "Come, I'll show you out to the patio. There's a lot of traffic in the halls right now."
He motioned her over toward a side door that Rosburg had been smoking near a few hours previous.
Claire's brows bunched when she noticed the many different people walking through the halls. Passerby's eyes snagged on her wet form, and she winced as she considered her hasty retreat from Sebastian.
Claire thought she heard boots coming down the stairs then and she quickly moved to the blonde man's side and followed him out. She didn't want to face Sebastian now.
Afraid that if she did, she'd break apart and allow him to offer whatever it was he thought he could do to protect her.
The man led her into the warm air of the night towards a walk down ramp that overlooked a small garden and a fountain below. As they both neared, Claire let out a small huff to see fish swimming back and forth through the large fountain.
"Was that a laugh?" The man asked, looking back at her as they neared one of the benches.
Claire smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders as she took a seat on the adjacent bench. Her eyes trailed toward the bay and squinted when lights caught her eye out in the deeper part of the dark sea.
"Is that a boat?" She inquired before looking back over at the blonde man.
"Yup, the USS Gladiator. We just got in; we're meeting with the teams inside now. I was just helping get some of the supplies to the second floor." He studied her again. "Are you an agent, or a local?"
"Neither I'm—well—I don't know what I am. I was sent here to help with a very specific part of the mission." She shook her head at her manners and said, "I'm sorry. I'm Claire, Claire Redfield."
"Ah, that makes sense." He said very seriously. When Claire stared at him for a few beats, he grinned and leaned forward. "You're the secret weapon. Rambo with a pretty face; a pale horse apocalypse."
Claire blinked and tilted her head at the man.
"Right," She said as she felt the urge to tease him when he hit closer to home with his deduction. "Say, isn't there a cat stuck in a tree somewhere you should be rescuing?"
He laughed good naturedly and stood up to slide his hand into hers. "Feisty and beautiful—definitely the secret weapon, cher. McGivern, but you can call me Bruce."
Claire smiled back with effort and shook his hand. "I thought we had a few hours before you all arrived. Should I meet in the command center soon?" she asked.
Bruce shook his head as he sat back down on his bench. "We're all going to meet in the next half hour. I don't think Orski has notified the other agents yet." He was looking at her kindly with his assessing eyes. "Are you sure you're alright? There's coffee in there I could get you."
Claire felt the prickle of her tears and clasped her hands together tightly as she looked away toward the fountain again. "No, thank you, Bruce. I appreciate the offer and for you bringing me out here. I just feel like if Murphy's Law had a face, it's my image this week."
She felt Bruce sit on the bench beside her and she turned to look at him. He looked like he was trying to solve a complex math problem and carrying the 1 was as heavy as the sun. He had lifted a hand to pat her shoulder but thought better of it as he winced.
Claire couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her throat. Bruce jumped a little and met her eyes sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not the best—ah—Do you want a hug?" He asked in a slight panic.
Claire let out a sad laugh then. She was tired, sore, emotionally spent, and sad, but the lost expression she saw on the agent's face reminded her of her friend and she was struck again by how much he resembled Leon. The easy-going nature he exhibited to a stranger was a dead ringer.
"I'm not laughing at you, but—" Claire began as she let out a breath.
"Nope, didn't get that impression at all." Bruce said quickly with a bashful smile as he lowered his hand back onto his leg. "Seriously, I'll stop asking, but you just look like you've gone through it."
Claire took note of her appearance again as he spoke. Aside from the fact she looked like she had run through a car wash, the sleeve on her jacket was still melted away, her jeans were dirty from her fight on the boat, the bruise on her forehead felt like a beacon, and she was more than certain her eyes and nose were puffy from the crying.
"I should probably get it together, huh?" Claire said with another sad laugh as she leaned her elbows on her knees and rubbed her face.
"With some of the equipment are some care packages that we brought. You know, stuff like toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, deodorant, and other toiletries. The DoD tries to treat its agents with some form of benefits; don't ask about the dental insurance though." He mock-shuddered before saying, "I can grab you one and let you get yourself cleaned up before our meeting."
Claire's eyes widened at the thought of toothpaste, and she nodded automatically.
"Yes, please." She breathed.
Bruce gave a relieved looking grin and stood as he motioned for her to go first up the path. Claire obliged and walked back toward the door. Back inside, she paused near the door to the stairs as she waited for Bruce.
Movement caught her eye, and she looked down the hall to see Sebastian step in from the command center doors. Her breath caught as his eyes met hers. From the distance, she thought she saw him frown, but when Bruce walked up beside her, she knew by his shifting stature that he was irritated.
Claire gave him a hand signal to tell him she'd be over soon before she pulled the door open to the stairs and stepped inside. She didn't wait to see his response as Bruce was close at her heels.
"Is Agent Sebastian Smith your escort?" Bruce asked quietly as they both began climbing.
"Yes." She said simply as her guilt gnawed at her.
"I can see why you might be having nightmares." Bruce said in a serious tone. "You're more likely to live with him around though. Scary son of a bitch."
Claire laughed quietly at his honesty and said nothing more until they reached the second floor. Bruce walked over to the first room on the right and unlocked it. She waited outside as he grabbed something that was stacked in boxes near the door. When he turned back, he stepped out and handed her one.
"Go right on in. I'll wait here for you."
Claire grabbed the package and gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Bruce."
The layout for the rooms were all the same, and so Claire stepped into the unused bathroom and began pulling out all the items in the tiny pack. True to his word, all the items he had mentioned sat in a tightly compacted kit within the box.
With hands that never seemed to stop shaking, Claire set to work and brushed her teeth three times before she was satisfied with the results. She ran the tiny plastic brush through her damp hair and used the deodorant stick. Gazing at the bruise on her forehead, she blew out a sigh.
Across her pale skin, it was hard to miss, but it looked like it was already fading from when she saw it last. She supposed there had to be some perks to being a science project and with one last look in the mirror, she hoped the care package was enough to hide how wrong she felt inside.
When she stepped out to meet Bruce in the hallway, he put a hand in his pocket and gave her an approving nod.
"Much better, Claire. Let's go get some of that coffee and grab a seat." He said as he turned back toward the stairs.
Sebastian was not in the first-floor hall when she and Bruce emerged from the stairwell. Claire followed Bruce down toward the double doors of the hall and felt her stomach ripple in nerves. Despite her spat with Sebastian, they were also getting ready for the final stretch in the mission.
As Claire emerged into the Command Center, her eyes zeroed in on the number of people that had suddenly filled the dinner hall. Men and women walked across the dining area as Orski spoke quietly with Diaz and two other agents in the middle.
In front of her, to the deep right, stood a group of about fifteen people who were dressed distinctly different from the other agents in the room.
The unit stood waiting patiently in their black military style uniforms. Equipped with different guns on each of their backs, they had pouches and vests like Sebastian wore. They effortlessly displayed the rigid posture of a highly trained unit; something she was familiar with from Chris.
Claire knew right away that the group were more than likely the individuals sent in by Blue Umbrella.
"That's the team the Department of Defense sent along with us; order came from high command. The type of order you get with very little details, frankly." Bruce said as he followed her eyes. He motioned toward the coffee stand and said, "Be right back, Claire."
Claire's eyes caught Sebastian's form standing off to the side near the front doors. Michaels stood with him as Sebastian appeared to speak calmly and lowly beside the doctor. Whatever it was that Sebastian was saying, it was making the doctor pale and fidget as he gripped his crutch tightly.
As if sensing her eyes, Michaels looked over and physically flinched when he saw Claire. He nodded at whatever Sebastian said then and turned to walk back toward the center of the room.
Sebastian's eyes slowly lifted over to hers, and she felt a chill run through her. He held her gaze coldly before he gave a slight jerk of his head. Claire's eyes trailed toward the chairs that sat slightly to his left.
"Here you are, Claire." Bruce said beside her, lifting a Styrofoam cup. The smell of coffee was heavenly and warm when Claire wrapped her hands around it.
"Thank you, Bruce. I'm going to go chat with Sebastian before the meeting starts. Will you be coming with us to the island?"
Bruce studied her for a moment before he took a glance over at Sebastian. He slid his eyes back to Claire, and she felt the weight of the man's perception on her face. "I will be on the island with the teams. If you need my help again, you tell me, alright?"
"It's not what you think, Bruce." Claire said, feeling as if she had to explain herself. She reached out to touch his arm.
"Probably not, but to speculate on it further might mean the loss of my limbs with the way he's watching you. My dance card is full as it is. Just let me know." Bruce said with his accent twanging softly.
With a polite smile, Bruce moved from beneath her touch and toward one of the other chairs in the room.
Claire watched Bruce depart before she leaned in and took a sip of the coffee. It could have been brewed twelve years ago for all she knew, but it had jacked high on her list as one of the best coffees she had ever tasted. Never again would she ignore the simplicities in life like toothpaste and coffee.
Claire lowered her coffee and made her way toward Sebastian. The coffee felt heavy in her stomach then as his hard eyes held hers. His wet hair was brushed backwards from his face and his angular features were studying her with the patience and verity of a predator.
When she stepped up to the wall with the chairs, she gripped the cup a little harder. She was about to open her mouth and babble before Orski cleared his throat and called for everyone's attention.
Claire gave Sebastian a nervous glance and sat quietly in the chair. With a clink of his gear, he sat beside her and leaned forward as he balanced his elbows on his knees. Claire took another sip of her coffee before she held it out to him. He hadn't slept yet, and her guilt was starting to become a living thing in her stomach.
His much larger hand wrapped around the cup and slid along the skin of her hand, his gloves were cold on her skin. Golden hazel eyes turned to hers for a moment, the gaze wandering up to her forehead once more. He pulled the cup from her hand and brought it to his lips, turning his attention forward.
He spoke softly, "Did you know, in the 18th century, French high society used to dress their faces with mouches—beauty marks?" He passed the coffee back to her.
Claire reached for the cup as she listened.
"Particularly the women; the usage was theorized to come from the days of hiding smallpox, but it became a symbol of status after that. The placement of the mouche or marks indicated different meanings. To be born with a birthmark is still celebrated in some ways." A glimmer of something shined through as he met her gaze again. "That position on the forehead indicates the proud and dignified."
"Sebastian…" She began softly.
"Alright, people, let's get through this. The situation has changed quite a few times, so I'd like to get through the details quickly before it changes again." Orski called out.
The older agent was motioning toward the screen behind him. The map of the Bay of Biscay and Santander appeared on the screen.
"Earlier tonight, this command was attacked. Two of our researchers were killed, and parts of the studies had been destroyed. Our chief researcher, Edward Michaels, was able to collect some data before the attack." Orski looked to Michaels who seemed to have regained some of his color after speaking with Sebastian.
Michaels stepped forward to address the agents and the Blue Umbrella squad.
"These things are old, very old. We obtained fossils in the mines that revealed the absolute dating period to be sometime in the Bronze Age. They've been here for a very long time. The question of their survival within the fossils is something we hope to explore more."
Claire's eyes narrowed and she sat up straighter.
"Much of my research has been destroyed by a recent intruder. We managed to send a few fossils off to our teams before the attack." Michaels continued as he picked up the remote to change the image on the screen.
"Our new issue to address is the imports made from Spain to the United States. We have recently been in contact with the Department of Defense in conjunction with the FDA. We are tracking a possible route of infection in the United States. Multiple testing sites are currently being deployed. As you can imagine, it's bigger than tracking down a small list of goods; all of these are common purchases."
Claire blinked at the screen and took in the top two categories that she, Diaz, and Michaels had reviewed last night before she had gone to sleep.
-Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica, or similar materials $518.40 M
-Vegetable, fruit, nut food preparations $356.42 M
"We also believe that the USS George W. Bush air carrier is not only carrying infected refugees, but they brought aboard many different resources that have been affected by spores contained in the land's water."
"Last order we received was to fire upon the ship if it came too close to land. How does this affect that?" A female agent asked carefully near the front.
"The reactivation of the Plaga population started in the mines, but it moved too quickly across Spain's geography to simply rely on the typical process of laying eggs from an infected host. This has transferred to the animal population, particularly the wildlife that depends on the qanat system beneath Santander and Lugo. That qanat system connects directly to the Minho River." Michaels responded, looking at the agent carefully. "However, to attack and sink the air carrier, would mean the possibility of spreading the infection to greater marine life. We need to board the ship and take them out by force."
Soft conversations began to break out amongst the agents in the room. Claire sucked in a breath and looked over at Sebastian. His eyes were on her already, and she wanted badly to reach out to touch his hand.
She dropped her gaze to her coffee cup instead.
Michaels took his seat, and Orski stepped back up toward the screen.
"We'll need to separate into three teams. One team will go with me to the mines. We need to shut that down as a source. A few of my agents and I have already placed explosives to collapse all known entries. An antiparasitic agent has been developed by Michaels, and we'll move to disperse that prior to the collapse. Many of the parasites are under the ground; we need to eliminate them when they surface."
Orski turned toward the unit to his deep right. "We'll also need specialized equipment for the boarding of the USS George W. Bush. Everything will need to be eradicated on the boat." Claire watched as his right hand fisted near his side.
"And the F-18's?" Rosburg spoke up, sitting slightly in front of Claire.
"Eliminated." Orski said in a hard voice. He did not explain further.
Orski's eyes briefly landed on Claire as he said, "The last team will travel to the Bay of Biscay to terminate our primary target, Osmund Saddler, and the compromised Agent, Leon Kennedy."
Claire's coffee sloshed out of her cup as she squeezed it in reflex. She began to stand when Sebastian's hand gripped her thigh. Her storming eyes turned to his voided ones, and she watched as he shook his head.
"Wait." He said lowly. His eyes trailed to the men in black military gear.
"I've created the teams here," Orski said as he set down a few clip boards on the table. "We'll look to meet in the next hour to review mission objectives. For now, we begin phase one with team formations and load up."
The monitor beside Orski went dark, and conversations began to rise loudly around Claire.
"Claire," Sebastian said in warning beside her. His hand was still on her leg.
Claire stood abruptly and set the coffee on the ground before she pushed forward toward the team list that many had begun to crowd around. She received a few looks as she pushed through, but she paid none of them any mind.
Snatching up one of the clipboards, her eyes skimmed down the page. Her and Sebastian's names were not listed for the Bay of Biscay.
Their names weren't listed anywhere.
A hand grabbed her upper arm, and she whipped her head up to see Sebastian looking down at her. He gave a tug, and she reluctantly followed him out as she set the clipboard in another agent's hand.
Agents that saw Sebastian coming back through the crowd immediately moved out of his way. A few of them shooting him looks of apprehension and anger. Only Orski seemed to regard him favorably as he nodded in passing. Claire gulped as she looked at Sebastian's back. The agents eyed her with curiosity.
Sebastian pulled her through the groups of chatting agents and toward the door to the hallway that led back to the elevators. When they reached the hall, he guided her toward a single door on the left-hand side and led her into a massage room.
Two large massage tables sat side by side in the middle of the room, the plush leather still looked new in the dim lighting. The sounds of water echoed off the walls from the large Zen fountain that sat in the corner.
The sound of the door locking caused Claire to turn, and she was met by Sebastian's intense stare.
His normally expressive face remained cool and calculating. It was then Claire began to realize how much Sebastian had truly shown her in their small interactions on the day to day and the tender way he handled her.
The man who regarded her now was not the same man she had just laughed with, teased previously, or gave her heart and body to. This man was the deepest part of the feared mercenary, Hunk, who prowled beneath the surface. A formidable man she caught glimpses of when he was angry or working to save their lives. This was the man that other agents regarded cautiously when they paid him looks of unease and fear for reasons they didn't quite understand. A normal occurrence for him as he had mentioned previously.
To her, it was more concealing than the black mask that sometimes hid his face.
"They can't keep me from going to the Bay of Biscay." She uttered as she tried to push through her fear.
"No, they can't." He replied severely as the muscles in his jaw worked.
"Will you try to keep me from the Bay?" She asked hesitantly before she looked away from his vicious stare.
"No, Claire."
His gaze felt like a brand. Worse than that, his gaze felt like Leon's had. Cold, void of emotion, and far from the surface.
Claire lowered her eyes again and clamped down on her thoughts before she took a step back. She had made this decision. This had been exactly what she had asked for by running from him. Distance.
"Please don't look at me like that." She pleaded as she wrenched her hands.
"Like what, Redfield?" He asked, his eyes were angry then as he said her surname like a curse.
"Like you hate me, Sebastian." She whispered, shrinking from his tone.
"You ran from me." His voice changed then, that foreign sound of pain entering his tone as it had in the room.
Claire felt her resolve break as her eyes welled.
"I'm so sorry." Her voice wavered. "I don't want to hurt you. I keep wanting to tell you—"
"You ran from me." He repeated, stepping closer to her.
"I'm scared, Sebastian." Claire admitted while she lifted a hand up as if to ward him away. She bumped back into the massage table.
His head cocked dangerously when he glanced down at her hand. "Do you think I would hurt you?"
"I'd deserve it. God, I deserve it." Claire uttered when she pulled her hand to her chest, and he walked closer.
"Tell me what it is that makes you want to run." Sebastian commanded as he neared.
"I—" She started as he leaned down and placed his hands on the massage table around her. "—I don't want to run from you, I want everything about you, Sebastian, but now things have changed."
"I'm listening." He replied, leaning down toward her with his face tipping back to look down into hers.
"I'm sick and I'm now hunted by one of the most dangerous men we both know. I may not even survive tomorrow. Why tell you that I'm starting to fall in love with you?" Her voice broke as she continued. "Why tell you more about how every time I see you, I feel safer than I've ever been? Why make promises like I know anything anymore?"
Sebastian's eyes lowered before he let out a breath.
"I have told you what I thought you looked like when I first saw you in Raccoon." He began.
She jumped when his gloved fingers brushed along with hers.
"I have tried to explain the depth of want I have been experiencing for six years after that first meeting and it's nothing in comparison to the last few days I've spent wanting you more as I'm near you, learning about you. I've watched you take down giants, I've watched you stand for the shackled and the small."
He leaned toward her ear. "I've seen you show your strength, and it's more than you know."
"So, here's what I want, Claire Redfield. I want that look of fierce hunger in your eyes, and I want it every day. I want to come home to find you in my bed, and I want to hear the things that make you think of the books you've read, the things that make you think of your father, or paintings that you like and what they mean to you. I want your every word." His voice was rough as if he had been yelling previously.
He was pressing into her, lifting her face with his gloved hand as she let a few tears slip.
"And," He began as his metallic rasp wavered toward a warmer tone. "I want the fears you have hidden. I want your trust as you gave it to me tonight. I want your love too, Claire, all of it. I want everything you have."
"Your virus, and Albert Wesker? I don't give a shit, and do you know why?" He continued as one of his thumbs wiped away the tears. His other hand stroked the hollow of her throat.
She shook her head as she stared up at him.
"I've been all over the world, and never have I ever wanted to respond to anyone like I do with you." His mouth was inches from hers before he stopped. "I want you to be absolutely mine, Claire, and I don't care what I have to do to keep you."
Claire looked up into his golden-ringed hazel eyes and felt the hope in her chest bloom like the innocence of the narcissus flower. When she reached for him, she was pleased when the earth didn't crack beneath her feet.
"All of it?" She asked as she leaned forward into his lips. Hands were curling possessively around her back.
"Every single word of it." He breathed harshly as he pulled her body to flush into his. "Say it."
Claire slipped her hands up to his stubbled cheeks. The mercenary and the man stared out at her. A delicate balance between the two men she knew lived inside. The years of solitude had made her question many things, but she knew she spoke true as she whispered the words to both sides of him.
"I am yours, and I'm falling in love with you, Sebastian."
The man known as Death let out a laugh, and she saw the true flush of pleasure run through his features. His finger curled around a strand of her hair.
"Welcome home, Claire." He whispered and soon returned the words to her.
Something quaked in Claire as he did. She let him devour her mouth and her answering smile was as feral as the company of wolves.