Let's continue on, shall we?

(-)

It felt like something more should have changed. After watching him touch himself, cum all over himself, after the things we'd deliberately not said…shouldn't there be more? But, no, that was stupid. Our whole thing was not grasping for more, because it would cost his freedom. I tried to remind myself of that when I was feeling selfish and sorry for myself.

Instead, I did my best to keep up with his training, which was marginally more reasonable. Of course, we'd started doing swordplay more often since it was the only weapon I was competent with. He was still trying to get me proficient with a gun, but he would settle for something deadly in my hands that I could use. I told him about Sal's style strategy, which amused him, but he agreed that "pretty but potentially dangerous" was the best intimidation I could manage. I didn't comment on him calling me pretty.

The kids had been thrilled at his reaction to their tribute, although Jesse seemed cautious of Pritkin and I for some reason. And anytime the kids went swimming, Pritkin was there too. He'd settled into the family nicely.

Of course, he invited Tami to his room one afternoon to talk about our contingency plans. When she walked in to see me sitting on his bed with my legs stretched out reading a book, she gave me an intrigued look.

"If you can find a better place to sit that isn't the floor, let me know," I said. Of course, Pritkin stood and offered her the chair.

"What's this about? What do you need to discuss that you needed me here to do it?" Tami asked, and I could hear her suspicion levels rising.

"This is the least vampire-populated area of the hotel," I said. Her presence would negate Pritkin's wards, but it was still the best we could do.

"And we're discussing what happens if we need to leave the vampires' protection," Pritkin said.

Tami sat up straighter. "I'd been thinking about that myself. I can't know how long we'll be able to trust them to keep the Circle away, so I've been looking into places-"

"Pritkin has a safe house ready for you and the kids," I said.

Her head whipped to look at him. "What?!" Her surprise wasn't unexpected; Tami had been doing this by herself for so long now that support and having someone else provide for them was almost unheard of.

"I've prepared a place for you to stay with some accommodations, as well as some funding," he said simply.

And her jaw dropped open slightly. "What?"

Pritkin just looked awkward as she looked stunned, so I said, "Pritkin takes care of his family. You know what that's like, Tami."

"Well, yes, but I never expected…" She swallowed and said, "Thank you."

And he still looked uncomfortable, so I opted to talk shop again. "He's got the address for you and the kids to memorize."

"Yes," he said, immediately more comfortable, "and, while I can't ward the premises, I've made an estimate of your and Astrid's field of influence and placed a single ward on a nearby building. If the Circle comes, you just need one of the children to get clear and activate it, and it will let me know you're in trouble. I imagine Alfred would be the best, since he wouldn't need to get close enough to touch it, even."

"And we'll both come running," I said, glaring at him, receiving an immediate glare back. It was an argument we'd been having: he'd been insistent that I not go into a situation where I couldn't shift away, and I'd been insistent that there was no way short of being immobilized that I'd be able to sit by and wait while my family was in trouble.

When he said that immobilizing me could be arranged, I told him I had no idea he was into that kind of thing, which shut him up instantly and made him leave the room. I'd counted it as a win, but he apparently still wouldn't see sense.

He also didn't know that Tami had a standard policy when it came to a Misfit hideout being hit by the Circle: Tami would slow down the mages while the kids ran, getting clear of her field enough to fight back if they had to. It's why all the kids had shown up at Dante's while Tami had been captured by the Circle. I was fine being part of the escape: keeping the kids safe and maybe shifting some away once I could manage it.

"And then you'll run and hide?" Tami asked with a smirk.

"Damn right," I said. "Pritkin can stick with you; he's hell in a fight even without magic."

"Wait, what?" Pritkin asked, looking between us with suspicion.

Okay, maybe I should have mentioned the protocol, but I wanted to make the point to him that I wasn't content to stay in safety when he and my family were in trouble. Sure, he could take care of himself, so there were situations where I'd only be a liability to him, and I knew that. But throw in Tami and the kids and he needed to understand it was all about teamwork.

"Standard Misfit protocol," I said, "the Circle comes knocking, Tami stalls while the kids run. Once they're far enough away, they use their magic only if they have to to make sure they get away safely." I looked at Tami. "There's usually a couple of the older kids who take the lead. Of course, with Astrid and Layla…" We'd never had a second null growing up, and no babies to worry about either.

"Jesse is in charge of the kids when I'm not there. Astrid will follow his lead, and I think last time they had her ready to pass Layla to Alfred and slow the mages down if they caught up. Luckily it didn't come to that."

I couldn't imagine it. Giving your child to someone else to protect with their power while your only power would make everyone helpless to defend her. While being a null wasn't as much a curse as everyone made it seem, for the most part, it would definitely sting to be in that situation.

"You knew about this?" Pritkin asked, and I knew he was upset because this would have curbed a lot of our arguments.

"Standard Protocol. We only had to do it once back when I was first a Misfit, but I always knew the plan."

"And why didn't you mention that your only interest in joining the fight would be to take the kids and run?!" Some of the frustration that had started boiling between us again was making an appearance.

But I'd tell him why. I set my book aside and got up, standing right in front of him and not flinching. "Because it doesn't matter if I plan to run or fight: I'm going to be there for my family. Inconvenience or danger doesn't change that. You need to understand that."

"What good will you do them if you're dead?!" Yeah, he'd been looking for an argument.

He was such a hypocrite. "How much good would you do me if I had abandoned you all those times you told me to? Like in the cemetery and the catacombs. How many times did you tell me to leave? How many times did I listen?"

"You didn't listen because you are the most stubborn woman I've ever met, with no survival instinct when it comes to other people!" Pritkin's hands were wrapped around my biceps, not tight enough to hurt, but I wasn't going anywhere.

"Survival instinct? You volunteered to be a diversion for a mob of vampires, and you clearly enjoyed yourself doing it like the madman you are. You don't get to lecture me on survival instinct."

Tami spoke up. "Um, if I can just get the address to have the kids memorize so I can destroy it, I can leave you two in peace."

I would have thought that Pritkin would let me go once he was reminded of our audience, but his grip was firm. "It's in an envelope on the table. I'll take you there sometime this week so you're familiar with the layout." His eyes never left mine, green flames attempting to burn me.

"Great, I'll see you guys later, then," Tami said before quickly leaving.

When it was just us, he said, "You can't compare us. I am far more experienced and, more importantly, sturdy than you are. It would be so easy for someone to kill you."

I wanted to be angry, but he was just speaking the truth. "Yeah, I'm weak and useless compared to you. But because you're sturdy and powerful, I'm alive. And I never feel safer than I do when I'm with you." And a raw wound opened up as I said, "I may be Pythia, but I can never bring as much into this partnership as you. I'm so sorry I'm inadequate." I tried to make the last part sarcastic, but it just came out as bitter.

And I suddenly went from being gripped by the arms to wrapped in his embrace and crushed to his chest. And, unlike the previous contact, this came along with the pleasant thrum that was just Pritkin. "Don't say anything so stupid ever again," he said.

"It's true," I said, burying my face in his chest. Sweat and gunpowder and some potion ingredient and magic filled my nose. If someone asked me what magic smelled like, I couldn't answer, only that Pritkin always smelled that way, it just got stronger when he'd actually been using his magic.

"It's ridiculous," Pritkin said. "Just because I'm better at fighting doesn't mean I'm better than you as a person. As a person…there are so many ways I just can't compete with you."

I sighed, too content to fight anymore. "How about I don't say anything else you think is stupid and you don't say anything that is actually incredibly stupid, okay? I like this and don't want to argue."

He said nothing, just held me tight. Of course, he'd already been frustrated when we started, and it didn't take long before I felt something poking at me, the thrum getting that different feel to it. Pritkin let out a frustrated groan. "I'm sorry. I can't have this without ruining it."

The change in atmosphere between us was tangible, but this was better than before. "But now we have a new way to keep you from getting so pent up, remember?" His whole body tensed. He remembered. "If in a minute I'm going to step away and let you touch yourself, can I touch you a little first? Tell me how I'm allowed to touch you."

This was technically teasing, but it was also the best physical encouragement I could offer him. And with the mood he'd been in when we'd started arguing, I'd say he needed the release. "Please?" I asked, pulling away enough to give him the most innocent pleading eyes I could manage.

Clearly he was thinking about it, because he looked conflicted and guilty. Then he said, "My neck."

I had to sit him on the bed, but then my mouth was on him, feeling the pulse of him under my lips, the hot skin that was a little salty when I licked it. He gasped and then whimpered a little when I dug my nails gently into the back of his neck. "Anywhere else?" I asked, lips on his ear.

"No," he gasped, and when I looked at his face, I saw his pupils were large. Not inhuman, not yet. "This is encouraging the wrong part."

And, damn it, I should have thought of that. But I was selfish, and I wanted to touch him. "I'm sorry," I said, quickly kissing his cheek before I went to sit in the chair. "I was being selfish."

Pritkin was holding himself still, eyes shut, as he tried to will his incubus nature back into the background. But he said, "I think I need to get you a dictionary so you can see what that actually means."

That made me smile. And within a few seconds, he already had his dick out. "Not so fast," I said, a sly grin in place. "Don't you remember what I said last time?"

He turned bright red, and I still thought it crazy that the confident man, the half-incubus that I knew could behave this way. But, of course, the whole reason I was here was to placate and sideline his incubus instincts and inclinations so the most human part of him could take over and let loose. This was half-human Pritkin, and I loved to watch him, modesty and all.

"It's just…"

"I've seen it before, remember? I stole your clothes." While, at the time, the whole situation had been frustrating and confusing and made me want to wring his neck, it was funny now.

That got a slight scowl, which only made me happier. I said, "C'mon, Pritkin. You know you want me watching every inch of you while you touch yourself. And I want to see everything about you: every expression, every muscle, and every movement."

His shirt was being pulled over his head as soon as I finished speaking. He slid his jeans off and was suddenly naked. Not looking my way, he settled himself to sit with his back against the headboard. But he finally looked up and met my eyes, stroking himself slowly. It was so far from the frantic desperation of last time. I guessed because it hadn't been almost three decades since he'd cum.

"You know, last time this didn't seem nearly as long or difficult as you promised," I said. It was a jeans and t-shirt day, which meant I didn't have a low-cut top to offer him a view of my cleavage.

"Well, I've never had anyone talk to me like that," he said, gasping.

And I realized why. Pritkin wouldn't do this with anyone who knew him, fearing they'd ask why he wanted to be watched but didn't want to have sex with them. And if he paid someone to watch, I imagine they did just that.

"What should I talk about this time?" I asked, smile sly. As I took in his body with an appreciative eye, I said, "How about all the ways I'd touch you without touching your dick?"

At his nod, I began. "I'll start at your neck. Get my lips and tongue on your pulse and dig my nails in like I just did. But I keep going, kissing and licking my way down your chest." His hand was moving faster. "Running my hands through your chest hair, I take my teeth to your nipples. I'll just stay here a while, nibbling and licking them in turn." Given how his chest had started moving, he liked that idea.

"I'm begging you by now," he said, surprising me. His eyes on mine looked a little desperate, although he had been closing them as he tried to envision the picture I was painting.

Giving him a sly smirk, I said, "And I tell you to hush, because I'm not done. Once I kiss my way down your abs, I pull back a bit and just let my hands run over your hips, my thumbs stroking inward in teasing little circles. And if you think that's cruel, you won't survive how I touch your thighs."

When Pritkin spread his legs a little, I felt pretty good about my performance. He was into this. "Pulling your legs apart, I massage your inner thighs, touching everything but what you're dying for me to touch. I love how your muscles tense and twitch, desperate for more." And I was watching that actually play out. That callused hand was going fast now, and his legs spread even farther apart, giving me a better view. And I wondered if that was on purpose.

"Now, maybe I feel a little bit guilty," I said, "and I start touching your balls. I only said I wouldn't touch your dick, after all." Pritkin's legs spread even wider as his hips thrust up into his hand, and the way he was shaking said he was close. And the way his legs had spread progressively wider gave me an idea. "And just when you think I'm going to settle in to play with your balls, I reach around and grab your ass, giving it a good squeeze."

"Fuck!" he said as he exploded. It didn't take as long this time, but I enjoyed watching the intense tremors move through him, slowly calming.

Yeah, I loved being the one person who could give him this. That battle-ready frame completely slack, those eyes so calm and content…it felt like he was mine. And it was as close to being mine as he was going to get.

Of course, there were ways to take advantage of this that weren't necessarily bad… "Tell me, why do you like having me on your bed?"

He sat up straight, less relaxed. "Um…" He sighed. "Please promise you won't think it's creepy."

"I am going to be extremely generous and pretend I didn't hear you say that like it's an actual issue," I said firmly, because, really? "In return you're going to answer my question."

"It smells like you after you leave," he said, not looking at me. "I thought it would frustrate me, but I just sleep really soundly."

That was cute, and I couldn't help the small smile that quirked my lips. I also couldn't help but tell the truth. "That's kind of sweet," I said. "Anything else I can do to help?"

Pritkin stared at me, stunned. "Anything else? I had no idea I could feel this relaxed and content. And even before this…you do more for me than I could ever do for you."

"I'm not being generous this time," I said, frowning at him. "Shut up and stop saying stupid shit. Partners often balance each other. One's strength is the other's weakness. That's us." It was what he'd been saying before, when I was getting down on myself about being useless in a fight. Maybe I couldn't fight, but I had social skills and the ability to move freely through space and time. Pritkin might have the social intelligence and tact of a precocious ten-year-old, but he kicked ass like no other. "We're good at different things, and that's okay."

And he had that guilty look again that made me feel like choking him. "But there's something I'm very good at that I can't do for you, even though you'll do all this for me."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "I'm wet and aching, and I'm happy. Know why? Because I'm the one who gets to make you feel this way. The fact that you'll let down your guard like this for me means I'm special to you, and that's exactly what I want." At this point, there was really no point in pretending otherwise.

When he just stared at me, I added, "And let's continue this later after we've both had a nice hot shower." And I shifted out.

(-)

We didn't pick the conversation up right away. Mircea came back, and he brought Raph as a "chaperone" as he called it, since I was feeling skittish around him. Luckily, Marco told me through the door while I was in the shower that Mircea had arrived, so I kept my deal with Sal. I hadn't seen her in a while, but I was sure the first time I slipped up, she'd be there, and I didn't want her angry with me.

It was also lucky that touching myself in the shower washed most of the smell away, and even if they did notice, they couldn't be certain why I did it. Thank god vampire senses weren't that acute.

Today was a simple white dress reminiscent of a toga. It could have been elegant, but on me it was just kind of pretty. Which was my goal. I now had a whole collection of tight shorts in all different colors to wear under my various dresses. It was a compromise I was starting to like. I could dress up, but I wouldn't be running around half-naked if trouble came my way. I ended up anywhere from somewhat to entirely naked too much for my liking. Thanks to Pritkin, I'd even had the distinction of being fully dressed while totally exposed.

When Mircea casually asked what I'd been up to, I knew he had some angle. But I told him I'd been spending time with the kids and training with Pritkin. "What does your training entail?" Mircea asked.

No more cliffs, thankfully. "We practice my Pythia powers, he attempts to make me capable of hitting what I aim at with a gun, lots of cardio, and we've really stepped up on swordplay."

Mircea raised an eyebrow while Raph smiled. "You still use a sword, mia stella? Eugenie would be proud."

I grinned at him. "I managed to beat Pritkin once. She'd be thrilled. Although I couldn't shift back when I was practicing with you two."

"You practice swordplay, Cassie?" Mircea asked. He'd been careful around me, not using his endearment for fear of offending me.

"Eugenie and Raph taught me back at Tony's. But she never pulled punches like Raph did." I smirked at him.

"Forgive me for not wanting to go all out on a sweet, young girl," Raph said.

Something I didn't mention was that I'd been changing. I was getting faster, which I could put down to successful training, if it wasn't for the occasional burst of speed that would beat even Pritkin. And I was getting stronger too. It was almost as if I was hitting magical puberty or something, with the growth spurts I was experiencing. Pritkin didn't have an explanation for it, at least not one he was sharing.

"Yeah, Pritkin was surprised that I learned to swordfight from vampires when I was that young, but I don't know who else he thought could have taught me. Vamps have been my companions throughout almost all my life." I thought of Tomas. "Even when I wasn't aware of it."

"And I suppose the mage tried to say we were brainwashing you to fight for us or something," Mircea said, rolling his eyes.

It was so natural to talk about Pritkin that it had slipped out, even though I knew it was a bad topic for Mircea. "No, he was just pretty impressed with the whole thing. And even if he isn't a fan, I've put him through Vamp 101 and 102, building on what we showed him when we first met. He's not hysterically ignorant anymore."

Of course, he'd returned the favor by trying to teach me about mages and how the Silver Circle functioned. Know thy enemy and all.

And I couldn't help but wonder if Mircea was my enemy now. If I was with Pritkin, which I technically wasn't, would he still see me as family? I didn't want to lose him and the family I'd made with him.

"Is something wrong, mia stella?" Raph asked.

It was often inconvenient to be so easily read by vampires. I wondered if there was a spell for that. And if there wasn't, I wonder if Pritkin could figure one out. I mean, crafting spells was something he was famous for, even if no one realized it was him. I should ask. If Mircea kept poking around, I didn't want to give anything away. I wouldn't be the reason Pritkin's life went to hell.

"Just…you understand why I'm having trouble trusting you, right, Mircea?" He knew me.

"Yes, dul-Cassie." He caught himself.

That got a sad little smile from me. "You can call me that. I was angry. I know you were only following orders. But I'm not wrong about Pritkin. You hate him more than you care about me."

Mircea frowned. "You are wrong about that. As much as I…loathe him, you are the most important person. It's why I hate him; he's a danger to you."

I didn't want to start this argument over again. "Nevermind. Let's talk about something else."

And a disgruntled expression crossed his face. "Something I found most disturbing was your eagerness to run away with the mage. I had no idea you hated it here that much."

"I don't hate it here, but if you're trying to make me a servant and a prisoner, I'm gone." Of course, that had been before I'd seen our Nest. That feeling of home was alluring, and now I kinda did want to leave. But I didn't want to hurt Mircea.

Unfortunately, Mircea could tell. "You can't lie to me, Cassie. You want to leave." It wasn't good that he was calling me "Cassie" after I said he could use his usual endearment. If we hit "Cassandra", this conversation was in trouble.

I needed to tell some truth. "Okay, so I like the idea of not being watched all the time." I looked at Marco. "No offense. I understand that it's for my safety, but it makes me a little claustrophobic. So, yeah, getting out into the open has some appeal."

"Until someone attempts to kill you."

I nodded. "Yeah, until then. Like I said, I understand the need for security. But you can hardly blame a girl for wanting to move freely."

"Whatever you believe, dulceata, know that I always care about you. Even if you keep…undesirable company."

I beamed at him, unable to hold back. Minus the dig at Pritkin, it was just what I wanted to hear. And even if my paranoid side noted that that could be purposeful, I said, "I feel the same way. That's how family works, right?"

And I saw a shade of disappointment in his answering smile. He really did want to start something with me, I knew, and I had just family-zoned him. But Pritkin had stolen my heart before I realized it was happening, and a relationship with Mircea would be hell for my natural paranoia. I cared about Mircea, but that was because he was family.

(-)

So I'm not trying to demonize Mircea. He's a pretty good guy, and I believe he cares about Cassie, but, Casskin FTW and whatnot. XD