"I could show you love
In a tidal wave of mystery
You'll still be standing next to me

You could be my luck
Even if we're six feet underground
I know that we'll be safe and sound
We're safe and sound."

(Safe and Sound- Capital Cities)

Every second without her was agony. Maia had assured him that they'd intended to bring her back, but what if they had been mistaken? What if they'd been fed wrong information? Was this what Stryker had planned? Letting him get attached to the female and then taking her away? That'd be just like the sick fuck.

The door to the cell opened, and he hoped, no, he expected to see her being shoved inside. She wasn't. He could smell her though, and all the logic in the world wasn't going to keep him from following her scent. He let his claws rip through his skin, the sound louder than usual in the deafening silence that surrounded him.

It didn't take long to find her, and he was almost disappointed that no one had tried to stop him. The first thing he noticed was that, somehow, they'd rated better accommodations, there was actually a bathroom to the left. The second thing he noticed was Maia. She was laying on a much more substantial cot than the one they'd had before, and she was completely still.

As soon as he crossed the threshold into the room, the door snapped shut behind him and promptly began humming, charged with electricity again. He didn't care, his every thought was being consumed by Maia's eerie stillness. Even in her sleep….especially in her sleep… she was always moving, usually making an obscene amount of noise

He knelt next to her, claws sinking back into his flesh, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when her eyes slowly opened. She bit her lower lip and dissolved into tears, throwing her arms around his neck. He held her, becoming more and more confused when it became apparent that the only wounds on her were needle marks on the inside of her left arm, and a small square of cotton taped over a wound on her shoulder. The third thing he noticed was that the last tinge of old blood had faded from her scent. What was left was intoxicating, even more so than the first time he'd smelled her all those weeks earlier.

She hiccuped the tears to an end, and curled up in his arms. When she finally spoke, her voice was shaky, "I could hear my sister. That's why I went with them. She's in on this. She hates me even more than I always thought she did." Several minutes passed before she spoke again, minutes he used to try to think of what he would say to her if he could speak, how he would soothe her with words instead of just his physical presence. "My parents buried me, L. My sister let them bury me, and she's known the entire time that I was here. She acts like there's something wrong with me, but…who in their right mind does something like that?"

Monsters. Maia babbled constantly, she was dramatic and hormonal, but there was no way her parents didn't love her. She was hopelessly endearing, and he couldn't have been the only one completely caught by her charming nature. He couldn't be the only one who wanted her safe.

She smiled weakly at him, "You're sweet." She held one of his hands in hers, tracing her fingers over where his claws broke his skin over and over again, "Could you teach me to fight? My brothers never really would. I'm tired of being helpless."

His instant reaction was to deny her request before she'd even finished making it. The thought of her having to fight, of him not being there to protect her was incomprehensible. But…she'd had to face her vile sister without him, had been alone with guards whose scents relayed enough for him to know that they weren't immune to her physical charms any more than he was. They'd gotten lucky this time, but what would happen if they didn't the next time?

Before he'd even really consciously decided to teach her to protect herself, she kissed his cheek, "Thank you, L."

He bristled at that, narrowing his eyes at her and dumping her out of his lap as she stood. She just laughed shortly before gesturing to the camera in the corner of their new room. "Before we…you want to take care of that? No one needs to know what we get up to. If they're so curious, they can ask."

He readily did as she asked, slicing through the metal components like they were butter. Maia, in her annoying yet adorable way, took the pieces and piled them neatly beside the bed. And to think he'd thought he'd finally escaped the pile of junk. She glared at him again.

Maia was a quick study, and he could tell that her ability to read minds was gong to be perhaps her strongest asset in protecting herself. She lacked strength though. She was sturdy, took a hit well, anticipated most of them, but she just didn't have the muscle mass or dexterity to do much about it. By the end of their first sparing session, Maia was breathless and sweaty, but apparently pleased with herself.

She giggled, laying flat on her back in the middle of the floor, "Of course I'm pleased with myself. I didn't totally suck, and now I've managed to get you all sweaty too." Well, she was better than he'd feared, but still, if she hadn't accessed the mind of her opponent, things wouldn't end well for her. They had a lot of work to do still. "I know that, L. Eye contact is how I read minds. I'm just mostly pleased I got you to sweat." Maia pulled herself to her feet, and put her arms around his waist, chin on his chest so she could look him in the eyes. "You know, I didn't appreciate being shushed earlier. Or being interrupted by my bitch of a psycho sister."

He could get on board with her new plan for sure.

She yawned suddenly, "On second thought, you've already worn me out." That was a fucking shame. She did look tired though. Her bravado was wearing thin, and the Maia that had bawled her eyes out was threatening to return. She smiled sadly at him, "You know me too well. Can we sleep now?" He just nodded at her, and found himself inordinately pleased at the thick blanket on the new cot. She was too, throwing herself on it and burying her face into it. When he sat down on the edge, she looked up at him, "At least my bitch of a sister is good for something." She curled against him when he lay down, and put her head on his chest, "I don't understand her. I can read her mind, but I can't understand her. She hates me, but then we get this new set up. Completely crazy."

They lay in the dim room for a while, but she hadn't settled into sleep. "Yeah, I'm still awake. Guess I wasn't as tired as I thought." She moved her hand to his, hidden beneath the comforter. Fingertips brushed lightly against his knuckles as she shifted her hips. An invitation. A test.

His breath caught at the contact, his whole body tensing. Was she really suggesting what he thought she was? Instinct begged him to take her up on her offer without delay. She wasn't a female that deserved that. Instead, he folded his hand over hers, interlaced their fingers, and pulled her on top of him. This time, he didn't settle for a kiss on the cheek, and he would kill anyone who interrupted. The animal in him roared, thrilled with the turn of events, thrilled that he was finally going to make her his.