Author's Note: Hello everyone! Good to see you all and hope you're excited for this chapter. More development, more tension, oh the excitement!
Remember, all feedback happily received and appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Beta: Yuvinile
He nuzzled into something next to him, a smile crossing his face as the soft hair tickled his nose. 'Mmm … smells like honey … wait …' He opened one eye to see brown hair and two cute rabbit ears in his face. He flinched slightly in surprise, only just then realizing it was Velvet. 'When did she get here?' he wondered as he pulled back slightly to get a better look at her but was met with a small whimper of protest, the bunny snuggling closer to his chest. He propped his head up on one arm as he looked at her, finding her too cute to wake up as she slept soundly.
You'd think any other person would have freaked out for a number of reasons at finding a different girl sleeping with them but Dante felt oddly relaxed. A part of his mind registered that it was her he'd been holding when he was sleeping so the surprise was only momentary. He sighed as he scratched his cheek before grabbing a pillow resting behind him and rubbing it against his cheek. He then slowly backed up as he set the pillow in between himself and Velvet, the latter sniffing it before unconsciously grabbing onto it. 'At least my scent should keep her sound asleep,' he thought as he softly moved away until his legs were off the bed before getting up.
He didn't stretch his back like usual, knowing that the sound would probably wake her up. He quietly moved around the bed and opened the door to exit before closing it behind him. He looked around to see Athena lying down on the couch while reading a story book, still unaware that he was up. He snuck over before leaning down and blowing a puff of air at her, making her start as she looked up at him.
"Someone looks well rested," she teased as he lifted up her head so he could sit before setting her head down on his lap.
"Got a good nap," he chimed back as he started to run one hand through her hair, the habit already heavily engrained by now. "Interesting wake up though."
"Oh?" she sounded back, feigning ignorance.
He poked her nose before continuing. "Yeah. Makes me wonder how she got there."
"You're the one that grabbed her," she chirped back as she looked up at him with a pout. "I felt left out."
"We both know you're the reason she was even in the room," he replied, not falling for her little face for even a second.
"Fine," she finally relented as she set the book down on her stomach. "I thought she could use it."
"Why's that?" he asked as he looked down at her curiously.
"She looked worried and tense when she came in," Athena answered as she drummed her fingers on the book. "… and I thought a nice nap with a complementary heater would do some good," she snickered at the last bit.
"Ha-ha," he muttered as he pinched her cheek playfully.
She giggled at him as he smiled down before he slightly frowned, wondering why was it that Velvet seemed tense. Athena caught the look, her hand rising up to brush his cheek and get his attention.
"It's ok," she said gently as her blue eyes looked into his hazel ones. "When she wakes up, ask her and see. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of whatever it is."
"Ok," he replied as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you by the way," he added as he continued to run his hand through her hair.
"Love you too," she hummed back as her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of his fingers trailing through her hair. After a moment she giggled as she opened her eyes to look at him. "It's funny … I think you're feelings for them are rubbing off on me."
"Is that so?" he said with a mischievous smile. "Not going to try and steal my bonding moments are you?"
"Who knows," she returned in a sing song voice. "Girl has a big-brother complex, why not add another?"
"Hehe," he chuckled as he looked around, his ears catching two sets of soft breathing. "So Lily is asleep too?"
"Yeah, just a little while after Velvet came in," Athena replied as she grabbed her book again.
"You really like that old story book, huh?" he asked as he looked at the worn cover, the title having faded away ages ago.
"Yep, plus it's fun reading in a different language," she replied as she flipped back to whatever page she'd been on. "One of the perks of being able to read the languages you know," she added as she adjusted against his lap to read comfortably.
"Looks like it," he said as he leaned back while staying content to play with her hair as she read, the two waiting for either Lily or Velvet to wake up.
He glanced at a small clock on the far wall, noting that it was around evening and the sun was already starting to set. 'Well, at least I got a few hours in. Man, being tired all the time sucks. Can't wait for the damn month to pass,' he thought as he reviewed some of the things Ozpin mentioned during their meeting. Two full slayers teams had been added as additional transfers and teaching assistants to supervise during the Vytal festival. Never would have thought that one of his old friends from Othrys would have been one of them.
'Damn, I got to say, Sindria seriously grew up,' he mused with a smirk. She wasn't even 17 yet when he left the academy after that night and if truth be told, she was one of the few he regretted not saying goodbye to. 'But if she's in the Slayer program, then she's really turned into a top tier huntress … still, I wonder how Kiara took seeing her. Honestly, it's like every ghost from that damned academy is suddenly crawling out of the woodworks.' He sighed as he looked down at Athena before softly nudging her shoulder to get her attention.
"Hmm?" Athena hummed as she looked up at him.
"Hey, I was wondering … did you know the grey eyed chick?" he asked as he scratched his chin. "What was her name … oh yeah, Samara."
Athena set down her book again before she answered. "Yeah … back in the Viper Initiative. How did you notice?"
"When I was explaining about last semester I noticed some of her glances at you and I felt your slight discomfort," he explained.
"Two-way street huh?" Athena said with a sigh before continuing. "Well, I guess you might have realized that we were in the same unit for the first year and spoke a few times. I honestly don't know her that well and after the completion of the first year and the examinations, we were each moved to different instructors."
"The examination … as in … that test?" Dante asked softly, knowing that the scars of that exam still haunted Athena at times.
She gave a gentle nod while reaching for one of his hands, looking for a source of comfort whenever the subject was broached. He met her halfway, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he looked into her eyes. He waited patiently for her to relax and continue on with details on the new slayer.
"The only thing I know is that she relies on dust and her semblance is suited for information gathering. I don't know the details on it and honestly, I wondered at times why she was even in the program," Athena said as she shrugged slightly.
"Why is that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"She was squeamish and was terrible in intimidation. I heard that she cried the first time they put her in a mock catch and interrogate test because she was too scared," Athena elaborated.
"Odd," he mumbled back before thinking to the other slayers. "What about Asteria? Did you know her or the other two on her team even though they didn't show up?"
Athena shook her head with slight frown. "Never seen or heard of the names before. I don't have the slightest clue who any of the other three are. What about you? Do you know any of the others aside from Sindria?"
"No. As far as I can tell the others are from Shade academy while Sindria graduated from Othrys, took a few years solo and then transferred into complete the team. That's the only reason I can find for her not being the captain," he replied with a small frown.
"Why is that?" Athena asked as she sat up to be eye level with him.
"Regardless of the personality or even class, any faunus trained in Othrys was turned into a lethal weapon," he answered, his eyes taking on a cold sheen. "She may be as docile as Velvet at times but trust me, she can and will kill when necessary, especially considering she is far more of a tactician. Why else would someone of her skill and caliber be assigned to anything else than captain unless she was a late arrival and thus was placed in a way to not upset a pre-existing team."
"That's a pretty high evaluation," Athena replied as she tapped her chin. "But isn't it also possible that the other one, Orelia, is possibly better suited to the task?"
"It's possible," he admitted as his eyes returned to the usually calm expression. "But then just what kind of skill and training does she have to put her on the same level?"
"Who knows," Athena replied with a shrug. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"True … maybe we can set up a sparring day and test each new member out," Dante added thoughtfully.
"Yeah right, just an excuse for you to wail on them," Athena chuckled out.
"I wouldn't be that tough … mostly," he replied with a pout.
"Aw, look at how cute you can be," Athena cooed as she pulled at Dante's cheek.
Dante retaliated by trying to snap at her finger, missing by just a hair's breath.
"Temper, temper," Athena teased as she sat up while setting the book down on a coffee table before looking at him with mischievous eyes.
He growled back as she shifted around to sit on his lap, straddling him as she pressed her chest against his. He leaned his head against her neck as he breathed in her lavender scent while his hands cupped her rear. She moaned ever so softly against his ear before giving it a chaste bite, getting another, throatier growl out of him.
"Careful," he said in a husky voice before he slowly nibbled along her neck.
"Y-you are the one w-who should be c-careful," she managed to reply as her breathing became rougher.
He was about to give a cocky remark to that but then he caught the sound of feet shuffling closer to a door, specifically Lily's door. He backed up as he adjusted Athena off his lap, the latter giving him a confused look before she understood what happened. They both straightened out their clothes, he didn't recall lifting his shirt up, as they glanced back as Lily's door opened. The little vampire walked out while yawning cutely, Mr. Snuggles in her arms as she walked up to them.
"Dante … Athena …" Lily said somewhat groggily as she walked up to the sofa.
"Hello sweetie," Athena replied as she got up and walked up to her. "Rested up?"
"Yep," Lily chirped back with her usual smile.
"Good because it's almost dinner time," Athena replied as she pointed Lily back to her room. "Let's get dressed."
Lily looked down at her white and light blue pajamas before pouting as retreated to her room.
"That was adorable," Dante commented as he started to get up as well but Athena put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"You stay here and wait for Velvet," Athena instructed. "Then you guys can come and meet us in the cafeteria with everyone else."
"Ok," he answered as he leaned back in the couch while kicking his feet up on the coffee table.
It took a minute or so before Lily reappeared in some jeans and a red shirt, walking over to the door while waiting for Athena. Athena gave him a peck of a kiss before joining Lily and heading out, leaving him now bored as he waited for Velvet. He sighed as looked up at the ceiling, wondering what was going on that Velvet needed to talk to him about. Then there was the more pressing issue he needs to discuss with Ozpin and soon.
'He is not going to like it … hell, I bet it will be the first surprise he's had in a long time,' he thought as he looked at the storybook Athena had set down. He'd read it several times before and could recite each story by heart, after all, those stories were also a form of history for him. 'They call us monsters … and they aren't that far off the mark,' he mused as he exhaled, a column of silver fire escaping his jaws leaving behind small puffs of steam in their wake.
He waited for a few more minutes until he caught the sound of shuffling coming from his room. Soon enough a shy Velvet appeared, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. He gave her a warm smile as she approached and sat down beside him, her gaze focused on her lap rather than looking at him.
"Good nap?" he asked easily, not being able to resist teasing her a little.
Velvet nodded timidly before she looked at him. "It was … warm."
"Back at yah," he replied before he gave her a slightly cheesy grin. "You look so cute when you sleep."
"Hey!" Velvet whined as she lightly smacked his shoulder.
He chuckled as he threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug, meeting very little resistance. If anything she gave off a content sigh as she let her head rest his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Dante decided it was time to talk.
"Velvet."
"Hmm?"
"Athena told me you wanted to talk?"
"… Yes I did," she answered softly as she sat up to look at him with serious eyes. "I … I wanted to talk about my training."
He raised his eyebrow as he looked at her, peaked by her sudden interest in training. She'd already made leaps and bounds in strength and stamina, being easily capable of matching senior students while unarmed.
"What about your training?" he asked.
"I want to intensify it," she answered steadily.
"Why?" he asked. "You're already doing fine as is and we haven't even moved on to aura or weapons training."
"I …" Velvet looked away for a moment as she poked her fingers together. "I feel like I could be doing more."
"But why?" he asked again as he leaned closer to look into her eyes.
She looked shaky but quickly got her nerves under control. "When we were in the plaza near the air pads, these two slayers appeared. They looked … terrifying … and one nearly threatened us but Havasu arrived before anything could happen."
"What were their names?" he asked with a slight scowl. He wasn't going to tolerate anyone threatening his mentees, especially Velvet or Blake.
"Rayne and Zack … the one who was possibly threatening us was Rayne but that's beside the point," Velvet continued. "The thing is that even with all the training you've given us, it still didn't get us any more prepared for someone so … vile. If Havasu hadn't gotten there I don't want to know what might have happened," she said in a smaller voice, her frame trembling slightly at the memory.
Dante pulled her back into the hug and he rubbed comforting circles along her back. After a while Velvet stopped shaking but didn't pull away this time.
"I … I want to get stronger," she said in an even voice. "I want to be able to keep those I care about safe."
"Do you understand what you're asking for?" he asked in a heavy voice.
Velvet nodded, pulling back slightly so she could look at Dante in the eyes.
"I'm ready to do whatever it takes."
He looked at her for a few moments, carefully watching as her eyes remained clear and steady. He nodded slowly before sighing as he pulled her closer to then give her a kiss on the forehead.
"If you think you can handle it … then I'll train you for real …"
"Why did Velvet stay?" Lily asked Athena as the pair made their way towards the cafeteria.
Athena looked down at the little vampire before answering with a soft smile.
"She just needed to talk to Dante for a while."
"Ok," Lily replied as she looked forward, content with the answer.
Athena sighed a little as she looked forward as well, not really paying attention to their surroundings since her mind was elsewhere. She really was worried about Velvet too. She could see the poorly hidden stress in Velvet's eyes, her almost stiff posture, and the way she glanced to her and Dante's room. Whatever it was, she was confident that Dante could address and handle it, hopefully allowing the girl to relax from whatever it was that set her on edge. Of course, that little nap should have done wonders for the young faunus.
She'd learned so much about faunus and their interactions during her time spent at Dante's home. From the nearly imperceptible twitches in their ears or tails, the slight reactions whenever a stronger faunus approached, and the way they naturally sought out the attentions of the established leader whenever any issue arises. Athena could practically read Velvet like a book the moment she walked in and knew that just being around Dante would have served to ease her. She could have tried to comfort Velvet herself and knew that Velvet and Blake already looked to her if Dante wasn't present but, they need their Alpha more than they're probably aware.
'Look at that … barely a week gone and suddenly I feel like I've known faunus all my life,' she mused as the pair finally entered the now restored cafeteria. Luckily they arrived in a slightly later hour than serving time so the dining hall wasn't anywhere near half full, making it a perfect time to bring Lily along to get used to larger groups of people. Athena spotted the rest of her team, teams ACHN, RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY sitting together in a set of tables talking and sharing the news about the Slayers. It didn't take long before the Slayers noticed the pair approaching before waving them over.
Athena and Lily received a chorus of greetings as the pair sat down beside Ruby, Lily resting on her lap so that there was space for when Dante and Velvet arrived later. At the thought Athena smirked again, wondering if she should show anyone the nice little photo in her scroll. She couldn't resist taking it, a cute little Velvet curled up into Dante's chest as he slept with his nose buried in her hair. 'Oh the teasing that shall come from that,' Athena thought as she giggled, earned some curious looks from those around them.
"What's up with you?" Crato asked as he munched on some fries.
"Oh nothing," she chirped back as she looked around the table while Lily giggle at some funny faces Ruby and Yang were making.
"That was not a 'nothing' giggle," Kiara replied with narrowed eyes, trying to discern the cause of said offending sound.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Athena replied sweetly.
As the pair continued a slight stare off, Athena caught Coco talking to Fox.
"I wonder where Velvet is?"
"Maybe she went back to the dorm?" Fox replied with a shrug.
At the mention of Velvet Lily looked to them, the little vampire frowning slightly as she touched her chin. 'Well, I wasn't going to be able to keep it secret anyways. Kiara and Blake will smell it the moment the two get here,' Athena thought as she looked at Lily on her lap, waiting for her to make the great reveal.
"Velvet is with Dante," Lily said softly as she looked at Coco, earning some curious looks from the table.
"Doing what?" Coco asked with a tilt of the head.
"Don't know," Lily replied.
Some of the others looked to Athena for further explanation but she shrugged it off. She didn't want her prime teasing material to become public information.
"Don't worry about it," she said smoothly before adding. "You could just wait till he gets here and ask him yourselves."
"Fine," Kiara relented, knowing that Athena wasn't going to spill.
"So?" Athena asked trying to get the conversation flowing along. "What's up with you guys?" she asked the teens since she hadn't really gotten to talk to them much.
"Nothing too interesting aside from the creepy slayer duo," Yang replied earning some agreeing nods from the other slayers.
"Who?" Athena asked curiously.
"The pair that didn't arrive for the meeting," Lucian elaborated. "The ones who are teamed up with Samara and Asteria."
"Zack and … Rayne was it?" Thantos added in.
"So what happened with them?" Athena asked.
"Nothing thanks to Havasu," Blake said as she nodded towards him.
Athena looked towards him, noting that he didn't look particularly excited. If anything, he seemed to be rather preoccupied with his thoughts.
"What's eating you?" Athena asked, finding the usually happy go lucky slayer's behavior rather odd.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Havasu replied as he took a drink of some juice. "As for those two, don't worry about it. They can't do anything … even if the bitch is rabid," he added rather darkly.
"Are you sure?" Athena persisted in a worried, now wanting to get to the bottom of this.
"Later," Havasu snapped rather sharply, making some of the teens flinch. He noticed and sighed before adding, "Sorry."
Athena wanted to pursue the subject but then she noticed a familiar pressure approaching, a sensation of heat building up at the opening to the cafeteria. She looked towards the doors just as Dante and Velvet appeared, the latter looking far more relaxed now as she walked in synch with Dante. The others noticed the pair approaching, some giving curious looks while others were still glancing at Havasu. Namely, Crato and Cicero but Athena didn't think that she should bring that to attention right now.
Dante and Velvet soon arrived at the table but as Velvet sat down next to Athena, Dante glanced around the table before looking at Athena.
"You haven't gotten your plates?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, we sat down to talk before we could," she replied before giving him a slight pout, letting him know that he was more than welcome to get their plates for them.
Dante sighed before giving a chuckle. "I'll be right back," he said before he was off.
With him gone attention quickly focused on Velvet who was obviously getting nervous from the looks. It took a moment before Coco broke the silence.
"So … care to explain where you were?" she asked in a slightly edgy tone.
"With Dante," Velvet replied in a soft voice.
"Doing what?" Coco continued as she leaned closer.
"Talking," she replied with the slightest hitch in her voice but it seemed that it went unnoticed by most of the teens aside from Blake.
"About what? And if you don't mind adding why was it that we couldn't reach you for several hours?" Coco persisted.
"Come on Coco, no need for the third degree," Athena said as she came to Velvet's crumbling defense.
"But I was worried about her," Coco retorted with a pout.
"About what?" asked Dante as he reappeared with several bowls of stew.
"That was quick," Lucian commented from his seat down the table.
"I'm quick," Dante replied as he set a plate in front of Velvet, Athena, and then himself before sitting to Velvet's right and to Coco's left. "And what had you worried Coco?"
"Well, I heard about some near incident with some of the new slayers and how they tried to pick a fight with Velvet," Coco replied getting a slight frown out of Dante before he glanced to Velvet.
"I already heard and don't worry, I'll have a talk with them," Dante replied with a cold glint in his eyes.
Crato scoffed a little before muttering, "More like threaten to put them six feet under."
"Not a threat … a promise," Dante answered without hesitation as he looked at Crato.
"Again, you are fucking terrifying," Crato said as he deadpanned.
"Y-you would really do that?" asked Weiss asked nervously as the teens now looked at him.
"If anyone hurts so much as a single hair on any of your heads, I'm the one they need to be worried about," Dante replied in a softer tone, making some of the teens relax.
"Oh Dante, you never change," Kiara said with a sigh even as she smiled at him.
"Nope," Dante quipped as he took a spoonful of his stew before scanning around.
"Looking for something?" Thantos asked.
"I was wondering if either of the other teams are here," he responded as he glanced to Kiara.
She caught the look and diverted her gaze as she fidgeted with her thumbs. "I think they all went to their dorms … but Sindria said that she wanted to catch up later."
"Who's Sindira?" Ruby asked curiously.
"A friend who joined the slayers and is here now," replied Dante before chuckling. "I bet she hasn't changed much either.'
"And here I thought you might have a chance at getting Glynda off your back," Athena giggled out while getting a spoonful of stew as well.
"What would make you say that?" Dante asked as if he'd been offended.
"Because I know that you, Kiara, and Sindira used to be regular trouble makers, especially when Sindria cooked up some plan from the background."
"Can't deny that," Dante replied with a sheepish smile.
"So what is she like?" Yang asked as the others leaned closer to hear more about the newest slayers.
Dante looked Athena in the eyes for a moment, his eyes flashing in a mischievous light, before he winked and then turned to his audience for their story.
"Well …"
"Mind telling me what the hell you were doing?" Asteria asked in an irritated voice.
"…"
"Are you seriously going to just sit there?" Asteria continued as she glared at Zack as he sat on a sofa in the middle of their new dorm.
Samara was watching from their dining table as Asteria tried to reprimand Zack and Rayne, the pair looking completely uninterested in the speech. Rayne was playing with the tips of her hair while Zack simply looked on in cold indifference. Asteria gave a tired sigh as she rubbed her temple, knowing that it was pointless to tell those two anything about following a set schedule.
"Can I go now?" Rayne asked in a childish whine.
"Why?" Asteria asked suspiciously. "It's nearly 10 pm and there isn't anything on our schedules."
"Because I'm bored," Rayne replied as she pulled out a small knife and started to twirl it in her fingers.
At the sight of the knife Samara felt a slight shiver run up her spine. Whenever Rayne played with a knife like that, it always meant she was in a bad mood and when she was in a bad mood no one was getting off easy. Asteria noticed it as well but scoffed at her, completely dismissing the subtle threat Rayne was implying with her knife.
"I don't care if you're bored, that doesn't excuse you or Zack for your little stunt today," Asteria said as she flashed him a glare with her near golden eyes. "And I thought we agreed that you weren't going to go murdering half the low lives in the city while here."
"They got a rat problem," Zack replied curtly without really even looking at her.
"I got an idea," Rayne chirped up as she looked at Asteria with one of her sickening smiles. "How about you let me play with one of those pretty feathers of yours?"
Asteria responded by growling at her, flashing the sharp fangs hidden behind her lips as her wings rustled slightly. "Careful …" she warned in a dangerous voice.
Just hearing her tone scared Samara even more as she looked on at her team, noting that even Rayne had a slight pang of worry flash across her eyes. She was deranged but not stupid, she knew that if she crossed the line it would be relatively easy for Asteria to kill her. Asteria was normally a very patient and tolerant leader but even she had her limits. Limits which, if passed, would result in blood in some way or form. 'Alphas really are scary,' she thought as she glanced at the brown feathered wings jutting out of Asteria's lower back.
The room remained silent for a few moments before Zack spoke up, his voice being monotone even as his eyes displayed clear annoyance at the pink haired slayer.
"Go into the forest and cool off." It wasn't a suggestion and Rayne turned to look at him in surprise.
"Why?" she asked in an annoying whine.
"You're annoying," was his reply.
"Fine," Rayne snapped as she got up and walked past Asteria without looking at her but she didn't try to meet Samara's gaze. Samara turned her eyes away, not wanting to trigger any sort of response from the pinkette.
They stood in silence as the sound of the door closing confirmed the departure of one of their teammates allowing Samara to breathe easier. Asteria could be scary but was usually calm while Zack kept to himself, even if his presence did make her uneasy. After a while Asteria sighed again as she looked at Zack.
"What got her so agitated?" she asked in a far more even tone now that the main source of her anger was out of sight.
"She got showed up," Zack replied.
"Who?" Samara asked, speaking for the first time in nearly two hours of listening to her team bicker.
"Havasu, leader of team ACHN."
"What was he like?" Asteria asked, her curiosity obviously taking over the conversation.
"Only if you tell me what has you on edge," Zack replied with a cold look.
Asteria looked slightly taken aback by this, probably thinking that no one would have noticed but Zack was very adept at reading people. She sighed again as she looked away for a moment before replying, "Fine."
"He's strong … and dangerous," Zack replied in a low tone, his brows furrowing in a rare display of emotion.
"How dangerous?" Samara asked, starting to get slightly nervous.
Zack didn't look it but he was one of the strongest slayers from Mistral, being S-classed with a rank 3rd, putting him in the top tier of fighters and comparable to being a match for a small army. If he judged someone as dangerous, then Samara wanted to steer clear of whoever it was.
"Enough to be a match for me … maybe even for you, Asteria," Zack explained.
"What makes you say that?" Asteria asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just look into his eyes and I'm sure you'll see the same killer you see in me," Zack answered coldly as he looked at his own hand, one of his multiple cuts lazily bleeding.
'Are there nothing but monsters around here?' Samara internally whined as she waited for Asteria to answer her part of the deal.
"I see …" she said softly before opening and closing her hand several times. "Well, as for me … I'm … thinking about team ASCZ's leader."
"Don't know him," Zack replied flatly.
"If you had been at the meeting you would," Asteria replied crossly before sighing. "His name is Dante Argentum … but you might know him by his old moniker, the Silver Demon."
At that Zack whistled, now looking far more interested in the infamous slayer. "Heard he has a taste for rat extermination … now I want to see him."
"Don't!" Asteria snapped back with the slightest hint of worry in her voice.
Zack raised an eyebrow at her, the sudden show of unease being usual for their leader.
"Why not?"
"Because wanting to meet him means picking a fight for you," Asteria replied before adding in a low voice. "And trust me when I say … he isn't someone to mess with in any way."
"Why are you so scared of him?" Samara asked, not liking how Asteria was reacting to the Demon.
"I'm not exactly sure," Asteria replied softly as she half turned to look away. "I just … got this feeling when I looked into his eyes."
Samara could see the slightest shudder pass through Asteria, the tints of honest to good fear in her eyes as she recalled the brief time spent near him. Even Zack showed some concern for the briefest of moments as he leaned forward to look intently at her.
"What feeling?" he asked evenly.
Asteria glanced at both of them before speaking softly, almost in a whisper.
"Just being near him was like being near one of … them."
Both Samara and Zack's eyes widened at that, both finding it hard to believe what Asteria was saying.
"S-so … he's an Alpha too?" Samara asked nervously to which Asteria nodded.
"And not just him but Lucian Ze'ev and Kiara Nyekundu … a Grey Wolf and Red Lion," Asteria added before looking intently at them. "And the rumors are that he's a Dragon …"
"But that still doesn't add up," Zack interrupted. "You said those ten were last chosen in the last faunus war and haven't been retitled since, not to mention that he is but a fraction of their age. How can he be anything like those monsters?"
"I don't know," Asteria replied while shaking her head. "But … I know what I felt and that is to stay on his good side."
Asteria took a seat on one of the chairs pulled up to be near the sofa before looking at them intently.
"This is an order … do not engage Dante in any way. Am I understood?"
They both remained silent for a moment, even briefly glancing at each other before looking to Asteria and slowly nodding. Asteria nodded back before she got up and left to her room without another word, leaving them in silence. It didn't take long before Zack got up with sigh and followed her example, leaving to his room that he shared with Rayne.
Samara remained standing, looking out of the far window and into the pitched night, a pit of worry forming in her stomach. 'Just what the hell are you … Dante …?'
Author's Rant: Holy Shit things are moving along. What the Hell is everyone freaking out about!? Wait and see ...
Let me know your thoughts!
A pleasure, Jbubu and I'll see you all in 2 weeks!
