"Speaking of interesting mixes." Ash said as he sat up and turned to Emily. "As a mix of two different types of magic, your powers are unpredictable as well. You've also already proven on several occasions to be very knowledgeable of things most of us are not and see things most of us don't. Has anything of a negative effect been causing you any trouble?"
Emily rubbed the back of her head in thought. "I'd say other than my normal sleep apnea issues and my weird fear, everything's perfectly fine."
"Your fear of thunderstorms?" Gemina asked skeptically. Sinsa swatted her arm, giving her a look.
"What fear?" the younger woman asked, a bit more sympathetically. During the discussion of powers and children, she'd absently rested a hand on her stomach, instinctively protecting whatever life might be forming there, and only now did she notice, moving her hand surreptitiously to take Axel's.
The witch-Chthonian hybrid gave Gemina a look that would of passed for a death glare, but the pink color that came in on the tips of her ears ruined it.
"What?" Gem asked innocently. "It was a serious question!" That earned her an elbow to the ribs from her sister. "Ow!"
"We're not judging you, Emily," Tory said gently, "but I admit I am curious..."
The lavender eyed girl noticeably slouched in her seat. "It's fucking stupid..."
Ash sighed before reaching over and running a hand through her hair. He had noticed one of the few times he saw her and Nick together that her boyfriend did this to help her calm. It didn't take much for her tense shoulders to relax. "We all fear something for a reason. We're not judging you, we just want to help."
Emily bit her lip for a moment before softly replying. "I really can't stand hearing thunderstorms. I can't help but get really scared and my first instinct is always to hide somewhere. I don't know why if affects me so much, cause I can throw around lightning myself all day long and it doesn't affect me. But for some reason thunder and lightning together scare the hell out of me."
"Some people just have irrational, unexplainable fears," Sinsa offered. "Like me-I'm terrified of being alone. A couple of months ago, I would ride the bus back and forth just to be near people; I couldn't even go back to my apartment until I was exhausted."
"I'm scared of spiders," Gemina said, raising her hand. Several people chuckled. "No, I'm serious! Y'all think I'm joking; I run screaming when I see spiders."
"She really does," Sinsa grinned. "It's actually rather entertaining."
Axel tried not to smile. "So I probably shouldn't put any spiders in your room for April Fool's day then?"
Emily chuckled. "Why use fake ones? I keep some live ones to feed my snake."
"Dooh! You're horrible!" Gemina squealed, ducking behind her sister. "Save me from them, Sin!"
"Hey, I'm not getting involved," Sin said, the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile.
"Not you!" Gem scoffed, rolling her eyes. Laughter sprang up again, loudest from Katra and Sinsa.
Tory suddenly remembered something. "Kat, since you're already here, maybe you can help me and Emily with something."
Katra raised a brow in interest. "What are you two trying to do?"
Emily grinned. "Trying to get the boys to sing up on stage at Sanctuary. We both caught them singing at different times when they think they're alone." She laughed as both Parthenopaeus boys paled. "They're actually pretty damn good."
Katra laughed again.
"You should!" she said. "Sin, you too; you have an amazing voice."
"Not a snowball's chance in hell," he answered. "Not even for you."
"Oh, now you have to sing," Sinsa said, grabbing Axel's arm. "Please?"
"See? Everyone agrees," Tory pointed out.
"It's not happening, ladies," Acheron said firmly. "Give up."
Emily smiled before turning to Apollymi. "Could we possibly convince you to help us?"
Sorcha was already ahead of her and already making her famous baby seal eyes at her papa. The poor man was trying to resist, but it was crumpling. Fast.
Gemina laughed. "You girls can always threaten to not sleep with them for the next century."
Both Tory and Katra thought about it and grinned.
Emily fell out of her seat laughing at that point. Then she popped right back up and hugged Gemina. "Okay, I officially love you!"
"Well, I'm glad I made up for my blunder," she smiled, "but don't thank me until we win."
"Please, Daddy?" Sorcha begged. Apollymi was trying unsuccessfully not to smile at the girl's enormous eyes and adorable voice.
"Pretty please?" Sinsa tried, batting her eyes hopefully at Axel. He groaned.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he grumbled, rubbing his temple. "Alright."
"One down, two to go!" Gemina crowed. Tory was already smiling sweetly at her husband.
"Don't forget," she said with feigned innocence, "I am one of two women who can make your life hell if you piss her off. The other, unfortunately, is too enthralled with your granddaughter..."
Emily smirked. "Oh, I think I can help you there Tory. Nick actually told me a few embarrassing stories I'm sure Ash wouldn't want to get out~"
Tory now turned to Emily, looking quite interested. "Oh?"
The young adult smirked almost wickedly. "Oh, say, when we first found out how Ash gets drunk~!" She laughed at the memory.
Sorcha cheered before running over to her aunt Kat and jumped on her lap so she could make the same look at her uncle. It wasn't normally too hard for her, she could get perfect strangers to crumple. Hell Axel got a hoot and holler when she persuaded the almighty Demetrius to do something for her.
"No-ho-ho," Sin turned away so he wouldn't see the girl's expression. "Uh-uh. I'm not caving."
"...I, on the other hand..." Acheron grimaced, seeing his wife smirk at her own memory of his odd way of getting drunk. "I'm being blackmailed."
"Oh, don't think of it as blackmail," Tory tsked. "Think of it as... incentive."
"...Another word for blackmail," he said blandly. Then he sighed and glanced at his son. "I guess we're in this together."
Axel nodded as Tory and Emily high-fived each other.
"That's two!"
Sorcha looked up at her aunt for help.
Kat had no ideas and so looked up to her fellow female companions. Emily shrugged. "I guess go with Gem's previous idea and threaten no sex for a long while."
"Might have to."
Axel snickered. "You are so screwed Sin."
Acheron smirked and chimed in. "Screwed blue and tattooed."
"Unfortunately, it's just the opposite," Sin growled, casting a sidelong glare at Katra, though there was no force behind it.
"How about... no sex until you agree?" she suggested, undaunted by his look.
"...I hate you all," he groaned finally. "Fine! I'll do it." The girls all let out a deafening cheer. Even Sorcha, who had no clue what it was all about, and Apollymi, who wasn't really used to company yet, laughed with the others.
"Sanctuary, prepare to be blown away!" Sinsa whooped.
"You have no idea," Tory grinned, glancing at her husband.
Axel held up a hand. "Though mind if I ask something?"
"Yeah?" Gemina piped up.
"Can we at least pick our own music? And no hotwiring the stereo systems again."
"That's fine." Tory agreed, though she didn't know what her adopted son meant by hotwiring the stereo systems.
Emily let out a disappointed groan. "Darn..."
Sinsa, Gemina and Axel were the only ones that knew what that implied to. The rest were left to wonder.
"Alright," Tory said, clapping her hands together for attention. "Now that that's settled, everyone to bed. And you two..." she looked at Katra and Axel "...don't forget your little moon and sun stones; I have enough cleaning up to do after Simi without other people adding to it."
"Where is Simi?" Sinsa asked, curious. Acheron smiled and tugged up his shirt to reveal an elaborate dragon tattoo on his chest.
"She's a Charonte demon, bound to me," he explained. "When she isn't being annoying, and I'm not busy, this is the form she takes." Sinsa's lips pursed in an 'oh' of understanding.
"So that's what she means by 'Akri kicked me off'... And here I thought she was just mixing up 'off' and 'out.'"
Axel snickered. "Pretty much." He reached over the table and picked up the golden stone which seemed to absorb into his skin, sending a wave of heat through his system but shook it off. "Well... At least I won't have to worry about carrying it."
Katra had done the same but got a shiver of cold instead of heat, but like her brother easily shook the feeling off as the powers settled in her body.
As couples started heading to their respective rooms, the young witch turned to Gemina. "You crashing with me again?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
"We'll see you all tomorrow to prepare for the boys' stage night," Katra said. "Don't forget to let Aimee know so she can give the Howlers a night off."
"I'll take care of that," Tory said. "We were talking about having lunch some time anyway. Mitera, you can use Simi's room for now."
"Oh, why not let her have the guest room?" Sinsa offered. "Axel and I can go back to our apartment."
"And Sorcha can stay with you if you're both alright with it." Axel said as his daughter started to yawn against her great-grandma's shoulder.
Apollymi smiled at them. "You two go on. We'll be fine here."
Axel nodded before kissing the top of Sorcha's head in goodnight, before his did the same but on the cheek for his grandma, mother and older sister. Sin kind of protested on the last one. More due to an incident where someone somewhere had asked if Kamali and Katra were together. That had been interesting to explain later.
Sinsa returned to the apartment ahead of Axel, trying out her powers while he exchanged one last goodnight with his father. She used the opportunity to straighten the sheets of the bed, which she'd left a bit rumpled the morning she was kidnapped, and changed into a rather skimpy little night gown that barely qualified as lingerie, let alone pajamas. She'd gotten it from a friend in New York who teased her about her simple, modest wardrobe and had given it to her as a teasing Christmas present, but she'd never expected a chance to actually use it. Still, she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity, so she grabbed a book and laid out on the bed to wait.
When Axel did come back, he had flashed straight into the bedroom and a sharp intake of air filled his lungs as he saw her. A dark and dangerous lust filled his mercury eyes as he felt his groin harden in his pants.
"Hey, baby," she smiled, setting the book aside. "Are you going to join me, or do you intend to devour me with your eyes alone?"
He smirked at the challenging note in her voice as he kneeled on the bed beside her and ghost his lips over hers. "You're playing a dangerous game, little Sin." He purred as he ran a hand down her back.
She shuddered, both from the loving tone of his voice and his kiss.
"Dangerous game for dangerous players," she hummed, nipping his lip.
He smirked as he kissed her fully, his arms bracing his weight on either side of her hips.
"Mm, and here I was worried you'd balk at another round," she chuckled around his lips. "Guess I didn't sate you well enough last night."
"Oh, I can never get enough of you." He smiled as he made her clothes disappear then leaned his head down to gently bite her shoulder.
She groaned and wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Don't lose that and you can take all you like," she said, sliding her hands carefully under his hair, palms flat against his shoulders.
He chuckled. "Oh, I plan to." He brushed her hair away from her neck then sank his fangs in.
A wash of pleasure flooded her, concentrating in her gut and becoming a lusty heat. She got rid of his clothes, removing all barriers, and pulled him flush against her, moaning at the blissful feeling of their blood and powers mixing. The idea of becoming one with someone definitely took on new meaning with him, and she loved every second of it.
As the night went on, the heat and the passion only grew and it was given that she couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. She'd rather stay right in the comfort of his arms.
And stay she did. When morning came, she refused to let him leave for anything but to relieve himself, until Gemina popped in to let them know Tory had finished making arrangements with Aimee, and the boys were scheduled for that night. Then Sinsa couldn't get him out fast enough.
Axel tried to convince her to not make him go up on stage but when Sinsa had run out of reasons why he should do it anyway, Emily and Tory were there to help.
So grudgingly, Axel went up with Acheron and Sin when Aimee told them it was time. Many of the Weres and Dark Hunters, who had been invited courtesy of Tory, were surprised by the arrangement.
And of course, Apollymi had come with them and Sorcha, which actually drew Savitar's attention and brought him to Sanctuary. Once everything was explained, he calmed from what Gem joked as a 'god level panic attack', he actually took a seat and waited for the show to start.
Emily, of course being the ever foxy person she was, brought and set up a video camera, just out of sight of the three unfortunate men who were forced to sing in front of the entire bar. To make it less suspicious, she had it start playing early and then moved to one of the front seats to get a better view of the show.
Course this had made it easy for Apollymi to spot her and make her sit between her and Savitar. Not only to keep them at least a person away from each other, but the great destroyer had heard the girl's grief two nights ago and wanted to make the Chthonian spend time with his daughter, not before she gave him a good tongue lashing concerning the young witch/Chthonian hybrid. Mostly about how the poor child needed a parent in her life. Poor Emily was so embarrassed her face and ears turned a dark red.
Savitar quietly took it, knowing that, while he could out-power just about anyone, Apollymi included, she was the last person he wanted to piss off.
Gemina and Sinsa tried hard not to laugh when they saw the all-powerful Chthonian looking like a grounded teenager and Katra tsked the unfortunate situation Emily was stuck in, though her smile betrayed her.
Then the lights dimmed and a spotlight switched on, pointed to the stage. The noise in the bar dropped to a curious murmur as Aimee hopped onto the stage and went to one of the microphones.
"Tonight, we have a special treat for you, Sanctuary," she announced, grinning as she glanced first at Tori and then at the boys who were showing various degrees of embarrassment. "The Howlers got a night off tonight..." This was met immediately with a mixture of catcalls and complaints, and Aimee paused a moment to let it die down. "...So we have guest singers, people many of you already know. Acheron Parthenopaeus has graced our humble stage a few times in the past." The cheers nearly drowned her out, but she continued. "His son, Axel, is here as well, and joining them from his hideaway up north is Sin Nana."
The cheering was deafening, patrons stomping their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs. Sinsa and the other girls practically held their breath as their boys reluctantly replaced Aimee on stage.
Emily was biting her tongue to try to keep her laughter in, having three almighty powerful beings who were so damn nervous about being on stage was hysterical.
Axel gave her a look that promised redemption for this, cause he just knew she was the original one to think of this idea. The witch in question didn't deny it with the guilty smirk on her face.
Silence fell as the music began, and the guys exchanged glances, drawing strength from each other. But the moment Acheron's deliciously sexy voice filled the speakers, screams of delight echoed around the room. Tori smirked, knowing he was all hers; as though responding to that thought, Acheron's gaze fell on her and a small smile touched his lips at the memory of the last time he was on stage with her in the crowd.
When Axel's voice joined his father's, Sinsa thought she'd die in a spasm of joy. She almost couldn't stop herself from joining the countless female patrons screaming their lungs out.
In a slight lull of the lyrics, when the two men took a moment to catch their breath, exchanging grins, Katra leapt to her feet.
"Don't let them outdo you, babe!" she shouted over the noise of the crowd. Sin smirked, winked at her, and jumped on the lyrics in perfect sync with his companions.
Gemina smiled at the happiness on her sister's face. It was great to see her so happy.
By the end of the song, the entire club was on its feet, shouting, screaming, cheering, even jumping up and down in time with the last fading beats of music.
Exhausted, but over their embarrassment and grinning, all three men climbed down from the stage; every Peltier brother had to help keep the crowd at bay, only letting Sinsa and the others through. Tori and Kat made it through first, each leaping for their respective husbands and nearly taking them down with kisses and hugs. Sinsa was a little more careful, but no less exuberant as she wrapped her arms around Axel neck and planted a hard kiss on his lips.
"I think," she said, putting her mouth by his ear so he could hear her over the crowd, "I just fell in love all over again."
He smiled and hugged her to him as he kissed her temple. "I love you too, little Sin."