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~Tori~
The riot was easy enough to handle after I showed up. My commands quickly and efficiently utilized my team in the best way possible. We incapacitated any and all who resisted and restrained those who decided to give up. Once the fight was under control I was informed that they were followers of St. Claire who had organized a group to try and kill off some of our pack and reduce our numbers against him. They failed, obviously. We were too highly trained for a bunch of unexperienced and angrily uncoordinated rebels. This was just what we did; it was natural. I told my second in command to take it from there and rushed to get back home. The minute my house came into view I knew something was wrong. The door was left wide open and I smelled blood. I charged in to see Lara propped on one couch with a shy smile while Nathan fretted over her with worry in his hazel eyes. They both looked over at me when I came in.
"Sabine tried to take advantage of your absence but your friends here managed to stop her," Trina said, walking over from the kitchen. She had a plate of food and a pack of blood which she placed on the coffee table. Lara thanked her and she nodded before walking over to me.
"We crossed paths with her out in the woods and decided to tail her. She looked beyond pissed. I'm glad we followed her because she led us here," Nathan added, helping Lara sit up. I noticed their dirty and torn clothes and immediately grew more agitated.
"Did she hurt you?" I demanded.
"Hardly, just a broken leg which took me forever to heal so I couldn't stop her from taking the key and getting to the basement," Trina answered.
"Lara's spine is damaged and I'm fine, but Jade…" Nathan spoke this time. His words were lost to me when I heard Jade's name. I rushed into the destroyed basement room to see Sabine lying on the floor of the cell which was locked once more.
"Where's Jade you b-" I seethed but she cut me off with a sharp, acerbic, laugh.
"She's gone. She went looking for you," she spat. I growled but accepted the answer. I sent a message to my pack to swing by and collect her before I retraced my steps back to the living room.
"Jade left," I stated stiffly, slightly angry this wasn't the first thing to be brought up. Lara, Nathan, and Trina nodded quietly, sensing the rising hostility in my stance. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my hands into tight fists before letting it all go and relaxing. I inhaled, easily finding her scent, letting it further calm me. Without a word I was back out the door and on her trail. Her scent led me straight into the woods again. In no time I caught up to her, noting Beck's scent on the wind as well. I sped up, hoping I wasn't too late, my mother's words running through my head in warning. I found her squeezing Beck by the neck, hanging from her grip as she pinned him to a tree. His side was covered in blood and an ugly bruise covered his chin but otherwise he was fine; other than the fact that he was slowly running out of air.
"Jade!" I called to her in alarm. She tensed and glanced over her shoulder to look at me. Her icy blue eyes softened before darkening and acquiring the touch of green that made them so unique to her. I sent out another message to my pack, alerting them to Beck's location, as I carefully stepped closer.
"Tori," she gasped like she had just realized what she was doing, releasing her hold on Beck. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, coughing for air. I made my way over to her and pulled her away from the struggling half-breed.
"Maker, I made it in time. I thought he was already dead," I sighed in relief. Jade looked at me curiously before her eyes flicked to Beck. He was just about to run again when Jade grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him closer.
"Not so fast," she growled, shaking him roughly for good measure.
"Jade," he pleaded warily. She snarled threateningly, her fangs on display. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her attention.
"Jade," I called to her gently. At the sound of her name from me she visibly relaxed. She shoved Beck over to me and I held him by the arm so that she could let him go.
"I'm sorry. I almost…shit, I suck at this control thing," she grumbled, reproachful. I opened my mouth to give her words of encouragement when I heard a howl on the wind. A second later a message from my second in command reached me. They had Sabine and someone was headed our way now to collect Beck.
"Come on, we have some back up," I told her, tugging on Beck to get him moving. We met up with a pack member who escorted us back home where the rest of them regrouped and then left, taking Sabine and Beck with them. Beck shot us one last pleading but angry frown, almost like he believed we betrayed him. A frown tugged at my lips before I looked away with a sigh. Beck may have been our friend, but he made his choice. It had to be this way. Jade's cold hand found mine and squeezed it reassuringly.
"He brought this on himself so don't sweat it Vega. Seriously, don't, it's disgusting," she muttered, attempting a joke. I let a small smile tug my lips back up but I was still unhappy. Jade sighed and pulled me into her arms suddenly. I relaxed into her comforting grip and let my own arms encircle her. It felt great to be so close to her. She steered us into my house and took a seat on the other couch not occupied by Nathan and Lara.
"They are so going to kill us. We survived all this just for them to kill us themselves," Trina groaned tiredly, plopping down next to us. She was worrying over nothing. Our parents would understand it wasn't our fault, so why was she acting like it was? I looked at her from my protective perch on Jade's lap. I tensed when I realized the inevitable outcome. I had failed father again. I was told to keep an eye on Jade and I left. I should have refused. My pack could have handled it, couldn't they? Or maybe I should have-no, there wasn't anything I could have done differently. I had to stop overthinking things. The conflict I felt must have tipped off Jade because she was currently glaring at Trina.
"Stop it. You're only causing her stress. You did great, Tori," Jade snapped at Trina before her voice softened when directed at me. I only groaned and laid my head on her shoulder. Jade's arms tightened on me but she said nothing more. As time passed our various rates of recovery pulled us all out of our fatigue, leaving us hungry. Trina finally got up to fix something to eat, leaving the rest of us sprawled out on the couches. I glanced at Jade who had slid into a slumped position on the couch, her head back and eyes closed. She looked peaceful enough but I wondered if she needed to feed again. Nathan stood and stretched even though we both knew he didn't need it. Sometimes old habits die hard.
"I think we should get going. Emily is still waiting for us out at the campsite," he commented, flicking his eyes to us and then returning his gaze to Lara. She pulled her body into a stretch as well and sat up slowly.
"That's right. Let's get going. I'm a little stiff, but nothing I can't handle. I think I'll be able to walk on my own," she told Nathan as she stood up. He had been ready to catch her should she need it but she managed it on her own.
"Wait, that psycho is still with you?" Jade suddenly spoke up, lifting her head to glare at Nathan. He flinched at her gaze and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Well, not with me but, yeah?" he answered, questioning his own words.
"Emily is actually a helpful addition to our little group. She gives us a place to stay and we get along well enough once you get past her strict personality," Lara chimed in helpfully. I glanced at Jade with a raised brow and knowing smile which made her grumble and look away.
"Whatever," she muttered, pushing me off her lap gently before getting up and heading for the kitchen. I stood and stretched before offering Lara and Nathan a hug.
"Keep in touch guys and thank you for the help," I told them gratefully.
"No problem," Lara replied, Nathan nodding next to her. They left hand in hand and I watched them go before joining Trina at the table. Jade slowly made her way over to sit with us after downing more blood packs. She plopped down in the seat heavily with a sigh.
"Does your father know yet?" she asked us. Trina sat back in her seat with a nod.
"I told him myself through the pack connection," she replied.
"And me?" Jade continued.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I told her certainly.
"I know, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that because your father chose to keep me here, his home and family were in danger. Won't that raise alarms that I might be dangerous to be around, not because I'd hurt someone, but because someone will get hurt just to get to me?" she questioned.
"You don't have any more personal enemies do you?" Trina inquired.
"No, well, maybe. I haven't been the nicest person," Jade answered with an amused chuckle. When Trina gave her a very much unamused glare she scowled and answered properly.
"Not that I'm aware of, no. Besides St. Claire looming over all of us, I can't think of anyone else," she amended. Trina sighed and stood from the table.
"Then that settles that. I'm going to return to the Council. I have a few things I need to take care of before school starts," she told us, heading for the stairs. Sure enough, when I looked out the window, the sun was beginning to rise. Jade glared out the window before getting up and relocating to sit on the floor in front of the couch so she wasn't directly in it. I followed her, taking a seat right next to her.
"So, my parents just accepted your excuse?" she suddenly asked out of the blue. I nodded, searching her eyes for any sign of sadness. I only found her usual scowl.
"Figures," she responded quietly. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back against the couch. Silence fell between us, one that I didn't know if I wanted to break yet so I just reached over and held her hand in mine. The only response I got from her was a light squeeze. We sat in silence until Trina came back down all cleaned up. She only exchanged a determined glance with me before leaving, the house falling silent again. I let my eyes wander my house, noting all the disarray and mess I would have to clean sooner or later. I looked back at Jade to see her eyes were now open and she was staring straight ahead.
"You ok?" I asked her carefully.
"Yeah, just trying to work out what St. Claire will try next. He obviously has a lot of followers who are willing to cause a riot whenever her feels like starting one, but what I want to know is when he'll put his main plan into action," she wondered. My eyebrows creased in thought, trying to work out the situation too. What did he want? The door opened at that moment and we both looked up to see my father walk in. He rushed over and yanked me off the floor to crush me in his arms.
"Father, father I'm fine!" I gasped, trying to get loose. He finally let me down but held my shoulders instead. Jade stood too, her eyes showing her slight nerves but her expression remained a blank mask. I reached out to place a hand on her arm.
"Sabine and Beck are being detained as well as questioned for their actions. I trust the riot has been taken care of?" he asked me.
"Yes father, it has," I answered. He nodded and clapped his hands proudly on my shoulders before releasing me and turning to Jade.
"What happened here while Tori was gone?" he inquired. Jade shifted her weight before replying, voice firm.
"Sabine broke in, she got past Trina, and broke into the basement all to try and get revenge on me for her mate, Mason," she told him.
"And you fought her?" he asked next.
"With some help," Jade said with a shrug. He sighed and held a hand to his face before running it over his hair.
"What is Tanner thinking?" he muttered.
"Father, he's done this kind of thing before and was exiled for it, right?" I pointed out. He nodded.
"So then, if his records clearly show he's guilty don't you have enough proof to go ahead with an execution once he's captured?" I wondered.
"Yes, that decision has already been made so when he's brought in he will receive punishment by death for his treason. But the problem is, he keeps disappearing. We need to find where he's hiding. I'm hoping we can get this information from Beck or possibly Sabine should she know anything about what Mason was doing," he informed us.
"She doesn't know anything. We heard straight from Tanner that they were keeping it from Sabine. Which is why she felt she needed to kill me. It must have looked liked a petty disagreement to her. I mean, even if she knew why I'm sure she still would have done the same thing, but in this way, it was just blind rage," Jade spoke up. I looked from her then back to my father before nodding in agreement.
"We need to gather as much information as soon as possible. Tanner St. Claire must be found at all costs. I've already alerted the Council and they have sent out alerts as well. He won't slip away again. I want you girls to stay here today. No school, just sit tight and watch each other's backs," he ordered. Jade and I nodded our understanding.
"Good, now, I have to get back. Trina should be home later and your mother will be here earlier than usual. I think it's best that we all stay close together," he suggested. A thought occurred to me at that moment so I voiced my opinion.
"If Beck refuses to cooperate I think we could help. He'll listen to us," I offered, hoping he would agree. I didn't think I could allow them to hurt Beck like I had seen them hurt Jade. He was still my friend, and if I could make things a little better for him, I would. My father looked thoughtful before accepting.
"Yes, we may need you to talk to him. He still cares for Jade so maybe we could use that against him," he suggested. I saw Jade look away when he brought up that point. Her expression was curiously blank. I wasn't expecting her to get emotional or anything, because that wasn't what Jade did, but I was at least expecting frustration of some sort.
"Stay safe Tori, Jade," he said in farewell. I hugged him before he left. Once he was gone I glanced around.
"Want to help me clean up?" I asked Jade with a tired sigh. She looked at me with the same blank stare before her eyes closed. When they opened again they were focused, her lips quirking into a frown.
"Sure. It'll give us something to do at least," she mumbled distractedly, turning away with her hands in her pockets. I reached out and gripped her wrist.
"Jade?" I questioned hesitantly.
"It's nothing. Where do we start?" she muttered. I sighed and pulled her back before she could walk away.
"Beck will be ok," I told her firmly. I felt her tense under my hand.
"I'm not-" she denied, spinning to face me, but I cut her off.
"I know you still care about him. He's been our friend for years. So even if you don't love him like you used to I know you still love him like a best friend or brother. I mean, I still do too. It's hard to ignore that, so I understand. It was hard enough fighting him," I stated seriously. She growled her frustration before nodding.
"Yeah," she finally admitted. I offered her a reassuring smile and pulled her into a hug. Her arms wound around me, and when we parted, her hands fell to rest on my waist.
"So, where do we start cleaning up this mess?" she asked me, her smirk returning to her face.
"I'll start cleaning up while you take a shower," I suggested. She gave me a mock offended expression and put space between us.
"Are you saying I stink?" she demanded with a slight growl to her words. I knew she wasn't really angry so I laughed and nodded, clinging to an opportunity to lighten the mood.
"I'm surprised you can't smell yourself!" I exclaimed, pushing her away and holding my nose.
"I'll show you," she replied, eyeing me deviously. She tackled me, her fist moving to rub against the top of my head in a noogie that broke us into a laughing fit. We had fallen on the couch before sliding off and ending up on the floor where we sat leaning against each other. Our laughter slowly died, leaving smiles on our faces.
"Ok then. I'll go clean up and help you when I get out," Jade finally agreed, standing up and then offering me a hand. I gripped onto it and she pulled me up. Once I was standing she left to take the stairs up to the bathroom. She tossed one last smile over her shoulder and I returned it. As soon as she was gone I headed for the kitchen to gather cleaning supplies. This mess would take more than cleaning supplies to fix but I was sure it could be done once Jade returned to help. That is, if I can get her to. Jade never did like to clean.