Moonlight Rendezvous (closed)

[DrStein]

Varg met her eyes. His expression remained placid, but his voice was weighed down with restrained emotion. "I'll come back to you as long as I'm able. When my time comes, it won't be in bed... But it'll be a warrior's death. A death worthy of me." A small smile curved his lips and he let out a small laugh. It was little more than a husky chuckle, really. "That TV show... Game of Thrones. That one guy said, 'There's only one thing we say to Death: Not today.' That's how my people live."

She bit his shoulder and he reflexively checked to make sure she hadn't drawn blood. Again, thankfully not. It was a red mark that rapidly started to fade away. He had walked away from wounds that would have killed a human and was back in action only weeks later as if nothing had happened. He wasn't unkillable... but for most people he may as well have been.

"My father taught me most of what I know about combat. My mother showed me how to focus. Werewolves are the moon's soldiers, but our emotions give us strength. We transform by channeling rage, hatred, and fury. I was a full moon birth. My emotions are... it's easier for me to transform. It was hard to control it growing up. For a month after my parents died, I couldn't even leave the house because I never looked human. Without my mother... I just sort of learned to keep it all pressed down. Most of the time anyway."

 

[Vailyn]

Later. Later she will think about the fact that Varg would someday die a warrior's death. Later she would think about what it means to really have him in her life. Too many changes have occurred in a short time and she will need space to take it all in. To decide what it all means for her. For now, she would dwell in the moment and let her instincts rule. The paradigm of her life has spun on it's axis. Though she has always been the type to care for those she loved, Aria has never felt as passionate about a person as she did dancing. She could not live without dance in her life. Now, she could not imagine life without her golden Wolf.

Trailing a hand up and down his shoulder to his fingertips, she asked him, "What are your thoughts? Can you describe them to me? Are your emotions always out of control? How did your mom help you? Do you think I can do the same?"

 

[DrStein]

Varg furrowed his brow at that. He'd never been asked to describe his emotions before. He recalled the lessons his mother taught him, that he'd long since internalized. Severin tried to continue the training, but gave up quickly. He never liked Donovan, nor did he like the child that resulted. Varg thought for a moment how he could explain it. He held his hand out and dark hair grew over the back and up his forearm. The nails turned black and elongated. "I think of that rage. And I just... tell it to go where I want it. The night I saved you, I focused all my hatred and anger on the wendigo. I wanted to rip it to shreds just by screaming at it.

"That's what every fight feels like," Varg said turned to look Aria in the eyes. "Like I'm on fire. And the only way to put it out is to destroy my enemy. Painfully." He shook his head. "Can't describe it more than that. I'm not very good with words. I can always feel something in me that wants to get out. I just learned to point the right emotion at what I want done." That really was the best way to describe it. Perhaps that's why his relatives always treated him like an object. Not knowing how to raise a child, they just treated him like a particularly unruly vendetta, pointing him toward whatever they wanted dead and suppressing him later when they wanted him to shut up. They had no interest in functioning in human society. Varg operated on the fringes, but even he knew how to get by among the humans better than them.

He hugged Aria tightly. Before she had a chance to ask another question, he told her something he should have said earlier. "I love you."

 

[Vailyn]

"I love you." The words echoed in Aria's mind as heart melting joy spread a dazzling glow over her body. Her arms wrapped around his torso and she squeezed him in the tightest hug she has ever given anyone in her whole life! "You love me. You love me!" she chanted happily.

She leaned back abruptly and starred into his eyes searchingly. "I love you, my golden Wolf. I love you more than dancing. I never thought I would ever feel that way. I want to do something for you. Is there anything I can do for you? Something to show that I am yours?" Her small hand cupped his cheek. "Always. I love you and I will always be yours."

 

[DrStein]

"I know you are," Varg said softly. She was the first person in so long to show him such compassion. He knew she was his, as he was hers. He held her in his arms for a time, he didn't know how long. He felt his fingers slip out of her, and that's when something occurred to him. Pete had said to wait two days. Something about Aria herself.

He drew back and tilted Aria's chin up to look into her face. "Aria... What can you tell me about your family?" He had spoken more to Aria in the last two days than he had to anyone in years. But now he needed to shut up again and listen.

 

[Vailyn]

Slim dark brows gathered together in confusion. "Why do you look like you're upset? I'm an only child and my Mom raised me by herself. Mom wouldn't talk about my Dad. I know she loved him a lot but she wouldn't talk about him at all. I don't even know if he left us or died or anything. It was always just Mom and me. She started to get sick when I was 14. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She got worse over time. Towards the end, it was like a living death. Her body gave up on her and she passed away in her sleep. I just turned 18 the day before. We celebrated together with funny little cupcakes and ice cream. Then she was gone..." A tear fell down her pale cheek. She blinked hard several times and sniffled to clear her nose. "My Mom was a beautiful, amazing, funny woman and I miss her. I still miss her."

 

[DrStein]

Varg brushed the tear from Aria's face. What she told him only invited more questions, but it was something to start with. "You have me now. I swear." He kissed her again and held her tightly in his arms.

"I think this might have something to do with... whatever's supposed to happen." Was it possible? There were so many different ways to interpret this. He was having a hard time narrowing things down, especially when he could barely remember any of what he was trying to remember. Stories that never quite stuck, lore he had only heard in passing. "We'll talk to some friends tomorrow. We're gonna figure this out. I promise." He kissed her again. He wanted to protect her just because he loved her. Whatever was threatening her would die.

 

[Vailyn]

Closing her eyes against the painful loss of her Mom, Aria dove into Varg's kiss. Her fingers gripped tightly in his dark hair, pulling sharply as she kissed him with a weary desperation and sudden need to connect. Pulling back, she confessed in a rapid torrent of words. "I wanted to explore your body and learn every inch. I had planned to seduce you with my touch, my lips but I need you now, my golden Wolf. My warrior. I need you to take me hard. Don't worry about my body. Just take me. Take me hard and fast and remind me that I'm not alone. You're here with me, Varg. You're here and alive. So strong. I love you. Love you and need you to be in me. Please."

 

[DrStein]

Varg had never had a lover who was this eager. His last partner had described him as "adequate but I've had better," which earned her a middle finger and Varg was no longer willing to loan her any smoke. Aria though... She burned with passion. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the loft bedroom. He set her down and began stripping off his own clothes. His eyes were already shining yellow. He killed all the lights except for her lamp on the nightstand. His eyes shone like a real wolf's in the night, reflecting back an otherworldly glow that was predatory and primal.

He put her legs up over his shoulders and leaned in. His stiff cock plunged deep into her and his hands gripped her ankles to keep her from moving, either of her own volition or under the force of his thrusts. As her inner walls flexed and stretched against him he let out a long, groaning breath so deep it was almost a growl.

 

[Vailyn]

Varg carried her up to the loft and laid her gently on the bed. She watched his eyes glow the eerie gold that announced the presence of his wild wolf. She fought to keep her eyes open as leaned over her, suspended her legs over his shoulders and plunged into her with controlled ferocity. Her hungry body eagerly tightened around him and lured him to return from each clinging withdrawal by flooding her tender tunnel with clear arousal. Immobile, Aria watched as Varg's emotions lay clear across his face. She marveled as Varg let her see inside his heart. It wasn't just a simple phrase of words. He wasn't guarding himself with his titan grip. Her golden Wolf's eyes shined with hot, savage love for her. She was swept away by the love shining in his eyes and the powerful way he loved her body. He gave her exactly what she asked for. I am yours, my golden Wolf. I am yours. she cried out in her mind as her voice gave way to exalted cries.

Aria curled her petite body around her lover's long, muscled frame. She fell asleep with a full heart and all encompassing joy for the wonderful gift life has given her. A warrior's heart to rest her own in. She promised to treasure every moment they had.

 

[DrStein]

Varg slept lightly. He was always a little restless during a full moon. Just came with the territory. No tossing or turning, but he would stir easily. It wasn't uncommon for him to spark up or binge eat on nights like this to put himself down a little harder. This time around though he just contented himself to fall asleep with Aria wrapped up in his arms.

He woke up just as the sun crested the horizon, bathing the landscape in pastel light. It always reminded him of fire for some reason. Aria was still fast asleep. She grabbed for his warmth as he stood up and stretched out. He went back down to the living room to retrieve the salve Pete had given them. While Aria continued to sleep, he delicately spread a little more of the medicine on her wounds, which were already healing as if it had been days longer since they were created. Not quite up to par with his healing, but very little was. What werewolves could survive was something that terrified their enemies. Varg had even been tortured once by a necromancer. After surviving so many wounds, all it did was piss him off. When he finally escaped, he squeezed the wizard's head between his massive clawed hands, slowly... until screams finally gave way to the sound of bone crunching.

Aria was still deep in sleep so Varg decided to use her shower. There was no running water at his old house, so he learned to get by on friends' bathrooms and occasionally using the sink in a public restroom to give himself a rinse and clean all the dirt and oil out of his hair. After she got up, they would go to Marcus's diner for breakfast. And after that, Pavel's place. Hopefully they'd be able to get some answers.

 

[Vailyn]

Aria felt cold and reached for Varg to chase it away. Her seeking hand only found empty space where her wolf should be. Prying one eyelid open, vague shapes formed into her familiar loft bedroom. She let go of sleep reluctantly and padded downstairs to look for him. She started to head to the bathroom when her image caught her attention. The woman in the tall mirror looked radiantly happy. A little sleepy with wild sex hair. Faint marks around her lips and neck that reminded her of what could have caused them. Aria smiled. This is what it looks like to be in love.

Pulling off her shirt and throwing it on the floor, Aria joined Varg in the shower. She doubted that she will ever be able to surprise her wolf. She pressed a playful smooch in the middle of his back. Laughing into his skin, she wondered out loud, "Is this how we'll start every morning? A hot shower together?"

She picked up the loofa, squirted some of her favorite body soap on it and started lathering her body. The shower space isn't very big and it was odd to share it with such a large vitally alive man but, at the same time, she would not have it any other way. "Do you want me to wash your back? I never did finish last time." she asked in a lightly teasing, laughter filled voice.

 

[DrStein]

Varg nodded and stood as Aria soaped up his body and rinsed him clean. The caked on sweat melted off and the dingy grime in his hair was swept away and down the drain. Though he was hardly filthy, the wash made a difference. His skin was fair from so much time spent active at night. His scars varied from faint, white marks to the jagged, puckered slash marks. The faintest of them would vanish within a year. The worst would be with him a lifetime. The brand mark, the crescent moon with the slash marks in the hollow, on his upper left arm would be there forever. The process of having it burned onto him had been an ordeal, but it was all part of what was expected of him.

Varg turned around when Aria finished and kissed her with surprising gentleness. It was a moment he wished could last longer. Everything was peaceful. He wasn't fighting for his life or thinking of where his next fight would come from. All that mattered for this brief moment was this human girl who had changed his life. He took the loofa from her and began to soap up her body as she had done to him. "We need to finish up and go to Marcus's diner. We're going to find some answers today."

 

[Vailyn]

Eyes shining, Aria nodded and finished washing herself. She pressed a quick kiss on Varg's neck before leaving to dry off with a towel as she made her way back upstairs. She's never bothered to really dress at home if she didn't need to. It was invigorating to do the same while Varg was there with her. A bright happy smile filled her face as she realized again that he is living with her.

Opening the drawer with her underthings, she paused over some of her nice lingerie. Enjoying the happy glow of being in love, she pulled on black and ivory laced underwear that rested high on her derriere. A matching push up bra molded to her small pert mounds and lifted them closer together to create a pleasant valley. Walking to her closet, she pushed the hangers around until she found a simple green summer dress edged with colorful carnations. The scoop neck left her collarbone and hint of cleavage free to sight, the flowing half sleeves danced along her upper arms and the flowing skirt fluttered against her knees. She grabbed her black leather jacket, went downstairs to look for her black ankle boots.

"Varg? I'm ready if you are. I think I can eat two plates of breakfast foods! This salve is amazing. My wounds are closed and I think I'm okay uh, you know. Down there." Aria blushed.

 

[DrStein]

"Make things easier tonight," Varg remarked as he stepped out, towling off his bare chest. He was already wearing his jeans and biker boots. He fished a Black Flag T-shirt out of the garbage bag full of his clothes and slipped it on. His long hair was still damp, but in the morning sunlight the rusty streaks of dark red were still visible. Like in the photography. His father's dark hair tinged with the red from his mother.

He opened a window and stuck his head out, sniffing deeply. Nothing to be alarmed about. And he couldn't hear anything troublesome either. They wouldn't be likely to meet any trouble on the way to the diner. The further the sun climbed into the sky the safer they'd be as well. Most of the things Varg hunted never came out during the day.

The drive was a short one. Marquis's Diner was an old building, and the smell of the grill and fryer were already wafting out. The place had only been open a few minutes when Varg came in. A tall black man with dreadlocks and an apron was standing behind the counter wiping it down. His nose twitched and he looked up, seemingly unsurprised to see Varg, but certainly surprised to see Aria. "Who's your date?" he asked with a New Orleans accent.

Varg looked over his shoulder. "Kind of a long story. Can we get somewhere private? We need to talk. And eat."

The man behind the counter straightened up and turned back to the kitchen. "'Ey! Joey! Can y'all cover up front? Varg's here." A young man came out front with a nod. The black man gestured for Varg and Aria to follow him. He led them to a break room for the employees.

Varg turned to Aria. "This is Marcus Marquis, the owner. He's one of our spies. Keeps his ear to the ground. Marcus, this is Aria. She's the one I'm supposed to protect."

Marcus sniffed again and smirked. "Among other things, smells like. You want your usual?"

"Make it two."

Marcus looked at Aria and raised a brow. "She got a hollow leg or something?"

Varg shrugged. "Whatever she doesn't finish, you know I will."

Marcus tilted his head almost like a shrug with a lift of his brows, conceding the point. He ducked out of the room to start their order.

Varg took Aria's hand and led her to a seat at the table. "Marcus is an old friend of mine. You can trust him. We're gonna see if he knows anything that can help. He can tell you some of our stories, too."

 

[Vailyn]

Varg's friend Marcus was a tall black man with long dreadlocks, a broad forehead, broken nose, full lips and a sharp eyes. The way he obviously smelled Varg and her made her a little uncomfortable. They had both showered. Did they both still smell like sex? Or was it more likely that their scents covered one another?

Marcus lead them into a small break room, took their orders and left as they sat down at the table. Aria leaned close to Varg with wide eyes. She whispered, embarrassed, "Uh... do we smell or something? I mean, do we smell like each other? Is that how he knew I'm with you?"

The owner came back with several plates. There was a huge pile of bacon, eggs, sausage, shortcakes and an enormous omelet placed in front of them. "Here." Marcus placed two forks, two glasses of orange juice and a jug full of OJ onto the table. Tummy rumbling with eagerness, Aria dove into the mouthwatering mass of food and beamed her pleasure at Marcus.

 

[DrStein]

Varg looked to Aria in surprise. "You mean you can't smell it?" He shook his head. He couldn't imagine what it must like to be human. They couldn't see in the dark, they could only hear so far, and their sense of smell was ridiculous. "Aria... we're going to smell like wild fucking for at least another day. You know... if we don't fuck again before then. My people don't bullshit much. If you're getting laid, there's no hiding it."

Marcus brought back their food and pulled up a chair, which he sat in backwards with his arms crossed on the back and resting his chin on them. He smiled at Aria. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but how does a gorgeous girl like you get mixed up with the mutt over here?"

Varg's response was a roll of the eyes and middle finger before shoveling more pancakes into his mouth. "This from a guy who couldn't get laid if his cum tasted like chocolate." The interplay between the two lacked the hostility of Varg's interaction with his family. This was two old friends heckling each other.

 

[Vailyn]

Aria choked on the bite of bacon when Varg stated that they are going to smell like sex. They may smell like it all the time because she can't imagine not wanting Varg or him holding away from her... She stopped coughing and drank down some OJ to soothe her throat.

Marcus returned to the table and she blushed bright red with a happy smile at his comment. She laughed at the thought of chocolate tasting cum. That would be interesting! She chuckled.

Glancing at her golden Wolf, she answered Marcus, "He saved me from a vicious attack a few nights ago. I would have died if he wasn't there watching after me. The wendigo managed to hurt me and one thing lead to another." Aria turned to Varg and kissed his cheek. "He's my warrior and I love him."

Having eaten a good amount of the breakfast arrayed before her, Aria slowed down to just nibble on bits. "Marcus, I'm glad to meet you. It's nice to meet a friend of Varg's. Thank you for breakfast. It tastes great! I'm really enjoying it."

Aria was happy to just hang out with Varg and Marcus. She could see how relaxed and cheerful he was with his friend. It made her heart glad to see that there were other good people who cared about her wolf like she did.

 

[DrStein]

Marcus blinked and his smile vanished. "Wendigo? We haven't had one of those in two years."

"Yeah... about that..." Varg began. He chugged an entire glass of orange juice before continuing. "The mystics want me to guard Aria. Something about her... There's something about there that wants a piece of her. We're not sure what or why. Kinda hoping you had some information."

Marcus looked at the floor and pursed his lips as he thought. His eyes briefly flashed yellow like Varg's and his Uncle Leo's did. "Well... we think there might be a sorcerer in town for one. One of my boys found the body of a stray cat in... that sort of condition. Prostitute went missing. Could be an incubus... Also possible something's in the river. No big signs, but a lot of little things over the last few weeks adding up... We have a few fairy sightings in the suburbs, too. And I don't want to speak too soon, but we may just have a vampire prowling the cultural district by the waterfront."

Varg stopped eating. "This is kinda weird."

Marcus looked up. "You mean all this stuff happening at once? Yeah. It's busy for this time of year."

Varg chewed another piece of bacon before looking over at Aria. He looked a bit vexed and his eyes flashed. "We asked Pete for some medicine. I went a little too hard the other night and Aria ended up bleeding. He said to see if she's still bleeding when we fuck in two days. You have any idea what that meant?"

Marcus glanced back and forth between Aria and Varg, showing no sign that he was surprised by Varg's matter-of-fact tone. "Not really, no. Unless he was thinking..." Marcus turned to Aria. "Was one of your parents kind of on the weird side? Or maybe you never knew them? And uh... how old are you?"

 

[Vailyn]

Aria's curious brown eyes followed the conversation as it bounced back and forth between the two formidable men. Or it is more like wolfmen? She thought with a smile. Her mind whirled with the potential implications of everything that they spoke about as though it was an every day occurrence for vampires and magic to be dallied about.

She mused as she thoughtfully chewed on her lip. In the past few days, she's been attacked by a human taken over by a myth. Saved by another nightmare legend and fell in love with him to boot. Saw the evidence of healing substances that worked better than modern medicine and been exposed to several werewolves. Something she used to believe to be a total Fantasy.

Marcus drew her attention and asked peculiar questions about her parents. A sense of unease slid through her and she reached out to entwine her fingers in Varg's hand. She felt comforted by his touch. Aria leaned onto him and rested her small chin on his broad shoulder.

"I never knew my Father. Mom wouldn't talk about him. She only said that she loved him a lot and did until the day she died. She seemed to miss him but never she didn't try to date or see anyone new. She grew ill when I entered High School at 14 and died a day after my 18th birthday. I'm 22 now and turning 23 soon. I haven't had a very unusual life. I mean... I love dancing and I could have made it on the international stage if I stuck with it but plans changed when my Mom fell ill. Does... does any of that help? Does any of that answer what's going on? The salve that Varg got for me worked really well! I only have the scars of my wounds on my belly and I.." She blushed red hot! "I'm not bleeding anymore..."

 

[DrStein]

Marcus furrowed his brows and looked at the floor. The room grew quiet for a moment before cleared his throat. Marcus looked up again with lips pursed. "Before I came here, I stopped in Manhattan for a little while. We had a Changeling causing some trouble."

Varg looked to Aria and then back to Marcus. "You saying she's..."

"No," Marcus replied. "But... Changelings ain't the only things that get involved in family shit. Lotsa creatures out there known to bed a human. Child that comes out of it depends on what creature it was in the first place. Sometimes the child inherits that magic sort of... spark. The older the child gets, the weaker the parent gets. The magic joined with the parent's life force at conception, so it has to make the parent sicker and weaker to keep the child growing. When the child becomes an adult..." He looked over at Aria. His silence was a more effective conclusion to the sentence than any words could be.

Varg looked over at Aria. His normal sullen mask cracked, and one could see the lines of sorrow, empathy, and sadness on his face. He understood losing a loved one, but he had gotten retribution for his parents' death. That Aria's mother may have died because of some arbitrary force of the cosmos, and all to power Aria's growth from child to adult... he couldn't even conceive what that must feel like. He reached out and took her hand again.

"It's a guess, anyway," Marcus tried. "Can't say for sure... At least until tomorrow. That might be what Pete was getting at. This much contact with things like Varg and me might be causing magic in you to wake up. Not sure what exactly he's looking for, but that's Pete."

 

[Vailyn]

Aria slowly lost color in her face as implications of what Marcus said settled. Her fingernails dug into Varg's hand. She didn't even realize what she was doing as thoughts stormed her mind.

Did Mom die because of me? Am I different? Is that why I've never known who my father is? Did...

...am I... Did Mom--did I kill her?

Was it me?

A feeling. That inkling, instinctive gut feeling echoed a profound certainty. One she didn't want to face. How could she bear to be the reason that caused her Mom's death?

Aria didn't even know that she was crying. She didn't know that she was crying until Varg raised their clasped hands up to her face and wiped a tear away with his knuckle. A broken gasp expelled from her when she saw the damage her fingernails caused on his hand. She immediately tried to let go and see what she did but he wouldn't let her go. He just held her hand and pulled her into a fierce hug with his free arm.

"Varg, I don't want to be the reason for my Mom's death. I would never have chosen my life over hers. I wouldn't." she said in a broken voice. Aria hid her face in his neck. Her words muffled as she tried to burrow herself into him. "I don't want it to be true. I don't want to be different. I don't..."

 

[DrStein]

Varg just held Aria in his arms. For a while the only sounds in the room were her soft sobs as he and Marcus remained silent. He wanted to say something to comfort her, felt like it was the thing he should be doing... but he was terrible with words. He wasn't even sure words existed that could give any comfort for what she was going through.

It was a long time before any of them spoke again. Marcus gave Varg a glance and quietly left the room. Varg finally tilted Aria's face up to look at him as kissed her forehead. "No one ever gets to pick their family... All I have left of my father and mother is that picture. You..." He put his hand over her heart. "Your mother's spirit is part of you. Literally." It was the best he could do. It was the truth. He could only hope it would be enough to sooth some of Aria's heartache. There were still times he found himself lying awake wondering what would have been if his father had lived. He would stare at the photo for hours, stewing in a sadness that no one ever saw, not even his extended family. He understood loss and pain, he just wished he could express it better.

"I'm here now," he whispered. "She gave you her strength. And I need you to be strong if we're going to get through this."

 

[Vailyn]

Aria's small curved shoulders shook as she tried to stop crying. She didn't mean to cry. She didn't much care for crying. It never seemed to make her feel better and caused her face to turn into a blotchy red gnome with a swollen face. She grabbed a new paper napkin, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. It wasn't very ladylike.

Spiky lashes tried to cling together as she blinked the last of the tears from her sad brown eyes. She refused to cry more over an hypothetical idea. Even if her instincts did say that its the truth. That was one truth she couldn't accept right that moment.

"Varg? Are..are you done? Can we go? I'd like to come back sometime but can we go now? I... Let's go to my favorite place. I like to go there to think or to get away from the city. It's not far."

He nodded. They said their goodbyes to Marcus. Aria surprised the large man by giving him a big hug and telling him how happy she was to meet him. They promised to come back soon.

Aria gave Varg some directions and shouted the rest while she rode behind him on his motorcycle. A combination of the bright sunlight and the strong rush of wind thrumming against them assuaged the ache in her heart. She could enjoy the moment of riding fast on the streets and holding onto the man that she loved.

Their destination was a small park in the heart of a suburban neighborhood. One of those hidden gems that you wouldn't know about unless you enjoyed exploring new areas for the fun of it. Varg parked the motorcycle near the path that Aria pointed out. She lead him to walk on a faint path into the heart of the park and then drew him to follow her off the trail.

They came out of the woods to a small clearing with a lively rolling brook that ran over small boulders in the water. In the distance, she pointed out the shimmer of water and told Varg that it's a little lake but it always had someone around it's shores. That's why this spot in the woods was her favorite. Here she could be all alone.

"But now, I don't want to come here alone. I'll come with you."

 

[DrStein]

Varg wandered the clearing like a wild animal inspecting new territory for the first time. His eyes carefully scanned everything in that same practiced manner, checking for points that enemies could use for an ambush, possible escape routes, and so on. It was a habit born of necessity. It was a pretty little place, and the solitude was a comfort he could appreciate. His life was so violent however that his instincts demanded he go through this whole process. He took off his jacket and put it around Aria's shoulders. True, neither one of them really needed it since the weather was warm enough out that only someone a few hundred miles south would complain it was cold, but after what she'd been through in the last hour he imagined any small degree of comfort would help.

"Sometime when things are safer, I'll take you here during a full moon." He could already imagine this place under moonlight. He was a poor judge of what was and wasn't romantic as the topic seldom came up in his home life but he had to believe Aria would find that at least a little appealing. He hugged her close, wrapping her up in a warm embrace protected by his powerful arms.

"Sometime today we should go to see Pavel. He might have some answers for us."