Strange Love 117 Final Say

Jos rolled her eyes as stepped away from Russ and walked over to where Orion stood flipping pancakes. She leaned over the plate he had stacked high and breathed in deeply. "Looks great, Ry." She sent Russ a mischievous glare. "And look not a one of them are burnt."

Russ shrugged a wide grin spread across his face as he walked past everyone else to where she stood. He pinned her between his arms against the counter. "The kitchen is not a room I've mastered." He purred in insinuation. He leaned in closer to her and waited until her lips parted for his kiss before he laughed and plucked a pancake off the pile and popped it in her waiting mouth for a bite then finished the rest of it himself. He let out a satisfied growl "Tasty…" His eyes twinkled and his smile grew wider as Jos turned a bright shade of red.

"Alright, out of my way will ya." Orion growled as he shooed them both away.

Raven laughed as she carried her cup over to the table. "Good to see you two are back to normal."

Orion arched a brow as Russ lead Jos over to the long table and pulled a seat out for her beside where he planned to sit. "This is normal?" He huffed in disbelief. "In that case, I think I like it better when he's brooding." He glanced over at Arei who had turned all his focus to the coffee pot. Orion shook his head as he pulled out the pan of bacon, he had set in the oven to keep it warm earlier. He turned with the bacon in one hand and the plate of pancakes in the other and walked to the table. "Dig in guys." He said as he set the plates down in the center of the table. He noticed Arei walking away from the room with his cup. "You not eating, Arei?"

Arei only paused without turning around. "No, I have some calls to make… Some other things as well. You guys enjoy." He held his coffee cup up as a salute as he began walking again.

"Wait!" Russ called out after him. "I… we have something we'd like to talk to you guys about." Russ smiled down at Jos affectionately.

Arei stopped but only turned slightly, his body and expression rigid. "Then ask quickly, I have work to do." As much as he fought against it, his eyes continued to focus on where the young wolf's hand rested on the back of Jos's chair idly running his fingers through the loose tendrils of her hair. Her body was turned slightly in the chair toward the boy as if any s.p.a.ce between them would be unbearable. He took a long sip of the hot coffee to wash down the irritation that was building.

"-So, we were thinking maybe you could help train her like you have been me." Russ concluded his long explanation.

Arei shook his head, "Not wise pup." He hadn't heard half of what the boy had to say, but any training involving Jos had proven enough trouble in the past to be avoided now.

Orion sent them both a troubled, sad look. "I'm sorry, Russ. We can't risk your safety like that." Orion rubbed his brows. "Even if it were just me and Arei working with her, it would still be too dangerous. Especially with what just happened."

Russ furrowed his brows, "Give her a chance. Don't you think the council would go easier if they knew she was in control and what better way to prove it than give them a demonstration. Besides, you said yourself the vampires are likely to retaliate. She needs to be able to protect herself without fear of losing control again." He clasped his large hand over the hands Jos was fidgeting with as he continued. A warm smile lit his expression as her eyes met his. "And if I can ever convince this stubborn woman to marry me, it would be a skill to give any kingdom an edge."

"Yes, there's no other person I'd want by my side." He smiled at her as he lifted her chin so their eyes could meet.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Jeez, are you trying to make her run again?" She took an aggressive bite from her bacon and winked to Jos when her surprised eyes met hers. "I keep telling him to ease into these things… just shows, never listens…" She bit off another chunk of bacon as she shook her head in amus.e.m.e.nt.

Arei's eyes narrowed. "Kid do you have a death wish???" He growled.

"It's not like that at all. She has control. She can do this." He shot to his feet and pulled his s.h.i.+rt up over his head then turned his back to the table and Arei.

Raven let out a sudden snicker and shot her fist into the air, "f.u.c.k yea!"

Arei's mouth dropped and his eyes moved back to Jos who refused to look away from her hands, the bright red of her cheeks nearly glowing.

Orion broke the tension. "I see…"

Arei and Orion exchanged a look. Arei forced his eyes to remain on his brother as he spoke. "I'll let you work this out. I'll go along with whatever you decide, as always." He turned his back to the room and flung his hand up as he headed toward the stairs.

Orion let out a heavy breath. "So, you… practiced this already?" He asked Jos. She didn't look away from her hands, instead, she nodded her head. Orion moved his attention back to Russ who had already put his s.h.i.+rt back on and sat back down. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with both index fingers. "That was extremely dangerous, you know, that right? Was she-was she in full form?"

Russ glanced over at Jos before answering. "No, she was able to sustain a partial s.h.i.+ft each time."

Orion's eyes shot open. "EACH?! How many d.a.m.n times… you know what never mind…"? He went back to rubbing his temples. "So, you were able to maintain partial form numerous times during- physical- activities without difficulty?" He aimed his question to Jos raising his hand to cut Russ off before he could answer. "I'm asking her."

Jos nodded again. "I… I had to switch back before… before I finished each time…" She stammered.

Orion nodded. "So not to completion, that's good. If you were to lose control that would be the time, I'd expect it most. Did you hold back up until the last possible second or did you- before…" Orion shook his head and swallowed deeply. "Ugg… This is like talking to you own d.a.m.n kid about s.e.x for the first time…" He pushed his seat away from the table and walked over to the pantry. Removing a bottle of rum, he walked back over and pored a good portion into his coffee. "I'm going to need this if we are to discuss this further."

Raven lifted her cup to Orion. "Hit me with some of that, daddy." She winked at him teasingly.

He arched a brow in her direction, "Funny." He said as he pa.s.sed the bottle over to her. "You know, I may be old, but I still have a life outside of hunting and training lil beasties. I know exactly what you're implying."

Raven forged innocence as she pored rum into her coffee. "What do you mean, daddy?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "Unless you're wanting spanked, I suggest you stop."

Raven fluttered her lashes again as she pressed her finger to her lips in mock innocence. "Yes, daddy."

Russ nodded an amused grin still spread across his face. "I do." He cupped her hands again. "You've only seen the worst of us together, but believe me after nearly 19 years together, I can promise you we are much better together than we will ever be apart."

Raven nodded. "I've been with her nearly constantly for the past 400 years, and I have to agree with him. It's why I encouraged them in the first place. I suspected it when we first started hanging around Camilla, but once the twins came into the picture… It was the first time Jos has ever looked at herself as more that a monster... as someone who wanted to be seen as more…" She sent Orion a knowing glare. "There's things you missed from the shadows."

Jos's head popped up for the first time since the conversation started. ��The shadows?"

Raven nodded. "You never felt his presence? He has kept an eye on you all this time, haven't you." Her gaze held Orion's.

Joss turned her attention to him. Her brows tented in confusion. "You have? Why? Why did you never say anything? All this time… I thought…" Her words died off. She could not force the words past the lump in her throat as her eyes moved from Orion toward the stair Arei had vanished up. Her heart felt like a vice grip was wrapped around it as it thumped uncontrollably.

Orion sighed heavily, "I thought it was better that way. In part because it was ordered by father. He did not- doesn't trust you, a grudge held over from his distaste of your father. After what happened with you and Arei, I just a.s.sumed my face would be the last you'd wanted to see." He could feel a tug at his chest as tears built in her eyes.

"I thought you'd abandoned me. Do you know how hard it was for me to lose both of you at the same time?" Jos yelled as anger and hurt battled within her. "You… you were everything to me for so long… my first fr…friend…" She scrunched her brows. "My first real family."

Orion sighed as he rubbed his temples. "I a.s.sumed when you told Arei you never wanted to see him again that extended to me as well."

Jos grinded her teeth in frustration. "You idiots! Both of you! I didn't want either of you to leave, I wanted you to tell me the truth!" She fisted her hands digging her nails into her palms.

"Shhh. It's ok, we have plenty of time to work all this out now. No one's going anywhere now. We are all here for you." Russ said in a low soothing voice as he pulled her against his chest. He shot Raven a look then stood pulling Jos up with him. "What do you say we take this to the patio as you can get some fresh air."

She nodded and grabbed her plate. She turned stormy eyes toward Orion. "Thank you for the breakfast."

He frowned and nodded. He watched as Russ led her out the large gla.s.s doors to the back deck. "f.u.c.k!" He growled once the door was closed. "This is a d.a.m.n disaster. If it's not the kid's mood swings, I have to deal with, now it's her too?!"

Raven let out a long sigh. "That's the thing, though. Her physical age doesn't really match her mental age, now does it. She'd never really seen herself as a anything but a monster until you, as a person until Camilla, or an adult until Russ…" She gave him a sad smile. "Our babies are growing up and all we can do is help the along the way."

Orion shook his head, "That's a f.u.c.ked-up way to put it, but I guess you're right. So training, any ideas?"