The Eternal Avenger: Book Two

Chapter Thirty: Company

(Natasha's POV):

Yelena and Lerato met us in the woods before we could make it back to Melina's cabin. The blond was already smirking by the time they caught us, which could only mean trouble. "What's so funny, сестра?" I asked, a playful smile on my face. Yelena grinned at me.

"Oh, just wait until you two get back," she teased. I frowned, unsure of what she could possibly be referring to. I was under the impression – however mistaken it may be – that we were chock full of surprises and didn't have room to cram another one in but we were going to have to once we explained that a roaming wolf pack was about to set up camp in the woods near the Widows. Claray raised an eyebrow, but gestured for us to lead the way back home. Even before we arrived, we could hear more shouting coming from the direction of the house. I glanced at Yelena, who was watching me with a smug smile on her face. I grabbed her by the wrist, slowing her walking temporarily.

"What's going on?" I mumbled to her lowly, not wanting to involve Claray unless I had to.

"беда (trouble)," she muttered. Lerato's big brown eyes glanced up at us as we approached. I frowned. So far, the only voices I could hear were Alexei's and Melina's. So, who were they arguing so one-sidedly with? The answer was forthcoming. We walked towards the porch of the house to find Melina and Alexei on one side, Wanda and several African women holding spears on the other. I glanced at Claray. They were Dora Milaje. Claray moved forward swiftly in an attempt to defuse the situation before it could get any worse.

"Hey," she called, announcing our return as she jogged towards the porch. Yelena smacked me on the shoulder when one of the Dora broke formations and gave Claray a hug.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my shoulder.

"You're going to put up with this?" She gestured towards my fiancé and the warrior woman who were still hugging. I grinned at her.

"Put up with what?" Yelena scoffed.

"Wanda flirts with her, some woman is hugging her – doesn't it bother you?" I stopped in my tracks, grabbing Yelena by the arm and pulling her to a halt beside me.

"You think I should be jealous?" Yelena frowned.

"Jealous?" She stared at the ground, frowning.

"Wait a minute – is this about whether I should be jealous, or the fact that you are?" I started putting the pieces together. Yelena glanced up at me sharply.

"What are you talking about?" She scoffed. I poked her gently in the ribs.

"You're jealous of Wanda, because she flirts with Claray. You like her." Yelena scowled at me, but I couldn't miss the blush that was creeping across her face. Yelena mumbled something that I couldn't quite catch. Or I just wanted her to repeat it. "What was that?" She scuffed her feet on the ground, pushing dirt around with the toe of her boot.

"She's really pretty," she mumbled. I smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling my little sister into a side hug, then kissed the top of her head. She pulled away.

"That was disgusting," she muttered, but I caught the faintest hit of a smile at the corner of her mouth anyway. Yelena, Lerato and I approached the porch just in time to catch the tail end of the explanation.

"The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever they find themselves to be." Ayo announced with finality. The Widows had begun trickling across the field, curious by the noise and the appearance of oddly-dressed strangers. I smiled to myself, recognizing that these women would most likely get along great. Melina threw her hands up in the air in exasperation and Alexei was glancing around the collection of women on the porch, realizing that he was grossly outnumbered and that his opinion was unlikely to be heeded. I smiled at Ayo, who turned to face me, slightly bowing her head. That was new. She smiled at me knowingly as she pointed to my eyes, which I'm guessing were reddish. "It is good to see you again, Natasha," she smiled, shaking my head. "You look well." I smiled and nodded my head at her.

"It's good to see you as well, Ayo." The warrior glanced at Claray over my shoulder.

"She's been busy." I caught the faintest hit of a smile on the woman's face. I nodded.

"You have no idea." Ayo leaned slightly into my side to speak directly in my ear.

"We came to help." I frowned and crossed my arms across my chest and was about to ask a clarifying question when Claray approached, smiling at us both.

"Help with what?" She asked. Ayo's serious expression returned immediately as she also offered Claray a small head nod of respect, which the hybrid immediately intuited and returned. I'll never get over how fast that woman's brain works.

"Trouble is coming," Ayo explained. Claray's eyes darkened.

"Don't tell me you're here about the Havoc pack too," she murmured. When Ayo nodded, both of our suspicions were confirmed. Claray glanced quickly over her shoulder at the Widows as Wanda and Yelena walked up to join us.

"What's going on?" Yelena asked point-blank. Never one to beat around the bush, my sister. Claray took a deep breath.

"We've got trouble, incoming." As Claray explained to the group what was happening, the mood shifted. It was almost palpable. Tension. Anxiety. A weird, excited energy. This was shaping up to be an all-out war.

"How long do we have?" Alexei asked softly. Claray shrugged.

"It's hard to say. We have the pack from Romania that will be here in a little under two days, and they will help."

"So will we," Ayo offered, the warriors behind her nodding in agreement, saluting with their wrists crossed over their chest. That was familiar. My thoughts raced back to Wakanda and the first battle against Thanos. If there was a war coming, we needed all hands on deck – and that meant making a few calls of my own.