This Burning Love

Games and Stories

Jonah's POV

My body glows a dim gold as I whiz through the air, the flying spell I'm using written along my stomach so that I can save my magic reserves for fighting.

My mouth is turned into a wild grin, the Hunt the only time I can let go of everything, pressure, worry, depression, and just be.

As I fly close to the tops of the buildings, looking to see if I can spot some prey hiding in dark alleyways, movement catches my eye, and I look towards the middle of the street to see Ares in a fight with three people, one of which being a Vampire. The white haired woman throws a punch out but Ares swiftly dodged the blow and uses his bat to trip her before landing a punch to her stomach that has her panting heavily on the ground.

I imagine myself dropping in altitude and I manage to bring myself down to street level, dropping from about ten feet in the air to capture the Enchanted that's making a run for it after seeing how easily Ares took down their Vamp.

"Per manus meas te tenetis." I call out and I watch as glowing chains appear from the Enchanted body before snapping around his arms and legs. I watch in amusement as it causes him to trip and fall, his tied hands unable to help him catch himself.

"Nice work. Your spells are getting faster." Ares tells me and I turn my head to see him in a fist fight with another Super though the dim light and rain in the distance stop me from identifying which.

"Been practicing." I tell him cooly as I allow myself to float into the air again knowing Ares can handle a measly fight. I pretend it isn't a big deal, but little seven years old me is celebrating inside from the praise of our favorite Uncle.

   For another hour or so we fight together, sharing the occasional word or so, but mostly lose ourselves in the Hunt until we rack up a total points of forty, the night not even halfway over. When we place two knocked out Enchanted in the abandoned theater with the other prey we caught and tied to the chairs, I expect for us to keep going, but instead, Ares nods his head towards the stairs and doesn't answer when I ask what's up.

   Knowing I won't find out if I stick around here, I follow him through the door that leads towards the stairs. We go up about four flights until finally there roof access. Uncle Ares holds the door open for me and I step out into the cool night air, closing the door behind me before walking over toward the ledge where he's already taken a seat, legs dangling over the side. I sit down and sing my legs over too, looking over at the buildings stretching out in every direction, the whole city still up after dark. The wind is the only noise for a few minutes and I wait patiently, knowing my Uncle isn't someone to be rushed.

    "When Thomas and I met, we both hated the idea of each other in our own different ways." He starts off finally and the words shock me to my core, never knowing Uncle Ares to be anything but overprotective and dotting on his lover.

     "Why? You guys are so perfect for each other, the entire family basically idolizes you guys." I joke, but it's true that we all admire the love they have for each other and the strong bond that they share.

    "Because we were both broken. In our own ways of course. Thomas grew up with an abusive father who went after not only him, but his mother as well. His father preached about things like dominance, character, knowing one's place. He began to associate strong dominant men, especially those with a.... mean streak, with being toxic and abusive. He pictured his lover to be some sweet small little thing, like you Cody and instead he got me. He didn't take so kindly to that." His chuckle is almost warm and happy even though I'm sure it must have been painful when it happened. "And I had seen what love can do to a person. My mother... she was ashamed to be with a man that wasn't more powerful and refined like an Angel or Faerie. So she only came during their Monthly came no sooner left no later. Except when she got pregnant with me. She stayed long enough to push me out and heal herself and then she left and it was back to normal. It broke my dad to see her leave more and more the longer it went on. Until one day he couldn't take it anymore and he killed himself in front of both her and me. She left and never came back."

    I don't speak, just let him clear his throat, the words seeming to stick for a second, as if it's still a wound that he's trying to heal but hasn't quite managed to yet.

   "So I didn't want a Soulmate. At all I thought I could just avoid them for the rest of my life. And then one fateful night during a Hunt. He captured me." He tells me and his grin is wide and full of love and I finally understand why he still plays even if he doesn't do so to score. It reminds me of when they met. "What finally got us together was the idea that no matter what our reservations were, we were judging someone we were made to love based off of fears that ultimately we had no control over. The only thing we can control is ourselves, and we have to give others the chance to show who they are on the inside, not who we fear them to be."

     I hang my head back and look at the stars, images of wolves looking down on me, sneering, disgracing my own upbringing as well as my parents.

    "Did you know that it was Carson who held the door open for Cody when he was in labor with Lily?" He asks me suddenly and my head snaps towards him as I frown at him.

    "What?"

   "Yeah, Cody had me send him a thank you basket as we kept tabs on the kid and helped in any way we could after his lost the last of his family." He tells me quietly, and I feel a punch to the gut at the onslaught on information I've never known.

    "The last of his family?"

"His mom died giving birth to him. His father followed him a few years later after struggling to survive. His grandma finally went too after raising him the best she could. He ended up in the pack house. Just like Cody." He tells me and I think about the Carson I knew when I was younger how he never really laughed and played like the others. How independent and quiet he always was.

I was so caught up in my own assumptions and fears I didn't even stop to think about what things have been like for Carson too.

I hang my head shamefully but my Uncle doesn't let it for long. "Don't beat yourself up. All of us, your parents and all your uncles and aunties, we've been where you are. Every single one of us have been in your shoes. It's not the end of the world, it's the beginning of something beautiful if you let it be. If you want it to be. The difference is, you have people like me to fuck you up if you mess up and help you along. We didn't really have anyone like that growing up. Take advantage of it." He tells me before standing up with the wolf crazy grin I've come to expect from him. "Now, enough with the boring stuff, let's go kick some ass."

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ares will always and forever be the love of my life he's the best. the star of the show. It's actually a nice day out today I like it. I'm going to take my Maltese out later to play.

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QOTD: What did you have for lunch?