Jagged Embrace

Chapter 23 - Maeve

When Maeve woke up with Ander in the morning, she finally felt normal again. Well, as normal as she was going to feel in her new life. Ander had been gazing at her when she opened her eyes. She tried not to encourage his habit of staying in bed and waiting for her to wake up, but when she saw his eyes light up, she couldn't help but smile.

Will had stayed up all night in the chair with the ottoman, drinking. He and Ander argued all the way to the SUV and during the beginning of the trip. Ander didn't want Will to drive, and Will believed everyone was being paranoid. Maeve managed a compromise by telling Will she was starving and forced him to stop for breakfast. Having something in his stomach would help to sober him, at least a little. She had taken a long time to eat and suggested coffee. His mood soured, but she sat with him and was playful. In return, so was he. 

"Where are we headed?" she asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Frankfurt, KY" Will responded before drinking more of his coffee. "We'll have a few days though before the mission begins, so we can... do other things." He winked at her.

She felt herself flush and looked down at her almost empty plate. Ander shifted in his seat across from her.

"Once we reach our destination, we will need to begin your training," Ander said, nearly too quiet for her to hear.

"We're starting my training today?" Maeve exclaimed. She couldn't wait to train with them; she wouldn't be defenseless then. She would eventually be useful.

Will chuckled beside her. "No, not today, but soon enough. Not sure what you expect we're gonna be doing, but it isn't what you think."

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "It doesn't matter. I need to learn things so I can be more helpful, right?"

Will just grinned. She pinched her brows together and turned back to her food. They finished and, to her relief, Will was more or less sober. He caught her just as she opened the back door and grabbed her ass, placing a searing kiss on her lips before hopping into the driver's seat.

They pulled out of the parking lot, and the tension from earlier was gone.

Will drank too much, but Maeve didn't feel confident approaching the subject with him yet. She was uncertain when he'd started drinking, but she understood, to a point, why he drank. Everyone had their vices to deal with things, but his grip on his drinking seemed to be very loose.

Her eyes moved to Ander. What was his vice? He always seemed overly controlled with just about everything, but somehow the power of his emotions leaked through his cold facade. She ran her hand through her hair. If this was her new life and these were the people she would spend most or all of her time with, she needed to figure them out. She knew their souls, but it wasn't the same thing as knowing them or their habits. 

If she was going to have a relationship with Will, she needed to understand him better. He was volatile, but was predictable. Ander always watched and analyzed, searching for patterns. Most of the time, Will's outbursts and explosions didn't rattle him because he'd somehow expected them. If Ander figured them out, so could she.

Her hand reached up to clasp her necklace. Ander. She couldn't lose him. She felt so close to him in ways she didn't understand, and still she sensed the warning not to get too close. Shouldn't her heart warn her to fear growing closer to Will? Her eyes flicked to him. Without warning, heat spread over her skin. Apparently, her heart had no issues with getting closer to Will, or perhaps it was her body's response to him.

Ander turned to peer at her. "Once we settle in, we need to discuss your exercise schedule."

"Exercise schedule?"