Jagged Embrace

Chapter 46 - Ander

Ander glanced at Will as he carried in the dinner and alcohol. He refused to look at either of them. Ander raised an eyebrow. Will had purchased only hard liquor. He studied him and sat back, Will's guilt evident in every movement. Even with Will's impassive mask, Ander caught the small fractures in it. He slid his eyes to Maeve. It must be the result of her presence. He and Will bickered often, and Maeve was still not used to their dynamic, so it unsettled her.

"Mason called. We got the order to engage. We need to move out after dinner," Will stated. "I did some poking around and have some locations picked."

Ander furrowed his brow. He had not looked at the Soldiers of Night access portal since he laid down with Maeve, but he had seen no order to engage. Perhaps Will had called Mason. He had been restless the last couple of days. However, Ander thought after Will and Maeve had had sex last night, he would be in a better spirits. Ander's stomach tightened. His magic use had tainted everything. His eyes lowered to the floor. Maeve shifted beside him.

"Should we be prepared for an encounter?" Ander asked.

"Yeah, bring all the gear," Will replied.

Ander nodded. Heat came off of Maeve in waves and her posture was stiff. Ander assumed it was because she was still irritated with Will's earlier outburst. Her hand ran down his thigh to his knee, his body jumped in surprise.

"You need to apologize to Ander," she said in a harsh tone.

Ander's stomach clenched harder. Will would not appreciate her tone.

"Do I?" Acid laced Will's words.

Perspiration broke out all over Ander's body. He was not prepared for another conflict between them. There was no time to compartmentalize.

"Yeah. We aren't going anywhere with you until you do."

Ander snapped his head up and gawked at her. His mouth went dry. Her eyes were trained on Will, fearless even after witnessing his temper.

"You don't give the orders, I do." Will's deep voice carried in the small area.

Maeve did not understand. She could not bait him so close in the cycle. He had to stop her before she had gone too far.

"This isn't about orders, Will. This is about you being an intolerable asshole!" she raised her voice. "I'm so sick of you acting like a jerk and breaking things and then acting like it never happened. Look at your bed. It's still on the floor!"

She attempted to stand, but Ander grabbed her arm hard. Her eyes snapped to him, fire in them. He gripped her arm tighter and shook his head. Her brow pinched, but she stopped her movement. Silence filled the space. Will stood with his eyes locked on them with crossed arms.

"Are you done with this nonsense?" he asked in a bored tone.

Ander knew better. Will was seeking to push the rage back and not act out.

"Nonsense? Are you kidding - ouch!" Maeve glared at him.

Ander could not breathe. He did not wish to cause her pain, but she had to stop.

"Let go of me, now." Ice filled her voice as she spoke to him.

Her words gave him the sensation that she had slapped him, but he could not let her go. Instead, he stood, spun her around into his arms, and dragged her to the door of the room.

"What are you-" she began.

He held on to her with one arm and turned the handle with the other. He urged them outside and closed the door. As soon as the metal slab closed, he released her and stood in front of it. His eyes snapped to her arm. He had hurt her.