Jagged Embrace

Chapter 65 - Ander

Will returned an hour later and carried in two bags of food, ravenous as usual. He could not recall a time since Will entered puberty that he was not hungry. Ander had forced himself to be more cautious in his interactions with Maeve. Whatever caused her reaction to him was escalating. He needed to determine what it was before he could not restrain himself. It was obvious she had no control over her actions. Perhaps it was a chemical reaction?

He had read studies regarding pheromones with animal or insect behavior. In the studies the pheromones had been used to raise an alarm, signal a food trail, delineate a territory, create bonds between mother and offspring, warned other animals to retreat, and for sexual arousal. However, in human studies, there was little concrete evidence of the existence of pheromones, but it could not be ruled out entirely. If they existed, the effect would be subtle. Her reaction did not seem subtle and his own overpowered him.

Will told them about the two tattoo shops he visited, deciding the second one was the best choice. Without discussing it, Ander understood Will would not allow him to cast the warding, which caused him great distress. Even with him leading Will through the warding, he did not feel confident it would hold on the fresh symbol. If Maeve was determined to show her commitment to them in this way, he could at least be certain the spellwork on the tattoo held. An idea bloomed in the back of his mind on how to accomplish his task, but it unsettled him by how quickly it came to mind. How much of her trust was he willing to risk for her safety?

"Are we getting my boots tomorrow after the tattoo?" Maeve's voice broke into Ander's thoughts.

"We could. I was thinking before. Tattoo shops don't open till the afternoon. Our appointment isn't until five," Will said.

"Okay," she paused. "Can I get another set of workout clothes?" she asked in a small voice.

Will chuckled. "More clothes? Is this a woman thing, to want so many clothes?"

She grimaced.

"Of course you can have additional clothing," Ander spoke up.

Maeve turned to him and gave him a grateful smile.

"Why do you need boots?" he asked.

"Hiking boots. She needs hiking boots. Not fashion ones or whatever they're called," Will told him.

Ander recalled their previous conversation about hiking.

"She needs them for when we go to the cotton mill, more comfortable than her shoes." Will opened a beer.

Ander stopped eating and stared at Will. "Why is she going to the cotton mill?"

"Because she's lookout."

"So the park ranger doesn't shoot him," Maeve offered.

Ander looked back and forth between them.

"Will has the location for the cursed object, so I just have to make sure no one sneaks up on him."

Cursed object? So Will had not revealed the real reason for retrieving the item, or the potential danger that lay ahead. Ander narrowed his eyes at Will, but said nothing.

"Yeah, after we get that, Mason has something else lined up," Will told him.

Ander nodded. He had already read the information for both objects. Each was valuable and wanted by others. He was certain Will did not have the exact location of the page they sought, or else others would have it as well.

"What supplies should we bring?" Ander asked. He wondered how open Will would be with the details of the mission.

"I'll take care of it. You're not going in with us," he said casually, but his underlying tone emphasized it was an order.

Ander felt his ire flare up and made his skin uncharacteristically warm. He refused to allow Will to take Maeve into danger after everything that had occurred. Will held his gaze, his eyes hard as steel, unrelenting. Ander grit his teeth. Maeve sucked in her breath as her hand crept up her neck. Distracted, Ander turned to the movement. Her fingers rested where he had kissed her.

He cast his view to the carpet and took a deep breath to steady his anger. "I am capable of hiking, even with an injured shoulder."

"Yeah, but it's not just your shoulder that's fucked. Your chest is still open. Can't risk it... Can't risk you," Will finished in a low voice.

Ander wanted to continue to rage, but Will's concern disarmed him. He raked his hair back with his left hand and studied Will. His face was lined with concern.

"I know the risks, Andy, and I'm not being reckless. I swear I'll do things your way, like you were there with me. I get it." Will flicked his eyes toward Maeve.

"How can you be certain of the risk?"

"I'm not... yet. But I'll be sure because you're gonna plan this and you're gonna drive, so if things go bad you can get to us faster - okay?"

Ander considered his words, the tone and how he had phrased them. Going against his nature, Will had thought out his statement. Surprisingly, he had taken into consideration Maeve, and also Ander's thoughts and feelings as well.

Ander's eyes flicked to Maeve. She sat still, her large dark eyes taking in their interaction.

"All right, I will look over things tonight and do research," Ander replied.

"You need to rest or you won't heal-" Will began.

"Understood. I will not stay awake the entire night." Ander averted his eyes.

They finished dinner, each returning to their solitary activities. Will cleaned their weapons while he watched horror movies and laughed. Maeve wrote in her journal. Ander simultaneously did research and worked on the design for Maeve's tattoo. After their conversation, he expanded it and incorporated some protection against shades, demons, and werewolves. Conflicted as he sketched the sigil, he wanted to both expand the symbol and reduce the size at the same time. Part of him wanted to design a full back tattoo that would give her protection on a level he was more comfortable with, but they did not have that amount of time, and he would not be allowed to do the ritual, so it was pointless. Conversely, he wished to make the tattoo as small as possible so that it could be hidden or removed if necessary. He could not identify why he was uncomfortable with her getting the symbols put on her skin. Perhaps because her skin was perfect and unblemished, not tainted like theirs.

Maeve and Will retired for the evening and, as she told him, there was no sexual activity. He scrutinized the drawing on the inside cover of the book he had used to create the design. It had taken hours, but he was pleased with the symbol. He yawned and glanced at the clock. It was only three am, but he was tired. He shut down the laptop and prepared for bed. It was difficult to get comfortable in his bed without Maeve, but he was adapting to her sleeping patterns. Ander found that instead of laying awake for hours, if he concentrated on her, he could fall asleep in minutes.