Jagged Embrace

Chapter 69 - Ander

Too soon the morning came, the sunlight crept between the wall and curtains and roused Ander. Instead of getting up, he chose to lie next to Maeve and allowed the peace she brought to blanket him. The light gradually brightened and Will stirred behind him, getting up to use the bathroom. Paranoia, for his actions, almost made him jump when Will opened the door. Will must have noticed that his body tensed at the sound because instead of his typical wake up call, he simply told him to get up.

"Let her sleep. We can take care of our prints, well, if she sleeps through it anyway," Will said in a low voice.

Ander slid out of bed.

A black cigarette hung from Will's mouth. "Can you block the light?"

Ander shifted in front of Maeve as Will left to smoke his disgusting poison. Maeve stirred but did not wake. He used the bathroom before slipping outside to speak with Will. Thankfully, Will had just finished his cigarette.

"Are we going to cut or burn?" Ander asked.

Will stared into the parking lot thoughtfully. "I can wear gloves." He attempted to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "I'm not doing it all the time, but I can this one time, since only one of us is going in. She'll have to wear them, too."

Ander tilted his head and studied Will. "Is it because she will be with you?"

"No, well, that's part of it. You're," Will turned his eyes toward Ander, "injured enough. It can wait. We'll just need to be more cautious."

"I dislike that she is going with you."

"Yeah, I know you do, but it's just a retrieval. As far as we know, no one else knows where it is."

"I was looking into that... are you aware we are doing a retrieval for Greystone Industries?"

Will nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "Not the first time, won't be the last."

"Yes, but is it not curious that they tasked the Soldiers of Night to obtain the document? If the danger level is so low, they could simply assign it to new recruits. We are missing information."

"I thought about that. You're right. On paper it looks safe, but you and I both know they'd throw a thousand of us into a furnace if it saved one of them," Will said, bitterness creeping into his voice. "I was kinda hoping you'd figure out what had 'em spooked before we went in."

"I have not discovered it yet, but it makes me uncomfortable to not be there."

"Me too, but... it's only been ten days since you almost..." Will stopped and averted his eyes.

"I am still here," Ander reminded him.

Will's jaw worked. "But you almost weren't, Andy."

"I will not leave you. Not again. I understand my previous mistake," Ander said.

"You may not have a choice if I keep fucking up." Will looked at the ground.

"I already told you that was not your fault. We both agreed it needed to be done. I understand I was grievously wounded, to the point it now impairs me, but you are forgetting the success."

"What success?" Will snapped.

"Will, we destroyed an alpha, just you and I, with no team. That has never been done before in the Soldiers of Night. Not only that, but as far as anyone is aware, we eliminated the pack." Ander paused. "I am still alive. Maeve was not wounded. So what if Mason is angry? We eliminated a large threat to the humans. At this point, my wounds are more of an inconvenience than actual wounds. Mason's healing was potent." Ander made sure his tone did not waver or hint at his underhanded actions.

Will turned to face him with a crease between his brows. "Really?"

"Yes, based on my examination of the wounds yesterday, my chest wound should be healed in a little over two weeks. Unfortunately, my shoulder will take longer because of the broken bone, but even that will likely be healed by the middle of August or sooner."

"You don't heal that fast," Will said, his voice full of doubt.

"No, I do not, but Mason spent quite a bit of energy to make sure that I would. Well, that and..." Ander stared at the concrete slab at his feet. "In the swamp, just before it attacked me, I cast a protection spell so the damage would be reduced and after, when I woke up in the water, I healed myself. Just enough so that I would not die before we got out of the swamp."

"You stupid, brilliant bastard." Will shook his head. "I want to be pissed at you, but if you hadn't, you'd probably be dead. Seriously though, no more of that shit. You've been slipping since the shade mission. I get why, but you have to stop. Okay?"

Ander nodded with enthusiasm.

"Good. You get how dangerous that shit is. Mason's already flipping out 'cause of that sphere... I mean it, Ander. No more." Will's tone hardened at the end.

Ander nodded again.

Will rubbed the back of his head. "I need a fucking haircut."

"We can do that today if you would like."

"You gonna be able to do that with one hand?"

"Your style is not much of a style," he replied.

Will mocked wounded feelings and then laughed. "True, but how are you gonna cut and style that?" Will motioned to Ander's hair.

Ander had always worn his hair longer than Will. Initially, when they were young, it was a rebellion against Wyatt and the Soldiers of Night establishment. All Soldiers of Night that were active in the field wore a similar military style, too short for a monster to get a hold of. It was the most logical, but Ander could not bring himself to wear his own that way. It was shorter now than in his youth and would still be considered short. The back was kept clipped to his hairline, but he let the front and sides grow out longer so he had bangs that laid at the sides of his head.

"Carefully," Ander replied with mirth.

Will laughed and patted his shoulder before he grabbed the door knob.

"Will," his voice shifted into a serious tone.

He paused and turned his head to peer at him over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Are we going to be forthcoming with Maeve about the potential danger? I need to know how to phrase my statements."

"Forthcoming? Who the fuck says forthcoming?"

"Open and honest about the retrieval mission," Ander said quickly.

"I understand what it means," Will replied. "Yeah, we're gonna be forthcoming. Need to see how useful she'll be for retrievals. I'm still not sure about her on real missions, but if she could help with retrievals, it'd make it easier to deal with Mason."

"Understood."