The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

17

Ariel stepped out of the busy dinner. The sun was still out, the weather was fair, if a little chill. She ducked into the alley where the dumpster for the restaurant was hidden. Taking her bag off her shoulder, making sure she couldn't be seen from the street digging through her canvas bag. Looking to find the men's jacket that was too large for her. Thinking of how nicely all her coworkers had been dressed, especially Kit, had made Ariel feel self conscious about her limited wardrobe and complete lack of style. Grateful to Beth-Ann for helping her so much today. For being kind.

Ariel added her new money to her sock, keeping a twenty dollar bill in the large pocket of the jacket that buttoned closed. Repacking her bag carefully and hefting it over her shoulder, she left the alley and started walking down the street. She had nowhere to go, and nowhere to be until eight tomorrow morning when she would get to return to the dinner to enjoy another day waiting tables, and getting a hot meal she didn't have to pay for.

She kept putting one foot in front of the other. Walking aimlessly along the city sidewalks. If she stopped and sat down, it would be obvious to everyone that her coat did not fit her, that she was carrying too much stuff. That she was unhoused. That would make her a target. As long as she kept walking, she was a person with a purpose.

The walking had the added benefit of keeping her warm as she walked. She walked until the sun was well on its way to setting for the night. Presenting a new challenge. She could walk and be mostly unremarkable as long as the sun was up. As soon as it was dark the world would change, and she would be a woman, out on her own. She needed somewhere safe to be when it was dark.

She dug out her piece of paper with addresses for shelters, there was one nearby she realized as she checked the nearest street sign. She carefully refolded her paper and put it back into her bag to head towards the women's shelter.

As she approached the shelter she heard a familiar caw, a raven perched on the street light. Hopping from foot to foot like it was anxious. She kept walking, until a feeling of dread boiled to life inside of her. Taking control of all of her mind. The next step felt impossible to take. Would be easier to walk through flames than take another step towards the shelter.

She turned around feeling like she was about to vomit. Once facing the opposite direction, the feeling almost immediately vanished. The raven took off, flying down the street away from the shelter. The farther away she went the better she felt. Her head was spinning, she had never once experienced a feeling like she just had gone through. Considering that trusting a wild raven and helping an elk had been the wisest choices she had made recently, trusting an inexplicable feeling didn't seem as strange as it might have once.

When she was far enough away from the shelter she had approached that she no longer had any twinge of the awful dreadful feeling. She dug out her worn paper again. Noting the location of the next closest shelter. She started to walk towards it. She needed a legitimate place to sleep safely in a bed, and maybe if she was lucky a safe way to shower.

Three Hours Past Midnight was losing his mind watching as Ariel started to walk towards another trap. He had been working to network with the city corvids. Learn what he could about the particular traps and evils of this city.  There were many, many threats lurking behind friendly faces and charitable fronts. 

When a crow had interrupted his latest meeting with a corvid matriarch to tell him his witch was wandering the city and about to fall into a nest of dark witches who were heavily involved in human and supernatural trafficking. An unbloomed, unclaimed witch like Ariel would fetch a great price for a variety of reasons. 

Three Hours Past Midnight had taken flight immediately. His sisters and brothers already knew the stakes and would not begrudge his rude exit. He had arrived when Ariel was close enough to the fake women's shelter that she could have been sensed by a reasonably strong witch inside. He had used all of his will and effort through the unrealized bond to make her feel the danger she was in. Thanking Nightmother when she turned around apropos of nothing to a casual observer and walked in the opposite direction she had been a second ago.

Only for the foolish girl to find another trap on her paper and start to walk towards it. This time it was an enclave of Fae Dragons. Instead of needing to be sold to the biggest buyer of human chattel, she was going to walk herself right through their doors. Like a lamb to slaughter. Three Hours Past Midnight was trying to signal to Ariel, that she needed to get away from the fake shelter she was approaching.

His own reserves were depleted. She had been so close to the dark witches that he had used everything he had to stop her from taking another step. Now he was left weak and powerless to stop as she walked willingly towards another trap. He cawed, weaker than normal. He had used too much of his strength. She did not hear him and was not stopping.

Three Hours Past Midnight was panicked, imploring to Nightmother for help. Ariel had not accepted her own magic yet, had not bonded Three Hours Past Midnight as her familiar. It was so much harder than it should be for him to guide her right now. A witch had never needed more guiding.

If a raven was capable of sighing in relief Three Hours Past Midnight would have as he saw a 1952 Ferrari convertible, all black with shining perfect chrome trim pulling up beside Ariel on the sidewalk. Binh rolled down the window. "What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked his newest, most fragile waitress who was full of the most delicious nightmares.

Ariel looked at Binh, in his impeccable, practically ancient car that looked brand new out on the streets. Blinking slowly as she felt her brain short circuit. Stepping back from the car. Looking towards the shelter she felt exposed. Too many things didn't make sense for her to ignore any longer. "How? You? Here? Why?" She studdered out. She was tired, and hungry, and so uncertain what she should do next. Still rattled by the strange feeling that had overwhelmed her and made her turn around.

Binh leaned over and opened the car door on the passenger side beside Ariel. "I was on my way to have dinner, drop your bag in the back and join me?" He offered with the comforting voice that felt like it took away her darkest intrusive thoughts with every syllable.

Ariel looked towards Three Hours Past Midnight, still unaware of his name. He did his absolute best to imitate a human nodding yes at Ariel with the entirely of the strength he had left. Willing his poor unfortunate witch to get into the car with the dream eater. Thanking Nightmother when he saw Ariel drop her bag into the car and get into the seat by the Baku. Binh looked at the Raven and knew the birds purpose.

Without another word, Binh drove towards a restaurant he knew nearby. A warm, comforting Persian restaurant. A dining room that always had ideal ambient music playing, with a bright, colourful, eclectic decor. The food was delicious and comforting, all dishes seasoned and spiced to perfection with a generous amount of saffron used making air veritably perfumed.

Binh had the help of the corvids for 'Jenny the waitress'. Supremely interesting. The birds were a strange society all on their own. The only creatures who saw all divides and laughed as they easily passed through and in between as they desired. Binh had never once had the Nightmother's children favour him before. A crow had forced a dream on him to tell "Go here now" Showing Binh where Ariel was. He had never once been aware they could do that.

Though, perhaps it was not so unexpected that Nightmother's flock were protective of his waitress. He also had not enjoyed such awful, horrific, and true nightmares in nearly a full human lifespan now. Ariel had been hurt, so deeply her dreamworld had turned dark. She was all nightmares and no dreams. She was the drug to his addict level hunger. His own personal supply that the corvids desired him to keep. If he could somehow tame her enough so she would stick around, he might consider binding her to him to extend her life and give himself more time to savour all her nightmares.

Ariel let herself be led into a small dining room. The front door opening to a wood screened in area to wait to be greeted before being taken to a table. As soon as the door opened Ariel smelled the most mouth watering smells she had ever experienced in her entire life. So unlike anything she had known. She had no earthly guess at what spices could smell so good and warm. 

Binh at least did not leer at her, or try to touch her in anyway. Ariel wondered if Beth-Ann's crush might be doomed. Beth-Ann did have good taste at least. Letting herself glance a little closer at her boss. Perfect inky black hair and pale gray eyes. She stood next to him waiting for the hostess to seat them, feeling naked without her giant bag on her shoulder as a security blanket. 

She had left every single of her worldly possessions in the control of someone else, except the twenty dollars in her pocket. She was torn trying to understand if the fluttery feeling in her belly was caused by her anxiety over the amount of trust she had afforded Binh or her excitement for food that already had her mouth watering before she could see it.