Half-Blood Curse

15 - Familial Magic

Lucas startled awake. He felt rested, and ready to get to work. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, though. Lucas checked the time. Only two hours had passed. It was barely four in the afternoon.

If he had some time before Gabriel found him, he'd better make the most of it.

Lucas scurried to the elevator and smashed the button for Sonia's floor. He bounced impatiently as it moved, and was practically pushing the doors open faster when it finally dinged and allowed him to get to Sonia's floor.

He jogged down the hall and knocked on the door.

Strangely enough, it was Joseph that answered the door. He looked unsurprised to see Lucas.

"Um, where's Sonia?"

"In here, Alpha," Joseph made room and Lucas brushed past him.

Maestro curled up nearby in the light let in by the window. Sonia was on the couch, sipping a steaming mug and looking guilty as hell. Lucas stopped and frowned at her. She blinked up at him innocently. Too innocently.

"Oh my god, you guys were making out."

"No we weren't!" Sonia denied, but Joseph's satisfied smile said it all. "Get out!" Sonia demanded imperiously. "You're no help at all!"

"I won't lie to my alpha," Joseph said, not sounding very apologetic.

Lucas shook his head. "Okay, as much as I'd love to unpack that, I think we should get to work."

"Gabriel will kill me if you bleed again," Sonia said.

"I don't need to bleed. I just need mom. Can we get her here without Gabriel or anyone realizing?"

"I can fetch her," Joseph offered. He spun and jogged out of the small apartment, leaving Sonia and Lucas alone. Lucas stared his friend down, pressuring her with his gaze. She shrunk in on herself, pretending not to see him. He stared some more.

"Oh fine!" She cried. "Fine! We were making out!"

"I know."

"There's no need to be smug!"

"I'm not smug."

"Yes you are!" She accused. "You're smug, and he's smug! All you shifters are smug!"

She was being ridiculous, so Lucas didn't take offense at her generalization. "Gabriel can be a little smug," Lucas agreed instead.

"Joseph is so irritating!" Sonia complained. "He's the worst! He's a smug, annoying... TIGER!"

Lucas couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. Maestro yowled from the corner of the room, annoyed at the noise. At first Sonia scowled, but at his continued laughter, which only got more hysterical the longer she held out her scowl, she finally cracked a smile.

"I guess he's not so bad," she finally admitted.

"Yeah, I would guess not," Lucas said, wiping his eyes. "When did that even happen?"

"Well, you know, he was so defensive when Karslisle was being a dick about the spellwork, and he defended me when Gabriel was mad and Micheal tried to growl at me in the cafeteria... It was sweet. In his own way. He tried to kill me though, and I won't let him forget it, he really frightened me before."

"Before?" Lucas pressed.

"Yeah, well..." She trailed off and gave a prim shrug of her shoulder. She sipped her tea again, not looking at him. Lucas couldn't help but grin at her.

There was a tentative knock on the door, and then Caroline peered inside.

"Lucas? You needed me? Are you going to finish getting rid of the spell?" She hurried into the apartment and sat on the floor by the couch, not close enough to accidentally touch anyone. Her hands still glowed faintly red.