Tares City

90. Coming To Terms

DEAN STRAKEN

"What do you mean, you just left?" Dean exclaims as Nicholas drives them away from the building. "She chose you! She wanted you! And you left? I don't understand. What have you been doing then? What do you plan to do? Do you still want the cure? Did you expect her to risk everything, get it herself, and bring it to you on a silver platter?" Dean rants angrily.

"Look, I was pissed, okay? Arrow purposely withheld the information. She knew what she was doing! She could have told me many opportunities before, but she didn't. She wasn't going to," Nicholas defends. "I only found out because she slipped up trying to keep me there."

"And now what?" Dean sighs. "Look at this mess. She's alone over there. Her people are most likely betraying her over here! The Kennedys have raided the organization..."

"The Kennedys are taking over the city. They've exposed lycanthropy to everyone."

"WHAT?"

"Luke Kennedy held a publicized event where he unveiled a cage Lycan and exposed everything," Nicholas explains. "People are in a panic, but the bustard is good at reassuring them. He's got their votes in his pocket. They're bashing Munson. It's a mess."

"He wants to be the only hunting organization in Tares." Dean murmurs. "Arrow is in danger! They know she's turning. They know she's in Xylia looking for Rockwell!"

"I thought you didn't tell them anything?" Nicholas accuses. "I didn't," He glares. "Quinn said she heard it from Arrow herself."

"Arrow would never let that slip. Quinn must have had some surveillance or mic stashed somewhere." Nicolas thinks.

"She's in danger."

"We all are, it seems. With this wave of Kennedy's influence." Nicholas comments. "They want control of the city."

"They're getting it."

"What will they do? What do they want from this?"

"No clue. It's not safe now. For either of us. They'll want us for what we know about Arrow. The organization has been ransacked. They're bold about it, too. I've managed to grab most of the hard drives and files when we got wind of them coming. But there was nothing much else I could do."

"What about the others? You didn't exactly get anyone else out besides me..."

"They're of no importance. You're the only one who knows things. The others will be let go or even join that organization."

"I need to know her plans, Nicholas. Where you two were heading, staying, who you were meeting."

"Why? What good would it do you?"

"I'm going. I'm going to Xylia."

"You're going to her."

"Yes."

"The Kennedys will be watching you. They'll know by now you've been rescued. They'll let you be free and keep a close eye on you."

"There's got to be a way for me to get to her. She needs help, and she needs to be warned. They'll find her either way. Better it is when she has someone at her side."

"You want to possibly lead them to her?" Nicholas asks. "You'd put her in more danger."

"Now you're thinking about possible danger? You left her to go there alone! Don't try to act like you're doing her a favor by stopping me."

Nicholas doesn't respond, watching him with resignation.

"The Kennedys started something... something that only benefits them. They're against us. They're out for us. I don't know if we could fight this, but we can't just sit and do nothing while they continue to infiltrate our lives and pick us off."

~

NAOMI REID

Naomi lay on the bed in an almost comatose state. She was curled on her side with her hands tucked underneath her head and knees bent close to her. Avery lay down beside her, laying with her head on Naomi's shoulder as she hugged her.

She didn't whisper empty promises to her, knowing that would be the last thing she wanted to hear. Instead, they stayed there in silence, only the sound of Naomi's crying between them. She'd cried herself to sleep several times.

Avery hadn't left her side since the moment Dalton brought her back, distraught and sobbing. They opted to take her to Avery's instead of her loft, placing her in the guest bedroom.

Naomi didn't move on her own, Avery having to coax her into the shower. She didn't stop crying the entire first night of their return. She said nothing to them, Dalton doing all the explaining.

Dalton himself was in a state. He sported a broken arm, a couple of bite marks and scratches mentally, and he was almost as depressed as Naomi. Though he held himself together better than she could, it was evident that he struggled with the events of the night.

Naomi was mad at him, even though part of her knew there wasn't much he could have done. And even if he did try something different, they probably wouldn't have walked away as they did.

They all lingered at Avery's house, alert and waiting for any type of retaliation that may come their way. They discussed amongst themselves possible courses of action to take, but nothing they came up with was the solution they needed.

For two days, Avery, Sean, and Calvin take care of Naomi while the others stand guard, settling into a routine of sorts. Yara and Clayton went out daily looking for leads but came back empty-handed each time.

Then the news hit. And Dalton went beside himself with anger and guilt. Yara cried, Clayton cursed, and Avery held Naomi as they watched the broadcast. They had Jensen in a cage, exposing him to the world.

"Those sons of bitches!" Dalton curses. "I'm going to destroy them! I'll burn the damn place to the ground!"

"Is he crazy?! Exposing Lycanthropy! This is madness!" Sean exclaims.

"If we thought the city was dangerous for us before... we have no idea what we're in store for," Clayton comments.

"We'll but hunted all around. Hunters and humans. They'll want us dead." Sean says. "They're portraying us like this. This is how all these people are going to see us."

"It also allows hunters to attack in public," Calvin adds. "With his information being released and controlled by Kennedy, he's going to have his men walking the streets picking off Lycans one by one. And no one will bat an eye. They'd feel safer. They think they'll be safer."

"Kennedy has the entire city in his pocket now."

"He has Jensen..." Naomi said, her voice hoarse.

She lost him. She lost him to the hunters, and she lost him to the wrong moon.