The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

31

Ariel had no idea what had happened. She had gotten lost, couldn't sense the compass directions, She should have turned around. She was so stupid she was screaming at herself over and over again. She had kept moving forward. Emerged onto a street and the twin wolves her raven had shown her were both right there. Close enough that she could touch them.

They looked even better in real life than they had in the dreamy memory from the raven. Her hands moved like vipers away from the men. Pushing them away. Then there had been fire. Gisella had found her, was trying to burn her enough to cripple her. Drag her back into the nightmare that never ended.

Ariel had and did not stop running until she was safely back inside Binh's apartment. Slamming the door closed, locking it behind her. Screaming in terror when Binh made a sound behind her from inside the apartment to announce his presence. Ariel's magic finally sparked to life inside her.

Binh's mouth fell open in shock. He knew this moment was coming, had some idea what to expect. He was still left unprepared for what he saw. Bursting forth from Ariel, appearing like ribbons of pure flames circling around her body. White flames danced in her eyes, the normal blue of her iris entirely gone as her magic flooded her body for the first time. "Fuck." Binh announced, already running to grab the fire extinguishers from the bedroom. He should have gotten more. Bigger ones. Industrial sized. Had them in every room.

The magic flood only lasted a minute. Her grimoire appeared from the flames, returning to form first dancing like ashes before the ash coalesced into the book of her power manifested. Dropping to the floor at her feet, opening to the first page that she should read. The ribbons of flames vanished, her eyes returned to normal. Binh quickly put out the fires on the rugs, furniture, tables and a lampshade.

Ariel was stood up, the magical burst slowly dissipated from the room. Looking at her hands like she had never seen them before. "I made the fire?" Binh heard her say. He didn't think she meant the one he was still making sure was put out in his apartment. As far as a fire witch manifesting, it had been manageable, even inside.

Ariel went to her knees, the book just ahead of her. The ink words were written in a language she did not know, except when she ran her finger over the page she understood everything. She looked towards the terrace, "Let Three Hours Past Midnight in please." She asked Binh. Who jumped to comply, thrilled that this was going beyond reasonably well. Smiling as the raven flew in the open door,

They could furniture shop together to replace what needed to be replaced. It could be an enchanting afternoon for the two of them. Binh watched from afar as Ariel pet her Raven with one hand. A finger on her other hand running over the runes she could read by touch. This was a sacred and beautiful moment. One a demon such as himself never had the opportunity to witness.

Ariel sat on the floor, the old fashioned hat fell from her head and she ignored it and she kept running her fingers over the pages. Moving faster and faster until her finger stopped moving. Running back over the last sentence again. Binh saw the first tear steal free from her eye. Then there was a river. A veritable torrent of tears erupted from Ariel.

Binh had no idea the secrets that would be hidden in her magic book. It was meant for her and only her. It would be up to Ariel and herself alone to decide what if anything she shared with him. That she had shared her familiar's name was already a generous gift. Binh went and sat down beside her. Making certain he did not touch the book. It would burn him if he tried to touch it. Anyone who was not her.

Ariel leaned against his shoulder. Her arms around her knees as she silently cried enough tears to fill an ocean it seemed to Binh. Then she was still and quiet. Eyes staring forward while looking at nothing. This was her moment, Binh was waiting for her to take the next move. It certainly could not be easy to realize that everything you had thought true about yourself had never been the truth at all. "I think I did something bad." Ariel said quietly. Her bottom was numb from sitting on the hard floor for so long, she felt like she was stuck and couldn't move.

Binh glanced down at his freshly manifested witch. "You don't have it in you to do something bad." He told her.

Ariel didn't move. "I think I hurt them. I didn't mean to. I was lost and then they were there and then there was just, fire and I ran." She went still and quiet again for several minutes. "I thought Gisella had found me. That it was her fireball. I thought I was going to be taken back." Ah, so the alpha twins had primed her spark, and Binh had set it free when he had startled her.

He had felt one of the twins try and pass his barrier, for a few seconds. Binh was very good at keeping people he did not want around him away. Social media and the internet were wonderfully helpful to learn names. Alex and August Greenrivers would stay out of Binh's neighborhood until they were invited by himself or Ariel.

Binh smiled, as Three Hours Past Midnight shared the memory with him. Including what had been seen after Ariel had returned to the underground. Binh laughed. "They are mostly unharmed, though it seems you merely burnt off the vain one's hair." Ariel leaned away from Binh finally breaking the trance that had held her. Her mouth falling open in shock as her raven shared the memory with her as well. Then she had laughed. Her and Binh laughed together on the floor, all at poor Alex's expense.

When she stopped laughing Binh was struck by how beautiful she looked. Hair wild and tangled. Smiling, until she took a deep breath, and the momentary joyful madness was gone. "Aside from his hair, they are both ok? I didn't burn them?" She asked. Needing to be reassured. Especially after being mean enough to laugh at him looking surprised with his hair gone.

Binh looked her in the eyes, she trusted him. "I can assure you they are unharmed." And undeterred. Binh was having a more enjoyable time that he had for far too long. A delicious dream factory he only needed to keep housed and fed to enjoy, and two snotty nosed rich wolf pups who wanted her for no better reason than they felt entitled to bind her to the designs of their goddess. They had been in the same room as Ariel the first day they had come to his diner. They should have known at that close distance and made a move that very day. They had hesitated. Binh was insulted on her behalf that they had been too slow to recognize their mate.

Binh would enjoy tending to Ariel. He would take away her nightmares and spend his days high on the evil she had endured. She had so many, some so deep it would take years to consume. Getting to give a couple pups a hard time for a while was just an extra layer of decadence. It was sickening how good a time he was having. He would know every time they approached the border, know how long they made it trying to fight through. It worked on a subconscious level, was as dangerous to them as a regular dream.

It would have revealed himself fully to The Council, and those able to sense the magic of course, a spell of this size was going to be noticed. A price he was willing to pay for however long he got to enjoy the divine delights that had decided to present themselves to him through Ariel.