The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

63

Ariel was energised as Binh returned them to his penthouse. Binh had already pulled the ripcord on this life. His plan perfectly executed for a swift relocation once Ariel was settled in with her mates. She no longer needed him. Her nightmares were quiet memories now, she had real dreams in her heart while she slept peacefully once more.

Ariel went like she would head to the microsuite she had called home for just a few short weeks. "There isn't anything left there, it's all in the penthouse." Ariel opened her mouth like she was about to ask a question, "Yes even the moth eaten bag you travelled with." Ariel turned red as she turned on her heels away from the staircase.

She was shuffling on her feet. "I stole it." Binh smiled, he felt there might have been a story about the bag, but whatever it was, it was not a memory that lived in her nightmares.

"I doubt very much that you would take something of value from anyone.' Was Binh's reply.  Opening the door for Ariel to perhaps reveal some of her story to him in her own words from her own heart instead of only knowing her worst days intimately through her nightmares and the scant details provided by her familiar.

Binh was rewarded for her efforts, "After the gun went off and I escaped, I swam across a lake. I have no idea how wide or deep it was. Just that when I finally scraped against loose gravel on the other side I was too tired to even get up onto my feet." Binh recalled her outburst over dinner, piercing the parts left unsaid in her story as Ariel jumped and skipped through the details of her escape as they made their way into the penthouse.

"When I did get up, I was exhausted, and-" Ariel went to the terrace door to let Three Hours Past Midnight inside. "Decided to follow the guidance of a very persistent raven." The large corvid deftly landed on her shoulder, and preened through her hair. Seeming to whisper something in her ear. Ariel dug her phone out, and typed out a message quickly before hitting send. Binh was certain that was the first time she had casually turned her attention from him towards her phone, and presumably, her mates. A good sign he thought, a sign that she was warming to them. That Ariel would be fine without him on her guard.

The raven went to the fruit bowl on the counter next to pluck grapes with deft movements of his talons, dropping the plump red fruits on the counter to be devoured one at a time. "He led me to berries first, some so over ripe they exploded in bursts of sticky sweet juice in my hand. Enough to keep me going. Until a cabin was in front of me. It was beautiful, there was a garden in the back with potatoes, and tools and a bed inside. I stole the bag, and some clothes from the cabin before I left it." While Ariel spoke, he was gifted a dream from Three Hours Past Midnight. A lovely vision of Ariel treating the dust covered abandoned cabin like holy ground. Watching her through the raven's memories as Ariel narrated the journey in her own words.

When she had finished, lastly revealing that she had stolen her first identity from papers left in the long unused cabin. After a respectful pause for her to relax once more and Binh to process all her words, he spoke. "You can not steal from the dead, they no longer have any need of anything that has been left behind." Binh said, heading to the large porch closet to wheel out a brand new suitcase for Ariel. "You have more possessions now, I thought this may be more fitting for your next move. You may take and keep anything you desire. You are Ariel, and you are free to do as you choose." Binh declared.

Binh was not expecting Ariel to throw her arms around him, and squeeze his body tightly in a hug. It wasn't until he felt her body shaking against his, and felt his shirt dampen under a deluge of tears that he realised she was crying. Quickly the storm was over and Ariel pulled back, wiping her face and catching unshed tears as she apologised, babbling about not understanding why she was even crying.

Softly Binh touched a single finger under her chin, willing her to turn upwards without ever exerting any force. She turned up to him instantly. Their eyes meeting. "When someone has only known nightmares for so long, good things, can cause fear. A fear of the unknown..." Ariel nodded, her face changing as Binh's words settled into her mind. She did not disagree.

She breathed a thank you. Telling Binh he always said just the right thing, before letting him know she was going to go and pack her bags. Binh let Ariel know he needed to step out to arrange some things for while he was traveling with her. Never once letting her know that he would be dropping this life the moment she had a new, loving home to settle into. Ariel nodded, padding to her room. Another mumbled apology about his shirt and her tears. Apologies Binh assured her were unneeded as he slipped back out into the world to complete the final drop to turn his entire life over to Tyrone, who had promised to keep up Binh's mission as long as he could.

Ariel, trusted Binh completely. It would make sense that he would need to once again arrange coverage for the diner to escort her on a road trip for a few days, she questioned nothing. Taking the suitcase she promised herself she would pay him back for, as she went to what had become her room, to pack everything she had accumulated during her brief life as Jenny the waitress.

There was an auspicious and anxious feeling deep in her belly as she packed. Ariel told herself over and over that Binh was right, she just wasn't used to feeling happy, or hopeful so it was normal for her to feel uncomfortable with the feelings as she packed up gifted clothes, thrifted pieces, makeup and everything else she had acquired as Jenny. Leaving out an outfit of jeans, with a red fitted long sleeve shirt and a denim jacket someone else had embellished but Ariel had fallen in love with at the thrift store.

Dreaming that maybe she could be brave, that she could be the kind of girl who could trust Alex and August enough to let them take her for a ride on the back of their bikes. Except then her cheeks had felt like they would burn. She was so warm, as her magic came to the surface. She would need to be so close to them to ride with one of the brothers on their motorcycles, and Ariel wasn't certain if she could be so brave as to hold onto one of them with her own arms for any length of time. She really liked the dream of it all though.