Mates and Missing Kids

XII : Dev Threatens a Rogue

The picture is just for if you were wondering what Dev's mark looks like.

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"I look at you and see
the rest of my life
in front of my eyes."
-Unknown

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AARIC GALLAGHER

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"Dev, come on," I said. "Let's go back."

"No."

"We've been out here for hours, and it's almost dark," I pleaded. He just kept walking, searching for footprints.

"I'm not stopping until I find them."

"Don't you want to meet Amber's mate?" I asked, trying to get him to go back. We had been out in the woods since dawn that morning, and hadn't found anything. It was driving Dev mad.

"There's got to be something," Dev said. The marks above and below his eye were glowing. "I mean, they couldn't have just disappeared!" He turned to me, his voice frantic. "Right?"

I went over to Dev and gave him a hug. "Don't worry. We'll find them. Just because you can't smell or see anything, even with your marks, doesn't mean we won't, okay?" He took a deep breath before lifting his head off my shoulder. His marks slowly started to fade away until they were no longer visible. "There you go," I said with a smile. I handed him his glasses that I had kept in my pocket, then said, "Why don't we get something to eat, then go to sleep. We can try again in the morning." He nodded and slung an arm around my waist.

We started walking back through the forest, talking about random things and pointing out trees and plants that looked like faces or animals. A few feet from the edge of the forest, a sweet smell drifted through the wind and whirled around us.

"Do you smell that?" Dev asked.

"Yeah," I breathed. "It smells..."

"Amazing," Dev finished.

We hurried to the edge of the forest and our eyes immediately zeroed in on the petite figure standing with their back to us. They were talking to Dad and Amber, and a woman was standing next to them. Their head cocked to the side as if they heard us behind them.

The figure turned around and locked eyes with Dev, then with me.

"Mate," Dev and I said simultaneously. A huge grin came to my face. I ran toward our mate and scooped him up in my arms. I heard a small squeak, then I was left with a tiny ball of fur nestled in my arms. I looked down at the ball of fluff, and saw him looking back up at me. "It's okay, sweetheart," I whispered to him. "I won't hurt you."

He shifted back to human, just as Dev came up behind me. He put a hand on my shoulder and with the other, he stroked the boy's cheek. "Hello, little one," he said with a smile.

"Hi," the boy said sweetly. "I'm Charlie."

"I'm Dev, and this is Aaric," my brother said.

Charlie smiled and said, "You're Amber's brothers? She told me about you." I glanced at Amber over his shoulder. She was smiling at us while leaning into Dad's side. I shook my head. She had always been a daddy's girl.

"Yep, we are," Dev replied. I looked over our mate, and noticed that his hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail.

"Aww, that's adorable!" I exclaimed, and tugged on his ponytail lightly.

"It is, isn't it?"

Dev and I whirled around at the unfamiliar voice. A man with red eyes was standing there, staring at us with a creepy grin.

Rogue.

"What are you doing here?" Dev demanded.

"Well," the rogue said casually. "I was here to take a few more pups, but I think your little bunny there would be a more valuable catch." He smirked evilly, and Dev growled before lunging at him.

The rogue tried to sidestep him, but Dev caught him by the neck, and lifted him into the air. His mark was glowing brighter than I had ever seen.

"Touch our mate, and I will skin you alive," Dev growled in the rogue's face. "Got it?" The rogue nodded frantically, and my brother dropped him on the ground.

Before any of us could react, the rogue darted forward and snatched Charlie out of my arms. Charlie shrieked as the rogue ran away through the woods. Dev and I raced after him, Dad, Amber, and the woman following. We lost them very quickly, and just as the rogue was about to leave our line of sight, a flash of red jumped out and grabbed the rogue as he was running past.

Dev and I pulled up short, Dev with a smirk on his face and a large grin on mine.

"Hey, Jess. Long time no see," I greeted as I walked up to her. She had the rogue in a headlock, and I picked Charlie up off the ground where he had shifted into his rabbit in fright. "Hey, sweetheart, you're okay, I got you,"' I murmured, nuzzling his fur.

He shifted back, and wrapped his arms and legs around me. As he buried his face in my neck, I turned to see Dev glaring at the rogue.

"You know, I changed my mind," he said calmly. "I won't skin you alive, I'll rip off your fingernails and toenails and feed them to you, then I'll skin you."

Jess looked like she was enjoying this, Dev cracked his knuckles, and I just rolled my eyes. Charlie gasped as my marks, that were usually covered with my leather jacket, started to glow. He watched in fascination as they detached themselves and flew over to where Dev was advancing on the rogue. The created a wall between the two, stopping Dev in his tracks.

"Aari," Dev whined. "I want to peel him like a banana."

"I'll get you an actual banana when we get back," I said, my amusement clear in my voice. I started to walk back, Charlie still hanging on my like a koala. "You guys coming?" I called over my shoulder.

When I turned around, I found two guys standing in the middle of the path. I went on instant alert. Neither of them were rogues, but I still didn't trust them. Not after what just happened. "Who are you?" I asked.

Jess bounced over, leaving the rogue inside the box my marks made around him, and slid herself under the one with reddish brown hair's arm. "This is Adam, my mate," she said. "And that big grump over there is Blaine."

I nodded at them both, as did Dev. Charlie smiled up at them, and gave them a tiny wave, before burying his face back in my neck. Adam chuckled, and a small, slightly sad smile appeared on Blaine's face.

"It's nice to meet you both," Dev said. "But I want to get back to the pack house so I can throw this scumbag in the dungeon where he belongs, so let's go." He then walked off, dragging the rogue behind him. I sighed, before following him, the others trailing behind me.

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So, I hope you liked it! Updates will probably be more spread out from now on, as I will be busy with school from August 23 on, and will only have time to write on weekends.

Were you surprised that Charlie is the twins' mate?

What would you do to the rogue?

The picture up top is what Dev's mark looks like.

Stay sparkling, my friends!
-Star