Beside that one was his flag, red with golden embroidery of a skull with thin and sharpened canines. Then beside his was a black flag with a red wolf stitched into it. He sat at a horseshoe shaped table, and he definitely didn't occupy it alone. To his left just around the curb was a man with dark brown hair that looked like it was butchered with a kitchen knife. Instead of the business attire that was normally acquired for such meetings, the man wore a dark blue plaid sweater and a black vest over it. His arms crossed over his chest and he was watching the speaker intently.
Sitting between the two men was a dark skinned woman with grey eyes and a gentle smile. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun as she listened to the speaker. Just like the man beside her, she didn't abide by the dress code and instead wore a light purple sweater with peach stitching of an old school Witch on a broomstick. Then his eyes swept to his other side where a singular man sat near him, his body radiating immense power and authority. His jet black hair was slightly long with a light wave to it, his crimson eyes focused on the speaker, but he could see that even this man seemed distracted by something internally. He wasn't at all surprised to see him wearing a black button up shirt with the top two buttons undone to reveal the tattoos on his chest. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off even more of his tattoos and the glint of his wedding band on his finger.
"Mr. Iscariot, I hope I'm not boring you too much with this information." the speaker spoke up, interrupting his observation of the group he attended with.
"You could never bore me, Mr. Pade." He responded with sarcasm dripping in his tone. The British speaker continued to smile though, picking up the papers on the podium and straightened them out.
"I know all things have been going well in your jurisdiction, so maybe you could lend your assistance to the others?" Mr. Pade suggested, sweeping his hand in the direction of the other leaders.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but myself and my fellow Hunters do not work along side these monsters." the man in the vest spoke up rudely, "We agreed to make peace with those that agreed not to harm Humanity, but we didn't sign up to assist in their problems." he scoffed. There was a soft growl from beside him as the man shifted in his seat.
"Stop suggesting you're not a monster yourself, Jax." the man said. Jax glared in his direction.
"I don't go around impregnating my spouse to save face." Jax retorted. The man shot up from his seat and was already pulling Jax from his chair before anyone had a chance to stop him. He slammed Jax against the wall hard, growling menacingly with his hands shifting into claws. Mr. Pade didn't remove himself from his podium, but instead he only sighed and looked on as the altercation continued.
The woman beside him casually rose up from her chair, walking up behind the man and rested her hand against his back. He flinched at her touch, but the tension within his body slowly started to ease up until he lowered Jax back onto his feet. He shoved Jax back into his chair a bit aggressively.
"Don't ever speak of my wife again." he snarled darkly, his crimson eyes glowing and for a moment Jax's eyes flickered with fear at the intensity in his gaze. The woman tapped his shoulder.
"Come now, Sugar. Lily would not like to hear that you acted roughly with another member during the meeting." the woman said. Jayce flinched at her words and his shoulders slouched slightly. He went back to his seat, going back into his silence, but his brows furrowed together with worry.
"Thank you, Miss J." Mr. Pade said as she took her seat next to him once more.
"Please, Janice is just fine." she smiled kindly at him.
Just when things were finally getting interesting.
"As you are all aware, the forces that this Karmina character is slowly getting larger by the year." Mr. Pade continued on with the meeting. Jayce stiffened at the mention of the Dark Witch's name. Unfortunately for him, he had to deal with her Dark Magic first hand.
"From what we have gathered, she has taken a liking to Rogues in particular as they don't like to follow leaders." his gaze settled on Dante and Jayce. "Some Dark Witches have also taken a liking to her, but they have gone into hiding." he mentioned, shifting his gaze to Janice. She nodded her head, but her grey eyes showed how deeply this news troubled her.
"What is the plan of action?" Jax asked after he recollected himself and probably doubled checked to make sure he didn't soil himself after the Werewolf King had him pinned briefly.
"To handle this as discreetly as possible. The United Nations has agreed to keep out of it as they hope you can handle the situation yourselves, however," Mr. Pade looked down at his papers, "if things do get out of hand to the point that the humans outside of the treaty have to get involved, I'm afraid things will not go in your favor." he looked to each of them, hoping that his message would get across. Dante didn't feel bothered by it unlike his neighbors.
"I'll dispatch my Hunters to the rumored locations of the Rogue Werewolves whereabouts." Jax said firmly.
"Good, Alpha Jayce can assist you in that as well." Mr. Pade told him. Both men glared at one another, but didn't argue against the idea.
"I'll visit a few Light Witches in getting a possible location on Karmina's burial grounds." Janice said as she folded up her papers and tucked them away into her brown purse. Mr. Pade nodded in agreement with her and finally turned his attention to Dante.
"Dante?" he spoke his name.
"What?" he asked with disinterest.
"What do you plan on contributing to the class?" Mr. Pade asked him with an encouraging smile. Dante sat back in his seat, his hands folded in his lap.
What can I do?
"Perhaps it would interest Mr. Iscariot to join me and we can brainstorm together?" Janice offered a suggestion. Dante inclined his head as he looked toward her. She smiled back.
"Excellent. Now that's all covered, this meeting is adjourned." Mr. Pade declared, picking up his papers and stashed them away into his briefcase. Jayce rose up and approached Janice as she gathered her belongings and stood up.
"Miss J, I hoped to borrow you for a moment." he said to her as Dante shoved the documents into a slim black briefcase. Janice smiled up at the Werewolf.
"Of course, Sugar. Is it about Lily? How is she doing?" Janice asked him as they all filed out of the room. Dante hissed softly at the blinding sunlight that glared in through the tall glass windows of the corridor. It may not be his weakness, but being trapped in a windowless room for a few hours would affect just about anyone. The light grey tiling stretched in all directions as they reached an intersection. Staff members walked past them as if they were everyday members of their society.
"She's exhausted more so than usual, but overall she's herself." he smiled lightly as he spoke of his wife. Dante couldn't quite understand the feeling Jayce felt when he spoke of Lily, or comprehend the tenderness in his expression as he thought of her.
"I see. Is it a similar situation as before?" she asked him, and Jayce's jaw tensed at her question which only seemed to answer it. Janice reached over, linking arms with him as they walked. They turned down a corridor where another set of large windows lined up beside them and Jayce stopped his march. Dante followed his gaze past the glass to a small courtyard that had a small pond and a willow tree leaning over it. A woman with hair as golden as the sun was kneeling beside a small girl beside the pond. She wore a blue dress with a jean jacket. The little girl was patting the water's surface, scaring the fish below it. She had a pink jacket with a frilly purple skirt.
"Myra has gotten so big since the last time I saw her." Janice commented, and Jayce nodded as they proceeded to the elevator. Everyone crowded inside of it, feeling a bit snug with Jayce's massive size taking up most of the space.
"She received her Wolf recently, so she's been a bit of a handful." Jayce said, but he didn't appear bothered by it.
"Do you plan on settling down eventually, Dante?" Janice asked him suddenly. He looked down at the woman, but he only shrugged at her question.
"Family isn't my style." he replied to her question.
"I wasn't specifying to having a family. Just finding a partner to spend your immortal life with. Surely you have plenty of followers to choose from." she said.
"She has a point." Jayce agreed.
Of course he would agree with her.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you both, but I'm just not the settling type." he finalized to hopefully end their prodding.
The doors to the elevator opened and Janice stepped out, followed by Jayce whose step quickened in the direction of the courtyard. A glass door slid open mechanically, sending a quick rush of hot air followed by the gentle cool breeze of Fall as they entered the courtyard. The little girl peered over, her eyes lighting up instantly at the sight of Jayce.
"Daddy!" she squealed, dashing away from Lily and ran up to him. He knelt on one knee, collecting the girl into his arms and hugged her close. She looked over his shoulder to the rest of the group that followed him, her eyes moving from one to the other curiously. When she gazed at Dante, her green and red eyes shined with an eerie glow.
Should I feel threatened by this brat?
"You smell." the small child stated bluntly.
"Myra." Lily said to her before meeting Dante's gaze, "I'm so sorry." she apologized. He smiled charmingly at the woman, taking her hand and kissed the back of her fingers gracefully.
"No need to apologize, my Queen. She's just... observant." he said. Lily inclined her head at him.
"Dante. It's great to finally meet you." she smiled at him. His breath caught for a moment. Something about her seemed so dangerously alluring, but he couldn't understand why.
"Easy." Jayce growled deeply at him, his crimson eyes dark with murderous intent. Dante put up his hands.
"You're quite lucky to have such a lovely lady at your side. Especially one with such remarkable beauty." Dante winked at her. Lily's cheeks flushed lightly before she rested her hands on her hips.
"So, you're that type of man. I'm a little disappointed that that's the charming personality of the very first Vampire." she said sadly.
"Ouch, what a jab at my ego." he winced, patting his chest gently. Lily out a small laugh before moving her attention to Janice.
"Miss J, I'm so glad to see you." she said, taking the Witch's hands in her own. Janice smiled warmly at her, her eyes shifting down to her large belly.
"My oh my, may I ask how far along you are?" she asked her.
"Oh, seven months. Almost eight." she patted her belly, "I had to fight Jayce to allow us to tag along. I've always wanted to see London." she smiled. Janice moved her hands to Lily's belly, nodding slowly.
"Twins?" she asked her. When Lily nodded, Janice's eyes fell shut. A soft, warm glow emanated from her palms. Lily let out a contented sigh as she shut her eyes. Dante caught Jax eyeing the two intently, his hand resting on the concealed weapon at his hip.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Dante warned him. Jax stiffened, side eyeing him, "You experienced first hand of the Werewolf King's temper when you spoke poorly of her. What do you think he could be capable of if you actually harmed her?" he asked him. Jax's eyebrow twitched as he seemed to contemplate his words. His hand slowly slipped away from his weapon and he walked off from the group.
"There." Janice said as she removed her hands from Lily's belly.
"Thank you, Janice." Jayce said as he slipped an arm around Lily's waist and buried his face into her hair.
"Of course, Sugar. Now you two take special care, alright?" she said before turning her grey eyes on the Vampire, "Let's go, we have a plane to catch." she wiggled her fingers in farewell to the couple before heading out of the courtyard, Jax quickly following after her. Dante looked back to Jayce and Lily while Myra played with Jayce's hair. The way they looked at one another.
Sickening...
The sun was beginning to settle below the mountainous horizon as Janice drove through the winding roads. Dante gazed out his window with disinterest. Though Montana's landscape was quite lovely, he'd been to other places that were far more up-scaled in beauty compared to this environment. It was quiet though, that was for sure. Soft jazz played from her stereo while the orange sky faded into purple.
"Talk to me, Dante." Janice broke the silence, turning down the radio. He moved his gaze over to her, the sun outlining her frame.
"About?"
"You normally rant on and on about your latest findings in the world, or the newest broad you bed. Yet you have remained as quiet as a mouse." she stated, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. He shifted his gaze away from her to the blurring trees.
"Perhaps I don't need to share my stories with you anymore." he countered.
"Or maybe you no longer have anything of interest going on in your lavish life." she retorted. He grumbled softly at her, but he couldn't deny that she was right. He'd seen the world by now. He's slept with countless women, even turned some of them. That's all they wanted though. Immortality.
"How did Jayce know that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lily?" he found himself asking. Janice inclined her head as she mauled over his question.
"Well, you know how Werewolves work, Sugar. They have a sacred bond with their partners." she reminded him.
"Outside of that nonsense though. He could have said no, or she could have said no, but they stuck together anyways. He could have anyone he wished, and he kept a human woman at his side instead." he realized the disdain in his voice after he spoke. Janice looked at him with a softness in her eyes.
"I think... Even without the Mate bond that they share, Jayce would choose her over anyone else. When he looks at her, it's not just a Mate in love. He's seen her at her lowest. He's seen her weak and broken and still patched her up. They built their love from the ground up. He didn't have to do any of that, but he chose to anyways. He found someone that was worth saving, worth protecting." Janice smiled, a glint of nostalgia in her gaze.
"You called her human," Janice went on, "but you felt it to, didn't you?" she asked him. He closed his mouth. She had a pull on him, but not in a way he felt when it came to blood. When he looked over to Janice, she must've read his mind.
"What is she?" he asked her, but Janice shrugged.
"Time will tell. Oh, about time we arrived. My back is getting sore driving all this way." she complained as they arrived in a city. He looked around curiously, not having seen this city before in his travels. It seemed pretty generic as small cities go. Main stores like Walmart and Target. Fast food joints like McDonald's and Burger King.
Do they just copy and paste without any sense of originality?
"I know it isn't much, hon, but this place does carry its own charm." she said, probably hoping to cheer him up. She drove through the still busy streets, the streetlights shining the way to a small, slightly rundown neighborhood. He looked around displeased as she pulled up outside a blue house, several shingles missing. The curtains were drain, a light flickering inside one of the windows and a window on the second floor was on.
"Would you like to come inside and say hello?" she asked him. He wanted to decline the offer, but he had the urge to stretch his legs after sitting for so long in her Prius.
They stepped out of the car when the front door opened and a girl stood in the door frame. Her petite frame would tell him that she was underage by a couple of years, her black pixie hair a bit frazzled. She wore a sweater that snugged her small chest, and black leggings. When they approached, he took notice of her violet.
That's a first.
"Miss J." the girl's honey sweet voice greeted the Witch with a hug. Miss J returned the embrace before stepping aside and gestured toward him. The girl froze up at the sight of him, which wasn't at all surprising. If she was a Witch like Janice, she could sense what he is almost immediately.
"Willow sweetie, this is Dante. He's helping me with a few issues." Janice looked toward the entry way, "May we come in?" she asked her. Willow opened her mouth to speak.
"Willow! Close the damn door or get out already!" a woman shouted from inside. Willow's eyes darkened with sadness and humiliation at the outburst and closed the door behind herself without giving the other woman a response.
"Sorry, Aunt Ruth just woke up from her nap. We can talk out back." she gestured to the broken stone path that wrapped around the house.
"I see that she hasn't changed one bit." Janice said as they followed the path. Dante checked more of the exterior, taking in the peeled paint. He hoped the interior looked far better than the exterior.
"She's... she." Willow responded with a weak shrug as she opened he gate to the yard. Dante immediately took notice of a small garden box near the back corner immediately as it was the only thing that really stood out for him.
"You only have to graduate, Sugar. Then you can be free from this nightmare." Janice said to her. Willow sat on the ground, her gaze lowered to the ground.
"Hopefully it'll be sooner than that." Willow muttered. He peered down at her, but she continued to keep her gaze to the ground, "What can I help you with, Miss J?" she immediately changed the subject.
"I wanted to see how you are doing with your innate ability." she knelt down in front of her, "Have you been having visions still?" Dante's interested peaked slightly as the conversation turned. He pretended to distract himself with the various plants she had while his ears tuned in to what they were saying. He heard Willow shift uncomfortably.
"Yes. I had two more recently." she informed her.
"Take my hands child, let me see what you have seen."
