Strange Love

The room went quiet when Orion stepped out of the bedroom. Jos and Shelly had both picked at the meal he'd made while making idle conversation then fallen asleep to a story they'd all but forced him to tell. His lighthearted mood quickly shifted when he notice everyone staring at him in worried anticipation. He let out a heavy sigh and walked over to where Russ and Raven were seated by the fireplace. "Who knew I'd ever seek out a fire in the middle of summer." He tried a light joke to break the mood as he set the folded apron on the coffee table before sitting. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he sat down. He let out a low grown. "Well just ask already, the suspense is killing me."

Raven arched her brows. "I was just about to say the same thing to you." She leaned forward in the oversized armchair. "You were in there for quite a while, what did she have to say? She wasn't in a good place mentally earlier, I can't imagine that has changed much especially with Shelly refusing to neither shift out of wolf form or stop following her around." She rubbed her brow in irritation her eyes tightly closed. "Though I haven't pushed the issue of the latter all that much..."

Orion emitted a long, deep breath. "I don't know. They seem pretty content with each other's company. She did... the accident was the first time she's ever been in complete control during a transformation."

Arei swam over and leaned against the edge of the pool obviously intrigued. "It's good that she was able to control it, but you saw that house... I'm not sure the council will see that as good. Chances are they would hold that against her more, if they find out."

"The council? You're not considering turning her in are you?" Russ asked in shock looking back and forth between Orion and Arei. "I thought that's why we've travel halfway across the country and back in the past two days?"

Orion and Arei exchanged a silent glance before Orion finally nodded. "Russ, I was sent here to investigate and report. Her name is tied up in every thing, there's no way to clear her completely... and she doesn't want to be... She wants me to turn her in." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as pain tugged at his chest. "She wont take no for an answer and she refuses to tell anything less than the truth and the truth is incriminating." His gaze traveled around the room. "It could spell bad news for all of you, for knowing about the other deaths and not reporting them yourselves."

Raven shook her head. "They could me but not Russ or Shelly. Shelly honestly didn't know and Russ is... was her lover. He wouldn't be expected to testify against her now or report her then."

Frustration colored Russ's words, "But there were no innocent victims." He argued.

Arei shook his head. "That doesn't matter to the courts. We are not allowed undertake acts of vigilantism. We are only allowed to kill as self-defense or if ordered to by the courts or a very select group of the gods." He nodded toward Raven as he addressed Russ. "These are things she should have told you as your guardian."

Raven sighed. "I thought I'd have more time to explain the political aspects to them." She through up her arms. "Hell I haven't gotten to even a fraction of the werewolf crap."

Orion arched his brow, "So you plan to sent him back, not knowing anything about his people or how their culture even works?"

Raven shrugged. "Like I said, I thought I had more time. Besides, I figured it would be best for his uncle to teach him most of that. What I know of their culture couldn't even fill a pamphlet, I was only friends with their mother."

Russ nodded, "If they wanted me to know so bad they could have very well made an attempt to teach me themselves many times over. It's not a fairy's place to have to teach me, it was enough that she raised me when they wouldn't."

Orion frowned. "It's not that they wouldn't. It wasn't safe for you there. Fact is it still isn't, especially now with so many vampire deaths associated to you. I personally still believe you're too young to go back but as Arei and I both told you earlier, we can't have you here if you're going to act the way you have been. I need to stay and help Jos, and I also need to train you," he narrowed his eyes at Raven, "and apparently teach you about your people. But I can't do both if you continue to show your ass."

He nodded toward Arei. "We are both here to help in any and every way we can, as long as it benefits Jos."

Arei nodded in agreement. "I wasn't lying earlier when I told you I want what makes her happy." He pushed himself up out of the pool and grabbed a towel from the nearby stand before walking toward Russ. He stopped directly in front of the boy and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "You are the one she wants, there's no doubt about that. But you can't treat her, or any woman for that matter, as you have been. She may forgive you for all the abuse, but I can't. However I am willing to use you, if you'll let me."

Russ gazed up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Arei frowned down at him. "She wants to turn herself in. A lot of that is guilt and fear of hurting you or your sister. You have to help us keep her from doing that until we are better prepared." He shot a pleading look around the room. "We have to work together quickly if we want the courts to see this case as more that open and closed mass murder... 'a monster out of control again'. She don't deserve the punishment they we give."

Russ tented his brows a heavy frown curved his lips. "What punishment will that be?"

Raven answered her voice taking on a sad, matter-of-fact tone. "A minimum of 100 years looked away... If she's lucky they will release her under heavy guard to her old home, but Jos has never had much luck."

Arei nodded. "She's not wrong. The day I left her on that beach, she took down an entire ship a little north of the island. There were no survivors and she had no memory of doing it, but the council still punished her to 300 years." He nodded to Raven, "She was sent as the guard; our requests were refused because of our failure leading to the accident."

"They would have refused me, had I not been a native of the same island. My powers are the strongest there. Had it been anywhere else and I wouldn't have been strong enough in their opinion." Raven said as she continued to stare into the burning embers of the fire.

Russ nodded. "I'll do anything to prevent that from happening again."

Arei tightened his grip on Russ's shoulder. "It's too late, it's already happened again. We need to work now to keep her calm and level headed until we can figure out a way to present it to the courts in a better light." He gestured to Orion. "We have another brother digging up what he can on the DeMarco's. Now that we know about the full situation of the other deaths, we will have those people looked into as well. If we can prove criminal motives we may be able to plead self-defense on all cases."

Orion interjected. "I'm convince we can on the vampire murders, but the human killings aren't going away. They'll want to know why she didn't simply over power them and go on. The fact is, it was more like hunting than self-defense."

Arei ran his hands over his wet hair. "We have to hold off until I can get a defense built, even if it falls under vigilante crimes. That would get her more leniency than straight murder." His eyes met Russ's again. "The fact she hasn't killed your punk ass should be enough proof to show she has some control."

Orion laughed, "Exhibit A," He waved toward Russ. "See dear council members the punk kid has not been eaten, yet..." He rolled his eyes. "That brings us full circle and back to whether you can get your act together and help or if it would be better for you to leave."

Russ let out a long breath. "I want to help." He moved his gaze back and forth slowly between Orion and Arei. "Her immediate future is all that concerns me at this point. I'll quit pushing for our future and focus completely on hers."

Orion and Arei both nodded. "Glad to hear it." Arei replied. "But if for some reason you can't or become a liability in some other way, you're gone. Understand?" Russ nodded. "I'll do better, you have my word."

Arei nodded. "So be it." He nodded to Orion and Raven. "I'm going to go shower and try to get some sleep. Between magic spells and travel, I'm beat." He tossed the towel over his shoulders and headed toward his room at the top of the stairs. He paused at the top landing. Turning back to the group below, he said. "If anything happens or you need me, don't hesitate to wake me." With that he headed into the first door to the left of the landing.

Orion nodded and pushed up from his seat. "Sleep doesn't sound half bad right now." He groaned as he straightened to his full height. "I'm going to head down to the light house and say goodnight to Tri."

Russ nodded then asked, "Do all your brother's go by shortened forms of their names?"

Orion nodded. "For the most part. Our names are... out dated if you will. It helps us blend in with current times. I often go by Ry or Ryan, Areion has always preferred Arei but sometimes goes by Aaron. Triton and the rest are no different."

Russ nodded, "Makes sense..." He waited until Orion was out the front doors before standing and stretching. He walked over and placed a light hand on the high back of Raven's chair. He bent and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I don't think I need to explain where I'm off to." He smiled when the corner of her lips curved upwards and she shook her head. "Didn't figure, I'll seen Shell out. You think you could convince her to go to bed with you?"

Raven snorted. "Why? Afraid you can't keep that agreement of being good?" She turned away from the fire and smiled up at him. "Maybe I should leave her in there to make sure you keep your end."

"Hahaha..." Russ said mockingly. "Good night, Ray."