The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 21

Her heart fluttered as their kiss lingered. Sara opened the door to Karen's side, her voice following shortly thereafter, "Hey now, jerks, pass some of that sugar this way."

Their lips parted with a heavy sigh, both of them gasping for breath as Karen turned and joined with Sara. Andrew watched as the women he loved took comfort in each others embrace. Sara was putting on a good show, but he could feel it in the center of her being, she was worried just like they were. She was just too damned good at hiding it for anyone else to know.

While he watched their heads turn from side to side, their lips playing a gentle game, he was once more reminded of how much stronger his bond was with Sara than Karen. Her emotions, no matter how well hidden, were there for him to see. The arousal she felt at how soft and pillowy Karen's sultry lips were tickled his own fantasies, providing them both with visions of other feats her mouth could accomplish.

They parted, Sara looking up at the moon and smiling while Karen gasped and clutched at her chest, her fingers caressing her bosom as if fighting the urge to unlatch the buttons that kept her blouse closed.

"You two will be the death of me," whispered Karen.

Sara laughed beside her, while Andrew responded, "If ecstacy can kill, we'll do our part to help you find your satisfying conclusion."

Karen just shook her head, "You're too clever for your own good, young man."

Again Andrew chuckled, saying, "I've got a damn fine teacher."

Once more his double entendre was not lost on Karen, who just shook her head and let his remark pass. They had come there for a purpose, and he could tell she was eager to see it through.

Tani'm's house looked just as it had the last time they had been there. Dark and silent in the quiet hours of night. There was a humidity in the air that seemed to help the late summer chill to penetrate deep, adding to the ominous aura that surrounded her quiet little cottage.

"So, she's gonna have the GPS walkie talkies, right?"

Karen exited the vehicle and shrugged as she responded to Andrew's query, "She said she would, but that was before her tussle with the Military. Now... Well, I have no idea."

Andrew wished he had more information, his nerves on edge as he tried to piece together a timeline of everything he wanted to get done that night. He was not worried about getting sleep, they were all very well rested, and could recover in the glade when everything was done. He was more concerned that if they didn't solve Thunderfoot's mystery that night, the military may not give them another chance.

Karen looked at him as she sensed his emotions, Sara shaking her head and stating, "Just tell her already. She knows you're hiding something, so just spill it."

"Fine," Andrew stated with a huff. He longed for the days when he had secrets, liking to keep his plans close to his chest but knowing that they had agreed to remain open and honest. Something he had not expected to be so difficult.

"Have either of you thought about what it will mean if we can't find a way to get Thunderfoot home tonight?"

They looked at each other while shaking their heads, confusion written on their beautiful faces.

"The military obviously knows about him, and if what Tani'm said is true, he is the only supernatural creature left in the forest... That's not something they're likely to walk away from, no matter how much my parents might want to. The fact is, they have higher ups, and their mission is pretty clear, to find proof of and study the supernatural.

"We're walking a very tight rope here. They know about Tani'm because the local tribe warned them about her, so she's protected; if they go after her, the military's presence will be exposed that same day. But us, we're a gold mine for them. An immortal woman with a fake identity, and a teenage girl with a history of violence and loner tendencies. It would be extremely easy for them to make all of us vanish under false pretenses.

"My parents won't say it, but if I know them they already have plans for us to vanish if we're exposed. The problem is, none of us want that. This place is amazing, and I still know so little about my gifts that there's no guarantee I could recreate The Glade anywhere else. For now, this is our home, and while I will take you both and run if it means keeping you safe, I still feel like my future is here...

"Tani'm's actions tonight made her a target, and it seems like she exposed her powers. Regardless if we get Thunderfoot home or not, we cannot risk being associated with her after tonight. The more we're connected with Tani'm, aiding her with Thunderfoot, the better the odds that someone will discover us. Someone not loyal to my parents, and not a part of their secret plans."

There was panic in his words, his eyes darting between his two loves as his mighty brain considered possibilities too numerous to count. His heart was racing and his fear for his family weighed heavy upon him. There was too much risk in what they were doing, and while he tried to shield them from it he knew that if they did not succeed soon, they may have to walk away or risk everything.

For the first time in a week he felt a panic attack rising in his chest. Something that had once seemed all too common, but in that moment felt unfamiliar. Andrew had hoped that he had gotten past them, his nature having changed so much thanks to his mates and growing powers, but as his breathing sped up and his chest tightened he knew he had not.

"It's alright," Karen began, taking a tentative step around the SUV towards him.

She only made it a short distance before Sara grabbed her arm, looking out into the forest and calling out, "We leave you alone for less than a week and you start a war with the military?"

"They started it," Tani'm stated matter of factly as she stepped out of the darkness and into the clearing. "I was gonna let them scamper off until that idiot decided to cut off Thunderfoot's ear."

Karen's head jerked to the side, her attention shifting from Andrew and towards Tani'm as she gasped.

"It's alright," Tani'm interjected, "Thunderfoot woke up before he did it, but by that point it was too late. They needed to be taught a lesson."

Andrew's panic attack quickly faded as he listened to Tani'm's words, a welcomed distraction causing him to roll his eyes. As he revisited everything he knew about what had happened, Andrew realized he was not surprised; the small woman seemed to have a predilection for chasing her emotions, so why would this have been any different.

"Please tell me you brought the GPS walkie talkies at least?"

The strangeness of his question was brought to light as all eyes turned towards him. Sara and Karen's confusion was felt in the back of his mind, reflected in the green gaze of Tani'm, who scrunched her brow and tilted her head. In her face he could see unfulfilled expectation, as if she had anticipated something different.

"What?" he asked, his voice finally showing the annoyance they all seemed to desire.

"You aren't upset? I'm not dumb," Tani'm began. "I know that this is going to make life for your family harder."

It was clear that she had heard what Andrew said before she arrived, and yet again he kicked himself for forgetting how special she was. He should have waited until they were home before he spilled his fears. It was one thing to share that side of himself with his family, but another to have Tani'm witness his moment of weakness. To his pleasure he saw no sign of judgement from the small woman, only defensiveness on her face and anger in her squared shoulders.

"Things are going to be tense around here, until my people and the military can come to terms with how everything is going to work."

Andrew was unsure why she was explaining herself to him, her eyes glued to his as she spoke.

"What they were doing was callus and evil, the same stupid crap I've had to deal with from hunters for years. I'd hoped that the military would be different, would have more respect for the creatures they were hunting, but that man... He was just like every other hunter, only with more training and far more dangerous."

Her emerald eyes nearly glowed with the strength of her emotion, passion filling her every syllable and conveying the underlying fears that drove her actions. An unfamiliar echo seemed to settle inside of Andrew, carried by the breeze and speaking to him of faults in her own logic. Part of him suspected that not all hunters had been cruel, and that many had been considerate and appreciative of the animals they killed. He knew she was aware of that, and even still she feared he would call her out for it.

Andrew's eyes cast across the gathered women, their collective gaze awaited his response with baited breath. The moment dragging on as their anticipation filled the air.

"Seriously?" he asked, his arms flailing up from his side as he walked towards Karen and Sara on the other side of the SUV. "Why does my opinion on this matter so much?"

Even as the words left his lips he knew the answer. Sara and Karen were keenly aware of his feelings but not how he would express them to her, and Tani'm still felt guilty about how she had treated him before. Through her stern and stoic gaze he could see the frailty that hid behind her gift.

"For fuck's sake..." He drew a deep breath, pushing aside his frustration as he tried to piece together how best to explain his thoughts.

"You're a grown woman, and whether I condone what you did is beside the point. You have responsibilities I can't understand, and..."

Andrew's train of thought shifted to the side as a new realization struck him. His entire countenance changed as he locked eyes with Tani'm, his azure gaze meeting her sylvan beauty with newfound admiration.

As he studied her he could see the change she had been through. Her defensiveness was not driven by the same fears as before, but by something new.

"Thank you."

Andrew's voice carried those words on soft and gentle tones. Karen smiled and beamed with pride while Sara huffed. He could almost hear her voice in his head as she grew angry at how he seemed to be allowing Tani'm to walk all over him again.

The defensiveness and anger that had built up in Tani'm seemed to falter as her shoulders dropped.

"For what?"

He maintained eye contact as he spoke, "For treating me like an equal."

Tani'm turned her gaze towards Karen, her eyes seeming to search for an explanation of Andrew's unexpected response. She had been angry and defensive, almost yelling her reasoning at Andrew, and it was clear to him that she was having a hard time understanding how her hastily spoken words had led him to his conclusion.

"This is the first time you've asked for my understanding. The first time you felt like I needed to know why you had done something. With all the distrust and all the distance you've placed between us, you never once explained why you were doing it. You just pushed me away, attempting to protect yourself from what you feared my gift might do.

"For once, you've shown me the respect of explaining your reasoning, even though you know my opinion makes no difference to the importance of what you were doing.

"So again, thank you!"

Sara grumbled while Karen's grin broadened. Andrew could feel the older woman's happiness, and whether it was directed at Andrew for his realization or Tani'm for how far she had come he didn't know. Part of him realized he didn't care. His mate was happy, and her friend was healing in ways none of them could see, but all could feel.

What should have been a moment of celebration for Tani'm, and the growth she had made, was shadowed by the act she had just performed. Tani'm seemed to know that, and while she nodded in recognition of Andrew's words her eyes cast towards the ground and her feet shuffled uncomfortably.

"I know what you're going to say. That by assaulting those men I've made it impossible for us to be friends. That my actions have brought too much attention, and you need to protect your family. That-"

Andrew sighed, Karen's own pain echoing in the back of his mind as he interrupted, "It's not what you did, Tani'm. You have to protect this amazing place, and all the creatures that live in it. It's how you did it."

Whatever guilt the small woman felt burnt away in a flash of anger as she once more stood tall. "So, I shouldn't have attacked them? I should have let them maim my friend and get away scott free?"

For a moment Andrew studied her, the small woman looking glorious as she seemed to gaze down upon him. In that moment she appeared to tower above them, her straight black hair fanned out by some impossible wind that none of them could feel, but made her look all the more imposing for its presence.

Sara's own anger rose up to meet hers, the two woman so much alike and yet so different that Andrew couldn't help but laugh. Part of him wanted to give in to that temptation, to grab onto the bait and establish himself as the leader of their pack. His eyes narrowed as his chest swelled with righteous purpose. He could feel Sara, his fiery mate in the back of his mind, pushing him down that path. Her presence so close he could almost feel her warmth.

There was another voice, subtle and kind, whispering to him of a truth he already knew. Tani'm was reflecting the only thing she had ever known; manipulation and coercion. That powerful woman, demure and yet towering in her authority was damaged and afraid. Her perception shaped by the traumas of her past, and the ignorance of her youth.

In that moment, Andrew was reminded of a feeling he often got, that he was an old soul trapped in a young body. Wisdom, as fleeting as that might seem, flowed through him in moments of stress, and he could feel the pressures around him, knowing that he was once more caught in fate's grip.

"You can stop the theatrics, Tani'm. Your gift is impressive, but I think you'll find it less effective on us. Sara wants to tackle you to the ground and beat some sense into you, and Karen seems to think you look cute like that."

Sara's lowered posture and predatory gaze gave truth to Andrew's words, while Karen's beaming smile affirmed his assessment.

He shook his head before continuing, "Did you have to use your gift so completely and unabashedly? Karen heard the radio calls from the men you attacked. A fucking camouflaged creature stalking and taking them out one by one. While I hope that's the extent of the powers you used, my guess is that it's not."

Tani'm's hair fell back down as her shoulders once more slumped, the sense of magic leaving the air as she exhaled.

"I might have used your symbol thingie to take a shot or two from one of them."

Andrew sighed, knowing it had been bad but not expecting it to have been to that extreme.

"Well, there you go," he paused, taking a deep breath as he continued to shake his head. "Those choices, as necessary as you felt they were, exposed your true nature, and by extension increased the interest of the US Government to learn everything they can about you.

"If they had thought you were a gifted woods-woman, who had used stealth and treachery to capture and subdue a small squad of special forces that would be one thing... But, you guaranteed that their interest will be absolute by exposing your magical powers."

There was no recrimination in Andrew's voice. His tones were measured, and his expression remained soft, almost regretful as he thought through the implications of her actions. The effect on Tani'm was immediate, the small woman seeming to wilt as his thoughts became known to her. She knew he was right, and part of her regretted her actions, but just as fast as that dark cloud descended a light seemed to shine from within.

Her head came up and her face brightened with a smile as she said, "What if there was another reason for them to have seen what they saw?"

It was Andrew and his family's turn to look confused as they watched the small druid.

"The walkie talkies are in the house, on the... Never mind, you'll find them."

She turned to leave when Andrew yelled out, slight panic tainting his words, "Wait, what the hell are-"

"Thunderfoot can guide you where we've been searching," she said as she pointed off towards the clearing next to her house, the large rabbit foraging in the well stocked garden she had created for him. "I don't have time to explain if I'm gonna fix this."

Tani'm stood there, watching Andrew's tormented expression. It was clear she could see his desire to know more, his eagerness to understand what she was planning, but that was not what was holding her there. After a moment she shook her head and smiled, nodding to Andrew before dashing off into the trees, silence in her wake as they all stood dumbfounded.

Andrew could feel Sara's frustration, and knew she was again annoyed at how they were left to solve Tani'm's problems. The funny thing for Andrew was the disparity between his mates, Karen's emotions a stark contrast to Sara's. For every dark shade of Sara's tumultuous mood his Parisian vixen was joyous and happy, exalting in some revelation that Andrew could sense but had trouble seeing.

"What?" Andrew pleaded as he finally took the last steps to greet his mates.

Karen wrapped him in her arms and leaned down, kissing his forehead. "You'll figure it out, smart guy!"

Just as quick Sara's mood changed, her attention shifting with rolling eyes as she listened to her mates and felt their emotions.

"You two are taking all of this way too seriously."

With that she took off at a low sprint, her body hugging the ground as she stalked up on Thunderfoot.

"You sure there's nothing I can do to get you to tell me?"

Karen gave him a gentle kiss and held his face in her hands, his blue eyes eager for more. "A girl's gotta have her secrets, and it's not my place to say."

"I know, but it was worth a shot," he responded, a smirk spread across his face as Andrew gave her one last peck.

While Karen and he moved towards the house, Sara sprung her trap on Thunderfoot, who barely avoided her leading strike. The rabbit seemed larger, his antlers broader and somehow different as the two creatures circled each other. Sara laughed and Thunderfoot chortled as they each took testing jabs at each other's defense.

It was obvious that Thunderfoot had learned alot from his practice with Sara, the two of them studying combat almost every night since the events with the wolf had ended. Even without her feline form Sara was a formidable adversary, and as Andrew and Karen walked up the porch steps, the two combatants falling out of sight, his last vision was of Sara holding onto Thunderfoot's antlers as the jackalope fell back.

The exhilaration Andrew felt from Sara prevented him from worrying, even if that was what he wanted to do.

Before he arrived at the door he reached out with his gift, and felt the mechanism contained within. Magical lilac shapes formed within his mind, glowing lines of magical energy created from the swirling vortex at the center of his being. The glyph's contours changed and adjusted as the door and all its parts came into focus. It was locked, and he could see each and every tumbler, the bolt and springs, each piece laid out before him as if he could reach out and touch them.

Another pattern formed, his gift meeting his needs as a fragment of his consciousness focused on a new task, the previous spell was maintained by yet another sliver of his thoughts, neither of which distracted him from what he was trying to do. Astral fingers tickled the tumblers, playing with the steel mechanism within the door, and as his hand reached out he could hear the bolt slide out of place. Karen shook her head, still unaccustomed to his casual display of power.