Banes (16 page)

"I think we should go home Ari." He whispered into her neck.

She shook her head speaking breathlessly, "I can't do this. You're taking up all the water and I'm never going to get clean at this rate."

"It's a tiny shower, the shower in my room has tons of room. Pretty sure we could do the things I'm thinking about right now if we were back home."

"Lucas I'm going to get in trouble."

"You're mine Ari and no one can tell me that I can't be with you."

She liked that, she liked being his. His huge body wrapped around hers, it pulled her in and made her safe. Nothing could hurt her as long as he was there.

She stayed turned away from him embarrassed by her naked body in the light of the bright bathroom trying desperately to get even an ounce of water on herself.

He kissed her once more on the neck and sighed, "Okay since we aren’t going to do what I want to do I'll get out and dry off. You're still dry Ari jeeze hurry up."

She looked at the smile on his face and frowned, "You had all the water."

Once he was gone from the shower she let the hot water pour down on her. The heat of the water made her think of the heat from his body and how it had felt covering her the way the water did. Her body had responded to him like it knew the way no doubt thanks to the other Ari's life style. She knew how to move and what to touch. Instead of hurting the way her friends had said it would it had felt amazing.

"Babe we gotta go, Daniel just sent Aimee here to knock."

She turned the shower off to find him standing outside of the shower with a huge bath sheet for her. He wrapped her in it holding her.

"What changed?" She asked looking at him in the mirror.

He shook his head, "Everything. I waited so long I didn’t know what to say, I'd acted like such a dick and I knew I needed to say sorry but I was still so mad. It was stupid. You sent the last text saying you were done and I knew, I knew it was now or never."

He pulled her back looking into her eyes, "You scared me, when you said you were done and we could be friends I panicked. I went to Aimee and told her and she smacked me around a little and Ben was like if you don't go I will."

Ari laughed knowingly.

"No matter what I cant let go of you Ari." His green eyes were intense.

"You don’t have to Lucas, this is all I ever wanted. I just didn’t know how to get here."

He kissed the tip of her nose and walked into her room and changed back into his clothes. She dressed fast hoping they wouldn’t be too obvious. She looked at his thick brown hair laying damp around his head and knew they were so obvious.

She stepped up to the door and took a deep breath, she had always been a private person, she hated she'd just lost her virginity in a dorm room and was emerging with the guy and everyone would know.

"Stop stressing, it's not a big deal. We aren’t the first people to have sex Ari."

She turned harshly and hushed him, "Shhhhh."

He laughed at her panicked face and reached and opened the door pushing her out into the hallway. She felt her runners skidding along the floor as he shoved her out.

The hallway was empty which she hadn’t expected.

He grabbed her hand in his and tugged her along down the hall.

The sitting room was dimly lit with the glow of a flickering propane fireplace and dim lights. Feeling awkward holding Lucas's hand she noticed the burning starting in her hands. He looked at her and smiled, "Easy trigger."

She blushed a deeper crimson, "Sorry." She pulled her sweaty hand from his.

She smiled seeing Aimee, "Hey Aims."

Aimee looked between her and Lucas and nodded, "How's it going?"

Ari nodded almost squeaking, "Good."

Daniel looked at Ari and frowned, "have a seat dear."

She walked to the huge comfy couch and sat feeling the room filling with every ones thoughts abut her and Lucas and their wet hair or the fact they'd been in the room alone in the dark for hours.

"Are you alright Ari?"

She looked up at Lorri and smiled, "What? Yes."

Lucas laughed, "Sorry about earlier. My wolf wouldn’t back down. I was trying to hold him back." He smirked at Ari, "He just really gets protective over her, she's my mate."

Ari gulped looking horrified thinking to herself, 'had he said mate? Did that mean friend?'

"Right well yes of course, it's not a problem Lucas. We know what wolves are like when it comes to their mates. It actually provided the perfect test for Ari's abilities."

Aimee sighed, "So bummed I missed it. I heard you almost shot it right from your hands, that’s pretty sweet."

Ari nodded still feeling lost in the mate conversation that seemed to be happening above her head somewhere, "Yeah it was crazy. I didn’t get tired after, not right away."

"Nice."

Lorri clasped her hands together, "We want to run another trial. Lucas could you help out?"

He looked at Ari and nodded, "Yes of course."

Ari frowned, "Trial? You want me to do it again?"

Lorri nodded, "Yes but under more duress and with more shifters and demons."

Ari panicked, "I could push one back. This is a very bad idea."

Lorri shook her head, "No we'll only pick the ones you cant. Aimee will be there just in case to remove you if it gets out of control."

She shook her head, "No this is a bad idea."

Daniel leaned forward, "We've done this thousands of times Ari, we have to train and your training for the Roses is just starting now."

Ari looked at Aimee noticing her face clouding over.
Dorian stepped into the doorway, "Ari I will be there too honey. You'll be fine."

Ari gulped. She didn’t mind Dorian the way Aimee did but there was something about him she wasn’t completely comfortable with.

"Lets do this before she makes it bigger than it is in her mind."

Lorri looked back at Daniel as she walked from the room, "How quickly does she heal?"

"Thus far we've seen miraculous, so as quickly as Dorian I believe."

Dorian smiled at her, "That's my girl."

She shivered at his black eyes, they looked soulless.

Lucas took her hand again squeezing it and pulling her down the corridor.

They walked to the elevator and got in. Ari looked around confused until the doors opened revealing a forest. She looked at Aimee who smiled, "It’s the trial room. There is a section with like buildings and forest and stuff. It's so you can fight realistically."

Ari gulped, "Like the Matrix?" She reached out touching the tree in front of her, it felt completely real.

Everyone laughed, "No babe its like a movie set, it's really there. The trees and rocks are lifelike but not living."

She put her hands on her hips glaring at Lucas, "What? I don’t watch a lot of movies okay. I was training for iron man competitions and worrying about graduating from high school. Jeesh."

"Okay well Aimee why don’t you girls go over to the north and we will set the attack." Daniel pointed.

Aimee took Ari by the arm and pulled her along, "Come on. Stop touching everything."

"This is pretty cool."

"Yeah it's wicked cool but it's also a set not the real thing. It breaks and then Daniel gets mad."

Ari frowned walking through the forest almost lost by the density of the trees around her and the light coming from the skylights high above. Rocks, sticks, bark, trees, leaves and even a couple birds perched on branches surrounded them. It was a real forest only like twenty stories above the ground. The forest cleared coming to a couple small trailers. They had windows and a blue sky painted above them.

She marveled, "It is like The Matrix or Star trek, you know the Holodeck on Generations."

Aimee laughed, "Oh my god I thought I was the only nerd who watched that show. Remember the episode where Worf and Alexander and Troi were trapped in the Western?"

Ari giggled, "That was awesome, Wil Wheaton was hot."

"Ohhhh yeah. He was smoking in his uni."

Ari looked at Aimee, "Why cant life be simple like before?"

Aimee shrugged, "Its life Ari, things get tossed in the air sometimes and no matter how they land you have to be ready to fight for what you have."

Ari nodded, "I know I just wish…"

Aimee hugged her, "Me too." She pulled her back, "Ready?"

Ari shook her head, "What's going to happen?"

Aimee shrugged, "Not sure. Just be ready. Ears open, eyes open, smells in the air."

"Ouu like that one?"

Aimee's eyes narrowed, "Oh Dorian for god sake just come out. We can smell your dead flesh from all the way over here."

He stepped out of the house beside her, "Hurtful." He put an arm on Ari, "Just try to relax Ari."

Aimee frowned, "Why are you so nice to her and a total dick to me?"

He shrugged taking a step toward her obviously making Aimee nervous, "Something about you bugs me Aimee."

Aimee stood her ground unflinching, "Ari I smell wolf."

Ari smelled her arms making sure it wasn’t her.

Dorian laughed, "Not on you honey, it's in the air. Can you smell it?"

Ari put her nose to the air and closed her eyes, she could smell Henry she was certain. She crouched snapping her fingers making sparks. She hadn’t noticed them getting hot but they were burning.

Aimee held her arm out, "Touch my hand and control it even though it's turned on."

Ari went to shake her head but she knew it was going to happen whether she fought it or not. She put her hand on Aimee. The push started to spark but Ari held it. She vibrated slightly controlling it. Instantly feeling in control and excited she pulled away smiling.

"Nice."

The large black wolf was silent but she saw the movement off to the side. She ran at him dodging as he leapt at her. She grabbed the branch that hung low nearest her and swung to the side. She watched as his muzzle came at her arm with huge teeth bared. She put her hand out to touch him but another wolf had her arm in seconds pulling her from the tree ripping her skin.

She let herself drop as her other hand came free. She put it to the side of the brown wolfs face. His green eyes sparkled as they met her own dark eyes. The black wolf was on her pinning her as the brown wolf fell away to the ground fighting the sleep she tried to force on him. She pulled the bleeding arm out from under the brown wolf almost waving it in front of the black wolfs face. His jaw snapped at the blood but her hand came up too quickly freezing him. His eyelids closed on the dark eyes. She panted trying desperately to slide her body out from under the hundreds of pounds of fur and sleeping wolf.

She listened to the forest looking for Aimee and Dorian but she found herself completely alone. A subtle sound filled the fake forest but her heartbeat overpowered the hidden noise. She shoved the wolves off her and was on her feet trying to control her heartbeat within seconds looking around for the source of the noise.

From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of something, it looked as if it were a woman. The brown wolf moved still distracting her from the streak moving in the forest about to try to take a shot at her. She saw the flash and jumped out of the way quickly rolling along the ground hitting a log.

The flash was Lorri, she moved with incredible speed. Ari leapt again trying to avoid her grasping claws. Completely unsure of what Lorri was but knowing she needed to escape she tried to stay a step ahead. Lorri was too fast catching Ari mid air and slamming her to the ground. Ari felt all her wind leave her upon impact and blackness try to take her. She caught a glimpse of Lorri's face smelling the ripped skin of her arms before she was gone.

Chapter Eighteen- Lucifer, Obviously a Chick Name

Aimee

She watched the battle taking place trying not to notice Dorian observing her continuously. Ari handled the wolves both well even if it was odd Lucas seemed to be building a resistance to Ari's special blend of ass kicking. Her arm was bleeding which was fortunate as Aimee saw Lorri making her way to Ari. Nothing distracted Lorri like blood. Ari tried to out maneuver her but Lorri was too fast as Aimee expected her to be. Even winking herself sometimes wasn’t fast enough to escape Lorri. She truly was one of a kind. As Lorri pinned Ari, Aimee watched Lorri's jaw open as her eyes fixated on the blood, running as fast as she could she dove touching Ari before Lorri could get a lick and winked them both out.

The cool air hit like a ton of bricks as they both stood on the roof of the building. Aimee held Ari up holding her in her arms.

"It's okay Ari you're safe now."

Ari shook as her knees buckled, "They bit me. I think they broke my arm."

Aimee touched her and nodded, "Yup they did."

Ari started to cry, "What was that all for? Lorri tried to eat me and the wolves, my own boyfriend tried to eat me. What kind of sick place is this? I wanna go home. I want Lydia. I'm done."