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I watch him close his eyes, smirking. He’s definitely going to fall asleep, I think. I glance down at his book and notebook, smiling a little. ”I’m trying,” I say.

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This room is a little more open, but Nero is small. I check under tables and behind chairs and behind curtains but they are nowhere. I stand in the middle of the room, thinking. ”I wonder…” I go over to the cabinets in the room and open them up. Most of these are full, but I look behind a few. No, there’s too much in these cabinets. I leave the room and walk to the door that leads to the deck. I poke my head out, but there’s a bit of a chill. No, they wouldn’t go outside.

The library, then. ”Once upon a time there was a dragon whose treasure was taken. It made him rather sad,” I state, my voice carrying down the hallway until I enter the library. There were many hiding places here. My eyes scan the room, and I notice a few anomalies. I was getting closer.

”One day, the dragon was tired of being sad, and so, he went out to reclaim his treasure.” I start opening the cabinets, where some of the disturbances are. Nothing. Yet.

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”I can tell.” I mumble to her with a small smile on my face. ”Don’t forget your rum if I fall asleep, okay?”

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I laugh against my hands and shake my head. Where are the fairytales coming from? He’ll find me soon and if I’m diagnosing the sounds I’m hearing correctly, he’s looking in the cabinets. I don’t think I can get out of my hiding place without him noticing. Would he consider teleporting cheating in this game I started? I wiggle my toes, feeling fidgety. There’s no guarantee with my teleporting and I’d rather not end up in the pool again, if I’m honest.

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I laugh softly and shake my head. ”Avery’s going to have to carry you into your house,” I tease Nic. Avery looks at me through the rearview mirror and smiles.

“I’ve had to do worse.”

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I searched the library thoroughly. That leaves my office. He could be downstairs, too, but I have my money on them being upstairs. I cross the hallway into my office. There was more movement in here after I left them earlier.

”Hmm, I sense I’m getting warmer,” I crooned. I follow my routine of checking behind and under furniture first. I start opening cabinets by the window. These ones aren’t as full. My eyes catch something a miss out of the corner of my eyes. I smile, feeling particularly lucky now.

I walk over and bend down to open the lower cabinets. My eyes shift back to normal and I open up the cabinet.

”You, my dear, are a difficult one to pin down. Out you come,” I say, stepping aside for Nero to untangle themselves.

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I open one eye to peer at Cass in a sidelong glance with a smirk lifting the corner of my mouth. ”I would never do that to Avery.” I say with certainty. ”Unless Avery is a secret body builder, I’m too big for anyone to carry… Wait how did you guys get me out of the morgue last night?”

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I let out the laughter I had been holding in. ”You deserved it.” I tell him, sticking my tongue out at him before I scoot forward and tumble out of the cabinet, landing to sit on the floor. I look up at him and grin widely. ”I was hoping for more of the dragon story though. Did he ever find his treasure? I’m dying to know.”

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Avery and I exchange glances and smirk. I look back at Nic. ”Caden carried you. He trains with Avery, but also, Caden is inhumanly strong.”

“I’m a mixed martial arts fighter and trainer. I can assure you I will be able to carry you.” I nodded in agreement with Avery. He wasn’t as tall as Nic and was even shorter than Caden, but Avery was not to be messed with.

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I shake my head as Nero falls out of the cabinet, stretching back out. I shut the cabinet before leaning against it. I smile, loving that he actually heard me talking.

”He did. It was buried deeply in another’s cave.”

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”Well that’s the last time I underestimate you, Avery.” I tell him, impressed by him. ”I do some boxing at my local gym, but never anything more than the basics.” I might need to ask if I can steal Avery away to train me or join on his sessions with Caden.

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I tilt my head. ”The cabinet?” I ask, guessing what he meant by another cave. I stand up, brushing off anything that might have clung onto me from the cabinet or floor, before I look back up at him and wager another guess. ”Or hell?”

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“Yea? Caden mentioned you wanted to train more. You’re welcome to train with him and me. I could give you some pointers if you’re looking to advance your training.”

I fall silent while the two of them talk. Nic boxes? For some reason, I did not see that coming. He was fit, sure, so I knew he probably went to the gym, but boxing is just different, I guess. Hmm. I turn my head and look out the window. The city lights come back into view as we head to my place first.

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”The cabinet. If it were hell, there would have been a series of creatures the dragon had to kill first. Much more dramatic,” I said and offered Nero my hand.

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”I’d like that a lot, actually.” I say, sitting up now so I could see Avery a little better. ”Do the two of you train at his home then?” I steal a glance at Cass, noticing she’s staring out the window as the streets start lighting up more.

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I step towards him with a smirk. ”Specifically a crow creature if nothing else.” I wink before I take his hand. ”I was tempted to teleport somewhere else to tease you, by the way.”

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“Sometimes. We also go to a local MMA gym. It’s better for your form and experience to fight different types of people and styles. Although that place does cater to the supernatural community. Caden is a strong competitor, so he often needs someone who can fight on his level,” Avery explains.

”Also known as Caden has beaten Avery too many times and needs a real challenge,” I tease.

"Hey now,” Avery says with a laugh.

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A crow creature? Hmm, another purveyor of shiny goods. Once I have Nero’s and in mine, I lead them from the office, walking backwards as I talk to them.

”Oh, and where were you hoping to end up?”

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I chuckle at the exchange before I lean over to Cass and whisper, ”Would I be safe at that gym?” I don’t know if Avery was supernatural or not, but I don’t want to leap headfirst into danger. ”Or am I overthinking?”

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I let him lead me, following happily and giggling a little as he walks backwards. ”Not the pool.” I say with a wink. ”If I could rely on it more, I would have used it to maybe go somewhere you already checked.” I say with a smirk.

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I glance at Nic, who is once again closer than normal. I smile at his worry. ”You’d be safe,” I assure him. ”Honestly, the sooner the supernatural community knows you’re one of the humans in the know, the better off you’ll likely be.” Granted, it still might put a target on his back in a sense, but overall, Nic would be watched and protected if the others knew he was a human who was actually helping.

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”Ah, and how do you know I wouldn’t have grown tired and given up? It has been quite an eventful day, and I can only play so much.”

We re-enter my bedroom, and I release their hands to close the bedroom doors. A bedside lamp is lit, providing some light to see by.

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Smiling, I nod. ”Thank you.” I say in a whisper and lean back into my seat. ”Alright Avery, you have a new trainee.” I say with a grin before throwing a wink at Cass. A strand of her hair has fallen loose and my fingers twitch, but I keep my hands to myself, choosing to look out my window instead.

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With a small laugh, I shake my head. ”I didn’t think Mein Drache would give up so easily on little ol’ me.” I tell him with an exaggerated pout, walking backwards away from him with my hands clasped behind my back. ”And here I thought we were making some good progress in our relationship.”

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“Ah, excellent! I’ll work out a training schedule for you,” Avery says, his tone excited by the idea of getting to train someone new.

I shake my head at Nic, smiling all the same and look at the window after he turns his head to do the same. We turn onto my street a few minutes later, and I check everything over to make sure I have everything I need.

”Thank you for driving, Avery.”

“Of course, Miss. Alastair.” He stops in front of my house and parks so I can gather my things. “Do you need me to walk you to your door?”

”No, no. I should be fine,” I say and open up the door. I look at Nic and nod my head once. ”We’ll see you later,” I say, getting out of the SUV.

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I stay by the door, tracking their every move with a slight smile on my face. ”Oh, I think our relationship is progressing just fine,” I state. My eyes shift from their face to look down their body. I examine their bare legs before looking up into their coloured eyes again.

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I’m excited at the prospect of adding more skills to my list and it seems like Avery is as well. Cass starts to get out of the car and I nod when she says she’ll see me later; I can’t wait. ”Oh wait, the rum!” I say to her, pulling it out of my backpack and scooting across the seats to get closer. ”Let me know how you like it.” I tell her with a smile.

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I feel my cheeks warm as I watch them check out my body. ”Oh you do, do you?” I ask, taking another couple of steps backwards from him. ”Even after ditching me and leaving me bored all alone in this big place?” I take the moment to look over him as well and I tilt my head with a smirk.

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I stop and turn. Nic’s moved closer, so I don't have to reach into the SUV. I take the bottle from him, our fingers brushing as I do.

I look over the label and nod. ”Of course, thanks again.” I smile and wish them both goodnight before I turn and head up the steps to my house. Only after I unlock the door and close it behind me does Avery leave.

I sigh, locking my door. A meow greets me, and I look down to see Wayland. I smile tiredly at him.

”Hello, my good boy. Are the others sleeping?” He seems to meow a yes as he winds around my legs. ”Good. Let's do the same then, hmm?” I walk into the kitchen and set my things down on the counter before retreating to my bedroom.

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I shift my weight and glance away from Nero. I know they are only teasing me, but I did not enjoy that I had to leave them like that.

”I assure you that was not my intention.” I take a step away from the door, shrinking the gap between us. I look back at Nero through my eyelashes, palms raised in submission. ”Will you forgive me?” My voice shifts to a less commanding and more forlorn tone.

It's a similar tactic I'll use when I've cornered a particularly skittish creature that I need to bring in or put down. Except my reasons for doing it now are highly different. I’m hoping for a drastically different outcome than that of when I normally hunt.

I take another, smaller step towards Nero. Now that the others are gone and the staff has retired for the evening, I don't mind playing with Nero. At least I'm with them again.

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When our fingers brush, it takes most of my resolve not to drop the bottle. The moment is over too soon, though, annd Avery and I watch as Cass enters her home before he starts the drive to my place. The conversation is light, focusing more on swapping techniques with each other. When we get to my place, I thank him and make sure to gather all my things plus the treaty book. When I enter my place, I find Jane and my dad both passed out on my couch. I shake my head, amused by this, and quickly snap a photo with my phone before I go to wake them.

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Caden takes the jok a little more seriously than I thought he would. I watch him fidget, curious about this new side of Caden I’m witnessing. He’s closing the distance between us little by little and though I want to tease him by backing away, I stay still and let him. I don’t remember the last time I played the prey in a game of cat and mouse, but I found myself enjoying it. ”I guess I can forgive you.” I tease, but I feel my cheeks warm as I continue to follow his movement.

I know it’s not his fault that he had to leave my to my own devices and it’s definitely not his fault that the tension between us felt like an electrical current pulsating. I lower my gaze and look up through my lashes at him, shifting my weight and fidgeting.

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I turn the light on in the bedroom and am greeted by sleeping eyes opening and merping. I go over and rub everyone’s heads before I get ready for bed. I yawn as I talk to them about my day.

”And of course Caden told me I should trust him, but I don’t know.” Silence. I poke my head out of my bathroom. All three of them are just staring at me. I sigh. ”Not you, too.” I disappear back into the bathroom and finish getting ready for bed.

I tie my hair up as I walk over and crawl into bed. ”I don’t know…maybe.” The trio meows randomly and crawls up to surround me. I laugh as they bump their heads against me, cuddle, or flop over. I shut my light off and snuggle down. I fall asleep to the sound of purring and the idea of maybe.

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They stop moving backwards, and I’m glad the tide is tuning. I resist closing the gap quickly and just take another step. ”Good, because I am prepared to show you just how sorry I am that I had to leave you alone.” My tone shifts again to something more suggestive.

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Watching him closely, I give my best doe-eyed and innocent expression as I take a step towards Caden. ”Oh really? What did you have in mind?” I bat my eyes, resisting the urge to smirk.

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”I think it would be better if I just showed you,” I said, taking another step towards them. The gap between us closed significantly, and I could reach out to touch them now, but I kept my hands to myself for the time being.

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It’s a bit maddening that he’s holding back, but I kind of enjoy it. I fidget, shifting my weight, before I close the gap and stand on my tiptoes to put my arms around his neck. ”You’re such a tease.” I tell him with a smirk, knowing full well that I’m shamelessly a tease as well.