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Avery smirked when Kimiko started to show annoyance with him already. His eyes flickered to her lips when she stated what had happened. He looked back into her eyes and answered.

”You kissed me first.”

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”It would have been our wedding, but Cassi and I called it off. We were packed and ready to leave when they attacked. No. We had no idea there was a deal made with the demons. We didn’t know why they attacked. As for the rest of your questions, I don’t know. We can still go through with completely the mating bond if you want, but I’m worried about you not healing.”

Caden answered as many questions of Nero’s as he could. He ran his hand through Nero’s hair, glad they were feeling warmer to his touch.

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Once the door clicked shut behind Nic, Cass dropped her head in her hands and started to cry silently. ”Max, what am I going to do?” she whispered. She leaned forward, looking down at her familiar. He looked up at her, having nothing to say.

Cass remained seated for another minute before she made herself stand. She unzipped her outfit and struggled to get out of it, but once she was free, she kicked her clothes into the corner of the room before she climbed into the bath. She hissed from the heat hitting her cold, damp body. The shelves around her bathtub held herbs and salts that she added to the water. Lavender to relax, peppermint to soothe, and rosemary for clarity.

She sunk into the tub, dunking her head under the water to try and cleanse her mind.

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It takes a lot of self control for Kiki not to grab a pillow and start whacking him with it. Avery’s eyes dart to her lips for a moment and she takes that as a good sign, placing a hand on his chest and leaning closer. “Thank you for protecting me.” She tries to keep her focus on his eyes, but she also glances quickly at his lips.

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Nero nods along lightly to Caden’s answers, most of them easing Nero’s mind a little. Nero grabs the hand not in their hair and begins tracing the tattoos on it again.“I don’t suppose you think Nic would help at all, do you?” They sigh, shaking their own head in answer to the question.

“The more I uncover about… him… convinces me more of two things. I need to know how I got away and where he is. But it also makes it clear that I don’t want to lose the best thing I’ve ever had; you.”

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Wayland and Calypso are very helpful in their endeavors to be fed. Nic turns the stove’s heat on low to make sure the water stays hot before he lets them show me where their food is. Nic fill their bowls completely before he pulls out a couple of treats, letting them choose their prize for being good children. While they are preoccupied, Nic looks for mugs and tea, pulling the items out and setting them on the counter. He finds some lavender sweetener and grabs that for the tea along with honey, adding both to the cup before he finally turns the stove off. He chooses chamomile for the flavor, setting the teabag inside the mug before pouring the teakettle water into it and placing a little plate over the top to properly steep it.

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Avery freezes when Kimiko closes the distance and rests her hand on his chest. His eyes don’t waver from hers, even though Kimiko’s flicker to his lips and back. The heat from having her hand on his chest has Avery finally moving.

The warning signs Avery was receiving earlier in the day are quieter now but are still present. She only kissed you because she was terrified. Maybe that was true, and if it was, tomorrow would be back to normal.

Avery shifted his hand from behind his head and brushed Kimiko’s cheek. ”I’d do it again,” he said honestly. It was in his nature, but he also knew he would come running if she called him.

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”You’re not going to lose me,” Caden promised. He captured Nero’s hand, turned it over, and kissed their hand. ”I love you, Nero. From now until the end of time. And when this world ends, I’ll find you in the next.”

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Cassiopeia remained under the water for some time, coming up only when her lungs started to burn. She took a deep breath in after resurfacing, and sat up. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she turned her head, resting her cheek on her knee, and stared at the door.

Nero led the demons that slaughtered her family. Yet Caden still defended them. Cassi thinks back to Nero’s reaction to the memory, but she’s having a hard time determining if their reaction was because they were genuinely remorseful or terrified they were caught.

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Kimiko stays still for a moment, waiting for him to push her away. When he doesn’t, when he declares he would protect her again as his hand brushes her cheek, she closes the distance and kisses him again, hoping this is better timing on her part this time.

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Nero is tempted to make fun of Caden for how sappy he is getting, but their melting heart is too happy to let them. A little speechless now, Nero just nods their head as they find themselves falling for Caden all over again. They lean forward and rest their head on his forehead, closing their eyes and just taking deep, steadying breaths. “Bis ans Ende der Zeit.” They whisper back.

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Nic finds a little tray and sets her steeping tea on it before also adding some of the carrots and strawberries from lunch on it as well. On his way as he carries the goodies for Cass, he stops by the hall closet and grabs a couple of towels, draping them across his arm.

When he reaches the bathroom door, he takes a deep breath, steadying themselves before they knock on the door. “I have your tea and towels - can I come in?” He asks through the door.

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Avery breaks eye contact with Kimiko as she leans in. His eyes fall to her lips before they meet his.

Avery closed his eyes as they kissed. His hand slipped into her hair, and he pulled her closer. A fire started to burn within him from the kiss, which had Avery pulling back from the kiss.

”Kimiko, I… I don’t think I can do this in light of everything and with you being under the protection of Caden.”

Avery knew he could keep kissing Kimiko. He rather enjoyed kissing her, and it stirred something within his wolf that was new to the both of them, but his honour and loyalty to Caden outweighed his own desires.

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Caden’s body fully relaxes when Nero whispers the words back to him. Everything will be okay because they have Nero. He doesn’t know how, but he knows it will be.

Caden wrapped his arms around Nero and held them close for some time before suggesting they get out of the tub and go to bed. The emotions of the evening had certainly taken their toll, and all Caden wished to do now was to sleep with Nero in his arms.

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The knock on the door has Cassiopeia’s eyes sharpening until she hears Nic’s voice. Right. He’s in her house. Nic is looking after her. She’s safe. She’s not in the 18th century.

”Yes.” Cassi kept her arms wrapped around her legs in a way to keep herself covered.

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This kiss feels even better than the one before and Avery is even pulling Kimiko closer and she softly clutches the front of his hoodie. Then he breaks the kiss and Kiki blinks several times, confused as to why he pulled away. She furrows her brow at his words. “What do you mean ‘in light of everything’?” She asks, confused.

“And ‘under Caden’s protection’? I’m not his ward - I’m a fully grown adult who can make her own decisions.” She pulls away from him and sits back, crossing her arms as she looks at Avery. He definitely kissed me back this time, so why is he stopping it? With her anger already close from everything during dinner, she has to concentrate a little to stop herself from lighting something on fire again.

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Nero nods at the aspect of going to sleep. Never before have they felt this tired. A lot had happened today and there’s sure to be more of a mess tomorrow. Once dry, Nero grabs one of Caden’s t-shirts and pulls it over their head before they crawl in the bed, splaying out on top of the blankets and sheets as they wait for Caden.

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Nic walks in, closely followed by a hyper Wayland and Calypso, as he carries the tray in. He keeps his eyes modest, only glancing at anything below her jaw for a brief moment when he walks in. He sets the tray on the edge of the tub, hanging the towels up for her to grab when she’s done. “It’s chamomile with some lavender syrup and honey. I also wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry, so I brought up some carrots and strawberries too.”

He kneels down beside the tub, carefully wiping her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ears. “The kiddos have been fed and treated. Is it okay for me to stay in your bed while you finish your bath? That way I’ll hear it if you call for me?” He still needed to change out of his own wet clothes, but that was low on his list of priorities.

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Avery’s fingers twitch at his sides from the need to pull Kimiko back. She’s not happy; that is very clear. ”I mean with everything that just happened tonight… Emotions are a little high. I don’t…I can’t…I mean I… I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

He couldn’t quite look at Kimiko again as he stumbled for the words that wouldn’t hurt her but also stop the night from progressing. His wolf protested, wanting nothing more than to keep Kimiko under his hold and within his protection. He could look after her better than Caden could. She was his. Avery froze when the thought, the feeling crossed his mind.

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Caden drained the water from the tub after wrapping the towel around his waist. He blew out the candles and dressed in his usual attire for sleeping.

Nero was splayed out on the bed, taking up as much room as the little imp could. The image was endearing, and a smile played across his lips. If only he could share his deepest feelings and emotions with Cassi in their true form. Maybe then she would understand.

Caden crawled onto the bed, kissing Nero’s shoulders. He pushed their, well, his, t-shirt up their back and kissed the two dips in their lower back on either side of their spine before he laid down. Caden kept his back to the bedroom door and pulled Nero into his side, curling around them.

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Cassiopeia watched Nic as he moved about her bathroom, laying everything out for her so it was within easy access. She watched his eyes dip for the briefest of moments before he asked for permission to remain in her bedroom.

Cassi didn’t mind Nic’s eyes wandering. If anything, she wished she could just pull him into the tub with her — even though there was no way the two of them would fit — and kiss him. But she didn’t want the first time he saw her naked to be after a night like tonight.

”You can stay in the bedroom; on two conditions. You put your clothes in the dryer, and you stay with me all night,” Cassi said.

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Kimiko stares at this man as he stammers, raising an eyebrow as she tries to comprehend what he’s saying. As she’s processing it all, she watches him freeze. Without thinking she leans forward, concern etched into her face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She asks, hand hovering over his chest.

She doesn’t think her emotions are wrong right now - they’ve been there this whole time. Kimiko of course is worried about Caden and Cassi, her big brother and sister, but they’re at the back of her mind. Her hand hovering over his chest twitches and she places it down, no longer wanting to hold back.

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Nero smiles softly as Caden crawls into the bed with them. His scent engulfs their senses and they close their eyes, feeling protected and safe in his arms. They grab hold of one of Caden’s hands, holding it with both of theirs as sleep envelops them.

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Nic can’t help the lopsided grin that appears on his face, dimples showing fully. “That seems fair.” He says with a small chuckle, definitely not opposed to stay with Cassi. He leans over and kisses her head again before standing up.

“Just yell if you need something, okay?” He tells her, hands itching to caress her face, but staying firmly at his sides for now.

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Avery snaps his head to look at Kimiko when she touches his chest. His eyes are golden yellow, his wolf dangerously close to the surface. His wolf growls in approval, and Avery slides off the bed and goes to the door. He opens it up.

”You need to leave,” he said, his voice completely void of emotion.

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Cassi smiled and nodded. ”I will,” she promises. When Nic leaves, Cassi reaches forward and picks up a carrot. She examines it closely before taking a bite. It takes her a while to chew and swallow it, and she doesn’t pick up another. She does pick up her cup of tea though, and inhales the warm, comforting scent before she settles back in the tub and closes her eyes.

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Kimiko doesn’t flinch when Avery’s eyes shift, but she falls back onto the bed a bit at his sudden departure from it. She blinks, unsure of what just happened, watching Avery with a creased brow. “Avery-” She starts, sitting on the edge of the bed.

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Even though it feels weird to strip in Cass’ home, Nic strips himself of his wet clothes and places them in the washer. He’d picked up Cass’ while he was in the bathroom and carefully reads the care instructions to make sure he isn’t going to ruin her clothes. He throws his workout tank in there as well before he starts the load. Nic pulls on his joggers and grabs the book of poetry out of his backpack along with his notebook and pencil before making his way back to Cass’ bedroom.

“I’m back,” He calls out towards the bathroom before he carefully sits on her bed. As much as he wants to ask Cass questions, to know what she had seen with touching Nero, he stops himself. He distracts himself by reading the poetry and trying to write some of his own down.

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”Kimiko, don’t. Just go. I can’t do this right now,” he said, hands fisting at his sides. He didn’t want to hurt her, but if she didn’t take the hint soon, Avery would have no choice.

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Cassi opens her eyes to glance at the door before she sips her tea and settles back. ”Okay,” she says before she drifts off again.

Cass remained in the bathtub for a while. Her tea was gone, and the water had turned lukewarm before she shifted to wash off the herbs and salts. Cass drains the tub and stands to towel off. She walked over to her counter and applied some of the oils and lotions she liked to put on after bathing. At this point, she was simply going through the motions of living. She combed out her wet hair and soaked up most of the water, and left it to hang loose and dry.

Max remained with her, a watchful eye while Cassiopeia dressed in loose lounge pants and a sweatshirt. He left the bathroom with her, going to the chair in the corner of her room and hopping up to loaf on the edge. Max closed his eyes, but he wasn’t sleeping. He was simply resting.

Cassiopeia walked around the kittens playing on the ground and sat on the edge of the bed next to Nic. She folded one of her legs on the bed, and it rested against Nic’s side. He was shirtless, and Cassiopeia stared at him. Her mind was curious and searching, looking for ways to process the day. She lifted her hand and traced the lines and grooves of Nic’s stomach before resting her palm flat against his abs. Her hand barely encompassed his torso. She smiled at that and the thought of this strange human lying in her bed, waiting for her.

”You have questions,” she stated. Cassiopeia pulled her eyes away from Nic and looked into his eyes. ”Ask them.”

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A little fire starts on the sleeve of her silky robe and she quickly smacks the spot on her arm, putting it out before it singed the fabric. “Fine.” She says through gritted teeth as she stands up and stalks past him, not saying anything else. She fears she’ll say something she’ll regret. She slams the door behind her a little forcefully before she heads to the room she had changed in. She takes off the tank and the pants, putting only the robe back on before heading outside.

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Nic sets down the book and notebook, putting the pencil in the spiral ring, watching Cass as she makes her way over. He’s keenly aware of her hand on his stomach, only now realizing that maybe he should have put his tank on instead of washing it. Nicholas stares at her hand for a moment until she speaks.

“Are you sure?” He asks as he sits up and gently caresses her cheek. “I can ask them later - I just want to make sure you’re okay tonight.” It’s almost habit for him to tuck Cass’ hair behind her ears now.

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She slams the door, and Avery locks it right away. What the hell just happened? Avery rested his forehead against the door and tried to breathe, but he ended up slamming his hand into the door. The wood splinters, and Avery walks away.

Inside, he feels like he’s being ripped in two. This can’t be happening. You’re wrong.

But I’m not.

”Shut up,” Avery growled and laid on the bed. He covered his head with a pillow, trying to get his wolf to shut up.

---

Outside, the wolf pack of Chicago had been hunting and patrolling in the woods behind Caden's house. They had noticed the unnatural storm in the area, and now the destroyed trees. Levi guessed it was Caden's sorcerer friend. Trouble in paradise he surmised. That was good news. It meant Caden wasn't as strong as he pretended to be. Perhaps they could finally drive him and his pet wolf out of Illinois.

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”I’m sure. It’ll help me process everything rather than repress it,” she said and leaned into Nic’s touch. Wayland and Calypso continued to chase each other around Cassi’s room, jumping over the bed and running all over the place. It was strangely normal for Cassi, and it helped her to remain present. Her hand on Nic also aided in her task to remain focused.

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Kimiko can’t stay in the house for another minute. Between the recent of dinner and the fact that she threw herself at Avery only to be rejected… She needs a run. Like last time, she walks out to the woods behind Caden’s house and finds a tree to hang the robe from before shifting. Kiki’s fox form is small and quite frankly adorable. Although mostly a pale blonde or white in fur, there are some pinkish orange hues in some of the areas around her ears and tail.

In her mouth, she carries what appears to be a large yellow and blue marble, her Hoshi no tama. It looks very similar to the candy she had earlier. It serves as her life source and is not something any fox spirit would want to lose or let fall into the wrong hands.

Kimiko runs freely through the woods, letting her fox take control and chase things on a whim. If she manages to catch something, she let it go since her fox just wants the thrill of the chase. She doesn’t know how long she has been out for, but she’s far enough away from the light pollution of Chicago that she’s able to see the moon and stars shine brightly through the canopy of trees.

Just as the fox thinks about turning around to head back, feeling like she has gotten most of the frustration out of her system, she freezes where she stands. Kimiko catches the whiff of something she doesn’t recognize at first. When she realizes it’s a werewolf, she has the smallest hope that maybe Avery ran after her. That hope quickly diminishes when realize it’s the shithead from the club – just her luck after talking about him earlier with Avery.

Not wanting to run into Terrance if he’s hunting, Kiki quickly heads off in the opposite direction. It’s not long until she encounters a similar scent. Concerned that she might end up being a snack for the werewolves, she tries to run in a different direction, but slowly realizes that she’s surrounded. Her fear is confirmed as men come out from behind trees, seeming to just appear.

“Looks like the fox hunt was a success, boys.” The little fox flips around to see the Terrance from the other night approaching. She growls and shows her teeth but he just laughs as he picks Kimiko up by the nape of her neck before wrapping his hand around her neck.

He starts to squeeze and Kiki panics, trying to fight him off but ultimately has to gasp for air. Her eyes widen as she watches the orb fall out of her mouth and be grabbed by the werewolf choking her. He moves his hand to hold the nape of her neck once again and grins at the fox’s look of shock.

”We did a little research on kitsune after talking to your boyfriends the other day.” Kimiko growls but Terrance laughs it off again. “See, you need to learn your place, bitch. You and your simps.” She twists and turns her small body in an attempt to bite him, but he holds up the star ball in a warning. Kiki stiffens as he squeezes it in his fingers, hearing just a little crack before he stops.

“Terry, we better get going.” One of the other wolves says and the one holding the little fox nods before tucking her ball into a little pouch. Terry throws her onto the ground hard before he and the others quickly shift. Kimiko barely has time to recover let alone react before he grabs her by the neck with his teeth and starts running off with her in tow.

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Nicholas nods, leaning forward to kiss her head. “Okay.” He breathes before resting his forehead on hers. “Let’s start with what you saw - can you tell me?” He asks, running his thumb over her cheeks. His other hands envelops the one still on his abdomen.

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Cassiopeia naturally closes her eyes, letting her mind and body focus on Nic’s hands and his subtle touches. She takes a deep breath in and nods. ”I saw the night my family was murdered. I was back in that field but the perspective was wrong. I was seeing it from Nero’s point of view. They were there. They led the army of demons that killed my entire family.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and the tears started again. Her hand tightened on Nic’s stomach as the pain of the memory washed over her.

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Nicholas knew it wasn’t going to be something pleasant, but he can’t believe it’s something this horrible. He pulls Cass into his lap, hugging her tightly and kissing her head. His hands run through her wet hair and down her back, trying to soothe her. “That’s horrifying…” He whispers. “I’m so sorry.” Nic can’t even begin to imagine it, but he tries to imagine his own mother’s death as if through the eyes of the beast. He can’t do it for longer than a mere second.

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Cassiopeia lets Nic scoop her up and cradle her close. Despite the horrible memory, Cassi smiles as she curls into Nic and rests her head in the crook of his neck. ”They didn’t feel anything. They killed my sisters, my brothers, and my mother and didn’t feel a thing.”

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Nicholas swallows the hard lump in his throat, his hands still moving through her hair as well as up and down her back. He bites back the question at the forefront of his mind - hadn’t Cass told him that demons normally don’t feel any human emotion? But he can bring that up later, when everything has quieted down. “That’s not something you should have seen.” He kisses her head as best he can with it buried in his neck.

“What did Caden mean about mating or whatever?” He asks instead, moving the conversation forward from the memory at the very least. He isn’t playing mediator right now even though that’s his common approach to disagreements with close ones. There will be time for that later. Now, in Cass’ bed, holding her in his lap, he’s concentrated on helping her.

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Cassiopeia breathed in Nic’s scent steadily, listening to his heartbeat, and feeling the vibrations of his voice as he spoke. All of these things, coupled with the cats’ growling and meowing grounded Cassi in the present. She shifted just slightly to watch her fingers trace lines along Nic’s collarbone.

”The mating bond is formed when the dragon chooses whom they want to mate or form a life bond with. It is like a contract, but it is much deeper than that. It is all consuming. It’s like a soul mate but on a larger scale. Werewolves also have a mating bond, but dragons have a choice who they wish to bond to, whereas werewolves mating bond is predetermined by the wolf. It is like a soul connection, and when they come across that person with the matching half, it snaps into place. But a werewolf can reject the bond if they wish, but most don’t as the feelings of the bond are all consuming and can be painful to ignore.”

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Nicholas digests this info, his fingers massaging Cass’ back more than just running up and down. He works along her spine in the soft tissue in an attempt to help any stress that might have gone to her back and shoulders. “And Caden bonded with Nero?” He guesses outloud. “Even if they’d moving way too fast… I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for Caden to be caught in the middle right now.” He reminds himself that he’s here for Cass once again, but it’s hard not to empathize with the dragon right now.

“The weather in the backyard, that was you?” He asks, not wanting to linger on his empathy for the people who had just hurt his love. Love? Nic won’t say it out loud yet, but he knows it’s starting to become the truth for him with Cass.

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