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Caden smiled softly and pulled Nero into him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his imp and inhaled their scent. ”I think of you every second we are apart and wish all the more to be with you. I’m glad the feeling is mutual,” he said and kissed the top of their head. ”Let’s get something to eat, then we can do something else. Avery is setting up a match between Nic and Kiki right now. He’ll be preoccupied with that.”

---

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”That’s the spirit. Nic, you guard first, Kiki, you’re offensive to start. When you’re ready,” he told her before they started.

Avery had them do a couple of rounds of guarding to make sure they understood how to protect their vulnerable parts; after that, Avery opened up the match for them to do as they needed.

”Kiki is better on the offensive Nic; keep your eye on fast attacks and heavy hits. She has an extra kick, thanks to her supernatural ability. Most creatures will have enhanced strength and or speed. Keep that in mind when you find yourself in a fight because, trust me, it will happen sooner rather than later. Start.”

The werewolf stepped back, watching the fight going back and forth, encouraging stronger hits and better blocks.

---

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Nero nods lamely before tightly hugging Caden back. “What’s the most overindulgent breakfast one can have?” They ask into his compression shirt. If only the two could stay just like this, the imp feeling much of the stress and sadness ebb away while in their dragon’s arms. Their mind wanders back to the memory of Eulb Yui and Mundus. Abaddon said the Prince of Hell would no longer have control over Nero - did that mean they were freed from their deal? Or that Mundus was dead? Nero can’t help but wish for the second option.

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Although quick on his feet, Nic is no match for the speed and agility Kimiko has. For the first set of rounds, he mostly guards himself and blocks the fox’s assault. Finally, he starts to see the pattern in Kimiko’s offensive style and in between one of her moves, he’s able to get a good jab to her diaphragm.

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Kiki jumps back, holding her stomach as she coughs and catches her breath, as a smile creeps onto her face. “Ow, Nic. You have some bite in you.” She tells him approvingly. The human looks a little guilty before he grins at her compliment. Kiki attacks again, trying to mix up how she approaches it, when Nic ducks under and uses her shoulders to flip her over his back.

Staring up at the ceiling for the second workout in a row, Kiki groans. A hand enters her vision and she lets Nic help her to stand. “Are you okay?” He asks, but Kiki waves him off, still trying to catch her breath.

“I will be,” Kiki answers between breaths.

---

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"Not every meal needs to be an overindulgence, my little imp. Then it's not as special," he said. Caden tilted Nero's head up and smiled at them. He kissed their nose before leading them to the kitchens.

The smell of bacon, sausage, and eggs took over. Caden's mouth watered as he walked in. Nero and Caden were both greeted warmly and offered drinks before they were ushered out of the kitchen.

"We're just about done. We'll bring everything to the dining room."

Caden chuckled and thanked them all before he took Nero back up the stairs to the dining room. He pulled Nero onto his lap without a second thought. Moments later breakfast was served, and then the two of them were left alone again.

Caden sat forward and managed to eat happily with Nero still in his lap. He ate a decent amount of food before he took a sip of his drink and spoke.

"How are you doing with the revelation about Mundus? I can't say I find the memory comforting. From what Abaddon said, it sounds like he might still be alive. You're just no longer tied to him. Which I am grateful for," Caden said. He picked up Nero's arm and titled their wrist to his lips and kissed the spot where chains would have chafed on their skin.

---

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Avery watched the matches with approval and some pride. Kimiko was able to keep Nic at bay, but he noticed her pattern before Nic did. Once the human noticed, Avery knew Kiki was in trouble.

Avery managed to stay calm with the first hit but the second one had him clenching his fists. He shut his eyes and breathed, calming his wolf back down. Kiki was perfectly fine. This was training. Avery opened his eyes back up to see Nic had helped Kimiko stand. Avery walked over and handed them both some water.

"You grew complacent," Avery told Kimiko. "He figured out your pattern and started to use it against you. It took him a few rounds, but someone more experienced would have picked up on that quickly. Never get complacent."

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Cassiopeia had lost track of time. She sat with the newly healed trees as the slow rain soaked the ground around her. She had been mostly covered by the new foliage, but as the leaves grew saturated, they dipped and hit the sorcerer with water. It wasn't until Cassiopeia felt the beginnings of a shiver that she decided to move. Picking up her shoes, Cassi left the cover of the trees and stared up at them and the sky. The leaves and needles were a brilliant green, like the first signs of growth after a forest fire.

The image brought a smile to Cassiopeia's face even though it had her crying again. She understood the benefits of fire in nature, but when it came from her own hands, it wasn't as easy to accept. She wanted to create life rather than destroy it, even though she excelled at each. Perhaps helping Caden and Nero would be the start of her amendment for what she had done to them and all the other families she had ended.

Cassiopeia shrugged on her jacket and walked back to the house, barefoot and somber. The rain continued where she started, but nature did take over and the gray clouds she had seen in Chicago earlier drifted out to take over.

When she walked inside, Cassi wiped her feet on the mat before she padded quietly through the house. She could hear the quiet cadence of Caden's voice carry out to her from the dining room, but she ignored it and snuck down to the training room. She could hear the sound of boxing gloves hitting each other, and peeked her head around the edge of the door to see.

Cassiopeia was surprised to see Nicholas and Kimiko sparring, but she saw Avery keeping a close eye on the match. She switched her focus back to the fighters and watched Nic flip Kimiko over his shoulder. Cass' eyes widened in surprise, but she was happy he flipped her rather than the other way around.

Movement in the corner of her eye pulled her attention and she watched Avery take a step towards Nic before he got a handle on himself. Ya, Cassi wondered how hard it was going to be to fight that mate instinct. Avery seemed to have control, though, so she remained hidden outside the door, listening to Avery's instruction to Kimiko. She smiled to herself, knowing the speech well.

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Nero manages a small smile and wave to the staff in the kitchen, but otherwise still felt distant, stuck inside their own mind. They keep replaying the last memory over and over, trying to see if there are any details they might have missed. They hardly notice that they’ve left the kitchen and entered the dining room.

When Caden pulls Nero into his lap, they easily curl into more of a ball and press their ear to his chest. The rhythmic soft thumps of his heart give something for the imp to focus on instead. There are still so many confusing things, whether it concerns Mundus, Eulb Yui, or Nero themself.

As breakfast is brought out, Nero grabs the plate of sausage and steals what can fit into their hand to eat, content to not move from their spot. They’ve just finished stuffing their face when Caden poses his question. Their eyes follow the movement of Caden picking up their arm and kissing their wrist.

The gesture causes a pleasant shiver up Nero’s spine. “I don’t know how to feel. If Mundus was still alive, he would’ve found me in Hell easily.” Their body quivers as they think of how much time they’ve spent in the underworld with no regard for their own safety. With a clenched jaw and a furrowed brow, Nero stares at nothing in particular.

The shadows on the wall easily turn into monstrous shapes, the common theme being a tall prince of Hell emerging from them. “I wonder if Crowley knew about any of this… Maybe the other demons weren’t afraid of me but afraid of Mundus seeking revenge if they so much as touched a hair on my head…” They’re rambling and muttering to themselves at this point, suddenly doubting their own identity.

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Kiki purses her lips in a pout as Avery lists what she did wrong, her ears turning more red by the second. She distracts herself with the water bottle from Avery, gulping most of it down in one go. “There wasn’t much room to do anything else though - I couldn’t punch him in the face like I normally would and I wasn’t about to set him on fire.”

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Nic cocks an eyebrow at Kimiko and chuckles before a dozen questions come to mind. “Well, hold on - is your fire more powerful than a normal flame? Is it harder to put out or would stop, drop, and roll work?” His eagerness to know more about the supernatural world shows in his features, almost forgetting about his father’s situation completely.

However, Nic feels eyes on him and turns towards the door, wondering if Caden and Nero had been watching. When he sees Cassi peeking her head in, he grins widely. “Are you going to stay out there the whole time? Or would you rather join us?” He asks in a teasing tone.

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Caden's focus shifted from the attention he was giving Nero's wrist to the tension on their brow. Clearly they had been with the dragon for too long if they were developing the same habit. Caden pressed a finger to Nero's brow, smoothing out the creases with a lovers smile.

"It may have started for fear of Mundus, but I believe you created a reputation for yourself all on your own, regardless if your increase in power was a gift from this so-called Queen. You made the power yours. Don't let anyone take it away from you. As for why he didn't come after you, it's likely he may be locked up."

Caden intertwined and played with Nero's fingers with his own. His focus shifted from the scars of the past to the one's more recent. He ran a thumb across the scar he gave them with his dragon claw.

"You're safe here," he reminded them as much as himself.

---

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Avery chuckled when Nic got excited and asked Kiki a couple dozen questions. Thankfully, Cassi arrived in time to distract him from his inquiries, and Avery turned his focus back on Kimiko.

"But he flipped you. You could have flipped him. Or kicked him, or punched him in the ribs or any number of other places rather than the face. Remember, you don't have the reach, Kiki. You have to go where you can. Nic not only has height, but he also has longer arms which give him a longer reach. You can get him in the stomach, the ribs, the legs," Avery said, listing all the possibilities. "When you fight, you need to look at your opponents weaknesses as well as their strengths the compare them to yours. The ones that overlap will be your trouble, but where your strengths excel, that will be the difference between life and death. Or capture. And no magic unless you spar with me," Avery said, shaking a finger at her.

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Cassi's face flushed when she was caught spying and she slipped into the room. The tops of her feet were still covered in dirt, as well as her hands. She dumped her stuff in the corner, keeping the cardigan on for now and wrapped it around herself. Her skin was still damp from the rain and glistened under the lights in the training room.

She shrugged at Nic's question. "I was enjoying watching," she said simply. "Are you learning lots?" she asked, staying along the edge of the mat to keep it from getting covered in dirt.

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Nero presses their ear to Caden’s chest again, listening for the soft beating of his heart. “I know, I just…” Nero sighs and closes their eyes, not able to find the right words to express themself. They instead focus on his heartbeat.

“Maybe I’ll feel better after we talk to Crowley…” Nero opens their eyes and looks up at Caden. “I want to show you the memories so you can help with any details I’m missing and… do you think you might be able to join Cassi and I when we start going…” Backwards into what is likely to be hundreds of years of abuse.

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Kiki puts her hands on her hips as Avery starts to dig in. As much as she tries, she finds it difficult to really absorb everything he’s saying even though she knows his advice is from a place of helping her. When the wolf starts to wag his finger at her, she narrows her eyes. “I’ll remember that next time we spar.” She says before grabbing his finger, tempted to bite it.

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Nic strides over and engulfs Cassi into a hug before he looks her over. “I was worried when Nero came without you.” His hands run over her face, noticing she’s damp before noticing her muddy hands and feet.

“This is when I put you next to a warm hearth, right?” Nic says before scooping Cassi up, princess style, and start carrying her to the showers. He doesn’t feel like he needs to explain to the other where he’s taking Cass since they seem a little preoccupied.

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Caden stared at the oak table while Nero spoke. His eyes roamed over the grain, imaging a fight scene unfolding while Nero ran over their concerns. He shifted his attention back to his imp and smiled softly. Caden didn't think Crowley's answers would bring them any comfort.

"I'm sure Cassi and I can share in your memories at the same time," Caden said and brushed his thumb along Nero's porcelain white skin. "As for the recent memories, show me when you're ready."

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Avery rose an eyebrow when Kimiko grabbed his finger. He looked her over, weighing his options when he noticed Nic had picked up Cassi and was carrying her from the room. He watched the pair retreat, noticing how red Cassi's face was and smirked. He looked back at Kimiko.

"How about now? Looks like you need a new sparring partner."

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Cassi is surprised by Nic's quick movements. One minute she's staring at his chest and arms, the next she is wrapped in those arms, breathing him in. She sighed, feeling the last weight lift from her shoulders and the buzzing in her head quiet. Nature used to do that for her. Now it seemed she had another way to still her mind.

[olor=#DB7093]"I know... I just needed a minute. They can be very annoying. And Nero somehow knows how to piss me off,"[/color] Cassi explained, feeling annoyance again. Thankfully, she didn't have to dwell on that feeling for long. Cassi exclaimed when Nic suddenly scooped her up, and her face instantly turned red.

"Nicholas! What are you doing?" she hissed. She peeked over his shoulder to make eye contact with Avery, who was smirking at them. Bloody dammit all.

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Nero wants to get it over with sooner rather than later, especially if Cassi wanted to dive back after Crowley. They press their hand on Caden’s cheek and close their eyes to concentrate, making sure to play them in order starting with Cassi’s family.

By the time they pull their hand back, Nero’s cheeks are wet and they curl back into Caden again. They keep their eyes on Caden’s face, waiting for his reaction and worried that his dragon might consume him again.

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Kiki smirks as the other two leave the gym before turning to Avery. “Will a match between us even be fair?” She asks as she thinks about not only the last time they sparred but also that she can’t properly block. She has a feeling it’ll still be harder to do with Avery than with Caden even if she’s figured out how to do it now.

“Besides, I’ve already been flipped on my back.”

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“I’m sorry that they annoyed you, but I want to get you next to a warm fire and I don’t want your mud to bake onto you.” Nic grins lopsidedly, kissing Cassi’s nose before he sets her down on the tiled floor. “So, did you find anything out from Nero?”

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The image of Nero's lifeless body on the cold floor of that dark empty pit of a throne room filled Caden's mind. Even with his eyes opened, it was all he could see. He blinked several times, lost in his thoughts.

Nero curled into Caden and the man shifted his attention to their mate. Caden looked deeply into Nero's eyes, searching for the life he knew to be inside. That spark of lust and greed for more that Caden loved.

Caden brushed his thumb across Nero's bottom lip, watching how they reacted to him.

”I am not certain I will be able to allow you to kill Mundus, my little imp, if he is truly still alive. I fear I want the death blow more than you might. For you, for Cassiopeia, and the family I lost. The family I could have had.”

Caden looked into Nero's eyes again, confirming that they were real and with him right now.

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Avery frowned at Kimiko's statement and pulled his hand back. ”You'll never be in a fair fight. It's better to learn now how to get yourself out so you don't die.”

Avery was on edge. Watching Kimiko get flipped on her back like that had triggered so many warnings in his head. He had to protect his mate because he would die if he lost her.

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Cassiopeia sat on the cold tile floor and looked up at Nic. She leaned back on her hands and crossed her ankles.

”Are we to shower together then?” she asked boldly.

Mischief twinkled in her eyes, wondering if Nic would be so bold to have her in the showers. Her face faltered when he asked about Nero’s memories.

She looked at her legs, staring holes into them. ”I learned a small part of how trapped Nero was down there. They were treated like nothing more than a prized cow. Worse than a cow. And we got the ingredients to summon Crowley but one of them is a problem,” she said and looked back at Nic.

Cassi didn't want to tell him about her family. Partly because it was her burden to bear, and she didn't want him to know, but mostly because it was too close to Nic's situation with his father having made a deal with a demon. Cass didn't want to pull attention away from Nic and how serious and heartbreaking that moment has been.

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Nero feels their eyes close when Caden’s thumb brushes along their lip, but they open again at Caden’s statement. “That’s if he can be killed. Or if he’s even alive to begin with.” Nero can’t help but point out to Caden.

Realizing that they’re putting a dour on the conversation though, Nero smiles up at them halfheartedly. “He’s all yours, though. The more I remember of him, the less I want to be anywhere near him.”

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Kiki’s brows twitch, her eyes following Avery’s movement when he takes his hand back before she frowns. “I know that Avery.” She says, crossing her arms and looking sidelong at the wall as her jaw clenches.

“Don’t you think I know that?”

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Nic regrets his question when he sees how quickly Cass’ expression change, but he can’t stop his curiosity. “Whats the ingredient?” He asks before he grabs a towel to wet and starts with cleaning one of Cassi’s feet. “Is it hard to get?”

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”Everyone and everything can be killed,” Caden said confidently. His thumb slid off their lips and brushed Nero's cheek again. Caden's hand continued on to gently hold the back of their neck.

”I should go shower. Do you want to bring your books back to our room? You can keep ready before we gather the supplies to summon Crowley.”

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”Do you? You sure as hell don't act like it. I figured out your pattern in two rounds, then Nic, a human, did so a couple rounds after that,” Avery said, his irritation only growing more.

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Cassiopeia watched Nic with amusement while he cleaned her feet. She wished she could enjoy the moment more, but her heart wasn't in it.

”No, it's readily available but I don't… I…” Cass sighed and hung her head. ”It's blood we need…human.” She looked away from Nic, staring at the grout in the tiles.

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“And miss taking a shower with you?” Nero asks shamelessly with a smirk slipping onto their face. With that, they start to feel a little more like themselves and a real smile takes over the smirk. “I can’t believe you weren’t going to invite me along.”

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Kiki’s eyes widen as her eyes snap back to Avery. “I beg your pardon??” She asks as her hands clench into fists. “We’ve only just started my training, Avery, what the bloody hell is your problem?” Little flames start flying off of her as she glares at the wolf.

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Nic pauses in his cleaning duty for a moment before he continues onto Cassi’s other foot. “Like, all of it?” He asks, keeping his focus on cleaning the feet. “Do I have to be sacrificed?” His tone is light, especially since he knows she’d never let that actually happen.

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Caden chuckled and stood with Nero secured in his arms.

”I was attempting to exercise some restraint, as well as give you the option not to join me if you wished for it. However, I'm happy you decided you'd rather join me,” Caden said, nuzzling Nero as he walked through the hall.

As he walked a pair of cats bounded through the hall and slipped around Caden's legs while he tried to navigate around them. Caden chuckled, shaking his head at Nero's cats.

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Avery growled, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes shifted to yellow. Rage and fear filled him so quickly he barely had time to think.

”You're my problem!” he yelled at her. ”A human threw you over his shoulder like it was nothing, and I just had to let it happen! Dammit Kimiko, I can't lose you and if you can't even defend yourself against a human, what the hell am I supposed to do?! Because I sure as hell can't lock you in your room, but I can't let you leave this house without my protection either!”

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Cassiopeia frowned at Nic's teasings. She smacked his arm and crossed her arms.

”Of course not. If that was the case, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But I don't know how much either… Nero didn't specify… but giving blood is serious Nic. I really rather you not,” Cassi confessed.

Her face heated from her request. She knew she couldn't command Nic not to, but she loved and valued him. Cass didn't want him giving more to this world than he already had.

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“We don’t need restraint, we’re perfectly fine being as degenerate as we want.” Nero grins down at the cats as they watch Caden tread carefully to avoid them. “I’m glad they like you.” The black and the white cat have always been the closest Nero had for a family before Caden - it would have pained them if they all hadn’t gotten along.

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Kiki’s own rage flares as if Avery’s anger is fueling her own and her eyes blaze. “I’m not helpless!” She yells back with a snarl, tempted to throw a punch at him to prove it. Angry, hot tears fall down her face as she becomes more frustrated. “I have done just fine on my own all these years so don’t start treating me like I’m glass!” Her chest heaves up and down as her thoughts race.

“Fuck you, Avery.”

---

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“I can’t believe you just smacked me while I’m washing your feet.” Nic says with a dramatic gasp. Finished with her feet, he looks up at Cassi’s face. “What’s the alternative though? What’s the difference between using my blood or some other random human’s blood? I can even find a vein and draw the blood out into a syringe if you’re worried about me cutting myself to give blood to you guys.”

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"I've always had a way with cats," Caden commented. "I think it's because we are similar in nature. Curious and crafty. A survivalist. Playful," Caden said and tickled Nero's side with a grin.

Caden kissed Nero's cheek, ready to take them into the bedroom when he heard a door slam shut followed by stomping feet and angry muttering. A sudden rage filled Caden before it tapered off with the slamming of the front door.

Caden frowned and set Nero down on the ground. "Something happened between Kiki and Avery. I should go check on her."

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After she cursed him out, Avery took a step towards Kimiko. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Shake her, kiss her, yell at her some more. His rage was an ugly thing rolling around inside him, seemingly endless.

"Can you? You can't even sleep through the night without me." His voice turned deep, a cold rage laced his words.

Avery didn't bother to stay to hear Kimiko's response. He walked out on her, slamming the door behind him and headed for the front door. Once he was outside, Avery yelled and cursed. He glared at Caden's car, ready to punch it but headed for the trees instead.

Avery found a medium sized pine tree with a wide base and started punching it. Bark flew at him, nicking his cheeks and leaving cuts that quickly healed. As he punched, Avery built up stones in his mind. Everytime he punched and a new stone went up, the anger receded. Avery kept punching and building until the pine tree exploded and Kimiko was gone from his mind.

Avery sagged with relief, his knees hitting the ground and he sighed. He looked up at the sky feeling...nothing. Avery suddenly felt void, empty of everything. Not only was his anger gone, but so was his joy, so was his love, his reason for living. Avery shut his eyes to find the stone wall he had built in his rage was solid, impenetrable. In front of that wall lay his wolf, whimpering and pawing at the wall that refused to budge.

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Cassiopeia fidgeted under Nic's gaze. She glanced at him and away again. "Well, nothing I suppose. You're just here so it would be easiest, but I still don't like it."

Cassi knew Nic, loved Nic. A random human was just that, she had no ties to them like she did with Nic.

A door slammed while Cass was lost in her head, and her focus shifted. She watched the wall shake after the force of the door slamming. She dropped her eyes to the door that separated them from the training room.

Cassi scrambled to her feet and walked quickly to the door. She opened it and walked back into the training room.

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Nero squirmed in Caden’s arms and glared up at him for tickling them. “Well now I see why we get along so well.” The stomping and slamming makes Nero flinch with a frown. When Caden sets them down, Nero looks up and nods in response.

“Should I follow the wolf and make sure he’s okay?” Nero asks in concern, but they follow along Caden, not able to determine themselves what the best option is.

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Kiki gasps in outrage, completely caught by surprise that Avery would go that far. “Whose fault is it that I have the bloody nightmares in the first place?!” She screams even as the door is slammed shut behind Avery. In anger she kicks one of the weights on the floor and sends it flying into one of the mirrors, lodging itself in the wall as the reflective glass shatters.

“Stupid, stupid.” Just as quickly as her rage had built up, Kiki slumps to the floor as overwhelming despair wraps around her. “So much for keeping it professional…” She mutters angrily at her broken reflection in the shattered mirror. Something else feels wrong as well, like her center has been tilted askew, and she sobs as she realizes it’s Avery blocking her out.

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Nic smiles and crouches by her head to kiss Cassi’s nose. “I’ll make sure that you have complete guardianship over my blood once it’s drawn, okay? As much as I don’t want to meet this Crowley fellow, I want to do what we can to help my dad.” His jaw feathers at the mention of his father and he looks down for a moment.

“What the hell?” Nic says when it feels like an earthquake hits them. Following right behind her, he gets to his feet and goes into the training room with Cassi just in time to see Kimiko fall onto the mat underneath her and tuck herself into a ball while she sobs.

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Caden walked into the main portion of the house. He looked to the front door and nodded. "That would be helpful, thank you. I'll check on Kiki then be along." He turned and kissed Nero deeply before he pulled back. He smiled lazily at them before he turned to find out what had his household upside down today.

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As silly as it seemed, Nic making Cassi the 'guardian of his blood' brought a smile to her face. She wiggled her nose, to keep tears from forming because of how sweet he was being.

The conversation they had just had, however, shattered like the mirror Kimiko broke. Cassi stared down at the fox curled in on herself and she raced over.

"Bloody wolf," Cassiopeia cursed. She laid her hands on Kimiko, and was stroking her back when Caden walked in.

Cassi looked up at him, glaring slightly. "Your wolf had a temper tantrum."

"Kiki...my girl, what happened?" Caden knelt down, but kept some distance between the two of them to not overwhelm her.

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Avery remained kneeled on the ground, staring at nothing while he continued to reel from the fact that he just blocked Kimiko out and had no idea how to get her back. He felt himself panicking but on the outside he looked dazed. Of course, an easy solution would be to walk back into the house, but Avery couldn't bring himself to move in that direction. Instead, he pulled himself to his feet and moved towards the garage.

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Nero lips curl in a funny sort of dazed smile after Caden kisses them and flashes his lazy smile. They feel their cheeks warm as their heart beats pleasantly, knowing that the man loved them with their whole being. Now if only Avery and Kiki could figure it out.

Once Caden disappears towards the gym, Nero heads out the front door and follows the angry footsteps in the ground. They come across a shattered tree but no Avery. They glance around and see the garage, their gut telling them that the wolf might be there. “Little wolf, little wolf!” Nero calls out with their hands cupped around their lips.

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Kiki raises her hands in a weird shrugging gesture, keeping her gaze locked on a shard of glass nearby. “He wanted to spar with me when Nic left and I was trying to ask if that was even fair with the mate bond and…” She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

“He started calling me out! Saying utter bullshit about how I wasn’t putting in the effort if a ‘human’ could beat me so easily!”

Nic looks up from his progress of sweeping the shattered mirror with a frown. “But I’ve been boxing since high school - I’ve got more than a decade of experience over you…”

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“Exactly!” Kimiko exclaims with an exasperated tone. “Then he started talking about how he can’t ’lock me in my room’ but also can’t ‘let me leave the house’ without him.” Kimiko flicks some of the broken pieces to scoot them closer to Nic. “I try to tell him I’m not helpless and…”

Nic watches as Kimiko bit her lip and clench her jaw and looks away to focus more on his task of clean up. “I-I can’t sleep through the night without him right n-now and he threw that fact in m-my face.” Her fists clench and she hammers a fist into the mat underneath her. Nic throws a glance at Cassi, unsure of what to make of the entire situation. He knows Kimiko has an angry streak, but Avery always seems so in control…

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Avery stomped around the garage until he found a spare shirt and threw that on. In the distance he heard Nero calling for them and frowned.

”Go away, Nero,” he said before he started his motorcycle. He revved the engine loudly, the rumble not soothing Avery like it usually did.

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Cassiopeia sighed, exchanging a look of annoyance with Caden before she focused back on Kimiko. She could feel Nic's questioning eyes on her, and kissed Kimiko's head.

”Avery's an ass. A really really big territorial, overprotective man-hole. And he definitely shouldn't have yelled at you or thrown that in your face.”

”The mating bond is still new for the two of you… Whatever one is feeling, it'll be amplified in the other until both of you are consumed by it. It'll take some time to understand what's yours and what's his,” Caden explained briefly.

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Caden smiled briefly at Kimiko. ”If it helps, I think he was more fearful than angry… Seeing you in that cage was hard for him.”

”It was hard on all of us,” Cass restated.

”Yes, but Avery's wolf already knew who you were to them. I think he still feels guilty and responsible for what happened to you. He likely thinks if he can't teach you to protect yourself, he's failed you.”

”Territorial overprotective man-hole,” Cassi repeated which made Caden chuckle.. ”Maybe I should take over Kiki's training. I mean, if you want Kiki.”

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Hearing the motorcycle, Nero dashes into the garage and perches themself on the front wheel, their hands on the handlebars. “No, I don’t think I will.” They say simply as they tilt their head to the side.

“Tell me what happened or I’m teleporting us.” Nero threatens. “I’m sure with you, the splash we make will be huge compared to what tiny ol’ me made.” They’re mostly rambling to pull Avery’s focus somewhere else. Plus they know they’ll survive if he lashes out.

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“I can’t…” Kiki mumbles in between Caden and Cassi talking before she shakes with another sob. As much as she wanted to dogpile on Avery with Cassi, Caden’s words about the bond are bouncing around in her head.

Kiki looks up at Caden with a worried expression. “I can’t feel him right now, Caden…”

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Nic can’t help but smile at Cassi’s big sister behavior with Kimiko - it’s adorable and he loves seeing this side of her. “If you let Cassi train you, you’ll end up bumping into my dad at some point.” His smile falters and he turns so the others don’t have to see his frown, pretending he is cleaning up the mirror still.

He’s glad he did though, because Kiki’s lets them know she can’t feel the bond with Avery. He didn’t need to split the focus when it seems like Kiki’s situation demands and needs more attention. He goes to find a broom and dustpan instead.