That’s the only man ever known to kill an Alpha. The thought echoed around Will’s brain, and for some reason, he found his body moving to stand in front of Edward. He wasn’t the only one, he saw. Noratuk, Charlisa, James, and two others had also stepped forward, putting their bodies between Edward and Hitori. A simple gesture, but it spoke volumes. Hitori came to a complete halt as well, and his Nexians also stepped to form a quick guard.

“Surely by now you know that I mean you no harm, Edward,” Hitori said. He had a soft, soothing voice, just as he had when Will had met him previously. He doubted that the man remembered him though. He’d changed so much. “I come in peace. I merely wish to discuss the upcoming festivities.”

“Strange way to describe my family being forced to fight,” Edward said. By comparison, his voice was rough and filled with anger. “And you could have let me know ahead of time that you were coming. You can’t show up without warning and not expect us to be on edge.”

“If I had let you know I was coming,” Hitori said, offering a slight bow, “You would have made sure to not be here when I came.”

Edward gave no reply to that. Will couldn’t help feeling that it was the truth, even if he didn’t want to believe it. He’d studied everything he could about the Nexus War, which had taken place less only three years ago. Hitori and the Soul Nexus had appeared towards the end of the battle, and their strength wasn’t so easily forgotten. Hitori himself had killed the first Alpha of the Earth Nexus. If he were in Edward’s place, he’d probably take every opportunity to avoid interacting with Hitori too.

“I see you have two new members since my last visit,” Hitori said kindly. His eyes twinkled as he looked at Richard and Will. “They seem like promising young men.”

“They are that,” Edward agreed. Will tried not to look too pleased with himself. Richard looked a little pale which was understandable. “What is it you want to discuss with me?”

“Oh, just rules and expectations for the event,” Hitori said, waving a hand casually. “May we approach safely?”

Edward hesitated a moment, then made a sweeping gesture. “Into the dorms, all of you. Nora, stay with me.”

Nearly everyone obeyed the order at once, moving towards the large building. Only Charlisa, James and Will waited a second or two, looking nervously between the two Alphas staring at each other. But then Edward looked at them with a stern frown, and waved again. “Into the dorms!”

Will scurried away at the tone of command, Charlisa and James not far behind him. As they reached the main door, they hesitated and looked back. Hitori had come closer now, only one man at his side, the other two hanging back and looking bored. Hitori was more visible now. The bald monk was somewhere in his late forties, just old enough for gray hair to become evident in the long beard he sported. Will remembered the casual strength of his grip when they’d met in Japan, and knew the stories that had grown up around Hitori. He was rumored to be a true master of multiple martial arts.

“Come on, Will,” Charlisa said in his ear. “We don’t want to be here when they come inside.”

“Why would they come inside?” He asked, but he started moving at once. “Aren’t they just going to talk out there before Edward sends them away?”

She shook her head, grabbing his hand as she led him towards the stairs that led up to the rooms. “Dad’s the traditional type. He’ll invite Hitori to dinner and be polite. It’s rude for an Athabaskan to refuse a guest.”

Will sighed faintly. He’d gotten so used to thinking of Edward as a separate type of being. He regarded the man as Alpha of the Fire Nexus, and had completely forgotten to think of what he used to be. It only made sense that he’d carry some of his Athabaskan culture over to his new life. It was impossible to forget your roots, he reminded himself. He said nothing more on the matter, following Charlisa quietly upstairs. Most of the other Nexians were waiting in tense silence downstairs, but a few had taken the chance for extra rest, moving to their rooms.

Will made a move towards his room as they passed it, but Charlisa kept a firm grip on his hand, pulling him past it to her room. She paused as she felt his hesitation, looking back at him with raised eyebrows. “What is it?”

“Uhh,” Will said, gesturing feebly to his door, which was still barely within sight. Just now, it felt like a safe sanctuary he was being pulled away from. “I thought I’d…”

Charlisa smiled at him. It wasn’t her usual sarcastic smirk, but an inviting, spine-tingling sort of smile. He felt both terrified and enthralled at once, unable to resist the pull of her hand. Before he knew it, she’d successfully lead him through the door to her room, and after blinking in faint surprise, he looked around. He hadn’t expected a girly room to be sure, but the lack of decoration took him by surprise. Her room consisted of only simple furniture; a bed, dresser, and dark blue rug in the center. There was a framed painting on the wall opposite her bed, featuring a beautiful tundra scene. There was a little family of wolves in the corner, but the dominant piece was an enlarged red sun peeking above the horizon.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Will asked, turning to find Charlisa perched on the edge of her bed. Her cheeks were a little pink but she looked determined. “I’m a little worried about your father and Hitori.”

Charlisa reached out to grab his hand again and, with a quick tug, pulled him down to sit beside her. “Of course I’m worried, too. I hope father keeps his temper in check. But, uhh, kissing you calms me down.”

Now it was Will who felt the blood rising to his cheeks, but he wasn’t going to ignore an open invitation like that. He leaned forward obligingly, and kissed her. She kissed him back enthusiastically, her hands going around his neck to hold him close. Will understood what she meant then, as a wave of calm washed over him. All that mattered was her, the feeling of her body pressed against, the softness of her hair, the smell of her perfume filling his nostrils. He could have faded away against her, and he’d have no regrets.

A sharp tap against the door made them both jump apart. Will shot to his feet at once, more than a little panicked, trying to think up excuses as to why he was here. Anything to make Edward less likely to want to burn him alive. But as Charlisa called for whoever it was to come in, the door opened and he saw that it wasn’t Edward, but James. He heaved a sigh of relief, sitting back down as a sudden wave of dizziness came over him.

“Thought I’d find you two in here,” James said. He offered Will a roguish wink, which Will pretended not to see. “Message from Edward. Stay out of the way until dinner. He doesn’t care what you do, just stay out of the rec area until five.”

“Okay,” Charlisa said. Will was too light-headed to answer, but James didn’t seem to expect a reply from him. He stood in the doorway, grinning at the two of them. Charlisa flicked her hand, and a tiny bolt of fire flew across the room to hit James in the chest, staggering him back. “Thank you, you can go now.”

James flashed one last grin before disappearing, closing the door behind him. Will let out a groan and flopped back onto the bed. “That scared the crap out of me.”

“Were you expecting my father?” Charlisa asked, a coy smile back on her face.

“Of course I was,” Will said. She put a hand on his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat there. “I wonder what he’s doing with Hitori that we need to stay out of sight.”

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough,” she said softly. “Now then, where were we?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could she moved to sit on top of him, straddling his waist. She wasn’t as heavy as he’d expected, but he froze, not daring to move as she lowered her head to his, her long black hair falling down to tickle his face. Her lips found his again, and he found his arms going around her instinctively, pulling her tight against him. She let out a squeak of surprise, but deepened the kiss, her tongue slipping past his teeth and tangling with his own. They were both breathing pretty heavily now, and Will couldn’t think of anything except how warm she was against him, and the fast heavy little breaths she was letting out.

Without quite meaning too, he found that his hands were running themselves along her sides. She didn’t seem to mind one bit judging by the soft sighs. Her own hands were exploring his chest, caressing along his torso as if she could feel the skin under his shirt. Just now, it felt like an unnecessary barrier to her hands. She evidently thought the same, for she slipped one hand under it, pulling it up to expose his stomach. He tensed as he felt her warm hands on his bare skin. She rose to a sitting position once more, breaking off the kiss and staring down at him.

There was something hypnotizing about the look in her eyes as she slid her hands further out of sight up his shirt. It was equal parts desire and challenge. A silent challenge, telling him that he belonged to her now. She was almost a stranger there, because he could have never imagined that he’d do such things with her, even in his wildest dreams. But he was also emboldened by her complete lack of shyness, and found his own hands pulling at her shirt, tugging it free of her pants and rubbing his hands against the incredibly soft skin there.

“Oh!” She let out a surprised sort of gasp at his touch, and a shiver went through her entire body. They both froze for a moment, Will slightly panicked and Charlisa with her eyes half-lidded. She gripped both of his hands as he made to pull away. “No. Don’t stop.”

“You sure?” He asked quietly, though his fingers were moving of their own accord, quickly untucking the rest of her shirt, pulling it up to expose more of her caramel-colored skin. She let out a little whimper as he trailed one hand up her side, and collapsed back onto his chest, kissing him more furiously than ever. He was in over his head now, he thought suddenly. Her attention had caused a distinct tightness in his pants, and there was no way she couldn’t feel it. But she didn’t seem to mind. Maybe she thought it some kind of compliment, he wondered.

She broke away, chest heaving, to brush her hair to one side. Her face was red all over now, but he could tell it wasn’t from embarrassment. He rose with her, almost toppling her off his lap, but quickly put his arms out to catch her. She let out a breathy sort of laugh, and kissed him again, lightly. She stared deeply into his eyes, biting her lip in deep thought. Finally, she got off his lap, standing up straight.

“What?” He muttered, coming out of his daze rather sharply. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” she said quickly, reaching out for his hand. She pulled him up and lightly rested one hand on his bare chest, blinking quickly. “You’ve done everything right. More than right. But I’m all sweaty from training. I need a bath first.”

“Oh,” he said weakly. “Right.”

She stood on tiptoes to kiss him again. He complied willingly, not quite ready to let her go. She had a wide smile as she finally pulled away. “Right.”

“Right?” He asked, wondering what she was on about. “Uhh, enjoy your bath, I guess.”

“Oh I will,” she said, that coy smile returning in full force. “And you’re coming with me.”