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Interlude: Lost at Sea

"Beauty and revenge are closely related. The shattering of something beautiful is something worthy of revenge but it is the result of such actions that is ugly."

_ _

Antonio Shanks

From a Lecture at Dianna University

Steel Ocean

You know how they say the girls always fall for the badasses? Well, I'm as bad as they get. No question about that. I'm mean, I hate authority, I tells it how it is and frankly, I really don't give a shit. But I've also got those qualities about me that makes people think I'm cuddly and soft. I'm loyal, a good listener and - let's face it - I love my adoptive mother... or at least I think I did.

Now the big question is... Who do the badasses fall for?

The answer may surprise you.

A pair of sapphire-blue eyes locked with mine and I could see the expression on my face. I was confused but at the same time, genuinely happy. Dopey, I guess. Maybe it was the fact that overnight, I had transformed into a nine-foot, muscular monster with what appeared to be a shark tail made out of glowing tattoos extending from my normal, fluffy tail. Or maybe I had the best sex in my life because it was meaningful.

Who am I kidding?

The reason I wore such a stupid expression on my face was because I was in love.

And I was in love with Jacob Reaper.

I both hated myself for being in love and was kicking myself for not having found out sooner how I felt. Seriously, after being in the military for so long, having my parents taken away from me due to unforeseen circumstances and growing up gay, I had pretty much told myself love only existed for the honeymoon period then the hate started crawling in.

But now... Fuck me if I didn't want this to work. I mean, we started out with hate, right? Only love could be left. Right?

We sat on the edge of his cum-soaked bed, not really caring that our fur was stuck together in hard clumps or the fact that we had already done it three times between dawn and noon and our third load was still dribbling from the tips of our semi-erect cocks. We were both panting but in a good way. A far flung experience from when we first came together.

God... I was such an idiot that night.

I'm an idiot now.

"So..." I began softly.

"So," he repeated.

Why did he sound so mature suddenly? It's like all the anger and hate in his voice when we first met was gone and suddenly, the petulant child with overgrown muscles was replaced by this wolf. He told me it was because his 'dad' told him the truth but the fact that he didn't jump onto the next crusade without thought... It was admirable. He was thinking things through.

I... I don't know why I was overwhelmed with this feeling for him to hold me tightly against his chest, for him to tell me it would be okay... But I'll be damned if I told him that.

"So you turned me into a freak like you," I grunted.

"If I recall, you were doing the fucking," he retorted, his smile cocky but also gentle. Damn if he wasn't sexy like that!

"If I recall, you didn't stop me."

"If I recall, you didn't stop."

I shoved him back onto the bed, the sheets making a weird sloshing noise as I pressed me weight against him. My cock was hard again, all 16 inches pressing up against his. "If I recall," he cooed softly, nuzzling the thick fur on his chest. "You didn't want me to stop."

He cupped the back of my head and gently kissed me. Not a passionate sloshing of our tongues. Just a light tap of our lips that sent shivers down my spine. "If I recall," he began, bringing out a devilish grin, "you love me."

Damn him for getting the last word in.

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from him, giving his pecs a nice, loud slap both to tell him I was done and to feel the firm muscle there. Strange that even after three rounds of toe-curling, cock-jerking, howl-inducing sex, I was feeling spry and ready for more. I leapt to my feet and was practically bouncing. The ceiling was just a few inches away from the tip of my ears so I couldn't jump too far up.

"So what does this new body come with?" I asked, rolling my shoulders. There was a mirror not too far away but I was actually too tall to see myself. I could just see up to my upper torso. The light-blue tattoos that rolled all over my brown and black fur were rather sexy.

"Apart from an overactive sex drive?" Jacob replied. "Regeneration, mostly. Also control over two Elements. I can guess you control Water. Not sure what the other one is. Oh and you get an Animus too."

"One of those crazy beasts that you guys get to call up whenever you're in trouble."

"In our defence, the trouble we get into normally calls for crazy beasts."

I had to give him that. The rush of power my body gave me was... It was like coming out of the gym after a hard workout and just wanting more. I was pumped. I wanted to hit something. And fuck me I wanted to stick my cock in someone. He glanced over at Jacob who just gave me this exasperated look and shook his head.

"It's past noon, Canis. We should get cleaned up and make sure we find everyone else. No doubt Sierra will be back up and Oculus is still at large."

Way to kill the mood.

"First question," I said, holding up my ginormous paw - it was big enough to crush someone's head. "How the hell do we tell people about us?"

He raised one of his golden eyebrows. "I would've thought you'd drag me across the streets shouting that you fucked my brains out last night, omitting out the part that we both loved it and there's a spark of something special. Mentioning that only if and when it is most convenient. Maybe if people started protesting, you'd knock them out, make a bed out of their unconscious bodies and proceed to make, sweet, sweet love on them and not stopping even when they woke up screaming."

Yeah, that would be pretty fun but I worried about the fact he knew people would be opposed to us being together. "Got a hit list in mind?"

"Max will probably feel betrayed if he doesn't already. Joanna will definitely be opposed to it as will Rex. Taylor will probably think I'm rushing into another relationship and Kerry... I'm pretty sure as long as it's not Rex, she'll be good."

So basically, I had his entire team to contend with. As much as I wanted to put up some brave front and tell him that they can bring on their protests, I would just take it in stride, bend him over and made him scream for my cock right in front of them, I was genuinely worried.

Max was a conniving son-of-a-bitch and while he was an idiot when it came to plotting people's demise, he was still an enemy. Joanna knew relationships - or at least she thought she did - and if anyone had the capacity to break us apart, it would be her. Jacob listened to Taylor, the cougar was his closest friend out of the group and Rex... well, he's the goddamn half-brother. His opinion would count for something, right?

"You're not worried about the sex-crazed, cum-eating Tribal you just dumped?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest. I almost missed, my arms were longer than usual as was my chest. God, all this muscle and weight was a little disorienting. I was getting vertigo from just standing up.

"I'm pretty sure Leo dumped me long before I decided to dump him," he answered, worriedly. "But it looks like he's going for this 'Sam'."

Right. 'Sam'. Another badass in the group. Actually, scratch that. Not a badass. He was a psychopath. Worse than Jacob when he was on Gale's crazy crusade. At least Jacob had the decency to kill someone quickly with an explosion or a flashy blast of some spectacular attack. This Sam... He tortured people. I just imagined what that poor idiot must have gone through as Sam gouged out his eyes and then slashed his throat.

Funny thing is... I was feeling a little jealous. Jacob fell for the badass - AKA me - and this Sam was another one. Do I have to worry about him leaping away from me and into Sam's arms? He did just dump Leo and go to me, what... a day or two ago?

"I'm not the rebound guy, am I?" I asked, regarding him suspiciously.

"Am I just a one-night stand?" he countered.

I sat down next to him. The bed couldn't groan anymore. We broke it, after all. We were just sitting on a mattress lying on the floor, our legs outstretched before us. I couldn't help but lay a paw on his thighs, my fingers tracing the valleys and mounds of his thick muscles.

"I'm serious here. You broke up with Leo not even two days ago. If we're going to give this a shot, I need to know that it isn't for the wrong reasons."

He gave me an exasperated look matched with that cute smile of his. "Didn't we start out this relationship on a basis of hatred?"

"Be serious, Reaper. We had great sex last night. You basically made me like you. I appreciate that. But come on, what are we?"

He shrugged which infuriated me. Was he even taking this seriously?

"Boyfriends?"

I think I wanted him to say something else but my heart skipped a beat when he said that. Having never had a boyfriend before, it was pretty strange hearing that. Okay, I had a lot of close relationships that ended in sex but they were only ever friends. People hated me, had sex with me and then we parted ways while they took what they learned from me and made a relationship with someone else stronger.

This was the first time someone used what they learned to make their relationship with me stronger.

"I'm not saying it feels right," he said, making my mouth dry. His eyes narrowed, gazing at nothing in particular. "I'm confused. I don't know what I want. I don't know what you want. I can't see where this is going and quite honestly, I'm scared what everyone else will think." He wrung his massive paws together. "I keep thinking that at one point, you're going to tear me apart again and we'll end up running off in different directions. Then on the other paw, I have this stupid dream about us having pups and you coming home while I have dinner ready."

That made me smile - genuinely smile. But before he could catch that smile, I quickly readjusted my features to look like I was mocking him. "So you're the bitch in the relationship?"

"The bitch with the butcher's knife and a frying pan," he countered. "You knock out pretty quickly post-coitus. I figure I have at least a good five minutes before you wake up. More than enough time to kill you."

That same genuine smile was crawling back over my sarcastic, mocking one but I fought it down. "Uh-huh. And how exactly are we going to have pups?"

"We're apparently stuck in a war between the very gods above gods. Do you really think having pups between two guys is impossible?"

"Where would it come out?"

He shrugged before quickly shaking his head, laughing softly at the thought. I fought down my own laugh. I didn't want to miss a moment of what he said next. This was the make or break moment. Whatever he said next, it would determine whether or not we'd give this a try.

"You know... I've had this idea in my head that love will just feel right the moment you meet that special someone. When I was with Leo, it just sort of... clicked. I thought I was in love. But then... I felt exactly that same thing when I was with Rex too."

"Dude, you are seriously messed up if you've fallen in love with your half-brother." I was laughing but that was only to hide my nervousness.

"That wasn't love," he said. "Or maybe it was. Some primal form of it. A connection between family but nothing else. Real love..." He locked gazes with me, making me hold my breath. "... it doesn't leave you feeling warm, secure or right. I'm scared, Canis, and I think it's because I am in love with you."

My throat was dry. "So you're scared..."

"My heart is constantly racing in fear of the future. My ears are ringing with all the protests of the others. My muscles are tensing at the thought of arguments between us and my throat is dry from all the times I know we'll be yelling at one another." He looked at me, still utterly confused but also... so sure of himself. "But, amongst it all, I still know I want to give this a try."

...

Well shit...

He sighed and shook his head, breaking away from that mesmerising stare, looking at his paws. "Go ahead. Tell me I'm a sissy. Tell me that I've gone soft and I've traded my male genitals for ovaries. I'm a big wuss who is just so desperate for sex and attention that I try to justify one night of passion with emotions that I've just conjured out of nowhere."

I saw through his ploy.

Damnit, we're two very proud idiots. Neither of us are comfortable with our feelings for one another. We're bloody scared about what's coming up next that we both have a moment of vulnerability and then we're so eager to push each other aside for some concocted reason like 'it's too soon'.

"Okay," I began, my voice dull and lifeless. "You are a sissy. You've gone soft and traded your cock for a vagina. You're a big wuss who is just so desperate for sex and attention that you try to justify one night of passion with emotions that you conjured out of nowhere."

He gave me one raised eyebrow while the other eyes was narrowed. It was a cute expression. "Is it me or did you not put any effort into that?"

"I did mix up the trading genitals a little," I said, showing him an inch between my thumb and forefinger. "But do you want to know what I really think?"

"Shoot."

Whack!

He yelped and ducked his head. He rubbed the back of his head and glared at me. "What the heck was that for?"

"You're a coward," I snarled, my ears folded back and fangs bared. "You're a clever coward. You filter a few bits of truth and honest emotion in with an attempt to push me away because you can't admit that you've got the hots for me." I snatched a cum-soaked pillow and slammed it against his head. It made a very strange sloshing noise. "You're past relationships have all been about instinct and raw, primal desire but this time around, it's your heart that's talking and you're scared shitless. Just like the coward you are, you're running off with your tail between your legs and hoping the big, bad sergeant will go away!"

"Hey! I let you bone me!"

He slammed him against the bed again, our noses pressing against one another. "You didn't 'let' me do anything," I growled, half-mocking and half-serious. He blinked a couple of times in confusion. I pressed my lips against his and I could feel his cock hardening against mine.

Slowly, I pulled away and flicked his nose. He wiggled it, staring at it and making himself go cross-eyed. I pushed away and crossed my arms, smiling smugly to myself.

"And you know what?" I said. "I'm pretty much the same as you. Last night... well, I got myself shitfaced and wanted to sleep with you. I figured it was the closest I could get to you without really being your boyfriend. I could just say I was drunk and make some bad excuse afterwards. Really, though, I would have loved every second of it."

He swung his legs, sitting up beside me. "So where I try to throw up a barrier of false emotions, you throw up a barrier of alcohol and one-night stands?"

"Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Smiling, he said, "I just got out a very bestial relationship. What's your excuse?"

"A trail of broken hearts?"

"Mine included. Thanks for helping to put it back together, though."

I grinned at him. "I liked you all wussy and emotional. It was like you were a little kid again."

He pulled away, ears perked. "Wait... you like fucking little kids?"

I laughed and he joined in. I seized another pillow but he was ready for me. We smacked each other for a few seconds before the pillows exploded, showering us both with feathers. A ray of sunshine shot through the windows at that moment, casting beautiful golds and reds against every white feather. I briefly glanced over to the window and then towards him. The way those tattoos glowed against his jet-black fur and the way the light glinted off his golden chest and hair fur... Without that dark scowl on his features and framed by a gentle stream of white feathers, he was breathtaking.

"You know," he began, flicking his ears at me. "When you don't have that sarcastic smirk and your brow isn't angled down, you look pretty darn cute."

I wasn't about to tell him we were thinking the same thing. Not yet anyway.

"Yeah? Well you look like a genetic freak of nature with your black and gold fur."

He rolled his eyes and gave me a dazzling smile. "No mention of the glowing, magical tattoos or tattoo-wings?"

I made to curl my arm around his shoulder to make some witty remark but he beat me to the punch. I never noticed that he had wrapped a paw around my extended tail. He yanked me across the bed by my tail, making me yelp. I was momentarily pulled off balance and he pounced on that, pushing me against the bed with our noses pressing against one another.

"You love it, don't you?" he accused, grinning from ear to ear.

My cock was hard again and my heart was eagerly pumping blood into it.

Shit... I was in love... with Jacob Reaper.

Who would've thought, right?

Knock-knock-knock.

We both froze and spun towards the door.

"Jake? You in there?"

Rex pushed open the door before either Jacob or I could leap away to find some decent cover. My heart plummeted all the way to the other side of the planet when I saw Sierra hobbling behind the Elemental Lord of Star. The other Branded were milling about beyond the door as well, chatting amongst themselves.

"Oh my god!" Rex exclaimed.

That cut all chatter and made Sierra's eyes go wide.

I was confident she wouldn't be too pissed. I mean, in all seriousness, she had caught me with Max's cum on my chest. She hadn't blown up then. But as the seconds ticked by, I watched her normally soft features turn to one of shock and that shock transform into blind, hot rage.

"What have you done!?" she cried, storming past the door and even shoving Rex aside.

Normally, I would have said something witty like 'Jacob' or 'What haven't we done?' but my jaw just locked up. I don't know what it was about Sierra. She was... She was my mother-figure. I couldn't just oppose her. She was the one person I could not break down and tear apart.

Sierra let out a disgusted grimace as she sidestepped one of the puddles of cum we had left all over the floor. Some part of me wished she was just commenting on how we had destroyed the room around us and not how I was now a glowing freak.

"James Canis! I raised you to be better than this!" she shouted. My ears folded back and I was suddenly a puppy again. My tail curled around me, that ethereal fishtail barely hiding my ever-present erection.

"Whoa!" Jacob exclaimed, rising up and towering over her. "You weren't opposed to Canis and Max together but when it's me, you're ready ripping him a new one? Should I be insulted?"

She jabbed her cane at him, the tip pressing against his rock-hard abs. I forced myself not to look at him. Just doing so made me want to bone him again.

"I expected more of you," Sierra answered. "You know James was like a son to me and yet you still proceeded to do this to him!" She gestured a paw at me and I shrank back. I wanted to tell her that it wasn't so bad. I liked this. I felt strong. I wasn't just a grunt anymore. She didn't have to worry about me constantly. I wouldn't have to endure the laughs of the other soldiers behind my back at the constant letters she sent me.

"What I did -" Jacob began.

"Was put him in danger!" Sierra shouted, her voice filled with anger that I had never heard of before. "What do you think MODD will do if they find out he is one of you? Worse yet, what do you think Balthazar will do? Think about that?"

For a moment, Jacob looked surprised at her question but then his features hardened. Not a scowl like I had seen on him back at Graesham. No, it was a proud, stern expression; the look of a soldier ready to defend someone or something to the death. "What makes Canis so important over the rest of your children?" he countered.

"I value all of my children's lives!" she retorted.

I saw the flash in Jacob's eyes and I knew he had her. I wanted to stop him but I just could not move. Part of me wanted him to deliver the killing blow but at the same time, I didn't want my 'mother' to be torn down. I was halfway up to my feet when Jacob said the most shocking thing I had ever heard from him.

"Like those kids you sacrificed to keep Angelsea afloat?"

I could just hear the glass of Sierra's fragile form shattering. The other Branded and Rex gasped and stared at her in shock.

"What...?" the doe - Kerry, I think her name was - began.

"The Drowned," Jacob said, glancing at her briefly. "Sierra knew about them, at least initially. She sacrificed a huge number of them at the early stages of Angelsea's development. They were used to become Seals to keep the city afloat. She doesn't know about the continued sacrifices being made but she was the one that signed them off in the first place." He leaned down, nose looming over Sierra who shrank back. "Tell me, if you value all of your children's lives as much as Canis, why would you do that?"

She shook her head furiously and stepped back. "You don't understand! I regret that action! I made that choice and it weighs heavily on my heart! I don't want that happening again!" Her big, watery eyes turned to me. "Especially not to you, James..."

I saw one of Jacob's eyebrows rise but it quickly fell. He was thinking of something but, true to his new nature, he kept it to himself and thought more about it. I'll admit there was something fishy about what Sierra said but I couldn't think of it right now. I couldn't think bad of her.

"Then you should know that being a Branded makes give him unnatural regeneration," Jacob said. "He'll be able to survive most killing blows because of this. My dad says it's because of the Brand's inherent power."

I gave him that 'you're crazy' look just for that 'dad' comment. I think everyone did the same but it made sense. For some reason, though, Sierra only seemed more peeved at that idea.

"What?" She shook her head furiously. "That only makes him more of a target!"

"No more than the rest of us. Besides, if we can get the Elemental Lords of Light and Dark on our side-"

"By convincing them that some terrible deities beyond the gods are going to try and merge them together to form a magical blade that can destroy universes and Balthazar is orchestrating this plot?" She tapped her cane loudly on the floor, her grey cheeks flushing red with anger. "That sounds just as insane as the first time I heard it!" She poked his chest with one, bony finger. "We are not going to do that!"

"But you said -"

"The situation has changed!" Her eyes drifted to me and my heart broke. For a moment, she looked so sad. Then the sadness was gone and she was angry again. "You're not going to the ball! You are to be nowhere near Nathan and Natalia! Guards!"

ANVIL troops instantly came marching into the room. I suddenly felt very self-conscious as they stared at me and Jacob, both of us very much naked and with signs of our passionate lovemaking the previous night.

"You two are to be confined to your rooms," Sierra barked. "The rest of you..." She turned towards the other Branded. "None of you are to breathe a word about Reaper's insane theory to anyone, is this understood?"

Numb nods were exchanged. I was hoisted roughly to my feet and gun barrels were jabbed into my spine. I cast one last glance over my shoulder at Jacob and found his gaze fixed on Sierra's back. For the first time, I found it hard to read him. His tail was still, his features unreadable. Nothing about him told me what he was thinking and that scared me the most.

I wasn't sure what would happen next...

... and I was afraid that I really let Sierra down.

*****

I was never what you'd call an obedient child. When I was growing up in the orphanage, I had dreams of becoming the next Elemental Lord. We ran through all the tests to see if I would be compatible with any Seal, it turned out I had a miserably low synchronisation rate. Maybe it was because I was destined to be a Branded?

Urgh... just that thought made me depressed.

Either way, after being rejected, I still had dreams of making it big in MODD so I frequently snuck into Oasis. When I was caught, I kept trying. Eventually, I managed to find various secret passages around the place. The room I was confined to has one particular exit that I could easily use to traverse the massive fortress.

Transforming back to my original self was really quite easy. After the argument with Sierra killed my libido and I went into a deep, dark depression, my body just sort of shifted back. So, I guess for me, if I get depressed, I change back.

Good to know.

I stole some clothes from some other rooms and snuck around Oasis looking for Sierra. I wanted to tell her that becoming a Branded wasn't something that we intended. It was an accident. An accident born from love.

Fuck! What's wrong with me!?

I could just easily tell her that Jacob raped me after I got drunk last night. Throw him under the bus and I'd be back in her good graces. I mean, he could handle himself, right? I'm sure he'd be smart enough not to kill Sierra...

But damnit... I couldn't do that...

Not to him.

I was back in the ballroom were Sierra was already dressed for the events of the night. It was a costumed ball, apparently. The Branded would be easily recognised and any disguise would help. She was dressed in a sparkling, wireframe dress with big, blue feathers springing from her shoulders like wings. Honestly, she looked terrible but I would never tell that to her face.

I coughed loudly and I saw her shoulders sag.

"I should have know better than to confine you to your room." She turned towards me, a gentle smile on her features. That eased me... sort of. "I know what happened was not your fault, James. That Jacob... He is an impulsive monster... He seduced you and gave you honeyed words." She gripped my paw tightly. "You have been so lonely... Don't worry. That will all go away. One day, it will go away."

I pulled my paw away from her slowly. "Actually... That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I took a deep breath and before I could even say anything, it all came gushing out. "I'm the one that started it. With Jacob I mean. The whole Branding thing... It's not something either of us wanted but..."

I shook my head and did a double-take. I didn't want to go into the whole 'I like being Branded' thing too soon. "You're right, I've been feeling lonely. Really lonely. And... I don't know, when I fight with Jacob, it makes me feel alive. There's passion in both of us and he brings out this part of me that just needs him. I don't know if I need him for a punching bag or something else but all I know is that I need him.

"Last night, well... technically this morning, when we were together... I felt something. I still do now. I..."

Crap, I couldn't say it. Just say it, damnit! How hard could it be? Just admit it! I've been admitting it for a while now to myself but, for some reason, I just could not tell anyone else about it! It was stupid! "I..."

Sierra gently grasped my paw, patting it lightly. "Oh my dear... James, James, James... What you feel is just desperation. Jacob Reaper is not the man for you. I have no opposition to you preferring the company of men but he... He is not the one. You deserve someone less... damaged and certainly someone most stable. This is just a fling. I'm willing to wager that if someone else were to reciprocate your feelings, you'd jump on them as well."

But no one else did.

Only he did.

Fuckity-fucked-fuck! Why couldn't I say that!?

"Now how about you go back to your room and get dressed for the ball?" she suggested. "I've got your costume set out for you."

I blinked a couple of times. "I'm still coming to the ball?"

"Nothing would have stopped you," she responded with a roll of her eyes. "Just make sure that when you see the Elemental Lords, you do not mention Jacob's mad crusade."

My brow furrowed at her. "Why are we still having this ball if we're not going to recruit their aid?"

"We are going to recruit them." She turned away from me as one of the decorators came over and asked her advice on something. After a few signatures, she turned back to me. "We're going to need their help to take down Balthazar. Nothing more."

"Oh... Okay."

I turned stiffly away and marched back to my room. It was unlike Sierra to go back on her word. She was a very honourable person but to promise Jacob help and then pulling back? Worse yet, he had helped her and now she was practically imprisoning him? What was she going to do with him?

Lost in my thoughts, I never noticed Joanna walking towards me. She bumped me hard and I spun towards her, flashing my fangs and growling.

"Don't you dare growl at me," she snarled back, her green eyes burning with utter hatred. "I don't know what you've got on Jacob but I'm going to be straight up with you." She suddenly seized my collar and pulled me close. She was suddenly breathing down on my neck. I never noticed she was actually taller than me - making her taller than Jacob. "If you do anything to hurt him, I swear I will reach down your throat, seize your cock from the inside and then pull it out from your goddamn muzzle!"

I pushed her away, unintimidated by her threat. "Hey! I'm not going to hurt him!"

"Really? Shall we cast our memory a few days back when you practically raped him with your words!"

That's an interesting image.

"Look, that was for his own good and look what happened! He became a better person!"

"After he dumped Leo and decided to go after you instead." Her eyes narrowed at me and I could see where her train of thought was going.

"Wait, you think I did that just to get in his pants?"

"I don't know. Did you?"

Yes...? Sort of...? Maybe...?

I seldom found myself speechless but knowing the emotions that bubbled beneath my spite... I just couldn't come up with a colourful retort. So, going on the offensive seemed the most plausible route.

Unfortunately, she beat me to it.

"Don't hurt him."

Amazing what a profound effect just three words can have on a hyper-macho guy like me. When she turned around and stormed away, I felt like I had been emptied out and filled with nothing but fear. I was starting to feel that maybe just breaking up with Jacob would be the best course of action but that would hurt him and if I hurt him, Joanna would kill me. If I don't, Sierra would never forgive me.

Aaaargh!

Why did things have to be so complex!?

When I reached my room, I was surprised to find the ANVIL guards were gone. Sierra works fast that way. In their place, however, was Taylor and Kerry. I really couldn't deal with anymore drama so I considered using one of the secret passages to bypass them. But they saw me and were instantly rushing towards me.

I growled, trying to tell them I wasn't up for talking.

But the Taylor spoke.

"Leo told us," he said. "You were actually one of the kids meant to be turned into a Drowned, right?"

"Yeah?" I grunted. "So?"

"Sierra signed those papers," Kerry chimed in. "And now she's treating you like the most precious child ever."

Again, I was speechless. Damn, I hope this wasn't going to be a habit.

I was quick to make an excuse for her. "You saw how broken up she was over making that decision. She probably felt that I was given back to her as a sign, or something."

Yeah... That's it. After making such a terrible decision, I somehow escaped and I was like the symbol that told her that the world would forgive him. I mean, I did...

I think...

"But -" Taylor began but I brushed past him and stormed into my room.

I slammed the door on them and pressed a paw against my head. When I felt the wetness on the heel of my palm, I surprised myself at the tears. I never cried. It was for sissies. My eyes fell on the clothes on my bed and I quickly wiped away those tears, occupying myself with something else - anything else.

I don't know... Maybe in the ten to fifteen minutes of getting dress, I expected some epiphany to hit him. But it didn't. Instead, I took to hating the clothes Sierra had given me to wear. The costume was gaudy. Lots of golden tassels and everything was so tightfitting I barely could breathe. It was a bright, aqua and my 'disguise' was a simple face mask that fit over my muzzle and made me look like a fucking bird. I also had to wear formal shoes. Shit, I hate those things especially since I hadn't broken them in yet. Always such a pain on my paws. I was given a coat too and it had those long coattails that hung down to my feet.

I swear, Sierra was punishing me.

The sad thing was, I got dressed in fifteen minutes and the ball wasn't for hours.

I just sat in my room staring at the door. I think I was waiting for someone to come in. What I wanted them to tell me wasn't relevant. I just needed someone to tell me what to do. I was lost. Be with Jacob and potentially be happy or stay in safe, secure Angelsea under Sierra's care. Being with Jacob was high risk. He really didn't know if this would work but I think his concern over it made sure it would work. But if I did... I'd lose Sierra, the woman who raised me and provided for me. But... I would be happy with Jacob... and with Sierra, I'd be all hate, filling my life with one-night stands and angry, drunken fighting.

You'd think it's a no-brainer.

But at that moment, my brain was a no-show.

When the fireworks started, I knew the ball had started. I was on my feet and walked stiffly towards the door. Autopilot took over and before long, I was amongst the other guests in the ballroom.

I'll tell you this, Sierra knows how to host one hell of a party. The ballroom was illuminated by a gentle, golden light. The buffet looked so scrumptious that it made my mouth water. Banners hung down from the ceiling depicting the flags of each of the Elemental Lords present. Everyone was dressed lavishly. Men in coats with coattails and matching pants. Women in a variety of wireframe dresses that were decorated like wedding cakes. The music that played was upbeat and heartening. Broad, tall windows were lined with massive, rolling golden curtains to reveal the glistening city of Angelsea beyond.

I stepped through the crowd, noting the large number of feathers that adorned people's masks. It made pity anyone with allergies to birds. On a dais on the far end of the ballroom stood the three guests of honour and various other dignitaries. Sierra was quietly chatting away with one of the major company owners of Angelsea. Not too far from them were the two Elemental Lords of Light and Darkness, the Shade Twins.

On the right stood the grim, dour Nathan Shade. The wolf had jet-black fur just like another wolf I knew only he had a patch of white over his right eye. He was lithe of build and athletic. His figure showed beneath the adorned MODD uniform he wore. It seems he didn't decide to dress up. The jet-black hair he sported hung over his other eye.

Not too far from him on the left was Natalia Shade. Naturally, another wolf, she was snow-white and had a black patch over her left eye. Unlike Nathan, she was bright, cheerful and she had dyed her hair a strawberry colour. Her laugh filled the entire ballroom, joining with the music perfectly. She was dressed in a big, flowery dress that looked like it was made of lace. If I didn't know any better, she looked like she was about to get married. Her 'mask' was designed like a swan.

I don't know what I was planning on doing but I was suddenly making my way towards the dais. My heart was pounding in my chest and the blood in my head was urging me to keep going. No part of me wanted to turn around. I had to do this... whatever this was.

I think Sierra saw me and the smile on her face wavered slightly. She waved and suddenly, the music changed. Without warning, everyone around me suddenly hurried to find partners. A waltz started and I was being pushed back away from the dais.

What was with her smile...?

Someone tapped my shoulder.

"Not now," I growled. "Go dance with some other floozy."

"So that means you're a floozy?"

My heart stopped.

I spun around abruptly and the shock in my heart dropped to become one of sour mockery. "Really?"

Jacob Reaper didn't even bother to ask as he took my paw and wrapped his other paw around my waist. Suddenly, we were dancing. His grin beneath the black skull mask was a little menacing but it was a little hard to tell he was a psychopathic wolf beneath the black hood he wore and the over-all dark clothing.

"What? I thought it was appropriate."

"The Grim Reaper? That's your costume?" I retorted.

"Hey, I think it's killing Sierra that we're dancing together and I'm pretty sure she knows its me."

"That's my mother you're trying to traumatise." I inclined my head to the side. "How'd you get out of your room anyway? I'd imagine she had you locked down pretty tightly."

Still with that cheesy grin of his, he reached behind his ear and scratched mildly. "Well, see one of the advantages of being Branded apart from the incredibly hot cock-related sex is that you get some pretty neat abilities. Mine, I get to teleport from door to door as long as I know the specific address of a door."

"So any door?"

"Yup. Even the closet."

Everyone suddenly did some dips but neither he or I were budging on that one. Damnit, we're so stubborn. If Sierra didn't know we were dancing together, she certainly did now. I didn't dare glance up at her as we continued to swing along with the corny dance.

"Okay, so what're you doing here?" I demanded.

"I was planning on barging in on Sierra and her guests, telling them what I know but then I realised without Sierra's backing, I'd just sound insane and will probably end up getting arrested." I lifted my eyebrows as him as he continued. "Then I saw you and it occurred to me that I could just as easily tear off your clothes right now, fuck you silly and I'll get the same effect."

Of course...

"What changed your mind?"

"The food. We spent a lot of time choosing it and I didn't want that to go to waste."

I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me this very arousing smile. If only he knew what that smile could do. I waggled my eyebrows at him and that smile quickly vanished, replaced with a 'what was that?' look. Ha! I can be manipulative with my facial features too!

"Okay, so now that you're here and we're dancing, what's your big plan, hotshot?" I asked.

He pretended to think about it for a second then he quickly grabbed my paw. Without warning, I was being dragged gently through the crowd. One glance over my shoulder and I noticed Sierra was watching us from the corner of her eye. Was it me or was she actually smiling? Too hard to tell from this distance and I was actually blushing.

Me! Blushing!

It was like sneaking out to the prom with your mother well aware you were sneaking out after she explicitly told you not to go. Every inch of me wanted to turn around now and beg for her forgiveness. Every inch of me... except my heart.

Goddamnit...

When we left the ballroom, Jacob quickly dragged me out onto the streets of Angelsea where his pace slowed. Suddenly, he was no longer dragging me along and we were walking paw-in-paw down a moonlit path. Admittedly, it was one that was inundated with celebration and people were constantly bumping into us but that only made me a little more comfortable with his pseudo-kidnapping.

What really surprised me, however, was when he brought me to that old, ruined house that had a stunning view of the harbour. His parents' summer house if I remember correctly. What surprised me even more was there, sitting on the dangerously rickety patio, was a candlelit table complete with cheesy, red and white chequered table cloth and... three seats?

"Sit down," he instructed.

I did so only because I was curious as to what he had in plan. Finding out didn't take that long.

One person I should have remembered should have been at the ball stepped through the door of the house, balancing three plates of prawn risotto. Rex Nebula placed the plates in front of us and parked himself in the third seat, right between us in a way. How symbolic.

"What's going on here?" I growled.

"Dinner," Rex replied, his smile clearly forced. "Jacob convinced me to cook for you."

"How? Did he give you his sausage? Maybe provided the white sauce for this risotto?"

His lips peeled back into a snarl. "Oh that's clever! You know, my risotto always did turn out dry and not as meaty as I wanted. Are you offering to donate?"

"No thanks. I imagine after throwing your cock onto this shitstorm of a dinner, nothing will save it." I quickly got up. "I'm going back."

"No you're not." Somehow, Jacob's firm words threw me back into my seat. "We're going to sit down, have a nice dinner and then we're going to talk."

Rex was the first to voice what he and I were both thinking. "About what?"

"Damnit, I was going to say that," I growled. Then I gave him a sharp, mocking smile. "Are you this quick about everything?"

He snarled back.

With infinite patience, Jacob said, "We're going to talk about how this is going to work." He gestured at all three of us. "But after dinner. Rex worked hard on this. Now eat."

To my annoyance, the risotto was actually pretty darn good. The prawns were a little overcooked - something I made a mountain of and annoyed Rex to no degree - but all in all, it was... delicious. When we finished, I was about ready to explode with questions and rage when Rex got back up and disappeared into the house. Jacob gave me this look to tell me to be patient. A few moments later, Rex came back with these mini-sponge cakes and set them in front of us.

"Sponge cake?" Jacob asked, poking his delicately.

"You don't like sponge?" asked his half-brother.

"It's 40% air. It's a waste of space."

That's the Jacob Reaper I knew. Blunt. Inconsiderate. Rude. "I love sponge," I replied. "Always so moist and never too strong."

Rex nodded to me in a very gentlemanly fashion. "Thank you. I'm glad someone appreciates good food."

The way Jacob shrugged and just ate his cake suddenly set off alarms in my head. I replayed the last few seconds in my head.

Sponge cake? - You don't like sponge? - Its 40% air. It's a waste of Space - I love sponge - Thank you...

My heart did a double-backwards flip.

Crap!

Rex and I just agreed on something!

That conniving sonofabitch!

I growled a little, making Rex look at me curiously but the twinkle in Jacob's sapphire blue eyes told me he knew that I knew he had planned that exchange. Oh he was in for it tonight. I swear, when I got him in bed, I was going to ride him so hard, he'd have to walk on his paws for the next month!

After we finished off dessert, I was feeling a little full but not enough to slip into a food coma.

"So, what's there to talk about?" I grunted.

"Sex," came Jacob's short reply.

Rex looked like he had choked on something. Sissy.

"What? We talking a threesome here?" I asked, smiling smugly.

"Foursome if you count the fact that your ego counts as another person," Jacob said, flashing me his own smug smirk. "But no." His eyes went to Rex, blue lasers. "Rex, what you saw this morning..."

"What were you thinking!?" exclaimed the Elemental Lord. He slammed his fork into the table, bending it at a rather impressive angle. "This asshole... He's an asshole! And you're in bed with him!?"

"More than that."

I was surprised that he didn't say that in a whisper. He announced it proudly. How did he become so strong...? Or was he always this headstrong and everything he was bull rushing was just some crazy campaign that he never really put his heart in. Was his heart into this? Or was I just another conquest that he could be easily dissuaded from?

"Are you kidding me!?" Rex shouted, shooting to his feet. "You're in love with him!? What about Leo? What about our pack?"

"That's family," he responded calmly. "This is beyond that."

The wolf shook his head in disbelief. "Jake... That's just crazy! He tore you a new one and now you're in love with him? What does he even have to offer you?"

Jacob's eyes fell on me. He was appraising me and I fixed him with a challenging stare. Though... just the way his brow furrowed, his eyes searched me and the way he was smiling and gently shaking his head... He told me he already knew the answer. "Everything that I'm not."

"What?"

Yes. What? What did that mean?

He turned to Rex, with this smile on his face like he had just come to a great conclusion. "You've heard what Realmbreaker is by now, right?"

Rex nodded. "Yeah. Sierra and Leo told us all. Basically two opposites that are opposite enough but also similar enough that when they come together, they are somehow stable. What does that have to do anything?"

Oh that sly bastard.

I wanted to tell him to stop. It was a goddamn trap but my jaws snapped shut.

"That's what Canis and I are," Jacob responded. "We're both stubborn, a little screwed up and incredibly violent when we get pissed. Thing is, I'm also pretty impulsive and he's down to earth. I see the world from a broad perspective, looking on entire nations without looking at the people. He spends the time to get to know everyone. Even if he has to get them drunk and then fuck them afterwards."

That's me.

"We're similar enough that we have a connection but different enough that we're not the same person."

Rex looked utterly heartbroken and just the way he was shaking his head told me he was not very used to being dumped. "But what about us, Jake? We're different but also the same! You and me, we have the same mother but you were abused by a kid and I got everything! Isn't that worth something! Hell, I'm good and you're evil!"

I winced at that last comment. I was further surprised when Jacob winced with me. Part of me thought he'd actually explode at Rex but the way he laughed and shone that smile at his half-brother... It made me realise that he was lying.

We weren't like Realmbreaker.

He was changing. Becoming a different person. Becoming a hero.

Me... I'll still be the same bitter bastard I was since I lost my parents and got dumped by Sierra.

"Sorry Rex," Jacob said, smiling at his half-brother gently. "I really want this to work. I know you've been lonely but hey, Leo's on the market again."

"I don't want Leo. I want you!"

"Your own half-brother?"

"You've got to admit," Rex began, offering a cheeky yet desperate smile. "It's incestuous enough to be sexy but not enough to be gross."

I couldn't take their banter anymore.

Muttering something about the shitty dinner, I turned and quickly made to storm away. Unfortunately, the patio was designed that Jacob and Rex blocked the exit onto the road and leaping over the railings could end in an injury. Seriously, with black formal shoes, that was a risk and I didn't want those two fussing over me.

The only escape was - sadly - into the summer house. There was probably a back door I could slip out of.

I turned and reached for the door. I would later learn that Jacob had been smirking the entire time. Manipulative bastard.

When I pushed open the door, I suddenly found myself back in Oasis... particularly Jacob's room. I could tell because his scent was everywhere; that fresh, crystal-like scent that just drove me wild. The smell of roses was mixed with that scent. Why? Because the whole place was decked with the bastards. There were bouquets everywhere. Expensive vases were filled with them. There were wreathes hanging from the ceiling and damn me if he didn't cover the whole bed in their petals.

Oh and here's the kicker.

Kerry and Joanna stood there, Kerry in front of an electric piano and Joanna with a flute in her paws. The doe looked really happy to be there and Joanna looked begrudgingly happy. Before I could say anything, Kerry began with a trill of keys and Joanna lifted the flute to her lips. They made a perfect harmony that made me want to just turn around and flee.

Of course, when I turned around, Jacob was standing there, shutting the door on a bewildered Rex.

"Let me guess," he began, one eyebrow raised, "you hate all this romantic stuff?"

"If I had a flamethrower, I'd burn you all right now," I answered.

"Thought you might say that." Jacob cupped one paw over his muzzle. "Tayl!"

From the open window, a torrent of flames came shooting through. I yelped and made for the door but Jacob seized my shoulders, rolling his eyes. The bastard was going to cook me alive! Well, that was what I thought at first. To my surprise, the flames whirled all around us and burned the roses. Sparkling embers and ash danced around us, caught in some magical wind.

Now I'm not sure how I can make this sound... breathtaking. But think of it this way, it's like having tiny stars dancing all around you. The embers were all around us, flickering on and off while Joanna and Kerry serenaded us. Okay, so the room was suddenly barren and all those empty vases and hooks on the ceiling where the wreaths had hung made it look like I was in some sort of murder house but strangely... this was a whole lot better.

"Before you say anything," Jacob began, holding up his paws. The two girls softened their music just for us. "For the past few months, I've been chased by guys. Three to be exact. Four if you count Max." There was a muffled cry from somewhere and I was guessing Max was secreted somewhere. "They've always approached me. And I've just sort of lain there, soaking it all up and taking it all for what it's worth. I thought that was love. I've never put any effort into falling in love with people. They just told me they loved me and after a while, I just naturally reciprocated that.

"I've never told anyone else I love them first. Worse, I've never been the one doing the chasing." He took my paws and squeezed them hard. "I can tell you're going to bolt the first instance I let you go. You're not used to this. I get that. But I want you to know, I've put a lot of effort into trying to maintain a relationship but I've never put any effort into starting one. I've always been the guy to push people away like some loner."

He took a breath and let it out slowly. "I'm going to change that. Looking back now, I hate who I was. I took it one day at a time. Never really thinking about what the future held. I took it one Elemental Lord at a time. Now, I find myself looking to the future and I'm afraid about what will come between us especially with Sierra blowing up at you this morning. I'm not completely sure that this will work. Hell, I'm pretty darn sure the odds are against us. But I'm still willing to give it a shot. That is... If you are?"

It took me a moment to realise he was talking to me and I blinked a couple of times in shock. "Are you done with your little monologue?" I growled. Joanna played off key in shock. She quickly recovered but that damage was done. "I'm not going to choose between you or my home and family. That's not a choice you have the right to force upon me. I care for only one person in my life. That's me. So if that's all you're going to say, let go of my paws now and let me walk out that door."

I expected him to cry. Say something out of desperation or beg me to stay. Maybe promise me that he'll never let go of my paws. I wanted him to say that but at the same time, I didn't. Unfortunately for me, he let go far too quickly for my liking.

Stunned wouldn't describe how I felt but I kept it bottled up and brushed past him, bumping his shoulder with mine and leaving the room. I didn't slam the door. It wasn't that kind of storm off. I was still in Oasis though. I guess I expected that I'd be back at his summer house. Bastard.

That bastard...

He was such an idiot... throwing himself at me like that after two nights of passionate sex. Okay, so one of them had meaning but... so what? I saved his ass multiple times. He owed me. He didn't have the right to call me his! He should be mine!

...

Oh fuck what the hell did I just think?

Shit!

I swear, he had this all planned out!

The asshole! He was in my head!

And in my heart...

Gah! His sappiness is seeping into me!

No! No way! I'm the hardass sergeant. I fucked the hell out of people and when they fucked me, my ass was like a goddamn vice and I made them squeal! This was not me! I am not that kind of guy! That guy that was all lovey-dovey after he changed me, that's not me! I was just caught up in the moment! That was part of his arsenal!

That's probably how he sucked in Taylor, Rex and Leo! And maybe Max. He threw out some false emotions like he always did and they ate it all up!

Not me!

No way!

In fact...

I spun around, facing the door and growling.

I was going to go back in there and show him just how unaffected I was by his charms!

With a shout, I kicked open the door with a loud back. Joanna and Kerry both jumped in horror. I stormed into the room, casting my gaze around searching for him, my fangs bared.

"Where the fuck is he!?"

SMASH!

Stars flashed before my eyes and I staggered forward, the back of my head and my ears ringing. Somehow, through all the dancing, cartoon-like stars, I saw Jacob standing to my right smirking smugly and with half of a broken vase in his paws.

"What?" he said, lifting one eyebrow. "You really think I put expensive vases around this place just to romance you despite knowing you hate that stuff?"

He planned all this!

Just like he planned the whole goddamn night!

"You sonofabitch!" I roared. I was still recovering from his underhanded sneak attack so I didn't strike just yet.

His eyes went up to the two women. "You might want to clear out. This isn't for the eyes of women."

I let out a roar and charged at him, aiming to spear tackle him. He laughed - actually laughed - and danced aside. I was too blind with rage to notice the open wardrobe in front of me and I hit the hard, wooden back of the wardrobe harder than I anticipated. More stars flashed before my eyes and when I staggered back, I felt the cold doors of the closet press against me.

Sonofabitch!

I spun around and banged on the doors.

Trapped!

"What the fuck is this!?" I roared.

"Vengeance for the first night you practically raped me," he countered. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"So all that mushy stuff you said was all bullshit?"

"Totally."

He was lying. I don't know how I could tell but... he was lying. Here, in the darkness of the wardrobe, I allowed myself a smile and a silent laugh. I heard the doors shut and I pressed myself against the doors. Somehow, I could just feel him through the wood.

"Are they gone?" I asked.

"Yep."

I considered that. "Joanna is still standing there, isn't she?"

I heard a loud, feminine sigh and the door opening and closing again. I knew I could tell when he was lying. That only made me smile all the more.

"Who else is in here?"

"No one."

Again, that gave me pause. "Taylor and Max are hiding behind the curtains, aren't they? Leo on the balcony?"

More sighs and a lot of grumbling. I actually though I heard a 'thank god' somewhere in there - probably Max. The door shut and closed again. I was grinning like a bloody idiot at that point. Despite myself, I was having a shit tonne of fun. Fuck me if I didn't love tearing away his lies and layers. Damnit, did he plan that too?

"You're an asshole, you know that?" I rumbled.

"The biggest."

He wasn't lying now. "You planned this, didn't you? Down to the fact that I absolutely love tearing away your witnesses?"

"Can I just say I spent the whole day planning this and it took the promise to use my door-teleport ability to steal billions of credits from a powerful business man, the promise to be a lupine shopping trolley for the next month, confession that Leo is no longer my boyfriend, a legitimate subscription to no less than ten different gay porn sites and the promise of a threesome to get the team to agree to this. Oh, tomorrow we're having a threesome."

I laughed at that. "So you really did all this just so that you can impress me with your manipulative powers and incredible foresight?"

"Did it work?"

"Sort of. You forgot one thing though."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

SMASH!

My fist smashed through the wooden wardrobe and I curled my massive, meaty arm around his neck, slamming him hard against the doors. His loud 'Ack' told me he was very much surprised. Ha! Gotcha!

With my other arm, I pushed smashed open the wardrobe door and restrained him. I lifted him up slightly and threw him to the floor. He fell with a crash but quickly rolled to his side and was back on his feet, gasping a little. I rolled my shoulders and cracked my knuckles just for effect. The grin on his face told me he was enjoying this.

Is it bad that we have the most fun when we're both beating each other senseless?

Oh wait... That's sex.

Never mind.

"Way to ruin the moment," Jacob chortled.

"You locked me in a closet after bashing my head in with a vase. There was a lull. I had to do something or else we'd fall into one of those awkward silences."

He flicked his ears at me, tail lashing excitedly behind him. "Yeah. I hate those."

When he charged at me, I was ready for him this time. Sure he was fast but he was predictable. I slipped to his left just as his big, meaty arms came around in a big bear hug, just barely dodging his wide reach. I don't think he was surprised at that but he at least gave me a growl. He chased me halfway around the room until we reached the piano, the massive instrument standing between us. The grin on his face told me he had something planned.

I was right.

He gripped the piano with both paws. At first, I thought he'd try to heft it over his head in an awesome display of very sexy power. I would have tried tickling him to see if I could make him drop it. Would've loved to see that. Instead, he pushed all his strength against the piano and suddenly, we I found myself being shoved the other half way across the room by the piano. I thought fast and leapt onto the keys, planted my foot on his forehead and scrambled away.

That tell-tale noise of a piano being smashed to pieces was almost comical.

I spun around to find him picking up one of the bigger fragments of broken instrument.

I laughed.

"What?" he asked.

"Going to beat me with your hard wood?" I asked.

For a second he looked at the long shaft of polished, black wood in his paws. That moment was all I needed. He was fast but no matter how fast you are, if the distance is just too short then you're not going anywhere. I caught him in a big bear hug and slammed him hard against the back wall with a tremendous slam. I grit my teeth together as he beat my back with the plank. When I heard it shatter, I threw him hard to the ground.

At that moment, I was blinded by both pain and a bit of horniness - how weird is that? - so I wasn't thinking straight. I threw myself at him, a feral growl rising from my throat. I never saw him lift his legs. I certainly felt his big feet against my abs and I really felt it when he kicked me back. The shards of wood and broken electronics on my back from the piano hurt like hell.

Even more so when he was suddenly on top of me, our muzzles inches apart and with the cheesy grin on his muzzle matching mine.

"So, are you in love with me yet?" he asked.

"Nope."

I tried to struggle but he quickly caught my paws and slammed me hard back to the ground.

"You're just so goddamn stubborn," he growled. "You know I know you love me. You just can't say it, can you?"

I rolled my eyes at him and kicked his stomach. Hard muscle resisted me and he barely budged. I heard him gag softly though. The proud bastard wouldn't let himself show any weakness. Just like me.

"Why does it matter if I say it or not?"

"Matters to me." Our eyes met and suddenly, he was very serious. "I meant what I said. I've been chased. I've been loved. But I've never been the one to start the relationship. I've never been the first person to say..." He leaned close to my ears and in the softest whisper, said, "I love you."

The touch of his breath on the fur of my ears just sent a tingle down my spine.

"Yeah...?" I began.

"Yeah."

"Don't you think Rex is right? Aren't we rushing into this?"

Jacob let me go and smirked at me. He rested his chin on the cleft of my pecs, still grinning. Looking down at him like that, he almost looked like a big puppy with those shining, blue eyes. "What? You think we're going to get married tomorrow? Did I call you my 'mate'? Did I bite your shoulder and claim you as my own? What else are you supposed to tell your boyfriend when you want to give a relationship with them a go?"

"'I really, really, really like you?'"

"How many 'really's does it take until it equates to 'love'?"

"Two more."

"Really?"

"One really for when you're friends, another for when you're good friends. The third is for when you're fuck buddies or friends with benefits and the fourth is that awkward in-between when you're tossing up whether you want to risk your friendship or take the plunge and fall in love."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Let me guess. You're at number four, aren't you?"

To answer his question, I took his paw and squeezed it tightly. Our eyes met and... Well, there was just this force between us; an undeniable attraction that pulled our lips closer together and made our eyelids heavy. I felt his heart pounding against my chest and the heat rising from his whole body, not just his groin.

Then I punched him.

"Yeow!" he cried, clutching his cheek. "What was that for?"

Despite myself, I was grinning as I pulled at his paw and rose to my feet. "Come with me."

That he didn't protest spoke volumes about the amount of trust he had in me. I could easily have led him into some embarrassing situation. Maybe make sweet, sweet love in Sierra's room or we could both knock out Max and have sex on his scaly, unconscious, fat ass. But that wasn't what I had in mind.

No... He said those magical three words that I could never say back.

Yeah, we were opposites but we had enough in common that we were in harmony.

Where I was weak, he would be strong. Where he epically failed, I'd cover him.

That's what it meant to be in a relationship. We weren't mates. We were barely boyfriends. Maybe not even then. Just good friends that slept with one another and had pretty strong feelings about one another.

But you know what?

If I found my soulmate without any struggles, I'd be bored as hell and I'd probably kill him just to alleviate that boredom. I remembered thinking, 'This will be fun'. No matter if we made it work or not, we'd have a riot.

He never once protested as he headed through the hallways of Oasis and came back to the party. I think he was actually smiling. A slow song was playing and everyone was dancing with their couples. Kerry was standing alone off to the side alongside Max who was stuffing his face. Taylor and Joanna looked like a perfect couple. Too bad they were both gay. It really was a romantic moment.

One neither of us participated in.

Jacob started to show some hesitation as I dragged him up to the dais where Sierra and the two visiting Elemental Lords stood. I tore off my mask and saluted to Nathan and Natalia.

"Lord and Lady Shade," I greeted. "I am Sergeant James Canis of ANVIL's Graesham branch."

Natalia set down the champagne glass she was holding. "Graesham? I heard something terrible happened there."

"Yeah," I responded. I hiked a thumb at Jacob. "This guy." Jacob let out a long 'Uh' and a meek wave. "He's Jacob Reaper."

Both Elemental Lords were suddenly very alert.

"Before you say or do anything," I interrupted, holding up my paw. "I need your help." I glanced over at a surprised Jacob. He was surprised but not mortified. No hint of hurt on his expression. He really trusted me. I wasn't going to lose that. "We need your help." Turning back to the Elemental Lords, I found myself watching Sierra's smug smile.

Goddamnit, was everyone manipulating me tonight?

"You two better sit down," Sierra said, gently grasping Nathan's paw. "This is going to be very big."