"Come on, let's get you inside." I hook my arm under his, helping him to his feet as I grab him around his waist. 

Verando flinches, placing his hand carefully on his side. "You look nice," he comments, assuredly trying to earn some sort of good humor on my side, for I was still threatening to boil over from the stress. My eyes focus straight ahead; I open the door and direct him to the kitchen while I move to relieve our babysitter. 

The young girl's eyes are big around as saucers as she stares at my warlord. "I uh.. excuse me, Mr... er.. Mercer, but isn't your husband supposed to be on tour? I just saw his band perform yesterday."

Verando slides out of his chair, moves to the cabinet, pours some scotch into a small glass, and downs it in one swallow. "Tour's on hold, love. Bit of a scheduling conflict."

She looks back at me, almost like she expected me to have a better answer. I can only shrug, for I knew about as little as she did. "You know musicians, fickle creatures. Thank you so much for watching the boys tonight; I hope they weren't too much trouble."

The youth, Eliza, offered me the best smile she could, given her confusion. By how she looked at Verando, I imagine her father had warned her that the gray-haired man was the more dangerous of us. "Oh, they were no trouble at all, sir. Darius now, he was a little restless, but I think mostly he was just missin' his daddy. "

"Well, I'll call you next time I have an event; tell your father to finish the application process so we can get you into the system for the school. You've got a bright future as a magic user; we'd be happy to have you."

Eliza beams at me, and I see Verando taking another swallow of scotch out of the corner of my eye. He was stalling, trying to appear somewhat normal until she was gone. "Good night, sir. Er.. good night to you, too, Mr.Mercer." It throws her off to address us both, not quite sure how to fit into the dynamic, I find it endearing that she tries. 

Watching her leave, she hops into her aged truck and rumbles down the road, and I sigh a heavy breath of relief as I take out my phone to call Stefan. Verando places his hand over it, standing before me without a sound; he tosses it onto the counter as he collects my face in his hands. Wordless, he kisses me, rolling his tongue against my own in such a way that makes me swoon. 

He felt foreign to me, smelling heavily of cigarette smoke and now flavored with scotch; I wrinkle my nose as I break the kiss and trace my nose over the line of his sternum. "You've been stressed out." I conclude. 

"I've been without you for a month; I'm at my wits' end." Gathering me in his arms, he placed me on the counter, but not without faltering. Quickly, I put my hand over his mouth before he can kiss me again, his body wedged between my legs so suggestively as his gaze hovers over my own. "Are you upset with me?"

I consider it, amused by how my fingers silence the words, and I opt to drag them through his grown-out stubble. "I don't think being mad at you for being kidnapped is fair. I'm angry at the situation, but mostly, I'm scared. We need to establish better texting codes so that I can react more quickly if this happens again. It's just shown me how careless we've been about this new position, that we still aren't taking it as seriously as we should be."

Whenever we thought we were getting ahead of it, we were reminded how outgunned we were. 

"That's a good idea." He fluffs my ego, ducking from my hand to kiss the junction between my neck and jaw. Verando's body was chilled, like clinging to a stone statue, and even my overly warm skin refused to warm him. 

I tilt my head back, knotting the fingers of one hand into the hair on the back of his neck as I resist the urge to chuckle. His beard tickled my skin; my body was electric after not being touched for so long. "You're getting nothing from me, so don't get any ideas."

"Can't I just enjoy you? Maybe I am hungry; you smell so good I could take a bite." His teeth drag over my skin, and in a moment of sexually charged haze, I almost beg him to sample me. Popping my shirt buttons open, effectively destroying the button-up, he kisses down to my chest, dragging his tongue over one of my nipples as I inhale sharply. The cool of his tongue mixed with the sudden feeling of the metal stud that pierced it did wicked things to my libido.

I couldn't, not with how weak he was. As his instructor, it was my job to guide him in taking care of this new body. 

"Down, boy." I manage, placing my hands on his chest and putting a small amount of distance between us. "You're going to feel a bit out of sorts; your body is giving out because you've overused it. It can have almost a drunken effect, so we need to get you some food and rest. Then you can fondle me to your heart's desire."

Verando smirked, kissing my palm; it seemed every body part I offered him warranted a thorough inspection with his lips. "Don't offer what you can't follow through on."

Swallowing hard, I slip off the counter, sighing as he wraps his arms around me from behind, kissing the top of my head and reminding me just how heavy the man had become. "Good lord, Randy." I manage, carefully twisting out of his grasp, treading over to the fridge to pull out a steak from the night before. "Here, meat. It was prepared rare anyways, so it should give you a little energy, enough that I won't be terrified you'll vanish on me tonight."

Unimpressed with the suggestion, Verando hesitates to see if he can get past my defenses. Pointing at the chair, I glower at him, and reluctantly, he sits where I'd assigned him while I turn on the stove to warm up the slab of meat. 

Despite how handsie he was being, I knew what it felt like to be drained. The affection was more so a symptom of his body prioritizing emotional needs over physical ones. If I had to make my guesses, he'd already decided how he would handle this, judging by how he'd spoken to Anubis and the fact that he'd not taken to his lair to plot. "So. Enlighten me. You said you learned some new skills, but you also seemed to put on quite the show for Anubis." 

I'm not blind to the fact that his eyes rake over me, leaned onto his knuckles as his elbow rests on the table. 

"I opened a fissure in the ground by touching it, almost like a form of decay." His description of such a feat reminded me of someone talking about mowing the lawn or trimming hedges. "The conversation I had with Anubis was anything but a show; I fully intend on making him so terrified of me that he hands me back your soul. I will get your soul back, but I won't risk it by challenging him. "

His voice makes me shudder, I cross my arms over my chest, resting against the counter as I observe him quietly. "A fissure. That's pretty impressive."

"Seth thought so. But it exhausted me, I felt like I was going to black out after I did it."

Interesting. 

"Well, your ability is Death, so I'm assuming you aged the stone through its lifespan just as you do the grass when you're overcharged. I seem to recall you almost affected the car that way, so it's not surprising that you can rapidly age anything you want." The possibilities were endless, I tap my fingers lightly on the counter, searching the tiles as I round up all the possible scenarios. 

It could be extremely useful, but also incredibly dangerous. 

"We have to delve deeper into these contracts. Do you really think Tucci taught them how to summon you?"

The mention of it makes my warlord stiffen; slipping his hand into his pocket to pull out his cigarettes, I quickly snag them with an exasperated sigh. "This is why you smell so bad!"

"Gee, thanks." Verando retorts, irritated by the insinuation. 

"Randy, you're supposed to be quitting." I nearly plead, opening the pack to see it's almost empty. Noting the peculiar smell, I cock my head, taking a sniff, "What is this?"

Before I can pinpoint it, he snatches the box back, holding it over his head and out of my reach as I scramble to grab it back. "You're awfully nosey." 

"I'm serious. You told me you'd try, and you're worse now than ever. What will you do if Darius wants to smoke because of you?" I attempt to appeal to his better nature, though it has little effect on a man who grew up chain-smoking with his friends. 

"Let him-" Hesitating, catching my murderous glare, he reconsiders and lowers the box. "Nic, this is a horrible time to make me quit cigarettes."

"You are saturated in cigarette smoke. It's a hard limit for me; it was one thing when you were doing it every now and then, but now I bet you're going through a pack a day." Waiting for him to rebuttal my claims was futile, for he seemed content with letting me think he was going through those few. 

Biting my lower lip, I wrap my arms around him, despite the strong scent he still had the faint hint of what belonged to me. "How am I supposed to accept that this god-awful aroma muddies my husband's scent? You smell so good to me; it's not fair when you smoke. It also isn't fair to my libido-" I kiss his chest, only to hesitate at the fact he is still covered in sand. "You also desperately need a shower."

"Darling, I can do one of these things, and right now, the option of ravaging you is taking hold of my focus."

It would appear that my requests were unfair to a certain extent, so I slipped back out of his grasp to flip his steak. It mostly needed to be warm, not necessarily cooked to any standard. My wolf nagged me, pawing at me, wanting to make him agree to my terms. I glance over my shoulder, spying his eyes again, trailing my body. "Please quit?"

"You're insufferable." Verando accuses, sighing heavily as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Next question, what else were you asking about?"

I would need to catch him when I could adequately motivate him, but at his wit's end, it was not the time. "What are you going to do about Tiberius and Tucci?"

The tone darkens; Verando removes his shirt, muttering to himself as he takes careful steps to the trashcan. Much as he was willing to partake in my body, his own was still on the cusp of failing. Throwing it away, he fumbles with his belt, slowly winding it into a tight coil and placing it on the counter. 

"I'm getting sand all over the bloody floor; if it ever comes out, it will take me days to clean it all up."

"Verando." I plead, pulling the steak off, placing it on a plate, and setting it on the kitchen table as my arms lightly cross over my chest. "You have a plan, or you wouldn't be avoiding me."

That light gaze flicks up, and my heart catches in my throat, the look of an Alpha scorned. The dark circles under his eyes highlight the frosted blues of his irises; his bare chest was surprisingly unmarked, given he'd just battled with a God. "I don't want you to think of the father of our children as a monster."

The admittance caught me off guard; it wasn't at all what I pictured him saying. Obediently, he moved to the table, sat down, and put a bite of steak in his mouth. With a small sigh, he took another bite in quick succession. "Ok, I think I might be quite famished."

"Well, it makes sense; Fenrir must consume constantly. You've been eating like crazy since he's come along; I imagine living the 'rock star' lifestyle doesn't bode well for an apocalypse appetite." Avoiding stroking his hair, no matter how much I want to, I must focus on getting the answers I need. He was still wearing his pants, though by the state of them, he'd be throwing those away, too. 

Without the shirt, drenched in the scent of smoke, he smelt more himself. 

"You can tell me. We've gone to war together, tortured a general, hell, you even tried to drown my government official, if you recall. You bloodeagled someone in our kitchen; there isn't much left you can do that would surprise me anymore, baby." 

Verando takes another bite, chewing quietly, thoughtful and yet concerned. Finally, when I'm worried he might not answer, he sets his fork down. "I intend to find Seth's inner workings. There must be mortals who are high ranking and know more information on him, those people will eventually want deals or... I can find someone willing to do the job for me through a deal. I can't outright kill people as Death-"

Parting his lips, he stops for a moment, deep in thought. "Well, I can, actually, but not ethically. I've been reading the book; this position can be corrupted—absolute power and what have you. There are boundaries more than rules, which are defined by my morals. The more damage I cause, the more a threat I become—sort of like you and your father's book, for instance."

I sit in the chair beside him, taking in every inch of this man who I'd missed so much over the last month. I was impressed and impossibly proud that he'd been taking the time to read his book. 

"I can, however, make deals with mortals in exchange for things I want them to act on. Killing someone for me in exchange for an agreement is a roundabout way of my hand taking a life not on my list. I plan to use my contracts to find these individuals, get above them, and discover where Seth keeps his vessel. I need his scent so that I can do that, though. The few times Anubis has wanted me to jump the list and find someone for a quicker dispatch, he has given me a scent, and I've found them within a few hours no matter where they are in the world."

Dumbfounded, he gives me time to digest while he takes a few more bites. Of course, my husband would speak of this in terms of simple battle tactics rather than someone who was planning to take on a god. Crossing my legs in my chair, I can only hold myself together as I try to fathom what the consequences would be for this. 

What would be our backlash?

Would it change him even more to act on these new contracts? What if I lost him to the job forever? 

"Verando, this is..." Incredible? Horrifying? I'm unsure how to describe my feelings, and I found it odd that he was suddenly more at peace with it, given the way the job was evolving. "So.. you're going to.. kill people?"

Taking my words into consideration, he reluctantly nods. "I'm going to do terrible things to people. I must scare Tiberius into coming back onto our side or kill him, but when I look at the list, his name is nowhere near the projected dates that this would take place. I can only assume that means that he will end up coming back to our side. I have an uncomfortable look into the future, but no exact dates unless it will happen soon."

"Has Stefan been helping with this? Is this what you two are always doing together?" My voice sounded more accusing than intended, but I felt cheated. I wanted to be the one to help and guide him, and he'd run off with my friend and separated me from the training altogether. When he told Anubis he had a trainer, I hesitated to think he wasn't speaking of me. 

Finishing the last two bites, Verando stands, stretching and twisting to see how he feels, only to have to grab the table to stabilize. 

"It doesn't work that fast, baby." I chuckle, shaking my head in disbelief as I take the dish to the sink. 

"Nic, Stefan is on the list. He wants to trade years to extend his life. I've given him some time, but Stefan will not live much longer. He didn't want me to tell you, and frankly, I didn't want to say it either, but I can't keep lying to you, not with everything else going on. He's aging, and we don't know why."

I nearly smashed the plate, hardly catching it in time. Wheeling around, I noticed his expression; this was excruciating for him as well. "What?" I whisper, searching his face for any hint of hope, but none can be found. Shimmying out of his pants, he tosses them in the trash; my neat freak warlord couldn't stand the thought of being covered in sand or washing them in the general population. 

"I'm going to do what I can. This work will help me to extend his life and figure out ways around the system, but it seems that once the name is on the list.. and once it comes up... I can't stop myself from reaping that person. It is a fail-safe, and it's when I'm at my most out of control, so when that time comes, I won't be able to stop myself."

Stefan was going to die. I'd never prepared myself for it, but I wasn't supposed to live beyond a normal human life. "Why now...?"

Gesturing with his head, he motions for me to follow him upstairs. Glancing at the clock, I see it's past 1 a.m. "Balance, nobody lives forever. Death has been out of commission for a long time, and now that the balance is being restored, there is a lot of fear going around. We need Darius to bring back the life aspects of all of this. I just hope that-" Pausing, he hesitates to continue, and I know exactly what he's worried about because it's been on my mind since he appeared in that bathroom.

Can we keep it up until Darius is old enough to help make these decisions? 

I followed behind him into our bedroom, pushing him past the bed and towards the shower. Much as I loved him, I couldn't allow him to get into the bed smelling as bad as he did. "Darius could pardon him..." I manage, though it feels like an unfair question to put on a child. How would I even propose it? 

Stepping into the shower, I'm shocked by how the water hits him, yet he doesn't shy away. His body is so cold I wrap my arms around him again, holding him tightly as he returns the gesture. Slowly stroking my hair, clinging to me, he sighs in what I assume is contentment. "Darius could pardon him.. or he could command me to kill an entire nation, and I would be forced to do it. The book says that the unicorn is absolute."

It was the never-ending pressure of turning Darius into a good person; one mistake, and we would have destroyed the earth. 

"He is such a good kid." I whisper.

Verando smirks against the top of my head, tilting my chin up to meet my eyes. "He has a good role model, takes after his Tata." Pulling me up onto my toes, he kisses me, and I shiver as I slip my thigh between his to grind against him. 

"How are you feeling?" I ask softly, trailing my fingers slowly up and down his abdominals. I deepen the kiss as he traces his tongue over my lower lip. 

"Hungry," he mutters, and yet the primal look in his eyes suggests it was me he was hungry for. "You smell incredible in this steam; it's driving me insane. Gods, I've missed you."   

Despite the hardships and how it nearly broke me, becoming a lycan was the greatest gift this life had given me, for I finally understood how this person was made for me. I matched him, yearning for him, desiring him, and loving him beyond myself. "Why don't you take me to the bed...? One round shouldn't hurt..."

"Fucking hell." He growls low in his throat, shoving me against the wall as he kisses me once more. I quickly cut off the shower, grabbing a towel and desperately drying off as he captures my lips at every opportunity. I leap onto his body, gasping at how his hands grope my ass, how his body feels so deliciously good against mine. I grind against him, biting his lower lip as he pins me down onto my back on the bed. "I'm going to-"

"Daddy! You're home!" Darius squeals excitedly as his head pops up from under the comforter. "Does this mean we're going camping tomorrow?!"