next update will be longer. typed this on my phone that's at like 10% battery right now. Enjoy.

Chapter 55 – Frosty Predicament, Bozeman Christmas (Samson Conrad POV) Pt. 5

I love touching her. The skin-to-skin contact is electric. My heart races though I'm running faster than ever. I'm just standing in place, resting against the kitchen island, Fatima resting against me, my right resting on her back, the other under her shirt. My thumb strokes an inch of her skin just near her hip.

Everyone once in a while she'd lean up and kiss me right at my jaw.

"You're mine." She claimed me. My animal instincts and I loved it.

Nothing was forgotten, but I felt lighter.

Especially since Fatima had agreed to let my family stay at a home in North Carolina until they had set something up for everyone. Did we know what the house looked like? Not at all but we were going on square footage at this point and it had nearly twice what the Sun Valley home had, so I'm sure it would take everyone. Sure there would be a lot of doubling up in rooms, but at night once the alarms were set, everyone would be safe.

Most importantly, Nick did not know of the home.

If Naomi was spot on and Nick was taken by the Elders, well those that followed my father were out of harms way.

I hadn't been there for the meeting but from what my father said I could only guess that not all wanted to follow Nick. But the few megalomaniac men that did, well their innocent wives and children were now paying the price.

"They'd be better off dead than with the Elders," Naomi had said gravely.

It was no secret that many knew the Elders were a troubled group that sought to control, make rules that they often break. They were supposed to govern, keep peace and shifters safe but somewhere along the line that entire premise vanished.

At hearing that her friend – Lennon – was in fact with those that chose to stay with dad, Imogen's tears flowed less. Her face still held the pain of the news we received but most of the lines crinkled at her eyes were for Luca's distress and sadness.

Making idle chat I speak in the silence that had grown.

Tapping a few keys I looked up what was fun to do in Bozeman, seeing that sleigh rides were offered. "So since we're staying hear for the week what do you two think of going on a sleigh ride?"  I ask peering down at Fatima for reaction eyes darting to Imogen but returning to what really captured my attention.

"It's cold out there," Fatima answers her face scrunched up, "I can just ride you," she shrugged.

Choking on my own saliva, my mind clearly taking what she said wrong I cough, taking a minor step away from her as my face heated. "What?" Fatima asks looking up at me, eyes shifting over to Imogen as well for a minute.

"I've seen your jaguar form, I could wrap my arms around your neck, and legs around your torso and you could run." The perplexed face she wore when she missed a social cue was currently making an appearance.

Imogen, though sad, snickers, "I'm sure Samson would love for you to ride him Faith."

"Oh," Fatima says not catching the innuendo from Imogen, "Have you rode Luca before?" turnabout is lovely. Imogen's eyes widen and she shakes her head from side to side, all traces of humor gone, while I enjoy a good chuckle at her expense.

"So... no sleigh ride," I finally conclude looking for other activities. "There is... ice-skating," I frown. Luca's warning of the patches of ice in Sun Valley coming to mind.

"I can't skate," Fatima says and in my head I cringe at all the scenarios that could end with her injured.

"Oh I did see snow mobiles!" Imogen suggests and the horror on my face would make anyone believe she had just suggested Fatima walk barefoot over lit coal with spikes hidden between them.

"Maybe we play scrabble," I decide, "or monopoly, Luca and I bought a few board games to help pass the time, plus Christmas movies."

Never one to make a fuss, Fatima easily agrees. I'm still searching the Internet when Fatima pulls away helping Imogen and Luca returns to the kitchen. I see him from the corner of my eye and turn my head to his direction.

"How are you?"

"Are you okay?"

"Everything will work out."

Those three useless comforting utterances, I recalled them frequently asked when... stepping away from my own heaviness of the heart mentally, I focus on Luca.

"Do you want to call your friend?" I offered pushing the burner phone we were using here towards him. Swallowing, he gives me a sharp nod, hand darting out to get the phone.

This situation was a little more difficult. As dad said, you felt sorry for those that did not actively choose to follow Nick. However, what did Nick expect to happen? Calling the Elders was equivalent to putting foil paper in the microwave, using an ungrounded metal object to fiddle with a working toaster and throwing a electric radio or hair blow drier into a bathtub full of water.

It was especially worse for werecats as we were less populated. Hell there was a den in South America that specifically used female werecats for breeding purposes.

At this point what could I really tell Luca? Particularly when I was thinking that dad knew what Nick was going to do, he should have taken him out period. Now, if Naomi was right and they were going to torture Nick for the locations of dens he knew of, so many would be at risk.

Us randomly leaving probably did not help dad's sense of judgment but then again, he had not known anything for the Elders army four days ago. Sure... Fatima had went on about Loyalist and Independents but at the time everyone thought it was just ramblings of a brainwashed girl.

As not to hold anything back from the three of us I suppose, Luca dialed the number of his friend Rafael, pressed speaker and laid the phone on the gray polished cement counter between us.

Afraid that maybe this friend might not be as trustworthy as Luca believes, I hold my breath waiting for the unknown. In my head I wonder what or how I expect him to sound at hearing Luca's voice. What did I know though? I trusted every word from Taylors mouth, spilled my heart to her more than once. Look how that turned out?

"Hello?" a strong, heavy, rough voice answers. Luca's Adam's apple bobs twice before he says something.

"Eh, Raf?" I hear a gasp, "Luca? Is this Luca? Is – no – who the hell is this?" the voice demands. I try to get a read on his reaction but it sounds genuine. 

Luca gets a bit glassy eyed. "It's m-"

Raf, he cuts Luca off, "If this is Luca, tell me who your first and second love is?"

My gaze shifts to Imogen, feeling a bit sorry that she'd hear Luca's answer. Well I was expecting him to say Giselle. So was Imogen who makes her self look entirely too interested in the boiling water that she would put the chopped potatoes in.

"Imogen, and my second, Seraphima," so fast I thought her head would somehow detach from her neck, Imogen gaped at Luca. On the line, a loud whistle of air sounds, mixing in with static. "Oh – oh my, you're okay? This – it's really you Luca?" Raf asks gasping, voice breaking a bit.

Taylor cried with you I tell myself just as I'm easily ready to drop my guard.

"Yeah," Luca responds, hands on the counter on either side of the phone. "I uhm, I have something to ask you," he tells Raf, who immediately began asking questions.

"Man have you heard? Of course you've heard! No I mean, your house? Your parents have already been identified I-"

"Raf, who is Robert Delaney?" Luca asks not beating around the push though his posture is stiff as he awaits his friends' response.  The part of me that did not believe we could handle any more betrayal at this point silently went to his knees and prayed to Tezcatlipoca.

Please. Please. Please.

Raf does not answer immediately. But when he does, even his indignant panicked outrage is a wonderful response. "I think you're dead and you're asking me about some dude named Robert? What the hell is going on Luca?" Raf's voice raises an octave. "Your parents, sister and brother, were identified – I – did you have something-" the four of us all sigh in relief.

.

.

.

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Raf is trust worthy.

So... Taylor. Where do you guys think she's at? And who do you suspect is her handler?