Chapter Eight

"Wait, what the actual fuck."

I placed my coffee on the little napkin on the table before looking up slowly to see all of the Cousins staring at me, and Lumen.

It had taken hours for me to convince her to talk to the Cousins about the situation. She was fiercely loyal to Five, clearly, and wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but she also recognized she couldn't do this on her own; couldn't hide it on her own, couldn't save the artificials on her own. We needed help. And while we both agreed keeping this from Hades was in our best interest, we couldn't keep it from the Cousins, at the very least. Especially Seven, given everything he'd gone through and the fact that he was the one who had declared war on the Mother to begin with.

Of course, the reactions were mixed.

"Okay, let me see if I got this," Daphne May said, holding her hands up before placing them slowly on the table, "You both basically fell in love with artificials, who are working with this evil Mother person to destroy the Hades clan. Said artificials have both attempted to kidnap Hadrian for reasons we don't even know, both of them failed, and neither of them seem interested in trying again, because, again, they're in love with you both. And we're not telling Hades because Hades could interrogate them quite uncomfortably. Did I get that right?"

"That sums it up," Lumen said softly.

"When you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous," I muttered. Daphne May gave me a droll stare, folding her arms over her chest. Wren sighed, reaching up to rake a hand through his hair before placing it on the table sternly.

"This is stupid," he said at last, "Tell Hades. For all we know, they could both be lying and using you."

"He's not."

"She's not." Lumen and I spoke in unison, then glanced at each other. We knew how bad it sounded, but it was the truth. If it was all a trick, why hadn't they kidnapped me by now? Why hadn't they tried harder to take me back to the Mother? Clearly their feelings for both Lumen and I were getting in the way. Besides, the Cousins knew damn well I wanted to keep this on the downlow from Hades. It was more than just Hades interrogating them, torturing them. It was about the fact that Hades would once again go into panic mode and lock me up somewhere far away with no one else, but my family for probably more than a year this time. I probably wouldn't even be able to see the Cousins, because I hadn't been able to last time.

"We are not telling Hades," I said firmly, watching Wren sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose, "The last thing we need is Hades panicking. Besides, it's time we solved something on our own. I can't count how many times we've run to Hades for help, or one of our parents."

"Because we need their help and we should ask for it when we need it?" Wren offered dryly.

"No, I think they've got a point," Amenti murmured, "Don't get me wrong; I love Hades. He's incredibly powerful and a good asset to have... when you're facing the end of the universe. But right now, we're not facing that. We're facing another type of problem."

"No, I'm pretty sure she wants to destroy the universe," Wren deadpanned. Holly shook her head.

"No way. It sounds like she wants to destroy Hades and his family, which by default, includes all of us. She sounds like a cranky bitch taking out her anger on other people, by using other people, and that is incredibly unfair," she explained, earning a nod from Amenti.

"We want to do this on our own," I said firmly, "Without Hades's help, without the help of our parents. It's our problem, not theirs."

"I'd say it's Hades's problem if it's his damn sister who's the bad guy," Wren muttered.

"Agreed," Keros said slowly, "Wren's right, guys. We can't keep this from Hades. Sooner or later, he's gonna find out on his own anyway and he won't be happy we didn't tell him and I don't know about you guys, but Hades is pretty terrifying when he's mad."

"As if he'd turn that anger on us," Daphne May drawled sarcastically, making Keros shrug.

"Look," I started, "The reason I chose to tell anyone at all is because I need help. I'm asking you for help, not Hades, not dad, not father. I'm asking you guys, because I trust you and because I know you see this the way I do. The artificials are victims, not the enemy."

"He's right," Seven said softly, making everyone look at him, "The artificials are just as much prisoners as anyone else. They've just been brainwashed to accept it as normal and okay. It's not fair to keep them trapped there, and for the Mother to use them for her stupid plot to destroy Hades, who, by the way, we are raised to fear. Hades, in the eyes of the Mother, is an evil entity that must be destroyed at all costs."

"Hades isn't evil," Daphne May said drolly, earning some stares, "What? He's not. He's just... a little rough around the edges. He's chaotic good... or neutral evil. I don't know. Continue."

"They don't realize what they're doing," Seven went on, "They're just doing what they're told. They don't have a choice, and it's our job to give them that choice."

"You had a choice," Wren pointed out. Seven looked at him.

"It wasn't a choice. If they hadn't taken Thirteen away from me, I'd still be working under the Mother, plotting to kill Hades with the rest of her army. It was only by chance I was freed from her and her people."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Floki asked, twirling his straw in his drink.

"Let's break it down and look at it properly," Holly said, "They're trying to kidnap Hadrian. Why?"

"Because he's famous?" Daphne May asked.

"Because he's a dick?" Wren suggested. Amenti elbowed him and I cocked my head in acceptance of something people seemed to often say.

"The Mother wants someone who is useful to her," Seven said dryly, "She wants someone who can help her reach her goals. Hadrian can evidently help her do that. What are some things he can do that could help an evil dictator?"

"I mean, he could fight on her behalf, but good luck trying to convince him," Lumen murmured. I nodded at that.

"I don't plan to fight for her anytime soon," I agreed. There was a brief moment of silence as we all sat and studied the table thoughtfully before Wren slowly looked up with a stern frown on his face.

"He can get pregnant," he said, making everyone look at him, then at me. Seven opened his mouth as if to deny that, then suddenly stopped and his eyes widened in realization.

"No, no, that makes sense," he said, making me frown, "When I was rescued from the compound, the doctor, the scientist, the one who created me and the other artificials, he escaped with us, but he disappeared before we could apprehend him. He's in the wind. He's the one who helps the Mother create her army. He's gone now. She's left with no way to fuel her army. She has to make more soldiers."

"But why Hadrian specifically? Why not, say, Lumen or one of us?" Floki asked, looking around the table.

"Because Hadrian has the eyes," Daphne May murmured, looking up now, "He has Hades's eyes, that gene that passes down only through the males, and only certain males, in the Hades family. Plus, Hadrian is young and the Mother probably sees him as an easy target. Kidnap him, force him to make babies for her army, boom. Plus, most male faes are only pregnant for six or so months. He could produce two viable soldiers a year."

"Don't forget the twins gene runs in both sides of the family," Wren pointed out, earning nods. I grimaced at the concept.

Kidnap me to impregnate me? The thought made me shudder. Pregnancy was not something I thought about fondly. It had never occurred to me to have a child. I was not good with children. Our inability to understand proper social cues clashed. My inability to understand children as a whole just did not make me fit to be a parent. On top of that, I was far too young to be having a child now. I hadn't even finished my career. I hadn't traveled to the places I wanted to visit. I hadn't even met the person I loved... maybe. I was not ready to have a child, and probably never would be. The concept of having children alone was scary. The idea that someone would force that on me made it even more terrifying.

"Okay," Holly said, "Let's say that's the reason the Mother wants Hadrian then. She sent in two of her best soldiers. Neither of them were able to complete their mission. Five, because she didn't want to hurt Lumen, and Six, because he's clearly got the hots for Hadrian."

"Who wouldn't?" Floki asked, chewing on his straw. I stared at him.

"What? You're awfully darned pretty, Hay. If I was into guys like you, I'd probably be on you like white on rice," he pointed out, then paused, "It's a good thing we're not mortals. Or our family tree would be all kinds of fucked up."

"Anyway," Holly said dryly, "Now we just need to figure out what to do next. We think we've got her plan down. It makes sense. Seven confirms it too," Seven nodded in agreement, "So now we just need to figure out what our next move is."

"Maybe telling Hades?" Wren asked.

"Maybe not," Lumen filled in, "You've not seen the things Hades can do to someone who targets his family. I've seen first hand the things Hades can do when he's panicked. It's quite frightening, and we're trying to avoid hurting the artificials. Think of them as prisoners of war."

"I have faith Hades won't hurt them," Wren said.

"Your faith is baseless," Lumen returned, making Wren glare.

"Hey, come on now," Daphne May said, placing her hand on the table between them, "This isn't about fighting between us. We all agree this is something we can handle on our own. We've faced problems bigger than this in the past."

"And so has Hades," Wren said, "And he handled them fine."

"Fine," Lumen echoed, "I watched him pop the head off someone because they said the wrong thing to Hadrian when he was dropping him off at school." Wren frowned.

"The guy probably deserved it."

"Okay, but that's not the point. The point is we need to do this delicately. We can't go rushing into this like chickens with our heads cut off," Lumen stressed, "Someone can get seriously hurt and that's what we're trying to avoid."

"Fine," Wren said at last, "We won't tell Hades. Whatever. But what are we supposed to do? We don't know where to start."

"Sure we do," Holly said, gesturing to Seven, who looked up, "We have someone who's been to the compound."

"I've been to two compounds," Seven answered grimly, "Who knows how many more are out there? Who knows where the main base is? Which one it is? The second compound I went to, like all the others, has extremely tight security measures."

"He's right," Keros agreed, "They were given orders to commit suicide if someone were ever to break in and there was no escape from the compound. All of the soldiers who ran that compound in Atlantis killed themselves. Thirteen was the only one who survived."

"We need to get to the compound where the artificials are," Floki said. Seven frowned.

"As far as I know, the artificials all live in the compound I lived in."

"Where is that?"

"I don't know," Seven admitted, "I never saw the outside of it."

"What about the compound we broke into to save you?" Keros asked.

"That was a completely different compound. The one the artificials live in is hidden, for good reason."

"So our next step is to find the artificial compound," Holly declared, "We find the compound, we go in, we capture the artificials, and we bring them back to Hades. Then, and only then, will we tell Hades himself what is happening." Everyone was silent for a moment as they let that sink in, as they let it play in their minds.

"And how do we find the compound?" Wren asked slowly.

"By asking the only two artificials who've been in and out of the compound," Holly said, turning to Lumen and I, "By asking Six and Five where it is." Lumen swallowed thickly and looked at me warily. I shared the same sentiment. It wasn't going to be easy to ask them. No doubt they would deny that and try and change the subject, or worse, just outright attack us for asking. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to interrogate Six in the same way I had before, or any other way for that matter.

Despite his feelings for me, he was fiercely loyal to the Mother. Seven even said so himself. The chances of Six revealing anything to do with the Mother were slim at best.

"It won't be easy," Seven murmured, "They're both loyal to the Mother, even with their feelings for you. It's how we were raised. I was lucky. I didn't buy into all of their shit because I was an outcast, but those two were star pupils in all of our classes. They probably have more to hold onto there than I did... But it's not impossible."

"Right," Daphne May agreed, "Just talk to them. Treat them as they are; people. I mean, you guys like them back, don't you?" Lumen nodded vigorously. I looked down at the table for a moment, then looked up to see people eyeing me warily.

"I don't know how I feel yet," I admitted with a frown, "It's very confusing."

"Sounds like love to me," Floki snorted.

"Yeah, but you can still be kind and courteous and want to save them as people, not just for personal reasons," Daphne May pointed out. I nodded slowly.

"Alright, so we have a plan," Holly said, "We'll reconvene at the end of the week to see how things are going. If anything happens between now and then, contact the rest of us immediately and we'll meet back here."

"Sounds good to me," Floki said.

"Sounds... dangerous," Wren said dryly.

"No one asked you," Floki retorted, making Wren roll his eyes.

One by one, we departed from the coffee shop in Atlantis and returned home. Lumen and I went home separately, because she had a dance recital and I wanted to grab some lunch at the house.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I kept watching, waiting, to feel that prickly sensation of Six lurking, but I didn't feel it. I felt absolutely nothing throughout the day and it was... stressful. How strange that not having Six stalk me was stressful, but having him stalk me wasn't. I rolled my eyes at myself and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Are you alright, hun?" I looked up to see dad walking into the dance studio where I sat on the floor with my legs crossed.

"Why?" I asked. Dad frowned as he came over and sat down across from me.

"You look kinda down. Is it because you're not dancing?" He asked. I hesitated. It killed me not to say anything. Instinctively I wanted to ask him what to do, ask him what was going on, to ask him how I felt, because I had no idea myself. At the same time, I knew if I said a word, he'd go back to Hades and tell him everything and it was like Lumen said; I didn't want Hades to hurt someone because he was angry.

"I just feel like perhaps I'm feeling something... intense," I said slowly, making dad cock his head curiously, "About... someone." Dad's eyes widened at that and he looked away, then looked back again.

"Do you know them?" He asked. I nodded.

"He's... a fan of mine," I admitted, making dad grimace.

"You have to be careful, Hadrian. Those fans, while they are truly a wonder and make us who we are, they aren't always the best of partners. If you get what I mean."

"I do. But he's not like that. He just... He's quiet. He doesn't gush or anything. He doesn't only talk about my dancing. We've..." I let my voice trail. Well, we've not talked about much of anything, have we? We fought maybe twice, and I flipped him over and spanked him on my bed. That hardly said anything about conversation, and even then, the conversation we had was awkward and forced.

"We've not spoken much," I said softly, making dad frown, "He's shy, and I am unsure how to communicate with him." Dad nodded.

"You've always been a little different, Hadrian, and that's okay. If he's shy, I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to work on your social skills. Talk to him about things. Talk to him about things he likes, about things he does. Ask him about his hobbies, his aspirations, his hopes and dreams. Hell, ask him trivial things, like his favorite shampoo or color or something. That's what socializing is. It's just talking to get to know more about the other person. Share experiences, dreams, favorites, and dislikes. Don't you want to know those things about him?" He asked. I paused at that.

Strangely, yes. I did want to know all those things. I wanted to know what Six wanted in life. I wanted to know what the Mother was stopping him from achieving. I wanted to know why he seemed to like me. I wanted to know why he just watched my dancing for weeks before he approached me to fight me, but didn't even try hard enough to kidnap me.

I wanted to know Six more.

A strange little tingle went down my spine. I frowned and looked up as dad brightened.

"Sounds like your father is home. I'm gonna head upstairs to meet with him," he said, rising to his feet, then paused to look at me, "And, baby, don't worry. Let things progress naturally. Don't force yourself. Just take your time to get to know each other. That's the fun part." He leaned down and kissed me on the head before heading out of the room. I watched him go with a frown, but I still felt that strange little prickle on my skin.

Smiling, I slowly rose to my feet and shut the music off. I took my time heading upstairs and getting ready. I waited until the sun was down and it was night before I turned my lights on and sat on the bed.

"I know you're here," I said. I waited and at first, nothing happened. No one appeared.

But after a couple more minutes, something fizzled in the corner of the room and I stood up and turned to face the corner, only to feel my smile slip off my face.

It was definitely Six this time, but he looked horrid. The right side of his face was swollen and bruised, his eye swelled shut, his lip busted, his nose very obviously broken. He still managed to look fierce, but goddamn, seeing him hurt like that felt like someone had chucked a spear through my chest.

"What happened to you?" I demanded immediately. A wave of anger struck me in that moment, because there was no way this had happened during a fight. A quick look at his hands revealed no bruises or cuts, so he hadn't defended himself. He'd been attacked and he hadn't fought back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Six replied sourly. I frowned, narrowed my eyes a little in annoyance that he was shutting himself off again.

"Come here."

"You don't command me."

"I'm not going to ask twice."

"Then do something about it," Six threw back snottily. I cocked my head and vanished from my spot across the room and reappeared right in front of him, making him take an abrupt step back until he hit the wall and had to jerk his head up to glare at me. I grabbed his jaw and he winced. I loosened my hold to a degree.

"What happened," I repeated. Six jerked his chin out of my grasp and tilted it up defiantly.

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about," he said sternly. I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. He flinched. His face was hot. It was heavily inflamed. Without hesitation, I conjured an ice bag and placed it against his face, making him hiss through clenched teeth and jerk his face away. I caught the other side of his face and held him still as I gently placed the ice pack on his face against the swollen parts.

He blinked a few times, clearly confused as he lifted those hazel eyes to meet mine.

Neither of us spoke. It was a strange moment. A strange docile moment for him, and a moment of tenderness for me. I felt this wave of agony, because I couldn't stop what had happened to him, because I couldn't be there to take care of him.

"I'm fine," Six said after a moment, still appearing confused. I frowned.

"Your nose is broken," I said softly, then reached up and touched my finger to the tip of his nose, sending in a rush of power. He groaned in pain as I healed the damage there, then sent in more magic to heal the rest of the injury to his face before I drew the ice pack away.

"You didn't have to do that," Six said.

"Yes, I did."

"I would've been fine if you'd left it."

"Shall I do it myself this time?" I asked. Six's eyes flickered. I expected there to be a look of fear there, or at least anger, but strangely enough, his hazel eyes grew hot and his cheeks flushed a little. I cocked my head.

"Are you a glutton for punishment?" I asked. Six swallowed.

"Shut up," he managed. I smiled.

"Much better. I was hoping you still had your spunk," I commented. Six blushed. I said nothing as I walked over and set the ice pack on the nightstand. I turned to face Six, who pushed away from the wall.

"What? No attacks?" I asked. Six stiffened for a moment, then pressed his lips together before he shook his head slowly.

"And why is that?" I asked. Six shifted uncomfortably.

"Is this about the last time we were together?" I asked. Six turned red, right to the tips of his ears. I smiled slowly.

"Were you going to ask for more?" I asked.

"No," Six blurted, "I just... I'm confused. You gave me a safe word."

"Yes. You didn't use it, though," I pointed out. Six stared at me. His eyes were intense. I couldn't tell what he was trying to say. Did he want to do it again? Did he want to tell me he found it inappropriate? Surely not. He'd enjoyed himself quite thoroughly.

"Because I didn't want to," he whispered at last. My breath left me in a silent gasp. Part of me was stunned he'd admitted to it. Another part of me was thrilled. He admitted it. I'd been right. He had enjoyed it. He could've used the safe word at any time, but he hadn't. He could've escaped me at any point, and he didn't.

An intense heat suddenly poured into my veins. I wanted him. Right here. Right now. I'd never taken anyone to my bed before, never felt the need or the want to do so, until this moment. Now, it was a powerful urge to grab him and throw him down on the bed, mount him, and take him until he begged for mercy.

"Come here," I ordered softly. I expected him to defiantly stay where he was, and for a minute, he did just that. Then, slowly, he walked across the room to me and stopped right in front of me. I stared at him for the longest time, and he stared back. There was no animosity. No trickery here. He was staring up at me with big hazel eyes almost begging for something, something that only I could give him.

The hunger snapped.

One minute, we were eye to eye, in the next, I was grabbing him around the waist and hauling him up against me, and gods, he let me; he fucking let me. My lips found his without hesitation and he groaned the moment contact was made. There was a moment of resistance in his body, a stiffening, as if he wasn't sure he should be doing this, but that moment didn't last long, because a second later, he was melting in my arms like honey.

He moaned as I reached one hand up to cradle the back of his head, fingers laced in his dark hair, lips parting together, tongues escaping for an intense battle. Long gone were the swords and daggers, however. In their place were tongues and hands, hot gasps and eager moans.

Frankly, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never kissed anyone like this before. However, Six was experienced. He seemed to know.

His kiss was hungry, his tongue exploring my mouth from tongue to teeth. His hands found my ribcage and circled around to my back, feeling up my muscles to my shoulder blades. He pressed himself against me as I felt a bulge grind against mine. I gasped softly at the sensation, feeling tingles rush through my system as I took a step back and took him with me until the bed hit the backs of my knees, and I lowered myself down onto the comforter.

Six followed.

Our kiss lasted a moment longer before we broke apart, gasping for air.

"You taste like honey and cinnamon," I murmured breathlessly, licking my lips and searching his face as I tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. He blushed at that.

"Tea," he answered, flushed. I smiled at that, reaching up to take the back of his neck, guiding him around until he was the one sitting on the bed and I was the one standing over him. He stared up at me with fascination and anticipation, chewing at his bottom lip.

"Remember your safe word?" I asked softly as I lowered myself down in front of him so I was kneeling at his legs. He watched me, hazel eyes widening slightly with realization before he nodded silently. I smiled at that, then reached out and started to undo the ties on his pants. He held his breath and watched me, leaning back on his arms, his muscles quivering a little. I took my time undoing his pants, sliding them off his hips and down those thick muscular thighs.

And lo and behold, he once again wasn't wearing underwear, so I finally got a view of a perfect manhood bobbing in front of me. He was fully erect, cock rigid and leaking at the tip, as if he couldn't wait to get to the good part. I smiled at that, peering up at me and he watched me intensely, like he was waiting for commentary. Or perhaps a compliment?

"Good boy," I praised, watching some of the stiffness leave his body, well, almost all of his body anyway, "You're so impressive. So big." He shivered a little at that, his knees coming together, but I quickly caught them and opened them up again so I could admire the pair on him, heavy and weighed.

For a moment, I wasn't sure what to do. I hadn't done something like this before either. I'd seen plenty of videos that portrayed it, however, so perhaps I could act on what I'd seen. I cocked my head, then leaned in and licked the tip of him, just to test the taste out of curiosity. He was sweet, like honey. He moaned at the contact, his legs spreading wider of their own accord, his head tilting back on his neck. Pleased with the reaction, I scooted in further and parted my lips around the tip of him, taking him into my mouth slowly. He purred like a kitten, sending a chill through me.

Oh, this was going to be fun...