Ascension - Book Eight - Man x Man

Chapter 129

Verando instinctively pats his pockets as we wait for Tomas to come with our luggage. I can't help but watch him out of the corner of my eye, he'd found a lighter, clutching it as if it was his life blood while searching through the pockets of his jeans. 

Eve sits at his feet, watching with a slight look of concern as his moments toss her leash lightly. It was a look I recognized, he looked like someone desperate for a little release from the mounting anxiety of a long plane ride. He was at his wit's end, tolerance lost after practically three days we'd been traveling, with multiple layovers and long flights. 

"Where are my bloody cigarettes?" he murmurs, sighing roughly to cast the lighter down the vacant hall of the terminal, I cringe as it glints down the hard paneling and shatters against the wall. 

It's a hard moment, do I touch him, do I let him stew and avoid him? There was a part of me, the damaged part, that wanted to shrink to the side and wait for him to come back to himself but I also recognized that was not something our kids were wise of. Boldly, I take his hand, feeling the heat radiating off of him as he twists his fingers out of mine in a rigid recoil. 

"Nic..."

"You scare me when you act like this," I tell him plainly, without blame but with honesty. "I don't like not knowing what's coming. You told me you were quitting, do you remember?" I keep my tone level, even, avoiding the nausea that seemed to rise with the sun. We'd both hardly slept, the plane ride here was long and turbulent. But with the mountain air of Tennessee greeting us as we entered the main airport, I was happy to be home. 

In silence we walk, I note he's put on his Alpha expression, jaw tight and hard while his teeth grit quietly together. "I remember." He finally allows, flinching at the dramatic yawn from Tomas as our companion joins us, followed by Rowan who seemed to be tolerating the trip well. She sips lightly on a coffee, clutching a drink carrier in her hands. 

"Caffeine?" She offers, "It'll help with the cravings." 

Verando reluctantly takes the coffee marked black, wrinkling his nose in distaste as I thank her. 

"Ah, there's the Randal I remember. I'd worried ya gone and turned soft, good ta see yer still a right ass in the mornin' when ya don't get your beauty sleep." Tomas moves to pat the man on the back but I grab his wrist, shooting him a warning glance. 

"Not today, Tomas," I tell him shortly, the man was grating on my own nerves. My wolf was on edge, my hormones in overdrive, and the need to not let the brute touch what belonged to me was at the forefront of my mind. 

We get a couple of passing glances, a tall gray-haired man and a short red-haired foreigner, we stood out like a sore thumb. At least Verando's skin color matched the tone for the south, but my olive nature immediately drew attention to my difference. If we were hoping to gain sanctuary here, we had to hope that we were still in favor. Rowan opens her phone, speaking lightly, my ears tune in to what sounds like Victor on the other end. 

"I've got a ride for us outside. Do you want us to accompany you to the farm or would you like us to go check in on your other home?" The formality of Rowan often made me forget she was my daughter in some regards. She was professional enough for her and Tomas. 

Before Verando can speak, I slip my arm into his, clutching him to my side. "No, I can handle it. I'll take him home, where are the boys?"

"I told Adriam to keep them for the night, I didn't know when we'd be getting in and frankly, I need a minute." Running a hand through his hair, the dark circles under his eyes don't go unnoticed. We were both running on empty, one more night wouldn't be the end of the world, much as I missed them terribly.