"The cabin was a casualty in the war with the Andersons," Doc bit out. "We're rebuilding it now that the Andersons are handled. We didn't want it to get burnt down twice in short order. Figured that would gather too much attention."
"I see." She turned her attention to Sofia and flinched at the glare she received. "Are you comfortable with the arrangements."
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here." Sofia scowled.
"Ash, have you made any further decisions on your path now that you are free of the Andersons?" She switched subjects again.
Ed knew they were all grateful for the help Adriana and her people had provided, but there was so much they should have done long before Sofia had ever gotten involved, that no one was feeling terribly charitable toward those invasive questions.
"I am staying here." He stared at the plate of pancakes he held, looking uncertain, but his voice was firm.
"Very well. Should you change your mind we will help you find new accommodations. Unrelated to that question, none of us have had a chance to talk to a demon. If you become willing to answer questions for us, please contact me. We have a lot of them, but we also understand you've been through quite an ordeal. We also could have use for you. All of you." She looked at everyone in the yurt for a moment. "You're a powerful group and there are many people out there like the Andersons who have gone unchecked for far too long because we simply don't have the ability to take them on. You do. Think about it. We'll be in touch." Adriana headed toward the door and Nikolai pulled the flap open for her.
We heard her car start, but no one moved until Nikolai nodded and took a deep breath. "She is outside the wards. Now you're cooking like I do." Nikolai gestured toward the pancakes.
Ed yelped and scooped them off the magical stovetop. "They're only a little singed," he replied defensively.
Nikolai laughed.
Sofia groaned and sank down at the low table, sitting on one of the cushions. Ash sat next to her and Doc sat on the demon's other side. Allan claimed Sofia's other side and Nikolai sat next to Allan. Ed squeezed in between the mage and Doc.
"Are you okay?" He hoped nothing was wrong. He scented the air, but she smelled all right.
"I just want that vacation I mentioned." She leaned her forehead on the table for a moment before sighing and grabbing a few of the pancakes.
Doc handed her a mug of tea he had somehow procured.
"What kind of vacation?" Ed shoved a pancake in his mouth, ignoring the burnt side.
"Just. A vacation. Here. Not having to go anywhere unless we want to. Not having to deal with anyone else. Just the pack."
Doc smiled. "Hopefully, we can manage at least a day of that."
She leaned against Ash and put her forehead on his shoulder. "Please?"
The demon awkwardly put an arm around her.
She stayed in that position when she spoke. "Okay, let's stop talking about all of that. Let's talk about last night."
When she didn't continue right away, Ed stopped breathing. She'd hated it. She was never going to run with them again. Fuck, he should never have pushed her to run with them.
"I don't even know what to say, or how to say it." She sat up again.
Damn it, damn it, damn it. Ed kicked himself.
"Fuck that was amazing," she finally breathed out. "I mean…the way the wind whispered through my fur. The scents, the sounds. Hell, the hunt…we have to do that again soon. Like, all the time."
His heart skipped about five beats and then he finally figured out how to breathe again.
"You liked it?" He winced at the way his voice squeaked.
"Duh. What part of 'fuck that was amazing' did you not hear?" She grinned at him.
He blushed. "I was worried."
She didn't give him a hard time about it, just accepted his emotion.
"I also enjoyed running as a wolf. I would enjoy doing again." Nikolai agreed.
Ash nodded. "I felt like I belonged for once."
The sadness in his voice sobered them, but only a little. Sofia and Doc both put their arms around the demon.
"You belong with us, Ash," Sofia insisted. "For as long as you want to be with us."
Ash twisted around until he was looking at her. He cupped her chin with his hand and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She didn't pull away, meeting his cautious gaze with her own open one.
No one spoke, or really dared to breath. Ash needed to feel accepted, needed to know that they wanted him around, and no one wanted to do anything to push the demon away. He'd been mistreated for so long, Ed knew it would take a while for him to trust the rest of the pack, but hopefully they'd get a chance to prove to him that they really did want him there.
Sofia leaned forward, inviting Ash in.
He could sense through their pack bond that everyone felt peace with this move and knew Sofia felt that acceptance, too.
Ash wasn't part of the bond, and he hesitated. His hand dropped away from her chin and his shoulders slumped.
Sofia clenched her jaw briefly before leaning forward, tangling her fingers in Ash's long hair, and pulling his mouth to hers.
The demon stiffened, and she didn't push him beyond pressing her lips to his. After a moment, he returned his hands to her face, holding her as he kissed her deeply, as if he were kissing Sofia to her very soul, trying to decide if her acceptance was real, or just a trick. Ed smelled Ash's desperate hope and desire conflicting with fear.
His heart broke a little for the demon. Three hundred years, or more, he had said he fought his bonds. Ed couldn't even imagine. There was no way any of them would
