The Morning After [House Party cont]

[Ashton]

Ashton watched as Victoria fled the house. He wasn't exactly sure where she'd go. But then it wasn't his problem at the moment. The three Blackthorn girls were immediately drawn to Nox. A thing he'd only ever seen with Max. And the baby had stopped crying. Ashton sighed and moved towards Nox with a hands up gesture, he wasn't going to make trouble. "She does need a name. Any thoughts?" Ashton asked Nox. "I can sing her to sleep."

Nox glared at Ashton and he frowned. "Until Liv gets back with food. She has to be starving."

"I got it. She's sleeping right now. What did Ava want to name her?"

Liam was standing next to Ashton now with a smile and peeling the younger girls off of Nox. "Max would have named her. And his son if they'd lived."

"I'm assuming your friend raped them? Why would you think I'd let him live after I found out what he did to them?" Nox turned to look at Ashton.

"He wasn't a bad man. He was gentler than most."

"He raped two unwilling girls who he got pregnant and kept in a fucking cage. That does not sound like a good man." Nox growled. Ashton could feel the anger radiating from him.

Arabella put her hand on Nox's face and he turned to look at him. "We love Daddy." Seraphina tapped on Nox's stomach and he looked down at the eight year old. "Daddy wasn't always nice. Just like you aren't always nice. But we all loved him."

Nox just stared at the little girl, jaw open a fraction as he tried to figure out what to say or what to think. Ashton wasn't sure he wasn't going to snap. He reached for Arabella who never took her eyes from him. None of the girls were afraid of him. Ashton supposed that's what happened when your father was a monster. Even the most dangerous of men looked tame in comparison. Though Ashton was sure Nox was far more dangerous than Max ever was.

Nox handed Liam the baby and Arabella climbed over to Ashton when Nox offered the baby up. "I need a shower. Clean the smell and grime from my skin. It might take awhile." Nox looked at Ashton. "Only if she wakes up before Liv can make a bottle." Ashton nodded, and Nox looked to Liam with a smile. "I like Lily or Dawn."

Liam grinned. "How about both... Lily Dawn.." He paused and tapped Nox's arm. "What's your last name?"

Nox looked at him quizzically then answered. "Durante.

Liam nodded and carried the baby muttering to himself. He was happy helping.

[Nox]

There was a certain warmth missing as Nox headed upstairs to grab his things. The room he'd planned on staying in hadn't been slept it yet, or so he thought. The door was shut as were all the others on this level and he wondered how many might have unexpected guests in them. He wondered where the kids had been staying, and if Mara had decided to stay. He hoped she had, though he'd have to have a sit down with all these people in the house. Far more people than he was used to, though it made him smile that people actually wanted to stay. But that was probably more Sage's doing than his. It was a nice place.

Nox pushed open the door. He'd left his things to find three people curled around each other in the bed that was supposed to be his. Nox reached through the sludge over the power and crafted a small light to look around the room for his bag. He found it tossed to the side, with one pocket opened. When he checked to see what was missing, Nox rolled his eyes. But nothing else was missing but the tube of lube that was packed carefully away from anything else should it make a mess. But no other pockets or zippers were disturbed. It made Nox curious.

There was a rustle of sheets and Nox turned to find two people scrambling out of bed and rushing to put clothes on. "Don't mind me. I'm just getting my things." Nox held up his bag as he turned to leave. The kid still left in bed didn't look more than 15 or 16 years old. The other two looked in their twenties and was probably why they were now scrambling to be out of the room and away from the minor.

They didn't wait around. They didn't even say good-bye to the kid. Nox frowned. "That was rude."

[Liam H]

Sleep had come after his new 'friends' had ravaged his body. Liam was awed by the sensations. The gentle touches over the guys fingers over his skin. The rough way she handled him, pulling him between them. He'd seen sex in movies. He'd touched himself in ways that made him blush when he thought about it. But the actual carnal acts of sex, of a threesome was beyond anything Liam could have ever dreamed of. He'd never have thought he'd enjoy having a man inside of him, or being inside of a woman, but his mind was blown, and even so he still had drifted off to sleep.

They'd had sex multiple times before he'd finally found the oblivion and dreamt of threesomes with people he'd never met. The red screaming mask of The Wicked Truth staring back at him as they ...

A light drew Liam's eyes open and the voice of the others muttering and crawling out of bed rushing to put their clothes on. Liam stared with a slack jaw as the man in a towel picked up the duffle bag they'd thrown to the floor. His body was mangled with scars and yet Liam couldn't take his eyes off of the lines of his body. The scars only making the danger he presented even more valid. He wielded the power the Ascendancy had shown existed not too long back. Liam wasn't sure then whether to fear or be in awe and right then he was afraid.

His friends left without names, or even a good-bye and their interrupter looked at Liam like he'd expected him to say something.

"Hmmm? What?" Liam said while he processed the information he'd just heard. Liam laughed. "Oh, yeah. Rude. That's okay, I didn't give them my name either."

The half naked man chuckled. "Or your age."

Liam blushed, most of the light skin across his body lit up with a pink undertone and he rushed to pull the blankets up to his chin.

"There's food down stairs if you want. And you should probably call your parents so they know you are alright."

Liam nodded. "Thanks." As the man gracefully turned to leave Liam recognized him. "You're Sterling's cousin. The one who's video went viral. The dancer fighter."

"You know Sterling?"

Liam nodded and climbed out of bed looking around for his clothes. Sterling's cousin turned his gaze down the hall as he leaned agaisnt the door frame.

"You can look. I don't mind. And yeah, she goes to my school. Don't tell her this, but I'm sorta jealous she's being homeschooled now. I wish my parents trusted me enough to do that."

He laughed. "I mind. You're just a kid. They don't trust her. She goes here every day and I make sure she gets her work done before she can do anything of the fun stuff she wants."

"I wish I could do that. I'm decent." Liam added the last after he tugged his pants up over his hips and was zipping the jeans.

The man came over and held out his hand. "Nox. If you'd like you can join Sterling. If your parents say it's alright. I can meet with them and we can talk about what we have going on here. I won't tell them that we work mostly out of a burlseque club, but just so you know that's where Sterling spends most of her time."

Liam's draw dropped in surprise and maybe a little horrified that the girl he had a crush on was working in a burlseque club.

Nox continued on though. "She's learning to channel her power, and the only women who can teach her that I know work there, it's easiest place to kill all the birds with one stone."

Liam laughed. "That sounds good. And definitely no mention of the club. I don't think my mom would like that at all. I'm Liam by the way."

Nox nodded. "We can talk after I shower and set up a time." He didn't wait as he turned around and left Liam alone in the bedroom. There was a perfectly good shower not far from where he s tood, but he left down the hall. Liam watched as he turned down the stairs and went back down. It was a little confusing, but Liam had so much to think about now.

[Nox]

Nox made his way down the stairs with his bag. Everything felt off, and he missed the warmth of the baby against his chest. The kids were all downstairs around the island counter chatting and their talking stopped when Nox stepped on the landing and all eyes turned to him. "Don't mind me." He said slipping past them and down to his room.

For just having sex with Oriena, it was a rather tamed mess in comparison to things they'd done in the past. The bed was off kilter, and he knew he'd have to fix it or it would drive him batty. The arm lay on the floor split in two at the wrist. It was sad and Nox knew there was going to be a long ways before he could afford another one. Reaching into the goop of his power, he wove some air and cleaned up the mess, placing the busted arm on the desk and sighing as he remembered the compulsion weave that Ori had shown him. He wondered where she'd gotten off to, if she even bothered to stay and eat inside.

Nox grabbed his wallet and noticed a few notifications had gone off while he was gone. He didn't check them right away as he stared at the phone, wondering what Raffe might say about the baby who now lived under his roof. Olivia hadn't returned yet, and Liam had followed him into his bedroom. "She sleeps better when you are near. I'll just lay her down on the floor and help fix the bed, alright?"

"You aren't pissed at me? Like Victoria?"

Liam smiled. "I should be, I should be afraid of you. But you didn't have to take us in. You didn't need to save us. As far as we were told, any Atharim that came for us would kill us too because we helped the monsters."

Nox growled. "I'm not Atharim."

Liam nodded. "Anymore. I got that. Your hacker friend has been helpful. And I'm sorry for my part in Iz and Ava's death."

Nox cocked his head to the side as he knelt down next to Lily's sleeping form and smiled, brushing his finger across her cheek and then setting to go through is bag for clean clothes. "Is there something Ashton didn't tell me?"

Liam nodded. "I bought the drugs at the party. I just didn't want you to find out and be pissed and then kick us all out. I'll go."

Nox chuckled and stood up with his clothes in his hand. "Nah, you don't have to do that. I knew they'd try. I know it was too much to ask of them. And after I saw Ethan in the pen with that demon child gnawing on him. I knew I couldn't save him even if he wanted me to, which he didn't."

"Ethan had it worse than any of us. And I'm sorta grateful you saved us. I turned 18 in a month and I would have been on the menu when I did. So no, I'm not pissed. I'm not afraid. I'm eternally grateful I get to keep living. I'll do whatever you want, need anything. I'm at your disposal. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Nox smiled and offered Liam his hand. "She likes you, so I guess I'll be relying on you when I'm not around."

Liam nodded. "I'll start by fixing the bed. It doesn't look too bad." And he started shifting things and Nox took his wallet into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Nox flipped the water on and glanced at the notifications he'd missed. One was from the Ascendancy's office. He'd been getting more official missions for some reason, like he had a new handler -- one more military minded than the prior one. Maybe whatever nature of his asset status had changed, didn't matter really.

"New Mission: Dossier attached. Stipend deposited to arrange air travel for you plus one. Mission summary: Stop Assassins Channelers from killing the President and Vice President of the United States of America."

Nox blinked. Why would the Ascendancy want that to be stopped? But it didn't matter. He had little more reason to do any research. Their assassination attempt was enough for Nox to do the job. But he'd read the documentation later. Nox replied immediately.

10/4

Nox sent another text hoping Sage would get it sooner rather than later.

Help me arrange a trip to the US. Need two adults plus one baby.

Sage immediately pinged back.

Oooooh. Can I come? I'm coming.

Nox hopped in the shower, the water was scalding hot and he scrubbed at his skin until it was raw and red. He felt gross. The scars beneath his fingers made him angry. The stiffness in his muscles wasn't fully alleviated with the hot water loosening his muscles. His fucking life... He tried not to think about it.

There was a lot to do before he had to leave. Fuck!

[Ashton]

Everyone was eating when Nox came back down the stairs with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. When he said he was going to get clothes Ashton didn't think he'd come back down without taking a shower, but he headed back down the hall to the room he'd slept with the scary lady in. It was quiet as Nox walked back to the room. But the rest of the family picked up their conversation after Liam followed after him. Liam was going to tell him, he knew it. He was never one to keep secrets from people. And he above all others was grateful to be free of the Blackthorns, he would be 18 in a month or so. It was horrifying to think about.

Olivia stepped inside the living room carrying a bag full of things for the baby. She looked around. "Where's the baby?"

Ashton pointed towards the back room. "With Liam and Nox."

Liv shook her head. "I don't know why he trusts us. Or why we trust him. Ash you trust him?"

Ashton shrugged. "I trust him. But Lian trusts him, the girls all trust him, and the baby, who they named Lily trusts him. I think that's all that matters."

Liv sighed. "Okay. I'll make a bottle and get that to them." She holds up a large wrap in a plastic pacakge. "I figured this would be less unsettling if he's strapping the baby to him."