Chapter 93

Christmas had been nice and quiet. Raphael had gotten Brooke a fluffy robe, that she'd said she'd wanted a few weeks back, and another necklace.

He really liked getting her necklaces, her face always shone and he really had to look for one that he'd think she would appreciate.

Brooke had gotten him a shirt that said, "My job is top secret" then in fine print, "Even I don't know what I'm doing."

She rolled over laughing when he'd opened the box and he'd read it. He'd just nodded with a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry… I just had to get it." She'd said in between laughs.

She'd also painted a painting for him. It was the ocean with trees on the shore and the moon in the sky. He kissed the crown of her head, "I love it. Thank you."

Duma had asked to have Christmas with Mark and Nathan's family and he and Brooke had said it was fine. The Hollands, Mark and Nathan's family, had grown close to the young Shapeshifter.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Raphael slumped on the couch in his office. He massaged his temples methodically. This week had been particularly stressful.

On the night of the party there had been a prison break-in and the guard on duty, along with all the other sentinels on duty, had gone missing.

No magic, other than the Luna's, had ever breached her border. The whole thing reeked of Pixies.

He opened his laptop and began to write up an e-mail to Thomas and the Alpha. He hadn't told Brooke because he didn't want her to be afraid or have to worry about all this shit. He wanted her to be safe.

He smelled cinnamon and knew that she would be coming soon. He fixed his hair and shirt then sat back down casually.

The door opened and in came Brooke, Parker trailing at her feet.

She sat across from him on the other side of the u-shaped couch. He could tell that she'd just had a shower by her scent and her hair being wet and tangled.

Parker hopped up onto her lap, peering out the window.

He returned his focus to his work.

No word had passed between the two of them and the only sound was the sound of keys clicking on the laptop.

He glanced up when he heard Brooke breathe in as if to talk but then she shut her mouth and looked back out the window.

He clenched his jaw when he heard the cat start to chatter at a bird outside. Brooke giggled and stroked between Parker's eyebrows.

He didn't like that. He began grinding his teeth as he looked down and resumed typing.

The cat's cackling did not stop, and Brooke continued to giggle and whisper to him.

"Could the cat stop?!" He asked, shoving his hands in his hair and resting his head on the back of the couch.

He heard her get up and close the curtains. He looked back up to seeing her holding Parker in her arms on the couch, her legs folded.

She was looking at him skeptically, her forehead creased and her brown eyes searching.

"What?" He asked, a little harsher than necessary. He knew that he shouldn't have yelled at the cat.

She studied him further her eyes narrowing and assessing.

"Can't you just tell me?" She asked looking down at the cat in her lap that was bathing.

He could guess what she was talking about, she knew that something was happening, she'd probably even caught a mind link about it.

He sighed and put his thumb to his temple, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair, closing his eyes.

He could smell her getting closer, she smelled so good; cinnamon mixed with a hint of coconut. She sat next to him and he put his arm around her shoulder, his eyes still closed.

He could hear her opening and closing her mouth like she wanted to talk but kept deciding against it.

She rested her head on his chest and he could feel her wet hair through his shirt.

"Raph. Please, just tell me. You don't have to keep this to yourself." She said, her voice pleading.

He opened his eyes and saw her looking up at him with worried and exasperated eyes.

He sighed and rested his head on his fist.

"The night of the party there was a break-in at the prison, no one was freed and the guard on duty has gone missing, so have all the sentinels on duty."

"You think it was Elves." She stated.

"Yes, with the help of Pixies."

She nodded, "So, whoever broke in would've talked to an Elf, most likely."

He nodded a hint of a smile on his face, "Yes." He loved seeing her figure things out, it only took her a few moments.

"Can I meet them?" She asked tentatively, her shoulders shrugging slightly.

He stiffened, "Why would you want to meet them?"

She swallowed, "I um, I can talk to them." She said turning her head away.

"So can I, but their voices aren't too pleasant and…" He turned his head and saw her folding her lips and looking down at the floor.

"What do you mean by you can talk to them?" He asked.

She bit her lip and smiled nervously, "I… kind of met an Elf while we were in Vancouver." She shut her eyes and flinched away.

He froze, his eyes moving frantically as he thought back, she hadn't seemed upset, she hadn't been hurt.

He opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say, why hadn't she told him?

Her hesitant voice broke his troubled thoughts, "You're not… mad? A-are you?"

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide in, in fear! He pulled her onto his lap and squeezed her against his chest.

"How could I be angry at you, I'm worried, and confused as to why you didn't tell me. No, I'm not angry."

"Okay, Raph I can't breathe." She said her voice strained.

He released some of the pressure but still held her close.

"I-I didn't tell you, I don't know… I just didn't want you to be worried or anything." She said in a stuttering voice against his chest.

"Worried? Oh, honey what happened?"