In the silvery waterfall of moonlight, Jonathan Aztec, my second in command, holding rank as Beta of the Northridge pack, was something to behold. His powerful shoulders seemed to carry the waning gibbous, and the shadows that devoured the vast grounds of Battleridge manor granted him a wide berth.
He was a superior specimen. He was a male worthy of the ranking he'd been bestowed. But like all creatures, he wasn't born perfect, and his character flaw was a fault that bled out into the night like a severed artery: Concern.
It charged the air between us, a thick blanket that settled against the lungs like a boa-constrictor's loving embrace.
"What did you find?" I asked. The perverse silence that had entombed the dilapidated courtyard, screaming so loud it rang through my ears like a twisted lullaby, was shattered upon his approach. His boots smacked against the waterlogged ground, echoing in a way that spoke of his failures before he'd even opened his mouth. 
"Nothing,"
.......
"Until I can figure out what's going on, nobody finds out about the boy. Understand?"
"Understood."
"You're not going to ..." The pause that followed dragged out. "He's just a baby, Sterling."
"You're dismissed."

The Littlest Light

Waving Clarke over, who jumped into action like an over-eager puppy, I waved at him to take Lumen. He obliged, offering a weak smile. He still seemed off, not quite the same since our across country trek, but finding out his damage was put onto the to-do-list. Ushering Sterling into the conjoining living quarters that merged into the bar, not giving a damn about asking permission, I rounded on him.

/"What was that, Sterling?/" I demanded, despite knowing exactly what it was. Even still, I needed . . . hell, I wasn't even sure what I needed.

It was like falling: first, panic set in, but it was only afterwards that you realized how shaken up your body was. My heart was out of control. My breathing was ragged, and it was only as my hand reached for his that I noticed how unsteady it was.

Chapter75