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

We changed them before we took them downstairs. Lumen wasn't even interested in picking his clothes. He only interest had been in being a difficult pain in the butt. He had insisted upon holding my hand the entire time he was laid down on the mat. It made changing him hard, but we managed.

Because Jonathan was a sap, both boys ended up dressed similarly. Lumen had red dungarees with a blue top, and Ember wore blue dungarees with a red top. Though, even if the colour scheme didn't set them apart, the gashes that coated Lumen's flesh, his face, his arms, legs, and everywhere those blood-sucking bastards had attached themselves, would have.

The house seemed unnaturally quiet, but as we came down, Clyde Lavoe and Axe Custer were quietly nattering away the table. They both froze when they saw us. Axe stood, smiling slightly.

/"Never thought I'd be pleased to see you,/" he said softly, /"But here I am, ready to offer you coffee./"

Chapter130