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

/"Please tell me you've come to take over?/" I asked Clarke. He eyed the duo and grinned.

/"No. But that looks fun. Can I do it, too?/"

Why did I expect anything different?

/"I just — /" The kid gave a small, awkward shrug. /"I just wanted to say thank you./"

I blinked at him. /"For what? Gracing you with my amazing personality? Gonna have to be a little more specific than that, kid — Lumen, take that brush out of your mouth./"

Clarke's eyes jumped to where the paint-sucker had frozen, green paint dripping from his lips. He took the brush out, grimaced, spat in the cup of water that had been given to swill their brushes, and then smiled a very green smile.

/"Shit for brains, that one,/" I said, but even I detected the fondness that caressed the words.

Chapter138