42

Ari woke the next morning tangled in the sheets and Mika's arm draped over her stomach. She could feel his body pressed against her back. For a few moments she giggled to her self. *I did it. With Mika!* she blushed rethinking the things they had done to one another. How his mouth had brought her to such heights. Then for a second she cringed thinking about what she had done. *Oh my god he is gonna think so low of me.* The image of Mika's eyes rolling, and the sounds of his moans and growls pushed that thought right off the cliff. She decided she *liked* what she had done, no she was proud of what she had done and no one not even her self was going to deny her that.
She gently rolled over so she could look at him. She had expected him to still be sleeping his breathing hadn't changed but when she looked at his eyes he was looking down at her. "Good morning, I didn't mean to wake you." she said in a hushed tone. He smiled that crooked grin that made her stomach do flips. "You didn't wake me I have been awake now for some time. I was just enjoying the peace with you in my arms." he stroked her bare back sending chills over her spine.
"Are you okay this morning?" planting a kiss on her forehead.
*That's a funny question to ask?* she thought. Did he really think she was that much of a prude? Unaware Ari's face scrunched up in confusion at his question.
"Ari you were gone, dead" he punctuated the word DEAD." for a whole day. And then, then when you woke I was so ecstatic. I just... we.." in the mist of him trying to find words Ari's heart sunk. "Do you regret last night?" she asked in a cracked whisper.
He looked like she'd slapped him, "No, god no! I am more than elated with what happened last night. I could never regret that. What I am trying to ask is, how do you feel coming back to life and then having sex hours after waking?" his words rushed together trying to comfort her and back pedal at the same time.
She tried to stifle the laugh with a cough at his admission. "Well, I guess you could say I was in heaven." he nuzzled her neck trying not to laugh at himself too.
"Okay for real though. Do you remember anything?" he asked in a more serious tone.
She thought for a few moments. She recalled the moments leading up to her death. She remembers the color white being everywhere.
"I know I was fighting Drax when you came in all pist off werewolf like. But then things just get fuzzy and confusing. Like I guess there was a light at the end of the tunnel thing because there was a lot of white. I don't remember seeing anything but sometimes flashes of voices, or an image of a vine comes to mind. It's weird. Maybe it will get clearer over time?"
"A vine?" he asked confused.
Her voice almost trailed off as she recalled the image. “A beautiful green vine with ...a blue flower on it. It was climbing...it was climbing up a tree. A BIG tree..It was so pretty. But she told me that I was something..someone..special. And that...that there were more like me out there. She said Some have not yet been born, but for those who have you will need to travel to the other lands. Meet other creatures to gather the Guardians."
"Who is she?" Mika asked stopping Ari.
"I..she is..I don't know. But I know that she is important. And that I am a Guardian. That is what Cordilla was telling us last night. There are more like me."
"And you are supposed to meet them and do what?"
"I have no idea. " she dead panned.
Mika rubbed at his face. "Okay lets do this, give it sometime and maybe it will come back to you." she nodded in agreement. "But for now lets go see what the rest of the pack is up to and get some food."
She glance around the for something to wear. "Um.. I am not comfortable with the idea of being naked." she blushed. Mika who on the other hand never had a second thought about it as being a werewolf went hand in hand with nudist most of the time.
He smirked, “As much as I would be so happy to see you walk these halls bare as the day you were born." he pulled her against him. A low growl escaping his throat. She smiled up at him wrapping the sheet closer to her. " I respect your choice." he kissed the top of her head. "Let me go find you something, be right back."
Mika left the room and Ari went to the bed. She was going to take a few minutes to check on her self without eyes prying. Not that she thought Mika was prying, she just wasn't ready to completely be open ...yet.
She was surprised how easy her body moved now. She'd thought if she had died maybe she would be stiff, or sore, or something but no it seemed like her limbs flowed easier than before. She looked across the room to the vacant wall. *I wonder?*..in a thought she had sprung from the bed and was touching the wall. She stumbled back a little surprised at first. Even more surprised that the sheet she had wrapped around her was still in place like she had not just made movement.
*Okay super speed. That is cool.* she chuckled. She knew she wasn't going to change but what else.
She did a mental check list;
*Fast healing. Check. Speed. Check.* she flashed back to the large bed. It looked to have been made by some sturdy wood. It had been big enough for a king. Four posters rose up just below the ceiling. Curves had been carved into the wood. She just pushed not even giving it a extra effort and it skidded across the floor like she had kicked a rock. The sound of the wood grinding and screeching across the stone floor screamed out.
*Strength. Check.*
She got quiet waiting to hear if she could pick up anything but when Mika slung the door open, readying for an attack, she knew then she did not have the super hearing. Mika looked around the room for the threat that made the noise. Seeing the bed pushed to the far wall and Ari standing in the now center room. He straighten up entering the room with Devion behind him growling and looking about over Mika's shoulder. "Care to explain?" Mika asked looking at the deep grooves in the floor.
"Welp I am super strong now." she beamed up at him. "And." she raced to the other side of the room. “fast now too. so we can go running." she winked at him. He grinned darkly. "I could play tag with you all day in the woods." he growled. A cough brought their attention back to the door. Devion was standing there pulling a small pile of clothes from under his arm pit, and putting his claws away.
She smiled at Devion seeing him for the first time in many days. She rushed up to him and threw her arms around his neck. He seemed surprised as she squeezed tighter than she meant to.
"It is good to see you too Ari." he said coughing. "Oopps I'm sorry." she blushed withdrawing. "I am so glad to see you alive." he continued. "Everyone will be so happy to see you."
"Everyone?" she asked confused.
"Oh yes we have added to our numbers since we last saw you." Ari looked at Mika the question clear on her face.
"Niko went to my pack lands. Theo brought refugees here. Not all of the pack has left, but our number is growing."
"Speaking of alpha, there has been a group that hail from the west spotted in the morning hours. About 5 males. They seem to be heading in this direction."
"Trouble?" Mika asked sternly.
"Not that they appear. I have three scouts watching them now. Should they find us the scouts will flank them and cut their exit off if they are trouble." Mika nodded and Devion turned to leave, closing the door behind him.
Devion had brought her a pair of old polyester pants, and a green cotton top. They had kept her moccasin boots- now with spots of vampire blood on them. Someone had passed the general stores along the route and had some extra underwear available. Nothing like opening a pack of fresh panties. She sighed it was Christmas. As for her bra she'd just have to wash and wait for it to dry, so the girls would just have to be loose for the day. A thought she knew Mika would no doubt enjoy.
After pulling her hair back she figured it was time to see what the pack had cooked up.
She headed through the halls at a normal pace, not familiar with the place and didn't want to make a fool of her self. As she got to the more populated corridors she heard kids laughing, banging from hammers. Heading down one hallway into a open courtyard a fire pit had been built and someone was roasting a hog. The smell of the meat was mouth watering.
Talia came waddling up. It was that walk all mothers get at the end of their pregnancy. She was glowing. "Talia!"
"Ari!" Talia wrapped her arms around Ari. "Thank you! I am so glad to see you are okay!"
Ari put her hand on Talia's stomach, "Oh my and you too! How is the baby?!" her face was beaming, but her eyes asked the unspoken question, *Was it growing okay?* Talia beamed "The little one is a fighter. I believe it is a boy like his dad. As of late he has taken to wrapping his toes in my ribs."
"That is so good!" Talia ushered her to a near by table as two women brought plates with fruits, and a few pieces of white poultry. A younger girl, no more than 14 with glowing green eyes followed with two cups of cane tea. "The hog will be ready for tonight's gathering ladies." the older woman said as she sat the plates down.
"Thank you." Ari said before turning her attention back to Talia. "Shall we break bread before we begin?" Talia asked as she cocked her eyebrow up and winked.