Nexus Chapter 21

   21.
      “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Darius paced around the debriefing room.  
      “Will you just sit down.  Before you ruin the good work that we did fixing you up.” Jesse snapped at Darius.  
      The werelion gave Jesse a dirty look, but slumped into a chair.  
      “It means we have to go back to Sandamar’s hideout and find a salamander.” Seth tried for patience.  Darius was being difficult in the extreme.  He was impatient and demanding and Seth was getting seriously irritated with him.
      “When do we leave?” Darius asked.
      “You aren’t going anywhere.” Jesse frowned at the lycos.  
      “The hell I’m not!”  
      “Darius!” Gabriel called the werelion to order.  
      “If Jesse says you are not ready for a mission then you are not ready for a mission. You aren’t going to help Namara much if you get killed.”  
      “Who’s going to take my place?  The Omega need me.”
      “Drew can go in your place.”  
      “Oh no she won’t.” Seth shot out of his chair. “This mission is way to dangerous for Drew to go with.”  
      “Oh bullshit.  Sit down Seth and get a grip.” Gabriel rolled his eyes.  “Drew is as good a fighter as any of you.  She goes with.”  
      Drew came into the room in a rush. “Sorry I’m late.  My sister managed to catch me on my cell phone and she wouldn’t hang up till I promised I’d come see her. What did I miss?”  
      Seth was frowning, “You aren’t late, ‘cause you weren’t invited to this meeting.”  
      “Yes she was, I asked her to come.”  Gabriel leaned back in his chair and waited for the explosion.
      “You were planning this weren’t you?”  Seth’s voice had gone icy.  
      “Yeah.”  
      “Drew is not going with, it’s too dangerous.”  
      Gabriel had warned Drew about the mission and that she would be part of it.  So she ignored the overindulgence of testosterone Seth was displaying and sat in the chair between Ross and Seth, waiting to see who would win this argument.  She was betting on Gabriel.  But then that was a no-brainer, he was the boss after all.  
      “Seth, I’m with Gabriel on this one,” Ross put his opinion out there. “Gabe believes Drew is a good fighter – I agree with him, from what you have said about her abilities, and from what I saw in Nephritis’s den.  I know Drew can handle herself just fine.”  
      “Don’t you get it?  I don’t care how well Drew fights, I don’t want her in that kind of danger.”  Seth bit out in exasperation.  
      Drew couldn’t shut-up for that bit of inane nonsense.
      “Hold up now!” she pushed the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows in preparation for an argument.  “That’s sexist!  If I was a crappy fighter I might be able to take it, but I’m not!”  
      “Get pissed at me if you want, it’s got nothing to do with you being a woman.  You’ve never been in real combat and…”
      “Wait a minute.” Ross interrupted,  “What’s that?”  He pointed at Drew’s wrist.  
      “What?” Drew looked down at her wrist and gasped.  “Where did that come from?”  
      Ross leaned forward.  “I’ll be damned.”
      “What are you carrying on about?”  Seth leaned in to see Ross and Drew were gapping at.
      Drew raised her right hand palm out to show the inside of her wrist to the room.  There marking her smooth skin just under the rim of her palm was the omega symbol.  The red cats paw in the black omega.
      “That was not there when I showered ten minutes ago.”    
      Seth spun in his seat to face Gabriel. “You knew!”  
      “I had an idea it would happen.  Especially after Renegade told me about this Nexus thing that Neferitis had been going on and on about.”
      Darius sat forward. “I know I’ve been hurt, but I’m pretty sure my eyes are fine.  Is that an omega symbol?”  
      “Yeah.” Marcus spoke from his chair two seats from Drew.  “I’ll be hell spawn, but it is.”  
      “Why isn’t it on her hip.  Like with us.”   
      “Must be because she’s a woman.  Maybe the marking will manifest on a woman’s wrist and a man’s hip.  I don’t know we’ve never had a female omega before.”  Jesse speculated.  
      “Well it ends the argument at least.”  Gabriel gloated.  “Drew goes on the mission, she’s part of the Omega.”  
      “Just for the record. I’m still not happy with the idea.”  Seth grumbled but he didn’t argue any more.
      “Duly noted and ignored.  Now tell me, did you make head or tails out of the nexus stuff Neferitis was sprouting?  Renegade had a couple of ideas but I’d like your opinion.”  
      Seth looked sheepish.  “I got a bit of it, but I wasn’t really paying attention.”  
      “What about you Ross.  Did you understand any of it?”  
      “I was kinda distracted.” He winked at Drew, teasing “I had this really beautiful woman wrapping herself around me and demanding that Neferitis not touch me.”  
      Gabriel laughed.  “I heard about that. Great job Drew.”  
      “I’m sure Marcus caught more than we did.” Seth tried to recall what Neferitis had said.  
      “Yeah, I got what she said, to me it sounded like there is something big in the works.  Something about preordained mates.  Like the fate’s have decided to play matchmaker.”
      “That’s what I got too.” Ross said.  
      “There was something interesting though,” Seth added.  “Neferitis seemed to believe that it had started.  She started in on the nexus rant the minute we got through the door.  Like she could smell it on us or something.   She seemed to believe that there was a – there is no other way to say it – mated couple, in the group.  She thought it was Ross and Drew.”  
      “I think she only thought it was me and Ross, because I made her believe that Ross was mine.” Drew added.  
      Gabriel nodded, pondering what they said.  “Yes, but Drew is definitely a part of it, and that puts a couple of ideas in my head. So I’m going to go through some old texts and see if I can find any reference to the Nexus, Jesse can give me a hand.  In the mean time, you might as well start prepping for the trip to Sandamar’s hideout.  The sooner we find this salamander the sooner we can find Namara.  Meeting concluded.” Gabriel got up and left with Jesse.  They were both eager to go find something about the nexus, it seemed it might be important.  
      Ross got up and offered Drew a hand, she took it and he pulled her up and into a hug.  
      “Welcome to the Omega Drew.”
      Drew found herself enveloped in hugs by both Darius and Marcus.  
      “Great to have you as part of the group.” Darius said as he hugged her.
      “Yeah, we need a woman around.”  Marcus agreed.
      “As long as you understand I’m measuring any distances.”  She quipped.
      They were quiet for a moment not getting the joke.
      Then Seth burst out laughing.  “When we have pissing contests.”
      “Ha ha,” Ross pulled a face at Drew. “didn’t you know Seth always wins those.”  
      “Humph, only by a fraction.” Darius wrinkled his nose.  
      They men filed out the debriefing room leaving just Drew and Seth.
      “So aren’t you going to give me a hug and welcome me to the Omega?” Drew teased Seth with a twinkle in her eye.  
      He moved closer to her and leaned in, but didn’t touch her.  
      “If you think I can touch you, and not go further than just touching, you’re wrong.”
      His voice went husky. “So when I welcome you to the group, we will be alone, and there will be a bed in the room.”  
      With those heart-accelerating words he walked out.  
      
      Drew was still flustered when they were ready to leave late that afternoon.  The man was diabolical, she was beginning to feel like she was on a roller coaster ride.  Did he want her or not.  Not – would have been her guess, but then he says something that effectively promises her that he’ll be making love to her at some point in the near future.  The mere thought had her closing her eyes and struggling not to groan.  How did he do it?  How did he put sex into every move and word.  Drew watch Seth as he picked up a duffel bag filled with weapons.  The black fatigues he wore stretched over the curve of his ass to perfection.  Drew crossed her arms over her chest and turned to look at Gabriel before she made a fool of herself, and gave in to the urge to wrap herself around Seth.  
      It was time to leave, and it was going to be tight squeeze in the black Porsche they were driving in so Drew volunteered to ride in the back with Marcus.  
      Gabriel hovered outside the car.  “You look after my baby Ross.”  
      Ross, rolled his eyes and he slid in behind the wheel of the Porsche.  “It’s a car, Gabe, not a child.”  
      “It’s my car Ross, and if you fuck it up I’ll kill you.”  
      “I thought we had a talk about your foul mouth.”  Seth slid into the passenger seat.
      “And I thought I told you where I got the habit.” Gabriel fired back.  
      He was worried, he didn’t like having to send them back into Sandamar’s lair.  If they got caught it would not end well.  To make matters worse, Drew was with, and Seth had a point.  She was not experienced in real combat.  Gabriel knew she could handle herself, but the fear was there that she might freeze when it came to actually dusting a vampire or killing a troll.  Freezing would be really bad, because they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.  
      “Look just be careful, and I’m not talking about the car.” Gabe leaned the window by Seth.  “I will hurt you if you damage my car though – just so we are clear.”  
      Ross revved the engine grinning at Gabriel.  
      “Ross, I know you’ve always wanted to fly, keep that up and you’ll be doing it without the aid of wings.”  
      “We are leaving now Gabe, so get your head out the window.”  
      Gabriel shook his head, but moved it out the window as he straightened.  Then flinched as Ross deliberately burned rubber round the circle.  
      “I should be with them Gabe.” Darius spoke softly as he walked up behind Gabriel.
      “I know bro, but you need time to heal up properly.  You can’t help her if you’re too hurt to move, or dead.”  
      “I need to get her back Gabriel.  We have to get her back.  I should have been able to protect her.”  
      “Give yourself a break Dar.” Gabriel turned to the werelion.  
      “There was no way you could fight all of them off.  You nearly died Darius.  You would have if Dragon hadn’t brought you back.”  
      Darius sat down on the step.  Putting his head in his hands.  “She must be so scared.”
      Gabriel laid a hand on the lycos’s shoulder.  “She’s tough, she’s got spunk and spirit. She’s not as scared as you think she is.  And it wont be long and we’ll have her back”  
      “The thought of her being alone and scared is killing me.  So I pray you are right Gabe, I pray you’re right.”
      
      Dusk’s colors warmed the sky as the Porsche sped down the freeway.  Ross was flying- low flying, but he was flying.  Drew thought it best not to mention that Gabriel would probably burst a vein if he could see the speedometer, but then the whole point of taking the Porsche had been speed, and getting to, and away from Sandamar’s hideout in a hurry.
      Drew was soon distracted from the speed they were traveling when Seth started giving
      her a crash course in lycos communication.  
      “Lycos have the ability to understand growls. We use it mainly as communication over a distance, but sometimes a growl will put across a point better than saying it. Growling is like a language on its own different growls have different meanings.”  He lectured from the front of the car.  
      “For instance,” Seth growled, a low long sound. “Did you get that.”  
      “I did!” Drew gasped in amazement.  “You called me, by name”  
      “Yeah, I did, as you gain in abilities you’ll be able to understand more.  But by now you should get most of the growls sent out.  Maybe not from cat to another species like wolf or bear, those will come with some time.  But cat to cat shouldn’t be a problem at this stage for you.”  
      He made a short sharp growl.  Then looked over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow.
      “It’s a warning.  You told me there is danger and I must be careful.”  
      He nodded, “Great. You’d be able to use this to communicate with your sentin as well, if the telepathic connection is not available for some or other reason.  
      Like with our speaking voice, each lycos has a different voice when we growl, so you should be able to tell who is talking to you.  Help me out guys.”  
      A growl echoed around the car.
      Drew snorted and turned to Marcus “Cheetahs are not cooler than leopards.”  
      Ross laughed in the drivers seat “That’s gospel.”  
      Marcus chuckled, “ Not true, but if we start that argument up it will take us another six months to agree to disagree.”  
      Another growl filled the car.  
      “That was you Ross, you said to stay close.”  
      “Yeah, looks like you’ve got the hang of it.”  Ross confirmed.
      Seth suddenly grinned wickedly, he let a low growl trickle out his throat.  The sound was almost inaudible, but Drew got it, because she suddenly started blushing.  Both Ross and Marcus burst out laughing.  
      “Seth!” she gasped.
      “Well…What did I say?”
      Drew mumbled something
      “I’m sorry what was that?”
      “You said,” she choked out.  “That no one else can have me because you have laid a claim to me, and that you can’t wait to get me naked, and under you.”  Her face glowed with heat.  Which only made the others laugh harder.  
      Seth tuned in his seat to face her his eyes smoldering, “Yeah, that’s what I said… and meant.”  
      “Didn’t I tell you he’d get his shit sorted out.”  Ross laughed.  
      “Gods!” Drew didn’t know where to stick her head.  It was one thing for him to do this to her in private.  But to tease her like that in front of the others.  If she hadn’t been so embarrassed that they’d heard that, she would have turned into a pool of lava right where she sat.  Seth bent on seduction was dangerous, more dangerous than she had any business dealing with.  
      “Okay people,” Ross shifted gear and turned into a side road. “we’ll be there in about ten.  Time to put on our bad-assness.”