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"Fuck, that’s huge! Whose familiar is that?" Quil wondered with anger in his voice. I heard Urufu growl in agreement.
"From the white eyes, I would think it's the person Crim said was associated with Storm's murder. It's just a hunch, but based on his size, I can't think of anyone else. You know how rare lion shifters are, especially in Japan. Even if it's a familiar, I would have known about them if it belonged to an average shifter civilian," Malachi explained.
"Agreed. Let's take her home. Aki and the others are still searching for the crystal," Quil announced.
"Tell them to come home. Crimson found it. That's why she was attacked," Malachi revealed. Quil growled but didn't say anything else.
"Woof?" Urufu added.
"She'll be fine, Uru. Just let her have a moment, okay?" Malachi reassured Urufu, who whimpered in response.
"You okay?" Quil asked in a low voice. Maybe they assumed I was asleep and didn't want to disturb me.
"Ya. Still a bit shaken up by it...but I listened to my instincts this time," Malachi whispered, his voice giving away how vulnerable he felt.
"Malachi...you know it wasn't your fault," Quil insisted quietly.
"Feels like my fault,” he countered.
"You can't keep holding that against you."
"I can't make the same mistake twice, Quillian," Malachi argued. "You know my instincts have never led me astray and the one time I ignored them, Storm paid the price. I won't lose Crimson to the same ignorance."
They were both silent for what seemed like a long time, the sound of their steps and Urufu’s quiet panting the only things that could be heard. I began to drift off, but then I heard Quil's voice.
"She thinks she's weak? Her affinity is one of the strongest I've felt...well since Storm," he admitted quietly .
"We need to go back to training her. She needs that reassurance, Quil. Everyone knows Crimson's strength BUT her. She feels pathetic for not being able to defend herself against that huge shit of a lion. I don't want her feeling that way again. She needs to experience just how strong she is and see it with her own eyes. We may try our best to guard and protect her, but she's right about one thing. We won't always be there, and she needs to have enough confidence to fight on her own if the situation arises, at least long enough for us to arrive and fight alongside her," Malachi concluded.
"I agree. When we get back, I'll take care of Crim. Can you talk with the others? It's probably easier to let you explain what happened than me," Quil suggested.
"Ya. I think she's asleep and you do a pretty good job bathing her when she's unconscious," Malachi pointed out.
"You think Aki and Yoshi will let us stay with her tonight?" Quil wondered.
"Ya. They should be fine with it. I asked Crim if we could spend more time with her anyway," Malachi replied.
"You feel a bit lonely?" Quil inquired.
"Do you?" Malachi countered.
"Ya...a bit. I miss the way things were before everything went haywire. I can't be too selfish because I get to bathe her when she's exhausted, but it doesn't really count as quality time. Haru and Itsuki feel a little left out as well since they're the quiet types. We can't blame her because she’s barely had time to adjust to everything that's happening, but just sometimes...it's hard," Quil confessed.
"We'll work it out. I know we will. Once all this madness settles and we finally find the culprits who killed Storm, we'll have all the time in the world to spend with Crimson. Maybe then Homatomashi will regain some of its peaceful nature like it had years ago.”
"Ya," Quil replied.
"Let's go home and ensure our Queen is taken care of. Tomorrow we'll focus on training and catch up," Malachi declared.
"You know, it freaks me out when you get all leader-like," Quil pointed out.
"Fuck you," Malachi huffed.
They both chuckled quietly, and I felt something soft press against my cheek.
"Don't worry, Crim. We'll get through this together," Malachi whispered.
His words were exactly what I needed to let go in that moment, and I allowed my mind to be claimed by the darkness.
