“So you’re the Rebecca that’s dating my father,” Will said. “But why?”

Rachel looked across the table at his father, then back to him. “Are you asking why someone would date your father? He’s very handsome.”

Cameron Andrews went a little red at the compliment but looked extremely pleased with himself. Will, meanwhile, refused to be swayed from his original line of questioning. “No. You know that’s not what I meant. You’re a Nexian. On top of that, you’re an Alpha. Was it just to get information on me?”

Rachel let out a long sigh, this time sharing a look with her children before replying. “I thought we’d already proven that we’re not your enemies, Will.”

“Wait, that’s a good point,” Will’s father put in, his face suddenly worried. “You had a very bad war against Edward. Is it even safe for you to be in Alaska?”

That put a smile on Rachel’s face as she replied, “Do you really think Edward is so much stronger than me, Cameron, dear? Do you think I’m in danger of being killed by him?”

“Well, no,” Cameron said, but he kept his eyes averted, giving away his true thoughts on the matter. “But I don’t want Fairbanks to get flooded.”

Rachel let out a laugh. “Don’t worry. As Will can tell you, the history’s more complicated than that.”

“Oh,” Cameron said quietly. He picked up his sandwich and took a large bite. “Alright then. Just please be careful.”

Olivia and Felix let out a laugh. Will frowned at the two of them, still not used to seeing them in his house. “So you just randomly met my father and decided to start dating him?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“But what about your husband in Florida?” Will asked. He inclined his head meaningfully to her two children. “Does their father know you’re dating another man?”

“Jose?” Rachel asked, waving her hand dismissively. “He knows of several of my past lovers and doesn’t mind. Why confine love between two people?”

Will didn’t have anything to say to that. At least, he couldn’t think of a reply that wouldn’t be offensive. So, to give himself time to think of a new angle of attack, he took a bite of his own grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It was good, he thought. The ham was juicier and tastier than any he’d had before. It reminded him of the quality of meats served when he’d eaten with the Water Nexus in Florida. Despite himself, his eyebrows rose in enjoyment.

“Thank you,” she said before he could think to make some comment. “I brought the ham from home. A local butcher gave it to us, and his animals are very well cared for.”

“Mom makes the best food in the world,” Felix put in. He’d already devoured three of the sandwiches and was starting on his fourth. “She’s a great cook.”

“Thank you, dear,” Rachel smiled at her son.

“Will’s a great cook too!” Cameron interjected. He nudged his son jovially, seeming to slide right past the moment of friction. “He likes to learn new ways of cooking whenever he can.”

“We already knew,” Olivia replied, beaming at Will. When Will looked at her with a frown, she explained. “In one of your interviews, you talked about it. You said you particularly enjoyed making cold soba noodles.”

In spite of himself, Will was pleased that someone had remembered such a small detail from one of his interviews. He gave a small, thankful smile in her direction, but still couldn’t be pushed off the subject. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Rachel again. She met his gaze with a patient smile, knowing what he wanted to say. Before he could find a way to put it into words, she raised a hand, silently telling him to let her explain.

“I would never do anything to hurt your father, Will,” she said, serious now. “Either physically, or emotionally. I quite enjoy spending time with him, and will not allow any harm to come to him.”

Will looked to his father to see his reaction, knowing that he would understand his fear. It was much the same as when Cameron had confronted Edward. He and his father stared silently at each other for some time, then Cameron gave him a reassuring nod. Funnily, it had given Will a rare chance to understand how his father had felt when he’d been recruited. It was a shared experience Will couldn’t get with any other living person, he thought.

“Alright then,” he said, taking another bite of his sandwich. “As long as Dad’s happy, I’m fine.”

Cameron looked up in surprise as Will pushed his chair back and got to his feet. “Where are you going?”

“To Nexus Hill,” Will replied. “I need to get back to training.”

Rachel looked up too, her eyes wide. “But you’re supposed to be resting!”

Cameron Andrews quickly put a hand on her arm, making her look at him. “It’s fine, Reb-, uh, Rachel.”

Will nodded in agreement. “I have to train harder if I’m going to beat him next time, Rachel. Besides, Felix and Olivia are here to train too, right? Or did you not plan on that starting yet?”

The two siblings got to their feet, and Felix nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We should get going too.”

Rachel obviously wasn’t too pleased with the idea but didn’t argue further. Perhaps, like his father, she could tell how determined Will was. “Very well. Give Edward my best. Don’t cause trouble, you two.”

“We won’t,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “You think we get into trouble everywhere we go.”

“Probably because we do,” Felix said. “Remember the aquarium?”

“That was your fault!” Olivia exclaimed. “You’re the one who burst the tank, not me!”

Felix laughed. “Fair point. That group of tourists was so scared.”

He continued to laugh until he met his mother’s suddenly stern eye, at which point he clamped his jaw shut. Muttering a quick apology, he scurried out of sight towards the front door. Olivia shook her head, then gave her mother a farewell hug. She even hugged Cameron, pecking him on the cheek. “It was lovely to meet you, Cameron. I hope I get to visit you more before I leave.”

“That would be great, dear,” Cameron said. “Don’t give Will too much trouble.”

He gave Will a meaningful wink over her shoulder, and Will rolled his eyes. His dad somehow had the notion that he had hordes of lady admirers from his tournament days, and had told him so on numerous occasions. But his reply only got a broad grin from the man. Will hurried upstairs to change and grab his phone. As he was about to leave the room, he looked around it once more, remembering that time, which felt like years ago, when he’d been normal. Well, more normal, he thought.

 

“Let me guess,” the cab driver said. “Nexus Hill?”

It was the same driver again. Will blinked in confusion at the man, wondering how he could get the same driver so many times. “Yes, please. Are there not that many drivers in Fairbanks?”

“There’s about twenty of us,” he said, turning in his seat to smile at Rachel. “But I’m the one who seems to keep getting your call. Well, put your seatbelt on Will, and I’ll get you there in no time.”

Will did so, then frowned. “How do you know my name?”

By way of answer, the man opened an app on his phone and showed it to Will. Will took the phone, looking curiously at the information on the screen, then understanding came. It was the annual public document that the Nexian scholars released. He realized that he hadn’t known his results until now, and curiosity got the better of him. He read through it. It was better than he could have hoped. He’d been made a C-Tier! That meant he’d skipped right over D and D+ Tiers. He knew how rare it was for a Nexian to do that.

Each Nexian Dossier, the chosen name of the document, had the basic vital statistics that the Soul Nexus used. Each person was tested in three categories Physical and Mental. In addition, their public threat level was also listed, to let common civilians know what to expect when meeting them. Will was pleased to see that he was marked as four stars for Agility, and even three for Endurance. His Awareness, in the Mental category, was even five stars! That was the highest rating possible, he knew.  Four in Charisma, three in Strategy. Not bad, he thought.

“Damn,” he said, just catching it. “They only gave me two stars in Strength.”

“Can’t blame them there,” Felix said. “You get judged in comparison to your Nexus, and they don’t take into consideration your physical strength.”

“How do I get it to show the other Nexians?” Will asked the driver. They were at a stoplight, so the man showed him. “Thanks.”

Charlisa had gotten her Tier upgrade, he noticed. Her dossier now listed her as B-tier. He felt a surge of pride. She also had a “Very Low” as her public threat rating. Will skimmed through the other dossier for the Fire Nexus, noticing that James had stayed in the same tier. Hopefully, he wasn’t too upset by Will catching up to him so quickly. Everyone else in the Nexus had done pretty well, especially Richard. His power rating was four stars, though he was only D-tier.

“Not as bad as I expected,” Will said, returning the driver’s phone. “I’m happy for Charlisa.”

“You’re too modest,” Olivia said. “You shot past three tiers, straight to C-Tier! Do you know how rare that is?”

“I do,” Will said flatly. “But I’m not the only one Felix is C-Tier too.”

“Yeah, but he’s a freak of nature,” Olivia said with a roll of her eyes. “But it’s so rare for a newling to get that strong, that fast. Plus, you have one of the lowest public threat rankings for someone at their first assessment.”

She had a point there, Will had to admit. Edward, for example, had spent two straight years with a ‘Lethal’ Public Threat Rating. Last year it had been lowered to ‘Very High’, and finally down to just ‘High’ at this most recent assessment. Will chose to take that as a sign of improvement. Maybe, with Hitori’s new rule about strengthening ties to the community, he could be viewed in a more positive light. As he had that thought, Will saw Nexus Hill coming into view, and suddenly that tight feeling in his chest returned.

What if Edward didn’t want him back? Will was wise enough now to know that Edward liked him, or at least didn’t dislike him. If he refused, it would be out of concern for him, Will knew. But he still refused to entertain the possibility. The Fire Nexus was his family now, and he’d even fight the Alpha to keep it that way. He took a deep breath as the driver began to make his way up the hill, gathering his resolve.

“You’re not stopping at the bottom?” Will asked the driver. “You’re comfortable going all the way up this time?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable,” the man replied. He did indeed look nervous. “But I’m taking a chance and hoping that you don’t murder me.”

Will laughed in spite of himself. Somehow, this small vote of confidence from the driver had gone a long way towards reassuring him. “Well, thanks for saving us the walk.”

The driver’s nervousness nearly tripled when they saw what was waiting at the top of the hill. Even Will gaped in surprise as he saw the people gathered. His father must have warned them they were coming, he thought. The entire Fire Nexus was gathered there, but Will paid particular attention to the three in front. Edward, Noratuk, and Charlisa were standing in silence, watching the car approach with an almost apprehensive look on their faces.

“Oh dear,” the driver said. “That’s Edward Ambrose. I take the murdering thing back.”

“It’s alright,” Will assured the man, wishing he could believe it himself. Edward’s face was stoic and unreadable. But he thought that, perhaps, he knew what was on the man’s mind. He handed the driver forty bucks and got out. The instant Felix and Olivia copied his action, the driver sped off, looking all too relieved to be able to leave. Will stood five feet from his family his head held high.

“My dad told me what you said,” he told Edward. “I appreciate the concern, but please don’t think that I’d ever abandon you.”

Charlisa’s face relaxed into a broad smile, and she hurried forward to hug Will fiercely. He felt like his ribs might crack under the impact, but he was happy nonetheless. She leaned up to kiss him. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks,” he said. Then he looked at Edward again. “Do I have your permission, Alpha?”

An eternity seemed to pass between them as he and Edward met each other’s eyes. Out of everyone, they were the only Nexians alive who knew the true strength of the threat they now faced. The Alpha inclined his head ever so slightly, not enough to be considered a bow, or even a nod, but Will knew the meaning of the gesture. Edward was thanking him, both for fighting alongside him against an enemy so terrible that even Edward was in mortal danger and for coming back after seeing him at his weakest point.

“Certainly,” Edward replied smoothly, his face still unreadable. “Let’s get back to work.”