Xavier

I never saw this coming.

Astrea was my most loyal, most devoted enforcer...the agency is her family, her life...why on earth would she betray it and go traitor?

At first, when her comm went dead I thought that somehow she had been beaten, or been hurt...but I should have known better. She's my best agent, my strongest...I doubt there's an individual alive that could take her out so easily, and by himself. So I wasn't that surprised when my agents found the cabin empty of people and showed absolutely no signs of a struggle...other than a smashed earpiece...

And my theory was confirmed upon finding out that she and target had fled together, her intentionally helping him escape by destroying the pursuing vehicle and leaving her former backup with minor injuries and no way of keeping up.

What is she thinking?

"Director Xavier?" My assistant calls as she knocks on the door, and I sigh.

"Come in Gina."

She enters hesitantly, and I can tell by the look on her face it's not good news that she's bringing.

"What is it?" I ask, and she backs away a little as I stand up.

"I've received a report from the elite team that another agent has failed to report for duty...and has fallen off the radar completely..." She murmurs, and my hands clench into fists.

"Who? Who else has betrayed this agency?"

Astrea

We've been traveling for days, the snow covered scenery flying by us as we go. So far, I have no real idea where we are going...only that it's best if we leave Alaska, which is why we're driving to the Yukon Territory of Canada before we stop for any length of time longer than an hour or so.

We're taking shifts on who drives and who sleeps, and right now I'm at the wheel of the massive truck while Thane sleeps...his snoring oddly appealing instead of annoying like I thought it would be. With his seat laid back, and his long legs scrunched up in the foot, his head lulls to face me.

It's difficult to believe that this man is my...my Beloved...I honestly never expected to have one, and that if I ever found them they would be too scared or disgusted with me to stay...and yet, here he is...part of my mind is telling me that he's only coming with me because he's on the run from the agency I betrayed to protect him, that if he ever found out what I really am he would leave on his own and never look back.

He's still with me because he doesn't know me.

Which is exactly why I've avoided answering any more of his questions about me as much as possible, no matter how much a part of me wants to tell him...so outside of my name, he only knows my age and where we're going. Though it certainly hasn't stopped him from trying, and with all the time we've spent in the empty truck together...there isn't any real way to avoid his curious questions.

Why was it so easy to give up everything, to betray an organization that I've spent half of my life serving? All for one man I barely know....one that'll end up hating me before this is over....

I guess the best answer is that I did it because I never, ever hurt or kill innocent people...not as a target, or as collateral damage...I always make sure the person I've been ordered to take down or bring in is actually guilty of the crimes they've been accused of, no matter how much I trust the people I work with.

One thing is for certain, I need to get to the bottom of this...

"You are probably the quietest person I've ever met Astrea."

I glance at Thane from the corner of my eye, his eyes wide open as the hazel depths watch me with curiosity. I internally sigh as I brace for another round of questions...

"I wonder why that is...is it by choice? Or because you don't speak English well?" He continues, and I suppose this is a safe question to answer.

"Choice." I reply, and his mouth curves up in a smile.

"A strong and silent type huh? I like it. It means you choose your words carefully, and that you only speak when you consider it important to do so..." He murmurs.

Why does that make him happy?

"It means you consider my questions important..." He says, almost answering me as if I asked the question out loud...and I swear my heart flutters a little in my chest, feeling a bit warmer than the rest of me...

No...no, no...don't get attached...

He sits back up in his seat, groaning as he attempts to stretch out his stiff muscles. I avert my gaze back to the road before the sight of his shirt rising up his stomach can distract me completely.

"Where are we stopping next? I'm starved, and I'm sure you could use a break." He asks, and I glance at the clock...it's 8:35 now, the last time either of us ate was around 1:00, and frankly we both need to stop for a while...at least for the night. We've barely spent much time outside of this truck in the past four days...and honestly, I'm more than just hungry...

His scent is driving me a bit mad with thirst...even more so because of the fact I skipped my normal feeding time two days ago.

I know that now that I've met Thane I will consider any other source of blood bland or disgusting in comparison...but he's a shifter, which means my venom is toxic to him...the smallest drop could kill him in time, and we are far from the marking and feeding stage...

I don't know if we will ever be at that stage, so I'm just going to have to deal with it.

"We can stop here for the night." I murmur as we cross into the city limits of Tok, Alaska. We both need to stop and rest up for a few hours somewhere other than a truck, refuel both the vehicle and ourselves, and I need to check out a place in town that I set up to hide a stash of mission supplies.

We're going to have the whole agency on our ass, so I'm going to need all the gear I can get.

"Food or Room first?" He asks as he pulls out a couple of pamphlets, both steered towards tourist attractions and hotels.

"Gas first, then food, then motel." I reply, already knowing the best place for each of those things...one of them being the location of my gear.

"Sounds like a plan." He answers, his stomach rumbling loudly at the mention of eating. His appetite as a shifter is almost outrageous...he's like a bottomless pit.

We make a quick stop at the gas station, me filling up the trucks tank while Thane fills the three gas cans for later, and I keep a close eye on him as he goes inside to pay...the only other people here may be human, but ICE has eyes almost everywhere...and human mages are just as well trained as other superhuman agents.

"Alright Snowdrop, what are we having for dinner?" He says with a smile as we climb back in the vehicle. There's that nickname again...why does he call me that? Not that I hate it...it's just, different...it's probably the nicest thing I've been called in a long time...and I have to admit that I kind of like it.

Not that I'm going to tell him that.

"Eddy's Diner, home cooked food." I reply, my own stomach growling now, though not quite as loudly as his.

"That sounds great." He murmurs, and the corners of my mouth twitch up into a brief smile as he almost drools.

This man is certainly amusing...

~~~~~~

We arrived at the diner about ten minutes later, and like my previous times here, Eddy himself remembered to give me the back corner booth, the most private spot in the restaurant.

Thane and I both ordered the same thing, well...I just copied his order of steak and fries to keep the order simple, both of us getting our steak medium. So far it has been quiet, which surprises me considering how he's been asking so many questions...

"So...does this count as a first date?"

It seems I spoke too soon. I look to him in surprise, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly. His amused expression baffling me once again...

"Well, we are at a restaurant together, in a private setting...and we are mates, so it fits the qualifications of a date." He continues, and I look down at my hands as they rest on the table.

I honestly wouldn't know...this is a new experience for me.

"Wait...is it possible that this is your very first date?" He asks after my continued silence, and my jaw tightens a little as I fight the urge to speak. An urge I haven't had to fight in a long time...

"Wow...it is, isn't it?" He murmurs, leaning back against the seat, his eyes studying me curiously. This man always seems to have questions to ask...something that he has to know...are bears always this curious?

"That actually makes me feel honored...and kind of guilty, since us being on the run kind of ruins the ability to relax. This wasn't exactly what I planned in regards to making the first date special." He sighs, and I resist the instinct to reassure him otherwise...that he isn't ruining anything...but honestly, I'm not sure what this is...

"Goddess, not to mention the fact that I've probably uprooted your entire life...took you away from everything you had. All for the fact that I'm your mate...I'm sorry..." He trails off, his expression filling with a sadness that upsets me.

I need to speak now.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." I say in a hushed but firm voice, and he opens his mouth to protest, but I quickly cut him off.

"I would have done this for anyone that was falsely accused, because I never harm innocent people...no matter what my orders are." I continue, holding his gaze fiercely. His startled expression almost makes me smile, understandable since this is the most I've talked since we met.

"I wouldn't call myself innocent, I've made some bad decisions." He argues.

"You are innocent of the crimes you're being hunted for." I clarify, and he sighs.

"And what are those exactly?"

At that moment, our food is set down in front of us...and the sight of it makes both our stomachs growl noisily. It smells good...compared to the cheap gas station food it's practically heaven sent.

"Eat first, answer questions later." I reply, and he nods before heartily digging into his meal, and I do the same...though a little more careful than him. At least he's enjoying himself, and the food...and it is delicious...though I still have another hunger to satisfy after this.

We finish eating our meal in silence, and once we leave I head for our last destination for the night before I go hunting, a motel that I've stayed in numerous times on other missions.

Snowshoe Motel.

Pulling into the lot, I park and exit the truck to go the front desk, Thane following silently behind me. Once I reach the front desk, I share a look with the man sitting at it.

"Room 24 for Sarah Conner." I murmur, and his eyes widen I slide him enough cash for tonight's stay, plus tip. He hands me the key wordlessly, and Thane waits until we exit to question me.

"Sarah Conner? Isn't she the badass character from Terminator?" He asks as he grabs his bag from the truck and follows me to the room.

"Yes, I use her as an alias when I stay here." I reply, and he smiles a bit to himself for some reason...I don't ask why.

Once we enter, I sweep the room for unwelcome guests before I shut and lock the door, sighing a bit in relief as I see the familiar bed.

Just before I sit down on it though, a sound outside the door has me at attention, my hand immediately going to my gun as I look towards the door. Motioning for Thane to keep quiet I creep towards the door with my gun drawn, the door knob twisting as someone carefully picks the lock.

The second the door opens I raise my beretta up, only to stare in shock at the person on the other side.

"What are you doing here?"