`She's part of us.'
Ruth watched the torrents of energy poured from Gaia. Into Mason, with his chest torn open. Into Wilson, who'd been shot in the back trying to rescue them. Into her own cowering body. She knew then how they had survived. Not through a miracle, but by Gaia's life energy flowing into them.
Renee screamed as the ground heaved. Nikki staggered and fell. Lightning streaked above them and shattered the air.
The world around them began to shift and break apart. Mason held her, but it was the fear on Renee's face that made her act.
`Help them!' Ruth tried to push Mason's arms off, but the pressure was too much. The ground began to melt away. `Mason, help them!'
He tensed. She pushed again and then he was gone, moving unhindered through the chaos, his shape visible through the swirling debris.
`Let him help!' she yelled as he offered his hands to the sisters. `Please, trust me. Let him help.'
The world began to fold in and cold raced towards her. The sisters were not connected, as her family was, to Gaia.
`Dad, it's coming.'
A wave of icy darkness bore down on them. Ruth froze.
Mason glanced back, his face overshadowed by another. Something darker than Butcher, something thriving on the chaos, the thing she knew Gaia had warned her about: what he could become.
Nikki lunged for his hand. Ruth trembled as the shadow vanished from him. The last image in her mind as the cold darkness crashed down was Mason grabbing Renee.
CHAPTER 6
Wilson stirred, tongue thick in his mouth. Light seeped in through his eyelids. A shape stood nearby. Wilson let his mother go and stood up. They were back in the clearing. Mason stood over the sisters lying on the forest floor.
`Dad?' Wilson's breath caught in his throat. His father's face was hard, creased in a frown. `You okay?'
Mason looked at him, black-eyed. `Not sure,' he muttered.
`Your face… When it's like that, is that him? Butcher?'
Mason's eyes returned to normal and his face softened. `Did it look like me?' Mason touched his own face.
`No.' Wilson stood up, careful of his mother's legs. `It's kind of alien. Hard. I don't like it.'
`Sorry,' Mason smiled, but did not move, and Wilson could feel something was wrong. He'd always been able to sense his father's mood, even before—
`The freaky sisters, are they a problem?'
`Maybe.' Mason shrugged and shuffled back. `I can't tell any more. I always could see danger but now...'
Wilson watched his father frown again, without the anger.
`Is it like that? You can sense things from the Unnaturals? Like danger?'
`Yes, mostly.' Mason rubbed his nose hard with a finger.
Wilson wanted to smile at seeing his father's old habits reassert themselves.
`Mum seems to like them.' He spoke quietly as Ruth stirred. `Back there with Gaia, Mum was in control. She had a power. Are we really going to be friends with them?' He couldn't quite believe what had happened.
`I wasn't involved in whatever passed between your mother and Gaia.' Mason looked from Ruth to the sisters. `But I trust her, Wilson. We have to. There are some things I can't see that she can.'
`Clear as mud.' Wilson shrugged. `But I'm not hanging around for round two when they wake up. Sally's here and I need to be with her. Since they aren't a problem, I'll go.' He caught sight of his pistol and picked it up. `I don't want Sally to worry or think I'm too clingy with you back. She thinks it's sweet I came to check up on you.'
`Yeah, sweet,' Mason drawled. `Go take good care of her, Wil. We'll be right. Enjoy your time here. If anything serious pops up it won't be hard to find you.'
`That's nice. So if I see you, it means the shit has hit the fan?' He waited as his father opened and closed his mouth, struggling. `Look, how about me and Sal drop by on our way out for dinner? We can say hi and have a conversation like normal people.'
`Good plan.' Mason smiled at him. `It would be nice to meet Sally again.'
`There you go, Dad, normal conversation.' He grinned back and winked as he began to leave. `Try to stay out of trouble, will you?'
`I'm supposed to say that to you.'
Wilson shook his head at Mason's expression. Ruth began to wake up. `See you around seven.'
`I won't forget,' Mason said. He squatted down beside Ruth, touching her with great care. Wilson watched for a second, his father's simple actions saying more than any words could. He left with his mind on Sally.
Ruth took a deep breath, eyes closed, and stretched, listening to Wilson's footsteps fade away. Dappled sunlight warmed her. Hands, strong but loving, touched her face and trailed down her body. Checking for injuries, she thought, until they stopped at her hips.
`Hey you,' Ruth said, opening her eyes as Mason leant in. `I feel great. And damn you smell delicious.' She pulled him in and kissed him hard. Scents and flavours burst through her. Strong thumbs rolled the string of her bikini against her skin. Blood rushed through her and the fabric of her top felt delicious against her hardening nipples.
`Now you know what it's like for me,' Mason whispered. `You have always smelt divine but now it's stronger. It's so very strong.'
His fingers trailed up the inside of her thigh and she shuddered as he leant in and whispered in her ear. `It's like we're discovering each other all over again.' He kissed her neck, then her covered breast as he moved down. His thumbs rolled the top of her bikini bottom.
She gasped at the touch of cool air against her sex and arched, wanting him.
`Um.'
Ruth looked up. Nikki stood beside them, eyes fixed on what Mason had revealed.
Mason growled, snapping her bikini bottom back in place. `Christ, I forgot about you. What's wrong with me?'
`Mason?' Ruth grabbed his arm, watching his face crease, the moment lost. Everything cooled in her as he glared at Nikki. She stood up, pulling herself up on Mason's arm, inhaling Nikki's scent.
`Ah,' Nikki looked at her, a blush highlighting the vee in her neck.
Another scent touched Ruth. `Relax. Everything's fine.' She squeezed Mason's arm and he glanced at her.
`Uh-huh, so what's next then, Ruth?' He let her go, and moved away looking tense. `We invite the girls for wine and nibbles back at the villa with a good old chat about life?'
She ignored his sarcasm. `Good idea.' Ruth glanced at Nikki and Renee watching her, agog at the suggestion. `It would be the civil thing to do, Mason, since we're not going to fight any longer.' The control she had felt good. Mason stared at her, jaw clenched, but she wasn't going to back down. They needed to get to know the girls.
`Whatever,' he snapped, but she caught the flicker of his eyes as he assessed the sisters. Colour touched his ears and uncertainty clouded his face for a second. The sisters made him nervous.
`Look, this is odd, I know. But you have to trust me, Mason. Please.'
`Okay.' He glared at her. `I'll get some more bloody glasses out then.' He turned and headed down the slope towards the villa, stopping to scoop up the pistol Ruth had dropped earlier.
`You don't have to do this. We can just leave,' Nikki said, standing close as they watched Mason walk down the slope. `I'm not sure a chat would be a good idea. It may aggravate him more.'
Ruth let a smile creep out. `He's nervous, not angry.'
`What? Butcher gets nervous?' Renee drawled from behind them.
Ruth turned,