Sora Sinclair sat on the corner of the rich carpet covering beside the few furniture pieces in the centre of the warehouse.  She pulled up her right leg close to her body to rest her chin as she watched the others attempt a fragile sense of peace.  In the corner of her eyes, she watched Julian seated on a simple chair near the luxurious couches, tuning his guitar.  Lights strands of hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over to perfect the pitch, his long graceful fingers quietly strumming the guitar.

Her heart squeezed in self-inflicted torture at not being able to find the courage to approach him.

Maybe when this war is over.

She silently promised, tearing her gaze and mind away from him.

“Did you hear about the girl?”

Her eyes narrowed at catching the conversation nearby, hungrily absorbing everything.  Sora had unquestioningly followed Kian since she had been made and yet she knew no more about his past as much as the others.  

She always kept an open ear for any piece tidbit she could gather about the fallen leader, in hopes of better understanding him.

Mikael snorted in reply to the question.  “I’m more interested in her boss.  She’s gotta be working for him.”  He muttered.

Sora noted the flash of emotion, too brief for her to gauge, pass through Julian’s gaze before he continued strumming his guitar.

Another person in the group Sora noted was the one who originally asked the question grimaced at Mikael’s comment.

“Do you really think he’s behind her showing up?” Everett asked instead.  “Why now?  It’s been centuries.”

Everett nursed his lone beer bottle as he pondered the question he posed.  “If he were behind this, then why did he send her to do his bidding?  Who controls who?”  He mused.

Mikael snorted again as he chugged the rest of his beer, sitting back in his chair as he adjusted the hood around his head.  The bright almost near white hair a stark contrast to the dark clothing he always preferred. 

Victoria leaned over to take the bottle wedged between Everett’s legs and took a graceful sip of the beer, a grimace on her beautiful face.

“What does it matter? If he ran with his tail between his legs years ago, then how can he think to face us now?” She murmured, leaning back into the chair with a cat-like grace as she stared at the others with no concern of the visible threat to them whatsoever.

“Because he was probably biding his time until the perfect opportunity.” 

All eyes looked to the figure by the pool table a few feet away.  Sora couldn’t help but admire his muscular figure dressed in black dress pants and a black dress shirt.  The top buttons left open to reveal flawless lightly tanned skin and the cuffs were rolled neatly up, revealing muscular forearms.  

Christian Alarie was, without a doubt, beautifully dangerous, a figure not to mess lightly with.  

The rest of the group merely shrugged and moved on to other conversations but Sora remained watching.

A slight figure swore on the other side of the table as Christian finished his turn.  Equally beautiful and dangerous, Kaia Amani was dressed in tight fitting leather pants and matching jacket.  The long dark curtain of hair only served to emphasize her striking features as her dark eyes glanced irritably at the smiling man across from her.

“If you lose this one, you owe me two dinners.  I won’t let you off easy for missing our date the other night.”  He was already moving towards her, his dark eyes swirling dangerously, his generous mouth lifted in an equally dangerous smile.

She merely growled in response, raising her fist in defiance.  He merely caught her wrist and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles before turning away.  Her features momentarily softened as Christian turned away to rearrange the table.

Sora could have laughed at what the image of their misfit group must look like to the world.  Dangerous yes, but they remained a group full of insecurity and unrest.