Claws // Colby Brock

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☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎

A couple of days later, all of Colby's allies had been warned about the likelihood of attacks. Dima, a face I hadn't seen in a little while, came to the house to hash out a few more details, and with a little convincing, Colby explained everything to him. He understood the upcoming dangers and agreed to enter lockdown along with everyone else.

Part of us knew this was what Aiden wanted, to stir shit amongst us and cause a little panic, but we'd assured everyone that we would be there if they needed us. And they knew we prioritised some over others.

Our group had entered a state of acceptance. We'd known this was coming for a short while and were prepared for the consequences messing with Aiden would bring. Perhaps we didn't expect it so soon, however there wasn't much we could do to change things now. The war had erupted and we had to adapt.

Training became more regular, though instead of risking exiting the threshold for the backyard, we'd rearranged the hallway — the biggest room in the house — to cater to our needs. Considering I still had breakable bones, cushioning sat rolled up against the wall and had to be laid out before I even step foot in the ring with someone else. Colby had been very stern about that.

"You know I'm tougher than that, Colby. A little slam into the hard floor won't kill me."

He was giving me that look. "Do I care?"

"You should," I whined. "I'm not delicate."

His eyes had examined my form for a few moments, scanning over every feature and stopping where his t-shirt — I'd been woken up by them doing the aforementioned renovations — revealed a my legs from mid-thigh. For a second, I thought he'd gotten lost in thought until he shrugged a shoulder. "My opinion is different."

I gave up, then, and to be honest, it was nice to have some cushioning beneath me. The concrete outside wasn't so bad, but this was less punishing. I didn't often get taken down by anyone in the group anymore, as the more comfortable I got, the more I pulled out my claws, so those shocking moments where I did go down, I didn't feel as bad about it. I had something soft to land on.

Something soft and not-quite warm was beneath me early in the evening, as my eyes flickered and I shuffled my head just barely. My fingers closed around the nearby blanket to pull it up over me, but something was restricting it and I was forced to blink into the real world to figure out what. Colby's arm lay over the sheets, while his other arm was wrapped lazily around me and hung somewhere around my waist. I'd completely forgotten that I was too hot last night to wear anything more than a sports bra and underwear, so the bare skin contact gave me a little jolt.

I glanced up at his face but he was fast asleep, so much so that rising up to my knees didn't even stir him like it usually did. He'd been under a lot of stress recently so I wasn't surprised that it had finally caught up.

Leaving him in bed to get his rest, I dragged one of his button-up shirts over myself and slipped out of the room. Most of the house was quiet this time in the morning besides one very welcome face downstairs. Cassie didn't have to look up from the oven to know I was the one approaching her, though I wished she'd seen the huge frown on my face so I didn't have to speak just yet.

I subtly cleared my throat and asked, "Why are you cooking?"

"Aren't you hungry?" she replied simply, a smile to her voice.

"Yes, but normally I'm not awake for hours. How'd you know I'd be up now?"

"I was going to wake you up. A pure coincidence," she assured, sighing. Casting a glance at the time on the overhead microwave, she turned to me with a forced smile. "I need to talk to you alone, and this is probably the only chance we're gonna get these days."