Nasty Habits

Rose hesitated at the eagerness of the woman named Joey. Something didn't feel right. Without moving her eyes from Aden's face, she asked the question, "What does he remember?" The question wasn't for Joey, but for the man that brought Aden to the valley.

The man looked to Joey for her to nod before answering, "Not much, but enough."

"Will he know me?"

"Yes."

"The me he just met or the one he married?"

"The new you. Though he suspects you to be the same person."

Her eyes rose to meet Joey's gaze. "Jason said you could fix him. You can bring back everything he's lost?"

"I can."

"Do it. I will 'see' him later; once he has relearned all he is and all he's done."

"Only you can wake him up, Rose." Joey commented.

"Fix him first. I don't want to wake up a stranger." She left them in the cabin to get fresh air followed by the man who had brought her husband back from his captors. "How did you find him so quickly?" She asked as he approached her side.

"I have my unique skill set." He replied.

"Clearly. Did you know of him before? Or can read people as I can?"

"Both. Sorta."

"Sorta?"

"A little over a month ago I was Seattle based interrogator and in a loveless marriage. I had no idea creatures like those here existed. Joey came to me when I was about to do something incredibly reckless and stupid and showed who, or rather what I am."

"What you are?" Rose raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes. Like your husband, who and what I am was blocked from me. I lived as a normal human with normal problems until Joey released me. I was shocked to learn that I wasn't entirely human."

"And what are you? Jinka? Is it?"

"Yes, Jinka. I guess the closest thing I could say would a type of werewolf? I mean, I don't change with the moon or eat people or anything like that, but I have a canine sense of smell and the strength and agility of rather large cat."

"Claws?" She smirked. He produced cat like claws for her to view and retracted them just as quickly. "More like a were-cat."

He shrugged his shoulders. "That works too. I was able to track your husband by tracking his scent."

"That makes sense." She said toeing the ground. "Thank you." She looked into his deep brown eyes for the first time. "For bringing him back to me."

"Are you afraid of what you will see in him?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"No. I've already seen it all. I knew what I was getting into from the beginning." She took a deep breath and let it slowly. "I just never let him know that I knew. I guess I was hoping for a confession. That his love for me was genuine. You know?"

"I think on some level it is."

"Possible." She agreed. "But unlikely."

"Yet, you love him." He stated.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" she huffed.

"Perhaps. But no more than most people. I, myself loved without being loved in return. I think everyone has found themselves in that situation at least once." He took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and offered her one.

She politely refused with a slight shake of her head. "Why do we lie to ourselves like that?"

"May I?" He questioned withdrawing a single cigarette for himself. She nodded. "We want to be loved." He answered as he lit his cigarette. Taking the first drag he breathed in deep and let out the smoke slowly into the air. "Maybe deep down we feel it's the best we can get."

"Maybe."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Play along with the lie for now."

"You love him that much?"

"Yes and no." she confessed. "I need to find Adrian before he kills again, and I need Aden for that."

"Interesting." He took another slow drag of his cigarette.

"By helping me find Adrian he'll think he's keeping his part of the deal he made with Nickolas." She explained. "He won't know that I know the truth."

"Why tell me? Aren't you afraid I will let the cat out of the bag?"

Turning to face him, she said, "No, I'm not." She gained his attention by reaching her hand to his cheek. Softly caressing his smooth skin, she spoke in a whisper. "You won't remember this conversation." She watched his eyes dull and lighten in color slightly before he lost consciousness. As he lay on the ground, she stamped out the cigarette he had been smoking before heading back into the cabin. "Such a nasty habit."