conversation, knowing he would be drawn into it. He wouldn't be able to help himself, regardless of how he felt about having the sisters here.
`You ever seen an Unnatural like her before?' he asked, sipping wine. She could see him thinking about what that meant. `She had some sort of glamour that helped her blend in with the trees, plus she was covered with scales.'
`Never seen anything like her.' Nikki sipped her wine. `But, why she was here is possibly more important. That collar wasn't for decoration. It looked like a control collar. Someone was pulling her strings.'
`Bloodells?' He dragged out a chair and plonked down on it. Ruth allowed herself a small smile. `Could they do something like this? And since we're on the subject, what are you?'
`Not Bloodells,' Renee muttered from behind her glass.
`Not what, who?' Ruth leant across the table to touch him. `They're people, Mason, not things, remember.'
His face twitched and Ruth touched his arm again. `When you say that, it sounds like those people who couldn't take it because I was different.' Nikki squeezed her thigh.
Mason put his glass down. Ruth saw the way his hand trembled and knew it had worked. She had made the connection he needed.
`I, ah, never saw it like that.' He cleared his throat, struggling.
`You see us as things,' Renee said, watching Mason closely.
He didn't look up, but fiddled with his wine glass.
`When it happened last year,' Mason began, then took an unsteady sip of wine.
Ruth sat up straight. He had never spoken about this, not even to her.
`When it happened last year, well, afterwards anything not human was just something that needed to die. I can't remember faces, just the kill. It felt good. Fantastic. Better than sex.'
Ruth put her glass down, reaching out to him. She hadn't understood how much he'd been hurting.
`All that mattered was the next kill. My revenge. Even those who were not Bloodells, the hybrids, were prey. They didn't satisfy the hunger like a Bloodells' death. I needed more. Sometimes I took it.'
`Shit.' Renee had gone white.
Mason frowned. Colour touched his neck.
`When Ruth left me, I was out of control. I had to stop, to control it. Or lose Ruth and Wilson forever. I couldn't let that happen.'
He looked up at Nikki, glanced at Renee. `But when I faced you, the hunger was reborn, but different. I think I was afraid too. You're stronger than most Bloodells, not cold to touch; you're a challenge. And here, on the island, Ruth and Wilson were involved, so I...' His eyes locked onto Renee.
Ruth drove her nails into his arm, afraid he had lost control, but his skin was hot, soft in her hand. He winced but remained focused on Renee. He was still Mason, albeit distracted by something.
`You still see us as a threat?' Nikki asked ever so carefully, her hand tight on Ruth's leg.
`Mason?' Ruth pulled at his arm. `What are you doing?'
`Trying to understand. Why they're here, on the island at the same time we're here. If they're not like the Bloodells and not here for us then why are they here? Why does Gaia need us to trust each other?'
`A war.' Ruth stood and turned his face towards her. `Gaia said a war was coming. One where we would all die if we could not stand together as one.'
Ruth took a deep breath, knowing she had to tell him everything. `She said I would watch our children die while you â she called you Hunter â would be lost to the darkness. No one would survive.' She kissed him on the forehead, tears in her eyes. Saying Gaia's words out loud made her fear real.
`A war?' Mason's face softened at the sight of her tears.
She sat down again, wiping her eyes, relieved to have Gaia's message out in the open. Nikki's hands were on the stem of her wine glass.
Renee slurped her wine, watching Mason over her glass. `So, who we fighting then?'
Ruth raised an eyebrow at Renee's tone. Even more when Renee put her glass down and her nipples revealed how excited she was under her T-shirt. Did thought of a
`You ever seen an Unnatural like her before?' he asked, sipping wine. She could see him thinking about what that meant. `She had some sort of glamour that helped her blend in with the trees, plus she was covered with scales.'
`Never seen anything like her.' Nikki sipped her wine. `But, why she was here is possibly more important. That collar wasn't for decoration. It looked like a control collar. Someone was pulling her strings.'
`Bloodells?' He dragged out a chair and plonked down on it. Ruth allowed herself a small smile. `Could they do something like this? And since we're on the subject, what are you?'
`Not Bloodells,' Renee muttered from behind her glass.
`Not what, who?' Ruth leant across the table to touch him. `They're people, Mason, not things, remember.'
His face twitched and Ruth touched his arm again. `When you say that, it sounds like those people who couldn't take it because I was different.' Nikki squeezed her thigh.
Mason put his glass down. Ruth saw the way his hand trembled and knew it had worked. She had made the connection he needed.
`I, ah, never saw it like that.' He cleared his throat, struggling.
`You see us as things,' Renee said, watching Mason closely.
He didn't look up, but fiddled with his wine glass.
`When it happened last year,' Mason began, then took an unsteady sip of wine.
Ruth sat up straight. He had never spoken about this, not even to her.
`When it happened last year, well, afterwards anything not human was just something that needed to die. I can't remember faces, just the kill. It felt good. Fantastic. Better than sex.'
Ruth put her glass down, reaching out to him. She hadn't understood how much he'd been hurting.
`All that mattered was the next kill. My revenge. Even those who were not Bloodells, the hybrids, were prey. They didn't satisfy the hunger like a Bloodells' death. I needed more. Sometimes I took it.'
`Shit.' Renee had gone white.
Mason frowned. Colour touched his neck.
`When Ruth left me, I was out of control. I had to stop, to control it. Or lose Ruth and Wilson forever. I couldn't let that happen.'
He looked up at Nikki, glanced at Renee. `But when I faced you, the hunger was reborn, but different. I think I was afraid too. You're stronger than most Bloodells, not cold to touch; you're a challenge. And here, on the island, Ruth and Wilson were involved, so I...' His eyes locked onto Renee.
Ruth drove her nails into his arm, afraid he had lost control, but his skin was hot, soft in her hand. He winced but remained focused on Renee. He was still Mason, albeit distracted by something.
`You still see us as a threat?' Nikki asked ever so carefully, her hand tight on Ruth's leg.
`Mason?' Ruth pulled at his arm. `What are you doing?'
`Trying to understand. Why they're here, on the island at the same time we're here. If they're not like the Bloodells and not here for us then why are they here? Why does Gaia need us to trust each other?'
`A war.' Ruth stood and turned his face towards her. `Gaia said a war was coming. One where we would all die if we could not stand together as one.'
Ruth took a deep breath, knowing she had to tell him everything. `She said I would watch our children die while you â she called you Hunter â would be lost to the darkness. No one would survive.' She kissed him on the forehead, tears in her eyes. Saying Gaia's words out loud made her fear real.
`A war?' Mason's face softened at the sight of her tears.
She sat down again, wiping her eyes, relieved to have Gaia's message out in the open. Nikki's hands were on the stem of her wine glass.
Renee slurped her wine, watching Mason over her glass. `So, who we fighting then?'
Ruth raised an eyebrow at Renee's tone. Even more when Renee put her glass down and her nipples revealed how excited she was under her T-shirt. Did thought of a
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