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chapter twenty three coup de foudre
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"GUYS, WE have to do this."
Odessa Stone chewed her thumbnail anxiously at what was about to occur. It had been a couple hours since Stiles had been separated from the nogitsune and a few hours since Lydia was taken. She knew this was something that had to be done, but that didn't mean she liked it.
While Stiles had been resting in Scott's room, everyone else was scrambling around trying to find a way to find Lydia, which brought them to where they were now, at Sundown. The hazel eyed boy brought up the subject of his need to be checked by the oni in between rests, and everyone was hesitant to do it. One reason being, they didn't know how he would react to the oni, seeing as he was just basically exercised from an evil fox spirit. And second, they were wary of the chance that when the oni did check him, he wouldn't pass the test, that the nogitsune was still inside him.
After giving Stiles slow and hesitant nods, Odessa and Scott helped him downstairs to the living room with Melissa behind them, where Mrs. Yukimura was waiting for them.
"Do you recognize me?"
Odessa swallowed thickly while Stiles stepped forward, out of their embrace. Before anyone could do anything else, the door slammed shut as Kira ran in the room.
"Stop," she exclaimed to her Mother, gasping when she saw a fully functioning Stiles.
"It's okay," the boy reassured the best he could, "I'm the one who asked her to come."
Kira scoffed, "you're the one who's going to be stabbed with swords," she rushed before looking back to her Mother, "Mom, don't do this to him."
"It's already done."
Black smoke arose from in front of the windows as four oni made their presence in the room. Two by the windows and two surrounding Stiles. Odessa felt her stomach drop as Scott pulled her behind him, knowing the effect they had on her. While she appreciated the gesture, the Stone had figured out for herself why her reaction to the oni was different during different situations. The first time she encountered them, Odessa was scared out of her mind and didn't know who or what they were, prompting her reaction the night she was tested. But she noticed as time went by, and the more she fought against them, her reactions had gotten smaller and smaller. She was becoming less afraid.
From her place behind Scott, Odessa tried to move forward when the oni grasped Stiles' face, glowing their pungent yellow eyes at the boy, who was now gasping at the feeling. After a few seconds, the oni let him go, prompting him to fall to the floor with a grunt. Odessa pushed past Scott to kneel down in front of him, grasping his face in her hands.
