Heart of Ashes

Bullets Before Beauty

Caine picked a pebble up from the beach he'd created to visit Freya in her dreams and tossed it into the ocean, it broke the surface of the water with a loud splash. He decided to lie back and close his eyes. When he opened them, he was in the lounge on the couch. Morwenna was gone and so was Evelyn. He could smell coffee being made. He noted that the curtains had been drawn to keep the sun out.

He got up and grimaced at the pain in his knee. The cane was resting against the couch and he gripped it. He was walking with a cane, he could scarcely believe it. He hadn't walked with a limp in his life before but he limped into the kitchen to find Evelyn making breakfast.

"Oh, good morning," she said as she poured milk in a bowl, "you fell asleep on the couch. I didn't want to wake you."

"I wish you had," he muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Never mind, where is Morwenna?"

"Anthony took her home," Evelyn said and, before he could ask his follow up question, "she's alright. Just a little shaken."

He nodded, "Alright, I'm going to go and shower and we have bodies to dispose of."

Evelyn nodded, "About that, how are we going to do that?"

Caine tapped his chin, "I'm not sure yet. I'll think about that."

He turned to head upstairs but Evelyn stopped him, "Caine?"

"Evelyn?"

"I... I was wondering if, maybe, later we could take a walk in the park or something," she said, "like, this evening when the sun goes down because I'd really like to talk about some things."

Caine nodded, "Why don't we go when I come down?"

"But it's daylight."

He shrugged, "As long as I'm covered it won't bother me."

He started for the stairs again and, again, was stopped, "Nice look, by the way."

He smiled assuming she was referring to his disheveled appearance, "Thank you but I'm not a fan."

Caine went upstairs and stripped. The water usually helped him think but nothing he could think of would work seamlessly for body disposal. Each scenario ended in someone getting arrested until he remembered Ragnar's van. It was dark blue and all the windows were tinted. That would do just fine. That, a Dragoi and a secluded location. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. He dried his hair and his face then looked in the mirror. His eyes widened. Grey strands broke the black of his hair and there were shallow lines in the corner of each eye. He smiled and they creased. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Still there. He wrapped the towel around his waist and rushed out the bathroom door.

"Evelyn!" he called as he jogged down the stairs, "Evelyn!"

Evelyn poked her head out the kitchen door and raised her eyebrows, "Put some bloody clothes on."

He pointed at his face, "What the hell is this?"

She laughed, "What? You didn't see it?"

He shook his head, "No, am I dreaming?"

"No, you're aging."

He frowned, "That's impossible. That's... That simply doesn't happen, does it?"

She shrugged, "Could it be a side effect of the silver?"

He remembered the bullet in his knee and winced, "Ah, right. Yes, that's what it is. The silver is tainting my power and it's main concern is not keeping me looking young, it's getting the silver out so that must be it. I hope."

Evelyn laughed again, "Well at least I don't have to worry about my best friend snogging my grandad anymore... for a while."

"That was a mistake, I just lost control of myself," he defended.

"That's what..."

He raised his finger to silence her, "Uh."

"He..."

"Uh!"

"Fine."

Caine nodded and lowered his finger, "Good. Now excuse me I'm going to get dressed."