Damian's Assassin

"Any kind. Dusty only eats organic shit, and Sofi can't eat at all, so I never get real cookies."

"I made these with Dusty's organic ingredients," she told him.

"Really? They're really good. Maybe it's just because Dusty and Sofi can't cook."

She scooted forward and placed her hands on either side of his face. Her breath caught as his body sucked up her cool energy. Poison lingered in him. Though his body didn't speak of it, she directed her power towards it as well. She withdrew, startled at the vacuuming of her power.

Without the scars, he was a darkly handsome man, his features heavy and masculine. The angles of his face were too sharp for traditional male beauty, but she admitted he was sexy in a dark, sinister way with his low brow, large gold eyes, and angled features.

He crossed to a mirror. He touched his face, tumultuous emotions crossing his face. She neared him, sensing a flood of raw emotion she didn't understand. He dropped his hands to his sides and stared at himself.

"I'm sorry, Darian, maybe I shouldn't have done that," she said, resting her hand on his arm.

"It's good," he said in a strangled voice. "Just didn't expect to see … me … again." He turned around and hugged her hard. "I'll tell Dusty that we're keeping you."

He released her just as quickly and wiped tears from one eye. She looked up at him, touched, as he felt his face again. His hand went to the back of his head, and he grimaced.

"I think Dusty already made that decision," she said. "You're a handsome man, Darian."

"I know. I mean, I am now again. I was ugly as shit for a while."

The effort of healing him had given her a headache. He looked down at her intently.

"I stressed you out," he said with a frown. "I'm sorry, Bianca."

"I'm not stressed," she replied. "I'm happy to help you, and I'm happy you came to visit. It gets lonely here."

He took her arm and led her to the couch, retreating to the kitchen for more cookies, water, and a bottle of painkillers. He ate another cookie in troubled silence.

"Have you met my brother yet?" she asked, wanting to draw him from his thoughts.

"No."

"Jenn said he's at HQ. His name is Jonny if you ever see him."

"I'll look for him," he said.

"He's a little confused."

"So am I. We'll make good friends."

"Are there many Naturals like me?" she asked.

"Yeah, quite a few. Not as many as Guardians, though." He touched his face again then rubbed the back of his head. His words were distracted, his confusion clear. "This is really weird. Sofi said you were special."