"I want the best on this job. No exceptions."
There was a pause as someone muttered on the other line and Jack's expression turned stormy.
"Did you not hear me? I said no. Fucking. Exceptions." Another pause. "Do you realise how important this is? This is a human child! A fat, giggling sack of blood – in our territory." His fingers drummed on the counter. "I don't bloody care how tied down they are, I want them doing this. Got it? Okay, good." He ran a hand through his loose thatch of red curls. When he spoke, his voice was impenetrable ice. "You make sure she doesn't find out. Jet is my friend, but getting her involved if she doesn't already know is pointless. You see if she knows anything and you tell me. I want it done in three days." He glanced down at his empty plate which had been heaped with raw human meat a few minutes ago and sighed, swiping some excess blood onto the pad of his index finger and pressing it to his tongue.
"Right. Good. I'll be down in three days to reconvene –" a dissatisfied murmur on the other end made his eyebrows knit together, "no, I told you, this business can't be postponed. Not even for a bloodsack like the kid we've got on our hands. I'll be down in three days and no less." He hung up and slipped his battered Blackberry into his pocket, reaching for a packet of chewing gum – when he'd just fed, his mouth always reeked of blood, and he was paranoid that it bothered Arrow, so he masked it with heady peppermint after each meal.
"You're postponing business for three days just to sit around and watch crap movies with me?" Arrow asked from the sofa, concealing his giddy happiness with a quirked eyebrow and amused sarcasm.
"I made you a promise," Jack responded simply, dropping his plate into the sink and padding over to him. Balanced on the sofa's arm was a laptop with the title screen of Peter Pan displayed – Arrow loved the human film company Disney, and it was enough for Jack to see his face light up like a child's when they watched them together. He stood up to let Jack take up his usual position, sitting with his back against the sofa's other arm, facing the laptop. Arrow then dropped into the space between his legs and settled his bare back against Jack's chest. Jack sighed contentedly and laced their fingers together as the half-phoenix boy reached out to press play. His skin was deep bronze, as if he was of Egyptian origin, and his hair was a rich, dark brown, almost black. Beneath thick eyebrows, his warm yellow eyes seemed to spill a soft glow onto the gentle swell of his cheekbones. Jack had decided many years ago that Arrow was the most beautiful creature he'd ever come across, and this hadn't changed. The opening credits bloomed across the screen and Jack's phone buzzed against his thigh; he fished it from his pocket and read the received message.
From: Fang
All is set. Best men on job. Will see you in three days, Chief.
"Turn it off, the movie's started," Arrow playfully complained, flexing his hand to breathe life back into the fire beside them. Jack grumbled something quiet and incoherent into Arrow's hair as he switched it off and breathed in – Arrow smelled of new flames and the trees in summer and a saltwater lake, and he nestled his head into the base of Jack's neck. In one bone-white hand the Wendigo still gripped his phone, but it was turned off for the moment. He knew it wouldn't be long before it was a hive of activity – he'd set his best on this job, and he was certain they would not fail him.