Stiles snorted from the obvious Thor reference, his smile widening. "God, I love it so much that you are a huge geek like me..." he sighed dreamily, drinking in the details of Derek's face for the thousandth time. He couldn't wait for all this to be over and just be able to snuggle his mate for a nice kissing session which might lead to more or to sleep. Either option was something Stiles would be very happy with at this point. He might be buzzing with energy to get this hunt going, but they were both kinda in a constant state of mental (and sometimes physical) exhaustion. It had to end and Stiles had to finally focus on taking better care of himself too. He didn't want Derek to marry a skeleton. Okay, that was quite the exaggeration but yeah...

"Otherwise great job. You'd make a fine detective," Stiles said as he teasingly bumped his shoulder against the wolf's and leaned closer to the screen to study the layout of the land and review the pictures. "There are a few good areas to hide until we find the right cabin. Your sensitive nose will come handy again in that. Dunno if you'll be able to catch his smell, but maybe I get lucky with the traces of magic. I should be able to pick up on that now that I know how it feels. And if there are protective wards set up then that'll be a big clue too that we are at the right place," he mused, absently putting a hand on Derek's thigh to rub it reassuringly.

As much as he didn't doubt how well his nose worked, Derek wasn't going to count on it. "It wasn't working when he was skulking around and watching us so he probably hid his scent." All this time when Stiles had felt watched and there had been reports of a wolf around Beacon Hills, Derek had not once caught on the alpha, not by scent and not by tracks. Zepar knew well how to keep hiding himself, even from a born wolf. It would be useful if Derek could, but he was counting on it being a no.

And if Stiles couldn't sense the magic either, it wouldn't take too long to find the right cabin since there were only a handful of them. If their supernatural senses weren't working, then they were going to have to do it the old fashioned human way. Like the detective Stiles said he'd make. Because he'd make a terrible detective, it made him snort. Derek Hale wouldn't be able to deal with all the rules of law enforcement. He'd get himself fired within the year probably.

"We'll use our eyes and ears and we'll find him. Not worried about that." Nope. It was the fight he was concerned with, they had trained, they were prepared, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. Stiles could get seriously hurt.

"Stop worrying so much about me," Stiles rolled his eyes and glimpsed up from the screen, hand squeezing Derek's thigh again. Obviously Derek couldn't hide his feelings and Stiles was able to subconsciously pick up on fragments of his thoughts because they were perfectly balanced and very tuned on each other now. In the last few days they made sure to make that happen and maintain this state. "I'll be fine. I'd like it better if you worried a bit more about your own well-being and don't let these worries hold you back during the fight. We can both protect ourselves and each other now. We both know that the runes work and will be able to protect you if needed," he said with a serious yet calm expression. Yes, Stiles believed in their success because they both wanted it.

"Intention is very important to a pair like us. After all, you are bound to a druid whose magic mostly operates on that. A fight is probably inevitable, but if there's a chance, try not to kill him too fast. We need to extract information from him. After all, he's just a pawn. We need to deal with the source to put a stop on their intrusion and stupid tests."

Derek wasn't worried about himself because he was a good fighter, had excellent healing and was also protected by the wards now. As long as he was able to concentrate on it. It wasn't foul proof and in a way it made sense, it would make them too powerful if there was no way to defeat them. Stiles, with all his magic, was still very much human and he could get drained with what they were planning to do.

"You worry about me and I worry about you, the circle completed." It was a light tease, and he closed the laptop, they weren't going to need that.

"I don't want to kill Zepar, but that's up to him in the end." Want and have to were two completely different things. Derek wasn't a killer but he was aware that he was going to have to end lives to protect others. Something he had always done, and always regretted. The Hale would do what was needed, no matter how he personally felt about it, because the greater good was more important. So if Zepar forced their hand, then yeah, ending his life was a possibility. "Werewolves are getting too rare to let such an old alpha die." Bitten wolves weren't extinct, plenty of those around but born ones? Older born ones? There were so few these days, few enough for Derek to be considered special, same as Zepar, but Derek was a youngster compared to him. A kid when it came to age.

Their knowledge was of importance, same as Satomi's had been. And the more born wolves there were, the less hunted Derek would become.

"I agree. If we can avoid killing him then we should," Stiles agreed. He knew about how rare born wolves have become and he wasn't really fond of the idea of killing others in general, especially if it was someone from such a now rare breed.

He leaned in to press a soft kiss against Derek's lips then sighed and got up. "Okay, so we are pretty much going to improvise once on the site. We get there, try to locate Zepar then corner and incapacitate him," he said as he uncorked the bottles. "These will give us like three hours to cover our scents. It'll give us plenty of time to find him. Then once he is unable to fight us, we'll interrogate him. Hopefully," he said and raised his small glass bottle as if a cheer and downed its content.

"I'm gonna get my bat and gun and then we can go," he announced as he put the empty bottle down, making some faces from the taste then went to retreat said items. He tucked the gun behind his back and picked up the bat, swinging it in the air once. Obviously familiar with its weight and dimensions. "Ready when you are."

"Can you at least learn to make these potions drinkable?" Derek's face said how much he didn't enjoy the taste of this latest concoction. None of the potions so far had been pleasant to drink. But maybe a hint of vanilla would influence the potion so nothing else could be used. Which was a shame, since all the potions were a contender for vilest drink ever made. It was worse for a werewolf with how even their taste was heightened. It was useful if Derek wanted to identify an ingredient in a recipe but since he wasn't a gourmet chef, that useful was rare. Often it made food unappealing though he had learned to deal with it and not be as picky an eater as he had been.

Putting the empty bottles in the sink, Derek grabbed the car keys and that was it, he didn't need more. His phone was tucked in his jeans, on silent, which reminded him. "Set your phone on silent when we're in the car, so we don't get made because it rings." Yeah, he remembered when he had been teaching Scott how to be a werewolf, that the teen had given away his hiding place thanks to Allison calling him. And he had smashed the phone in retaliation. Scott's head had always been too distracted with the one he had been in love with. It had bugged the Hale back then but now... he was pretty much the same way. Terrible!

He had grabbed the keys of the jeep, it was made for rough terrain and the cabins were in the more hill side of the outskirts of the town. Not even counting as the town anymore, but still the county of Beacon Hills.

"I already put it on silent before coming downstairs," Stiles grinned a bit proud of himself as he followed Derek to the elevator and got in to push the button. As it started moving downstairs with them, he hummed, starting to feel the potion working in his system. "And sorry that most of the potions don’t taste too good. I know it's a bummer, but some cannot be modified cuz they'd influence the effect they might have on the drinker. Though the healing ones aren't so bad tasting, I think," he shrugged while fidgeting a bit.

"This one should be working for you too by now. How do you feel? Can you smell me? You should be able to sense me because we are connected by our bonds and magic, so that shouldn't be affected in our case," he explained and waited for Derek to check just as the elevator reached the ground floor and the door slid open.

Trying out new brews and potions and studying their effects on a werewolf was always fascinating for Stiles. A study in itself. He was so intrigued and fidgety this time too that he didn't even demand for the keys of Roscoe. He had let Derek drive it and even replace parts of it, so now it wasn't such a death trap anymore. It was made for his and Beth's safety and that was the only reason why he had let Derek do that first in secret, but once it turned out, Stiles gave in and let his man have this so it'd put his mind at ease and stop him from constantly grumbling out things like 'this car is held together mostly by duct tape' and such.

It was clear when the potion started working because there were no longer personal scents. It wasn't that Derek didn't smell anything, but there were no Stiles' scents, no Derek scents. And that's what he hated about scent blockers. Scent was what made a person who he was and even the chemo signals were gone. He didn't need those for Stiles, the bond helped. But he still wrinkled his nose, because it was so offensive to not smell his mate when he was standing right next to him.

"I feel fine. But I don't like it," the Hale mumbled as they got into the Jeep which still reeked of them at least. That eased off the discomfort which was mostly in his head, he knew. His scent wasn't gone, it shouldn't be a big deal but he relied on his olfactory receptors so he was allowed some huffing and grumbling! There was a glance at Stiles for letting him drive the Jeep. Usually he was shoved out of the way with flailing limbs and dramatic speeches. "It's not like you've taken a shower. It's like... you're not you." It wasn't an absence due to the bond but that was the best word for it, there was an absence.

The engine of the Jeep purred to life, of course it did now that it wasn't duct-taped together. It had working parts and everything had been cleaned. It was still a piece of crap but it was a safe piece of crap now.

Rolling his eyes, Stiles smiled and bumped his shoulder against Derek's before he went around the Jeep and sat into the passenger's seat. "I know you don't like it, I can feel that through our bonds. But it means it's working. Our scents are still there but cloaked for everyone. But you'll smell everything else. It'll last for around those few hours," he said, strapping himself in after leaning the bat against the door by his leg.

Of course he had caught that surprised glimpse at him and now it was his time to look at Derek with some explanation. "Yes, usually I'd throw a fit if you attempted to drive Roscoe, but this time I'll need to focus on trying to sense the faint trails of magic left behind by Zepar. I want to try and see if I can do that during the drive and not just around the cabins. I read up on this last night too," he ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed.

"Alright, let's do this shit..." he prompted Derek to start driving. Stiles would've lied if he said he wasn't somewhat worried and uneasy about this, but it was better if they did a surprise attack than Zepar and his little friends springing another one on them. "You'll also have to lose the hooded guys in case they are watching us and try to tail us. I don't want them to alert Zepar."

The Camaro would have been so much easier to use when speeding but it was the kind of car that would draw attention while this old Jeep was overlooked easier. Though he did still think they should have a third car, one that was the most popular model in the area so their cars wouldn't give them away. To the locals in town, blue Wrangler meant Stiles, black Camaro meant Derek. Also, they were still getting used to the two switching it up these days since Stiles drove his car just as much. As a detective, Stiles didn't need to use a patrol car but since Noah had asked him to wear a uniform as often as possible, the human wasn't going to turn down the chance to use the benefits of that.

"I know, we'll have to take some detours, maybe paint the car a different color." The last part was a joke. Derek knew a few places so as he sped off, and using some back roads, he parked the car quickly in a carwash, hoping the time it took to get the car clean, was time they weren't going to look around anymore. And if they did, well, then he had other ways to shake them.

"See, we're painting the car from muddy brown to blue again." He'd be glad this was all done, shaking tails all the time, being watched, fearing for their lives... sure it was the same old. But that was part of the problem, he didn't want the same old. He wanted something new, if only for a couple of weeks.

"Oh ha-ha! Very clever!" Stiles snorted, giving Derek another eye-roll while they waited for the washing to be finished. "You think we lost them?" he asked, concentrating and closing his slightly glowing eyes. "I could try a cloaking spell, but I haven't used it before so not sure it would work," he murmured, drumming his long fingers on the dashboard, one of his legs moving restlessly.

They had to succeed tonight and were losing precious time with trying to shake their tail. "I don't feel watched at the moment or feel anyone from them nearby. But it might not hurt to try?" he suggested, opening his eyes to look at his mate questioningly.

It was hard to sense a tail werewolf style, and he often felt watched so that wasn't going to be helping either. Like Stiles, Derek didn't want to take any chances and have Zepar warned. Or worse, get help from the same group which had skewered the alpha to the Nemeton. Drugged sure, but Derek still didn't want to fight humans if he could avoid it, because they were too breakable, too easily hurt in a way that would have lasting consequences. Sure, they made their decision and if it came down to it, if it was killed or be killed, they'd be killed. Avoiding that would be better though.

"Save your energy, you're going to need everything you've got." No, he wasn't too comfortable with a spell which hadn't been trained yet. Especially a cloaking spell. They were going to have to see about doing that soon and start with small objects instead of an entire car with them in it. "I know how to shake a tail, Stiles." The restless energy radiating from the Spark made sense, there was a time table here and in the dark wouldn't be good for Stiles who didn't have eyes to see in the night.

There were still options even outside town so he checked what cars were following them as they drove to the city limits. It was pretty easy, no cars at all. That solved that problem. Derek knew that if he had driven around town again, they might get spotted, so it looked like he had made the right call.

For once Stiles didn't argue and it just showed how tense he really was about this. He didn't like to fight, but he had plenty of experience and now combat techniques too. The human way and the magical way as well. And he was known to fight for what he believed in and loved or wanted to protect. Their family and the town belonged in these categories and Derek knew Stiles would kill for them if forced. Maybe even with less reservations or hesitance than the born werewolf. It was not in the human's nature to be cruel, but he could be like that if there was no other choice. He had killed before, each time forced, but this was about survival. And obviously he wanted them to come out of this alive if Zepar wasn't going to cooperate.

"You should stop the car soon so we won't alert him and can continue on foot," he said as they were getting closer. "Maybe try to hide the Jeep behind some bushes or something so it won't draw attention," he murmured as he stared into the dark trees for a long moment. Then he lifted a hand in front of his eyes, letting his palm slightly glow as he whispered some Gaelic words and once he opened his glowing eyes, he sighed satisfied. "Much better. Now I can see in the dark like you do," he beamed, blinking a few times. While Derek saw things in a reddish hue with his alpha eyes, Stiles could now do that in amber. "Wow, this trick is awesome. Maybe I won't be as clumsy like this as usual..."

The fact that it was getting dark didn't sit too well with the werewolf. Not because they couldn't see in the dark, as Stiles proved when he turned his own 'alpha' eyes on. It was more because Stiles' magic was going to be a large fire-like image and it was going to be seen by others in the dark. On the other hand, if Zepar had even entertained the thought of getting attacked by them once, he wouldn't expect them to do so in the dark.

"Yes, because you're not clumsy during the day," Derek mentioned with a dry tone as he parked the car to the side, clipping some bushes. Because he had been told to hide it and he wasn't going to manually hide it in case they had to rush out of here. Getting out of the car, he didn't bring anything, didn't need to. All his weapons were part of him. Throwing the car keys over to Stiles, since he was least likely to lose them, Derek glanced around. The cabins in the distance weren't hard to miss, they all had a lantern glowing brightly. Probably done by the owner to make it easier for the tourists to find them.

No Zepar in the air, nor had Derek expected that to happen. Maybe if they got closer but if the man was smart, and he was, he would keep himself hidden for as long as he was on this 'mission' of his.

"So rude..." Stiles huffed as he pocketed the keys once he was out of the Jeep too and picked up his bat, tapping it against the palm of his other hand. "Maybe I should spank you with this some time for being so mean to me," he joked halfheartedly, but he was already more focused on their task and environment, letting some of his magic go to map out their surroundings. And in hopes that he'd pick up on trances of the magic that clung to Zepar. Probably some wards too, which he'd be careful not to set off.

"Promises," Derek said to being spanked by the bat, not taking the threat seriously at all. The rest of what they were doing he took very serious, knowing they had to keep their voices low and talk as little as possible. Stiles could read him like a book, no words needed.

Stiles chuckled softly then lowering his voice, he caught up with Derek and stopped by a tree, taking a deep breath. "Give me a sec to feel around a bit," he murmured barely audible even for wolf-ears. With that he closed his eyes, not really wanting to rely on them at first, and concentrated on the forest and its vibes. He could soon sense the lay lines that were crossing the territory not far. Their constant deep humming a familiar sound by now. When he had first heard it, he was baffled and a bit freaked out, but it was a useful practice with Deaton to detect and recognize that kind of energy too. Maybe they might become useful in the future in case of an emergency.

But now he let that low humming melt into the background. The magic spread out on the ground like a barely visible amber fog, sweeping through a wide chunk of the ground and heading towards the cabins. At first he didn't find or felt anything that'd tip them off where to head, but then the magic slowed and stopped further up ahead by a tree.

"There's a tree up ahead with a rune carved in its trunk. We have to get closer so I can determine what it does," he informed Derek with still closed eyes, but his free hand pointed out the right direction. "It's probably some kind of a ward to repel humans or something."

The wolf eyed the tree and nodded. There was no cabin close by, it wasn't like they would be noticed and if they were, the other person was most likely going to run the other way when being faced by two pairs of glowing eyes.

For him, it was hard to smell the magic, Stiles' magic was similar to what Zepar used, and he couldn't keep the two apart since magic in general had a distinct smell to it. The sense of something evil or good came from the chemo signals they gave, and not the way their magic smelled. "I can see the mark, but go ahead, it's safe."

Derek was fine with Stiles doing his thing when there were other senses to use instead of his own. He adapted to whatever the situation required though if they ever got to where he had to use a gun because of a lack of werewolf powers, then they'd have a big problem.

"Maybe I should teach you about the runes and their basic meanings too just in case it might come handy in the future," Stiles whispered already sneaking closer, surprisingly quietly. It seemed his training paid off. Making sure that his bat was ready just in case, he kept his glowing eyes on their surroundings. That spell he did on himself earlier deemed to be useful for sure, because he could see much better and noticed whenever something moved in the light breeze or scattered away from him between the grass. But other than a few small animals, nothing else moved ahead.

Reaching the tree, he lifted a hand to hover his palm over the rune and he squinted his glowing eyes as he concentrated for a short while, his eyes following and invisible line. Then he waved for Derek with the bat to come closer.

"It's a similar cloaking rune I've mentioned in the car. But this is on a bigger scale. It stretches around this and that cluster of trees over there," he explained once Derek was next to him and tipped his chin towards said trees. It confused him for a moment and he looked around again, counting the cabins around. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket to pull up the picture he snapped from the area. "Just as I suspected. There should be a sixth cabin in this area, but I counted only five that way," he nodded in the opposite direction. "I think this is it. He's hiding that cabin with magic. Which is a clever move. I can feel a human-repellent type of spell too to keep everyone away," he quietly explained, sliding his phone back into his pocket and lifted his hand over the rune again, chewing on his bottom lip.

"I could break it without much difficulty, but that'd alert him. And I think he's here. It's the same kind of magic from earlier. I can try to... make a rift in the ward where we can slide through the ward undetected. And keeping it up would be better too to hide a possible fight from anyone who might be around."

Breaking it would be like sounding the alarm and they'd lose all the advantage they had right now. Yes, it was a smart move to hide a cabin even though they knew there were six cabins there. They wouldn't know exactly where it was and hiding it was a good way to fool even the owner. "You know what all of this tells me if he's so prepared? He's done this before to others." Who knows how many others had been tested without being told, and proven to be too much of a threat to let live. Sure, Zepar was the messenger but did he have to take so much pleasure in it? Did he have to be so prepared?

"Rift sounds best." It would be hard entering a house they couldn't see, if they'd even get through the barrier since it was set up the way it was. Of course it wouldn't be easy to even reach the other alpha though this barrier did make him realize that they didn't have to worry about others seeing the magic in the darkness of the evening. Whatever happened beyond here, they would not be a witness to it. They had free reign until they were, possibly, forced to take his life. All the magic would end then.

"Your magic does attract attention so this is actually a good thing."

"Yeah... It definitely isn't his first rodeo..." Stiles whispered back, his jaw tightening. He knew his life has been at risk ever since this alpha waltzed into their lives, but it just dawned on him how serious the situation was now before – hopefully – the showdown. He straightened up, turning to his mate as he swallowed hard.

He wasn't scared for or worried about himself that much, though. He was more concerned about his mate's safety. He had nearly lost Derek twice recently. So he concentrated on gathering all his belief that his wolf was going to be protected and safe tonight. And with that he stepped into his space to pull him into a kiss, some of his magic passing through their mouths into the other man, like some extra protection.

"Don't play the hero. Stay safe and in one piece for me, will ya?" he murmured onto the tingling lips then pecked them once more, forcing his hands to loosen around Derek's shirt so he could pull back.

Some promises couldn't be made, and he didn't want to be a liar so Derek didn't say anything to Stiles asking him not to be a hero. He'd always, always jump in front of Stiles if it came down to it because when it came to the fighting, to the healing part, he was the one capable of the impossible. He could die, obviously since he had gotten close to it again, but the chances of him healing in some way were bigger instead of Stiles getting clawed open. Most alphas would hide behind their betas, not Derek. He would always get in front and put himself on the line so others had the chance to sneak attack. It was his strength, his endurance.

"I don't think either one of us is going to be in one piece after this fight but we'll heal." And that was a promise he could make, muttered against those lips. They both knew this was dangerous, however it was the one chance they could take and have some upper hand in this situation. If Zepar and his friends were going to be the ones to find them again, the Hale wasn't sure what they'd do to him next. After impalement and disembowelment, it left many options open, not ones he was eager to find out.

"Alright, let's get over this..." he turned his back on Derek and let his magic loose, holding his hands out in front of him, his open palms pressed together, the magic concentrating in them, making his skin light up in the usual amber color, the glowing veins running up to his elbows.

The wind slightly picked up as he began chanting with closed eyes, his hands not moving for now. In his mind Stiles tried to map out the edges of the ward, trying to find the weakest point where he could open the rift for them to slip through.

"There... Follow me and when I tell you, step through the barrier right in front of me. I won't hold the rift open for longer than necessary," he instructed and started walking down along the straight invisible line of the barrier, palms still pressed together to build up more of his power in them.

Then he soon slowed down and stopped, murmuring 'this is the spot' more to himself than to Derek. Facing it, he took a few deep breaths. "Get ready..." And with that, he began another Gaelic spell, repeating it over and over as he carefully let his magic flow out of his hands, making contact with the barrier his eyes could see now. He knew he had to be careful not to trigger the ward, but it wasn't impossible. And when he felt the magical fabric give way, he used that and made a 'tear' in it, wide enough for them to slip through.

"Now, Derek!"

Derek slipped through the rift, having the urge to duck even though he couldn't see the hole and had to rely fully on Stiles' hand pushing him where to go. Good thing he had been blind before, because besides Braille he had learned how to work with Stiles' guidance to move him around. On the 'other' side of the barrier, Derek waited for his mate to slip through as the magic sealed back up with a shimmer of energy. They had to keep their voices down from now on, not talk at all preferably.

It was show time.

Next part

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