Her Strength

Victim

Are shifters . . . comparable to vampire’s in strength?

    In the books I’d read, werewolves were normally enemies with vampires.  Two strong beings, always at war, keeping each other in check—but those were works of fantasy and Kai bore no visible chains.

    Though, perhaps that doesn’t matter.

    After all, Xavier hadn’t tied me up either.

    Paola had left with a huff to eat her salad elsewhere.  She’d made an entire lasagna and opted for salad.  Kai hardly seemed to notice her absence but I recognized the opportunity being presented here.  A chance at a conversation with a . . . jaguar.

    “How much is he paying you?” I asked.

    That had to be it, right?  He was under the employment of the Rosario family.

    A contractor of some sort, probably.

    That would make perfect sense.  Obviously Xavier had an abundance of wealth to share.

    Kai didn’t respond, eating in silence.

    He definitely heard me.

    “Are you deaf?  I thought cats had heightened hearing,” I pressed.

    The man didn’t so much as flinch at the jab.

    Unabashed by my questioning.

    “Kai,” I called, agitated.  He was outright ignoring me.

    The scrape of his fork against the plate, chewing.

    “Kai!”  Louder, obnoxious.

    No reaction.

    I was quickly getting agitated.

    He was shamelessly ignoring me.

    Couldn’t he at least shush me?  Even that would be something at least.

    “Hm,” I muttered, deciding to go about getting his attention another way, “he doesn’t seem to respond to Kai.  Maybe his name really is Grande Gatto.”

    He turned now, eyes narrowed as he glared at me across the way.

    Well, that worked, I guess.

    “Oh, so the house cat has ears,” I jibed.

    A growl, I watched as his eyes shifted to yellow with that wide black pupil.

    His temper was showing.

    “Is he your owner?” I wondered, c*****g my head to the side.  “I don’t see a collar.”

    “Mind your business,” Kai said, gritting his teeth.  I don’t know what he did to calm himself but his eyes snapped back to blue.  “You should eat.  Xavier will be upset that you didn’t.”

    “Good,” was my automatic retort.

    Kai chuckled.  “Better yet, maybe I should call Luca.”

    “Luca’s much kinder than Xavier,” I commented, confused by the way Kai had brought him up.  Almost like he thought the smaller brother might be more of a threat.

    “Sure.”  Kai sounded amused.

    Sure, he says.  I narrowed my eyes.  “I can’t eat.”

    “Hm?”

    “I can’t eat this,” I said, gesturing to the food.  “Or drink this."  I poked the wine glass.

    “That’s freshly made.  With the brother’s blood.”  Kai tsked with disgust.  “They know well enough what a pregnant woman needs—”

    “This has Xavier’s blood in it?”

    “And Lucas’,” Kai nodded.  “They’re donating it to keep you healthy.”

    That seemed . . . excessive.  Wrong, somehow.

    I lifted the wine, sniffing it.

    It’s not . . . right.

    Doesn’t smell right at all.

    My stomach churned painfully.

    “I need Cronan,” I breathed, pursing my lips.  “My link—”

    “You’re linked?” he wondered.  “That would make sense.  He just manipulated you into giving him an heir, huh?  Just like his father—”

    “What do you know about him?” It came out biting but . . . curious.  This is someone from Cronan’s world, someone who knows the history of the Thanisius family.  I’d heard a bit of it but not nearly enough.

    “Ezekial Thanisius is a monster,” Kai said, shoving more food in his mouth.

    I’d known that.  Cronan had said as much.

    “The world would be better off if it were purged of the Thanisius bloodline,” Kai said with finality, eyes shifting toward me, gaze honing in on my stomach pointedly.

    My hand shifted over my belly protectively, my eyes narrowing.

    “But the bastards just keep breeding,” he scrunched his nose with disgust, glancing back down at his food.  “At least there will be one less Thanisius to terrorize humanity.”

    Wait—

    I swallowed, realizing what that might mean.

    What their plans were for my child.

    Is that . . . why Xavier bought me?

    One less Thanisius?

    The churning in my stomach became worse, bile quickly rising up my throat.

    I couldn’t do much, couldn’t move fast enough—standing up, I managed to catch the stool before me, bending forward as I vomited on the floor.

    A groan.

    Then, “Paola!”  Gagging noises coming from somewhere behind me, sounds of disgust.  “Paola!  Come quick!”  Kai was already running out of the room as I wiped at my face, probably about to lose his dinner too.  I’d just found the jaguar’s weakness, I guess.

    A soft creak in the floor caught my attention and, glancing up, I found myself looking at a young girl.  Long, black curly hair, her caramel eyes impassive as she looked me over.

    Straightening, I wondered why she looked . . . familiar.

    Something about her face.

    Those eyes.

    Turning abruptly, she walked away as Paola re-entered the kitchen, abruptly tugging at me, sending me back to my room so she could “clean this mess up”.  Teary eyed, exhausted, I wondered off in that direction, noticing the rumble of my stomach.  Loud, painful.

    The hunger.

    It’s just getting worse.

. . .

I wandered through the house in search for the girl but I didn’t find her.

    Something about her—I was certain she looked familiar but I couldn’t place how.  From where.

    She’s here with Xavier.

    His sister, maybe?

    She does have that black, curly hair.

    I just wanted to know who she was, I guess.

    If she was a captive like me.

    “Where are you going?”

    I’d wandered to the back door, facing the cliff.

    It was Kai, standing behind me, looking annoyed.

    “Oh, it’s not ignoring me anymore,” I said wryly, giving him a challenging look.

    He tsked, clearly annoyed.

    When I opened the door, he growled low.  A warning.

    “I can’t go for a walk outside?” I wondered.

    He narrowed his eyes, silent.

    Stepping outside of the house, I continued walking and he trailed behind, following.

    “You’re like a guard dog,” I muttered.

    Another growl.

    “Or guard cat.  Are there guard cats?”

    I didn’t have to look at him to know Kai was rolling his eyes.

    I walked for out toward the cliff, taking in the view.

    Kai growled a few feet from the edge and I got the gist that he was worried I might try to jump or something.  Glancing back at him, I wondered why that would be.  He’s meant to keep me here, guard me, but hadn’t he said something about ending the Thanisius line?  Didn’t he mean me harm?

    Wouldn't my death be beneficial to him?

    Running my palm over my belly, I went another direction now, toward the dense forests lining the field we were in at the opposite side.

    “Aren’t you tired?  You were just sick?”

    “I like to walk.”  It wasn’t a lie, really.  But I was tired.

    Tired and hungry.

    My stomach kept rumbling, hurting.

    “Just eat,” Kai huffed.  “I can hear your stomach talk—”

    I froze and he stopped abruptly behind me.

    Turning, I gave him a wide eyed stare, quickly pressing my hand over my mouth.

    The fear that flashed across the boy’s face as I bent at the waist made me smirk behind my hand.  He took an automatic step backwards, horrified, and I giggled into my palm, still bent there.

    “What the hell?” he muttered.

    Straightening, I smiled at him.  “The look on your face.”

    Horror to pure outrage, he looked so mad but that just made it funnier.

    Turning my back to him, I kept walking, humming as I went.

    “That was a shitty thing to do,” Kai muttered.

    “You’re one to talk.  Guarding a captive so they can’t escape.”

    Kai huffed.  “If you were smart, you’d understand that this is a blessing.”

    Turning abruptly, I was in his face in a moment.  “A blessing?”  It came out in a hiss and his eyes widened for a moment, probably taking in the change that mine had undergone.  Ember.  Gold.  “You think being uprooted and dragged to God only knows where to be surrounded by strange men with bad intentions is a blessing?  I’m starving,” I hissed, grabbing the front of his shirt.  I don’t know how I’d switched subjects so fast.  I just couldn’t focus on anything else.  My stomach was killing me.  “I’m so hungry—”

    “He told me,” Kai whispered.  “I couldn’t believe it.”

    I glared at him, angry, frustrated—and saw awe in his expression.

    Pressing his hand over mine, he bowed his head and it . . . it was a motion of respect, right?

    Dropping his shirt, jerking my hand away from his, I stumbled a step backwards, confused.  “Why are you doing this?”

    Dropping to a knee, he pressed his fist over his heart and I . . . I’d seen this before.  Zech had hit a similar pose in my bedroom the first time I’d met him.

    “I don’t understand,” I whimpered, feeling that rage well up within me.

    I was so angry.

    Frustrated.

    And so f*****g hungry.

    Hangry.

    “Take me to Zech,” I hissed. My tone was deeper.  Volatile.

    She was taking over, I realized.  My other self.

    I needed Zech.  I needed him to calm me down.

    To help me.

    Kai’s head snapped up, his eyes wide.

    A command.  Had I just given him a command?

    I’d forgotten I could do that.  Forgotten my own abilities.

    A victim.

    Standing in this house, trying to figure out what was happening—I don’t make a good victim.

    Not anymore.

    I can’t keep bending to the will of others.

    Not even if it meant facing a jaguar head on.

    Kai hesitated, motionless.

    Do commands even work on shifters?

    Impatient with his lack of response, I felt my temper spike.  The noise I made was inhuman, threatening--Kai visibly flinched.  Hadn't he also flinched when I'd given the command?  So he can feel it.  Even if he wasn't obeying, he could still feel the weight.  I could make it heavier.

    When I caught him by the shirt, lifting him upward as if he weighed nothing, I could see the fear in his expression.  The shock.  “You will take me to Zechariah.  Right.  Now.”

    More weight.

    I pressed down my will upon him, demanding.

    A nod, the tick of his jaw.

    He rose to his feet with a sigh before he turned his back to me, walking deeper into the forest.  I hesitated briefly, realizing I wasn't sure that the command had worked.  Following a guy built like Kai out into the wilderness alone . . . but what choice do I have?

    My stomach rumbled again, cramping painfully.

    Zech.

    Gritting my teeth against the discomfort, all I knew was that he was close.

    And I needed his help.