Her Strength

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Third Person’s POV

Kai was used to dealing with Pureblood vampires.

    He’d even become used to dealing with young maidens in distress after the emergence of Emelie into his life but this?  He wasn’t prepared for this at all.

    Creatures of legends.

    Sent straight from the deities.

    He’d felt the command—even with the enchanted bracelet Yuni, the northern faerie, had bestowed upon him.  The elves had explained that once it was placed upon his body, it would take a month to be “absorbed” and he hadn’t known what that meant before but now, discretely glancing down at his wrist where nothing but a shimmering white, spiked tattoo encircled his wrist, he wondered how he’d still felt the command from this creature.

    And the weight of it.

    Upon his shoulder, driving him downward.

    It was so intense, his body had gone into shock.

    Motionless, speech lost—he’d felt as if he were being suffocated for that time.

    And the temperamental being seemed to have misunderstood his lack of motion.  His inability to immediately follow such an intense command.

    It had been years since he’d felt one.

    The bracelet had been successful for so long, leaving him immune to the will of others.

    Until now.

    His steps were steady, leading them through the thick brush and she was humming.  It was a haunting sound, one of clear impatience.  Glancing back, he watched as she kept breaking twigs on trees, marking the trail they walked, and he felt nervous.

    This being could easily kill him.

    The shift in power dynamic had been immediate.  Abrupt.

    Forcing his eyes forward, on the path ahead, he wondered how Xavier had managed to take such a strong, volatile creature captive in the first place.  That’s how she’d presented herself, right?  As a captive.  Trying to jump from a balcony.  Refusing to eat.

    Hunger.

    She’d kept saying how hungry she was.  And her eyes—Would she drain him?  Shifter’s blood isn’t nearly as satisfying as other options.  A mix of human and animal, vampires often called it “muddied”.  Tarnished.  They’d only drink from a shifter out of desperation.

    But this girl—could he call her a girl?—was the epitome of desperate.

    “Just stay calm,” she mumbled softly.

    Kai bit his cheek, trying to do the same thing.  Stay calm.

    His phone was in his pocket but there was no way to access it without alerting her.

    But even Luca Rosario probably couldn’t compete with her.

    It was a long walk of humming and anxiety—when they came upon a cabin, one all too familiar to the shifter, he halted, shoving both his hands in his pocket.  She didn’t hesitate, throwing the door open.  It had been locked, obviously, deadbolted shut it swung open as if it had been completely unlocked, having torn a chunk out of the doorframe like it was nothing.

    Phone.

    Luca’s hand was on the phone now and his fingers set to work as he watched the scene before him unfolding.  The prisoner, chained to the cement wall with large iron shackles, and how quickly the girl had closed the pace between them.  “Vio—” but the man couldn’t finish his sentence since as she sunk her teeth into his neck.  “Tss.”  He grit his teeth, hanging his head, and I’d already texted Luca the letter “X”.  Just the letter X.  That’s code for s**t has hit the fan, the tracker on his phone would be initiated.  Xavier would be in Mexico, playing nice with the “Big Boys” as he mockingly calls them so it would be Luca who would respond which was best because his response time was the fastest.

    Dropping his phone back in his pocket, he waited.

    Watched.

    The poor guy being drained lifted his dark eyes gaze to Kai and the growl that erupted through his chest—it was a clear warning.

    c*****g his head to the side, Kai watched as the woman pulled back, licking her lips, looking almost drunk.  They said nothing but they were looking at each other and their expressions—Kai had seen this before.  Links between two purebloods often include telepathy.

    But Violet isn’t a pureblood.

    And wasn’t her link with Cronan?

    Kai pursed his lips, confused by their behavior but when Violet’s eyes snapped to him, he averted his gaze, playing at minding his own business.

    This wasn’t right.

    The two of them.  The way she’d fed.  The desperation of it.

    If Violet is an elemental, maybe the rules of nature don’t apply to her?

    But if that’s the case, what chance did they have at keeping her here?

. . .

Luca’s phone buzzed and he found himself staring down at the letter “X”.

    Kai would never call an SOS unless he’d completely lost control of the situation.

    Great.

    “What is it, hon?” Talia asked.  She’d felt his shift in demeanor from where she was fussing over our youngest, wiping some peas from his face.

    Luca frowned.  “I have to go.  It’s an emergency.”  Talia looked immediately worried but Luca smiled, already up and moving toward her to give her a kiss on the forehead.  “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

    “I love you,” she reminded him.

    He kissed the kids, giving his youngest a raspberry on his cheek, making him squeal and giggle before kissing Talia once more.  “I love you more.”

    She smiled but there was fear in her eyes.

    He found it ironic that he was there to protect her so she wouldn’t ever have to fear anything again and yet, he always seemed to be the cause of her fear.  Fear for him.  Fear for his safety.

    “I’ll be right back,” he promised again, soothing, before making his way out of the house, hopping into his Range Rover.  He checked the GPS on Kai’s phone, looking at the location, and recognized it.  Was he having problems with the guard?  Lucas couldn’t imagine how since the man had been chained to a goddamn cement wall.  It was strong enough metal to hold a Dragon in place so a solitary Pureblood shouldn’t be an issue.  Throwing the car in gear, hitting the gas hard, he made his way toward the familiar location, dialing his brother.

    Xavier picked up on the third ring.  “What happened?”  Luca wouldn’t call unless something had happened.

    “Kai sent an ‘X’.  He’s at his cabin.  No further information.”

    “That fire eyed girl told us to keep her well fed,” Xavier sighed.  “She must’ve missed her meal.”

    “Do you think she’d kill Kai?” Luca wondered, pursing his lips.

    “No,” Xavier chuckled.  “She won’t kill anyone.”

    “Why are you so certain?”

    “That’s not the point of an elemental.  They’re merely there to protect the weapon.”

    “Oh,” Luca said.  “The child.”

    “As long as Kai poses no threat to the child, he’ll be safe.”

    That . . . changed things then.  “That’s what the . . . uh, Ig—”

    “Igniculus.  Yes, that’s what she told me.”

    Luca pursed her lips.  “Why would she allow you to take her?”

    Xavier sighed.  “You read the contract, right?”

    Luca had.  He’d approved it.  “But how can Igniculus be so sure?”

    “She’s a higher being.  She knew my intentions from the beginning.”

    Ah.  Luca nodded.  “Our intentions align with theirs.”

    “Yes.”  A sigh.  “Now I need you to handle things there. I’m busy here with these tyrants.”

    A chuckle.  Luca was glad he didn’t have to be bothered with that horrid conference.  Pureblood politics always made him irritated.  “Sorry I missed it.”

    Xavier tsked.  “Lucky bastard.”

    Luca chuckled.  “Ciao, little brother.”

    Xavier just huffed childishly, hanging up.

    Luca eased back on the gas a bit, less concerned than he’d originally been.  If what he’d just been told was accurate, this wasn’t as dangerous situation as he’d suspected.