Their Prophecy

Can't

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" her father said, gripping her shoulders tightly, dark eyes roving over her expression, trying to read her. "If this is not what you want, I will refuse," he promised, sincere, and a bit infuriating according to Cronan who had called him a criminal at least ten times in his mind since his arrival.

Violet's eyes moved to her Analise and back to her father. "I don't think there's any other way to keep her safe."

The bounty hunters kept coming.

The elves were up in arms against her.

It was only a matter of time before someone tipped off the circle out of sheer spite, sending them directly to Northern Tribe territory with stories of a little blond girl with inexplicable abilities.

Shaking her head, Violet muttered, "She can't stay here."

Her father pulled her into a tight hug. "I know this feeling," he whispered. "It won't get easier, Violet. You'll always feel like you are missing a piece of yourself."

She knew he was speaking from experience.

She also knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would dote on his granddaughter.

That Analise would be safe under his care.

That this was the right decision.

"Tell her I love her every day for me," Violet whispered.

"We'll visit," Cliff promised.

Analise was in her father's arms, her small hands on Cronan's cheeks, smiling at him in a way that was very familiar to Cliff. Violet had always looked at him in the same way, like he was some kind of superhero. When Cronan saw Cliff looking, the Pureblood kissed the little girls forehead, setting her down onto her feet. As the girl went to say her goodbyes to her uncles, all of whom didn't hesitate to lift her into the air and kiss her little cheeks, Cronan sauntered over to the human that had a knack for pissing him off. "She doesn't like shoes," was all the Pureblood said.

"She'll learn to deal with them," was Cliff's calm response.

"She likes mushrooms," he added wryly.

"We've got cans of them in the cabinet," Cliff shrugged.

Cronan glanced at Violet who offered him a small, sad smile, then back at Cliff. "Will she even listen to you?"

Cliff huffed. "If she knows what's good for her."

Violet giggled at that one and Cronan pursed his lips. "She's safe with you." It was like he was trying to convince himself. If Purebloods weren't able to be sick, Cliff might have thought he had taken on an almost greenish pallor. "I love her," Cronan added, voice rougher than normal. "That's my baby."

"She looks just like you," Cliff admitted.

"She does," Cronan said, nodding. Cliff thought the kid looked almost lost, clearly upset by this pending separation.

"Seems like a good kid," Cliff stated.

"The best," Cronan said, both of them watching as Violet pulled away from her father, moving toward her daughter with open arms, already sobbing before she'd even pulled the girl into her embrace. Clutching his chest, Cronan murmured, "It hurts."

Clapping the kid on the shoulder, Cliff offered him a small smile. "Pain is a good sign kid." Cronan glared at the man, but all the anger subsided as he took in the gentle look in his eyes. "Means you're alive."

Cronan heaved a deep breath, thinking that he'd rather die than cry right now.

As Zechariah climbed into the back of the helicopter, Cliff blinked at the man, frowning deeply. "Why is he here?"

"Oh yeah," Cronan muttered, having forgotten all about mentioning him. "That's Ana's link."

Cliff did a slow blink. "Excuse me?"

. . .

Cliff had agreed to look after his grandbaby, not the big lug seated in the back that hadn't said a single word since he'd made his appearance. Almost brooding in the back, eyes focused out the window, unbothered by the aggravation of the human driving the damn helicopter, Cliff had thought about turning the vehicle sideways and chucking the guy clear out the door.

It would be violent, though.

Cliff's eyes flickered to Analise, her face pressed to the window, gazing with awe over the landscape, and sighed.

He couldn't very well dispose of the extra weight without her noticing and she shouldn't see something like that.

So, stiffly, barely able to veil his irritation, Cliff followed the same route back to Pennsylvania, landing in the exact same spot he'd stolen the vehicle from two days ago. Unlike during his initial ascent, no guns were pointed at them during their descent. Still, many men had surrounded the vehicle, gazing up at it warily. "Are they friendlies?" the man finally decided to speak up from the back. His voice had a deep timber and, if he thought the men were a threat, he didn't look the least bit concerned for their well-being. Cliff knew enough to understand why.

"Yes," Cliff stated.

The man gave a slight nod, exiting the helicopter with ease.

The men took a few steps away from the helicopter, gazing at the newcomer nervously. Zech hardly glanced in their direction as he unbuckled Analise who was sleeping, gently taking her into his arms. Cliff frowned at the motion, noticing how careful the man was with her, how practiced the movements were.

It was apparent the man was used to holding her.

Cliff wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Hopping out of the chopper, he straightened, noticing how pale a few of the men had gone, their hands hesitating at their guns. It was safe to assume they remembered their last encounter with him. That was good, Cliff thought, making his way around the helicopter, gesturing for Zechariah to follow him. Nobody would dare to cause any trouble then.

"Are you sure they're friendlies?" the man asked, eyes flickering over all of the men still watching them anxiously.

"They'll behave," Cliff said vaguely, quickly exiting the fenced in area. He'd parked his truck a few miles out in the woods, just off a trail he knew far too well. When they climbed in, Cliff noticed that the man strapped the child in securely before taking his place in the passenger seat, not bothering with his own restraint. "Click it or ticket," Cliff muttered. "It's the law."

The man gave Cliff a wry look but pulled the strap into place without arguing.

Cliff didn't like that. He was hoping for a fight. "Why are you here?" he pressed, putting his truck in gear.

"Security." The way he said it was vague.

Steering back onto the trail, he was careful not to hit bumps too hard since the little one in the back was sleeping. "For whom?" There was no doubt that it was a verbal jab. "The last I heard, they put me in charge of her protection." The man gave him a dirty look and Cliff grimaced, decidedly adding salt to the wound. "What is your body count again?"

The man looked at him with a knowing gaze. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Cliff tsked, pulling off of the rickety gravel road onto freshly laid asphalt. "How did you manage to link with my Ana?"

"It wasn't intentional," was the man's coarse statement.

"Feel free to leave at any time," was Cliff's harsh rebuke.

"I can't." The man rested his chin on his hand, gazing blankly out the passenger window.

"I'm telling you that you can."

"And I'm telling you that I can't." Stubborn as a bull, the man seemed unbothered by how quickly Cliff's head had whipped to the side, now openly glaring at him. "She needs my blood."

"She feeds on essence," Cliff corrected.

"And her link's blood," he stated blankly. "She will starve without me."

The silence was long, drawn out.

"She will go on a hunger rampage without me."

Cliff's grip on the wheel tightened.

"Without me, she'll destroy everything."

When he hit his break on the empty road, Cliff turned to glare at the man who merely sighed, giving him what could only be described as a look of sheer exhaustion. He'd never known a vampire to achieve any level of exhaustion.

"Whether you like it or not," the man said, voice drawl and unapologetic, "I'm here to stay."

The two men stared at each other for a long, aggravating moment.

To Cliff's great irritation, the man hadn't so much as blinked during this confrontation. Nothing he'd said was a lie.

The big lug wasn't going anywhere, then.

Couldn't.

Cliff felt certain that he was here begrudgingly, that if what he'd said wasn't the utmost truth, he would have left long ago.

Grinding his teeth, he had a hard time accepting the truth.

Still, there was no use in wasting any more time on a conversation that was pointless.

Turning his attention back to the road, Cliff hit the gas.