Their Prophecy

Gamble

When the big brute stepped out of the elevator with Ana in his arms, he had the audacity to look surprised by Cliff's presence behind the control desk.

Pissed wasn't the right word for what he was feeling as he stood from the seat, making his way around the desk as he approached Zechariah with clear intent. The Pureblood's eyes turned green, the tell-tale sign that he was in a defensive state, but when Cliff gripped his shoulder, offering him a friendly smile, he waited for Zech's tense shoulder to relax before pressing the button on his ring, releasing the hidden needle deep into his flesh.

When Zech stumbled a foot backwards, stunned by the assault, Cliff removed Ana from his grasp, blatantly ignoring the weight of command the man had tried to suppress his will with. Even with the talisman hanging loosely at his neck, Cliff could still feel the weight of it, the wrath. Still, he had his ways to ignore it. If he bit his cheek, the pain was enough of a distraction to get by.

As powerful as the vampires were, humans were just as resourceful.

"What are you?" Zech grit out, clearly shocked that the man was still on his feet.

"Her caretaker," Cliff said coolly, checking the girl for any strange marks.

When the low toned beep went off in the middle of the night, his eyes had opened quickly, aware of what that warning meant. This wasn't Cliff's first rodeo dealing with a special-case child, of course. All of the clothing he'd provided had trackers sewn into them and once she'd exited the sanctuary, it was set to alert him immediately. He'd watched the trackers go far into the woods and had thought the worst of it, contacting a buddy who'd sent drones out to clarify the situation before Cliff, himself, would go.

But what he saw didn't warrant an emergency.

The girl wasn't in danger. She was, however, incredibly bizarre.

Between the emergence of a faerie notorious for excessive hostility toward humans and the Augur who hadn't been seen in months within this area, it was clear that they'd converged for a purpose.

"I told you that I make the rules here," Cliff stated coldly.

The Pureblood touched his shoulder with a grimace. "What did you do to me?"

"It's a microchip. It is designed to burrow deep into your muscles. I don't suggest trying to rip it out." It would be easier to get a broader view of what was happening if the brute most likely to kidnap the girl had a tracker of his own. Especially since Cliff felt certain that the girl wouldn't allow just anyone to take her away. He'd seen all of the camera footage, watching as she knocked many of the refugees unconscious, including a young boy who'd offered to help her escape.

Merciless, unapologetic, and powerful--those were the three words Cronan had used for his daughter.

He'd said it with pride, of course. The more ruthless a creature was, the more proud the vampires were.

Cliff wasn't sure he shared such pride.

Zech grit his teeth but turned abruptly, to leave. Cliff watched him go without a backwards glance and scowled. The man was odd, his behavior nearly as irrational as the girls was. Eve had said that he'd shown up to the room regularly, namely when Ana had mentioned hunger. Now he was taking the girl out on play dates with mystical creatures. Through the drones cameras, Cliff had seen that he'd hardly even conversed with the girl, silently watching from afar, waiting patiently for her to fall into a deep sleep before bringing her back.

Weren't links supposed to be closer?

Was conversation deemed unnecessary for soulmates?

As Cliff walked Ana to her room, he plucked a few leaves from her hair, gently wiping away a smudge of dirt from her cheek.

She was a mess, her little feet filthy.

This was the state that brute had left her in.

When he got to the room she was staying in, he let himself in quietly, relieved to find Eve still fast asleep. Moving to the bathroom, he pulled out a small hand towel, wetting it with warm water, cleaning her dirty hands, gently wiping the muck away from her small toes. Ana hardly budged through the entire ordeal and, when he tucked her in, she smacked her lips, turning to burrow further into the bedding. Aside from the dirt, she was completely unharmed. Healthy.

That, at least, was a relief.

Moving back out of the room, careful to shut the door with a quiet click, he felt unsurprised to find Rizzo standing there, patiently waiting for him to finish up. "There's a reason we don't house Purebloods," he stated calmly. "They're almost impossible to contain." Then, pointedly, he added, "Or restrain." Everything he said was true, of course. They were the apex predator, top of the food chain. It was almost impossible to control them.

It didn't mean Cliff had to like it.

"She's young," was Cliff's careful statement. "We can teach her to be decent."

"Or, just hear me out," he said in a playful tone, "she might just grow to be an average savage, out us to her own kind, and lead to a devastating massacre." He was smiling when he said it but Cliff understood that beneath the facade was a very real warning. Taking a swig of his coffee, he gave a light shrug. "I mean, it could go either way at this point."

Riz was right.

This was a huge risk he was taking, one that could come with a horrible cost.

A risk Cliff was willing to take if it meant keeping the girl safe.

Glancing over at Riz, he looked over his pleasant expression, how unbothered he was by what had occurred just hours ago. He was always cool as a cucumber, willing to joke about the worst situations, letting all of the biggest problems roll down his back. His ability to face adversity without even breaking a sweat was why he was so great at handling cybersecurity, and his incredible IQ was why staying off the grid was even possible considering the size of their operation. Riz was one of Cliff's closest friends and a strong ally for their cause. It would mean trouble if he wasn't on board with Cliff's choices. "Oh don't look at me like that, old friend," Riz chuckled, giving Cliff a reassuring pat on the back, "you know I always did love a good gamble."