by Janelle Peel
She tipped her head to the visible pieces of my ulna and radius. “That’s two bones, without painkillers.”
I clenched my teeth, “Just do it.”
Faster than I thought was possible, she jerked my hand out, straightened the bones, and slapped her other hand over the ragged hole in my arm. The pain hit. A scream began in the back of my throat at the same time as a healing warmth coated the area, instantly providing relief.
I sagged into the bed and watched the white glow of her magic wrap around my entire arm. “God, that feels amazing.”
Sora smiled softly and continued healing me.
A few minutes later the glow stopped. She lifted her hand and inspected my skin.
I lifted my arm and flexed my fingers.
She squealed and clapped her hands, “Good as new!”
My smile turned into a yawn as I tried and failed to thank her.
Standing, she patted my shoulder. “You should rest. If there’s anything left to heal, your body will take care of it while you sleep.” She padded to the door, her silver robe swishing with the movement until she stopped with her hand on the handle, “Should I let Jackson in? He was really worried when he busted in on us.”
My jaw cracked as I yawned again. I rolled over and mumbled, “Whatever.”
Chapter 12
Sora
I closed the door as Jackson flashed toward me from the end of the hall only to slam into Blaze like a brick wall. I sniggered and peeked around a well-muscled bicep, “She’s fine Jackson. Calm down.”
The worry lines slowly relaxed on his forehead and he took a deep breath. “Sorry, I was worried.”
Blaze placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “Have you told her?”
Jackson’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He tipped his head and stared at the carpet, “I don’t know how.”
What? He didn’t know how? Almost a millennia old, and he didn’t know how to talk to a woman? What. The. Fuck. I snapped, “She knows you idiot. Quit screwing around. She won’t open up to you, so either grow a sack and talk to her, or leave her alone and let her come to you.” I bared my teeth, “You pushed her at the training grounds, didn’t you? Then you left her there when you didn’t get the answers you wanted. Everyone leaves her, you idiot. What is wrong with you?” I started pacing, “She’s had a rough life, she’s strong, but if she gets hurt, I will hurt you.” I rounded on him and slapped my open palm onto his chest. “Are we clear? She is mine,” I growled protectively and lowered my voice, “as are you.”
Jackson immediately dropped to his knee as my power uncoiled and lashed the air with invisible whips of anger. “Apologies, Mistress. It will be done.”
I stopped. My mouth opened and closed like a fish while I looked up to Blaze. “Mistress?” I whispered, then shrieked, “I am not your whore!”
Blaze chuckled. He glanced at Jackson’s kneeled form before meeting my eyes, “It’s not what you think.” My glare sharpened as he threw up his hands, “We originate from a time where the feminine word for Master is Mistress. A concubine however, is what Mistress means in today’s society.” He smirked, “Would you prefer Madam? Lady, perhaps?”
My brows furrowed at this information. I debated the options for a moment. Madam was old, like a spinster sister with cats, maybe even a brothel owner. Lady seemed naive, like a young single woman of nobility or some virgin like crap. “Fine,” I muttered, “but I want to see a dictionary, dammit.”
Blaze full out laughed at my naïveté and Jackson’s shoulders shook as he tried to contain himself.
My ears turned red, “Alright jerks, enough.” I sliced my hand through the air. “Jackson, go. Make this right.”
He stood and fidgeted, “Yes…”
I bit out, “Sora, or Mistress.” I threw my hands up in exasperation, “What the fuck ever.” I stormed to my room and slammed the door.
I fumed, pacing the length of my bedroom. What little shits! Hello, it was 2017. Bastards.
Slipping off my robe, I tossed it onto the wingback and settled into bed. If I was truly honest with myself, Mistress did sound kind of cool. Plus, all the other Vampires would know what it meant, Master and Mistress. Yes, I tapped my fingers on my chin, that could work. I just hated how dirty it sounded.
Blaze entered and softly closed the door. He cleared his throat to make sure I was listening, “I should have explained. I apologize, this is a first for me. I didn’t even think of how the Clutch would address you.” He beamed and slipped off his grey pajama pants, “Plus with your reaction at the fealty ceremony…”
As his words trailed off, I did a play by play of my emotional state at the ceremony. I felt welcomed, like this was the home I’d been searching for. Then I sipped from that chalice that every Clutch member’s blood had stained. I felt their power filter through me. It was heady and euphoric. They were my family. Mine. I would die to protect them.
I voiced part of my thoughts, “Would you die for them, any of them?”
His face turned serious as he sat back against the plush pillows. “Yes, every single one.”
I pressed further, “You would give them anything within reason, they are your home, your life, your family?”
His pupils overrode the normal cobalt color of his irises. He met my gaze and rumbled, “Yes.” He paused, “But that was before I met my Mate. I would still do anything for them, but my emotions will likely cloud my judgement regarding you.”
I sighed, satisfied with his response. “Me too.”
His brows dipped in question, “Why the mini sun?”
My face scrunched, “When was the last time you saw it, felt it’s rays kiss your skin?”
His face sobered as he turned his face to look at the ceiling. He whispered, “Almost a millennium, Love. It was beautiful.”
I rumbled in a deep, appreciative purr, “They are mine, like you are mine. My family. The words I need to describe what I felt as I sipped from the chalice escape me.” I opened and closed my arms, “Why not give them something they have yearned for, when they have given me what I have sought for so long?”
His face softened, “You are perfect. A strong Leader, healer; everything I could ever have hoped for in a Mate, and so much more. My equal in every way.” He touched my cheek, “I love you with all that I am, all that I ever will be, and more every single day.”
Shifting my position, I leaned up to his tall frame and took his face in my hands, “I love you, too.”
A single tear trickled down his cheek at my omission.
Then he kissed me.
Jackson
He paced outside the room for quite some time before he worked up the courage to enter.
Seeing Viv curled on the bed in slumber, he sighed. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Quietly, he undressed to his boxer briefs and crawled beneath the duvet as Viv tossed and turned in her sleep. He reached over to wake her, but lowered his hand indecisively, unsure of his welcome.
Laying back he replayed all his encounters with her. She was strong, but fragile. Things had to be on her terms. Confronting her as he had was a mistake, one he hoped she’d let him rectify soon.
She thrashed a hand out and mumbled, “No”
He clasped the fingers of her of her outstretched hand in his own. She settled for a moment, then rolled her tiny frame over and laid her head upon his chest. He purred at the sensation.
She snuggled closer, looping a leg over his thigh. Sighing, she quieted.
As he breathed in her unique scent, he drifted off with her.
Blaze
Sora bolted upright and cried out in pain, “Ow!”
He was instantly on alert, wrapping an arm around her smaller frame as he scanned the darkened room for intruders. Finding nothing, he rumbled in a concerned tone, “What is it?”
She pressed a hand to her chest, “Shit, that hurts.” After rubbing her sternum for a moment, her eyes widened and she sucked in a sharp gasp, “The ward!”
&nbs
p; His phone started to ring, he flashed to it before the first tone could end.
Mason had sent a group text, ‘Security breach, the Ward has been weakened. All available personnel are to report immediately to the Barracks.’
“Fuck!” He zipped from the bed to the wardrobe, and dressed in his fatigues faster than humanly possible.
Sora was just pulling on a black tank as he flashed by to get his boots.
“Blaze,” she whispered, reaching toward him as her head poked through the neckline.
He instantly stopped with his brows drawn low at her worried tone, “Yes?”
Her wide blue eyes displayed fear as the she uttered, “It’s still daylight.”
They sped soundlessly through the tube a moment later. Blaze nearly jerked the door from its hinges in frustration as he opened it for Sora.
She placed a palm on his chest and whispered, “Shh, I’ve got this.” Then she was gone. The rustle of her pants was the only sound he heard of her zipping up the rebar rungs and into the barracks.
He took a deep breath and counted to five. Slowly, he released it through his clenched teeth and followed her.
“Report!” Sora’s commanding tone met his ears as he exited the tube.
Thirty Protectors filled the space with their heads bowed.
Mason knelt before Sora while Blaze moved to stand at her back. “Mistress, forgive me. We are still investigating. An explosion drew one of our roving patrols to the eastern perimeter. So far, the ward is holding, however, the fence line was blown apart.” He sucked in a breath and his shoulders rounded further. “There was no scent of an incendiary device,” he bowed his head lower to the concrete floor. “It has to be magic.”
Blaze growled his disapproval. The rumbles echoed off the steel reinforced walls.
Sora turned toward him, her cobalt eyes sparkled in the artificial light. Her growl of disapproval met and exceeded his own. “Ours,” she whispered.
Sora
Blaze nodded his agreement.
I turned to Mason once more, “Has Jackson been informed?”
“Yes, Mistress,” he said to the floor. “He has yet to respond.”
My tone sharpened, “No more announcements, texts, or calls to the Clutch. I will not tolerate anyone else being put in danger.” I squinted my eyes in thought, “Show me.”
Mason rose, glancing at Blaze as he led me to the door and out into the fading afternoon light.
I zipped across the field of green grass, wondering at all the possibilities and came to the only conclusion available. It had to be the Council. Sure, the Pack had a Mage, but I dismissed the idea entirely. My magic was stronger, why else would their Alpha want my help?
Broken thoughts flitted through my mind as we arrived at the ward just before a large hole in the black fence. It appeared deserted, but something made the small hairs stand up on my neck.
My eyes scanned the perimeter for threats. I found none. Slowly, I crouched. Lowering my hand into the soil, I reached toward my ward. In my mind's eye, I could see where the silver strand of the previous ward had been, but it was gone entirely. My blue ward still shimmered as strongly as when I’d first laid it, but the red lines that had accompanied it with Blaze’s feeding were gone just like the silver strand. Odd.
I stood, finished with my assessment. The feeling of being watched increased, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps. I growled in response as I dropped into a fighting stance and rumbled a warning. “Who’s there?” The words were distorted as my voice deepened.
A single figure stepped into view 200 yards away. I sniffed in futility, noting the person was down wind.
Khaki pants outlined curved hips with a hot pink cropped polo as the figure strode closer. She strutted along with a confident swagger in low heeled, knee-high leather boots. Auburn hair kissed a round face paired with green eyes and an upturned nose.
I sucked in a shocked gasp and cut off my growling, “Daisy?”
She stopped and a look of confusion scrunched her brows. She took a single step closer to the fence and called out, “Sora?”
We stared at each other as we had many times before. I hadn’t seen her in ages. I cocked a hip and she mirrored the movement.
Incredulous that this was indeed my childhood playmate, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes lit in comprehension and she tipped her head to the side. “Finally came into your own?” She waved a hand at the warded fence line, “Your work?”
My face shuttered. I drew my magic into my well as fast as I could and evaded, “Why are you sniffing around a Vampire Compound?”
Daisy lifted a brow in response to my non-answer. “There was a dire-fire in Pacific Beach. I was sent to investigate the possibility of a rogue Coven when I sensed an incredible amount of magic,” her brows rose in inquisition again. “Yours?”
I glared at her and scoffed, “You know I don’t have a need for a Coven.” I lifted my arm and wiggled my fingers, “No magic, remember?”
She chuckled and began to pace a line into the hardened sand, her full hips swayed with the motion on the other side of the fence. “Yes,” she smirked. “I know.” Her eyes darkened in mockery as she glanced down her nose at me, “Poor prodigy, didn’t have magic. Pathetic,” she brought her fists to her green eyes and wiped imaginary tears. Scowling, she abandoned her pacing and stalked closer to the hole in the fence. “So, Sora, whose magic,” she paused, her hand swept down the perimeter line and back again, “is this, then?”
My magic soared in response to my anger. Struggling to contain it, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, I replied through gritted teeth, “The Clutch has their own Mage, as you well know.”
Daisy placed her hands on her hips and laughed. Deep peels echoed through the desolate desert beyond. “Really?” She wiped a tear from her eye and flicked it toward the ward; it hit the invisible barrier and let out a crackle in response. She smirked and her voice took on a hard edge, “No, this is the work of a rogue Coven using Blood Magic. No single Mage,” she sneered, “especially the Clutch’s wannabe, could do this.”
My voice turned predatory in response to her dismissal of our Mage, even if I hadn’t met her, she was mine. My fangs clicked into place and I hissed, “There is no fucking Coven here.”
She gasped and stepped back. The smirk drained from her lips as she took in my canines. “You're…” she stuttered, her face pinching in disgust while she squinted her eyes, “You're one of them.”
Offended at her accusing tone, I growled. “They are mine, as I am theirs.” I stepped past the ward and through the fence, bumping her with my chest as Mason moved into position behind me. “My family,” I hissed again, bumping her once more. “This is your one and only warning.” My eyes darkened and my pupils dilated while my voice boomed, “LEAVE!”
Thunder and lightning rolled across the sky as the tether on my magic stretched, seeking a release for my anger.
Her face soured. She took a few more steps back before glancing up at the impending storm.
Boom!
A strike of lightning landed just inches from where she’d been.
She kept her eyes on me and uttered threateningly, “This isn’t over.” Erecting a red shield of light above her head, she took off, using magic to increase her speedy retreat.
Blaze
He paced the length of the barracks for what must have been the hundredth time since she had left when thunder shook the building.
He rushed forward and gestured for a someone to check the sun’s descent.
Missy stepped closer and peeked out the door. She replied in an awed voice, “Clouds cover the sky, Master.”
He pushed open the heavy door as lightning streaked down; searing the ground where Sora had gone.
“To me!” He rumbled, and flashed outside to find his Mate.
Sora
“Fuck.” I whispered more to myself than Mason.
He placed a large palm on my shoulder, �
��Mistress?”
I turned to him, my brows scrunched low in disappointment at myself.
He stood tall and dropped his hand to his side. The curve of his lips tipped up and his brilliant blue eyes met mine. The storm let down a smattering of raindrops, wetting his severe cheeks. “You did well,” he whispered, “A Council Mage would never have left otherwise.”
I shook my head, “I don’t think so. She will be back, though.” I turned back to the fence as Blaze arrived with a contingent of our Clutch.
Mason filled him in on what had happened while I wondered what to do next. Blaze barked a few orders to repair the fence before his solid chest pressed against my back, soothing the hard lines of my tense shoulders.
“The Council knows,” I whispered, leaning back against him. “What exactly, I’m not sure. They will come.” I sighed, my voice turned bitter as I reminisced, “Daisy never could leave well enough alone. Like a dammed dog with a bone.”
He rested his cheek against my temple. The silver strands of my hair whipped around us as the wind increased with my sour mood. He rumbled, “From before?”
Sheets of rain cascaded from the sky, drenching us while I tried to gather my whirlwind of thoughts. I answered in a monotone, “She was my best friend as a child, then she received her magic and everything changed.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. Goddess, what a mess.
Blaze caught a strand of hair and wrapped it around his fingers. Lightly, he tugged it to get my attention. I dropped my hand from my reddened nose and turned in his arms to gaze into his predatory black eyes.
His deep bass reverberated against my chest as he swore vehemently, “Let them come.”
To be continued in Clutch Mistress, book 2… which is available now!
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