by Brenda Trim
“I’m good. Everything’s ready for us to start,” Camilla replied.
“Great. It’s crucial that we work as fast as possible,” Jace explained as he followed her onto the lift.
Finn joined them, along with, Blaine and Lachlan. Jace pushed the button for number four as he told Camilla his working theory about mustard gas. Thankfully, Blaine didn’t flirt anymore with Camilla. The doctors needed to focus on their work. Lives depended on them.
When the elevator stopped, they all filed out and headed to a door at the end of the hall. Camilla placed her hand on a similar black box and leaned down where she pressed her eye to a panel. Green light scanned up and down over her face. Before she stood up there was a hiss and Jace was pulling the door open.
“Here are the samples,” Blaine said as he handed over the bag in his hands. Jace accepted it and immediately set to work. Finn stood off to the side and watched him grab supplies.
Camilla tugged gloves over her hands and then Jace did the same. Side by side, they used plastic tubes to suck liquid from the vials into itself. With a tube full of blood, Jace held it over a much smaller one then pressed a button on the top of the one he was holding, and some blood dropped into the smaller vessel.
Finn quickly became lost as the two worked. He had no idea what any of their jargon meant or what they were doing, so he turned to Blaine. “Do you think Cyril will attack before we get back?”
It had been impossible to ignore the worry that was niggling at the back of his mind. Not only was he concerned Talysia and the others would become sicker, but also that Cyril would launch some major attack on Angus and Tatenen.
“I doubt it. He’s been launching countless minor skirmishes, and isn’t in a position for a full-scale assault,” Blaine explained and held up his hands. “I know you, and many others believe he is building up to something massive, but I have my doubts. He has created several more underlings to do his bidding. That alone is taxing. When you combine that with planning and executing the bombing, I think his resources are even more exhausted than ours.”
“I’ve heard rumors that he has full Fae children that are as powerful as him. Maybe they’ve been doing this work for him,” Finn suggested.
Blaine waved a hand dismissively. “He might have a thousand bastard children, but he’s not exactly parent of the year. I can’t see them being as loyal to him as Blaze is to Angus. I think he played his Ace with the bomb, and he is recovering while he thinks Angus loses his family and allies.”
Finn considered his friend’s position. It made sense. No one had inexhaustible resources, and for the Gods knew only how long Cyril poured most, if not all, of his into taking Angus down little by little.
“I doona know this Cyril,” Lachlan chimed into their conversation, “but, I’d say Blaine is right. A smart male wins one small victory at a time. The chances of a major battle winning the war are slim. And, even then ‘tis never that one battle, but a culmination of smaller ones that weaken your opponent.”
“I pray to the Gods that you’re both right,” Finn murmured as he thought of Talysia lying in the throne room while her body deteriorated.
Unable to stand still any longer, Finn paced back and forth while watching Jace and Camilla work. They put samples into various machines and then discussed the results. Finn stopped wearing a path in the stone when Jace gathered various chemicals together.
“Did you figure it out?”
Jace glanced up from his work with a smile on his face. “We did. The bastard was brilliant, but we discovered his formula. I’m working on the treatment now. I’ll be ready to go soon.”
“Thank fuck,” Blaine blurted.
“Agreed,” Finn said as it hit him that Talysia was going to be okay.
And then he panicked. He’d asked her to mate him before he left. He was going to return home, heal her, and seal her to him for eternity.
‘Yeah, douche dick,’ he told himself. ‘Being with Talysia is like coming home.’ And there was nowhere else he’d rather be.
Lachlan pulled the car in front of the house near the portal and jumped out as soon as the vehicle stopped. There were visitors at the house. And, not just any visitors. The Vampire King and Queen were there. What the fuck were they doing there, Finn wondered.
“Leige,” Lachaln greeted Zander. “I wasna expecting you.”
“We weren’t expecting to come,” Zander replied, making Finn’s gut churn.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We need to go to Khoth immediately,” Zander told Finn.
“Izzy wasn’t affected by the dirty bomb. Slate should have made that clear, but I’m afraid when Keira and the kids got sick, we jumped into action. It’s only the sea creatures,” Finn explained.
“That is no’ why we need to go.”
It was then that Finn noticed Elsie’s red-rimmed eyes and the way she clutched their infant son to her chest that made Finn worry something more happened. Perhaps, Cyril did attack while they were gone.
“Do we need a contingent of warriors, Leige,” Lachlan asked at the same time Jace said, “I will go with you.”
“Do we need to worry about Angus and Keira?” Finn blurted next. His mind was whirling. Izzy was an active young female, always looking for adventure. He believed being cooped up in her house for her safety made her crave the outdoors and anything that made her adrenaline surge through her body.
Elsie lifted her puffy blue eyes and swallowed. “I don’t think anyone else is in danger.”
“If Crocell discovered where she is and how to get there, then we need to plan an attack,” Lachlan insisted.
“No,” Elsie shouted. “There will be no one accompanying us. I didn’t see danger to anyone but Isobel.”
Finn knew the Vampire Queen had visions of the future but had never heard one directly from her lips before.
“Let’s go,” Finn encouraged and started across the grass to the portal. I will fly you to the castle.”
“Thank you,” Elsie murmured as she and Zander followed along.
“Nay, Jace. You need to stay here,” Zander ordered when the warrior fell into step with them.
“Actually, Zander. I need to go and administer the treatment then teach Dyson how to treat the oceans.”
“Shite, I forgot all aboot that when Elsie had her premonition. It’s probably for the best. We doona know what shape…” Zander stopped talking and clenched his jaw. Finn swore he heard a tooth crack.
Jace placed a hand on the Vampire King’s shoulder. “No need to explain, friend. I am here, whatever you need.”
If Elsie didn’t see anything aside from Izzy being injured perhaps Dyson was wrong about those affected, and that was what was wrong with Izzy. Finn’s gut told him Blaine was right and Cyril hadn’t launched a major attack. He prayed to the Gods that wasn’t wishful thinking.
* * *
Chapter 18
For the first time in weeks Izzy had some down time to relax. Between the Unseelie attacks, schoolwork, and training drills; life had not settled down enough for her to even read a good book. Hence the reason she was heading to the media room to watch Avengers: Endgame.
Her parents brought the popular movie with them when they visited with her little brother. It had been several weeks, right after the shark nearly took her foot, and she was only now finding time to watch it.
“Tell me again the premise of the movie?” Troy asked as he juggled snacks in his arms.
&n
bsp; Izzy smiled wide and tried not to gesture too much while holding their drinks. “It’s a Marvel movie. Super popular on Earth. It’s the culmination of a show about super heroes. In the last movie, the bad guy, Thanos, killed over half of the world’s population and now the heroes, like Ant-Man and Spider-Man, are trying to kill Thanos and reverse what he did.”
“I thought humans didn’t know about supernaturals where you’re from,” Troy replied as she held the door to the media room open.
“Humans don’t know about us. This is fictional, meaning Hollywood created this story. There are movies about vampires and shifters and witches and stuff, but they aren’t terribly accurate. Sometimes they get a few details right, but not often.”
“I only understood about half of what you said, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m just glad this movie sounds better than the last one I watched with you.”
Izzy chuckled as she set their drinks on the coffee table in front of one of the couches. “I figured you weren’t exactly a romantic comedy fan after we watched Bridesmaids. You’ll enjoy this one.”
“It’s already better than last time and not only because it sounds like a better plot. Spending time alone with you makes it perfect.”
Izzy flushed over Troy’s words. Her heart raced in her chest and she fought the urge to skip the movie and write her paper instead. It was due in a couple days and she wasn’t done yet.
‘You’re being ridiculous.’ Izzy chastised herself. Troy liked her, and there was nothing wrong with that. At almost eighteen-years old, she was still figuring life out, but she noticed males more and more every day.
Picking up her comm unit, she brought up the app where the Tatenen tech staff uploaded the DVD. Troy put the candy and popcorn next to the drinks and sat on the couch.
“How do you like the popcorn?” She asked when she noticed he was popping some kernels into his mouth.
“Not too bad. Tastes like kinas, only crunchy. I wonder if we dried kinas and cooked it whether it would turn out like this or not.”
Izzy grabbed a handful and sat down then pressed play. “You should corner the market on this snack food; otherwise, Nolan’s empire will get a bit bigger.”
Troy chuckled and nodded his head. “I think I will. After all, a dragon can’t have too many jewels in his hoard.”
Izzy was smiling as she turned her attention to the movie. They watched in silence for several minutes. Troy scooted closer to her on the couch, making her pulse jump. She wasn’t sure what it meant but ignored it and continued watching the show.
Troy cocked his head and his brow furrowed. “How does he fly without wings?”
“Like I said, this is fictional. Hollywood has various ways of making it look like characters are flying. The way my dad explained it they use computers to make it seem like an actor is moving through the sky. My dad’s friend, Killian, can create stuff like this, but he prefers running his club to computer stuff.”
Troy’s arm went around her shoulders and he tugged her closer to his body. Unsure, Izzy sat next to him and tried to focus on what Iron-Man was doing. Just as she was losing herself in the action, Troy leaned over and placed his lips over hers.
Izzy gasped, and his tongue darted inside her mouth. Her initial reaction was how odd it felt when he rubbed his tongue against hers. She was rooted in place from shock and didn’t move a muscle.
She wasn’t an expert in kissing or sex, so she wondered if this was how she was supposed to feel. After a second of shock, she moved her lips thinking it felt kinda nice. When she realized she didn’t want to kiss him, she pulled her head away.
Scooting over as much as his hold would allow, Izzy wondered what she should do now. The easy friendship they usually shared was different now and she had no idea how to handle it. She wanted to go back several minutes and sit in another location.
When no answers came to her, she turned her attention back to the screen and listened to Ant-Man plotting with Captain America. The words and action were lost on her as she kept trying to steal surreptitious glances at Troy to see if she could tell what he was thinking.
Without turning her head completely there was no way for her to gage what was running through his head. Instead, she asked herself how she felt about Troy. Did she like him?
Yes. He was a good friend and had helped her countless times during their training while she helped him with school work. Did she want to kiss him again? She wasn’t sure. It wasn’t awful, but she had nothing to measure it against.
It didn’t take long for Troy to take more action. When he kissed her this time, he wrapped one arm around her back and used the other to hold the back of her head. His lips pressed hard against hers and he moaned into her mouth.
This was way more than just kissing. The declaration he made at the Civappu ceremony flashed through her mind. He thought of her as his. In a moment of clarity, she realized she couldn’t do this. She was not his.
She had no idea who her Fated Mate was, but she was certain it wasn’t Troy. And, she had no desire to let her friend think for a moment they could be together romantically.
Pushing against his chest, she turned her head. “No. Stop, Troy.”
“C’mon, Iz. Just let this happen. We’re meant to be together,” Troy insisted.
Her stomach cramped at the insistence in his tone of voice. A second later her heart hammered in her chest. When she recalled this moment later, she would remember the salty, buttery flavor from the popcorn lingering on his lips, as well as the dim lighting in the room that cast shadows over his face.
“No. We’re not,” Izzy insisted.
Troy wrapped his hand in her long brown hair, making it impossible for her to pull away. The arm around her back became a steel band that refused to allow her any movement.
Between the hand pulling her hair and the fingers digging into her side, she was overcome for a second with pain. ‘You have to get away from him.’ Izzy told herself. The palms she pressed against his chest didn’t manage to budge him an inch. When she wrenched her head away she swore he had to have pulled out a massive clump of her hair.
Sound from the movie filled the room, drowning out her cries for help. She could have yelled louder, but fear held her back. She kissed him at first and he reacted to that. She didn’t want to get him into trouble when it was her fault.
“Please, Troy. Stop,” she begged.
“You want me, Iz. Stop resisting what you feel,” Troy murmured as he ran his lips over her neck.
Shaking her head from side to side, she tried to teleport back to her room. She closed her eyes and tried to call her power, but nothing happened. That wasn’t entirely surprising. For weeks, it was unreliable as she grew and changed and was faced with various stressful situations.
Trying to force her breathing to settle and her heart to stop trying to burst free from her chest, Izzy tried to access her ability to teleport again. She wanted to cry when nothing happened.
Troy’s hand went to the bottom of her t-shirt and he yanked it up. Twisting her body and smacking his chest, she cried out, “No. Stop!”
Tears were streaming down her face by this point and she knew she needed to get away. When he grabbed her breast roughly and squeezed hard, she screamed. He pressed his hand over her mouth, stopping her shout. Troy leaned over Izzy, pressing her into the couch.
‘Call Rami’ she ordered mentally. Using every ounce of power, Izzy screamed for Ramiel in her head. For a split second, her hope lifted when she tho
ught she felt his presence, but after several seconds, nothing happened.
She tried calling out to him and the Goddess over and over again. Recalling her training, she punched Troy in the throat. His hold loosened enough that she scrambled away.
Unfortunately, she didn’t get very far before he was on top of her again. Troy snarled and ripped her shirt, exposing her bra. His hand went around her throat, making her go still.
All the fight drained from her when she realized he would kill her if he got the chance. With fear coursing through her mind, she stared into eyes that no longer looked familiar to her.
Every ounce of compassion and warmth she ever felt from Troy was gone. Now, he glared at her with a mixture of desire, dominance, and ownership. How had the evening gone so wrong? Izzy wondered.
What started as a fun night between friends turned ugly fast. And, she was completely helpless. Her fight resumed when Troy roughly grabbed her breast again and twisted. When she tried to knee him, he slammed her into the stone floor several times.
There was nothing Izzy could do at the moment because the hand around her throat pushed her into the floor with enough force that she couldn’t catch her breath. Her lungs burned from the need for oxygen.
Bucking her hips, she tried to force Troy off of her, but he was too heavy for her to move in her weakened state. Troy pushed her down so hard she knew she’d be covered in bruises. “Stop moving. This will be easier if you stay still and give me what I want.”
The awful words made tears pool in her eyes and stream down the side of her face. This was one of her closest friends talking to her this way. Trying to take something precious from her. Izzy trusted Troy. They joked with each other. Laughed, trained, studied, and had fun together.
At that moment something vital in Izzy broke. For a second, she wondered if Troy caused her sternum to snap in half when she felt the fracture inside. With her insides a horrid wreck, Izzy’s brain went on hiatus.