31. Chapter 31
31
A loud meow sounded in the distance.
Something soft butted against Kelly’s cheek.
Another loud meow, but this one was right in her ear.
Kelly groaned and gently pushed Clyde away from her ear.
He returned and let out another meow, seemingly filled with pain and sorrow.
“Jesus, you’re dramatic.”
She reached over clumsily to pet him, and his following meow was much quieter and more content.
“The little brat hasnae left yer side since we brought ye home.”
The bed sank as Kade sat at her side.
“I’m not trying to steal your cat.”
“Oh sure, but yer stealing him either way.”
He reached up to touch her face and ran his fingers through her hair. “I wasnae sure if ye were going to make it. The doc seemed to think ye just needed rest, but our connection was completely severed until about a minute ago. I couldnae feel ye at all.”
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have done what I did. I—”
Kade cut her off. “Dinnae fash. We can fight over that later, and I’m sure it’ll be a good one. Just rest.”
She nodded. It seemed weird to table a fight, but for now, she’d go with it.
“Can ye tell me what the hell happened? No one was around when we got there, ye were so weak ye nearly drained me when I gave ye my vein, and then ye just collapsed.”
“I think I stopped time.”
He stared at her for a moment, processing what she’d said.
When Kade didn’t say anything else, she tried to explain. “They were holding on to me, and Eric was, well, you saw him, and I felt your rage travel through me. I tried to call water, but apparently, I channeled time instead, and they suddenly froze. I could move but they just stood there like statues. I wriggled away and ran back out through the warehouse. When I pulled my power back in, I collapsed. Then you showed up, and I don’t remember much after that.”
Their link was still weak, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking completely. There was a hint of worry, though.
“What? What are you worried about?”
“If ye did stop time, Eric will go running straight to the Council to report ye. Are ye sure that’s what happened?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Maybe Ginna could help us figure it out? It could be the reason I’m so worn out.”
He thought for a moment. “Aye, that would explain it.”
“I think I’m going to get up and shower. What time is it? I’m starving.”
“It’s almost dinner time. Ye slept for about eighteen hours.”
That was longer than she’d thought. It was dark out, but she’d thought maybe it was just early morning.
“Is everyone around?”
“Aye, they’re all waiting to grill ye about yer actions.”
The thought actually gave her a headache. Letting people down was about the worst mistake in her book. “Fucking great.”
Kade stood then and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll help ye into the shower.”
She took his hand, and he helped her up. Kelly took care to move slowly. Her body felt weak at best, but she knew a shower and a meal would help.
Kade supported her with a hand around her waist as she walked.
They stood in silence while the water heated up.
Try as she might to appear strong, Kelly gave in to her emotions and melted into Kade’s chest. She didn’t have any tears to cry, but she needed him in that moment. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d been nearly positive she would never see any of her friends again. Kade’s hatred was a consequence she’d been willing to suffer for the end result. She’d been so ready to throw it all away for Ginna’s safety, and now she was relieved to have everyone back.
What bothered her most, though, was the thought of going through all of this again and again as Arcane came for her in an attempt to take her. How many times could they do this before it became too much? Would Kade and Fabian grow tired of the games? Would someone finally succeed in taking her and torture her in an attempt to sway her bonding? Would Ginna give her resignation out of exasperation?
Kelly felt like a ticking time bomb with multiple detonation sequences. She was already sick and tired of it all, and she didn’t doubt for a second that the rest of them felt the same.
Kade held her tight as she skimmed through her thoughts and fears one by one.
“When are ye going to tell me what’s going on in there?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Aye, I do. Ye would think I’d enjoy the silence, but I’ve grown rather fond of having ye in my head, and yer absence is jarring. Yer my new normal.”
She took a shaky breath. “I’m just wondering when enough will be enough. I can’t see myself going on like this for ten years, or longer depending on how things go. How can I expect everyone else to deal with this shit for that long?”
He chuckled. “A decade is nothing to us, lass. Sure, it can be rough in the moment, but when ye have lifetimes to live, ten years is the blink of an eye. I’d say as long as ye refrain from midnight rendezvous with the enemy, we’ll all be around as long as ye will have us.”
“Is that what everyone is calling it? A midnight rendezvous?”
“Nae, it’s just what came to mind. We’re all happy to have ye back in one piece.”
More silence followed as she processed things.
“I think the water is near scalding, just how ye like it.”
“Join me?”
“Nae, I dinnae think it’s a great idea. Ye need more strength—ye can barely stand. I’ll give ye more blood later tonight after I’m able to drink more myself.”
“You’ve never worried about that before.”
“Aye, but we usually exchange blood. Ye drained me within an ounce of my own life last night, and yer not strong enough for me to take more from ye right now.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.”
“Dinnae be sorry, lass. The doc seems to think ye would have died if I hadnae been there. I’m just glad I made it in time.”
“I don’t understand how stopping time took that much out of me. Sure, it’s new, but to kill me? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Aye, maybe Ginna can help us figure it out. For now, though, take yer shower. I’ll wait in the bedroom to help you out.”
Kelly nodded and stepped into the steam-filled chamber.
Kade closed the door, and it clicked shut behind her.
Standing under the stream of water, she tried to let the events of the day wash away. Twenty-four hours seemed to hold so much in the matter of her life.
When she was done, she turned the water off, and Kade appeared with a towel in hand. He supported her as she dried off and then helped her into some sweats.
Everyone was at the table waiting for them as they entered the kitchen.
Asta stood and met her with a huge hug. “Come join us. I’m sure you’re starving.”
Kelly nodded and followed Asta to the table. Everyone had left her spot next to Kade open, and she sent them a silent thank-you for it.
The table was filled with everything for burgers, from the patties to condiments. Kelly nearly drooled as she stared at all of it. “This looks amazing, Asta. Thank you.”
The vampire smiled. “Thank you. It’s nothing really. I just thought you might enjoy a classic American meal.”
“It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
Kelly piled her plate high with two patties and all of the fixings, then she helped herself to some fries and dipping sauces.
She groaned in pleasure as she took her first bite. “Holy shit, Asta, this is seriously the best burger I’ve ever had. Oh my god.”
Asta smiled.
Everyone else who ate food loaded their plates, and the vampires sipped their blood.
When they were all eating, Ginna finally broke the silence. “All right, Rookie, what the fuck was all of this about? Why did you think I needed rescuing, and why didn’t you tell the others instead of sneaking off on your own?”
Kelly took another bite of her burger before she responded, hoping it would give her more strength. She explained her worry over Ginna not being home, the blog comment, and her plan with Dom to create a distraction while she sneaked off into the night.
Ginna gave Kelly a look that seemed to question her sanity. “Rookie, there were two vampires holding me. I can take two vampires with one arm tied behind my back.”
“How was I supposed to know that?!”
“I’d be willing to bet if you’d talked to Kade or Fabian, they could have enlightened you.”
“For the record, I did tell Kade I was concerned, and he said your phone had been disabled and we’d do more in the morning if you weren’t back.”
“And he was being very reasonable.”
Kelly threw up her hands. “Fuck, I made a mistake. I was scared and I knew where they wanted me to go, I put my life at risk knowing exactly what I was giving up in order to save your life. Oh, and for what it’s worth”—Kelly slammed her hands on the table, shaking all the glasses and plates—“they did let you go when I agreed to turn myself over.”
“They planned to let me go the whole goddamned time, Rookie! They have no use for me.”
Kelly stood, beyond done with the conversation, then dizziness overtook her and she sat back down, putting her head in her hands.
Fabian spoke then, as calm as ever. “I do not believe Kelly meant any harm in this situation. She is simply accustomed to the human way of handling hostage situations. We cannot fault her for the way she dealt with it when we did not prepare her for the possibility of these threats.”
She wanted to hug Fabian for coming to her rescue.
Everyone was silent for some time while they ate and drank.
Kelly could tell Ginna was still fired up over everything, but she was trying to let it go.
“All right, Rookie, tell us what happened after you met up with them.” Ginna’s voice still held some annoyance.
Kelly sighed. “I don’t think much of it matters up until the point where I think I stopped time.”
Everyone stared at her.
Fabian collected himself first. “What makes you think you stopped time? What exactly happened?”
Kelly explained the chain of events again, getting tired of repeating herself.“Holy. Fucking. Shit,” Connor said quietly.
That about summed it up, yep.
“It does sound like you succeeded in stopping time.”
“Damn right she did. That’s my girl! I knew you had it in you, Rookie.”
“You will be summoned by the Council again, and soon.” Fabian was visibly worried.
“I didn’t mean to do it. It just happened.”
“Unfortunately, not an argument we can use with the Council. You broke their orders in less than two weeks. Their punishment is likely to be harsh. Connor, do you have any ideas here?”
“No, I don’t. It could be harsh. But with her having such rare powers, I doubt they will strip her of them. They want to see what she can do just as much as we do. No doubt they still have plans for her.”
“We may as well start planning to head back to London. I’ll get everything set up. Nice work, Kelly!” Asta stood and left the room.
Kelly felt overwhelmed with all of it. The last thing she wanted was to go back to London and face those stuck-up assholes.
“What happens until then? I really appreciate everything you all are doing, but I am sick and tired of the attacks and plots to get ahold of me. On top of that, I already feel cooped up. I don’t think Helen of Troy felt this much pressure.”
“We train and do what we’ve been doing since we got home. Ye can work on making a name for yerself too. Ye love to write, and I think ye mentioned reaching more Arcane through a blog. Maybe ye could work on that while we wait things out.”
“Yeah, maybe.” It was hard to feel motivated about anything when she was so exhausted. “I’m going back to bed, though. Yesterday took a lot out of me. Thank you all for coming to my rescue. I can’t thank you enough.”
They all wished her well, and Kade said he’d be in later.