Chapter 22 Protecting Family
PROTECTING FAMILY
The car moved through the city with speed, yet knowing I would get there sooner did nothing to quiet the storm building beneath my skin.
Because stillness felt wrong in that moment.
Especially when every instinct in me demanded movement.
Demanded I take to the skies and search for her myself rather than remain confined to a seat while she was out there beyond my reach.
Of course, my mind was completely occupied with thoughts of her. Consumed by my Siren and our short time together, including last night.
She had been utter perfection, despite what she might have feared in the beginning.
Of course, I had never intended for anything to happen between us that evening.
I had known how nervous she had been, felt it in the way her body had tensed beneath my touch.
Also, in the hesitation behind her breaths.
Which was why I had been more than prepared to give her time.
To let her find her footing at her own pace, because simply having her there in my arms had already been enough.
But I hadn’t anticipated the shift that followed in the wake of her nightmare, one that had clearly shaken her.
Nor had I expected the way she had turned toward me afterward, choosing not to retreat but to close the distance instead.
Her touch had been uncertain at first yet deliberate in a way that tested every ounce of restraint I possessed.
Because she had been the one to kiss me this time.
The one to reach for me, and I had never known control like it.
Not when everything in me had demanded I take more, claim more.
Yet I had held back, forcing myself to give her space even as she slowly stripped it away.
And when the moment had begun to deepen, her touch growing bolder, I had been the one to pull back.
Not because I hadn’t wanted her, but because I had known she was vulnerable.
That I knew fear still lingered beneath her skin, and I would not have taken advantage of that.
But then she had said it, that she did not want to disappoint me, and with that, whatever restraint I had left had fractured completely.
Because the idea that she believed she could ever be anything less than perfect in my eyes had been enough to unravel the last thread of control I held.
Nothing she could have done would have changed what she was to me, fated or not.
For what we had shared hadn’t been something I could reduce to instinct or need.
No, it had been something deeper, something that settled into me with a quiet certainty that felt almost inevitable.
As though every moment before her had been leading me to that one point… leading me to her.
And for the first time in my existence, I had understood what mortals meant when they spoke of making love. As there had been no other way to define it. Not when it had felt less like taking and more like finding something that had always been missing.
Like coming home.
Waking with her in my arms the following morning had only cemented that truth further.
Because something had settled within me, a deep, unshakable certainty I had never known before.
It anchored itself within my soul, leaving no room for doubt, no space for hesitation.
And from that moment on, there had been no question of what came next.
She was mine.
And I was prepared to give her everything.
To reshape whatever was necessary to ensure she could exist within my world without losing herself in it.
I had known it wouldn’t be easy, that my existence was not one a mortal could simply step into without consequence.
Which had been precisely why I had wanted the file.
Why I had needed to understand every piece of her life, even if she would have seen it as an intrusion.
Even if she had been right to do so.
Because she had never needed to be anything other than herself.
That had always been enough. Her laughter, her stubbornness, the way she challenged me without fear.
I loved it all. Even the way she stood her ground, even when every instinct should have told her to yield.
It had never once frustrated me, even though it should have.
Even though it would have when coming from another.
No, instead it had drawn me in further, sharpened my focus, because she did not treat me as something untouchable. She did not bow or break beneath what I was, and I admired her all the more for it.
And because of all this, I had foolishly thought we were moving forward. That whatever stood between us had begun to settle into something stronger, something unshakable.
But clearly… I had been wrong.
Something had driven her to run, and that was something I would not allow to stand. Because I would find her. No matter where she had gone, no matter who had helped her, I would hunt her down to the very edges of existence if I had to.
That was my vow.
The car slowed then, drawing my focus outward once more as we came to a stop outside the ‘Littlest Witching Hour’. The building was exactly as I remembered it from the picture in my file.
I stepped out without hesitation, Torin already beside me as we crossed the short distance to the door, the bell above it chiming softly as we entered.
The scent of herbs and candle wax settled around us immediately, the space cluttered but intentionally so. Shelves lined with crystals, tapestries covering the walls, and an assortment of objects that blurred the line between decoration and function.
“Can I help you?”
The voice came quickly, eagerly, and when I turned toward it, I found the source already watching me with undisguised interest. His posture straightened as though he had just been presented with something far more entertaining than his day usually promised.
“Please say yes,” he added, his tone almost purring as his gaze flicked over me without restraint.
I tilted my head slightly, studying him in return, but before I could respond, Torin stepped into view behind me, and the shift in the man’s expression was immediate. His breath caught as his focus dragged upward.
“Oh my, I do love a two-for-one sale.” Torin emitted a slight growl at that, one that thankfully, the human couldn’t hear.
‘Play nice.’ I told him, communicating this directly into his mind, which was often a useful tool in our supernatural arsenal.
“Don’t mind him,” a new voice cut in, bright and easy as she emerged from the back. Her presence immediately lifted the room as her energy felt totally unguarded. She approached and extended her hand toward me.
Um, brave.
I took it, my grip controlled as I inclined my head slightly.
“A pleasure to meet you, my name is, Wyedari Oblivion.” Recognition struck instantly, as I hoped it would, as her eyes widened almost comically in response.
“I see you’ve heard of me,” I observed, watching her attempt to recover as her words stumbled over themselves before she abandoned the effort entirely.
“Erm, oh… right… I see…”
Her attention shifted then, landing on Torin, and this time her confidence faltered just enough to be noticeable.
Her hand lifted before hesitation could fully take hold.
Torin, however, removed the choice from her entirely, his larger hand closing around hers as he shook it once.
A firm, deliberate, and lingering grasp that was entirely too long and bordered on being possessive.
My brow lifted slightly at that.
‘I believe this is the part you let her go, Torin.’ I remarked in his mind so only he could hear.
‘Do I have to? She smells so good,’ Torin responded back as he tugged slightly so that she had no choice but to take a step closer, which was the opposite of what I was trying to achieve here. But it was like he couldn’t help himself, making me question whether I should be concerned.
‘You do,’ I replied, more as an order than a suggestion, and released a sigh.
‘Pity’. He muttered back before releasing her hand, giving her the chance to step back.
Something she did, now rubbing her hand as if she still felt the connection Torin had made when caressing her skin.
I wondered if he had ‘marked her’, leaving her with a sliver of his essence on purpose so that she would think of him.
It was part of his gift after all, making me wonder if the poor girl would now be haunted by dreams of him too.
Fuck me, but if he had, then shit was about to get even more complicated, as I didn’t know how Eliza would feel about something like that. Speaking of protecting those you love…
“I don’t suppose you would tell me if you’ve seen your sister recently,” I said, drawing her attention back to me as her posture shifted, her arms folding across her chest in quiet defence.
“Last I heard, she’s been busy working on a campaign for you.”
“I’m going to be honest with you,” I replied evenly before continuing to say,
“I’m concerned.” That was enough, as her arms dropped immediately.
“Why… where is she… has she gone missing?”
“She has,” I stated, softening my words, also being direct enough that she would understand my urgency. I watched as she moved quickly toward the counter, reaching for her phone, checking it with growing unease.
“She hasn’t messaged me… Goddess…” She frowned, muttering the same prayer Eliza often would. Then she looked back at me and added,
“She would have called me.”
“Yes, perhaps,” I said, my tone measured,
“But if she hasn’t reached out to you, it may be because she thinks she is protecting you.” Her eyes widened at this before asking fearfully,
“…Would she need to protect me?” A small smirk touched my lips before I told her honestly,
“Not from me.”
“She’s not here,” she said after another moment, as if she expected me to ransack the place in case she was hiding. Unfortunately, I knew as soon as I walked in here that she wasn’t here, just as her sister claimed. I could smell it in the air, knowing what remained of her certainly wasn’t fresh.
“No, I can see that.”
I reached into my pocket, then pulled out a card and offered it to her.
“If she contacts you, you will tell her to reach me immediately. There are things she needs to know.” She took it, distracted, her attention already shifting elsewhere.
But mine did not.
Because something behind her had caught my attention.
My gaze narrowed slightly, focusing on the book resting nearby, worn, old, and marked with a symbol I now recognised.
One that meant safety. But it wasn’t what it represented that interested me.
No… it was the design. Or should I say the very edge, as it was the same one etched into the fragment still tucked inside my jeans pocket.
The connection settled instantly.
“Thank you for your time,” I said abruptly, already turning away before she could question the shift. My focus no longer on the conversation but back to my reason for being here.
I moved toward the door without hesitation, expecting Torin to follow, only to realise a second later that he had not.
“Torin.”
My voice was enough.
He appeared beside me moments later, though not without first claiming her hand once more. Then he lifted it to his lips in a gesture far too gentlemanly than I was used to seeing on him.
“Until next time,” he murmured, leaving her flushed as he finally released her.
I said nothing as we exited the shop, the door closing behind us with a soft chime, the noise quickly swallowed by the quiet of the street outside. Although my attention was already elsewhere.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled free the torn fragment of paper. My gaze settled on the symbol etched across its surface as the final pieces of recognition slid into place. Doing so with a clarity that left no room for doubt.
Torin glanced toward me, his expression sharpening as he took in the shift.
“You know where she is.”
I didn’t look up immediately, my focus remaining on the marking for a moment longer before I answered, my voice calm, measured, and absolute.
“I do.”
I folded the fragment between my fingers before lifting my gaze to the street ahead.
“Get the plane ready.”
A brief pause followed, just long enough for the weight of what came next to settle fully into place.
“We have an Enforcer to see.”