Chapter 20
TWENTY
HEAT
Stepping just past the gates surrounding the clubhouse’s inner property, I scan the distance.
“He’s out there,” I tell my brothers. I don’t know how I know, but I can feel the dark elf watching us. He’s hiding himself from us, but there’s no missing his strength.
“Need us to shift?” Pyro asks.
“Not yet,” I grunt. If he shifts too soon, the plan will go haywire, if not up in smoke completely. To make this work, to keep McKenna hidden from the one after her, this has to go off without any hitches.
Leon and Rashon had been able to tell me how to take this bastard out, and I didn’t like the answer. No way was I putting my woman in harm’s way. She wouldn’t be able to do what needs to be done without feeling the pain of it.
McKenna was a lot of things, but a killer isn’t one of them.
It would kill her to have to do this. I decided to try to use the connection between us to wield that power of hers.
I have my own strengths. The warrior in me that takes after my mother.
I can handle any fight on my own, but to kill the elf, I have to take his soul.
That’s why Hel gave McKenna and me that drink. To allow me access to it.
I knew what drinking from the goblet would mean. It sealed McKenna and me together completely as one. I could feel her with me now, though I knew she was safe inside the clubhouse away from the danger.
“I don’t like this,” Brimstone remarks quietly.
“Same,” Fire agrees. “This doesn’t feel right.”
I couldn’t agree more. This seems off.
“Pyro, Inferno, go ahead and shift,” I tell my brothers. It might fuck things up, but something in me is saying now is the time.
Within seconds, both men are in dragon form on either side of my brothers and me.
Trigger and Hotshot are the only two back at the clubhouse with the women and prospects.
It’s a good thing Clay was still in fighting form and showed up at the clubhouse as we walked out.
Not to mention Hel was sticking close to her goddaughter.
With how protective the woman was of McKenna, she might as well be her blood instead.
I wonder sometimes if that could be the case, however, that’s a stone I won’t turn over.
“What’s the plan here, Prez?” Fire grunts from my left.
“We didn’t discuss how we’re doing any of this, Heat,” Brimstone reminds me.
“I know we didn’t. But you know me. Like the club says, ‘No one fucks with the Kings.’ I’m not about to let this fool fuck with us or my woman.
Not anymore.” I step ahead of them and call out.
“Come on out of the shadows, Tarron. We know you’re out there.
” He’d been out there since the other night when I found out about him.
A mist forms into a man nearly as tall as I am.
Dark hair, thin structure with lean muscles.
Paler than any vampire I’ve ever seen. His ears slightly poke out from his long hair.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think him to be a fashion model and not some dark otherworldly character, thinking he can get his hands on my woman. A woman who thought he was a friend.
Over the past few days, she’s talked about working at the strip club and how she thought of some people, like Tarron, to be friends she could trust.
“You know who I am, but I’ve yet to learn who you are, though it does not matter. All I want is McKenna. Send her to me, and I shall spare your lives,” Tarron says, his voice thick in accent.
“Sending my woman to you will not be happenin’, elf,” I sneer.
“McKenna is mine.”
Was he joking? The lunacy in his eyes tells me he isn’t, but he’s about to learn just how wrong he is.
“No, man, she’s not. In fact, she’s mine.” I grin and step forward. “You lost out on one hell of a woman. She screams for me every time,” I say, taunting the elf into doing something.”
Tarron, even from the distance between us, I see his jaw tick and eyes narrow to little slits.
“You think all I want is her body? She’s a beautiful woman, bright-minded, but I want her power,” Tarron sneers. “Give her to me, and as I said, I’ll spare your lives.”
“I don’t think so.” I barely get the words out before I feel it. The darkness in the elf swarming around him, pushing outward to us.
Pyro and Inferno both growl and snarl, smoke blowing from their snouts.
The darkness spreads like a living entity, tendrils of black mist reaching toward us. I feel the power in it—ancient, hungry, malevolent. Tarron thinks he can intimidate my brothers and me with his tricks. He needs to think again.
“I grow tired of this,” Tarron says, his voice filled with an otherworldly echo now that would make a weaker man tremble. “You are nothing but a mortal man playing with powers you don’t understand.”
I laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. This elf hasn’t done his research if he thinks I’m a mortal man. I’m immortal. A warrior, born of a Valkyrie. “You’d be surprised what I understand,” I tell him, not filling him in on this. Let him believe what he wishes.
Fire and Brimstone step up beside me, their hands hovering near their weapons.
Pyro’s and Inferno’s dragons flank our sides, their massive bodies creating a wall of protection.
I can feel the heat radiating from them, matching the fire building in my own veins.
They’re both ready to burn whatever threat comes at us.
“Last chance,” I call out. “Walk away now.” I don’t want to warn him off, I have every right to kill him now, but I give it to him anyway. I know he’s not going to heed the warning, and I’m going to take great pleasure in killing the dark elf.
Tarron’s laugh is cold and sharp. “You think you can protect her? You have no idea what she is.”
“I know exactly what my woman is. I know who she is. I know everything there is to know about McKenna, because she’s mine.”
Tarron’s face contorts in rage. “You know nothing of her true nature. Her power was meant for greater purposes than warming your bed. She is a vessel for power you cannot comprehend, foolish mortal.”
I feel my control slipping. The warrior blood in me is demanding release, begging to tear this bastard apart.
To rip him to shreds. But I need to keep my head.
To be able to tap into McKenna’s powers for the first time and use them properly and not hurt my brothers in the process, I needed a level head.
This isn’t about brute strength—it’s about strategy.
“McKenna didn’t only choose me, she was meant to be mine.
We’re bonded in a way you’ll never be able to take her away,” I say, feeling the connection between us pulse stronger.
Even with her safely inside, I can sense her energy flowing into mine.
The power starting to flow through my veins.
Fuck, I never realized she was feeling all of this inside her.
She never mentioned it. Then again, she doesn’t use it.
”She gave herself to me—mind, body, and soul.
I know exactly who she is, and she is no vessel, as you put it. ”
“Fool,” Tarron hisses, the darkness around him swirling faster. “She is a vessel of ancient power. The Norns gave her the ability to suck souls. Shewields the ability to bring the veil down and feed souls to those who would devour them. Her power will bring upon the rule of the dark elven folk.”
I keep my face neutral, though this confirms what we knew he was attempting to do, what Hel came to tell us. It wasn’t supposed to be until tonight with the full moon, but the veil was already thinning. Weak enough for this elf to attempt to break through it, but he needs McKenna to do it.
“McKenna’s not going to help you,” I state firmly, stretching my neck from side to side. The power from her courses through me in a way I’ve never felt before. It’s intoxicating yet terrifying. I can feel the darkness of it, the pull to consume, to take. Is this what she feels all the time?
“She will have no choice,” Tarron snarls, taking a step forward. The darkness around him solidifies, forming what looks like armor made of shadows. “When the veil is at its thinnest, her power will activate whether she wishes it or not. I simply need to be there to guide it.”
“Heat,” Brimstone murmurs, “you good?”
I nod once, not taking my eyes off Tarron. “Let’s finish this.”
The bond between McKenna and me pulses stronger, her essence flowing through my veins like liquid fire. I can feel her—scared but determined—back in the clubhouse. For a moment, I wonder if she can feel me too, if she knows what’s about to happen.
“You’ll never get your hands on McKenna.”
“Oh, but I will. I tire of this conversation.”
Without warning, dark elves appear and launch themselves in our direction.
Tarron waves his hand, sending a tendril of darkness that shoots in my direction.
I dodge and pull my gun out of my holster.
It’s not effective against Tarron, but I want him to believe it’s the only thing I have against him.
I need to be close enough to rip his soul from his body and stop this madness.
My brothers around me go up against the rest of the elves that appeared while I focus on my task of taking out Tarron.
“You fool.” Tarron laughs. “You think a human weapon will take me out.”
If he knew that the bullets were also forged in dragon fire, he might not be laughing so much. Grinning, I pull the trigger, hitting him in the left shoulder.
Tarron cries out, staggering back a step.
“Not just a human weapon,” I mock, prowling closer.
Tarron’s eyes widen in shock, clearly not expecting a bullet to affect him. “What trickery is this?”
“Dragon fire.” I smirk, advancing steadily. “You know, dragons can kill you, the bullet might not, but it can make you bleed.”
Around me, chaos ensues. My brothers engage the other elves, metal clashing against otherworldly weapons.
Pyro’s massive dragon form breathes a stream of fire that engulfs three elves at once, their screams piercing the air.
Inferno uses his tail to sweep others off their feet before crushing them beneath his claws.
I focus solely on Tarron, the connection between McKenna and me growing stronger with each step. Her power surges through me like it’s always been a part of me waiting to be awakened.
Tarron’s eyes widen before narrowing, and he snarls, “Impossible. You cannot wield her power. It is mine.”
“I told you, we’re connected. She’s mine. We are one in a lot of ways. Our souls for one. Now, it’s time you die.”
Pulling the full strength of the power, I launch it at Tarron as I watch him drop to his knees, screaming.
I can feel Tarron’s soul fighting against my pull, writhing and struggling as if he were a fish caught on a hook attempting to get free.
It’s dark and ancient, filled with such malevolence that it churns my stomach.
This is what McKenna never wants to feel.
Why she doesn’t use the power. She doesn’t want it to tarnish the light that is inside her.
I get it now more than I did before. She is too light a person to have such maliciousness invade her mind, body, and soul.
I also understand more why Hel gave us the drink she did.
Why the Norns decided I was fated to be McKenna’s.
I can handle what she cannot. I’ll protect my woman from this and not abuse the power.
“What—what are you doing?” Tarron gasps, his body contorting as I continue to draw his essence toward me. His face is twisted in agony and disbelief. “This is not possible!”
“I told you,” I grunt through gritted teeth, the effort of controlling this power making sweat bead on my forehead. “She’s mine. We’re connected by the Norns deciding our fates.”
The connection between McKenna and me pulses stronger now, almost blinding in its intensity. I can feel her presence in my mind, her strength flowing into me even from a distance. For a brief moment, I swear she’s right there with me and not over a mile away.
I reach out my hand, focusing all my energy, all my will on drawing Tarron’s soul toward me at the same time, aiming my gun at the bastard’s head. It feels like trying to wrestle an angry snake—slippery, dangerous, fighting me every step of the way. But I won’t let go.
“This power was never meant for you,” I tell him, my voice steady despite the strain. “It belongs with McKenna, and through her, to me. You won’t ever come between us. You won’t ever be able to scare my woman again.”
I pull the trigger and watch it hit the dark elf between the eyes. His body drops the rest of the way to the ground and begins to deteriorate, flaking away like ash in the wind as his soul separates from his physical form.
Around me, my brothers are finishing off the remaining elves. Fire drives his blade through one’s chest while Brimstone snaps another’s neck with a sickening crack. Pyro and Inferno shoot flames into the open area, burning the elves that linger.
I pull back on the power flowing through my veins, tamping it down. Tarron’s dead. His soul is gone. This was done and over with, and I no longer need to wield my woman’s power for now.
With the last of the dark elves dead and gone, my brothers all gather around me, including a naked Pyro and Inferno as they shift back.
“You good, Prez?” Brimstone asks.
“Never better,” I grunt and grin at him. “Think I’m in need of my woman though.”
Brimstone grins back at me knowingly. My brothers might get what we’re grinning about, but they wouldn’t dare speak of it.
“You all did great,” I tell each of them, meeting their gazes. “Let’s get back to the clubhouse. We have celebrating to do.”
We didn’t really have much to celebrate, but the threat of this ordeal is worth partying. My brothers deserve it. I, for one, will be having my own party with my woman. One that involves me showing her how much she means to me and telling her the depths of my love for her.
I never wanted a woman of my own, but she’s no ordinary woman. Fate destined her for me, just as fate destined me for her. Guess when I said I didn’t need a woman, what I meant was I was waiting on the one who was the other half of my soul. That’s McKenna. She’s my everything.