Protective Impulse

‘December 25th, 2017’

‘Lumen’

Eve

I looked at the Deity staring back at me.

Llinos looked the exact same as she had all those centuries ago. Her features were still soft and sharp, her hair still long and black.

“It took you long enough to come,” I said to her.

“It took you long enough to kill all the vampires,” she shot back.

“I had some inconsistent information about which were still alive.”

She nodded. “Barron was hiding the Whitethorns.”

“You knew and didn’t think to tell me?”

“What good would it have done?” she replied. “It’s not like you’re an expert at finding the things Barron keeps hidden.”

~Ouch.~ That one hurt. “Fine. It’s done now. Take me to her,” I demanded.

“You need rest. Your power isn’t at full capacity.”

“~Take me to her,~” I repeated, seething.

I didn’t care that Llinos was right, that my hands were trembling and my head aching.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t at my best. Because, for my daughter, I would fight at my worst.

And I wouldn’t give up until she was back in my arms.

“No,” Llinos responded, her voice firm.

“You ~promised~ me,” I snapped.

“And I will make good of my promise. But I lied to you before. You haven’t killed all the vampires.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped again.

“There’s one left. And before I take you to your daughter, I’m taking you to him.”

“I’m not your little puppy.”

“Trust me, Eve, you want this guy dead more than I do. You finish him, and Snow will be right in front of you. You have my word.”

“I’ve had your word for centuries.” I narrowed my eyes.

I wanted to smack her. To lunge at her and whip my fist square across her jaw. But this night had been chipping away at me for hours, and it felt like I had nothing left to stand on.

And then the door swung open, hitting me in the back.

“AGGH!” I screamed out.

“Sorry, sorry, Eve,” Kimbringe said from behind me. He squeezed into the room. “Oh, Llinos.”

“Hi, Kim.”

“What the ~hell is going on?~” I demanded, looking from Deity to Deity.

“Don’t look at me. I have no idea why he’s here,” Llinos said.

“Eve,” Kim said softly, grabbing my shoulders so I was facing him, “it’s Killian.”

And just when I thought the night couldn’t get any worse, another dagger plunged into my heart.

“What about Killian?” I asked slowly.

“You better… you better come with me.”

Kimbringe grabbed my hand and led me out of the bedroom, down the staircase, and into the infirmary.

That was when I saw him.

Killian was there, lying on one of the infirmary’s beds—only he didn’t look like the boy I’d left in the London parking lot just a few months ago.

No, this Killian looked bloody and bruised, like he’d been beaten to a pulp. And not just once, but over and over.

“Killian!” I cried out, running up to the infirmary bed. But his eyes stayed closed.

“He’s breathing. He’s still holding on, Eve.”

“Where ~the fuck did you find him?~” I screamed, feeling my whole body shake.

“When you called me yesterday, Eve, and you asked if I sensed anything, I didn’t. I couldn’t. But then a couple hours ago, I sensed it. I sensed him, in danger. I came immediately.”

“Where. Was. He.” I was seething again.

“He was by the side of the road on the edge of the forest here. Outside of Lumen,” Kim said softly, stepping closer to me. But I was in no mood to be soothed.

“I ~asked you, and you said he was fine.~”

“I know. And I thought he was.”

“What use IS YOUR GODDAMN THOUGHT IF IT’S WRONG?!” I thundered.

“Eve, breathe. You’ve had a long night. Raphael is grabbing the Pack’s Healer. She’ll be here any second.”

“You told Raphael?!”

“I passed him on my way into the Pack House. He ran off immediately to track the girl down.”

“Just what I need, Kim! Raphael! Jesus fucking Christ, this night just keeps getting better.”

And then the door opened. And there they were. Raphael and the West Coast Pack’s Healer.

Daisy, I think her name was.

“Get out,” I ordered Raphael before he could take another step into the room.

“But, Eve—” he tried to say. To comfort me, his eyes were filled with concern. But I didn’t care. I needed him out.

“GO!”

With one final look, he backed out of the room.

I watched as Daisy rushed over to Killian, taking him in. “Oh dear,” she said softly, holding her palms face down an inch above his chest.

She closed her eyes, and I watched as soft light slowly transferred from her palms to Killian’s body.

His skin regained some of its color, and his eyes started to flutter.

I rushed back over to him, grabbing his hand.

“Eve?” Killian asked in a small voice, very faint. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

“Killian!” I exclaimed, excitement coursing through me. He was ~alive!~

“Eve,” he repeated again, coughing, and I bent down to his face so I could hear him better.

“What happened?” I asked him, looking right into his eyes.

“Barron…Whitethorn...” He trailed off, his eyes closing. ~Barron. Whitethorn. No. NO!~

“Killian!” I said, wanting to shake him. “Stay with me, Kil.”

Nothing.

The color drained back out of his face until he was a ghostly pale. His eyes remained shut.

“What’s happening?” I said, turning to look at Daisy.

“It’s normal. His body’s in shock, and his conscious is trying to figure out how to restore itself. Floating in and out… that doesn’t mean anything,” she said, trying to reassure me.

“I don’t want to keep transferring my energy to him, because it’s dangerous. If his body grows too dependent on it…” She trailed off.

“Can you sense anything? From him?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing yet. The pulse is faint, but it’s there.”

And then he coughed again, his whole body shaking with the tremor.

“Killian?” I lowered my face so it was right next to his.

His eyes fluttered. “Barron…” he whispered.

“What about Barron? Did he do this to you?”

“He said… your time… almost… up…” he got out, each word sounding like it took him running a marathon to say it.

I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe the fucking cruelness of Barron Von Logia.

I knew he was a bad Deity, the worst Deity in the universe, sure. But it wasn’t enough that he’d kidnapped my daughter and held her over me for centuries.

It wasn’t enough that he manipulated me like a goddamn marionette, having me carry out his whims and desires, threatening her well-being if I said no.

No, now he had to find my ward.

He had to find Killian.

And he had to beat him within an inch of his life, and for what? To send me a message? To warn me that I was almost out of time to murder my own mate?

“Whitethorn… there. His… bodyguard.”

“A Whitethorn did this to you?” I demanded.

Killian tilted his chin no more than an inch, but I knew it was a nod.

“And Snow…” Killian whispered, his breathing heavy and ragged. My eyes widened, my face moving even closer to his.

“You saw her?” I asked.

Goosebumps had covered my skin, and my heart was racing. I needed the answer, but I also wasn’t sure I could handle it.

~Fuck that,~ I told myself.

I would handle it.

I would handle anything when it came to my baby.

I watched as his head, very slowly, very carefully, began to nod. He tilted down, then up, then down again, wincing in pain all the while.

“Where? Where was she, Killian?”

“In a… cell. A… cage. She was… young… blonde…” He trailed off, his eyes again closing.

“It’ll be best to let him sleep,” Daisy said.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

She came around to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

“But SNOW!” I cried.

“I know,” she said, wrapping her arm around me and guiding me out of the infirmary. “I know.”

But I didn’t need to be pitied. I didn’t need to be comforted. I needed to ~act~.

I needed to destroy the goddamn Whitethorns, the family that had been popping up and trying to harm the kids I was protecting.

And I needed to take back the control that Barron had stolen from me. He’d stolen my child, my ward, and my freedom.

It was time for me to take them back.

I was storming through the hallway, headed back upstairs. But I passed right by my room and stormed into Raphael’s.

As soon as I barged through the door, he looked at me. “What, you want to rip my head off again? You want to try to kill me?”

But all my anger, all my rage, had consumed me. It had eaten up all my energy. So all I could do was yell. And yell was what I did.

“AAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!” I screamed, needing the release. And then I dropped to the floor.

Raphael came to where I was sitting. “Do you feel better?”

“No.”

I looked at him, at the concern splayed across his face. My eyes narrowed.

He was the one responsible for this whole mess. If he hadn’t taken my virginity, if he hadn’t impregnated me and left me alone, Snow would’ve never gotten kidnapped.

We would’ve lived normal lives. All of us.

I was sick of holding the weight of the world on my shoulders. It was time to share the goddamn load.

So I looked right at Raphael, right at my rage-inducing mate, and I narrowed my eyes even more.

“It’s time I tell you the truth.”