Page 19 of Destined to Fight

Kelly couldn’t help crossing her arms in displeasure.

“It really is for the best,” Fabian said, now speaking in his normal calm, smooth voice.

Instead of responding, Kelly turned to stare out the window as they drove through the city.

For what seemed to be the twenty-fourth time in the same number of hours, Kelly found herself pondering life and the chain of events that had led her to this moment. She tended to overanalyze, but she was beginning to wear herself out. Maybe a change of scenery would do her some good. There really wasn’t much here for her, but she couldn’t just abandon everything, could she? Her dad. Shit…what would her dad think? Hey Dad, I met this guy and he’s changed my life, so I’m leaving the country. That would go over really well. But she could come back, right? Kade had said she could come back.

“Wait a minute,” Kelly said to no one in particular, “why the fuck did that woman try to take me out of the gym? Who is she, and why is it okay to cut a person’s head off?” She was yelling by the time she finished.

Fabian answered, cool as a cucumber, “Both Kade and I have hinted at the fact that there is something different about you. We are obviously not the only ones who have noticed it. Someone wanted to bring you over to their side and did not feel the need to gain your consent. It is okay to cut her head off because she knew the consequences. She knew I was your Guardian, and she knew she would die if she did not cooperate. My sole job is to protect your life, and that sometimes means taking the life of others.”

Kade picked up the explanation from there. “From what I heard outside the locker room, it sounded as if she was a vampire and she thought she could compel ye to leave with her. Did she do anything different with her eyes? Did they look different? Did ye want to go with her?”

Kelly tilted her head to the side, thinking. “Now it all makes sense! She did look at me differently. She kept tilting her head and changing angles while staring into my eyes. For a minute, it felt like my mind was getting foggy, but it cleared. Her eyes seemed like they were almost black, and she got frustrated when I wouldn’t listen. That’s when started trying to force me to go with her. So she was a vampire?”

“Aye, she was,” Kade answered. “With time, ye will learn to identify other Arcane.” He paused then, looking at her, studying her.

She looked away, feeling the weight of his gaze. It was beginning to feel like she was caught in the middle of a sea of shit with no shore in sight. As a journalist, it was her job to know, and she knew nothing about any of this. She was used to blazing her own path and finding the truth for herself, but these people wouldn’t even give her a day before coming for her. She could not win against an enemy she did not know; fighting them alone was not an option.

Kade pulled her away from her thoughts. “Ye said yer mind got foggy and then it went away. What do ye mean exactly?”

“I don’t know. One second my mind was slipping, like something was taking hold of it, then I focused on my breathing, and it went away.”

Kade and Fabian shared a glance then.

“What? What are you two thinking? It would be nice if you’d include me in the conversation, since it’s about me.”

Fabian answered, “It seems you may be immune to compulsion, or you may have some sort of power against it. We will have to test that theory, though.”

“Is that normal?” All she needed was another thing that set her apart from everyone else.

Neither of them spoke. They just shook their heads.

Just fucking great. Her mind attempted to hop on the Overthinking Train, but it was cut short when the car pulled up to Kade’s hotel.

The doors remained locked while Fabian did his fancy scanning thing. She’d have to remember to ask him how that worked.

“It is clear,” Fabian announced. He got out of his door and held it open, gesturing for Kelly to follow him. She did as he wished, too mentally worn out to do anything but follow.

Kade led the way into the hotel, and Kelly couldn’t help but admire his backside. He wore faded jeans that hugged his ass. The stitching on them was bold, and the pockets had intricate patterns on them. They probably cost $200, and they were almost worth it for the way they looked on him. He was in a casual white button-up shirt, untucked, with light-blue designs embroidered on it. Dark-brown work boots completed the look, landing it somewhere between date night and a casual business meeting, and right on the top of Kelly’s hot list. Suits had never really done it for her. She preferred a man who could be comfortable but still took pride in the way he presented himself.

There you go again, drooling over him. He’s not as nice as he looks, a bit too controlling and full of himself. Don’t go there.

She almost told herself to shut up, but caught the words before they left her mouth.

They made it up to the suite without incident, and Kelly collapsed on the couch while Kade got his things together. Fabian stood guard at the door, seeming to have his mind elsewhere. She figured he was scanning the area for people.

Clyde came over and jumped onto her chest. He meowed loudly in her face, making her laugh. She petted him gently, and he flopped on his side, purring. The cat was growing on her; she’d never been a cat person, but there was something about this one.

A thump sounded from behind her as Kade tossed his bag on the ground. He walked over to the couch and set a pet carrier at Kelly’s feet. Clyde gave another meow as he got up and walked into it with a saunter that said he was not pleased about the situation. Kade tossed a treat in after him and shut the door.

“I didn’t know you could train cats so well,” Kelly said, in awe with the fact that a cat would just walk into a carrier without a fight.

“It took us a while to get to this point, but he figured out that if he resists enough, I’ll leave him behind. He doesn’y like being left behind.”

Kade offered Kelly his hand, and she took it, knowing the adrenaline was wearing off and her body was crashing. He smiled at her as he helped her up, a full smile this time. “Come, sit and have some water while I grab what is needed from the fridge.”

She let go of his hand, making her way over to the kitchen. Kade followed with the cat carrier in one hand and the other hand on the small of her back. He set Clyde down and pulled out one of the bar stools for her to sit on.

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