Page 26 of Destined to Fight

A second wave of power passed through the air, almost knocking Kelly to the ground. She recognized it as Kade’s.

Kade moved with inhuman speed, standing in front of the man with fists clenched at his sides and shoulders squared, challenging him.

Just as quickly as Kade moved, Fabian was in front of her with swords drawn, ready to fight.

Kade spoke through gritted teeth. “Eric, I dinnae remember inviting ye to my home.”

The man’s answering smile was sinister. “Come now, Kade. That’s no way to greet an old friend. I do recall an invitation for cocktails that I never followed through on, and it really is such a lovely night, so I thought I’d stop by.” He spread his hands as if he were on stage announcing his presence.

“If ye have a message, deliver it now and leave. Yer invitation is revoked.”

Kelly thought for a moment that Eric would be whisked away like a vampire in the movies who was just told that he wasn’t welcome, but that didn’t happen. Eric just stood there, still looking straight at her.

“Who’s the lovely lady over there? Your company for the evening?” As if the stare wasn’t enough, he winked at her.

“Fuck you,” she spat at him. Of their own accord, her fingers started to tingle and spark. She balled her hands into fists, not knowing what else to do, but that just made her palms burn. Fabian lightly shook his head in front of her, telling her to stop, but she couldn’t.

Eric laughed. “Oh, she’s feisty, you’ll have fun with that one.”

“Leave. Now,” Kade warned.

Eric didn’t move. He just stood and stared at Kade, daring him to make the first move. His green eyes showed amusement in the game he played. “Really, I think I’ll stay. I’d love to join you two. Or three, is it three? I didn’t know you had a thing for orgies, Kade, that’s new. Three of us and one of her may be a bit much, though, don’t you think? Mortal women are weak, after all.”

Kade’s fist moved so quickly that Kelly couldn’t even see it. She just heard the crack and saw Eric stumble back.

Eric recovered, fangs now visible and eyes black as night. “There it is, the good old MacCabe family temper.”

Fabian spoke, “Eric, by law you must leave. You are trespassing.”

“Sure, sure, don’t fret, dear fae. I just wanted to give Kelly there my best. She has a long journey ahead, with many unknowns. She needs all the support she can get.”

“Who sent ye?” Kade asked.

Eric kept up with the theatrics, pointing at himself and then Kade. “That’s for me to know and you to find out when it’s too late.” He laughed at his own joke. “I suppose I will go. You all bore me.”

Eric crouched and launched into the air, soaring up through the clouds and out of sight.

Kade looked back at Kelly, fangs extended. His eyes faded slowly from black to gray as he held her gaze. Raindrops matted his hair and ran down his face, but he didn’t seem to care. The look on his face was purely primal, somewhere between protective and possessive; it held her in place, freezing her in the moment.

Fabian turned to her, sheathing his swords and ruining that moment. “Inside. Now.”

Kade ascended the stairs to the castle and held the door open for her. Fabian followed close behind, checking the surroundings like he always did.

“Are ye all right?” Kade asked as the door closed behind them. Concern was plain on his face.

Kelly completely ignored his question. “Vampires can fly? Like really fly? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kade ran his hand through his hair, seeming annoyed. “Aye, some of us can fly. I guess that means yer fine.”

“Some guy stopped by to sling his dick around. So what?”

“Ye have so much to learn about our world.” Kade’s annoyance was clearly growing.

“He broke a couple of laws in order to threaten you. That is no small thing,” Fabian explained. “Someone knows of you and knows that Kade is helping you. They know enough about Kade to guess that he would bring you here after their attempt to grab you at the gym failed. Someone on the Council is coming for you.”

“Oh” was all she managed.

Kade pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed someone. “Asta, please arrange for someone to place wards on the castle as soon as possible. Find the best, I dinnae care what it costs.” He paused while the other person spoke. “Aye, thank ye.”

---