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Chapter Sixteen
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ALEXANDRU KEPT A TIGHT leash on his emotions as he carefully lowered a still-unconscious Zari on the couch in his apartment. It always killed him to see his pet like this, and it killed him even more, knowing that he was still powerless to keep her safe while she was lost in one of her visions.
The thought of this happening while she was hunting down some poltergeist or ghost chilled his blood—-
Thank fuck for Elsa and Martin, he found himself thinking while running his gaze over Zari's form, just to make sure that she wasn't suddenly injured or bleeding anywhere. If this were to happen when Alexandru wasn't around to help his pet, he could at least be certain those ghosts would protect her at all costs.
Zari. He tried reaching her through their blood bond, which he had successfully done numerous times in the past. Can you hear me?
He waited tautly for her response, and Alexandru's powerful form grew increasingly rigid with every second that passed in silence. Thanks to demons burning down entire libraries about heartkeeping and soul seer magic, every one of Alexandru's attempts to learn more about how Zari's powers worked had been a frustrating waste of time. What little he knew was based on his own observations of Zari alone, and that much told him the longer Zari remained out of reach, the more dangerous—-
His pet's slender body suddenly jerked.
And then she was crying and choking, her terrified expression like that of a prey being hunted, and when Alexandru reached for her—-
A curse almost slipped past his lips.
Her temper was beyond feverish, her body seemingly burning from within, that the barest touch on her skin nearly scalded him.
Zari!
The harsh command of Alexandru's voice thundered in her mind, and instead of terrifying her, the sound was exactly what she needed, the familiar note of authority in her Master's voice snapping Zari back to her senses.
M-Master?
Focus on my voice now.
His words wrapped itself around her like a cloak of protection, and she found herself clinging to them as the fiery images from her vision raged around her.
You're safe.
She knew what he was saying was true. She knew, just by hearing his voice, that she was no longer in danger. But with the grotesquely vivid world around her refusing to go away, she couldn't stop herself from reacting, and she felt herself start to burn—-
No, her Master growled. Stop that! Come back to me!
Her Master's furious growl ripped into the veil that separated reality from her visions—-
NOW, ZARI.
The words turned into a steely rope that locked around her wrist, and just as everything around her roared into flames that starved for her flesh, Alexandru's love became Zari's harbor, the chains of her Master's possession yanking her out—-
Everything disappeared in a blink of an eye, and the first thing she saw was Alexandru's beloved face gradually coming into focus.
Oh God.
Alexandru was stunned when his pet suddenly threw herself in his arms, and he was barely able to keep him from toppling back at the shock of it.
You're safe now, pet.
But Zari didn't even answer, only winding her arms more tightly around his neck like she was afraid of drowning the moment he let go.
What did you see?
His pet didn't answer, her body still shuddering against him in the aftermath of her vision, and her heart pounded so hard and fast that he might as well be listening to heavy metal.
It was only when over an hour had passed, and he had her body relaxed under the foamy waters of the Jacuzzi in the master's en-suite, that he felt Zari finally stir in his arms. Large, gray eyes lifted up to his, and his chest tightened at the fear that still haunted her gaze.
"That bad?" he asked quietly.
She nodded.
"Is it like what you saw with Katerina?"
Zari could only manage another nod, and she didn't even think of resisting as her Master pulled her close, and she pressed her cheek back against the hard naked wall of his chest.
Katerina had been her Master's first love. Zari had a vision of the other woman's death, and it had gutted her, how all of her desperate attempts to change the hunter's destiny had met with failure.
That was the day she had grown up, the day she had made her decision to break her heart and part with Alexandru.
That day was when she had made a promise to become strong for her Master—-
And it was a promise she intended to keep, even if her visions showed...
Visions show only one possibility of the future, she reminded herself forcefully. And so what if her Master apparently didn't think her capable of keeping her promise? With all the times she had doubted herself, Alexandru was also entitled to have his own doubts here and there. And besides—-
The sound of her iPhone ringing cut through her thoughts, and Zari was secretly relieved to have a reason to set aside the past, even just for a while. She reached for her cellphone and tried not to feel self-conscious at the way Alexandru regarded her with green eyes that were a little too indolent to be true. "Hel—-"
Her boss cut her off, asking, "Are you with the vampire?" Micah's voice lacked its usual honeyed sinfulness, and this was enough for Zari to sit up and frown.
"He is. Is anything—-"
"I need you two here at Station 4," Micah ordered. "ASAP."