Chapter 15
"You threaten my blood-brother. I should kill you," Kieran's menacing voice purred from deep in his throat as he glanced at Alex slyly from under his eyelashes.
A loud snort of derisive laughter issued from Alex. "Wow, you must be in a good mood today. What is that, three or four threats now? You should have noticed...you don't scare me." She leaned closer with each word until she her mouth was right by Kieran's ear. An unwanted shiver ran up his spine. Alex smiled and pulled back, but only slightly.
"Do I scare you?" She ran her index fingernail down his face from his temple to the corner of his full lips. He moved to throw her hand away, but she quickly dodged his blow and darted her hand under his arm to slide his knife out of the sheath. Kieran stopped, surprised to find his life imperiled by his own knife. A slow, sardonic smile inched across his lips as the blade pressed experimentally into the base of his throat.
"You would make a decent hunter; your reflexes are fast." He disappeared and reappeared behind her, grabbing her before she had the chance to slash at him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her firmly against him and held the knife to her throat. He bent close to her and whispered, "But not fast enough. I've dealt with many hunters, little witchling. You are not the first, and will not be the last, to threaten my existence, whether it be playful or not. I suggest that this meaningless banter cease and we get down to business. Kala is in danger, is she not? You said you could not help her because the herbal mixture is somewhere you can't get it. Tell me where it is or I swear I'll blow this place apart to find it. However, that may take a while, and it may be rather messy, so I implore you to tell me, and save your house and family."
"Can't get one sentence out without threatening me, can you?"
"I could say the same of you."
"So...Why can't you get it?" Kieran persisted.
Alex sighed agitatedly, shifting her weight from one leg to another. She rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "I don't know this type of magic yet, and even if I did, I wouldn't have enough power to work the counteractive spell."
"Not enough power? I can open my power to you, and you can channel it towards breaking the spells."
Alex looked at him suspiciously. "That might work...but how do you know that I won't drain you? I could easily kill you if I took too much, or even if I wanted to."
Kieran stared into her eyes. "I don't. I'll just have to trust you, as you had to trust me."
"But won't it...?" She cleared her throat and started over. "If I channel your power, wont a trace be left in my system? I'll be tainted with vampiric power, almost as bad as the blood itself. My mother...won't be happy, and there will be no way to conceal it."
"I'm not going to lie. I don't know; I've never done this before, but it would make sense that you would be left with a bit of my power...and perhaps access to my thoughts, or the rest of my power. It's your sister or yourself, Alexandra. You have to choose. Hurry or we might be too late."
"Alright," Alex said hesitatingly. She again placed one palm on the door and the other over Kieran's heart. Instantly her mind was filled with a roaring vortex of blackness, swirling into her mind and rendering everything useless.
"Not so much..." She whispered faintly, struggling to retain her losing humanity. The sable stream of energy slowed until it was at a manageable level. Alex gathered the strength into a single bolt and hurled it at the door with all her mental power. The charms wavered but held. She concentrated again, this time forcing all the power to be sent at a single spot of the spell in a steady stream. The air thickened with tension as the spells started to contract slowly. All at once there was a deafening explosion that made the entire house shake; Alex was blown backward into Kieran, the wind knocked from her lungs. Charged electricity tingled throughout her veins and her head felt light.
"I'll assume that means that the spells were broken?" Kieran voiced wryly. He had been knocked off his feet when Alex's weight had hit him full-force, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangle of flailing arms and legs. Alex blinked uncomprehendingly; the sudden jolt of power that had torn through her rent her temporarily senseless. Kieran climbed to his feet and offered Alex a hand up. She shook her head and blinked a couple of times, everything still a little fuzzy.
"You okay?" Kieran asked, taking her chin in his hands and staring into her unfocused eyes. She felt him skimming across her mind, looking for any injury. "Temporary shock; you'll be fine once it fades away," He muttered, looking around.
Alex suddenly snapped back into focus and headed toward the door, carefully stepping over broken glass and picture frames; the thunderous shake had knocked bottles from shelves and pictures from walls. "Better hurry. My family sleeps soundly, but not that soundly. They'll be here in a moment." Kieran followed her into the small room and searched for the small bottled of Kala's medicine.
"It's in a small blue bottle," Alex murmured. Her heart was pounding now; she could sense her family hurrying quietly up the steps. A few more seconds and they would be in the room.
Both searched frantically, knocking bottles off the many shelves in their haste. Kieran claimed triumphantly, "I've got it!" and held up the bottle for Alex to confirm. She nodded in approval and her heart skipped a beat; her family was right outside the door, their power gathering, preparing to blast the door down. Alex threw herself at Kieran, wrapping her arms around his middle and squeezing her eyes shut. This was it. They were done for. She had used much of Kieran's power resource to shatter the charms; he was helpless to get them out of there.
A/N: hehehe...first cliffhanger in a lil while, huh? And u won't hear a thing from me for a week! I'm off to a cabin on a lake for one week...the one bad thing? Forget complete isolation from humans (who needs 'em anyway?) I won't have the internet! AHHH! I shall die...anywho, just review! (heh heh heh...that rhymes!)
"You threaten my blood-brother. I should kill you," Kieran's menacing voice purred from deep in his throat as he glanced at Alex slyly from under his eyelashes.
A loud snort of derisive laughter issued from Alex. "Wow, you must be in a good mood today. What is that, three or four threats now? You should have noticed...you don't scare me." She leaned closer with each word until she her mouth was right by Kieran's ear. An unwanted shiver ran up his spine. Alex smiled and pulled back, but only slightly.
"Do I scare you?" She ran her index fingernail down his face from his temple to the corner of his full lips. He moved to throw her hand away, but she quickly dodged his blow and darted her hand under his arm to slide his knife out of the sheath. Kieran stopped, surprised to find his life imperiled by his own knife. A slow, sardonic smile inched across his lips as the blade pressed experimentally into the base of his throat.
"You would make a decent hunter; your reflexes are fast." He disappeared and reappeared behind her, grabbing her before she had the chance to slash at him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her firmly against him and held the knife to her throat. He bent close to her and whispered, "But not fast enough. I've dealt with many hunters, little witchling. You are not the first, and will not be the last, to threaten my existence, whether it be playful or not. I suggest that this meaningless banter cease and we get down to business. Kala is in danger, is she not? You said you could not help her because the herbal mixture is somewhere you can't get it. Tell me where it is or I swear I'll blow this place apart to find it. However, that may take a while, and it may be rather messy, so I implore you to tell me, and save your house and family."
"Can't get one sentence out without threatening me, can you?"
"I could say the same of you."
"So...Why can't you get it?" Kieran persisted.
Alex sighed agitatedly, shifting her weight from one leg to another. She rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "I don't know this type of magic yet, and even if I did, I wouldn't have enough power to work the counteractive spell."
"Not enough power? I can open my power to you, and you can channel it towards breaking the spells."
Alex looked at him suspiciously. "That might work...but how do you know that I won't drain you? I could easily kill you if I took too much, or even if I wanted to."
Kieran stared into her eyes. "I don't. I'll just have to trust you, as you had to trust me."
"But won't it...?" She cleared her throat and started over. "If I channel your power, wont a trace be left in my system? I'll be tainted with vampiric power, almost as bad as the blood itself. My mother...won't be happy, and there will be no way to conceal it."
"I'm not going to lie. I don't know; I've never done this before, but it would make sense that you would be left with a bit of my power...and perhaps access to my thoughts, or the rest of my power. It's your sister or yourself, Alexandra. You have to choose. Hurry or we might be too late."
"Alright," Alex said hesitatingly. She again placed one palm on the door and the other over Kieran's heart. Instantly her mind was filled with a roaring vortex of blackness, swirling into her mind and rendering everything useless.
"Not so much..." She whispered faintly, struggling to retain her losing humanity. The sable stream of energy slowed until it was at a manageable level. Alex gathered the strength into a single bolt and hurled it at the door with all her mental power. The charms wavered but held. She concentrated again, this time forcing all the power to be sent at a single spot of the spell in a steady stream. The air thickened with tension as the spells started to contract slowly. All at once there was a deafening explosion that made the entire house shake; Alex was blown backward into Kieran, the wind knocked from her lungs. Charged electricity tingled throughout her veins and her head felt light.
"I'll assume that means that the spells were broken?" Kieran voiced wryly. He had been knocked off his feet when Alex's weight had hit him full-force, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangle of flailing arms and legs. Alex blinked uncomprehendingly; the sudden jolt of power that had torn through her rent her temporarily senseless. Kieran climbed to his feet and offered Alex a hand up. She shook her head and blinked a couple of times, everything still a little fuzzy.
"You okay?" Kieran asked, taking her chin in his hands and staring into her unfocused eyes. She felt him skimming across her mind, looking for any injury. "Temporary shock; you'll be fine once it fades away," He muttered, looking around.
Alex suddenly snapped back into focus and headed toward the door, carefully stepping over broken glass and picture frames; the thunderous shake had knocked bottles from shelves and pictures from walls. "Better hurry. My family sleeps soundly, but not that soundly. They'll be here in a moment." Kieran followed her into the small room and searched for the small bottled of Kala's medicine.
"It's in a small blue bottle," Alex murmured. Her heart was pounding now; she could sense her family hurrying quietly up the steps. A few more seconds and they would be in the room.
Both searched frantically, knocking bottles off the many shelves in their haste. Kieran claimed triumphantly, "I've got it!" and held up the bottle for Alex to confirm. She nodded in approval and her heart skipped a beat; her family was right outside the door, their power gathering, preparing to blast the door down. Alex threw herself at Kieran, wrapping her arms around his middle and squeezing her eyes shut. This was it. They were done for. She had used much of Kieran's power resource to shatter the charms; he was helpless to get them out of there.
A/N: hehehe...first cliffhanger in a lil while, huh? And u won't hear a thing from me for a week! I'm off to a cabin on a lake for one week...the one bad thing? Forget complete isolation from humans (who needs 'em anyway?) I won't have the internet! AHHH! I shall die...anywho, just review! (heh heh heh...that rhymes!)