Chapter Five

D arkness consumes me as the Void swallows me whole. I hear Magnus reassuring the guys as I disappear from their view. Aw, they care. I would have thought they would be glad to see me disappear. Immediately, the Void welcomes me as its own, healing me and filling me with delicious power. I land in a crouch, aware of everyone and everything in the room, my senses becoming even more acute. The Void didn’t only heal my wound but also burned the remaining poison from my veins. The only thing it won't have healed are the slashes along my back. They were made with a spelled blade, designed to take a long time to heal.

“Fuck me, look at her eyes,” Mayhem exclaims.

“They’re glowing!”

“That’s normal,” Magnus replies.

“That’s not fucking normal.” Storm retorts.

“It’s normal for her. I’m up first.” Magnus replies, approaching me slowly. “Any control?”

“Enough,” I growl.

“Don’t kill me.” He says, looking amused.

“I’ll try not to,” I reply sincerely and charge at him.

He throws a full power energy ball at me, making the guys curse and step forward to stop him before they all gasp in shock as it hits me in the chest and doesn’t make my steps falter. It takes less than a minute before Magnus calls on one of the guys to take over, his breathing harsh. Storm steps up next, his horns sparking as he calls his power to him, his wings flapping behind him. I grin, my eyes still glowing. He’s fast, faster than most, but even so, he doesn’t land a single hit but takes many. He lasts a full ten minutes, though, which is longer than anyone else has when I’ve just come out of the Void. He’s made a considerable dent in my power level and given me back more of my control but not enough.

“Reaper, you're up.” He orders.

“Remember, it’s helping her,” Magnus mutters as Reaper hesitates.

I let loose an inhuman growl, making their eyes widen in shock. Reaper rolls his shoulders and flicks out his hand's, flames instantly engulfing them and my eyes widen. I have no idea what kind of supernatural can do that. His slitted eyes glow as he uses my distraction to his advantage, striking out and actually making a hit. Panic enters his eyes as my skin smoulders until he sees that by the time he’s pulled back, I’m already healed.

We fight hard. Reaper's strength is incredible, and if I weren’t newly recharged, he would’ve beaten me easily. In the few minutes we’ve been fighting, he’s managed to give me all of my control back, my gifts settling back down inside me.

I drop my guard altogether, dropping my hands to my sides. Reaper's eyes widen, and he tries to stop his forward momentum turning at the last minute and landing on the floor and groaning.

“Why did you just drop your guard like that?” He groans.

“I’m good now.”

“You’re good already?” Magnus asks, surprise colouring his tone.

“Yeah, they’re good,” I reply easily.

“What the fuck was that?” Storm growls, his wings moving with agitation.

“You were right. I am going to get your team killed,” I admit crossing my arms over my chest. “But not because I’m inexperienced and can’t fight. Thank you for helping me.”

I push past them all, knowing that they want a different explanation and also knowing that I can’t fucking give it to them. They are going to want to know about my father, though, and I’m not sure that I can keep that from them. I let too much slip myself.

“That’s it, no other explanation?” Mayhem calls after me.

“What do you want to know?” I ask, taking the steps two at a time. I need to get a good look at the fucker who tried to kill me and find out who sent him.

“Why did your father give you a potion to suppress your gifts and stop your healing?” Rival asks, his orange eyes studying me closely.

“He likes control,” I say shortly as we get to our room. I open the door to find Poca standing guard over the headless body.

“Good boy Poca!” I praise, reaching out my hand.

“Wait! Don’t touch him. His fur will burn straight through your hand and down to the bone!” Storm warns me, a thread of panic in his voice that has us all staring at him in shock.

“It’s okay, he doesn’t burn me, but thank you for your concern,” I smirk, making him scowl and the others grin.

“That’s another thing. How the fuck do you have a familiar and a fucking hell hound at that?” Storm asks, obviously trying to distract us from his previous show of emotion.

“I don’t know,” I shrug, telling the truth, my fingers weaving through Poca’s fur, “He showed up when I was three. He’s been with me ever since.”

“Three?” Mayhem asks, bright blue eyes suspicious. “I’ve only heard of familiars showing up early if their supernatural is under direct threat.”

I shrug, not answering the hidden question that was in that statement.

Rival narrows his eyes on me. “I’m surprised that your father hasn’t mentioned it. It definitely seems like something that he’d like to brag about.”

I share a look with Magnus, who’s been silently watching our interactions up until now. “He doesn’t know. I’ll leave you to it, as always, Farren, check-in, please.”

“Got it,” I reply, walking around the body, looking for anything that could tell me who sent him. I fish around in his pockets, and the guys raise their eyebrows.

“What are you doing?” Reaper asks curiously.

“I’m trying to find out who sent him.”

“You mean it could have been more than one someone?” Loki asks, concern colouring his purple eyes and darkening them.

I scoff and decide not to answer that question. Finding nothing on the body, I walk over to the head and pick it up by the hair.

“Fucking hell, you are nothing like I thought,” Mayhem mutters.

“Huh?” I ask, not really paying attention as I study the head and, more specifically, his neck, “Son of a fucking cock sucking bitch, he didn’t!”

“Erm, what?” Loki asks, a broad grin on his face.

I growl, throwing the head on the floor. I can’t fucking believe he’d send someone to kill me, and I’m going to find out why he’s turned into a pussy assed cock sucker.

I flick my hand, and the body turns into dust, floating out of the nearest window and scattering in the wind. The head I leave.

“Whoa, how the fuck did you do that?”

“I don’t need words for my magic,” I mutter distractedly, my mind going a mile a minute. Why the fuck did he send one of his assassins after me?

“Everyone needs words to make their magic work, especially for a spell of that strength.” Mayhem points out.

Once again, I ignore him.

“You missed a bit.” Storm sneers, nodding to the head.

I stomp into my room, and aware that the guys are following me, I use a concealment spell to hide the weapons that would give away my identity and grab some of the others, including some holsters. I put two swords in the holster on my back, the pommels showing above my shoulders. I pull on a belt, tightening it and then sheath my knives in their holders. When I turn around, the guys are staring at me with shock written all over their faces.

“What are you doing?” Storm asks, a frown darkening his features.

“I’m getting ready to pay the guy who sent him,” I point to where the head is still sitting macabrely on the floor, “To kill me a visit.”

“No, you’re not.”

My whole body freezes at his command, a cold mask dropping over my features. I have been controlled my entire life, and I will not be controlled by him.

“Oh fuck, wrong thing to say, dickhead.” Rival mutters.

“I am, and there’s fuck all you can do to stop me,” I reply, my voice cold. I have searched for his signature many times over the last few months. Still, it's only just become available to me again, which I’m hoping means that his home is no longer cloaked. Unfortunately, since I only travelled to it via the Void, I had no idea how to get there by traditional means, which means he’s been elusive to me for years now.

“The fuck there isn’t,” he growls in response.

I grin, calling the head to me. It appears in my hand as the Void opens up behind me. Storm's face changes to panic, and I turn to walk through the portal that the Void has opened up behind me. As I step over the edge, two sets of hands grasp me, and my eyes widen. I look over my shoulder as the gateway closes behind us, and I sigh as I see the panicked looks on Rival and Loki’s faces.

“Fuck sake, whatever you do, do not fucking let go of me. I don’t have time to search the Void for you. Follow me and step where I step.” I order as we start to move forward. I keep my senses acute as we move, the things that live in the Void tend to ignore me, but I have a feeling they’d be more than interested in the guys. They are powerful supernaturals.

“Got it.” Loki nods, his head moving up and down like a bobblehead.

“Couldn’t get me to let go if you wanted me to.” Rival adds with a wary grin.

“Why is it so cold?” Loki asks curiously, his hand unclenching from my shirt and moving up my back, over my shoulder and down my arm so he can thread his fingers through mine. I look at him in shock, “It’s easier than holding onto your t-shirt.”

Rival looks around me to see what Loki is talking about and grins. “Good idea.”

He does the same before pausing at my wrist, and I realise I’m holding the head of the assassin. Whoops, I completely forgot about that. I materialise a backpack on my back and magic the head inside; he raises his eyebrows as an impressed smirk tilts his lips before he threads his fingers through mine, and for the first time in my life, I find myself holding hands with two hot as fuck men. My heart flutters.

“It’s the Void. The creatures here thrive in the cold and dark.”

“Creatures?” Rival asks.

“Yeah, don’t they teach you guys that there are creatures in the Void?” I ask, surprised that there’s a gap in their prestigious education.

“No, they don’t.”

“Huh,” I reply eloquently, “Listen when we get there, just stay quiet. Okay, I’ve dealt with him before.”

“We’re going to his haunt?”

“No, we’re going to his house,” I grin.

“I’m sure that’s going to go well,” Loki mutters sarcastically.

“Hold on, stepping out of the Void can be a bitch the first time,” I warn them as a glowing door appears in front of us.

“Whoa, that’s so fucking cool,” Rival grins.

“Remember, stay back and stay out of it. He will kill you in seconds,” I remind them.

I pull open the door and step through. As soon as I know that they’re completely out of the Void, I drop their hands and summon the head back into my hands, as well as my sword, it clangs against the one swinging for me in the dark, and we parry for a moment before I invoke a witch's light and cast the room into the light.

“Killian!” I growl, and he stops dead, his eyes widening as he takes me in.

Relief colours his handsome features as he swipes his long black and silver hair behind his ear, his liquid silver eyes glowing with happiness. Instantly, he drops his sword and opens his deliciously muscled arms, arms that I’ve had wrapped around me more often than anyone else’s. I point my sword at him, and he raises his hands in defence, confusion in his eyes.

“Killian?” Rival mutters in shock, and Killian tenses as he studies the guys beside me. Recognition lights his eyes, and I frown.

A quick glance at them both shows that they are more on edge now than they have been the entire time.

“What’s going on?” Killian asks, his emotions locked down.

“Apparently a lot, but let's start with the most important,” I lower my sword, putting it away and throwing the head at him. He catches it effortlessly, with no disgust or fear in his eyes as he turns it around and studies the face.

“Huh, it’s Larkin.” He mutters, “Why did you behead Larkin?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the guys share an astonished look. What the fuck is that about?

“Because he tried to kill me and got pretty fucking close, I had to go into the Void,” I growl.

His eyes become deadly as the embers within them start to glow, his tail whipping back and forth behind him agitatedly, the horns on his head sparking with his emotions. Rival and Loki step closer to me.

“I did not know that the hit was on you. You know I never would’ve let it go ahead otherwise,” he reassures me, his hard features softening enough that I can see the plea in his eyes.

“What the fuck?” One of the guys mutters under his breath.

Killian ignores them and opens his arms to me.

“Farren, don’t,” Rival warns, and I roll my eyes, making Killian grin.

I bury my head in Killian’s chest as he wraps his arms around me tightly, his face burying in my hair, even his tail wraps around my thigh.

“Where the fuck have you been, Kill? I couldn’t locate you?”

He pulls back. “You’ve been looking for me?”

“Of fucking course I have. Did you think I just abandoned you? We had a fucking pact Kill. One that you’ve clearly gone back on, judging from the fucking smell coming off of you.”

“Yeah, I did think that,” he mutters, and it breaks my heart.

“Never. Now come on.”

“Whoa, hold on, Darlin’. Where do you think you’re taking me?”

“To have a fucking shower, and to somewhere I can fucking make sure that you fucking take one and have a decent meal. Are you fucking kidding me, Kill?”

“Erm, Farren?” Loki says, and I step out of Kill’s arms and turn around, facing them.

Their faces are pale, and their eyes are not concealing their shock.

“Yes, Loki?”

“It might not be a good idea to bring Killian back.”

“He’s right, Darlin’ it’s probably not the best idea,” Kill adds.

I get a pang of intuition that this is somehow important, and I sigh.

“Tough, we made a promise to each other, and I’m following up on my end. So you’re coming with us. This is not up for debate,” I tell them, crossing my arms over my chest. We can get to the bottom of why the guys recognise Killian after he’s showered and eaten.

Loki and Rival open their mouths to argue with me, but they’re cut short as Kill comes up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“I know better than to argue with you. I’ve still got the scar from last time.”

Loki’s eyes widen, “Supernaturals don’t scar.”

“They do if you have the right weapons,” I mutter, opening the Void, Kill doesn’t let go of me, and I reach my hands out to Rival and Loki, who reluctantly take them, trying to stay as far away from Killian as possible. “This is going to be almost instant on the way back, and you’re probably going to get sick.”

I don’t wait for them to reply as I step through, pulling them all with me. As soon as we reach the other side, Rival and Loki let go of my hands and bend over their hands on their knees as they groan. Motion sickness from the Void is a bitch. Kill’s arm slips from around my waist as he steps back, shrouding himself in shadows in the corner of the room and effectively shielding himself from view. I have a second to wonder why before Storm is raging towards me, his eyes focused on me, Mayhem and Reaper close on his heels.

“What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Storm yells, a ball of flames spitting angrily between his horns, and I cross my arms over my chest. “Do you have any fucking idea how dangerous it was to go after the person that sent that fucker to kill you?”

Apparently, the only emotion he’s comfortable with showing is anger. Go fucking figure.

“He means we were really worried about you guys, and we’re glad that you’re okay,” Mayhem mutters, concern etched into all of his features. His hair is standing up on end like he’s been running his hands through it, and when I glance around the apartment, it seems like Storm let his anger out on the room.

“Like hell is that what I fucking mean,” Storm growls, coming towards me. I tense as he reaches his hands out towards me.

I’m suddenly yanked back against a hard and familiar chest. Killian’s tail wrapped around my leg, and a sword pointed at Storm’s face. Storm comes to a halt instantly, all colour draining from his face as his eyes land on Killian.

“That’s close enough, brother,” Kill says firmly, and my head snaps around to him.

“Brother?” I ask.

“What in the hell are you doing here, Killian? Actually, scrap that. How in the hell are you fucking here?”

“That’s a long and complicated story,” Kill replies stoically.

My gaze snaps between him and the still silent Storm; now that they're in the same room, I can sort of see the resemblance, but it’s only slight.

Kill chuckles, and all of the other’s gazes widen in shock. What the fuck is that about?

“I’ll explain, Darlin’. I had no idea that you two knew each other, or I would’ve told you a long time ago.” He tells me, kissing my neck, it’s a familiar thing between us. We’ve actually never had sex, but we’ve come pretty fucking close a hell of a lot.