Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

FLYNN

A s Talulla steps into the ring, I notice her uncertain pace. Now, that's odd. Her hands shake for just a moment until she seems to regain control.

"Something is wrong," I say out loud, never taking my eyes off her.

"What do you mean?" the witch asks me.

The match starts, and I try to relax, leaning my back against the seat. Talulla throws a punch into her opponent's stomach, and he steps back a few steps. Good. Her walk still is a little wobbly, but as she shakes her head, she seems to regain her focus and is able to dodge the following moves. A punch and a kick. Good girl.

The loud cheering makes it hard to follow her heartbeat, but as I concentrate on her, I hear the irregular beats and frown. What the—

Crack.

The bastard was able to hit her in the face. Hard.

As she turns her face toward me, I see the fear in Talulla's eyes just before her back hits the mat. Her breath is unsteady, and I almost miss her cry when she mouths, "Help."

I don't even think about the consequences of my actions. I run into the ring and put myself between her and her opponent. Then Asmodeus and Cassandra are at the side of the ring as well.

"The fight is done," I say to the guy.

"We haven't even started." The opponent spits.

I crack my neck as I feel my thirst growing. My throat is itching for some crimson liquid. And right now, my anger is getting the best of me. "You don't want to fight with me, trust me," I say before turning to look at Talulla, now unconscious.

"You talk so tough. Why don't you take her place?" the guy says, and if he continues to talk, I might just give him what he wants. A slow, painful death.

"Flynn, don't fall for it," Cassandra says, her eyes focused on me. "He's not worth it." She's worried about the consequences of something so public, and I get it, but I wasn't born yesterday. I just want to get my little hunter out of here. Quick.

The corners of my lips curl into a smirk. "Don't worry, I don't eat manure." Then I look at my beautiful Talulla, pick her up, and get her out of the ring.

"You can't just leave," Paolo says to us. "She signed up for this."

"Whatever she owes you, I'll triple it. You forget her name, face, and phone number, or I'll find you, rip your heart out, and make you eat it." I know he can see my fangs. I know my eyes are definitely not what the eyes of a human look like, but I don't care. I only care about the girl in my arms.

Paolo's face turns pale. Good. Let him fear me. "But isn't she a supernatural being? I thought—"

"What did you just say?" I ask, my voice resembling a growl.

"That's why the Caputos agreed to give her the loan. They knew she'd always win."

"Where can I find them?"

"Flynn, we have to go," Cassandra's voice brings me back to reality. I didn't realize how close I'd gotten to Paolo's face and how close I was to biting him.

"Don't you even think about running away. I'm a predator, and I always get my prey," I say, licking my lips and making sure the moron understands who he is up against.

"I'll stay. You guys go. I'll take care of this," Asmodeus says, stepping into the ring. What the fuck is the warlock going to do? I don't have time to think about him. All I need to do is make sure Talulla is okay.

We get to my car and lay Talulla in the back seat, Cassandra sitting with her head on her lap.

"What the fuck happened, Cassandra?"

"I don't know, but after she came back from classes and work, she felt weird and tired. I gave her a stress potion, and she seemed back to normal."

"A stress potion. What are you now, a drug dealer?"

"It was barely an herb infusion. And Talulla takes stress potions all the time."

"Did she take anything else?"

"I have no idea. It could have been anything. She could have drunk something before the match."

"A stress potion, really?"

"She hasn't slept for days, Flynn, and she refused to cancel the fight. I had to do something." Cassandra's jaw is clenched, just like mine.

Talulla hasn't slept, because of me and the information she got about me. This could have been prevented, but I gave her space, and now she might die because of it.

I try not to focus on the latter information Cassandra shared with me and say, "Fix it."

"Stop ordering me to do shit and drive. I need to think." I look into the rearview mirror and see the witch at work, trying to examine the body, smelling it, and trying to get any sort of vision from her.

"If she doesn't wake up, I'm going to kill you."

The laugh that comes out of Cassandra resonates in my ears as if it's in my fucking mind. "If you think you're threatening, you're not." I really do not like when witches play dirty.

I drive like a maniac, and as soon as we get back downtown, I decide to take her to my place. "I have better security here than she does and a small pantry of herbs."

"Fine, I'll give Asmo the address."

As I pick her up again, bridal style, I realize how hot her skin is. Too hot. "She's burning up. As if she has a fever."

"That's because she does have a fever." Her quick, witty reply makes me roll my eyes. I'm all for sarcasm, usually. Not today though.

"It's impossible, Cassandra, she's… Goddammit."

"What is it?"

"Call Evanora, call your mother, call whoever you need to call because if she dies, I'm not going to be very pleased."

Realization finally hits her, and her eyes widen. "I'm on it. Try to lower her temperature down. Your skin is cold. Hug her or something." Somehow, Talulla took the potion that has been killing supernatural creatures.

And so, I do just that. I lay us down on my bed, and I wrap my arms around her, my cheek resting against her forehead. She's so hot it almost feels like she's bringing me back to life.

"Flynn." Talulla's voice is so low it's barely a whisper.

"I'm right here, little hunter," I say, trying to get her even closer. But there's not enough skin contact, so I decide to move her on the mattress for a second as I quickly unbutton my shirt.

"Don't leave me." Her voice is so soft, so desperate, and I bring her back into my arms as fast as I can.

"Shh, it's okay. Sleep, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere," I say, rocking her back and forth, trying to create a steady rhythm.

Talulla's eyes close again, her heartbeat slowing down even more.

This is not good at all.

Cassandra walks into the room, a bunch of vials in her hand, as she blabbers on the phone to someone. She puts the call on speaker as she sits beside us, checking Talulla's temperature. "Shit, shit, shit," she mutters.

"What are these?" I gesture to the vials she put on the nightstand.

"Temporary fixes," a voice on the other side of the line says. "You need to find out who made that potion." Sybil Drusus, Cassandra's mother and head of the Drusus coven, is on the line.

"How temporary?" I ask, my voice cracking.

Cassandra chews her lower lip nervously, trying to find the right words. "An hour, maybe even less."

I am going to lose my goddamn mind.

"Did you already talk to Evanora?" I turn to the witch currently forcing one of the vials down Talulla's throat.

"Mr. Lancaster, Evanora Hart is not responsible for what has happened to Talulla."

"I did not say that."

"Cassie Bear?" Sybil ignores me.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Did you see anything?"

Her shoulders drop in defeat. "Not about this."

My eyes widen at the statement. "What does that mean?"

Cassandra looks up at me. "I have visions if I touch people. That's why I don't usually look very… friendly."

"Then touch her."

"I've been touching her since we got into the car, Flynn. I see nothing. I see you, I see me, I see all her fucking life, except for this."

"Then focus and tell me who the fuck did this to her."

"I'm trying," she yells, her breathing fastening. "Something is blocking it. It's as if she has a protective spell on her."

Then it hits me. "Protective spell, like something that blocks her mind?"

"Yeah."

Of course. I'm a fucking idiot. "Give me the phone, Cassie Bear," I say, my anger making me quite unlikable to anyone around me.

She narrows her eyes at me but hands me my phone.

After a few seconds of searching for the name, I dial the number.

One ring.

Two.

"What a nice surprise," the woman on the other end of the line says.

"Name your price, Monica, whatever you want."

"Flynn, you're not a generous man, so please enlighten me on why I am getting this wonderful new side of you."

"You know why."

"Do I?"

"If she dies, there's no place you'll be able to hide. I'll be your hell."

"Now, now, are you really in the position of threatening the only person who can give you exactly what you want?"

"How did you even do it?"

"That is not something I am going to share, pet. I am a businesswoman, after all. I only prepare the product and sell it. I don't use it."

"Just tell me what to do to save her." My voice is desperate at this point. I'm ready to beg if I have to. I'm ready to give up anything if it means saving her.

"I suppose you have a witch with you," Monica states.

"Yes," Cassandra says. "I'm Cassandra Drusus."

"Very nice." A wicked laugh follows Monica's words. "You are a fortunate man, Flynn, and you know I don't like it when men get this lucky."

I sigh. "Tell me what you want. It's yours."

"Alighieri's notes," she says and pauses for a moment. "And you're escorting me to an event I have at the university on Thursday evening."

I shake my head and laugh at the request. With my answer, she will know exactly how much Talulla means to me, and I'm sure she'll find a way to use it against me.

"You have Dante Alighieri's notes?" Cassandra's jaw drops open.

I ignore her and go back to the problem. "Deal. Send me the address, and they'll be there by morning."

"I'm shocked, Flynn. The most valuable thing you possess, and you're ready to part with it for a mortal?"

"You knew I would say yes. Now tell Cassandra what to do."

"And you know I don't like orders, pet."

"Please."

Monica's laugh is haunting. It makes my body quiver, which makes my anger grow even more. "Boil three leaves of sage, a root of ginger, one chicken foot, and one drop of her blood."

Cassandra is writing everything down, nodding every time Monica adds an ingredient to the list. "All this is boiled in milk, I suppose?"

"Clever witch. You're a Drusus, after all," Monica replies. "By morning, Flynn. If I don't see my pretty package, I'll be very displeased. Oh, and don't forget the fundraiser in three days." The line cuts, and Cassandra is already working in the kitchen.

And then I'm back holding Talulla in my arms. I caress her hair and skin and listen to the sounds she's making now that she's asleep. A low inhale and exhale. She seems so peaceful, yet so scared. The way she looked at me earlier and asked for help… She's never been in that situation in her life. A moment where she knew exactly that she couldn't do anything to save herself. She felt helpless and turned to me. And I was ready to give up all this for my selfish depressed mind that thought I was ready to give up. I can't give up. I can't leave her. We belong in the same life. Even if she decides we can't be together, we still belong to each other, like two magnets that can't stay apart.

Cassandra comes back with a new vial. "Hold her head up," she instructs.

I do as I am told, and then the liquid is poured down Talulla's throat.

A couple of minutes pass by, and her temperature slowly comes down. Her skin is almost back to its normal temperature. I could kiss this witch on the face, but instead, I grab her hand, taking her by surprise, and simply say, "Thank you."

Cassandra's eyes look down at my gesture. Then, with a wide look on her face, she stares up at me. The corners of her lips lift up, forming a genuine smile. "Now, this is a turn of events."

Tilting my head to the side, I ask, "What did you see?"

"A reason to use my passport more often." She winks at me. "I'm gonna go grab her some clothes and see where Asmo is. I'll leave you two alone for a bit."

I nod, and she walks out the door, making sure it's closed.

Finally, I feel small movements in my arms, and the most beautiful blue eyes finally look up in mine again. For a short moment, I truly think my lungs fill with air. I almost feel my heart start beating again. Talulla is my life. A chance for a new beginning. One where we both are each other's salvation.