Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

E tta sat at her workbench, staring blankly at the morchev in front of her. The familiar comfort of her work eluded her today, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling that made concentration impossible. She caught herself smiling for no reason, remembering Tomlin's powerful arms around her. Remembering that he loved her.

But despite that joy, there was an undercurrent of worry. She knew he was more than capable of defending himself, but she hated the thought that he might encounter trouble in his search for Seren. What if he ran into the other Vultor male?

She shuddered, and pushed away from the bench, deciding it was no use pretending to work. She paced instead, wandering from the lab and back. She found herself outside the bathroom, her fingers tracing the claw marks he'd left on the doorframe as he struggled for control.

It means he can defend himself, she reminded herself and moved on into the bedroom. Because she'd still been in bed when he left it remained unmade, and she realized how quickly she'd become used to his fastidious sense of order. She quickly set the bed to rights and was about to return to the lab to try once again to work, when a sharp knock at the door jolted her out of her abstraction.

Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Tomlin had returned, but the flash of joy was immediately followed by fear. The Vultor couldn't have returned so soon, could he?

She tightened her hand around the hilt of her weapon, even though it had been of little use last time, and peered cautiously down the hallway. Her heart sank as she recognized the big figure outside. The Vultor.

She pressed herself against the wall, even though he couldn't see her through the one way glass, praying he would leave.

Another knock, more insistent this time.

Her palms grew clammy as she gripped the weapon and inched towards the door, wishing desperately for Tomlin's reassuring presence.

The knocking came again, a rapid, urgent tattoo that set her nerves on edge.

"I know you're in there, little human. You should have left when I warned you."

The cold voice dripped with menace but perhaps there was a chance she could reach him.

"I'm going to leave," she lied. "But I need time."

The fractured edge to his laughter sent chills down her spine.

"You would have had time if you'd left when I told you to."

Her grip tightened on the gun, her palms slick with sweat, as she tried to come up with a plan. Tomlin , she cried silently.

"Where's your alien lover?" the Vultor taunted. "Perhaps he's run into some… trouble on his journey."

Her heart pounded even harder.

"What have you done to him?"

"Why don't you come out and see for yourself?" His voice took on a sickeningly sweet tone. "I'm sure he'd appreciate your help right about now."

Her hand trembled on the doorknob. For a split second, she considered opening the door, her fear for Tomlin almost overriding her good sense, but logic prevailed. It had to be a trap.

"I don't believe you," she called out, proud of how steady her voice sounded. "He can take care of himself."

Silence fell, stretching on for what felt like an eternity. He was no longer visible through the window, even when she crept closer. Had he left? Or was he simply lying in wait outside?

A new scent drifted into the hallway. Acrid. Burning.

Smoke.

Panic clawed at her throat as she realized what was happening. He'd set fire to the lab.

Her heart raced as she tried desperately to think of a way to escape, but he could be anywhere outside. The acrid smoke seeped under the lab door, filling her lungs and making her eyes water. With each passing second, the heat intensified. She had no choice.

She looked through the window again at the empty porch, then unlocked the door. The metal handle seared her palm, but she yanked it open, desperate for fresh air. As she burst outside, gulping in oxygen, a strong hand clamped around her arm.

"Going somewhere?" The Vultor's voice dripped with malice.

She struggled uselessly as he dragged her away from the burning building, then turned her back towards it, forcing her to watch as flames engulfed her home, her work. Tears of grief and rage streamed down her face.

"Why are you doing this?" she choked out.

She expected to see him looking triumphant, but instead his eyes glinted with a pain that mirrored her own.

"I had to watch too," he snarled. "When the humans burned my home. My family."

The heat from the inferno scorched Etta's skin, but she couldn't look away. Her precious lab, her sanctuary, reduced to ash and embers. All her research, gone in minutes.

"How does it feel?" Finnar hissed in her ear. "To lose everything?"

The pain of her loss threatened to consume her, but at least there was no one inside. What if someone had been in there? What if Tomlin had been in there?

"Your family," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the smoke. "What happened to them?"

His jaw clenched, and for a moment, she thought he might lash out. Instead, his voice came out low and raw.

"Humans," he spat. "They came in the night. We had done nothing to them, but they feared what they didn't understand."

She couldn't help but think of Tomlin, of the loneliness and fear he had endured simply for being different. How many others had suffered similar fates?

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaking. "No one deserves that kind of pain."

His eyes snapped to hers, the slightest hint of doubt in that fierce gaze.

"Your pity means nothing to me," he snarled, but the venom in his voice had lessened.

She shook her head.

"It's not pity. It's understanding. This-" she gestured to the burning lab with her free hand, "This is devastating. But it's just things. I can't imagine losing the people I love."

For a brief moment, his mask of anger slipped, revealing a glimpse of the grief that lay beneath. She saw a reflection of what Tomlin might have become, had he allowed his pain to twist into vengeance.

"Revenge won't bring them back," she said gently. "It won't heal the hurt."

Her heart pounded as his grip tightened again and his eyes hardened.

"It's your turn now," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Your turn to pay for what the humans have done to me."

She watched in horror as he flexed his hand, long dark claws emerging from his fingertips. Tomlin , she cried silently as the Vultor raised his hand and she closed her eyes, waiting for those vicious claws to reach her.

But nothing happened.

Endless seconds ticked by before she forced herself to open her eyes. He was staring at her, agony and confusion etched across his face.

"I can't," he whispered, more to himself than to her. His hand trembled as he released her arm. "I thought… I thought this would make it better. But it won't. Nothing will ever make it better."

He took a step back, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Go," he said, his voice barely audible over the crackling flames. "Leave this place. Leave me."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, unsure if she was apologizing for his loss or for her own inability to help him.

He didn't respond. Instead he turned away, his big body silhouetted against the flames consuming her lab, his posture so eloquent of grief and despair that her heart ached. She hesitated a moment longer, then backed slowly away from him.

She'd just reached the edge of the corral when she heard the thunder of hooves approaching. She turned to see Tomlin galloping towards her, his eyes fixed on the burning building, his face a mask of fury and anguish. Before his horse had even come to a full stop, he flung himself from the saddle, knocking the Vultor to the ground.