Confronting Monster

That had to be the last straw for Alex he stopped and pushed me up against the wall and glared at me so hard. It wasn’t violence he was looking for, it was face to face and me to sit still. I knew it, I felt it. He was angry. I was angry and it was spilling into our minds like a cancer.

“I can handle this Nox.” Alex growled at me. “I don’t need your fucking help. You don’t need to fix everything. You have literal monsters to hunt let me take care of my own problems.” He pressed me harder to the wall and his stare said he wasn’t letting me go until I capitulated with his demands.

I wove air between us and I pushed him away from me. “Fine.” And I stormed away. I don’t know if he tried to follow me. I don’t know if he cared at all because I clamped my shields down so hard I heard him cry out in pain.

I stomped into the kitchen and Ryan was frowning but he didn’t say anything. I grabbed the sketches and separated them into two piles. I handed the large pile to Ryan. “Give these to Jin and Allison to get to our hackers. I know where this one is.” I waved it in front of me.

Ryan took the stack but he walked beside me and as soon as he passed someone else in the hall. I didn’t recognize the person. But I stopped walking when I realized Ryan was delegating the work I’d given him. He looked back at me sheepishly with those big green eyes and a smile, “I’m not leaving you alone. Not with Ant going with Alex.”

“How much did you hear?”

He shook his head, “I only know what I feel from Ant, and Alex to some degree as my partner in the bond.”

“Where are we going?” Ryan asked.

“Here.” I said.

“Just the two of us?” Ryan looked at the picture I handed him. He gasped. “That’s Marshall’s office.”

“It seems our local CCB is taking sides with the New World Order.”

“Sal isn’t there, he’d never associate with anything non-vampire. And it’s not Brandon’s way to hole up in such an obvious place. That has to be Evangeline. She and Desmond always were sort of sweet on each other.”

“That was my theory.” I said flatly.

“So what’s the plan?”

“I’m going to go talk to Marshall. He either gives me Evangeline or I alert the him to the Venatori. And there are plenty of things I cover for for the CCB that the Venatori would frown upon.”

“Black mail. No one ever said Mors Praetor played fair.”

“I’m Death’s Justice, when did death ever play fair.” I growled out.

“I wasn’t judging.” Ryan smiled, “Cari would go in guns figuratively blazing.”

“Right now that’s what I want to do.” I looked at Ryan and frowned.

“But you won’t.” Ryan smiled. “No matter how angry you get, how broken you are you always keep your head on straight.”

“Don’t say it.” I said.

Ryan laughed. “Okay. But it’s still true. I don’t hold any power over you like Alex or even Ant. But I won’t let you do anything stupid.”

I nodded, “Thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked as we took the stairs down.

I shook my head. “No. I want to fume in the fury. I can’t kill the bastard who abuses a child. I want to take it out on our enemies.”

Ryan sighed, “Don’t burn the place to the ground.”

“I won’t.” I said. “I only want Evangeline.”

The streets of New York felt more crowded than usual. I felt every person around me magic or no. I felt their fire, their fears, I felt connected to them all. This was my home, and I was going to protect it. The vampires brought their trouble with them and their traitors, but that was alright, the City listened to me.

“Nox what are you doing?”

I stopped and looked at Ryan and blinked. The connection slipped away and the City with it. “That’s new.”

“What did you do?” Ryan asked again.

“I don’t know. I felt the City – the whole City.” I confessed.

Ryan hummed as he walked a few paces and then started in the direction we’d been heading. “There is a theory.”

“Wait.” I put my hand on the Chevalier’s arm, “Are you like some all knowing font of mystical information.”

Ryan laughed. “Cari left it to me to discover things, she had no use for it. She said I could use whatever resources were at her disposal as long as I kept my fighting abilities honed.”

“So you are like a guru in this shit.”

“Not a guru, but I’ve been a live for over eight hundred years. I’ve seen a lot, read even more and studied under the best. Don’t think I’m not taking notes around you.”

It was my turn to laugh, “I see why you wanted to stick around now. I’m nothing but your science experiment.” I grinned to let him know it was a tease, but the blonde blushed none-the-less.

“You are my friend…”

I interrupted, “Ry, it’s okay. Tell me your theory.”

“There are things called ley lines, it’s possible they are real, and why the Venatori built their HQ hear. You could have tapped into it.”

“Ley lines are magic?”

“More the universe is made up of energy and it travels in paths and it’s why life took hold on this tiny island.”

“I guess that makes sense. I will try not to do what that was until we can ask around.”

Ryan nodded, “That’s a good idea. You feeling better?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”