Not dropping his sword at all, his eyes narrowed. “I loved you, Mika. I have loved you but not in the way you have wanted. And I did not love you when I turned you. This is madness.”
“No!” She screamed. “You do! I felt it in your touch!”
I cringed. Nausea was already rolling up in me, but her comment sent a wave of it that made me gag. My throat flexing against her nails enough that they pressed into my flesh, drawing blood.
She inhaled, taking in the scent deeply. Kane lunged forward, but she pressed harder. I could feel my blood trickling down my throat.
“Mika…” He warned her.
“Kane…” She mirrored his tone. “Come on! Why are you dragging this out?”
There was a silence. Then, Kane lowered his sword.
Lochlin shook his head. “My liege…”
But Kane ignored him. He reached out a hand to my captor. “Fine. Do not kill her. I want my offspring.” His eyes locked onto hers. “But this ends now. Come. This has been a long time coming, I will admit.”
As if she had been holding it, she let out a breath. Her hand was still on my hair, but her nails retreated from my neck. “Finally.”
The pain that I had endured in the attack was nothing compared to the pain that shot through me as he took her hand. My entire world spiraled, and I if I had been nauseated before, that paled in comparison.
But the anger. The anger that filled me was engulfing. When it reached my skin, I could feel the prickling of energy that was gathering. The entire situation flashed through my mind. The portal there. The feelings of being lost, scared. The attacks. The pain. All of the bad things welled up, pushing a level of energy forward that I didn’t know was there to be controlled.
The look of elation in Mika’s eyes and the sight of Kane holding her hand was enough to send me over the edge.
And it did just that.
The scream that ripped out from within me was feral. It wasn’t one from a wounded person. Nor was it out of fear. Something deep within me called out… my soul screamed in agony. And with it, I gathered the energies around me and pushed them out.
The emotion that wrecked me emanated out around the room, hitting everyone within reach. Each of them gasped, their hands flying to their heads or their hearts as they were pushed back. Each person tearing up as they were filled with such intense emotional anguish.
Mika lost her grip on my hair and was pushed out of Kane’s grasp. Her eyes went wide as she spun on me with utter shock and agony written on her face.
I couldn’t look at Kane. I didn’t want to know if he still reached for her. I didn’t want to know anything other than how to get out of there. There was no next step. Just escape.
“You fucking bitch!” Mika bellowed, bent over, gripping her chest. “You do not get to ruin this for me!”
I couldn’t find any direction to run. The doors to the bathroom and the hallway were blocked by dozens of armor clad soldiers and warriors. All of which were scrambling to figure out what just happened. Those that were able to react thrust forward but were met with a similar invisible wall that Mika has put around me when she came in.
Mika stood, arm raised and the most anger-fill, evil smile on her lips. “Come here so I can rip that pretty little face off of you.”
I leaped up onto the window bench and gripped the opening to the only way out. Glancing back, I saw Kane watching me. The anguish on his face matched mine. A fear which grew as I stepped into the open window.
I knew there was nothing below other than the broken pieces of what I’d dropped to gain his attention. No cart full of hay like you see in the movies. No cloth draped awning to catch my fall and bounce me gracefully onto me feet. And I couldn’t fly. I could only hope to survive the fall and not kill the life growing inside me.
The pain on Kane’s features were quickly replaced with hatred when he realized that the barrier she’d thrown up had sealed him in with us. When he saw Mika lunge toward me, fangs out and claws extended, he went after her. His reaction confusing me after what had just transpired. A reaction that cost me the precious seconds I would have needed to jump, and she was able to grab my arm and yank me back in.
Kane pulled her off of me, and I fell back onto the floor, back to the solid bench seat now behind me. “You will die!”
They grappled with each other for a moment as I slid to the side to the wall. Slowly, I stood, trying desperately to reevaluate what to do… escape or test my magic. I didn’t know how to use it yet. What I’d known from earth was all but useless – weak and nothing to do with combat.
Nothing was coming to me. And nothing would. Not in time.
Mika slashed her claws across Kane’s chest, splitting his flesh open and spilling his blood. She went to turn to come after me again, but he lifted her off the ground. Using his own momentum against him, she spun and sank her teeth into his neck.
“Fuck!” He roared, yanking her off of him and throwing her to the ground.
The men banged on the invisible wall. Some tried their own magic to dispel it. But nothing worked. Nor was it doing anything but keeping me from thinking straight. It was that moment of distraction that turned the tables. And while I’d love to say that it was in my favor,
