Blood & Carrots Ep. 13

Welcome back, my lovely reader!

Let me tell you this, Alice is nothing if she's not stubborn. She's loyal and dependable, but she's reckless as the nine hells! She'll stand against any that disrespect or threaten her family, but you probably saw a bit of that during her evaluation.

Still, will you stand before the one you love in order to protect them?

Let's jump right in!

—♥—

Episode 13:

I did not ask you to be a shield

I awoke to a thunderstorm, lightning filling my bedchamber as I stood and moved to the window. The flashes of light filled the sky, illuminating the thick clouds, the haze of rain making it impossible to see the city in the distance. I set my jaw in thought and reflected on things, something I did a lot these days.

My mind wandered while I stood there alone, then I shifted my gaze to the large thicket of trees adjoining the grounds of the mansion. I could see my teeth showing through the glass, clearly showing the anger on my face.

I reined in the fury in my soul and turned from the window, quickly dressing in something more casual. I noted the look of shock on your face when you saw me emerge in blue jeans and a short-sleeved shirt of black. I showed my teeth in a grin as I spoke with command, "With me my pet."

"Powers are lovely, it's nice to streak across the sky in bounding jumps. Likewise, it's fun to find yourself moving at speeds that would leave an Olympic runner green with envy."

"I myself... there is something therapeutic about a late-night drive in the rain..." I hummed the words as I pull the fifty-something-year-old sports car from the garage as you sat beside me with an excited grin showing.

The wiper blades glided back and forth against the windshield, batting the rain away while I drove on the dark roads. A long silence hung between us before I simply started recalling what was on my mind earlier. "Elias summoned me to his chamber while I was training. It had been nearly a month since our return..."

—♥—

"You called upon me, Master?" I spoke out to the fox upon entering his study. A servant had fetched me from the training facility in the basement area. I hadn't bothered to change and still wore the beat-up black shirt and torn blue jeans. Both articles of clothing flecked with blood stains and rips.

Elias folded his hands on the desk and gave me a long calculated look. "Are you well, my Lady?"

My white ears lowered and I felt my posture relax a little, assuming his casual address meant it wasn't official business. "I am my love, why do you ask?"

"Katrina expressed concern to me because you did not come to bed upon the dawn. She says this has happened multiple times, ever since our return from house Lakestone a few weeks past." The white fox shifted his gaze to look intently into my eyes as if reading me like a book.

I frowned and put my hands on my hips. "I have just been focused on my training. I didn't mean to neglect her."

"Why so dutiful? Even Alex has expressed concern with your nearly... obsessive routine." Elias rose to his feet and stepped over to the window sill, placing a hand upon a pane of glass.

I pursed my lips and followed his movements then spoke out pointedly. "I wish to be stronger to protect what I love."

"Protect it from what, pray tell?" The fox looked at my reflection in the dark windowpane, his ears lifted as if gauging for falsehoods in my words.

"Hunters, celestials, demons and... other houses. Just to name a few." I cut my eyes away at his gaze, feeling him seeing right through me.

"Other houses? We are not hostile towards any houses, Alice." The fox locked in on my hesitation with the words right away.

I frowned and straightened my back before speaking. "Several members of our family have mentioned houses can fued. I simply wish to-"

"Enough!" The fox barked the word out and pushed his hand out towards me. I felt his will slam into me and the words in my throat caught. "I can sense there is more to this. Explain things to me, now." The words came out as a commandment and I clenched my teeth.

"My lord... with all due respec-"

He was on top of me in a blink of an eye, his fingertips under my chin lifting my face to gaze upon him. His teeth showed in anger and I saw flames starting to flicker at his folded ears. "Do not deflect with me, Alice."

I folded my own ears and felt my own teeth show. I tried to jerk my head away but he clenched my chin and pulled me back to look into his eyes. I gave him a glare at the motion and my own flames showed before I pushed my will forth and broke his grip, taking a step back. "I love you, my lord, but you ask me to speak of things I have sworn to not talk of! Would you have me go against my word?"

Elias folded his arms, his own foxfire flaring up as we stood there in his office apart from one another. I clenched my teeth trying to maintain my resolve in his overbearing presence. However, deep down I knew that if I could not stand before him even slightly, how could I if he needed me against someone on par with him. I clenched my jaw and dug my heels in, spreading my legs and thrusting my hand out, flames lapping at my fingers.

"Why this display of defiance?" He called out with a snarl. "I can feel you testing your resolve against mine. I do not wish you to break your oath, but if this concerns your family. I have a right to know!"

"If I cannot stand against you, how can I protect you?" I spat the words out with a glare, my sharp canines showing and my flames growing brighter.

I saw the look in his eyes, saw the pieces come together in the flaming blue of his irises. The anger turned to understanding as he spat the name out, "Sarnai..."

I clenched my teeth and eased my stance. My shoulders slumped and I willed the fire out, before folding my arms over my stomach to look away. His own flames continued to burn as we stood there in a long silence for several moments.

Elias gave a long frustrated sigh and calmed his own flames, looking up at the ceiling of the room. "My brother has a big mouth..."

"He simply worries... Will you draw ire with me for talking about this?" I asked cautiously, lifting an ear as I glanced upon my lord from the corner of my eye.

There was a hesitation before he gritted his teeth. "I will control myself, but if I tell you to stop, you do so without question."

I lifted my ears and frowned. "Of course, Elias. You know I love you and only wish to be a shield for you and our family."

"I never asked or expected you to be a shield for our house, Alice. Only to be happy." He growled towards me, his tail whipping about in agitation.

"You did not, I chose to do so." I set my jaw and put my hands on my hips, giving the fox before me a defiant glare. "You, Katrina, Alex and Val. You are my everything and I will not let anyone or anything take you from me."

The fox stood there, his white tail cutting through the air while gazing into my red eyes. "I applaud your love and desire, but there are some things that will always be beyond you."

"My lord... I will lay my life down before I see harm come to any of you. I do not care how insurmountable the obstacle before me is. I will overcome it if it means protecting you and her." I showed my teeth and felt my flames spring to life once more.

"Ah... the heart of the matter. Before It was the four of us, but now it's just me and Katrina?" Elias lifted his brow curiously.

"Do not make a mockery of my feelings for Alex and Val. I cherish and hold them dear. However the three of us, we are family." I frown and look away. "Likewise... if it came to it, the three of us would be in the line of fire. Alex is a member of a powerful pack and would be able to avoid the situation."

"Do you think he would?" The fox asked me curiously.

I gave a bitter laugh and shook my head. "No... that dog is loyal to a fault, he would stand and die with the three of us..."

Elias's voice took on a more gentle tone as he spoke. "Alice... no one is dying. It is simply an awkward meeting and nothing more. Sarnai is within her rights to hate me, but she is no fool. She would not start a house war lightly."

"I spit in the face of her rights!" I snarled the words and thrust my hand out. "She of all people should know the circumstances. If the bitch tries anything, I will end her!"

The white fox fixed me with a hard look. I saw the conflict in his eyes at my words, his new lover having just proclaimed she would end his former wife's life. I'm sure it was a lot to take in. He walked past me towards the exit of his study. "Douse your flames and come with me."

I willed the fire from my form and followed after him. We left the study and moved outside of the mansion. I walked with him through the lawn and into the thicket of trees on the outskirts of the property.

We walked in silence for several minutes, sidestepping trees and bramble, while the forest grew thicker around us. Finally, we came upon a large clearing of grass. I looked up and could see a canopy of trees with a small opening to show the twinkling stars of the night. The field of grass spread out and even had a small brook cutting through one portion of it.

"By the gods, this is beautiful..." I grinned and strode through the grass, my tail flicking about. My senses were filled with the strong scents of the forest, the earthy tones of dirt and grass, mingling with the soft odor of the flowing water.

Elias smiled upon me, seeming to take some comfort in my moment of childlike wonder. "To me, Alice." He called out as he walked further into the blades of grass.

I gave pursuit and we stopped a few paces later. Elias sighed and put his hands on his hips, looking up at the night sky. I stared at his profile and saw the pain in his eyes. I frowned and spoke out gently. "Master... it was wrong of me to speak so callously when I know not how you still feel towards her."

He snapped his crystal blue eyes towards me. For a brief flash, I saw rage in them, then they softened to understanding. "Alice, half a century may seem like a long time... but when you're almost six centuries old, it's still a very fresh wound. It is not her I feel the anger for."

I frowned and nodded. "I apologize..."

He held a hand up. "Do not... you as my lover, are in your right to defend me. This is a path I knew I would eventually go down if I chose you and Katrina as my mates."

My tension eased slightly and I looked away. Elias turned to face me fully as he continued to speak. "She is within her rights, Alice. For fair or foul, I did a great wrong to her."

"I care not..." I clenched my teeth, not looking at him. I felt tears fill my eyes and I snapped out. "I do not care if you were the lord of the nine hells! You are my Master and I will not-"

"Stop!" He barked out in commandment and I shut my mouth, blinking tears from my eyes.

"Summon your fire, Alice." Elias folded his arms, barking out the command, his own flames bursting forth.

I shook my head of thoughts and lifted my ears, my eyes shifted to red with crackling energy of blue filling my vision. The large flames spilled forth from my ears and tail, wisping from my fingertips.

"I did not bring you here for a moonlight stroll. I brought you here to not bring the house down upon our heads!" The fox clenched his fists, his eyes glowing bluer. The flames grew brighter to almost look white and I could feel the heat pouring off them.

The grass at his feet set a blaze and burned away where the flames licked at his shoes and rode up his legs. His hands were bathed in the ethereal blaze and it moved along his arm's length to his elbows. "You wanted to feel my full power of will... this... this is almost six centuries of quelling the constant hunger of fire..."

The display shook me and I felt my own flames weaken before his. It was as if his sheer presence and will, were sapping their power straight from my body. "It's... it's beautiful and... I'm afraid..."

"You should show fear, Alice. I do not lie when I say I could easily lay low thousands of mundane if I willed it so. Indeed, I have rampaged a few times like this against the church..." The fox showed his teeth, his eyes looking wild and eager, as if the thought of such a thing sounded fun to him. "The fire has a thirst just like all our demons, rabbit..."

I felt a shiver go down my spine, my fire fading out completely and I frowned. "Master... you're scaring me..." I huffed the words weakly. I did indeed feel terror from just seeing him like this, as if he were entropy incarnate.

"This is Sarnai's power as well, Alice. If she came for me and the family. This is the power you would stand against? This is the power you would stay off and lay her low?" The fox barked the words mockingly, a contemptuous glare on his face.

I shivered at the overwhelming force of his words and curled my hands into tight fists. I set my jaw and slowly looked up at him. My eyes shifted back to red and my flames reignited with some effort. "Yes."

"Then you are a fool and you will die to her!" Elias sneered the words and pushed his will forth, a gout of white-hot flames washing over me.

I felt the heat pour over me and gritted my teeth, my whole body breaking out in a sweat. I thought about the concept of losing him, I thought about losing Katrina and my wolf. I snarled and focused my will, my eyes burning with tears.

"Then I die a fool, but I die protecting what is mine!" I screamed the words, pulling on both my blood and energy. His sheer presence was all around me, so I fed upon it deeply. I didn't need to touch him, it was just pouring into me, regardless if he liked it or not. I could feel the fury fill my very soul. The demons no longer wanted to feed, they simply wanted to lay waste and destroy.

My flames seemed to feed upon the gout and burst into their own white-hot fire. The fox blinked upon my form as a circle of flames surrounded me and seemed to pull into my own. I thrust my hand out, flames spilling from my fingertips, running along my arms and legs. I willed the demons to silence and spat out defiantly. "I am Alice Blackpaw, countess of house Blackpaw!"

Elias showed his teeth in a wide approving grin. He thrust his own hand out and mimicked my stance. "I am Elias Blackpaw, Marquis of house Blackpaw!" He spoke the words with authority that sent a shiver down my spine.

He crossed his arms and I crossed my own. We stood there before one another, sharing a knowing grin. The fox ran his fingertips through his long white hair, leaving flaming wisps through it. "You ready for this?"

I gave him a cocky smirk and pulled my ponytail out of my hair, letting my blonde hair tumble down my back. "Of course."

The fox bent at the knees and launched himself before me. He didn't so much move as simply blur out and appear before me. I don't even know how I kept up with him but I did. We locked in a martial grab, both hands on one another's shoulders, foreheads pressed together.

Our fires mingled while our eyes focused upon each other, my red eyes had little crackles of blue energy coursing through them, his were simply flaming white-hot. I felt him shift his stance and grab my elbow before hooking my foot and slamming me back-first into the ground. I gasped out from the impact and felt the earth below me displace several inches.

"Done already?" The fox growled the words out, hand pressed to my chest, purposefully squeezing my left breast.

"You know I'm not a quickie kind of gal..." I huffed the words with a lazy look and then sprang out from under him.

The fox perked his flaming ears up as I slipped from sight, then gave a furious growl as he felt me at his back. "A little trick, Alex taught me..." I snapped the words as I swept his leg from behind, grabbing at Elias's shoulder. I had to hop off the ground to apply the last pressure given our height difference, but got the results I desired. I slammed the fox chest first to the earth in a mighty blast of flames and pressure.

"He has used the technique on me in some... creative sparring matches..." I puffed the words into the foxes' flaming ears, sitting atop his back.

Elias snarled like a wild animal as he threw me from his back and righted himself. I stepped back several paces, then began to hop back and forth, shifting on my feet. "Aww... you're not getting jealous, are you... Maaaaster?"

"Of course not!" The white fox gave me a wide grin and summoned a large sphere of flame to his fingertips. My eyes widened at the volleyball sized fireball that he casually flung at me.

"Shi- t!" I yelped out and quickly summoned forth my own sphere and threw it to intercept. The two balls of flame struck together and erupted in a small nova of energy that sent flames raining all around the glade. Several small patches of grass caught fire from the raining bits of energy drifting to the ground.

"Your control is admirable as always, Alice!" Elias yelled the words of praise, showing me a proud grin. "I almost wish we could go raze a city to the ground together!"

"You're such a sweet talker, I bet you say that to all the girls." I folded my arms over my stomach and grinned back at the fox. The thought of it sounded amazing, I felt myself getting worked up at the concept of tearing apart a city with him. I frowned and shook my head, showing my teeth in focus. "Damn... why does that sound so great right now?"

"Because it's what the power craves... we're monsters, remember?" The fox showed a grin, holding his hand out towards me.

"Bullshit... I know you better than that, you would hate yourself for such a thing." I thrust my own hand out. "If you're going to lose focus, I will just go home!"

The fox showed me a smirk and cut his eyes away. It was unfair of me to say such things, he had obviously been fighting this battle longer than I had. "Apologies... you are correct." He gave a focused breath and planted his foot, giving me a cocky grin. "I will just have to focus fully on you then."

"As it should be." I hummed the words and bent at the knees before springing forth. I darted left, then right before digging my left heel in and swinging my right foot out in a sharp blindingly fast snap of a kick. My shin and foot were covered in white fire as the strike blurred forth.

The fox simply caught my leg in mid-flight, my eyes growing wide as he spun me away, gripped my shoulder and shoved me chest first into the smoldering grass. I gave a heavy huff as I hit the ground, again several inches of earth shifting to make a small impact crater. "Ngh..."

"Was that how it's done?" The fox snarled the words in a cocky tone of voice.

"A little lacking on the finesse, but not bad..." I pushed on my palms to rise then grunted as he shoved me back to the ground hard. "Damn, Master... take it eas-" I gasped as he grabbed my hips and rolled me over onto my back.

I gritted my teeth and blinked up at the fox as he went for my jeans. He grabbed the front of them and jerked the zipper down, my blue panties coming into view. "Elias... what happened to staying focused during training?"

"Oh rest assured my rabbit, you have my full focus right now." He snarled the words and tugged my pants and blue panties down together, stripping them down my legs. I giggled a little at his frustration as he fussed to get them past the cross-trainers I had on.

"You could have just taken the shoes off, love." I moaned the words then folded my ears and grunted as he spread my legs, fully exposing my soaked folds to him.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that was worked up..." Elias growled the words before tugging his dirt-covered suit pants open, his tapered length pushing out thobbing and eager.