Blue Flames

Chapter 20

My spine stiffened, anger coloring my vision red, "you would not force yourself into my mind." I said through gritted teeth. 

Wes shifted until he stood between Arthur and I, facing Arthur.

"If that is what it takes to keep your powers from running amok, I will do it."

Bastard.

Suddenly, Wes barked twice and bared his teeth in a low snarl. The dog was looking at Arthur.

The ancient raised his brows. Wes' ears flattened down over his head. His body lowered in a threatening stance. The great dane's blue-black coat glimmered under the office's bright lighting.

Kat and Jesse looked as flabbergasted as I felt. All my anger at Arthur was forgotten in the face of the dog's unusual behaviour, I put my hand on his back and whispered, "Wes!"

The growling stopped, though it took a couple of seconds for the dog to straighten. He shook his head with a small whine and looked around him in confusion.

"What the hell?" Jesse said, green eyes wide.

Arthur looked at me with a carefully bland expression, "what did you do?"

"What?" I reared back from the sudden accusation, Jesse and Kat now both regarding me suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me? I didn't do anything."

Wes turned his head to my lap again, looking as innocent as a puppy. I petted his head.

"What's gotten into you?" I murmured to the dog, his big eyes looking as pitiful as they could manage. Little con artist.

"Anyway," I said when everyone kept staring, "there has to be another solution."

Arthur shook his head with a sigh, "Well, then, you better find it. And fast. Because the moment you become a threat I will do whatever it takes to protect my people."

I didn't miss the way he looked pointedly at me. I was one of his people, too. To keep losing control over my magic could not be good for me. Which meant that in his mind, any action he took would be for my own protection. Even if it meant breaching the walls of my mind.

Because Arthur could do it. He could force himself inside my head. I had no illusions. The reason I had managed to stop him back at the apartment the night we first met was only because he didn't use his full power. If he did, my mind would be toast.

And I had no doubt Arthur would do exactly what he said if I didn't come up with an alternative soon. He was eons old, breaking into a twenty five year old mind would be childsplay for him. He wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

***

Three days later, I was finally pronounced fit enough to engage in mild fight training by the doctor. Visiting the training arena again after the fiasco that happened the last time I was there was interesting, to say the least.

The clashing of swords and grunts of soldiers immediately quieted down when I stepped inside. Around sixty pairs of eyes stared my way.

A deep, strangled sound broke the silence. The blonde vampire I'd knocked down before my fight with Jesse stood near the benches on the far right of the training hall. His face was bloodless and eyes wide.

I smiled and waved at him. I kind of felt guilty for beating him up. Maybe I'd gotten carried away a little. 

But when I remembered how he spoke and behaved like a sexist pig, I shrugged off the guilt. He probably deserved it.