Changes

Chapter 18

Things were back to normal. Now we just need to figure out what happened before shit went south. Besides us getting sucked in, of course. I sat down at the table and Z had decided to join us after putting on a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt. I couldn't help but notice how close Drako seemed to be with my mother. It appears that even with time-reversed, the bonds created during the time of our disappearance are still strong. Vlad did say that it didn't really affect those present during the time-reversal, which I was happy for. My mother deserved to be happy again. He probably will never make her as happy as dad did, and he probably knows that. I prayed it worked out for them. If he hurt her though, I would severely hurt him.

"After you guys left, everything was fine up until one day a bunch of humans declared they saw a cloaked figure in the center of Lafayette Square tapping a staff against the ground. Every time it did, people said they saw lights coming from the bottom of the staff." Mathis explained. After discussing the date and time of the event, and our plans for confronting it.

After we finished and we ate, everyone left the dining room. For now, it was a waiting game. We had a month. Until then I was going to put my time towards other things such as training. My brothers still had a lot to learn, and I could learn a few things too.

I sat with laptop at the table scrolling through some reports when Violet came in. She sat at the table. I raised an eyebrow at her and moved it off to the side. She sighed, "I came to apologize for speaking the way I did when in the tear. I had no right to talk to you that way. Or to Silver." "Have you apologized to Silver?" I asked her. Her shoulders drooped, "He's been avoiding me." She ran a hand through her hair, "He used to be my training partner, but now I doubt that will happen." I smirked, "I'll gladly train with you."

She gave me a soft smile and we both went to get ready to train. We went to the backyard, a place where she would have the advantage. The swamp was a paradise to those who used the elements. I just wondered if she fought with her elements or if she used mostly weapons and resorted to her abilities as a last resort. The Denvers was the weakest of the five families due to the large amount of reluctance they have when it comes to their abilities. My father used to tell stories about how they once could create natural disasters with the blink of an eye, but now some are even scared to light a campfire with the snap of a finger. I saw she was standing barefoot in the grass, feeling the nature beneath her. Her hair was up and she wore a black sports bra and black shorts. Black sweatbands were on her wrists, and she looked ready for a fight.

Z's POV

I was sitting in the library with a few others when the house began to shake. When it stopped there was the sound of an explosion outside. I went to the porch and saw Jay and Jaden sitting on the railing with two twenty-dollar bills sitting between them. Alanna was in the yard, wearing gray shorts, and a red sports bra. Her hair was pulled back, and she had Silver's knife in her hand. Violet was standing on top of the water, in the middle of a mini hurricane.

"What the hell is going on," I asked them. "They're training," Jay explained simply. "And havin' fun," Jaden added. Kelsi came out with Drako, "It's a good way to bond. They're learning each other's strengths and weaknesses. Training with Alanna allows Violet to not have to hold back while Alanna is learning how to combat the elements." I watched the two women as they went after each other. Alanna was trapped on land while Violet had a much larger playing field.

Violet sent vines shooting at Alanna, that stabbed into the ground as Alanna dodged them. The knife in her hand began to glow. She then threw it towards Violet, who made a wall of ice to try and stop it. It shattered the ice as Violet moved out of the way. The knife slicing her right shoulder. With a wave of her hand, a whip of water shot the knife back at Alanna but Alanna caught it by the hilt. She slid it into its sheath, before summoning a ball of psychic energy. She threw it at Violet. Violet caused a tornado to throw it back, along with daggers of ice. Alanna was dodging the psychic energy but failed to see the ice dagger in time before it sliced across her stomach. Blood trailed its way down the cut. Alanna took her hand across the blood, gathering it in her fingers. She flicked it on to the grass and a circle appeared beneath her feet. Suddenly one appeared beneath Violet. The circles then began to move towards each other, the women along with them. Violet realized there was no way out of the circle so she made a shield of rock to come up and block the punch Alanna had ready. Alanna was ready for it though and used a psychic energy ball to break through the wall, throwing Violet off. Alanna grabbed her and threw her on to the grass. Alanna then pinned her.

Both of the women were panting and sweating with blood coating parts of their bodies. Then the two women smiled at each other. Alanna helped her to her feet and they turned to the porch. "Don't look so grim Zeviathan, " she teased in her sweet southern accent that always got my dick hard. "I don't look grim, " I muttered with my arms crossed. She came up the stairs and the smell of her blood filled my nose. I used to be a beast who enjoyed blood, sex, money, and power. Now I enjoy all things her. I turned to face her and before I could say anything, she pulled my head down and kissed me. This woman was like me, yet she was my opposite.

"How about you help me get cleaned up, " she purred in my ear. I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder. She laughed and it was a song in my ear. I carried her to our room and threw her on the bed. She smiled from where she landed, "How caveman of you." I bent over her, capturing her lips with mine again.

She was right, I had a roughness only she knew and understood. Some would see it as an animalistic nature, some would see it was barbaric, but this was our relationship. Others don't have to understand it, only us. And that was perfectly fine with the two of us. I lowered my head to her stomach and ran my tongue over the wound, licking up her blood. She arched and buried her fingers into my hair. It was amazing at what made her blood hot with lust. Was it the act, or was it me?

"You, " she whispered, reading the question in my eyes as she cupped my cheek. "Always you Zeviathan." Never had I heard something so beautiful that made my heart squeeze and feel something other than hatred. No, that's not true. She taught me how to love. I haven't been able to bring myself to say those words, and I know she craves them. I just don't think I'm worthy enough to say them to her. I don't think I'll ever be worthy of saying them.

I moved back up to kiss her lips, "I'm going to get us a bath ready." She smirked, " Aren't you the romantic." I chuckled, "Don't let word get out, I need to keep up my ruthless image." That made her laugh as I made my way to the bathroom.

When she came into the bathroom, she was undressed, except for the necklace I had given her. I removed my own clothes before getting in. I held out my hand to her and she took it. She rested her back against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. I had many women in my bed over the centuries, but none felt right. Not like she does.

"What's going on inside that head of yours Z, " she asked me curiously. "Many things, " I told her. I could tell she was smiling, "My king, one of few words and a lot of action." I chuckled softly, "Is that a bad thing?" She shook her head, "Of course not." I kissed the top of her head, "I'm thinking about how I don't deserve you." I thought the confession would hurt. Instead, it was like a weight being lifted. "Ever since we met you've been put in danger and you damn near died because of me." She turned so she was straddling my lap, "My dad always used to say, you can't know love and happiness until you have felt pain and suffering. I have felt a lot of pain and a lot of suffering these last few years. I did learn from it, and although there are no physical scars, I have many mental ones that have me waking up in cold sweat often. When I look at you though, I feel nothing but happiness and love. I feel completely free like those scars can't hurt me. After every nightmare, I just look at you beside me or I think of you if you aren't here because you're off trying to save our world, and it makes it easier to breathe. My life had become a shit storm well before you came into the picture. You make that shit storm easy to live through." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "If anyone doesn't deserve someone, I feel like I don't deserve you. That doesn't stop me from trying to become a woman who does deserve you though. You may think I'm an idiot for thinking that, but you won't be able to get me to change my mind, just like I can't get you to change yours when it comes to your feelings on whether or not you deserve me."

"I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, " I told her. "I guess so, " She said. I cupped her cheek, "I love you, Alanna." Had I known how bright her eyes would get, or the beautiful smile she gave me, I would have said those three words a long time ago. I was completely captivated by this woman.

"I love you too, Zeviathan." Never had I heard such a beautiful sentence with my name in it.