435- A House Set Ablaze
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
Once I found and killed the men responsible, I'd have to lie low, hide for a while. The bastards from the Merchants certainly wouldn't find the deaths of a few of their members amusing. In a few decades, or centuries, I hoped they'd forget this misfortune and I could finally live in peace.
I slung the backpack over my shoulders and cast one last glance at my room, mentally saying goodbye to the place. On my way out, I found Anton leaning against the doorframe of my parents' bedroom, arms crossed over his chest, posture relaxed.
"Thought you'd already left," I hissed.
"And miss the whole show? No way."
I rolled my eyes.
"Don't they set fire to your own pack's territory?" I scoffed.
I kept soaking the house in fuel, the smell growing stronger and more unbearable by the second.
"Not the houses. We're more... refined, when it comes to destruction."
I stopped mid-motion with the gas can and stared at him.
"As I recall, my father used to say you were known as 'the lord of chaos.'"
"He destroys what suits him."
I poured the rest of the gasoline over the living room wall before tossing the empty container far away.
"Well, then we're alike. This suits me to destroy."
"Your own house? That's singular, to say the least."
I walked to the kitchen and turned on the gas at every burner of the stove. I pulled open the first drawer and grabbed the lighter my mother used to light the incense she loved so much.
"Just as I don't recall asking for your help, I also don't recall asking your opinion on what I do or don't do with MY house."
It was already night outside, the moon shining in the sky, casting its silvery glow over the small lawn that decorated the front of the house.
"Your contempt for my company wounds me." He pressed a hand to his chest and blinked slowly, batting his long lashes.
I walked outside, breathing deeply as I drew in the clean air.
"Are you going to stand there thinking about how much I despise you and burn to death, or are you leaving already?" I shot back.
Anton stopped beside me, near the front door, ignoring the mocking tone I used when speaking to him.
I raised my arm, holding the lighter in my right hand, and stared at the object. Without flinching, I struck the flame and threw it inside, watching the blaze rise and grow in a violent surge that quickly began consuming everything.
I blinked, my eyes watering from the heat in front of me.
"Satisfied?" he asked behind me.
No, I wasn't satisfied, but I'd kept my promise.
"Very," I lied, biting the insides of my cheeks. I turned and headed toward the street, away from the burning house that would soon explode. "Goodbye forever, Anton Eldoria."
His hand was on my throat before I could react. He lifted me into the air, pulling my back against his hard, broad, defined chest.
"I'm sorry, little fighter, but I told you—you wouldn't have a choice."
I kicked my legs, trying to break free of his grip, but the son of a bitch was far stronger than me, and on top of that, immune to silver.
"Let me go or I'll kill you," I whispered, my voice nothing more than a thread escaping my compressed throat.
"I can't, and I won't, even if I wanted to."
Black spots crept into my vision and my lungs began begging for air.
"You're going... to... kill me... fuck!" I gasped.
"No, I just need you to pass out for a few hours, so you'll stop fighting me and come along peacefully."
If I had plans to kill the Merchants, they'd have to wait, because I'd kill that damned Junior Supreme Alpha first.
"This... is... kidnapping," I managed to murmur.
"Call it whatever you like, as long as you're safe and you don't make me break the promise I made to my father."
He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling my body tighter against his, then started running with me, away, staying within the shadows.
"Damn you!"
He laughed.
"Pleasure to meet you, little fighter. Anton Eldoria, at your service," he mocked, his laughter breathing against the top of my head. "Ready to rescue stubborn damsels in distress."
I opened my mouth to retort, but no words came out. The lack of air had left me weak, completely useless.
I blinked slowly.
An explosion made the ground beneath our feet tremble, a flash of light tearing through the dark sky. Anton held me tighter, as if trying to shield me. From a distance, I heard the screams of nearby neighbors, along with the sound of sirens warning of the fire consuming one of the houses. Humans reacting to something they weren't used to, something out of the ordinary, to a possible tragedy.
"Your task is complete," the Eldoria remarked, his arms still firm around me, holding me completely limp against him.
And then I blacked out.