Reclaimed(17)
Author: Diane Alberts

Connor normally kept unwanted guests away adeptly; it was one of his talents. His gifts, so to speak. In this life, they all had gifts. And there were the creatures like Isaac. The Enforcers. Enforcers were capable of becoming any of the monsters in order to defeat them. They used their powers for good—to save humans from the monsters roaming the world. Monsters like Elijah.

Damn it.

Connor’s gift consisted of being able to block guests from trying to enter any property he protected with his mind. And if they came in person, he handled them as well. His record remained—or had been, anyway—undefeated. No one could get around him; he was infallible.

The key word being was.

Isaac had a very powerful gift as well. He could, in essence, control the weather. A sunny day could turn into a turbulent tornado at the blink of an eye. When he got too emotional, or out of control, the weather matched. The first few years of this life had been quite disastrous. Many villages had been destroyed by his anger. It took years for him to manage it, but he had gotten to the point where he could easily stay under control.

Or he had been, until Sabrina walked into his life a few weeks ago. Now, nothing felt under his control.

The ground shook from the force of the thunder overhead as he contemplated Elijah’s growing power. His brother’s gift had always been his speed and strength. But…now he disguised himself as well.

So he was not only up against an unarguably superior opponent in speed and strength, but also one immune to his defenses?

Shit, shit, shit.

Kicking a tree, he stalked into the dark woods. Sabrina’s screams from her nightmare echoed in his head, no matter how far he walked.

Come on, man.

“Connor? Get over here.” His voice came out so soft a human would not hear it.

Sensing Connor’s presence, he swung to face him and scowled. Connor smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry about earlier. I ran into the side of the house. I thought I had more room, but obviously calculated wrong. Did she see me?”

“Yes, but it’s okay. I took care of it.” He snapped as he waved his hands. “What I really want to know is how Elijah managed to get to Sabrina. Didn’t you sense him? Try to block him? What happened?”

Isaac knew he sounded like an ass. He didn’t care.

“Wait, what? Elijah has been nowhere near here, I’m sure of it. I would have known.” Isaac watched as anger, disbelief, and finally shock crossed his friend’s face. “No. No way he came here. Even now I can’t sense his presence. You’ve gotta be wrong. It’s not possible,” he whispered.

It was as bad as he’d feared. Connor couldn’t even sense Elijah had been here, yet alone whether or not he remained here? The world would go to hell in a freaking hand basket.

Lovely.

Lightning and thunder crashed overhead.

***

The next day, Sabrina yawned for the fifth time in one minute before giving up and heading into the kitchen. Time for another cup of coffee.

A damn storm had killed any chance she had of getting any sleep last night. Where the hell had it come from, anyway? As she inhaled the hazelnut aroma steaming from her mug, she contemplated her dilemma. Isaac had left this morning after an admonishment to be careful, which she knew translated to do not let Elijah in.

A knock sounded at the door. Weird, she hadn’t been expecting anyone. She grabbed the knife off the island, just in case, and went to open the door. She gripped the doorknob and froze. She didn’t need to wonder who stood on the other side. Elijah.

She could sense him.

Why could she sense Elijah, without even seeing him, but Isaac could walk up behind her and grab her, and she’d be none the wiser?

Why would she sense his soul, his essence, calling to her from the other side of the door?

And why did it feel like such a betrayal?

Oh, right. Because it was.

She should be attached to Isaac, the man from her real life. Not the one that haunted her dreams. Yet, even knowing she should avoid him at all costs, some invisible pull led her to wrench the door open.

She studied him by the light of day for the first time. Though his eyes and features were identical to Isaac’s to the casual observer, Elijah was distinctly different. His face seemed harder, more cynical. Like he had seen and done it all already—and life no longer held any fun for him. His mouth also appeared to be set tighter than Isaac’s, and his body held more tensely. She wondered if he always looked so harsh.

So dangerous.

Realizing she gaped at him, she burst out, “Why are you here?”

“Please, you’ve let him talk to you. Why not give me a chance?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” she stated flatly.

Anger crossed his eyes. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and ran his fingers through his hair as he clenched his teeth. “Sabrina, it’s not without danger that I have come to you. For once, can you listen to me, and let me in?”

“Why can’t we talk like this?” She motioned her hand to show what she meant: him outside, and her safely inside.

“I can’t stay out here in plain sight.”

She stared at him as she chewed on her lower lip. He made sense. If she listened to Isaac and let him in her house…why not Elijah as well? What harm could it do to hear both sides of the story, so to speak? Any intelligent woman would seek out both sides. Wouldn’t they?

Damn right they would. Making up her mind, she nodded. “Elijah, please, come inside.”

He smiled at her, causing her to catch her breath in apprehension. Had she just made a horrible mistake?

“Thank you for allowing me in your home, Sabrina. I promise you, I am not here to hurt you. I would never want to hurt you.” His stare beseeched hers as he held her gaze and did not let go. He leaned closer to her, and she softened.

“I believe you.”

Walking into the living room, she knew he followed despite the fact that his footsteps were as quiet as his brother’s. She started in surprise when she saw him sitting on the couch before she even neared it, however. Taking care to place the knife obviously in arm’s reach, she perched on the edge of the couch, resting her hands uneasily in her lap. “This is all very, um, new for me. I’m sure you understand my confusion.”

“Yes, of course. I will try to tell you what is happening, but I’m scared to tell you too much. You might get frightened away. Some of it is not…normal.” Tilting his head to the side with a somber expression, his gaze bore into hers so intensely she flinched and looked away. “Also, I am unaware of what Isaac has already told you.”