Reclaimed(27)
Author: Diane Alberts

“Weather?” she croaked in disbelief.

“Yes, when I’m angry or upset I can cause storms…thunder, lightning, wind. It can be very dangerous. When I first changed into an Enforcer, I was a menace. Always angry and depressed over having lost Amelia. Tornadoes followed in my wake. Vicious storms took down buildings, and even villages. It devastated me.” He put his head in his hands, and his shoulders slumped.

He could control the freaking weather? Wow, just…wow.

She thought of the fight they had gotten into yesterday, and the crazy storm that followed. The past few days had been unpredictable weather-wise, causing her and everyone else to scratch their heads in confusion.

And it had been him all along. And inadvertently, her.

“Wow,” seemed to be all she could say. “Amazing.”

He flinched.

“It can be a blessing at times, to be honest. I can make the wind blow a certain way to disguise my scent from the enemy. Or cause a storm in the middle of a fight to help beat my opponent. But at the same time, it’s a curse. I can get out of control, if I become too emotional. If I don’t keep a tight rein over my feelings, it gets ugly really fast. It can be dangerous to hang around me.” He stopped and looked at her. “If you’d like me to leave…if the thought of my powers scare you….”

“No, it’s amazing, truly! I don’t want you to leave me.” She threw herself into his arms, and he hugged her. She added silently in her head, ever.

“Well, then, just try to get rid of me,” he joked.

She pulled away from him and bit back a grin. “Besides, this could totally work to my advantage.”

He arched an eyebrow and asked, “Oh? How so?”

“When I’m not sure how you’re feeling, all I need to do is look outside. No guessing involved.”

He laughed, and she joined in.

“I’m so glad to help out.”

“Hey, you men always complain women are moody and impossible to read. I disagree. It’s men who are impossible. But this talent of yours can be my CliffsNotes. I won’t have to ask if you had a bad day, all I need to do is look out the window,” she finished.

He gazed at her so intensely, she asked, “What, what’s wrong? Why are you staring at me?” She quickly smoothed her hair.

“Nothing’s wrong. You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect.” He leaned in and kissed her lips before hopping out of bed and heading to the door. “And now, you need to feed me, or a storm might come. I get cranky when I’m hungry—”

“I need to feed you?” She scoffed. “Sounds a bit bossy, if you ask me.”

He grimaced and nodded. “You’re right. But it’s proof I’m telling the truth. I’m cranky already. How about this? You come down,” he offered, “and I’ll cook you breakfast.”

“Hmm…sounds better. And in the interest of being polite, I’ll even help.”

He beamed at her. “Perfect. A joint effort. I’ll head down and get started. Wouldn’t want a storm to come.”

Eyes wide, she glanced outside, only to see the sun shining. “Humph,” she muttered as she followed him hastily out of the bedroom.

***

The next two weeks went by in a blur for Sabrina. Isaac often remained by her side, leaving only for work. Every night he’d return, and they lived a seemingly normal life—despite the fact Isaac couldn’t be further from normal. They cooked dinner together every night in her kitchen and spent the evenings sharing their pasts. Though his sounded much more interesting, in her opinion. He had such intriguing stories about times she could only imagine. He told her tales of wars, the fights and triumphs of time. It never ceased to amaze her.

There were times when a natural storm came upon them, and she turned to him in her best wide-eyed innocent look, and exclaimed, “What did I do?”

He’d smile at her and say something along the lines of him not being responsible for every storm. Or, he’d teasingly tell her he’d gotten angry because she hadn’t kissed him yet, or she buttered his toast wrong, or other such silliness. When nighttime approached, they went to bed and he pulled her into the safety of his arms, and she drifted off to sleep dreamlessly.

Every couple of days, he left to run after one creature or another, and it disturbed her that so many of the mythical creatures existed. Not all of them were nearby, however. Isaac confessed he ran faster than any car drove, and so he often traveled far distances on foot. Even so, he would sometimes delegate someone else to do the battles for him and remain by her side. She preferred the latter option by far, for she no longer liked being without him.

At all.

She’d met quite a few more of his kind over the past two weeks as well. They never ceased to amaze her. There was Derek, who had quite the impressive ability of being able to vanish into thin air. And Scott with similar talents to Derek, but more powerful. He could appear anywhere he wanted, at any time. If he was in France and decided to go to Sabrina’s house, he could open his eyes and be there. Isaac later told her he was the second-most-powerful Enforcer.

And Sheila, the only female Enforcer she had yet to meet. Sabrina didn’t know how many existed, but got the feeling it happened rarely. Sheila read minds. She focused on one person at a time, but could be very useful in battles. Connor and she often sat together, Sheila trying to read his thoughts as Connor attempted to block her out. They’d laugh at each other’s efforts and restart trying to defeat the others talents. Sabrina thought they had something else going on between them, but Isaac laughed when she mentioned her suspicions.

“You women are always matchmaking,” he’d joked.

***

Elijah watched Sabrina and Isaac cook dinner, and his jealousy felt so overwhelming he almost howled under the sheer force of it. All he’d been waiting for these endless years on his own was a chance at love. A chance to have Amelia in his arms once more.

Instead, he watched as Isaac laughed by her side. Kissed her. And though he hadn’t seen it, he supposed Isaac made love to her every night as well. Sometimes he wished the legends about vampires turning into bats were true, for he could fly up to her window and perch there all night long. And Isaac wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it, either.

It seemed only fair, since Elijah couldn’t do anything to stop Isaac from screwing his long-lost love.

Argh…it’s maddening!

If only he had gotten to Sabrina first. If Isaac had burned in Hell, instead of him. Or that he, Elijah, were not so broken.