The next morning, Sabrina awoke to see Isaac’s blue eyes sparkling as he watched her. Blushing hotly, she smiled before burrowing into his open arms.
Now that was a sight every woman should wake up to.
“Why are you staring at me when I’m asleep?”
“Because I love watching you at any time of day.”
“Oh, please. I’m sure I looked mesmerizing with my mouth hanging open.” She snorted. “What really happened? Did I snore or something?”
“Of course not! You slept quite peacefully all night long.” He was quick to assure her and even shook his head for extra measure.
Perhaps too quick. And too emphatic.
“Humph. How’d you sleep?” she asked against his bare chest. His chest hair tickled her nose, but she didn’t care. It felt too good to move.
“Wonderful,” he quickly said.
“Mmm…me, too. Thank you for staying.”
“Anytime.”
“I have a question.” His groan at her words made her chuckle lightly. “Yesterday when you were gone, Connor mentioned something, and it confused me. He told me you went after the mongrel because as the ‘Ruler’ it was your right and duty. What did he mean?”
He mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like feeding Connor to mongrels.
“Isaac.”
“It means I am, in a way, a king of sorts. Not by choice, but I have some talents that have relegated me to such. The old ruler had grown corrupt—yes, it happens to Enforcers. We’d hunted him down to exterminate him—”
“You’d kill one of your own just because they were being greedy!”
“It’s more than that. He lived the lifestyles of the beasts we hunt. Somehow, he found a Shine who could mask the treachery under a spell, so none would be the wiser. When the Shine got caught, we discovered the truth,” he explained.
“What’s a Shine? And what happened to it?”
“Picture a witch, but more powerful, and much prettier. They’re extremely rare. They’ve been eliminated one by one. They’re evil, cruel creatures. The old ruler should have disposed of her, but instead got lured by her beauty and promises. They became a team. His perfidy became clear when I caught her in his private quarters. We fought, and I won, at the cost of her life.
“Once the spells broke, I realized what had been happening all along, just in time to turn around to ward off his attempt to kill me. He attacked me from behind.” His face scrunched up at the memory, and he glowered. “Cowardly move. We fought. I won, and got named ruler. Mostly because I discovered his dirty little secret, and also because I have a special skill. I’m one of the strongest and fastest of my kind, but I also have a gift, or curse, of…weather.”
“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.