Conclave (Hypernaturals 3)

Rachel and William

I have a delayed reaction to a crisis. During the storm, I am unusually calm, rational. Cool. Collected. Afterward, I fall apart. This is an epic crisis. I am glad to feel the cool coming on.

William looked at Jessica significantly. Helen next to her. William looked back at me, went for the mindfuck. "After I kill you, I'll kill your women, Adrian. All this will be for nothing. You should have let me be."

I smiled to let him know his mindfuck is not finding fertile soil. I know Siren's, so I went out there with a Siren friendly reply. "Like you weren't going to try to do that anyway. At least you aren't talking like a hick now. Letting you go only meant you would hunt us at your leisure, and you know it. This is how it must to be. You killed my unborn child, you stabbed my woman, and you will pay for that. You even now looked at another of my women and thought about how to kill the child she carries of mine. You respect no valid claims, and you kill unborn children."

The room murmured. Sirens may be major league assholes, but they have no use for baby killers. To a lesser extent, they also honor claims, but baby killer is the larger charge. He meant the glance at Jessica to be scary but instead, it turned the crowd against him.

William's realized that had been a mistake. He can read the room too. It elevated, if possible, the crisis to a new height. He has less to lose. That, in turn, caused a cold curtain to drop over my mind. It is hard to even be snarky anymore because those brain cells are being turned to the problem at hand. The details of the room started to fade from my senses. Only William and Rachel remained in this place now. I have to stay out of William's reach and protect Rachel at the same time. If William gets a hold of me, I am a goner.

I must use my speed. It is my only advantage. William is old. Heavy. Dense. He has to be slower than I am now. I hope.

Rachel made the first move, stepping forward. Her scent boiled with anger, and suddenly I noticed William is using his other pheromone. The fear one. Rachel unaffected. Nose plugs.

William suddenly erupted into motion in response, going directly in towards her, swinging. Rachel then did something I did not expect. Neither did William. She spun, swept a leg, knocked William down. He sprang back up but the look on his face meant he did not expect her to have even such a basic move in her arsenal.

I am as surprised as he is. Rachel must have decided to learn a few things about fighting since we were last here. If that is the case, she only had a little time to learn a few moves. She is still no fighter. Not William level. Not eight thousand years of learning every dirty trick in the book good. She is better than either of us expected.

William gave her a spinning kick that she stepped back from, and when he came around with a roundhouse punch to follow it up, she was ready with a block. I spun around behind William and leaned in with a kidney punch. Everything I had.

It felt like hitting a wall. I felt the jolt to my shoulder. William spun to face me, but I skittered back out of reach, and he got clocked in the side of the head with a boot for his trouble. It was no glancing blow. The impact echoed off the walls, and he went down, rolled and was back out of both our collective reach and now he looked us over with new respect.

Rachel was in a ready stance, and I said "Hey. Nice kick. Sounded like you hit the sidewalk with a brick."

Rachel did not smile. "Felt like hitting a sidewalk." She said seriously.

"Well, he is dense." I noted, my snark reflex still alive someplace apparently.

It seems to me the room is almost completely quiet. My focus on two other people only. Time seemed to slow ever so slightly so I could think more about what I am seeing and doing. The air felt slightly thicker. Gravity stronger.