Fire And Ice

Chapter 73 - Promises: Retribution and Reconciliation

My question was the straw that broke the camel's back, I realised, as her eyes filled with tears that quickly overflowed. Her sobs were heart-wrenching, her breathing ragged in hiccups and hyperventilation. I took her bag off her and Ari guided her to the living room, sitting with her in front of the fireplace. She flicked two fingers towards the fireplace, sending a small ball of flames that ignited on the waiting wood and I went to get a blanket and start up some hot chocolate.

Kirstin didn't stop crying for well over two hours. Several times, she tried to wrestle her composure back, only for the tears to begin anew with more ferocity in their anguish, triggered by memories I was sure I never wanted to live.

Eventually, her tears abated, and she was silent with the occasional sniffles and sips of now room-temperature chocolate as she stared blankly into the flames.

Ari had brought pillows and cushions for us to rest on, some of which ended up being hugged to our chests, and blankets to wrap around ourselves. With the early winter night that had fallen, we were illuminated with the soft, shifting light of the convulsing fire.

Neither Ari nor I uttered a word, only sitting with her in silent support. Our silence continued as she spoke.

"That monster is no Alpha." Her voice was hoarse and barely there, "He has to be stopped. Someone has to make him stop."

She turned to Ari, her puffy, bloodshot eyes pleading for retribution, resolution... something to make this awful wrong less wrong somehow.

Ari tenderly took Kirstin's hands in hers, "That's what we're working on. I promise, once everything's in place, we'll stop him- we'll stop them all."

Kirstin was crying again, "You don't understand, Ari. He-" She choked on a sob, "I-"

She broke down, crying once more, this time into Ari's arms.

Ari's eyes widened slowly in horror, and I got the sinking feeling that, contrary to what Kirstin had just said, she did in fact understand.

Many would say that a year and a half doesn't count as a long time of knowing someone. After all, there are people that have known each other for decades. For sisters, we'd spent precious little of our lives around each other. But in the time we had, we'd been close. Close enough that I could say with measured confidence that I could tell what she was feeling with above-average accuracy, even if only slightly.

But in this moment, as her expression shifted from horror to something else, I would bet my first-born child that I knew what she was feeling.

It was in her eyes, glowing with the stoniest, coldest rage I'd ever seen in a person.

It was in the way the temperature went up several degrees in an instant.

It was in the way the lazy fire roared to life.

Ari was livid.

Kirstin pulled away as if she'd been burnt. Thankfully, she hadn't, but she stared at Ari in confusion. Ari didn't address her power, and instead uttered a statement that had all the weight of a vow and nearly had me bending my head to her.

"I'll kill him myself."

....................

Tim had his hands full with spearheading the growth of our pack and Ari, Kaesha and I had imminent exams to contend with, so there was no one immediately available to take Kirstin to our pack. Granted, Kaesha could have taken her and been back in under a minute, but her identity as a Witch was still undisclosed and on a need-to-know basis. And according to Ari, nobody else needed to know.

So, in the mansion she stayed.

After she'd fallen asleep, Ari had carried her up to one of the spare rooms and taken her things there for her to get set up. She'd also scheduled for a hairdresser to come over to the mansion, so that by the time Kirstin had woken and eaten, she was set to have a haircut to turn the haphazard cut she'd arrived with into a style of her choosing. She opted for a sleek bob that stopped at her chin level.