Chained to You

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Valkyrie stumbled into the room and crouched down next to Kai's body. I could see she was trying to contain the sobs that I knew were wracking her body internally. Guilt lay thick and heavy on my chest as I sat huddled under the counter.

"He's still breathing," she gasped. She looked toward the suited man still standing in the middle of the room and gestured to Kai. "We need to get him to Christian. Can you carry him?" Without saying a word, the man picked up the unconscious body like it weighed no more than a cat and calmly walked out of sight. Valkyrie made to follow him but paused, obviously remembering I was still there. Slowly, she turned to me and gestured to the open bar stool next to me.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed as I got to my feet. Valkyrie shook her blonde head vigorously and guided me the rest of the way to the stool.

"We...Kai and I knew this was a possibility," she said.

"That doesn't mean it wasn't my fault," I whimpered. Valkyrie staggered to the other side of the counter and pulled open a drawer. Slowly, she flipped through multiple old looking documents and grabbed one that looked like it had been ripped and taped multiple times.

"We should've done a better job explaining instead of getting defensive." Taking a deep breath, she went on. "I'm a soothsayer; I can predict certain outcomes or events, but it doesn't always happen the way I believe. It's maddening." I watched as she flipped through the document, biting her bottom lip until little beads of blood formed. She placed the tattered packet in front me with shaky hands and looked away.

I looked down at the page to see an image of me when I was around eight or nine. My face was fuller and there was a mischievous grin glued to it. My hair was a brighter shade of red and my eyes were sparkling. The picture must've been taken before my parents abandoned me, before they left me to fend for myself. I watched as a teardrop landed on the page, then two, and then a third one.

I didn't see Valkyrie return to my side, but I felt the comforting weight of her hand on my shoulder. "There's more, I'm afraid," she warned cautiously, pointing to the print below my picture.

"Nova Kallista Rae, mutation. Parents, Johnathon and Lily Rae. Power, light manipulation," I read aloud. I swiveled violently toward Valkyrie until we were nose to nose. "What the fuck is this?"

"A hit list," she mumbled without moving. I crinkled the papers in my right first and took a slow, steady breath.

"Yours?"

"What? No, don't be foolish, Nova." She was backing away now, as if she was afraid of me. Her face had gone deathly pale and her breathing was shallow. I watched as her purple eyes glinted, illuminating her face with an eerie glow. Before I could ask what was happening, her face and eyes returned to their original color and she sighed. "It belonged to the umbra bellator."

"The- the what?" I sputtered and furrowed my brows. Valkyrie opened her mouth to answer, but a low voice interrupted her.

"umbra bellator - shadow warriors." I immediately recognized the voice belonged to the mysterious man that had carried Kai away. He silently slid into the kitchen and towered over me, smirking. "They're coming to get you."