Coveted [New/Revised Version]

THE BATTLE BEYOND THE FRONTIER

     "Damn it!" Zairian screamed and swept everything off his desk in one motion.

He'd just precipitately returned to his corporal state.

"I take it the girl got away... again?" Kay lounged lazily on the couch in his office diagonally from Zairian's desk, leafing through the pages of a magazine. She frowned at the mess. "Didn't Olga just make some sense of that desk of yours?"

"That damn boy intervened again!"

He began pacing irately. His loose hair moved wildly about his shoulders like a dark halo with each step. The look in his eyes was half crazed.

"I don't understand why you toy with your prey. Take the girl as she sleeps. It's easier."

"Are you insane?" Zairian replied. "Her father is the hunter. Not to mention I still have no idea what the elder sister is capable of yet. I mightn't be killed but that certainly doesn't make me invulnerable."

"We wouldn't be having this issue if you'd sent me instead of Rodney to begin with."

"You know exactly why I didn't do that."

Kay threw her head back and laughed wildly. "Are you actually concerned about me?"

"I value you too much to send you to exhaust yourself on artless tasks."

"I can take care of myself." Kay put down the magazine, threw her legs over the couch, and got up. She strolled over to Zairian and stopped in front of him, making him cease his pacing. "Besides, I wouldn't consider kidnapping a witch with the power of compulsion an artless task."

"You're my best offense. I'm sorry but you must remain on the sidelines for the time being."

Kay pouted. "The sidelines are so dull."

"Yes, but they're safer." Zairian moved his hand up to caress her angel's face.

For a second, she leaned into his touch. Her eyes shut briefly as she relished in the exchange. Zairian traced the planes of her face with the pad of his thumb. What delicate skin she had for such a domineering individual. One would think she'd be steel cold, not temperate to the touch. She opened her eyes to look up at him through her lashes, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Ah, there you are, he smiled.

"You continue to treat me like I'm some delicate rose when that's not the case."

"Beneath it all we're all fragile." Zairian replied. "The difference is some of us build better walls than others."

"What about the girl? How good is she with putting up these walls?"

"Very. She comes off as an easy mark but she's more difficult to capture than I anticipated."

"Maybe we should stick to Connor's plan next time."

"Next time must be soon."

"Why?"

"Because she's getting closer to unlocking my power."

"Are you certain?"

"I'm positive. I could taste it when I tried to weaken her. She was so close to using it."

"This is an issue Acadia would be equipped to deal with."

"Considering her condition, I doubt she can help."