Prince of Fire | Dragonfire Book One

Capitolo Diciotto

Dracula expanded his base of followers with the power of his voice, forming a new group of rogues separate from any and all clans.

~ The Draconic Book of Songs

Chapter Eighteen

Dante pondered over Finn's vision, the one Finn had Seen when Elena had met him. Every time Finn had another vision, Dante found himself re-evaluating everything, especially Elena's involvement in the grand scheme of things. When Finn had touched her hand, he had Seen a glimpse of her future. He had Seen Elena wandering around with cuts and bruises and torn clothes, surrounded by a frosty dead environment, void of any movement.

As soon as Finn had described the scene to him, Dante felt a bubble of fear rise in him, a fear he hadn't felt in a long time. He had tried to pry more details out of Finn, but Finn's vision had been brief. The only consolation he had was that it was currently summer, so there was still time before the event would occur, and even then, Elena was physically able enough to walk around. Nevertheless, he was frustrated and anxious. What would happen to cause that scene?

"Dante," Anya called from behind him, jolting him out of his thoughts. "You've been in your room for hours now."

He sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Have I really been here for hours?" he asked, suddenly feeling like he was wasting his time. He should have been out there tracking down Dracula, yet here he was, sitting and worrying about her. And Anya knew it.

"You're still thinking about Finn's vision," she inferred easily. Her small form approached him before she sat on the armrest of the chair. She was close enough to allow her scent to wash over him, close enough to allow him to see every emotion on her face. Dante forced himself to stay relaxed.

"Tell me about her," she said instead, surprising him. Dante didn't even have to force himself to stay relaxed, given that Anya had seemed like she would take a different, and more uncomfortable, path.

"Why are you so curious all of a sudden?" Dante asked, though not unkindly.

Anya rolled her eyes in such a human like gesture, and gracefully slid off the armrest to sit on the foot of his bed. "Now that you've introduced her to us, I take it we might see her a bit more, and I would like to know more about her so that I can trust her more," she said. "Also, perhaps we can figure out how Finn's vision might happen based on how she goes about her life and who her company is. Oftentimes, it's those we trust most who can do the most heinous acts."

Anya's last comment struck him. The ones closest to her, the ones Elena trusted. Her family, the Order, her friends. Including that infuriating blonde man that he had met at that dark building, the one who seemed like Elena's friend, the one who couldn't stop staring at her with blatant desire in his eyes. Connor, Elena had called that human male. At least her friend from the Order, Colton, had seemed to have platonic feelings demonstrated toward her.

Merda, why was he even thinking of them? Of all the things he could think about when it came to Elena, why did he think about them first? And why did he feel like there was a giant pit in his stomach, slowly poisoning his interior?

"Dante?" Anya called out again. "Are you okay? You look a little tense."

Indeed he was tense, noticing his clenched jaw and curled fingers, which were almost aching to form claws. Dante was surprised at the intense reactions his body had done, almost without his permission. He immediately relaxed himself, releasing his contracted muscles and inhaling deeply, but quietly.

"If it's people that are closest to her, there are plenty that fit that category. I've only met a few of her comrades, her mother, and two...friends," he hesitated before the last one. The man, Connor, despite his too-close attachment to Elena, must have only been a friend to her, because she had pretended to have had a boyfriend - one that wasn't Connor and was Dante.