Igniting Sparks

Chapter 9.

Edited by @kitwulf : 3-9-2020

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"Things moved fast after meeting Nora and the pack. Her mate, Floyd, hated my guts from that first moment. I think he could feel I was a threat to the bond he and Nora had. He mostly avoided me though and I avoided him as much as possible."

Azura drank some water and stared at the window in Dr. Jensen's office. "The pack was kind to me. They trained me to fight, gave me a second house, and a few friends. Nora and I got to know each other better every day and it was apparent something was going on between us, some kind of bond we couldn't explain but was getting stronger."

"Hmm... Did Floyd know from the beginning about your bond?" Azura had piqued his interest when she had started talking about the connection between her and Nora. He sat up straight, leaning slightly towards her.

"No. Nobody did. We only found out about it much later, but I do suspect he felt something like what we had felt. Professor Sloan helped us with figuring out what it was and we eventually came to the conclusion that Nora and I shared an ancient blood-bond. A blood-bond can eventually grow even stronger than a mate bond, thus making me a threat to Floyd's connection with Nora."

Nicolai got up and started pacing around the room. There was so much more than he had expected to this young woman. The loss she felt from losing Nora still had to be gigantic if they really had shared a close blood-bond. He had read about it. It was described as losing a part of yourself when the other perished and it could drive you crazy. Most of the time it ended with suicide.

"How long ago did Nora die?" As he asked the question he could feel her emotions spike. Nicolai tightened the grip he held on her, easing the pain she felt and taking the edge off the anger he felt building up within her. She remained silent for a moment, looking away before her eyes connected with his.

"A year? A year and a half?" Azura shook her head. "I honestly...don't know... It devastated me, heck look at me! I left soon after, been traveling around aimlessly since then. Days are muddled together, months overlap. It all feels like the same and..." She choked on her own words. "I don't know when it was that she died... I just... can't remember when it was..."

Dr. Jensen took a stronger hold of her emotions, eased and guided them as if manipulating her whole presence. She was losing it and if he wouldn't help, she'd close herself off completely or worse...

His ability to mold the emotions of people was a gift. He knew some Vaims like him thought of it as a curse but he had learned to fully control his talents. He needed to touch people to really form a bond, to be able to pry into their system before he could fully access it.

When he felt her calming down again, Nicolai spoke up again. "A blood-bond is never activated without a reason." Dr. Jensen carefully pried. "They are made and can lay dormant for over hundreds of years. There had to be a reason for you and Nora to start feeling the effects."

Azura nodded and swallowed hard, sadness clearly visible in her expression. "The rising of the Phoenix."

Nicolai stopped and turned towards Azura. A mix of surprise and questioning came across his face. "You two were bound by a Phoenix?" Azura just nodded at him.

"So the fires near Greenwood... The rumors, they're all true? And you and Nora were there?"

Azura could barely answer. Her throat had dried up immediately when they started talking about this.

"Yes." She wanted to say more but she couldn't. Tears had filled her eyes as a feeling of defeat and failure washed over her. She took one last breath and looked at Nicolai. "We killed it..."