Page 64 of Crossing Between

I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The kraken inside me thrashed against my control, desperate to break free and wreak havoc. Every word from the council meeting replayed in my head, fueling my rage.

"A threat to the supernatural community," they'd called her.

My Zoey. Our Zoey.

"Requiring monitoring and possible containment," they'd said, as if she were some dangerous animal rather than a woman with one of the purest hearts I'd ever known.

My vision blurred with fury as I jerked the car to the side of the road, unable to focus on driving. The kraken was too close to the surface, tentacles pushing against my skin, demanding release.

"How dare they?" I slammed the car into park and flung the door open. "How dare they make threats against her because they don't understand her magic? Because they're afraid of what a soulbinder can do?"

I paced alongside the car, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The late afternoon sun beat down on my back as I struggled for control.

"They can't do anything technically because it's not illegal to be a soulbinder," I ranted, gesturing wildly. "But threatening to take her into custody for it? For something she was born as?"

Kenji had been silent since we'd left the meeting, his expression unreadable. Now he climbed out of the passenger seat and watched me pace, his eyes tracking my movements.

"They don't even know what a soulbinder is! They just hear 'soul' and think necromancy and black magic and..."

My words cut off as Kenji stepped directly into my path and wrapped his arms around me. His embrace was firm, unyielding, trapping my arms at my sides. I tried to pull away, but he held tight.

"Let me go," I growled, the kraken's voice bleeding into mine. "I need to kill them all!"

"You need to breathe," Kenji's voice was steady. "I'm not letting go until you calm down."

I struggled against him for a moment longer before surrendering, letting my forehead drop to his shoulder. His warmth seeped into me, grounding me. The kraken's rage ebbed, still present but no longer threatening to overtake me.

"That's it," Kenji murmured. "Come back to me, kaerasta."

The endearment, one I'd taught him for Zoey, made me huff a laugh against his shirt. "That's not for me."

"Today it is," his answer was simple and made my heart melt.

We stood there on the roadside, cars occasionally rushing past, until my breathing matched his and the kraken retreated to the depths of my consciousness.

Kenji pulled back just enough to look at my face, his eyes intense. "Varon is stronger than any of them, which is why they won't make a move. Plus, Quilith, the last dragon in the realm, would never allow them to touch Zoey."

His jaw tightened, a flash of fire appearing in his eyes. "That's the only reason I haven't killed them all for their threats."

I exhaled slowly, nodding. "If it comes to that, I'm helping."

Kenji's mouth curved into a feral smile. "I'm counting on it."

We climbed back into the car, the tension between us shifted from anger to resolve. The drive back to Varon's home passed in comfortable silence, both of us processing what had happened and what might come next.

The scent of cooking food greeted us as we entered the mansion. Following our noses to the kitchen, we found Zoey setting the table while Varon stood at the stove, stirring something that smelled divine.

"You're back!" Zoey's face lit up, and something in my chest loosened at the sight of her smile. She crossed to us, rising on tiptoes to kiss first me, then Kenji. "Just in time. Varon's making his special risotto. It still surprises me that a vampire can cook and eat regular food."

"How was the meeting?" Varon asked, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp as they assessed our expressions. "And Zoey, my dear, I can hear you."

Kenji and I exchanged a glance before I sighed. "Not good."

"The supernatural council was more concerned about Zoey than the Essencefeaster," Kenji elaborated, pulling out a chair for Zoey.

Her smile faltered. "What? Why?"

I took the seat beside her, reaching for her hand. "They're afraid of what they don't understand. A soulbinder is beyond their comprehension, so they see you as a potential threat."

"They wanted to know if we had you 'under control,'" Kenji's tone thick with disgust.

Varon went very still at the stove, his back to us. The only sign of his reaction was a sudden, sharp crack that split the marble countertop down the middle.

When he turned, his eyes had bled to solid black, and the veins around them had darkened to near-purple. His monster, the ancient vampire lord, had emerged.

"I need to pay them a visit," he set down the spatula on the broken counter.

"Varon..." Kenji began.

"I'll be back," Varon cut him off, already moving toward the door.

Kenji and I stood together to grab him, but Zoey was faster. She sprang from her chair and placed herself directly in his path, her small frame blocking the doorway.

"Don't," her eyes wide but determined. "Please, don't do anything. Not yet."

Varon's jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his skin. "They threatened you."

"And I'm standing right here, perfectly fine," she stepped closer to him. "I need you here, not out there picking fights with the council."

When he didn't respond, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him down to her level. "Look at me, Varon. I'm okay."

She pressed her lips to his, a gentle kiss that seemed to startle him. For a moment, he remained rigid, but then his arms came around her, and he returned the kiss with restrained passion.

I felt Kenji's shoulder relax against mine as we watched the darkness recede from Varon's eyes, returning them to their normal steel gray. His monster retreated, tamed by Zoey's touch in a way that left me both awed and a little envious.

"The risotto's burning," I pointed out, and the tension in the room dissolved as Varon cursed and rushed back to the stove.

Kenji caught my eye and mouthed "thank you" as Zoey returned to the table, her cheeks flushed but her expression relieved. I nodded, feeling the same relief. We had enough to worry about with the Essencefeaster without adding the supernatural council to our list of immediate problems.

For now, we were safe. Together.