Page 31 of Fennick’s Fortune (Sentinels of Apollo #2)

“When no one responded after my third call out, I freaked out. I took off running. I wanted to get to the house. I swore I heard a loud huffing sound behind me. I twisted my upper body to look back, so I didn’t see the tree branch until I tripped over it.

That’s how I twisted my leg. As I was stumbling, I was close to the edge of a steep decline.

I tumbled down it. I was trying to get up it when Nico found me. ”

“Did you see anything or anyone?” I asked her.

“No, I didn’t. It was my overly fertile imagination.”

“Nico, do you agree that she conjured it up?”

“I don’t know if I do or not. I didn’t go investigating since Akiva was hurt. I’d like to go back now that you’re home. I want to see if I find anything. I will say there was an unusual scent in the air. It was extremely faint. I want to see if I can follow it.”

For Nico not to recognize a smell made me tense up. There was barely anything he didn’t recognize. At just shy of seven hundred years old, he was well-versed in the animals and plants of the world.

“I’d like to go with you. But first, Akiva, you need to let Nico heal you. All it takes is a couple drops of his blood, and you’ll be as good as new.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t need that.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because she’s afraid it’ll do something to her. Isn’t that right?” Nico asked, amused.

“I don’t know what it can do to me. You’re the first vampire I’ve met, believe it or not. And there are so many things I’ve heard you can do,” Akiva admitted sheepishly.

“I am very powerful, but a few drops won’t make you like me. That’s an old tale. I couldn’t transform you into a vampire. Vamps are born, not transformed. However, there have been rumors for years that the older ones possess the power to do it if they sacrifice enough blood. Is Fennick a vampire?”

“No, of course not. He’s a bear.” She sniffed.

“Exactly, and ask him how many times he’s had a few drops of my blood,” Nico insisted.

Her astonishment was evident. Her eyebrows shot up. “Is that true? He’s given you blood without any side effects?”

“It is true. Sure, I might like my meat slightly bloodier for a month or two, but that’s all,” I teased.

She knew I was because I earned myself a punch to the upper arm. “Don’t tease me, asshole. I don’t know what he can or can’t do. Why would you need his blood?”

“Our regular jobs aren’t always peaceful.

However, in my case, they happened when we were out working as Sentinels.

The rogues we go after fight us. Sometimes, we can get banged up and more.

Every member of our Sentinel pack has needed his blood at least once, though most have needed it more than once.

I would never let you take it if I thought you would be harmed in any way, baby. ” I assured her.

She bit her lip and was quiet for several seconds before she answered. “Alright, he can do it. And Nico, please don’t take it personally. I like you. I just don’t know what your kind can do, and it’s scary not to know.”

He stood and came over to the couch. He smiled at her.

“I don’t blame you. It can be scary, and there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Usually, I can block someone from knowing I gave them my blood, but with your mental shield, I can’t.

It’s nothing horrible. If you’ve sucked on your finger after cutting it, then it’s like that.

And we don’t pass diseases like humans do through their blood and bodily fluids. ”

“I’m ready. Let’s do it,” she said.

A nail lengthened on his one hand, and Nico used it to cut the tip of a finger on the opposite hand.

He held it out to her when the dark red blood beaded up.

Without hesitating, she grasped the base of his finger and brought it to her mouth.

Her tongue swept away and brought the drops back into her mouth, where she swallowed.

“See, that wasn’t bad, was it?” he asked.

“Not at all. How long does it take to do the work?” Akiva asked. She’d relaxed as soon as she took the blood.

“How does your ankle feel right now?” Nico asked.

“It feels…wait, it feels normal.” Akiva rose to her feet, took several steps, and then grinned. “My Goddess, that feels great. And it was mere moments. You’d better hope no one ever knows what you can do. Thank you, Nico.”

She hugged him, which he happily returned until I gave him the evil eye. Chuckling, he eased away. “You’re welcome. And don’t mind the side effects. They should go away in a month or two.”

“What side effects?” she asked.

“Oh, the urge to bite necks, the sprouting of wings, and hanging from the ceiling by your toes. You know, the usual,” he said with a straight face.

Or he did until she growled and pounced on him.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and pretended to choke him.

Nico burst out laughing, and I couldn’t stop myself.

I had to chuckle, too. He loved to be a comedian sometimes.

Akiva stopped when she could no longer choke him and laugh simultaneously.

I drew her away and down onto the couch with me. Nico retook his seat.

“Hanging from the ceiling. There’s something wrong with you,” she muttered with a grin.

“Don’t get me started. It would take days to tell you everything wrong with Nico,” I teased him.

“You’re not perfect, buddy. So, do you still want to go with me to search? You can stay here if you want,” he offered.

“I know you want to go. I think it’s a waste of time, but if it makes you feel better, go. It’ll give me time to get dinner started. I have things prepped, I just have to cook,” Akiva interjected.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m positive. And despite the side effects joke, I’m inviting Nico to join us.”

My friend hopped to his feet. “Well, what’re you waiting for, Fen? Let the woman cook, and we’ll see if we find anything. It’s dark, but I have a flashlight.”

And just like that, within minutes, we were out the door, leaving her locked in the house with a phone and a handgun nearby. I knew she’d learned many things since escaping her father. The ability to shoot was one of them.

Less than an hour later, Nico and I neared my house again.

We were silent and thinking. I was worried, and I knew he was too.

We found what appeared to be prints in the soft dirt near where Nico found Akiva.

They were human, but only the heel of an athletic shoe, so it was hard to determine the size and whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

We found the elusive, faint scent he’d mentioned.

But no matter how much we inhaled it, neither of us recognized it.

We followed a trail for about a mile before it completely dissipated.

I was frustrated. Nico and I agreed that we would play it down to Akiva.

We concurred that there was disturbed ground nearby, but we weren’t able to determine who or what had caused it.

Hell, for all we knew, it could’ve been a child, and they were scared to answer.

We trekked inside after I unlocked the door and quickly entered the deactivation code for the security alarm. I called out so she would know for sure it was us. Though it was silly with her hearing and sense of smell, she’d know it was us. It was time to eat and alleviate my woman’s concerns.