Then Roth sent his death squad to my Darkhaven and there was nothing I could do to hold the fires back. He took away everything and everyone who mattered to me." "Almost everyone," Tegan said, those shrewd gem-green eyes unflinching. "How long have you been in love with Claire?" Reichen expelled a deep sigh. "So long, I don't even recall what it was like not to be in love with her." "You've drunk from her, yeah?" He nodded, seeing no point in denying it. "How about after the pyro? You drink from her then?" "Yes," Reichen said, recalling that first time he'd put his fangs into her throat, the night in Roth's office in Hamburg.
It seemed like a lifetime ago to him now. "I drank from her the night after I went to Roth's Darkhaven." "How'd you feel after you drank from Claire? How bad was the thirst after you had her blood inside you?" Reichen considered it for a moment. "Better, I guess. Not as severe." He hadn't noticed it then, but now he was certain that drinking from Claire had lessened his need to overload on blood. He craved her always, but in a much different way than the post-pyro urge that turned him into something close to an animal. Reichen nodded. "I would do anything for her, Tegan. Including walk away from her, which I did a long time ago."
"And now?" Tegan prompted. "Now..." Reichen frowned, thinking of the way he'd left things with her. She'd asked him only to be with her--the one thing he wanted more than anything else--but in his heart he knew he couldn't give her that. Not when his power was so close to ruling him. Closer than he wanted to admit, even to himself. And then there was the fact that Wilhelm Roth and Dragos were still breathing, still walking free and able to carry out their evil designs. Reichen's power was terrible, but perhaps a necessary weapon in this worsening war. At least then it might serve a purpose--a noble one. He might then serve a purpose, something more than just his own wants and desires. "One more fire and I really don't know if I will be able to come out of it, Tegan. Each time my power rises, it becomes stronger. Less controllable. The blood thirst afterward is hellish enough, but the fire itself is death to anyone who gets near it. I don't care what happens to me, but Claire--" He broke off abruptly, refusing to consider the thought. "She doesn't deserve to be caught up in my personal hell." Tegan arched a tawny brow. "You really think she's not already caught up in it? Just because you push her away doesn't mean she'll be any safer without you."
"She saw my death, Tegan." "What?" "The little girl, Mira, showed her a vision of my death earlier today. Claire told me she saw the flames and the smoke. Saw herself running toward the fire, into the heat, to try to save me." "Jesus." Reichen nodded grimly. "You understand, of course, I can't let her do that. She can't be anywhere near me, not when the fire is in control. Harming her is the one thing I could not bear.
I want her safe from Roth, as well. I don't care how long it takes me to hunt down the bastard, I will find him, and I will see him dead." "Yeah, about that," Tegan said. "You might get your chance sooner than later. It's actually the reason I came looking for you. We got an update from Claire and the others a few minutes ago." Alarm spiked through Reichen's blood, even stronger than the thirst that was still stabbing at him. "What happened? Is she all right?" "Claire's fine. Nothing's wrong, but she did pick up on Roth's presence a couple hours south of here. It was getting stronger the farther they drove into Connecticut, so they're chasing it down, hoping to triangulate a location on him before sundown." "Roth is in Connecticut now? Where, exactly?" Reichen swallowed hard, every muscle tense. He felt the kindling flickers of his fury begin to awaken. He recognized the need to tamp them down, but his concern for Claire overrode all other rational thought. "Damn it, I don't want her getting close to that son of a bitch!"
"Relax," Tegan said evenly, taking quick, obvious note of the heat that had started to crackle under the surface of Reichen's skin. "Claire is in no danger on this op, I promise you. They're only mapping things out from the road, and they'll be heading back for Boston in a few hours with whatever intel they find." Reichen simmered down, letting himself sag back against the wall. He cursed roundly and dropped his head between his updrawn knees. He could feel Claire in his blood, his bond to her giving him the assurance he needed that she was, in fact, okay. She was a calmness beneath the torrent raging in his own veins, cool water soothing the dry heat of the fire waiting for the opportunity to devour him. "What if this has gone too far, Tegan?" His voice sounded wooden and hollow, even to his own ears. "What if after everything we've been through, after everything I've tried to do to protect her, it's not enough? What if the vision she saw proves to be right? The one thing I can't protect her from is me. What if Claire gets too close one day, and the heat destroys her?" "And what if you're wrong?" Tegan said. "What if she's the only thing that might save you from yourself?" Reichen stared at the hardened Gen One warrior who'd once struck down sixteen Rogue vampires in a feat of legendary, single- handed efficiency. Tegan had never been the warmest of inpiduals, but there was a tranquil wisdom in his eyes now--a soulful knowledge that hadn't been present even when Reichen had seen him last, almost a year ago in Berlin. Love for his Breedmate, Elise, had transformed him somehow, made him stronger while at the same time it had smoothed away some of his roughest edges. But Tegan and Elise had different obstacles they'd had to overcome. Reichen's relationship with Claire had been complicated nearly from the beginning. Now it had become one impossibility after another. "I can't risk it," Reichen said.