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Chapter 3

The man stared at him, refusing to speak. Merlot smirked.

“The hard way it is.”

Merlot got up, approaching the man, who was held in place by his aura. He pointed to the cot.

“There. Now!”

The man got up and walked robotically to the small cot across the cell. He laid down on it while Merlot moved to stand over him.

“Let’s try an easier question. Who are you?”

“Jacob.”

“Where are you from?”

“Slimmer.”

Merlot narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “Slimmer?”

“Yes.”

“Is that where my mate was being held?”

“Yes.”

“That’s 4 days away from here. There’s no way she came all the way here from Slimmer.”

He clenched his jaw, once again refusing to answer any more questions, until Merlot let his aura out more. The man turned red before Merlot let his aura dim.

“Again, you choose how you die; just remember that.”

Jacob growled at him, and Merlot took a step forward.

“We were moving them.”

“Why? Where? How many of you were there?”

“Because they were right for what the bosses needed. They were going to Slanic. There were 13 of us.”

“13? For two girls?”

“I thought it was weird, too, considering we were told they were humans, until she killed 8 of us without breaking a sweat.”

“Which one? How? And what exactly do the ‘bosses’ need?”

“The one with the long hair.”

“How did she kill them?”

“I… I don’t know. One minute, we were driving along, and the next, the van she was in was crashing. She came walking toward us, and the 4 men in my van got out to get her. She almost started glowing, and moments later they were all passed out on the ground. The other girl jumped out of the other side, and they took off into the woods. We chased them and Ta-da. I’m fucking here.”

Merlot growled at him, strengthening his aura yet again, effectively cutting off Jacob’s air supply. He turned to look at Rose, who stood leaning against the wall by the door to the cell.

“Does that sound like a Flora?”

She nodded. “Yep. Toxic gasses. No surprise there. I am surprised any of them made it out.”

Merlot turned back to glare at Jacob. “What do the ‘bosses’ want with them?”

“I don’t know.”

Merlot let his aura out warningly. “Are you sure about that?”

Jacob nodded. “I was only around to make sure they didn’t escape and to transport them.”

Merlot paced agitatedly. “There was another girl. Where is she?”

“I’m not sure. I never saw another girl. I only worked with those two.” Merlot growled again, making Jacob flinch. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Like who your ‘bosses’ are?”

“The alpha and beta. The others, I don’t know.”

Merlot smiled coldly at him. “Fast or slow?”

“W-what?”

“Your death?”

Jacob stared at him fearfully. “I don’t want to die.”

Merlot laughed evilly. “Too bad.”

He turned to face Rose as Jacob’s face and skin began to melt off his bones. Jacob howled in agony as his blood vessels exploded, raining droplets everywhere. Rose threw up a spell to surround herself as more and more blood, tissue, and bones flew at her. By the time Merlot reached Rose, Jacob’s body had almost fully turned inside out. Merlot waved his hand over his shoulder, making every last milliliter of residual matter from Jacob’s body light on fire. Rose let her shielding spell down.

“Well, that was brutal,” she remarked.

Merlot snorted. “He deserved worse.”

“Maybe. What now?”

“I need to know about Floras so I can help her. I’m worried about her.”

“Why? She is slowly healing.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Not fast enough. Marking is not supposed to make you sleepy. It’s supposed to make you stronger. What if I messed her up more by marking her?” he asked in panic.

She put her arm around his shoulders. “You didn’t.”

“Can you say that for sure?”

“Well, no, but the Goddess wouldn’t make marking someone hurt them, especially not if you are meant to be together.”

He lowered his head as he opened a portal to Deegan. “You say that, and I believe it here,” he said, touching his head. “But here,” he said, touching his heart, “I’m having a hard time.”

She squeezed his shoulders as they walked into the portal. “It’s going to be okay. We will figure it out. We will help her, and when we go to Slimmer, we will figure out where the other one is.”

“Nalani. Her name is Nalani.”

She smiled at him. “We’ll find Nalani for them.”

Rose led him to the library, where Great Aunt Sasha, Great Aunt Kalani, and his grandmother sat pouring over books. Sasha’s head shot up as they approached before she broke into a smile, relaxing.

“Hey, you two.”

“Hey, Aunt Sasha.”

“I take it you met your mate.”

“I did. What can you tell me about her?”

“Well, she is definitely a Flora.”

She turned the book she was looking through around for him to see. She pointed to a paragraph.

‘Eating’

‘Floras feed off the sun. The more they are exposed to the sun’s light, the healthier they are. Just like every other type of plant, Floras need nutrients that only the sun can provide. They require water and nutrient-rich soil to be at their healthiest. During feeding, they will try to root wherever they are, so it is best if they root into the ground. Without the sun and soil, the poisons that are in their blood will kill them. The sun, along with the soil, allows their bodies to create the necessary antidotes to the poisons. Floras that don’t shift and feed slowly waste away to nothing. The Earth will find a way to absorb their bodies, no matter which way their bodies are handled. Many times other Floras will consume their bodies to absorb the dead’s powers and strengthen their own.’

‘Healing’

He snatched the book up off the table as he continued to read the next paragraph, needing this specific information more than anything else. Sasha started saying something, and he growled at her, making her grin and hold up her hands in surrender.

“Alrighty, then, Mr. Growly Pants.”

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