Uriel

Nina gasped, jumping away as the dishes slipped from her fingers. They cluttered to the floor but did not break. The girl stumbled back her eyes bright once more but glazed over. He caught her just before she could trip over Nina. Power crackled along her skin making his own crawl with discomfort and delight. It was nowhere near the outburst of before, but it was more than enough to draw the beast's interest.

An image of him surrounded by marigold fields flashed through his mind.

Startled he let go as quickly as he'd caught her, and she fell back, her head thudding sharply against the hard wall before she slid down to sit on the hardwood floor. Sightlessly staring at Nina in horror, that strange pure energy seeping from her skin and adding an oppressive weight to the air.

Ever the opportunist, the beast sprung, and Uriel let it slam into his skin, his lips twitching with its snarl. It hated being trapped and his shoulders itched with... he did know what, but suddenly his body felt too small. His skin was too tight, and his scars burned. It was only a matter of time before the beast's hunger consumed him. He needed to feed. He needed her essence, and she was right there, all he had to do was take it.

Uriel clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms. Letting the sharpness of pain center him, he forced the beast back behind its bars. Anger burned hot in his belly. How could she be so careless? she was worse than the blasted muutes. At least their instincts kept them from spilling their souls out wherever they went. She might as well be a child, with no barriers to keep her soul contained.

The thought gave him pause. He looked down at her, this time using the beasts' eyes. Her aura was blindingly bright. And massive, bursting at the seams, her body was too small to contain it. He blinked away the brightness. No wonder it took so little to break. The beast crept closer to the edge making his hands itch, but he wouldn't even have to touch to drain her dry. This close he could practically breathe her in.

He took a step away shaking his head. The beast liked that idea far too much.

The motion drew her attention and fear flickered in those dammed blue eyes. She looked away quickly but froze when her gaze caught on his hands. He didn't need to look to know what she would see. He could feel them bleeding, the liquid crystals that flowed through his veins dripping between his fingers. The slap of each drop seemed too loud, it echoed in his ears, all the proof she would ever need that he was mage.

She started to tremble.

Nina scooted closer to Uriel, pressing into his side as if to hide from the stranger in their midst. Ira's focus returned to the little girl and a strange sorrow twisted at her mouth sending a sick feeling creeping through Uriel's gut.

"What is it?" Nina asked sounding scared.

The girl just gave a slight shake of her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered looking at him and Uriel remembered the memory he'd seen. He knew those fields. But how did she? And why did she have memories of him?

The Python's stories danced through his mind.

"Nina, go clean the dishes."

She looked up at him unsure mouth opened with a question, but he gave her a sharp shake of his head and she snapped it shut. Obediently collecting the bawls scattered across the floor, she left the kitchen without a word.

"How do you know about Mexico?" he asked as soon as she was gone.

The girl blinked at him "what?"

He flexed his fingers resisting the urge to tear out her throat. The mage Lords might want her, but at this rate, she was more useful to him dead. If her power was this pure while she was alive, he could just imagine what her death flare would taste like. That thought had the beast all sorts of excited, but he forced himself to ask again.

"How do you know about Mexico?"

"I don't know. I just... when I touch people, I see..." She swallowed, hard. "I see things."

"What else did you see?"

She looked ready to be sick now.

"You don't want to know." A growl crawled up his throat and she shrank into herself. "It doesn't matter anyway. None of the things I see make sense and there's no stopping them from happening."

He stared down at her waring with himself. He should kill her. She knew too much about him, and she knew about Nina now. It would be too dangerous to hand her over to his enemies and she was a temptation he didn't need. The beast already wore on his control, he didn't need to give it another reason to fight him. But the voices still echoed in his head. They wanted her alive and he couldn't risk what might happen if they were denied, especially if they were inclined to letting the beast out of its cage.