4

There was a thunderous roar, and it was not coming from the monster holding Zaelia but from a blinding light coming from behind it. The white-gold light exploded out so bright it burned shadows into the mosiac ground.

The skeletal creature stiffened mid-shriek. Its claws loosened instinctively as it tried to twist toward the source, but the light surged forward, like a wave of fire, outlining the creature in gold. It disintegrated into a heap of ash, not even burning first before it did.

Zaelia coughed violently, clutching her throat, eyes watering, as Casey lunged forward, yanked her back from where a man now stood. Holding the most magnificent sword they had every seen with molten light running along its razor edge. The guy was tall dark and ripped. Massive with broad shoulders, tense beneath a dark fitted t-shirt. Power rolled off him in waves, vibrating the air around them, as if the world itself recognized his authority.

They both were frozen and staring hard, with Casey's arm still clamped over her bleeding wound.The immense power radiating from him was suffocating, until the sword disappeared, just like that and some of the power receded. His dark eyes, sharp, and intense locked at them.

"Let me help her." The sound of his voice rolled through the air like velvet. Deep. Rich. With controlled power layered beneath calm restraint. It wasn’t loud, yet it carried effortlessly, vibrating faintly in their chests.

Zaelia blinked. "Now you just wait a minute mister."  Casey said, breathing hard, tightening her grip on Zeala as she took another cautious step back. Which was surprising for Casey. Zaelia was expecting her to try and interview him about his sword.

"We really do appreciate what you did to Mr Bones over there,” Casey continued, nodding toward the pile of drifting ash, but how do we know you're  not like him? That thing transformed from a fake angel to that. “Are you going to change into a hideous monster now?”

He stared at them. Long and silent. Zeala braced herself. Then...He laughed.

It wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t mocking. It was sudden, warm, and startlingly human. A deep rumble that broke the tension like glass cracking under pressure. “Mr. Bones?” he repeated, amusement flickering across his face.

"Yeah, 'Mr Bones'. Casey propped her hand on her hip defensively. “That’s what I’m calling him. You have a problem with that.” She smiled.

His lips twitched again before he composed himself. “I assure you, that I'm not going to transform into anything,” he said evenly, his voice softening just slightly for what he said next. “If I intended you harm, you would not be standing. 'Mr Bones,' as you so affectionately call him, was a Veilborn. They mimic what you fear the most.”

"But I don't fear vamipires...." then slowly. Very slowly,

she turned her head toward Zeala. "Oh."

Zeala face went from pale to bright red in under three seconds."Did I really do this?"

Casey didn't hesitate. "No, your imagination did. You're afraid of vampires, you've told me many times."

Zeala felt like she was betrayed by her own brain. “Sorry. I’ve seen things!” she sighed dramatically. “Those vampire movies have traumatized me. They’ve messed with my psyche.”

“Your psyche?” Casey repeated. “You rewatch them every Friday the 13th, on Halloween and when you're bored."

“That’s exposure therapy.”

“That’s exposure therapy?!”

“That is not how exposure therapy works! Stop fooling yourself." Casey said, gesturing wildly, with one hand while still applying pressure with the other on Zaelia’s arm. You literally manifested one.”

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