Whimsical

"You promise we'll make it back? You'll take me to my sister?"

"I promise."

The stench of blood, screams, a pale face.

A big warm hand stroked her face gently, "Violet? Are you alright? You were moving around restlessly."

Violet opened her eyes slowly, she'd been dreaming about him a little too often for comfort.

Violet let out a noncommittal hum, "just a dream. How long was I asleep?"

Kieren snuggled closer, "I've only been back about forty-five minutes. Are you in pain?"

She shook her head softly, "How's Kuznet?" Kieren rolled his eyes, "Barbaric as ever, he's been in such a good mood, we can't figure him out, oh and he's thrilled you return Monday. Makes me want to kill him. So, question for you, since your abilities return after tonight. Will it all just come slamming back in?"

Violet turned to look into curious blue, she absentmindedly raised a hand and touched his brow bone. "No, it's not a barrier I'm escaping from, it's been oozing back in slowly, after tonight I should be all set to go. I need this cast off."

Kieren nodded, he opened his mouth to speak when a loud, "No! You just don't believe in anything right in front of you because you're blind, ugly, and boring!" sounded from below.

Violet raised a questioning eyebrow, "Is that Ted?"

Kieren frowned, "Unfortunately it is not just Ted, they all wanted to come see you since you'll be all healed up tomorrow. I tried to stop them, but you know how Alex is once she gets in the zone. She baked you cupcakes. No need to panic, I brought all sorts of anti-venom."

Violet chortled, "Well, maybe she leaned to make them safe for consumption recently."

Violet and Kieren arrived in the living too witness a very heated debate. Alex ran to hug Violet only to crash into Kieren's outstretched hand, "She hasn't healed yet!"

"I was going to be gentle, sheesh! Anyway! We can have Violet settle this matter! Violet!" Alex's eyes glistened vivaciously, "Do you believe the 'Muse' is real?!?!!"

Violet accepted the glass of fresh orange juice from Jace -who was trying very hard to hide his annoyance- before settling on the couch, "What's a Muse?"

"See!" Zen cried out, his hands in his hair, "If Violet, who happens to be the biggest know-it-all of this century doesn't know about your tall tale then it can't be real!"

"That's not fair!" Tom interjected before Ted and Alex could, "She wasn't raised in a house like ours, she just doesn't know!"

Violet turned to Kieren for an answer, he glared at Zen, took a sip out of her juice before supplying her with the story. "The Muse is a tale of sorts we've all grown-up listening too. They say the very first Ruenen King, had a best friend, an enhanced being different from all others. He, the Muse, was the bridge between this world and all others, powerful, truthful, and dangerously brutal. The story goes that every time the Muse dies, another is born. Always male, they are meant to immediately find the current King and serve under them helping protect this world."

Zen cut in, "of course that's the story but in the last two-hundred years, there has been no sighting of such a 'Muse' it's a fairy tale."

"Oh, well maybe the Ruenen keeps him hidden in secret Zen." Violet said eyes twinkling with mischief. "After all they keep their important pets quite close to their hearts. 'Muse' huh, quite a whimsical name, I've heard of them, by a different name. In books I've read they called them 'GateKeepers'"

"Ha!" The twins screamed, "told you!"

Violet continued, "according to the book, they even had a clan, known for helping raise and shield them. I'd love to meet one."

Violet's eyes flickered over to Jace who looked momentarily stunned, their eyes met and Violet smiled, "Guess we'll never know if it's myth of fact. That clan seems to have vanished into thin air."

Kieren watched the play of emotions from Jace to Violet curiously, a hint of jealousy on his face. He pulled Violet in closer as the twins and Alex continued their barrage of "I told you it's real!"

After several more minutes Alex turned to Violet. "More importantly, we have extremely important business tonight, we must go celebrate your imminent recovery! I have it all planned out, booked an entire restaurant, so it's perfectly safe."

She looked at Violet expectantly when Kieren put his foot down, "Absolutely not! We are not putting her in danger. They could be waiting for another opportunity."

"Oh come on Kieren!" The rest of them called out, "it's just dinner, she's been cooped up for so long. Let her out. Plus, they were after you! Not her."

Kieren, who was ready to send them all packing stopped when he felt Violet lean in.

She looked up, a small pout on her face. He froze. "Don't you act cute with me!"

Violet hugged him, turning up the charm, "it'll be fine, you'll protect me, won't you?"

Kieren swallowed thickly, she knew damm well there was no way he could resist her. Alex knowing just as well that the battle had been won took Violet by the arm. "Perfect! I brought outfits! Let's go!"

Kieren groaned as they walked away, Jace leaned in wicked grin on full display. "She's got you eating out of her palm."

They left almost an hour later, all sans Jace, it seemed he didn't care for spending time with Kieren's guards.

Violet looked out into the tranquil water, it was a very nice restaurant and Alex had not been exaggerating, she had truly booked the entire place. While it was unnecessary, Violet felt thankful all the same, there was nothing ordinary about staying still, not for her.

They made a big show, and after about half an hour Violet was almost certain they had really been searching for an excuse to get wasted. It was then that Zen called out, "You know, we almost got a break. The whole world was freaking out about the attack on Kieren, but the murders on the Ruenen members had stopped. At least that's what we thought. Three more brutally slaughtered just two days ago."

Violet smiled internally while scrunching her face in confusion, she would have to thank him later for stepping in, couldn't risk inactivity while laid out in bed. "They killed again?"

Kieren, who was the only other sober member in their party nodded. "There is a theory that it's the same group. Doesn't concur in my eyes, but that's the Ruenen's official hypothesis."

They all chimed in and quickly moved onto better topics, "no point in going over useless details... again" as Ted had called it.

Violet enjoyed the dinner, she didn't miss the way Kieren's eyes kept latching onto her: anxiously, protectively, hungrily. She knew he disapproved of her being out without her ability.

She cast a smile in his direction, where this loyalty came from, she had no clue.

As time melted into late night, Violet let out a hum of satisfaction. The continuous, growing warm feeling in her ribs alerted her quickly to the constant increase of her returning abilities.

At around midnight she startled them all by ripping the cast off and wiggling her fingers, a smug smile on her face. "Ugh, about time."

The rest of the group, led by Alex, took celebratory shots as Violet and Kieren watched in amusement.

At almost three in the morning, Kieren, finally fed up, tossed his guards into a taxi, and paid the driver to take them back to the school.

It seemed he had no plans to babysit. Shockingly, Zen had been too blasted to even argue.

Violet watched the taxi drive away, "should we be concerned?" She turned and found Kieren's gaze glued onto her. "No, they did it to themselves. Violet will you come someplace with me?"

He had taken her hand in his and led her back to the car. They drove into the forest, the landscape growing wilder and calmer the deeper they went.

After a little over an hour of small talk and comfortable silence, in which Kieren seemed to relax more and more, they arrived. Violet looked out in surprise, "what is this place?"

Kieren led her into a beautifully designed cabin, so well hidden, it seemed to camouflage into the landscape. She could hear a waterfall nearby and after walking in realized the waterfall was directly behind an all glass wall.

She turned to Kieren the question repeating itself in her gaze. He walked closer, "my one final hiding spot. Whenever I've needed to be alone, or felt particularly frustrated, confused, forsaken, the list goes on. I escaped here, nobody, not even Jace knows it exists."

Violet laughed and turned back to the waterfall, "for being a Prince you're good at sneaking away."

Violet faced Kieren once more and found him standing much to close, she opened her mouth to make a smart comment, but found herself stilled under his nervous gaze. She had never seen him look like that before, it was.... heart-stopping.

He reached out a slightly trembling hand, "I thought I was going to lose you." He stroked her face his gaze alight with tenderness and something bordering lustful hunger. "That time, at the school, when you told me not to throw away my world a girl. I whispered something into your knuckles, do you remember?"

Violet blinked, the scorching heat he was emitting was making her heart palpitate. She nodded unwilling to trust her voice. He leaned down and whispered against her lips, "Violet, I said it was much too late. I'd burn down the world for you."

For an infinite moment they looked at each other, eyes moving from lips and back to eyes. Then as if giving up completely Kieren let out a small groan and attacked her lips. He pulled her into his grasp as the fire that so desperately wanted to claim her erupted from within.