Alannah reread the note several times and could not make sense of it. However, Kurt reacted very badly to it. "Can everyone leave please?" Kurt snapped, and everyone nodded and went out.
"Is everything OK, Kurt?" Alannah said, suddenly worried.
Did Kurt think I was with someone else? Was he going to break up with her? " Alannah suddenly thought as Kurt took the box of flowers and put them in the bin. "Kurt?" Alannah asked softly. Kurt did not respond; he just walked over to her and crushed his lips against hers. Alannah was taken by surprise but soon relaxed into their kiss. Kurt slipped his tongue into her mouth, causing Alannah to moan with pleasure. After a few minutes of passionate kissing, Kurt broke the kiss. His blue eyes stared directly into Alannah's.
"I will always protect you, Alannah! You are my soulmate and my destiny. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that I would not do for you! " Kurt growled.
"Are you OK, Kurt? You are scaring me a little. " Alannah said softly, and Kurt cupped her face with his hands.
"If anyone dares lay a finger on you, I will erase them from existence!" Kurt Vowed
"I don't think anyone could lay a finger on me. I am a Nine-Tails after all! " Alannah teased, trying to lighten the mood. Alannah had never seen this side of Kurt. It was so dark and dangerous. "Well, he is a syndicate chairman. They are not known for being soft. " Alannah thought to herself.
"You are not fighting again, Alannah. You do know that, don't you? " Kurt growled.
Emotion flashed through Alannah's eyes, and Kurt thought he was in for a fight. Alannah, on the other hand, suddenly felt her heart beating faster, like she was ready to fight. But instead of feeling powerful, she felt panicked. Alannah tried to breathe but found she could not catch her breath, making her gasp. Fighting was all she knew and all she was good at! Now, Kurt wants to take it away from her! Alannah felt the same as the 14-year-old who was sold to cover her brother's debts: she had no control over her life!
"Alannah? Alannah! " Kurt said, as he saw she was having difficulty breathing.
"Tao!" Alannah gasping. Tao would sort it out. Tao would make Kurt understand! The heart monitor and oxygen monitor alarms suddenly sounded.
"Alannah, please calm down!" Kurt said as Grace burst back into the room.
"What's happened?" Grace said as she rushed over.
"I told her she was not fighting again and this happened!" Kurt said, confused.
"For God's sake, Kurt! You could have waited. Don't you think she has been through enough? " Grace said furiously.
"Perhaps it is better if you stand out for a minute," Theo said, with a look that made it clear that Kurt should not challenge the request. Kurt nodded and walked out with a look akin to a kicked puppy.
"Shh, it is alright, Alannah, try and calm down!" Grace said in a soothing voice.
"I... can't... lose... my... family.... please! " Alannah gasped. Alannah felt like she was having a heart attack and she was starting to see stars.
"It is OK. Alannah, the Nine-Tails, will always be your family," Theo said softly as he started to stroke her hair. Even if you can't fight. Look at the Mad Dogs! We are brothers because we spilt blood together. Even when a Mad Dog retires, it does not mean we forget about them. The bond is still there and we still see them! "
"Really? " Alannah said in between breaths. She was trying to control her breathing, but it did not seem to be working.
"Yes, my little one!" Theo said, still stroking her hair. Alannah's breathing started to slow, and Theo could see her eyes glaze over.
"I have just given you something to help you, Alannah. Your body can't handle this sort of stress at the moment! " Grace said.
"Hmmm, Kurt?" Alannah said as she closed her eyes.
"Kurt will be alright. I will look after him, Little One! Theo said reassuringly.
"Not when I get through with him!" Grace snapped.
Meanwhile, Xan was trying to calm Kurt down, who was punching a wall. repeatably!"How dare he make such a blatant move on my Alannah?" Kurt roared. Xan thanked his lucky stars that he had managed to move him into a private office area.
"Kurt," Xan started to say.
"What? Don't tell me you would not react the same if it was Grace! " Kurt snapped, and Xan remained silent.
"I need to find this arsehole!" Kurt said.
"Correction, we need to find the arsehole!" Xan said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Just then, Grace burst into the room, her face furious. "What the hell were you thinking, Kurt? Having a panic attack in Alannah's weakened state is dangerous! I had to sedate the poor woman! " Grace shouted angrily.
"You have left her alone and unprotected? Are you mad? " Kurt shouted back.
"Theo is there. He was more helpful than you! Now, tell me what is going on. Who sent those flowers? " Grace demanded. The men did not say anything.
"Perhaps it's best if I and Maya explain, Boss," Tao said, coming in with Maya. Xan sighed and nodded. "When Alannah was 17, she was good, but still needed some work. Anyway, we had a match against the Hydras. Some rich businessmen wanted to muscle in on the gang fighting scene. So he put together a team of cursed ones and won the right to fight. " Tao said, disapprovingly.
Maya continued and said, "The Hydras were beaten soundly, but Alannah was beaten by a Japanese man called Akihiko Nagato. For those who are not aware, the Nagato family is a famous ninja family. They specialise in environmental fighting and fan fighting.
"Environmental fighting?" Grace asked since she had not heard the term before.
"When fighting, you use the environment around you to your advantage. Alannah does it expertly as she uses the cage and even the sand to her advantage! " Tao explained.
"It is a hard skill to master because you have to be aware of everything, which is difficult when you have skilled fighters coming at you!" Xan said.
"Alannah was angry and fascinated at the same time, as she had never seen this style of fighting before. Alannah begged Tao to let her train with Akihiko, and the Hydra Gang agreed. Akihiko and Alannah became close, like brother and sister at first. But then Akihiko made a move on Alannah and they became lovers. Maya said.
"And you allowed this?" Kurt said, surprised.
"Just because you're cursed doesn't mean you don't have a sexual desire!" Maya snapped.
"Meaning you didn't know!" Xan said.
"No, and that was my mistake. One that has not been repeated since! " Tao said firmly.
The Fighting Council found that the Hydra had breached some rules. The Hydra fighters were not cursed ones; they were paid professional fighters! " Maya said.
"Sounds like the Fighting Council wanted the Hydra out of the way!" Kurt commented.
"They did. They were losing money. No one had beaten them apart from the Nine-Tails, " Tao said proudly.
Akihiko came to Tao and I begged him to buy Alannah off of us. He would say how much he loved her and he would take away the life of a cursed one. " Maya revealed
"Why didn't you let her go with him?" Grace asked curiously.
"Because he was a cheating scumbag, that's why!" Tao snapped.
"It is true, he was sleeping with a lot of other women. Alannah was too young and blind to see it, but the rest of the Nine-Tails did! " Maya said sadly.
"So, we didn't even bother asking the boss about it. As far as we were concerned, Alannah was too young and Akihiko was a cheating scumbag. " Tao said firmly.
"I am guessing he was not happy with your answer?" Kurt said.
He was completely out of it! Akihiko tried to smash up our office and tried to attack me! " Maya said, with indignation.
"Big mistake! Maya went to town on him, and I added a kick or two. " Tao said with a smirk.
"But, Akihiko vowed this was not the end of it! He said he would come back for Alannah and make us pay. Akihiko said the Red Vixen was forever his, and he would not rest until she ruled by his side. We threw Akihiko out, saying we would kill him if he came within a mile of Alannah. He disappeared, and Alannah was, of course, heartbroken." Maya said.
"We made up the story that he paid his debt and brought her a fighting fan from a Japanese weapons seller. We are not proud of it, but she needed closure and her head back in the game. " Tao said.
"Wait, did you say rule?" Xan said, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, Boss, we thought it was nonsense, but then we heard rumours that the Fire Dragon Gang had taken control of the Japanese Syndicate," Maya explained.
"Let me guess, Nagato is the ruling family of the Fire Dragon Gang," Grace said, and Maya nodded.
"Which means that Akihiko could be the Chairman of the Japanese Syndicate!" Xan said, concerned.
"And he wants Alannah, my future Queen!" Kurt said furiously.
"You are that serious about her?" Maya said, seriously.
"Yes! I am not leaving this country without her! " Kurt said, frustrated.
"We thought," Tao was starting to say.
"Be very careful about choosing your next words! Do not insult me or the future Queen of the British Syndicate! " Kurt said in a warning tone. His patience was wearing very thin. If he had his way, he would take Alannah home and marry her by the end of the week. He would then spend the rest of his life worshipping the very ground she walked upon. Tao remained silent. "Which reminds me, Tao, when Alannah is released from the hospital, she will be staying with me. We will be able to protect her better there, "Kurt commanded.
"But.." Tao was about to argue back, but Xan interrupted.
"Please don't embarrass our Syndicate by arguing with the chairman and guest. If he wants Alannah at his place, then he will have Alannah at his! " Xan snapped. The last thing he needed was Kurt going on a rampage.
"Well, if that is decided, I will excuse myself. I want to be there when Alannah comes round. " Kurt said as he walked out.
"Tao and Maya, I want you to report any rumours you hear about our friend," Xan ordered, and they nodded. Plus, I know you have seen Alannah as a daughter, but do not get in Kurt's way. He is not the British Syndicate just because of his good business sense. If he wants Alannah as his Queen, I would not bet against him! " Xan said.
"Indeed not!" Grace mused.