Chapter 30 30
We stepped out of the portal in front of a two story red brick home in the residential section of Howling Ridge. To the casual observer, it would look like any other eclectic neighborhood across the country. Houses lined both sides of the street in various styles. Some were brick, others had siding, and most had rugged vehicles sitting outside. Trucks, jeeps, and even ATVs were parked in driveways and along the road. A glance around didn’t reveal any immediate threats, but, I could feel eyes on us from some of the houses. I briefly wondered if I was going to be ticketed for ripping a portal in a restricted area and what the fine on that ran. Oh well, if anyone tried I’d blame Connor.
We turned towards the house and froze. Well, Connor and I froze. The pup kept going but stopped when Connor grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back. He turned and looked at us with confusion.
“There is a ward about a foot and half in front of you.” Connor informed the pup while I inspected the ward. It had a significate amount of power flowing thru it. I picked up a small stone and it flipped towards the house. The stone passed thru without setting off the ward. So, it wasn’t a force field. Most likely it was set to zap anyone who tried to pass. I looked over at the boys.
“Should we shove him thru and see if it’s set for werewolves?” The pup did not look amused at my suggestion. As I was talking a short young looking woman wearing a light charcoal colored pant suit with a mint green shirt and a riot of red curly hair walked out the front door. The six inch stilettoes she was wearing matched her shirt. Who took the time to coordinate such things? Not to mention how do you chase bad guys in heels? She stopped on the porch and looked us over with her arms crossed.
“Thomas said he was sending backup. Not a dominatrix.” Sheesh.
I rolled my eyes and wiggled a finger at the peacekeeper. “OK, first off, these are biker leathers, not dominatrix leathers. It’s important to know the difference. Now, be a good girl and take down this ward before I get out my whip.”
She laughed and closed her eyes. I felt magic float thru the air and heard a slight popping noise as the ward was deactivated. Connor reached out and shoved Tristan across the ward. When he passed without incident Connor and I traded nods while the pup practically growled at us. Which I found rude. Someone had to be a guinea pig. Better him then us. Well me, I had no qualms about using my partner to check such things.
Connor stepped across the ward and I followed. Sorta.
“Bloody fucking hell! Shit! Son of a-” Electricity shot thru me when I crossed the threshold and it drove me to my knees. I rolled around on the ground swearing for a moment before I managed to get back on my feet. The look I sent the red head should have killed her. “What the fuck Vera?” I rubbed my jaw where I could still feel the pain. Connor was bent over holding his sides as he belly laughed. Tristan looked horrified and confused. At least someone was on my side.
“I’ve waited almost ten years to do that.” She smiled and two dimples appeared on her cute little face. Her green eyes twinkled with mirth. Ten years? That was a clue. Ok. What happened ten years ago? Oh yeah.
“Revenge best served cold huh?” I couldn’t help but smile even as my toes still tingled. “Guess I had that coming.”
“What on Earth could you have done to deserve that?” Oh, how little Tristan knows about me.
“Ten years ago I was administering the final exam in warding at the Peacekeeper’s academy. She took down the ward by the book. However, I threw in a surprise.” I shrugged and gave a half smile which was involuntary. I was still twitching. “I’d set it to reactive when she crossed it.” I paused to chuckle while I rubbed the tingles from my hands. “You should have heard the words coming out of her mouth. I was shocked. Such language.”
“Why would you do that? That’s just mean!”
“Uh to teach her to expect the unexpected. Bad guys tend to set booby traps around their evil lairs.” I glanced at Vera. “How many booby trapped wards have gotten you?”
“None. In fact, I’ve caught a few that others overlooked.” The satisfaction was evident in her voice.
“Well if we are done with today’s installment of delayed pay back, can we please go inside?” My legs twitched a little as I headed for the house. This really needed to stop. What if we were attacked? Was I supposed to scare them off by doing an involuntary interruptive dance?
Vera reset the ward before leading us through the foyer to the family room that took up the entire side of the house.
“If you three will keep watch in here, I need to do a perimeter check. I want to make sure no one snuck across the ward while it was down.” When I nodded she turned and went back to the front door. She paused before going out to turn and look at me. “You’ve met Lisa Lobo before right?” At my nod she waved and went outside.