Chapter 12 Chapter 12
“Anyone else hungry?” I asked as I headed to the kitchen to heat up some dinner. The boys followed me and Connor opened the cabinet where I kept a small supply of canned food. I leaned against the counter and watched the boys while I waited for my dinner to finish its spin in the microwave. Apparently neither of them were satisfied with the selection. That might be because I had stocked it with Spam and sardines. Bet Connor never messes with my DVR again. I sipped my blood while they debated over whether they should order pizza or Chinese. They ultimately decided on Bar-B-Q. Connor called in the order and gave me dirty looks while we waited for the food to be delivered. I kept my eyes wide and innocent. Thankfully, after about five mins the doorbell rang. The smell of Bar-B-Q wafted through the house as Connor carried the food in and the boys settled in at the small pub table in the corner.
“How did they get the food here so fast?” Tristan asked in disbelief while Connor dished up brisket and veggies.
I opened the double doors to the backyard and leaned my shoulder on the door jamb as I stared into the woods absently drinking my dinner. Tuning out Connor’s explanation of restaurants owned and operated by magical beings, I thought about the day. Someone had killed a werewolf representative with magic. Was the hit professional or personal? Were they killing a representative or Cyrus Howl? Was someone trying to start another war? What the hell was I going to do with a werewolf pup raised by separatists? Was Spam and sardines an acceptable payback for filling my DVR with teeny vampire movies?
I was brought out of my thoughts when a deer froze on the edge of the clearing that was my backyard. It might be sensing me, but, I wasn’t in predator mode. A slight turn of my head showed Bask lying on the covered deck a few feet from me. Perhaps the deer was startled by the decibel level of his snoring, but, most likely, it sensed the werewolf lurking in human form on the other side of the tree line.
Resisting the urge to snarl at him, I told the boys to stay put and I’d be right back. Moving at my full speed, I covered the distance between us in less than a minute. Showing off? Maybe. But I really didn’t like another predator sneaking around my property. I crossed my arms and cocked my hips to the side with major attitude while my eyes bore holes into his. He towered over me and was trying to stare me down. Ha! I’d been in staring contests with beings that could kill me with a wave of their hand.
“Jacob. To what do I owe the displeasure of your uninvited appearance?” My eyes got narrower with every word. Judging from heartbeats, the boys had moved out to the deck, but, not stepped off it and Jacob’s was slowly speeding up. If I had to guess at the cause, I’d say he just remembered that I play by whatever rules I choose at the moment.
“I have come for my son. You will not be dragging him into your world. Full of magic, hate, and violence.
I will not permit it. My father has no say in how we lead our lives. IF you want to be godless, so be it. But, you will not corrupt my son!” His eyes had more than a little crazy in them and his voice got higher the longer he spoke. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. Apparently he needed a reminder of how to speak to a lady. Ok, fine, a female.
I dropped the human façade and let the vampire out. My eyes went from blue to black with red vertical slits for pupils. My nails grew an inch and my skin was now so pale it was almost translucent. I let my fangs fully descend and smiled with them showing as I stalked towards him. I stopped with less than a foot between us. Rotating my right hand in a circular motion, a hilt of a sword manifested in it. The bronze sword was three feet long and double edged with carvings on the blade and hilt just above the pommel. A single gem glistened where the pommel and the hilt met. Most would mistake the red stone for a ruby but I knew it to be a diamond turned red from blood of enemies vanquished. The Sword Of Ares was an old friend in my hand as I stared at Jacob.
A normal werewolf would be fighting the urge to change and stand their ground. But, Jacob smelled strongly of a potion made from wolf’s bane that suppressed the wolf instincts and senses. However, it did nothing to the hindbrain where the primitive human instincts live. I could smell fear coming off him and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. I had clearly made my point. From one blink to the next, I went from full on vamp back to my human looking self.
“Tristan is of age now. He is free to make his own choices. If he chooses to be a werewolf and live in the magic world, there’s nothing your blustering can do about it. He came here of his own free will.” As much as I wanted to snap his neck for sneaking into my backyard, I did feel some compassion for his situation. “I understand how hard it is to let your children grow up. But, it’s time for him to make his own way and choose his own path.”
“Do not compare the humans you victimize by turning them into a blood drinking undead corpse to children!” Well now he was just being dramatic. I was going to remind him that I had had children before I was turned. But now, well, he had pissed me off. My fingers flexed on the sword at my side.