Chapter 23 23
The scene that met us inside was on the gruesome side. The once charming family room was now drenched in blood with two bodies in the middle. Connor and I walked past it without stopping. Tristan froze and stared at the dead. A male body was lying in a crumbled heap towards the center of the room. A few feet from him, his wife was on her side, grey eyes frozen open in horror, reaching out a hand to her husband. Both of them had blood caked in their white blonde hair. Without the blood, they could have passed for Barbie and Ken. I retraced my steps and put a hand on the pup’s shoulder to guide him to the breakfast nook where the living needed our help.
Two toddlers were inside a dome that glowed a faint grey color. I knelt down to look at the symbols on the floor. It was easy to identify as a protection ring that had been carved into the wood floor. What I needed to know was how to deactivate it without triggering it. I was not in the mood to find out what its defenses were. After much discussion, we decided the best option was to break the wood planks which in turn would break the circle. Connor and I settled the question of who was going to do the breaking the usual way. Which I once again lost.
I stretched my arms out in front of me, with my palms facing up. Slowly I raised my arms, picturing the floor boards rising with them. Two of the boards snapped in half breaking the circle. The dome sizzled and then fell. That was easy. Slowly I approached the kids. They were hugging each other the fear was easy to read on their tear streaked faces. Even with the tears, they were beautiful. Both of them had gotten their dad’s white blonde curly hair. The little boy looked at me with fearful green eyes, while his little sister stared with her bluish grey ones. Under normal circumstances, they would have made the perfect Skipper…no wait, Skipper was Barbie’s sister. Not daughter. Did Barbie and Ken have children? Huh. Something to look up later.
I stepped forward to reassure them they were going to be ok and my foot must have landed on one of the carvings. I was flung through the air and out the front door. I skidded about twenty more feet once I landed on the front yard. So now I know what a Jack in the box feels like. The boys came running out while I was shaking the wood splinters out of my hair. Glad it had been a wood door and not metal. I stood up and knocked the pieces of wood that were still clinging to me off. Thankfully I was in my leather pants so no grass stains.
I put up both hands to ward the boys off. “I’m good.”
“So that went well. Do you think they will send you bill for the door?” Once again my partner thought he was funny.
“Re-ject-ed.” Ok, the pup was getting too comfortable with me.
I waved them back to the house when I felt my phone start vibrating in my pocket. The screen showed an unknown number. Ugh. Those are the worst. After completing my call, I had trouble getting my phone back in my pocket. Hands shaking with rage can cause that. Stupid freaking wizard! He was going to get ejected out of the house this time. I was going to post his picture on the STD websites. He’ll never get laid again!
Barely containing my thirst for violence, I headed towards the house. The boys and Thomas came out carrying the kids before I got to the door. The boy was holding Connor’s badge and clinging to him. His little sister had her head tucked securely in to the crook of Thomas’s neck. My need to do bodily harm to my treacherous partner died at the sight. They carried the kids to the road in front of the house to wait for Thomas’s mother. She had agreed to take the kids until their family could come for them.
We used the opportunity to check out the kids. Subtlety Connor and Thomas checked them for injuries while I used my enhanced senses to monitor their heartbeats and ensure the vampire hadn’t marked them. Their hearts sound fast but strong, thankfully they sounded like they were slowing down. I couldn’t detect any blood on them, meaning the vamp hadn’t bit them, which was the only way to mark them as food or to infect them with the vampire virus. But it would appear their parents had managed to protect them from that. If they had been infected I’d have to keep an eye on them for the next few years. It could take seven to ten years for a human to become a vampire. It was all a matter of getting the right venom to blood ratio.
A black SUV pulled up and a dark haired female werewolf climbed out. Thomas introduced her as his mother. The kids seemed to know her and didn’t fuss about going with her. When the children were safely loaded into the SUV we headed back towards the house. I grabbed Connor’s elbow and gestured for the others to go inside.
“You want to explain why I just got a call from some guy who wanted to buy my Enchanted Fairy Baby With Ladybug figurine? For half what it’s worth?” It was hard to enunciate while gritting your teeth.
“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted to give you a hand with your investment.” He was grinning with his hazel eyes sparkling. I wondered if he would be smiling after I was done plastering him all over the internet. I spun on my heels and went towards the house. No time to deal with comedian wannabe wizards today. As soon as I cleared the door I slammed it shut. The thud of Connor’s face bouncing off it felt like music to my soul. Almost as good was watching his body hit the door through the hole I’d made on my way out earlier.
Connor knelt down to look at me through the hole. “I’m sensing you are mad at me.” I briefly wondered if anyone would notice an extra body in the house.