The kids raced off with Rod who winked over his shoulder at Faith.
"They're going to be just fine. We've got them," he said.
Tamika called for everyone's attention and they got started. She paired Faith up with Frankie, a sentry recently assigned to be on guard in the house as well as patrolling the border. Two hours later and Faith was lying on the grass, sweating and panting and contemplating whether she could move far enough to find the hot tub to deal with her screaming muscles.
“Feeling better?” Tamika grinned down at her for a moment before plopping down in the grass at her hip.
“My body is dead. Only the sheer obnoxious irritation I feel for you is animating it now,” Faith answered with a groan. God, even her toenails were exhausted.
Tamika laughed. “Yeah, the first few sessions will probably do that. Ori took the kids in a while back, and a lot of the rest of the group was here for a refresher or just a workout. You're the one who'll be inventing curses for me tomorrow. Come on, Sugar, I bet there’s plenty of room in the hot tub.”
“That sounds fabulous. Just drop my body in on your way past, would you? I didn’t know you were a sadist,” Faith asked. She grinned up at Tamika. “But you were right. I’m too tired to be worried about stuff like guilt and responsibility. Was that your plan?”
“Well, it sure was part of it. Hard to self-flagellate when you’re too tired to raise your arms.” Tamika smirked.
Faith sighed. “I just wish I could be more help.”
“Like how?” Tamika stood and reached a hand down to Faith. “Come on, let’s get some more water bottles and hit that hot tub.”
Faith let her friend pull her up to her feet and rolled her shoulders. “Ugh, I’m not going to be able to move tomorrow, let alone curse anyone. And I don’t know. You and Aldric and everyone else can fight. Even Ken can help with his magic and his detective skills like he’s doing right now.” She grimaced. “Well, like he is when he’s not sniping at Aldric.”
“It’s going to take a while to get used to calling him Ken,” Tamika chuckled. “He’s been Detective Lincoln for years. Though he’s never been inside the house before, either. But I get what you’re saying.”
Faith rummaged through the cupboard near the small changing room, looking for her swimsuit. She found a great deal of water and two children’s swimsuits tossed into the bottom of the cupboard, wrapped up with towels and growled quietly to herself as she pulled them out and hung them up. She would need to remind Kaylee and Jake– and whoever was with them, apparently– about wet swimwear and mildew and what not.
Tamika frowned then rolled her eyes as Faith held up the soggy mess.
“Kids,” Faith grumbled again. “So, has Ken always been so rude to you guys?”
“Well, no. But like I said, he’s never been inside the house before. We’ve never really had to interact with him much beyond the occasional civic event,” Tamika shrugged. “But you have to remember, he’s got every reason to be wary. As do you, to be perfectly frank. You’re lucky it was Aldric that found you, not some random passing paranormal.”
Faith sighed. It wasn’t something she hadn’t thought before. She grabbed her own swimsuit and stepped out of Tamika’s way. The wolves weren’t especially fussy about nudity, but they did try to be aware of it in the communal areas of the clan house. No need for a visitor to come on them unawares, after all.
“He’s got every reason to be a jerk to everyone?” Faith raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
“His family was killed in the war,” Tamika pointed out. “Not just killed, Faith. Hunted deliberately. So, was yours, remember? It's a lot easier to stay angry and resentful than it is to move on. He's not old enough to remember the war itself, but his parents likely were, and attitudes can be passed down like family heirlooms.”
Faith grimaced. Her leg almost gave out as she stepped up to the hot tub and Tamika had to help her over the edge and into a seat.
“Oh God, that’s good,” she groaned. The heat sank into her sore muscles, loosening and relaxing and she sank back on the bench seat. Tamika smirked at her and put a bottle of water on the ledge by her head.
“Don’t forget to drink that, too.”
“Yes, mom,” Faith rolled her eyes, but she reached for the bottle anyway. “I don’t know. I feel like holding grudges through many generations isn’t a good way to move forward, I guess.”
“Sure. But it’s not really many generations of vampires, that’s the trouble,” Tamika pointed out. She leaned back and hit the button to start the jets, then started running her fingers through the bubbling water. “Even Aldric and his cousins were alive during the war, granted I think Leo was a baby. And Eldridge and Aldric fought in it. And while wolves aren’t as long-lived as vamps, we do have a longer than human life expectancy. It’s only been maybe two generations for us at most, in some families even less.”
“While it’s been four generations for me and Ken,” Faith sighed. “But what are the likelihood of running across some jerk who fought for the bad guys in a war that was a hundred years ago?”
Tamika shrugged. “Hard to say. But considering you’ve met someone that fought for the good guys in that war, I’d guess it’s not impossible.”
14
Marc returned to the office after seeing Detective Lincoln out the door. It was early evening and the noise from what seemed to be an unscheduled self-defense class had quieted some time earlier, leading Aldric to hope that those involved would feel more secure.
“Well, this is a mess we didn’t much need,” Marc sighed, closing the door behind him. He crossed the room and dropped into his desk chair, causing the thing to groan.
“I agree. The last thing we need is to be fighting the Goldfangs on two fronts. We should send some sentries out to seek out this camp Matthias spoke of. He gave us a reasonable idea of where to look. If we can take that camp out of operation then we can concentrate on locating wherever Alpha Molin has gone to ground.” Aldric sighed and stretched in his own comfortable chair, to much less objection from the furniture. "Not to mention the audacity of them moving into our territory. How did we fail to notice that? I am going to have to review the border patrols."
Marc’s lips twitched and he raised an eyebrow. “I meant you and the detective sniping at each other, but yeah. We need to deal with the camp, too.”
Aldric frowned. Sniping at each other? Detective Lincoln had been hostile and overbearing. Aldric had simply been trying to counteract that negativity in their discussions that included the man.
“What do you mean sniping?”
Both Marc’s eyebrows rose this time, and he chuckled.
“Are you serious?” He asked. He sat down at his desk and leaned back in the chair. “You and Lincoln have been at each other like cats in a bag since he offered to help Faith develop her skills.”
Aldric peered at his friend. “I have no idea what you mean. I have been reacting to his hostility with, I feel, a perfectly even temper, save that one moment earlier.”
Marc actually laughed at that.
“Man, your shouting at each other was rattling the windows. You didn’t notice Kenya sticking her head in to make sure nobody was dying?” He shook his head. “You apologized once, then not ten minutes later you two were back at each other’s throats. You know what I think?”
Aldric use raised his eyebrow.
“I think you’re jealous of him. He spent a fair amount of time with your lady today, and she likes him well enough, and you’re jealous.”
Aldric scoffed, even as his stomach tightened, telling him that there was a hint of truth to the accusation.
“Look, you and Faith only met what, two weeks ago? God, I’ve lost track,” Marc blew out a breath and drove his fingers through his hair in frustration. “My point is that your relationship is still very new. You’ve been through a lot of heavy stuff together, which tends to forge fast bonds, but those aren’t always strong bonds and you are well aware of that.”
Aldric grimaced. Marc could be closer than Aldric wanted to admit. His uncle sometimes talked about a fellow soldier from the time he served. They had been best friends, Uncle Eldridge had thought, then when they came home the man never spoke to him again.
Eldridge had gone to the man’s funeral, years later, and under the assumption that his old friend had kept the secret of vampires had assumed the identity of his own son. The family welcomed him, sharing stories their father had told of his old war buddy. That his old friend had, in the end, felt badly for losing touch with the man he had served with and had wanted to seek him out, but life had gotten in the way and he had simply never looked Eldridge up.
Aldric hadn’t met many people under emotionally tense circumstances to have much personal experience, but he knew that his uncle still missed his old friend and regretted not trying to stay in touch better. But– and this was the crux of it– he didn’t think that his relationship with Faith was that sort of unstable.
“She saved my life. I’m not going to suddenly doubt her simply because it becomes difficult again,” Aldric said slowly, still frowning.
“I didn’t think you would,” Marc shrugged. “But sometimes that sort of faith requires a constant pressure. Something forcing the people together. Neither of you have known each other outside of this stress and worry over possible attacks and abductions.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Aldric admitted. "Do you believe that once this crisis has passed she will leave? Is that what you're saying?" Aldric felt a chill shiver over his skin
Marc shook his head and grinned. “I honestly don't know. I don't think so, but... It’s good to know that she is good in a crisis. She can take care of herself in a pinch and isn’t a damsel expecting rescue every twenty seconds. But what’s her favorite color? What’s her hobbies? What does she like to do for vacation?”
Aldric blinked at his friend and frowned. “I have no idea.”
“Well, maybe find out,” Marc chuckled. “You can’t build an entire relationship on crisis control and jealousy.”
Aldric turned this point over in his mind and admitted that Marc was probably right.
“I suppose we could go on a date. That would be nice, actually,” Aldric said with an answering grin, then frowned almost immediately. “No, I can’t take her out somewhere without extra security and that would just be in the way. Hmm. Perhaps a pleasant meal in? I could make something?”
“Now you’re talking!” Marc’s grin widened. “She’s good for you, I think. Gets you out of that serious head of yours a little. You worry less about the Clan at large and think a bit more about yourself. You’re just as important as we are, you know. Now you just need to stop getting injured all the damn time.” Marc glared at him, but there was no heat to it.
“I suspect I’m not so much thinking about myself as I am about Faith and Miss Kaylee. I need to keep them safe, and I need to find Crissy for them,” Aldric replied. “That’s not much different than usual, though the level of complication is significantly greater than on an ordinary day.”
“See, that’s what I mean,” Marc said. “It is different. When someone has a problem, you either send someone to handle it, or you go yourself and within an hour or two it’s either handled or neutralized and you’ve moved on. You’ve never hung out with the people involved for this long nor been personally invested in their wellbeing. It’s good for you. Reminds you of the why we do all this, not just the logistical side of everything.”
Aldric just snorted.
“And she’s very attractive.” Marc grinned.
Aldric found himself growling softly at his best friend. Marc just chuckled. They sat like that for a long moment, Aldric glaring at Marc as he struggled with himself. Marc just sat there, grinning and letting Aldric sort out his thoughts. He was a good man, good at understanding people, too.
“What…” Aldric didn’t even want to voice this question, but it really was the essence of what had been gnawing at him since the skirmish yesterday when the detective revealed his magic. “What if she realizes that she would rather spend her time with one of her own kind? What if what I am is too much for her?”
Marc’s grin fell away. “Is that what this is all about? You think she’ll decide to date Detective Lincoln instead of you because you’re a vampire?”
Aldric suddenly found that he couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes.
“I suppose he is somewhat attractive in a gruff older man sort of way. But tell me something, Aldric. Do you really think so poorly of Faith?” Marc asked. “Has she even once showed any sort of hesitance toward you or me or any of us because we’re not human?”
Aldric knew that Marc was making sense. Logic in the face of illogical emotions never really helped, though.
“Faith just discovered that she and her sister are not the only magic-wielding humans, not simply in the world, but in the town. She has never before had the opportunity to associate with a mage from outside her own family.”
Marc sighed. “That’s a valid point. But she’s not the sort to abandon friends or she would have headed for the hills as soon as the Goldfangs started harassing us. She knows that we are on her side, and she values that. And let’s not forget that she spent two nights with you in the clinic while you were getting over nearly being killed in a pitched battle.” Marc fixed him with a hard look. “She’s not going to suddenly decide that vampires are the enemy just because she’s hanging out with Lincoln. Yes, Lincoln is somewhat hostile to us, but he’s got a right to his opinions and he’s still helping us despite his dislike of non-human paranormals. He is a good man, albeit a bit of a jackass.”
Aldric didn’t respond. He heard what his friend was saying, but it was difficult to accept it. He knew that Faith was unlikely to turn away from them. Certainly not for so poor a reason as what they had been born as. She was more than capable of knowing the difference between the stereotypes and the truth.
“Or, perhaps that isn’t the only thing bothering you,” Marc said. “I don’t remember you in any sort of relationship before now. Are you just plain old nervous?”
Aldric glared at Marc, but the other man just laughed.
“It’s true! And I’ve never seen you blush before, it’s kind of adorable.”
“I am not blushing,” Aldric protested, but he was afraid that Marc was not wrong. His face and neck felt hot.
“You are! Wait. Is this… Is Faith your first girlfriend?” Marc’s eyes went wide. “Dude, you’re over a hundred years old, tell me she’s not your very first girlfriend.”
“She is not the first woman I have seen romantically,” Aldric ground out. “It has been a long time, however. I find that the circumstances of my birth and the distinct lack of local coven to socialize with has made positive relationships challenging.”
Marc blinked at him and a frown formed. “Wait you mean that you can’t find a date because you’re a vampire? But there's a few hundred members of the Frostwalker Clan.”
Aldric shrugged. “Even within the clan, many people are full of assumptions about vampires. Most assume that anyone I become romantically linked to will be required to offer their blood to feed me. Some are excited by the idea that I will bite them, considering it to be dangerous enough to be a thrill, and that is their only interest. Others are frightened, sometimes to the point of actual terror. None of the people who make these assumptions are swayed by the fact that I have never fed from a human or human-like being, and have no intention of ever doing so. It is easier to limit attachments to simple friendships with those who are not afraid of me.”
Marc’s expression was stormy by the time Aldric was finished speaking.
“These are people in my clan? Pulling that kind of speciesist bullshit?” He growled, the wolf coming out in his voice.
“To be somewhat fair, there is a great deal of paranormal romance fiction out there now, making the whole thing seem sexy and spreading all sorts of myths. About wolf shifters as well,” Aldric rolled
his eyes and sighed. “But in some ways that has made it worse. So many of the books written these days make it sound like a vampire bite will, quite literally, cause them to instantly climax sexually. It’s amusing to read about it, but rather less so to explain to a prospective date that isn’t how it really works.”
Marc growled again then closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath, blowing it out through his teeth. Then he did it again.
“So, what you’re saying is that I need to send out some sort of ‘how vampires work’ brochure to the clan to educate them. Well, lovely. I’ll put it on the stack of other things I need to do. This whole pack war thing is making me more than a little crazy at this point.”
Aldric shrugged, glad that the subject had shifted away from him and his emotional troubles.
“We need to come up with a plan. I don’t like the idea of Goldfangs staying in our territory,” Aldric said. “Coming here from the next town over, or from the city was bad enough, but thinking of a camp of them right outside or inside our borders is unpleasant.”
“Agreed.” A slow, almost feral smile spread across Marc’s face. “Good thing that we have some inside information, then, isn’t it?”
15
Faith stepped into the office just in time to see the gleeful and, frankly, creepy smile form on Marc’s face.
“Okay, that smile’s just freaky,” she said. She plopped down into the chair next to Aldric and shot him a grin. “So what sort of menace are you two plotting in here that would put such a terrifying expression on his face?”
“Matthias provided us with some excellent information,” Aldric said. “Marc was just saying that we should act on it.” He returned her smile, but looked oddly shy about it.
“What I’m saying is that we know where they are for the moment, and we ought to take the fight to them this time,” Marc said. He leaned forward, elbows propped on the desktop. “Right now, they don’t know that we captured a number of their people from the camp, or that anyone gave us all this information. If we strike now, we could maybe manage to slow down the attacks, or even stop them altogether.”
Magaestra: Loyalties: An urban fantasy series Page 10
