“So, make him see that actually it could shrink it, should the sea worm turn. Show him a different way involving Polly where he can actually become more powerful. In the meantime, I have an idea, but I need to do a little research. What’s this bitch Keto’s details? I need them.”
“I’ll email them to you.” I told Lucy. “Anything that can help Auntie Polly.”
“Please don’t do anything that could jeopardize your life here.” My mum told her. It’s no good getting Polly and Drake together and you ending up separated from Frankie by the bowels of Hell.
“That’s the thing.” Said Lucy. “I can actually do something really great, something really nice and helpful, and yet get our own way with Polly and Drake. Leave it with me. Basically, I’m finding ways around rules.”
“Rules are for fools.” Samara sang before putting her head back on the table and going back to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Charlie
The first thing I had to figure out was how I would follow Jax and Tristan without them seeing me. I sat at the dinner table with my parents, pondering the best way to go about it. I must have some supernatural powers that could assist? My parents took a slug of O-neg each and a look crossed between them.
“What?”
“You’re very quiet, Charlene, and you’re not a quiet child, so either something ails you or you are plotting to get up to no good.” Dad replied. “And you’ve blocked your thoughts, so I can’t read them.”
“Well, duh, Dad. Here, tell you what I’ll let my shields down especially for you.” I dropped them and fantasised about having Kai’s tongue firmly down my throat.
My dad fell off his seat and onto the floor.
Mum smirked. “Charlie, I can guess what you just did and that’s not nice. Plus, if you want your father off your back, maybe letting him in on how you’re feeling about a certain boy isn’t the best idea.”
“So, you read my mind too, huh? ‘Guessed’, my arse.”
“Watch how you are speaking to your parents, Charlene Landry.” My dad was back on his seat, arms folded across his chest.
I took a bite of my burger and followed it with a glug of blood. Being of mixed species, I had to cater for everything in my diet. Hey, I wondered if I could go invisible?
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that my parents couldn’t see me.
My form has disappeared from view. I am now invisible.
I must have been trying too hard because when I opened my eyes my mum was frowning at me.
“Do you need the toilet, hun, because you can be excused from the table?”
“Ew, no. I was wondering if I could go invisible.”
“We’re supernatural, not superhero characters, sweetheart. I don’t know any of our species that can disappear, except for your grandmother when she’s not substantial enough. Now even if you can tap into that, you’d have to be almost out of energy to do so, which is not a position you should ever put yourself in. It would be far too dangerous.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I slumped at the table with my head resting on my chin.
“The question you should be asking, wife, is why our daughter wishes to go invisible.”
“It’s best not to wonder too much about the workings of a teenage mind and just hope for the best.” Mum turned to me. “Not only have you teenagedom to get through, I’m guessing you’re wanting to test your powers? Just remember to do the protection spells I taught you first. After that, I guess the best way to learn is by trial and error.”
“I suppose your method of childproofing would be to let her stick her hand in the fire and find out it’s hot.”
Mum glared at my dad. “We could be on the brink of the war Ebony has spoken about, thanks to my adoptive parents. Our daughter is our prophecised saviour. Unfortunately, no matter how much I want to protect her, she’s got to stand on her own two feet. All I can do is teach her protection spells and what I know. That’s my fireguard. Watch.”
She sent blue flashes out of her fingers at me and they bounced off the shield I’d erected around myself, just as she’d taught me.
“Satisfied, dickhead?” Mum stood up and stomped off.
Dad sighed. “Oh dear, I’ve offended your mother.”
“Are you going to go after her and apologise?”
He shook his head at me vehemently. “No way. She wanted me to take her to the cinema to see one of those emotional female films because Kim can’t sit still that long anymore. I’m not going to apologise until the time the film’s due to end.”
“Well, I’m meeting Alyssa.” I lied. “So, I’m going to go get ready.”
“Okay, sweetheart, have fun.” He said, and he sat back savouring his drink while I left the room.
In my bedroom I dressed in black. Stereotypical snooping wear but what else could I do? At least my hair was dark like my dad’s and not bright red like my mother’s. Plus, thankfully I could whizz in and out of a situation quickly given my vamp heritage, and I’d not have to sit too close to listen in on their conversation. I’d just have to do the whole sitting behind my menu nonsense. That’s if he was taking her out for a meal. Surely that was first date territory?
At ten to eight I whizzed around to the shops where I hid in the darkness of Ebony’s unlit store until I saw Tristan arrive. He wore a dark suit, white shirt, and grey tie, but although he looked handsome, he also looked like a little pageboy at a wedding. He knocked on the coffee shop door and I watched as he checked out his reflection, straightened his tie, and coughed. Oh, bless him, he was a little nervous.
The door opened and Jax stepped out, a huge smile on her face. She looked gorgeous in her outfit. Tristan took her hand and kissed the back of it.
“You look beautiful, Jax.”
“Thank you, Tristan. You look handsome yourself. Let me just lock the door and we can be on our way.”
Once she’d fastened the door, she took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s enjoy our date.” She gave him another smile. “So, which way?”
“I want to take you to a place where they serve the most exquisite food. My favourite place to eat in the whole of Withernsea.”
“Good lad!” I shouted, clasping a hand over my mouth as I saw Tristan look around him before shaking his head and holding out his arm. “Shall we?”
Jax tucked her arm in his and they began walking toward his car.
Now what was I going to do? I couldn’t very well whizz along behind it. How was I going to work out where they were going? I could hazard a guess at Hanif’s, the Indian restaurant; Beached, the fine dining place; or Red’s steakhouse that Lucy owned, but what if it was none of those and I missed some valuable part of their date?
“Got it.” I murmured to myself. A location spell.
My mum had learned to do these fast, so fast that it had shocked her mentor. Well I was supposed to be even better than her, so I’d give it a whirl. I focused on the wall in front of me. “Please show me where the date is.”
The wall shimmered. Holy fuck, it was working.
A vision appeared in the wall, of the local Aldi with jars of dates on it. “Aaaarrrrrrgggh, that’s not what I meant. Where is the car going?”
A vision of all different roads and all different cars appeared, flicking over like Flash in control of the TV remote. I sighed heartily.
“Can you please show me the location of Tristan, the Pixie leader’s car please?”
Finally, a map appeared with a light bleeping on it. I saw where it stopped.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me. He’s just pulled the car up there, is all. He’s going to walk her down to a restaurant.”
I closed my eyes and zapped myself to the alley at the side of the fish and chip shop.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t wrong. Tristan had brought Jax for fish and chips. The tight arsed bastard.
“This is my favourite meal in the whole world.” He told Jax. “I hope you don’t mind us getting food from here, and then I thought we
could walk down to the beach front while we ate. I have another surprise for you at the end of the night.”
Jax blushed.
“Oh my goodness, that came out wrong. A nice surprise, not me expecting anything that way.”
Jax touched his arm. “To be honest, Tristan, fish and chips would be lovely. I adore them and don’t allow myself to have them too often. Got to watch the waistline when you’re as petite as me.”
“Oh, I know exactly what you mean. I have to be very careful not to partake of too many waffles at the business premises.”
“Oh yes, I’d become a doughnut given half the chance. Luckily, seeing them every day puts me off. I can’t help an addiction to my coffee though.”
“Your coffee is amazing.”
“It is, but do you know, I make just as much money on the chocolate doughnuts as I do on the coffee. They just go together so well.”
“Let’s get our fish and chips. All this talk of food is making me ravenous.”
They went inside the shop.
Well, who knew? Jax was okay with a chip supper. It made me think about dating life. Maybe the trick was to keep things simple. Who needed an expensive fancy dinner if the company was great? And Tristan had taken her to his favourite food place, which was nice. I couldn’t help my mind wandering, wondering where Kai would take me on our first date. Would he kiss me? Would we…?
“Aaarrrghhh.” A voice came from behind me. I whipped around to find my father standing in the shadows. “Oh my god. Are you following me?”
“You’re following them.” My dad full on pouted while standing up to his full height and raising his chin in a haughty fashion.
“It serves you right that you got my unguarded thoughts. Thought-eavesdroppers never hear good things.”
“I’m just looking out for you. Your mum might be okay with the ‘let her get on with her life’ nonsense, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re still a teenager and I’m one of your responsible adults, so here I am. What on earth are you doing anyway?”
“I’m checking that their date goes well. I thought I’d practice my peace-making skills a little if they didn’t, but so far they haven’t needed me.” To prove a point, Jax and Tristan walked out of the chippy with a tray of fish and chips each. Tristan had gravy on his, and Jax tomato sauce. I guess neither of them wanted to risk the possible after effects of mushy peas or beans on a first date.
We watched as they walked off down the street in the direction of the sea front. “Well, aren’t we going to follow them then?”
I stared at my dad.
“I’m going to follow them. You’re going to go home.”
He shook his head. “Not happening. You follow them, I’m following you.”
I dropped my hands to my sides.
“No teenager wants to hang with their dad.”
I regretted the words the minute they left my mouth. He looked heartbroken. His jaw dropped, and his posture hunched.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I love who you’re becoming, Charlene, but I can’t help but feel robbed that I missed out on you growing up. I don’t know if it’s in your mum and my future to have another child, but a hundred and one years is a long time to wait. I just wish I’d taken more photos; made your clingy mother hand you over to me more. Bloody hog she was.”
I walked up to him and put my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. “I love you, Dad, and I will always need you, even when I’m grown up. And even though it really is lame for a teenager to be seen out with a parent, just for tonight, we’ll accept the fact that I’m only actually seven months old and so I should have an overly-protective dad follow me around.”
“Really?” His face brightened up.
“Yes, really. Let’s show mum she’s not the only one who can make sure true love runs smooth.”
The only problem was that there wasn’t really anywhere to hide ourselves, so we had to stay way back. Jax and Tristan sauntered up the seafront swapping stories about themselves. It was beginning to look like it had been a waste of my time. My father, however, was in his element.
“I feel a little like James Bond on a mission, or maybe the Milk Tray man. I might call in the supermarket on the way back for a box and then whizz in through the bedroom window. It might bring your mother out of her sulk too.”
I considered that maybe my dad needed to get out more. Or finally get his bed-and-breakfast running. My arrival had put a temporary delay on things and in the meantime the farmhouse had become a haven for the problem-loaded citizens of Withernsea.
“Did you get chance to look into Bartholomew’s background, Dad? Is he on the level?”
“He appears to be. He’s definitely a human, but then again so was Seth and he still managed to be led astray. He has a twin brother.”
“Oh, I wonder if they’re identical?” The thought of two of them… well, let’s just say my mind was on complete lockdown to my father because he’d never recover.
“There weren’t any photographs of his sibling, but the main thing is he seemed to check out okay, although I’ll still be keeping a close eye on him. With Jax’s permission, I installed surveillance at the counter, so we can check he doesn’t make phone calls to evil entities. So far, he’s only ordered further coffee supplies, so all’s good.”
Jax and Tristan had moved toward the quieter part of the beach front where the dog walkers hung around as the main part of the beach was a blue flag beach and dogs weren’t allowed on it. The road came to a dead end there. We hid in the garden of a guesthouse and waited. Then rather than take the seafront, they walked up toward the town.
“Where is he taking her?” I said.
It soon became clear as they stopped outside Withernsea Waffles.
“Seriously? After fish and chips, he’s taking her to his place of business? Is this so he doesn’t have to fork out for dessert?”
“Hey, at the side of my first date with your mother, this has been perfect. At least she’s not thrown food at him to see if it hurts.”
“There’s time yet.”
The door was opened by a pixie and they went inside.
“We need to find somewhere we can listen, but not too near as look, they have cameras.” I told Dad.
“Are you forgetting I’m a technical genius, daughter?” Dad brought out a screwdriver from his pocket. “I think we deserve front row seats.”
Unfortunately, front row or not, the rest of the evening was boring. Tristan fed Jax a waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce and then drove her back home where he planted a chaste kiss on her lips and they agreed to go out again at the weekend. I realised that if my dad hadn’t turned up, I would probably have nodded off with boredom.
“Thanks for coming with me, Dad. I’m sorry it wasn’t more exciting.”
“Are you kidding? I got to roam around incognito and disable a security system. I’ve had the best night in ages, but don’t tell your mother I said that.”
I laughed.
“Now to the supermarket for that box of chocolates. Do you want anything?”
I nodded. “I could really devour a waffle right now. Spying is hungry work.”
“Come on then. The supermarket sells those too.” Dad gave me a wink and we whizzed away.
Chapter Twelve
Polly
It didn’t take a genius to work out that since Drake and I had arrived back at the farmhouse, we’d done a lot of ‘sleepwalking’. I felt though that maybe we were avoiding the main subject—how the hell we would convince the Duke to let us be together.
It was time for me to confess my secrets.
I sat up, resting my back against the headboard. “Drake. I have something I need to confess. A secret I’ve been carrying for a long time.”
He sat up too, a look of apprehension in his gaze.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “It’s nothing serious, well, it is, but not like that. I can heal myself.” I babbled the words out qui
ckly, so he didn’t worry any further.
“You can what? Heal?”
I nodded again. “Yes. So far, I’ve only healed myself. I’m not sure if I can heal anyone else. I’ve always been too scared of what might happen.”
“How long have you been able to do this?”
“Since I was fifteen. I fell out of a tree and broke my leg. My hand began to glow and when I placed it on my knee it returned to normal. Obviously, there’s no way I could tell my family that, so I just kept it to myself.”
“See, just when I think you couldn’t be any more special to me, you surprise me all over again.” Drake moved closer placing an arm around my shoulder and he kissed me softly on the cheek.
“Do you think it’s anything we could use with your father? To show that I do have some skill I could bring with me?”
Drake’s face dropped. “Alas, my father already has a team of healers.”
My shoulders slumped forward. “Oh. Well, it was a thought.”
Drake placed a hand softly under my chin and raised my face, so my gaze met his. “Don’t you see, Polly? You shouldn’t have to bring anything ‘to the table’. I love you and that should be enough. My father has no right to demand a union that brings him power or wealth. I swear he’s this way because my mother didn’t stick around.”
“That must have been tough on you. Being raised without your mother.”
“The other sirens have always come and made a huge fuss of me and taught me their ways. It’s who they are. They seldom stay with one person, it’s just not their natural state.”
My face must show my worry that Drake is half Siren.
“Oh, Polly. Male Sirens are not the same at all. Listen, does my singing attract you further?”
He launched into a rendition of End Game by Taylor Swift and I grimaced so hard my cheeks and teeth hurt.
“Fair enough, I’m heartily reassured.” I placed a hand over his mouth to stop the noise. “So, we have no great plan then?” I double-checked.
The Complete Collection: Supernatural Dating Agency Books 1-6 Page 59
