We relax on my bed. I lay my head on his chest and he wraps his arms around me. As my eyes flutter closed I hear Anton say, “Soul mates, interesting.”
Chapter Seven
I wake up to sun peaking through the window shades. I’m still snuggled next to Anton, but I feel another body behind me. It’s Evans. Great when did he get here? I don’t remember okaying him to sleep in my bed. Unwrapping myself from Anton I creep off my bed as soft as possible to not wake them. Stuffing a pillow between the sleeping beauties, I head to my dresser and I quietly grab a set of new clothes along with some underwear and head to the bathroom. I knock and Callum, calls out that he’s almost done. I stand there waiting and after five minutes he finally opens the door.
“Morning Princess, sleep well?” he chuckles.
I push past him and close the door in his face.
Looking at myself in the mirror. I still look like plain Liauna, no pointy ears, no glowy skin. Do fairies have glowing skin? I’ve always had great cheekbones but I thought that was just good genes. I come to the realization that it’s gonna take a while to come to grips with being half-fae. Does this mean I get wings? Because it would be awesome to fly.
I turn and start the shower dropping my clothes in a neat pile on the floor and step into the warm welcoming spray of water.
Knowing the next run is today I wash fast. After the discussion last night I’m running behind on being prepared. Just as I’m finishing up my shower, I hear the door open. I’m afraid to peek out so I yell over the curtain.
“Out, I’m almost done.” Shouting a little louder than I meant to.
“It’s just me, Anton,” I hear him reply.
“I don’t care who it is, I’m naked and not coming out till you exit the bathroom.” I tell him, poking my head out of the curtain.
“Ok, ok Princess, I’m going. I just needed to brush my teeth.” He laughs.
“Don’t call me Princess,” I say throwing a washcloth at him which misses him and hits the back of the door as he closes it behind him.
I dress in jeans and a camo tank, my favorite run outfit. Braiding my hair, I pull it up in a bun. I exit the bathroom, go to my room. Gathering the lists, my boots and bag I head down stairs.
When I walk into the kitchen, mom and dad are eyeing me from where they sit at the table. I hang my bag on a chair and grab a granola bar.
“I’m fine, I promise, we will figure this out together.” I reassure them.
I ask mom for her list and she gets up to walk over to me. Handing me hers, she hugs me then goes to sit back down.
“Mom, can you have more than one soul mate?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow as she looks at me “Honey, I’m not sure, I know as much about the fae as you do.”
“Well Anton and I held hands last night and I felt the same sparks as I did with Evans.” I confess to them both.
“Interesting,” is all my dad says.
After I finish my bar I collect my gear, hug mom and dad, then head to the door. I am so ready to get this run started.
“Be careful sweetie,” mom says.
“We love you.” Dad replies.
“I love you both. I promise I’ll be careful, anything else you need?” I ask.
“Twinkies, always twinkies.” Dad chuckles.
“Ok dad, if I find any twinkies I’ll make sure they make it back with me.” I laugh with my reply.
I walk to the front door, there stands Callum, Evans and Anton, geared up and ready to go.
“You didn’t think you were going all alone did you?” Evans says raising an eyebrow.
“Well that’s the norm, but the more the merrier right?” I shrug.
Roman glides down the stairs, “Daughter, before you leave, I have a gift for you.” He says.
The guys clear the way and Roman comes to stand in front of me. He’s holding a beautifully jewel encrusted sword, it’s even more beautiful than Evans’.
“This is the sword I had made when you were born, another fae tradition.” He says handing it to me.
I reach for it with both hands and unsheath it. The blade shimmers in the light and I am speechless. The hilt is decorated with sapphires and diamonds weaving an intricate design. I almost don’t even want to use it.
“Thank you, it is beautiful. I accept your gift and will use it well.” I tell him. How many traditions do the Fae have? I’m going to need to learn these traditions before visiting his realm. I replace it in the sheathe and with some last goodbyes we start walking to the truck.
Rusty red is ready to be loaded up. Dad has already hooked a trailer on her so if we find propane we will have a way to transport it. As I climb in and slam the door, Kyle runs up loaded with gear. Anton is in the middle seat and Callum on the other side of him. Evans jumps in the back.
Sighing, I roll down my window. “Kyle if you’re coming grab your truck and trailer. Evans can ride with you.” I order.
Hearing Evans say “as you wish Princess.” I roll my eyes I yell out the window “Propane is number one on the list today boys.”
Rolling the window up I see Kyle pull up behind my truck. With one last glance in the review, we honk to say goodbye and head out the gates to start our run.
Chapter Eight
Anton, Callum and I drive in silence. Going over everything that happened yesterday, I can’t help but smile at the weirdness of it all. Two soul mates and a fae king father. Life is about to get interesting.
All around us are fields of dried up grass, for as far as the eye can see. Since we’ve been having a bit of a dry spell the landscape is pretty barren. A few rundown farm houses pop up here and there, but not much else.
“So if Evans is fae, are you two as well?” I ask still looking at the road.
“Well, no. I’m a vampire/human hybrid and this scruffy guy next to me can change into a wolf.” Anton states.
“What the hell? First creepers then fae, now vampires and wolves? What’s next? Elves and Santa Claus?” I ask.
“Technically, I’m a shifter not a wolf.” Callum laughs.
“I’ve always wanted a wolf for a pet.” I tease trying not to show my smile.
Anton and Callum just laugh.
“So Anton, do you drink blood? How does this hybrid thing work? Callum, what does being a shifter mean? Why aren’t you more hairy?” I assault them with questions.
Anton just raises an eyebrow and I hear him chuckle.
“We will talk about all this later, let’s focus on the task at hand.” He says taking my unused hand. I feel the sparks again and I wonder if I’ll always feel them.
“Alright the lists are on the dash. Try to memorize what’s on them so we can get in and out quickly and remember the most important thing we need to look for is propane.” I remind them.
I’ve already looted all the propane in the closest surrounding areas so we have to travel a bit farther for this run. We drive about an hour south of the faction, talking and laughing about some of the requests on the lists. Captain America bobble head and a Tardis Pop, really? We quiet down as some houses and buildings come into view. We see the occasional creeper but there doesn’t seem to be too many to worry about.
Spotting a hardware store as we roll into town, I stop there first. I remember when we were going over the list that some people requested lumber, nails, a few hammers and anything I thought would kill a creeper. Mentally make a note to look for axes as well.
We park in front of the store and get out of the trucks. A chorus of slamming doors echoes down the abandoned street. First thing we do is a sweep of the store for creepers. Anton goes in front of me and Callum takes up position behind me. Normally I’d protest, but I’m pretty sure that would be useless and I don’t want to start an argument here. Kyle and Evans start on the opposite ends of the store and after about ten minutes we meet back in the middle. This location is secure and creeper free, for now. We hurry down the aisles, grabbing items from the list so we can cross them off. On the last aisle
, I find the axes. Loading all the handheld ones into my basket, I grab some of the bigger ones and slide them under the cart. All four guys are looking at me funny.
“What I’m not planning on murdering you in your sleep, chill, unless you piss me off” I say and wink at them.
Kyle looked horrified and the other three just laugh at me.
Callum comes and helps me take the axes out to the truck.
Twnety minutes later we have our carts full of supplies and ready to load into trucks. Anton and Evans exit first to make sure the coast is clear. We wouldn’t want to run into a bunch of creepers with our hands full. Callum sees them motion that the coast is clear, so we head out and unload everything into the bed of the trucks. We scored some propane tanks hidden in the back of the store and had to make two trips to grab them all. They weren’t all full but we were hoping to find a place to fill them up.
On the opposite side of town we see a convenient store that looks to have the lettering, propane sold here. Wouldn’t hurt to try.
We make our way around the building and the first thing we see is a tanker truck next to the propane station. I try not to get my hopes up as Evans gets out of the truck and walks up to the tanker to see if its full. He climbs up the back in search of the gauge. Climbing down, he walks over to my window with a big smile on his face. “The tanker is about 50% full.” Jackpot!
We secure the little store and go in search of the keys. Spotting an office in the back we make our way towards it. The office is in disarray, papers all over the place, a filing cabinet knocked over. I find the truck keys tucked away in the drawer of the small wooden desk. I toss them to Callum. No more riding bitch this trip for Anton, unless he wants too. Callum and I walk out to see that the others have loaded more propane tanks on each of the trailers, along with a few propane grills. If we are smart this could last us as about a year.
Next up is the local superstore. Some of the families back at the faction have clothes, soap, shampoos and more essentials on their lists. We change up our strategy on this store since it’s a lot bigger than the last two. Times like this I miss electricity. The store is dark and the smell of rotten meat assails my nose, there must be creepers nearby. Using our flashlights we stick together to secure this store. Counter clockwise we go section by section clearing the creepers as we go. When we take care of the last creeper, we each get a cart, break off into pairs and head down the aisles.
Starting in the back of the store we load up on bottled water and canned foods. We’re almost done and start to head to the front of the store when I see him. Shining my flashlight on him I realize he doesn’t look like the other creepers. He’s too pale, but still has the majority of his skin intact. The black veins all over his face, neck and arms tell me that he is changing.
When he sees Anton and I, he starts to walk the other way. Suddenly he stops and turns around. He looks directly at me and says “Deezy” then walks off.
Anton was set to go after him until I laid my hand on his arm and I shake my head no. “That’s not what we do, we only kill those that try to kill us.” I tell him.
We finish getting the rest of the supplies and make our way to the front of the store. As we pass the front registers, I spot some of the twins’ favorite candies. I grab some for them as well as for myself. Anton catches me hoarding the candy and gives me the one eyebrow raise. I stick out my tongue at him and walk out of the store.
I grabbed a whole bunch of plastic bags on the way out to make loading and unloading the trucks easier.
Slapping myself on the forehead, I turn around and see the guys sending funny looks in my direction.
“I just remembered I need a few personal items, as well as dad’s twinkies. I can’t leave yet.” I tell the guys. “Go ahead and start loading up without me.”
“I will accompany you,” Evans responds.
“Fine, let’s hurry. This place is starting to creep me out.” I tell him.
We get to the ladies section first and it’s a wreck. Panties and bras everywhere, some with black gunk on them. I quickly stuff five bras and five packs of panties into my bags after digging to find the correct sizes. Making sure they are yuck free.
Next stop, books. I can’t leave a store without checking out the books. One really stands out to me, it has a purple hue and a tattooed guy on the cover. Resurrection Island by someone named A.K. Koonce. I stuff it, along with a few others into a bag. I grab a few kid books and magazines, to take back to the faction.
Evans leads us down an aisle and grabs two armfuls of twinkies. As we walk back by the women’s clothes. Some tanks catch my eye. Luckily for me this rack, was untouched by the mess. I grab a few for Rae and I, stuffing them in separate bags. Happy with my haul, we exit the store and load up into the pickup.
“Thank you Evans” I tell him and hop in Rusty Red.
On the way I bug Anton until he finally tells me what a hybrid is. “My mother was human and my father was a vampire. I have superior strength, speed and skin. I also have a heightened sense of smell, can hear you from almost a mile away and my sight is excellent. Especially at night. All those attributes I get from my father. On the flip side my heart beats, I have blood running through my veins and I don’t drink it. I can also eat garlic and go to church without catching fire.” He tells me with a wink.
“I never knew my parents. My mother died giving birth to me so I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle.” He finishes telling me, looking a little teary eyed.
I take his hand to try and bring him comfort. The rest of the ride home is uneventful, almost normal; as normal as it gets these days.
When we arrive home our first stop is the main house where we keep all the stock. Everything goes there except my bags and of course my dad’s twinkies. Anton is carrying a grill and extra propane tanks towards my house, guess he doesn’t want his meat raw.
Walking in the front door I yell to my dad that we got a new propane tank. He heads out the back to set it, Evans right on his heels to help. As I step into the living room I’m not surprised to see Raelyn sitting on the couch, talking to Roman and my mom.
“Rae, I have a surprise for you.” I tease her. ”Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”
Shaking her new clothes free from the bag, I set the pile on her hands. She squeals when she opens her eyes to the new clothes I was able to bring back for her. She gives me the biggest hug, dropping a few pieces on the floor.
“I’m gonna take these home and I’ll be back for dinner.” She scoops them up and heads out the door.
My dad comes in from the back just as she is closing the front door.
“Hey dad” I call out.
Two voices respond. “Not Roman, dad.”
Dad enters the room and find that I can’t contain my smile.
“Look what Evans and I found!” I say, excitedly throwing a box at him.
It’s a wonderful sight to see his eyes light up as he realizes it’s a box of twinkies.
“Evans grabbed you two arm fulls, they are here on the couch,” I gesture beside me.
”I have some items I want to unload in my room.” Getting up I head towards the stairs. Calling over my shoulder I let him know that I also found some candy and books for the twins that I want to take to them later.
“Great run today, Liauna.” Dad number one says.
“Thanks” I reply as I head upstairs. Wait, when did I start referring to them to dad number one and dad number two? Shrugging at myself, I head upstairs.
Entering my room, I go to store my beautiful sword next to my bed. I need to clean that later. I unload the candy I got for myself and put it in the lock box that I keep hidden under my bed. I can’t have Max eating some and getting sick. Sliding it back under the bed, I dump out the clothes I brought back for myself, rip off the tags, I throw them in my hamper to wash tomorrow. I unload my latest book catch, putting Resurrection Island at the top of my to be read pile. I gather up the candy and books I found for the twins and head out of my
room. I can’t wait to see the joy on their sweet little faces.
I hop down the stairs, elated at the normality and walk over to the Johnson’s house. I don’t stay long since I’ve been gone most of the day. When I hand them each a bag their faces fill with excitement. Looking in the bags they each squeal in glee at seeing the candy and books I brought. Their little smiles fade when their mother announces “No candy before dinner.” She takes the bags of candy to put up until later. Laughing, I pull them into a hug, promising to see them tomorrow for a special training session.
As I enter the front door of my house, I can smell the yummy aroma of dinner. My stomach growls, prompting me to get the table set. Remembering I have to set a place for dad number two, I take out an extra place setting. I hope his highness doesn’t think he gets to sit at the head of the table. That’s dad number one’s spot. This meal will be interesting to say the least.
After I finish the table, I walk into the kitchen and start to clean the dishes my mom has already accumulated. Once finished, I kiss her on the cheek and tell her I’m going to shower.
“I wondered what that smell was,” she teases. “Hurry up, dinner is almost ready.”
I jog up the stairs, find some clean clothes and head to the bathroom. Making sure to lock the door, I strip and pull the curtain back to step into the shower. Turning on the hot water, I stand under the spray loving that I don’t have to wait for the water to get hot. My muscles are so sore from all the fighting and shopping that the water feels like heaven. Taking a minute to just let the water rush over me, I lay my head against the tile. Jolting awake I quickly shave my legs and finish washing.
Drying off, I get dressed in a cute blue sundress, with daisies on it. Towel drying my hair, I look at myself in the mirror. Hot damn, I look like a girl. I use a little lipgloss to add some color to my lips and mascara to finish the look. It’s the simple pleasures in life that I need to remind myself to try and not take for granted.
Cleaning up the mess I made, I pick up my clothes and head to my room. Depositing them in the hamper for tomorrow, I look around my room and realize I’m such a slob. I hurry up and make my bed, picking up as I go around it. I’ll blame it on stress, I’ve had a lot thrown at me the last few days, taking care of my room has been a low priority. No more excuses, Liauna.
Fate of the Fae Page 5
