Damian blinked his eyes clear and focused back on his wife. “For now, but Ted has a feeling come nightfall they’ll send something that can breach the salt line.
Naomi looked at the fading sun outside the family room windows, blanching the way Damian had. She didn’t need to say what the fearful look in her eyes meant and Damian didn’t either, but one word resounded in both their heads. Vampires.
“Is he armed?” she asked.
Damian shook his head. “I have to get there as fast as I can.”
He glanced at me and I knew that his chosen mode of transportation didn’t involve anything that encased him in metal. His fastest bet was taking on the hawk form and from the expression on his face, he didn’t know if he could pull that off.
His gaze moved to Steve and he looked at the phone in his hand, zeroing in on the man’s unique gift set. “Can you really do that two places at once shit?”
Steve traded a glance with Tom and Raven before meeting Damian’s gaze. “Yes.”
“Can you do that and still wipe out anything that tries to hurt them?”
Steve slid his gaze to Jennifer and nodded. “Yeah, I can still smoke a demon,” he said to Damian’s worried train of thought.
“Can you stay with them until I get there?”
This time, Steve hesitated and put his fork down. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold the connection for that long.” It wasn’t so much what he said, but the underlying fear that if he left his own family unprotected, bad things might happen.
“We can make sure the house here is protected,” I said. “Besides, I have a feeling Damian will be able to get there within an hour.”
Steve silently debated and some of it filtered through to me. When he met my gaze I shrugged a shoulder, giving him a what-the-hell gaze. He drew a deep breath, his chest expanding before he blew a stream of air through his lips. He turned to Damian and gave a quick nod before wiping his mouth with a napkin. He excused himself from the kitchen table and crossed to the new leather recliner and settled in before meeting Damian’s gaze.
“I need a connection. Do you mind calling your friend back and leaving your phone here with me?”
Damian fumbled with the phone and I covered a smirk with my hand, trading glances with Tom and Jennifer. They wore the same amused smile that I was covering. Damian glared at us and then held the phone to his ear.
“Ted, I’ve got some help coming. He’s one of the good guys,” he said and held the phone out for Steve.
“Hi, Ted. My name is Steve, and I need you to take a seat and keep the phone line open no matter what, okay?”
After a moment, all animation left Steve. Damian stared at Steve’s waxy figure sitting stalk-still. After a few stunned blinks, Damian traded a glance with Naomi and his eyebrows rose in a ‘get a load of this shit’ way that forced a chuckle from my throat.
At the same time, their minds both broadcast the word “Freak.”
“Oh, come on,” I said to Naomi. “You change into a fucking tiger for God’s sake.” Then I turned toward Damian. “And you, you’re just as much of a freak of nature as he is.”
Damian let a huff of a laugh and gave Naomi a quick peck on the forehead. “I’ll have Steve give you the phone when I get there,” he said before he bolted out the front door.
Naomi waited for a few moments and then met my gaze, her eyebrows scrunching together in a question. “I didn’t hear the car.”
“Seems Damian still has that hawk gene.” I sent a wink in her direction and refocused on my meal.
“You’re kidding?”
I shook my head. “He actually gave me a lift to the roof of the hospital the other night when you turned tiger in the nursery. It was a little unsettling.”
“Oh. He didn’t say anything,” she said and stared at her food.
The hurt in her voice took me and everyone else at the table by surprise. I finished the last bite on my plate and wiped my lips with my napkin before I replied. “You two kind of have your hands full,” I said, waving towards the three kids. “I’m not sure he’s had more than a couple of hours of sleep in the last few nights.”
“I’m just as tired as he is,” she said, her voice took on a defensive lilt. Raven put her arm around Naomi’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.
“Men,” she whispered and added an eye roll that pulled a ghost of a smile to Naomi’s pouting lips.
I stood and cleared my plate. “I’m not saying you aren’t just as tired. I’m just saying he was a little more concerned with your safety than mentioning his ability had resurfaced.”
She nodded and glanced at Steve. “What do we do with him?”
“Just leave him be,” Jennifer answered and started to clear the rest of the empty plates.
I sat down next to the living corpse and turned on the television, flipping through the channels while Jennifer and Raven helped Naomi with the babies. Tom wandered in and took a seat on the other couch.
“I’ll never get used to that,” he signed and I huffed, glancing at Steve’s waxy complexion.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to astral projection, either. It’s one of the abilities I’m glad I don’t have. It’s beyond disconcerting, but it does come in handy at times like these when Steve needs to be in two places at once, especially when there is a lag time between the distress call and when the cavalry rides in.
When my mother used to do this I could still read her thoughts, but whenever my father or Steve projected, I lost the contact. In other words, I was in the blind. Which is not the most comfortable place to be when I knew he was in danger. I shifted and then decided maybe we should be a little more pragmatic.
“Jen, did you buy salt at the store?” I asked over my shoulder, my gaze traveling to the darkening sky outside.
“I bought half a dozen canisters,” she said and I returned my gaze to hers, picking up the haunting thoughts resounding in her head.
“Mind throwing me one?” I stood and waited, catching the Morton’s when she tossed it. Without explanation, I lined the doors and windows, creating a demon buffer for the occupants in the house. I considered getting Steve’s gun out of his room along with the platinum rounds, but I didn’t think Jennifer would be very keen on that with the infants around. It was one thing to have Steve carrying, he was an expert shot, but as far as we were concerned, she didn’t have the same blind faith.
I set the nearly empty container on the counter and shot a smile in their direction before returning to my seat. The salt provided a safety net that made me feel marginally better about getting lost in the television program.
The babies were fed and put down in their little car seats and Jennifer, Raven, and Naomi settled into the couches with us. The knot between my shoulder blades loosened a fraction with everyone in close proximity. I handed Jennifer the remote and let her drive the entertainment for the evening.
Halfway through the latest sitcom, Steve winced, pulling air between his teeth in a hiss and our gazes jumped from the television to him. Every muscle was taut and the blood vessels in his neck became a relief map of blue against the pallid skin.
“Oh, shit,” Naomi cursed and jumped off the couch, grabbing Steve’s exposed forearm. Thin lines of blood flowed from two puncture wounds in the meat of his forearm. Before I understood what she was doing, she ripped her belt off and looped it around his upper arm, tightening the makeshift tourniquet.
I didn’t understand all the to-do about the small punctures in his arm until Naomi dropped to her knees and covered them with her mouth and sucked. Without warning, she pulled away and spit a bloody glob on the floor. It reminded me of someone sucking poison from a snake bite and I shivered.
I tuned Jennifer’s panicked questions out along with the infant wail that filled the room, instead I spun and stalked to the bar, reaching over and grabbing the Grey Goose Vodka and returning to Naomi and her suck, spit routine. When she pulled away to spit, I doused his arm with the alcohol, hoping it would
kill the vampire poison traveling in his blood stream.
He didn’t reanimate either, which told me more than I wanted to admit. It meant he was still battling whatever was attacking them and it had to have attacked without warning. Otherwise Steve would have gotten the drop on the bastards.
Steve’s waxy pallor turned almost gray, a feat I didn’t think possible and I traded a glance with Tom, praying that my mounting panic wasn’t as visible as his. Before I could say anything to appease his fears, Naomi grabbed the bottle from me, taking a swig and spitting it out, diluting the small puddle of blood on the floor.
Raven rocked with Grace in her arms, the baby flailing for her mother and crying like a siren warning of the coming darkness. Jennifer gripped Steve’s unmarked hand, the slow progress of tears marring her perfect features.
Naomi wiped her mouth and then put her hand on Jennifer’s shoulder and squeezed. Without a word, she stood, crossing into the kitchen to grab paper towels and Clorox Wipes to clean and disinfect the floor.
“He’s still alive and bleeding. That’s a good sign. From what I understand, the shadow virus kills fast. I think if he was going to die, he would have by now,” Naomi said, wrapping the soiled paper into a ball and tossing it into the garbage.
I narrowed my eyes into a glare. She was lying through her teeth and she flicked her gaze to me and then back to Jennifer, forming a fake smile that Jennifer bought. While relief flooded through Jennifer, my muscles clenched painfully as the thought of Steve suffering a long slow death stunned me.
My gaze landed on the oozing puncture wounds and I forced myself to swallow the bile lining my throat. I reached and pulled the phone from his hand, listening to the chaos on the other line. Glass crashed and Damian’s snarl echoed through the room.
And then silence blanketed the phone line.
“Fuck,” Steve muttered and pulled his arm to his chest, curling over in the seat, resting his forehead on his knees.
“Is Damian all right,” Naomi asked, kneeling by the side of the chair.
“Yes.” He turned his head toward her.
“And Valerie?”
“Damian has her,” he said, his voice strained and he sat up again, breathing through clenched teeth like a man in excruciating pain.
The tension coiled in Naomi relaxed.
“What did you do to my arm,” Steve asked, glancing at the oozing wounds.
“I attempted to suck the poison out and used your bottle of Gray Goose to sterilize it the best I could.”
His gaze dropped to the tourniquet. “I think you may have saved my life,” he said and looked at her. “Ted wasn’t so lucky.” He grimaced and closed his eyes. “I wasn’t... prepared for an attack.”
Steve was intentionally blocking my ability to read his mind and see what really happened. I sensed something deeper had occurred and my gaze dropped to the wounds. He hadn’t healed himself. “Why didn’t you fix that?” I asked, pointing and he opened his eyes, meeting my gaze.
“Because when I healed Valerie, my powers transferred to her.”
Motion in the room stopped. Even Grace quieted and everyone stared at Steve.
Shock skittered through my blood, creating uncomfortable warmth that painted every cell in my body in a suffocating squeeze. “What?”
“I figured it would be easier transporting a healthy woman and not someone still listed in serious condition,” he said, meeting my gaze. “So, I was a little preoccupied with the results of doing that when they struck.” His eyes dropped to the floor and Jennifer kissed his cheek. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it back,” he whispered and glanced at her.
“She stole your powers?” I said.
He shook his head. “No, it was more like what happened between Eric and me. Completely unintentional and a hell of a surprise.”
“Like, when I healed you in Georgia?” Jennifer asked.
“Exactly, except she passed out,” Steve said and reached his good hand to the makeshift tourniquet, unhooking the belt. He winced and continued, “At least I’m a black belt. Even with their strength, it gave me enough of an advantage to defend myself. I thought for sure I was dead when that shit bit me.”
It took Naomi a good five minutes of sucking, spitting, and sterilizing before she stopped and I met his gaze.
“How did you get away?” I asked. My brain stalled at the fact Steve wasn’t supercharged anymore. He had been that way since my father died thirteen years ago and I wondered how he would do being normal.
“Ted,” he said. “That bastard drained him while I was trying to figure out how the hell to get Valerie out of his reach before I died from the virus burning in my arm. If Damian hadn’t shown up when he did, that thing would have done the same to me. Valerie never woke to witness the attack. She was still unconscious when Damian took Ted’s car keys and phone, and scooped her up. The last thing I saw before I opened my eyes here was giant talons holding her body as he jumped from the window.”
Naomi’s eyes glazed with tears and the sudden swell of sorrow in her heart blanketed me. I stepped to her and wrapped her in a warm hug. She allowed it and I ran my hand over the back of her head, whispering “shh” in her ear as she openly cried. Grace joined her, pulling my attention to the infant in Raven’s arms.
Naomi pulled away from me, wiping her face. She reached for Grace and Raven gave the baby to her mother. The child snuggled under Naomi’s chin, her cries turning to soft whimpers that seemed to sooth her mother’s sorrow. Noami glanced at me and planted a kiss on the back of Grace’s head.
“Your friend is going to freak out when she wakes up,” I said and Naomi cracked a smile.
“Valerie doesn’t freak out.”
Chapter 12
The more I thought about Naomi’s comment, the more intrigued I was to meet this girl.
I collected the guns and set them on the coffee table along with the arsenal of platinum bullets and then grabbed a few beers, handing one to Tom and Steve while Jennifer patched his arm up. He had paled a little after the tourniquet was removed and the blood flow returned to his arm, but he hadn’t dropped into a screaming ball on the floor like some of Damian’s vampire memories suggested.
Naomi had indeed saved his life and relief loosened the fearful grip on my heart. I’m not sure I could deal with losing Steve on the heels of losing both my father in angel form and Sandy. I said a silent prayer of thanks and traded a glance with Tom, sending a nod in his direction. The tension in his face loosened at my silent acknowledgement of Steve’s condition.
Someone upstairs was looking after us tonight.
I picked up one of the guns, making sure the safety was on before focusing on the back door. The front had the deadbolt on it and while I knew someone with a vampire’s strength could break through it or choose to crash through the windows just as easily, I figured they would come from the direction closest to their victims.
My phone buzzed and I glanced at the latest requests coming through on Facebook. The number of women in the area sending friend requests was unsettling and I turned my ringer off. There was no one I wanted to talk to right now. The people I held close were all present in this room and the only other person I might be inclined to talk to knew our home phone number.
Instead of letting my mind drift in that direction, I kept watch out the window and started shuffling through Damian’s memories to understand just who Valerie was. Memories tagged with her name came forth in a wave, fronted with Damian’s last memory of her as they wheeled her away. Her bloody and pale form sent chills through me and I was amazed she’d pulled through that ordeal.
Damian knew her from birth until her near death. Only five years had separated them and those were the years he spent in Colorado with Naomi, hiding from the devil. Inspecting the memories, I began to get a flavor for the girl and only glimpses of the young woman since their return. She was brash and bold and fearless, but even with all she’d been presented with in her life, I was sure the realization of Stev
e’s abilities would throw her for a loop.
I wondered if she got the download of his life as well. I glanced at Steve as he nursed a tall glass of scotch. His hands held a slight tremble and my closer than normal inspection of him pulled his attention away from the television. His eyebrows creased and frustration etched into the new creases in his face. I also noted the appearance of gray at his temples. I guess not having that magic healing mojo really did open the door for aging.
“What?” he asked.
“Did you get the memory transfer as well?” I asked, knowing that was a normal side effect of the power transfers.
He nodded and glanced back at the television, still blocking me.
Before I could press him for details, the wail of a baby set the girls in motion. Before they got to Michael, both Gabriel and Grace had started crying too. I glanced at the clock, calculating the time since they were last fed. They were going at a clip of two hours between meals. That had to be brutal on Naomi. This time, she chose bottled formula instead of breast feeding and whether I wanted to admit it or not, I had a moment of letdown. Tom’s face gave away his disappointment as well and we traded a smirk that Raven didn’t catch. If she had, it would have earned him a punch in the arm.
Once the babies were cared for, the cuddle fest started in earnest. I ended up with Gabriel in my arms. He cooed and squeaked and for a few glorious moments I forgot danger lurked. I had never been swayed one way or another as far as children go, but after playing with Gabriel and having him settle into my arms, trusting me enough to fall asleep, my mind was made up. I wanted a child someday, even with the distinct possibility that my child could outshine my unique gift set.
I relinquished a sleeping Gabriel to Jennifer and the three women tucked the children into their car seats, lining them up in full view on the floor in front of the television.
“We’ll have to get them cribs,” I said as Naomi settled into the couch across from me.
Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1) Page 212
