by Viola Grace
Abby was blushing at the praise. She could feel the heat in her cheeks. “Yeah, you are right. And my toilet seat has only bitten my ass once. I may be getting good at this magic stuff."
"Self-control is never wasted."
On that note, Abby finished her complicated coffee, hugged Seesee goodbye and returned to the path back to Oak Point Way.
She was lost in thoughts about magic, gnomes and a naked Xander. Traffic passed her by and birds chirped in the trees with squirrels cursing at them. It was all terribly bucolic until she vaguely registered the sound of a car moving off the road and onto the shoulder. Fast.
When it didn't slow, she turned to confront the car while backing off the path in case the vehicle could not stop. Adrenaline pounded through her as the car inexorably approached her, her nerves burned and flared as the grill of the vehicle took up all of her attention. Impact was a bitch.
Abby flew through the air with her hands out in front of her. It had been the final gesture of defence before her magic had kicked in. She skidded to a halt on her back when the momentum of impact fetched her up against a pine tree. Sparks of energy danced in front of her eyes as she blinked to clear her vision. Bolts of pain replaced it.
"Ow. Son-of-a-fucking-bitch.” Shaking like a leaf, she crawled out from under the pine to rise to her feet. The car that had almost killed her was long gone, the tracks that it had left behind chilled her. The driver had sped up to hit her. The gouges on the turf and across the walking path were brutal proof of murderous intention. That was it, Abby lost her latte.
Someone was really trying to kill her. Really. And they were in one fucking hurry.
Oops, there went the rest of the coffee.
As she limped back to Montrose's Munchies, she mulled over the event in every detail. She had been walking, then she heard the car, then turned to look at it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the damned license plate number. It had a plate, she was sure of that, but she couldn't read it. It was fuzzy for some reason.
The car itself also kept slipping through her memory. Now that she actually knew magic was real, she suspected that it had something to do with her faulty memory.
She had reached out with her hands to stop the car and a bubble of magic had formed around her. The car had not bounced so much as slid off her. The pressure of the compressed magic had thrown her backward and, based on the looks that passersby were giving her, she looked like she had been writhing in the mud and leaflitter.
Abby pulled open the door to Seesee's emporium and was gratified to see the gorgon's eyes widen when she got a look at her. The phone leapt into her hand and she was calling the neighbours in a second. Abby took a seat and waited.
A coffee appeared near her hand and, in light of her recent disgorgement, it was not at all appealing.
"Drink it. It will steady your nerves.” Seesee's hand was on her shoulder.
When Abby looked up, she was astonished at the concern in her face. It was more than just the concern for the Nexus, it was concern for Abby. “Can I get green tea with four sugars instead? My last coffee is decorating the forest floor.” Her friend nodded and gave the order to the barista manning the counter. Her hands were being held in a warm soothing grip and she realized that her body was ice cold.
"Abby, what happened?"
The sympathy almost moved her to tears. She took a deep and shaking breath. “Walk. Car. Bubble. Bang. Ouch. Here.” Her earlier eloquence escaped her as it kept sinking in. Someone was trying to kill her.
The sweet tea was refreshing and she noted that there was a hint of lemon. A smile spread over her as heat and warmth sank back into her body and soul. A cool tugging at her hand made her aware of the first aid that Seesee was applying to her hand and she traded her tea from left to right as each hand was treated in turn. The blood on her hands hadn't sunk into her consciousness. It was just as well she had gone to Seesee for help. She was obviously in no shape to help herself.
They sat in silence, Abby drinking tea and remembering to breathe and the gorgon tending to her wounds.
Finally, as if years had passed Abby watched Xander walk through the door, the rest of the neighbourhood behind him. The cheerful tinkling of the bells was a counterpoint to the pure hell in his eyes. For some reason, she felt lighter and smiled as his scowling countenance drew closer. He was here. As he reached out to hug her, the embrace was fierce and tender at the same time. No power on earth could separate them at that moment.
As the rest of the Oak Point Way inhabitants drew around them, she realized that all of the regular patrons had left the shop. The two remaining employees were closing up for the day. In mere minutes, they were all alone. A deep rumble in her ear took her a while to decipher.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Suddenly, the urge to soothe him took over. “I am fine. A little scuffed and really dirty, but fine.” She laid a small kiss on the hollow of his throat, feeling it work against her lips with the pounding of his heart. “I survived it, Xander, now let's find the bastard who is trying to kill me."
Silent and solemn, the others followed them out of the shop, falling into a guard around them. Verne led the way in his vehicle, then Xander and Abby, Randy, Laura and Seesee. It was a direct procession back home and an even more grim parade when they stopped and entered Abby's home.
It was time for a battle plan and Abby was more than ready for a fight.
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Chapter Twenty-Three
Taking charge the instant that they crossed her threshold, Abby began barking orders, “Boys, girls, please ask the gnomes for coffee or tea. I am going to grab a shower before I deal with anything else.” Xander started after her as she moved down the hall. “Alone.” When she was sure that no one was following her, she continued to her bedroom. Home. She could breathe again.
She was selecting her underwear when Bitsy peeked out from beneath her bed. A long look at his earnest face and she finally sighed. “Dude, it is nice that you care, but you are not following me into the shower."
As his little face became upset, she recanted, slightly. “Find one of the girls to keep an eye on me if you must."
He held his little hands out in the stay-put sign said, “Wait.” Then he skittered down the hallway.
Wow. So she hadn't imagined it when he had warned her of the boom.
Mitsy followed Bitsy down the hall and stopped at the door to the bathroom, waiting for her to gather her things and come over for her shower. It looked like Abby's babysitter was on duty.
Bitsy took up a position at her bedroom and, as she listened closely, she could hear the gnomes puttering in the kitchen. She was safe here.
A cordial nod to both gnomes as she passed them was returned. Mitsy closed the door once she was inside the bathroom with Abby. It was her quickest shower ever. Dirt and leaves rained into the drain, her soap turned grey as she frantically scrubbed and she peeled off the dressings that Seesee had placed on her hands. Nothing on her body but water was what she was after and what she got.
Finally, the water ran clear, her tears melted into the water. Self-pity was destructive, but she couldn't help but wallow in it for a moment. Everything was new, foreign, strange. Someone wanted her dead and she didn't know why.
She dried her tears with a towel and shut the water off. She needed to get back to the group. They were going to try planning her safety and she had no idea what that would entail, but she could be sure that she wouldn't like it.
* * * *
"Who is after her?"
"Are there any traces?"
"Have there been threats?"
"What does the council think?"
The last question Xander could answer. “The council doesn't know about this last attack yet. I haven't told them.” Two of Abby's creatures were in the kitchen preparing coffee and putting the kettle on. Another was creating some sort of canapé platter.
He looked down the hallway toward the bat
hroom where the shower was singing its song. Abby was wet, soapy and naked in there and he was stuck trying to find out who was trying to take her from him before he could explore the depth of his feelings for her.
It was enough to fill any magus with rage.
With her creatures around her, he could be sure that she was kept safe. It was too bad that she couldn't remain alone at home. Whomever was doing this knew her routine.
The other inhabitants of Oak Point Way were scattered across a variety of furnishings. Laura was so upset that she gripped Verne's hand as he sat next to her on the loveseat. They were all looking to him for a solution and Xander only had the first step.
"I am making the call.” He flipped his phone open and seconds later, he was connected to the head of the council. The same man that had assigned them all here, Bertrand Armgart. Bertie if you were female.
"What is it, Xander?” Bertrand sounded irritated and the high-pitched whisper in the background gave some reason for his mood. He was being interrupted. “Is the Nexus out of control? Do you need to bring her in?"
"No, sir. There was a second attempt on her life today. I felt that the council should be aware of it.” He steeled himself for the blast. It wasn't long in coming.
"What? Is she all right? Is she safe? Has her power been damaged? Where are you calling from?” The barrage kept coming and Xander held the phone away from his ear while the councillor ranted.
"We are all in Abby's home, the entire neighbourhood, with the exception of the vampire contingent. He is still out of town."
"What are you doing about it?"
"There will be a watch kept on Abby around the clock until the stalker is found."
"Good, keep me posted.” There was a pause from the councilor. “Were the attacks magical in nature?"
"No. Nothing in the first attack that I could detect. I have not had time to investigate the second one. It happened less than an hour ago. The first was a car bomb, the second has not yet been discussed."
Seesee piped up, “A car hit her. It was a hit and run."
Xander returned to the call. “It was a hit and run. She was hit by a vehicle."
"Damn. Keep her safe, Xander. At any cost to yourself or the others. We can't replace her.” The line went dead.
Xander closed his phone slowly, he knew why the councillor was disappointed. Magic could be traced easily, a vehicular assault couldn't.
"There was a bomb?” Miranda expressed what the others were thinking. Well, everyone except Seesee who had obviously been told by Abby earlier.
"Someone is trying to kill Abby. They planted a car bomb between last night and this morning, if not for her gnomes, she would be dead by now.” Xander gave the little ones the credit that they were due. If Bitsy hadn't come to get him, he shuddered at what would have happened.
The shock that was pulsing in the room was almost palpable.
Miranda pitched in, “We all know that a new Nexus was not a universally welcomed addition to our community. Add the fact that she was an outsider to our community and you have a giant target on her. Everything makes her situation worse."
Verne nodded in agreement. “My own pack discussed sending a representative, even after I volunteered. They hold contempt for human magic and could not see the benefit in having a new Nexus. Short-sighted idiots."
Mitsy brought in a tray full of mugs and Xander stared. If Mitsy was here then Abby was...
"So a portion of the magical community thinks that I am a waste of space? Why am I not surprised?” Wearing a blue sundress that draped like a toga, she took up her place in the empty wingback chair that he had such fond memories of. God, had it been just this afternoon? Even after all she had been through, she sat before them like a queen. And he had to lean forward to hide his erection.
From her throne, she took control of the meeting as if she were the most experienced magus, creature or supernatural being in the room. “So your theory is that someone in the community is trying to bump me off?"
Her voice reflected a change in her bearing, she was harder, stronger than she had been just an hour ago. Her evolution was astonishing. And lord, he wanted to get her naked again. “The magical community. Not ours. And yes, that is the theory."
"Fantastic.” The gnomes had distributed the beverages and laid out the canapés, now they took positions around her chair. “So what exactly is our next move?"
What followed was a discussion that made Xander's head spin. It took several hours and rounds of coffee, three snack trays and four dozen cookies. The gnomes were excellent bakers.
* * * *
"Okay, we are all in agreement. I will rotate my residency with each of you. Even you won't know where I will show up next because I will draw names from a hat before I come over.” Abby's voice was giving out. “Please let me know now whose home I need to bring pillows and blankets to."
In the end, the only truly safe person for Abby to be with was herself. But her home was obviously not safe. The stalker was familiar with her and her vehicle so she was stuck staying with a new member of her neighbourhood every day. Random draw was the only way to make sure that they didn't know whose house she would be off to next. Even a mind reader would not be able to figure out where she was going if she didn't know.
"So all direct contact with me is cut off and your only go betweens will be the gnomes. They have agreed and they know where I am the whole time anyway.” She outlined the complicated procedure. “You will leave a tennis ball with a message tied to it in the courtyard, the gnomes will retrieve it and bring it to me."
She sighed in frustration at the lengths they had devised to keep her safe. She had wanted to make up a schedule, with Xander's name at the top, and every other day, but had been vetoed by the others. They wanted her safe, at all costs. Even that of taking in a houseguest with no notice.
Miranda stated, “Even their own group could be leaking information.” At those words, a plan was devised to keep her segregated from the group at large at all times. Bummer.
If the stalker was by some weird stretch of the imagination, one of their group, then Abby would be walking into their home defenceless, but no one listened to her logic. It was as if they didn't hear her and just kept on with their plans.
She trusted all of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, with her life even. Which was a good thing as that was exactly what this meeting was about. She was about to place her safety in their hands. And they would never know when. Lovely.
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Chapter Twenty-Four
Armed with her sleeping bag, backpack, pillow under one arm and a guard of garden gnomes, she stomped up the steps of her first victim. With a deep breath, she reached out and rang the bell. A ship's klaxon rang in the house.
As the door creaked, open she chirped, “Laura, you are today's winner or loser, depending on your point of view.” A thermos of coffee banged against the doorframe as Laura waved her inside. The mermaid didn't drink coffee so Abby brought her own.
A close look at her host had Abby groaning. Laura's hair was perfect, her complexion was perfect and she was obviously a morning person. Ugh.
"Come on in, Abby. The guest room is ready to go. You didn't need to bring your sleeping bag.” She led the way through halls that gleamed in a pearlescent manner. Over each door was an embossed shield featuring a mermaid.
Abby examined one closely. “This is beautiful. Is it you?” It looked a lot like Laura, even the jawline was hers.
Her host stopped for a moment and looked at where she was pointing. “Thank you, but no. That is my great-grandmother, Sorwiniven. She fell in love with a sailor who broke her heart, then ended up in the arms of my grandfather. He was a sculptor and madly in love with her."
"Well, it ended well for her.” She mulled over the tale. “Did the sailor reject her because she was a mermaid?” Maybe all the fairy tales were true. Or maybe not.
"Nope. In fact he fell in love with another of the sea folk while
he was with her. One with bigger tits."
Abby was sure her jaw was unhinged. She closed her mouth with some difficulty. Giggles welled up within her. “Men. Give them a mermaid and they still can't commit. Gonads rule the roost."
Chuckling, Laura continued to lead her to the guest room. Chamber actually. This was no simple room. A gracious four-poster encrusted with pearls, gold and silks. “This is amazing, thank you again. I am sorry to impose."
Laura gave her a short hug. “I should be thanking you. That power blast that you gave me really had me rethinking my life on land, or in the ocean."
"Being trapped in a swimming pool will do that for you."
She gave a short laugh, “I guess. Come on, I have a light snack ready."
"I just hope that you don't mind the gnomes running around, they are erring on the side of the overprotective.” As the words left her mouth, a clattering came from the kitchen. “And the warning comes not a moment too soon."
Laura led the way to the site of the noise and she laughed at the sight of Skint and Ruffles arranging scaffolding for them to reach the counter. Splint was holding a chair in position while the others were working to build a sturdy set of steps.
"Okay. Sorry. It is no longer your kitchen. Land of the gnomes is firmly taking over.” Abby was hovering in the doorway as she watched her creatures move around the new territory and Laura's reaction to it. “I think that they will bring us some lemonade and the snacks if we go outside. Would you care to?"
"Wow. They are really making themselves at home, aren't they?” Laura was slightly stunned.
Abby tugged her into the backyard through the patio doors. She sat her host across from her on the shaded lounges and they waited for the small servers. “So do you have any brothers or sisters?” It seemed like a good way to make small talk.
"Three sisters and four brothers.” Laura's face lit up slightly. “My grandmother is still alive, she's the one who told me the story of Sorwiniven and the faithless sailor."
