by Ioana Visan
“Uncle Mark,” Cassie said, “you’re here.”
“And so are you,” the man said, eyeing all of them. He didn’t look too bothered, and if he was surprised, he kept it to himself.
“Our apartment got flooded. Everything is wet—” Cassie made a face, “—so we decided to spend the weekend here while it dries.” The lie came out smoothly. “Besides, Ben and Jerry were miserable,” she added for good measure.
Yes, we were! Yes, we were! The dogs huffed and wagged their tails.
Mark lowered his hand to pet their heads, and they almost purred with contentment. “I see you’ve brought company.” His eyes stopped on Alise.
“We’re their boyfriends.” Rafe stepped in, slipping a possessive arm around Alise’s shoulders.
She froze on the spot, startled by the contact, and glanced up at him. His eyes challenged her to say otherwise. If he wanted to play it this way, fine. Her back protested, but she didn’t care. The magic felt too good to pull away.
Standing there with them, Vale looked uncomfortable in his reserved silence.
“I hope you don’t mind.” Cassie gave her uncle a pretty smile.
“No, of course not.” The answer came after a moment’s hesitation. “I told you before. You can come here whenever you want, whether I’m here or not. And bring your friends, too. The more the merrier!” Mark grinned, his eyes drifting back towards Alise. “Now, the big question is…” He picked up the carry-on and headed inside. “Is there any food in the house, or were you planning to order in?”
Cassie hurried after her uncle, her reply lost as she rounded the corner of the corridor.
“He likes you.” Rafe tilted his head, looking down at Alise.
“He tried to sleep with me once,” she replied casually.
Rafe pondered over the implications of that statement, nodding slowly. “Want me to deck him for you?” he offered eagerly. There hadn’t been a confrontation in almost twenty-four hours. That had to be boring for him.
“It was a long time ago.” She smirked. “I had more magic back then.”
“Ouch.” Rafe winced.
“What are we going to do about him?” Vale nodded in the direction that Mark had disappeared.
“Stay close to Cassie,” Rafe said. “The leech would hit on anyone.”
“He’s not that bad,” Alise said.
They retreated into the main hall and closed the door behind them, leaving the dogs outside happily running after a butterfly, yapping, Pizza man!
To the Great Danes’ disappointment, the pizza man didn’t show up that day. There were plenty of canned goods in the cupboard, so Cassie offered to cook dinner. It was an elaborated process she preferred to do by herself, refusing everyone’s assistance. She chased Alise out of the kitchen with a hiss, saying, “Make sure they don’t kill him.”
Cassie had no reason to worry about her uncle’s safety. Mark was more interested in taking a shower since his day had begun somewhere in South America eighteen hours earlier. This left the Guardians to their own devices, and they used the time to attack the liquor cabinet. They were currently treating themselves to a bottle of eight-year-old brandy.
“Want some?” Rafe held up the bottle for Alise to check the label.
She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Rafe shrugged and refilled Vale’s glass. “There might not be any left if you change your mind.”
Alise didn’t plan to change her mind. She wasn’t a big fan of human alcoholic beverages, and this was not a good time to get tipsy, especially with the Guardians around. Instead of curling up in a corner of the window seat like she wanted to, she sat on the couch with her arms splayed out on the backrest and her legs crossed. She had changed for dinner, and she was prepared to put up with Mark’s flirting. She had to appear human, or at least be convincing enough to fool him. She represented the distraction meant to keep his attention away from the Guardians’ oddity.
Glass in hand, Vale was checking out the shelves loaded with Mark’s souvenirs. “So much junk.”
Giving a small nod, Rafe seemed to agree, although he didn’t say it out loud.
“Can you set the table?” Cassie yelled from the kitchen. “I’m almost done in here!”
Reluctantly leaving her seat on the couch, Alise pulled open drawers and cupboards in search of the fine china.
“Oh, so you’ve been here before,” Rafe teased her, noticing how long it took her to find everything she needed. It wasn’t her fault the entire house could use a bit of organizing.
She turned around and held out a set of plates. “Boys?”
“Boys?” Rafe snorted, more revolted by the appellative than the idea they were actually supposed to help with setting the table. “Did you forget how old we are?”
“Hey, I’m only twenty-five here. You can pretend to be younger, too.” Alise smirked. Age was hardly an issue on their side. “Mark has some liberal views on life, but even he wouldn’t approve of his barely legal niece keeping company with some…” She gestured in their direction, “walking corpses.”
Vale took the plates from her.
“She loves me,” Rafe said, grinning at Vale. “Forks?”
Alise pointed with a knife.
They were nearly done when Mark made his way into the living room. He had changed his shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. He looked less tired and even sniffed the air then glanced at the dinner table and smiled. “Are we celebrating something?”
Rafe placed the last crystal glass on the table. Next to him, Alise finished folding a napkin, making it look like a flower, and decorated the glass with it. “No, just dinner,” she said.
“We’re celebrating your return, Uncle Mark.” Cassie carried a tray containing finger sandwiches. “Eat fast before the soup gets cold.”
“Soup?” Rafe blinked.
She nodded. “Mushroom soup.”
“We’re eating soup?” He made a long face as if he had been hoping for something more substantial
Alise mockingly patted his arm. “Now, don’t start being fussy…”
“Don’t worry about him. He’ll eat anything.” Vale waved a hand and helped Cassie with the tray.
Mark followed the exchange with curiosity as they moved closer to the table. He leaned in to whisper to Alise. “Are they part of some gang?”
On her other side, Rafe’s mouth twitched.
“Not one you would understand,” she whispered back, and Mark didn’t push it.
The conversation mostly revolved around Mark’s trip. He talked about distant places the others had only heard about. He traveled a lot, his business taking him to the oddest locations, but he was a smooth talker so his stories didn’t bore them. The Guardians pretended to be interested in the girls he had met. Cassie muttered under her breath, “I’d like to know how Sarah feels about that.”
“Sarah?” Mark raised his eyebrows at her. “She’s history.”
“I don’t think she got that memo,” Cassie replied, and Alise had to muffle a chuckle.
Mark’s off and on girlfriend refused to understand the meaning of the word “no”. She appeared by his side at all family reunions, and everyone thought she wasn’t going to give up until he surrendered and married her. No luck yet, but she was persistent.
“Well, I didn’t get these for her.” Mark retrieved two sets of necklaces and bracelets from his pocket—one made of red coral and one of turquoise—and handed them over to Cassie. “I got them for you. This old woman at the airport practically begged me to buy them.”
“Thanks,” Cassie murmured. She spread the threads with her fingers, a pleased smile on her face. Her uncle had an eye for nice things.
“I wasn’t prepared for guests. You’ll have to be a good girl and share them with your friend,” he told her, nodding towards Alise.
Cassie smiled and handed Alise the coral set, keeping the turquoise one for herself. Vale helped her put it on. Alise wrapped both the bracelet and the necklace around he
r wrist. The uneven pieces of coral bit into her skin, but the color complimented her shirt nicely.
“That looks dangerous,” Rafe commented, pointing with his fork at her choked wrist.
Mark grinned, not worried by the fact that he was offering jewelry to another man’s woman.
“They’re lovely. Thank you.” Cassie awkwardly leaned over the corner of the table to give her uncle a hug.
“Thanks,” Alise echoed her words.
“You’re both welcome. Anything for the two constant women in my life.”
“You forgot Mom,” Cassie said.
“Your mom doesn’t count,” Mark replied.
Cassie rolled her eyes. The ongoing family feud was the bane of her existence. “Okay. I’m going to get the main course. Everybody, don’t get up.” She waved her hands for them to remain in their seats.
Three pairs of eyes followed her as she headed to the kitchen.
Food! Food! the dogs chanted outside the back door, but no one hurried to let them in.
“What did the old lady do to you?” Rafe asked, reaching for the bottle to refill his glass. “Why the hate?”
“She got married at eighteen … to my brother.”
“Mark will never forgive her for that,” Alise added.
“Not in this lifetime.” Mark nodded. “She screwed up his life.” It didn’t matter that both of Cassie’s parents were accomplished doctors and had a wonderful daughter. In his opinion, the woman had still ruined his brother’s life.
“Well, something good came out of it,” Vale said, looking towards the kitchen.
Did he mean it, or he was just making conversation? Alise had to agree, though. She was glad Cassie was in her life.
Mark shrugged. “She must have gotten her determination from her mother. She definitely didn’t get her shitty cooking skills,” he said, pensively. “More wine?”
Vale held up his glass to be refilled.
“Umm … guys? I could use a hand in here,” Cassie called out.
Rafe and Alise looked at each other, alerted by the slight hint of panic in the girl’s voice. “Hold on! We’re coming!” Rafe rested a hand on Vale’s shoulder to keep him in his chair, then picked up two empty plates to carry into the kitchen.
Alise put her napkin down and followed him. They found Cassie standing in a corner between the sink and the fridge, staring with terrified eyes at the muddy mess overflowing from the oven.
“The soufflé is not supposed to do that,” she said, her voice shaking.
With Rafe having instinctively gone to Cassie to protect her, Alise stood closer to the oven so she placed her palm on the sticky mess coming out of it. Sparks ran all over the monster’s body, the mud trying to go up her arm. Lucky for her, Rafe wasn’t far. He opened the oven door wider and stabbed the monster with his blade. The bubbling stopped.
“Running out of juice, huh?” He glanced at her while keeping an eye on the oven.
The monster showed no sign of movement. It deflated and poured out of the oven, gathering in a muddy pool on the floor.
Pressing her lips tightly together, Alise walked to the sink to wash her hands. Drops of monster blood had collected on her new set of bracelets, and she kept her hand under the running water for a long time to wash it all off.
With Cassie still shaking in her corner, Rafe went to her. “It’s okay. We got it. Sorry about the soufflé. Is there anything left to eat?”
“Y-yeah…” Cassie nodded and gingerly walked to the stove, careful not to step into the pool of mud. She pulled the lid off a tray containing baked potatoes and steaks.
“Good.” Rafe gave an approving nod. “Take it to the table. We’ll be there in a minute.”
Cassie glanced worriedly at Alise, but when she also nodded, she did as she was told.
There was a long silence in the kitchen, then Alise frowned, asking, “How did it get in?”
Rafe shook his head. “I have no idea.”
“Not as monster-proof as you’d think, is it?” She made a grimace. They were nowhere near safe.
When they heard a muffled sound like an unfolding paper bag, Rafe narrowed his eyes and eyed the top row of cupboards, trying to identify the source.
“Third from the right,” Alise said quietly. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did.
Rafe pulled the door open and stabbed the growing thing right before it dropped on him.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only one. The second cupboard was full, too. Then the first from the left. And the second. And the fourth and fifth. Why did this kitchen have so many cupboards? It wasn’t like anyone used them, other than the monsters nesting inside. They were popping out like popcorn.
Alise pointed them out, and Rafe killed them one by one. It was creepy how she could feel their presence. She didn’t remember anything like that happening before. First wave. She didn’t know how, but she knew it was only the first wave. Rafe managed to keep up with the attack … barely. Like the previous day, it wasn’t a simple attack. It was an invasion, and it didn’t stop. She retreated towards the door. The kitchen was compromised.
Her foot slipped on the tiles, and something bubbled by her feet, so she jumped back. The monster wasn’t as dead as they had thought because it had slowly migrated towards her. Its edges had turned purple and started to scintillate. This couldn’t be a good sign. “Rafe! The floor!”
Rafe spun around. One look was all it took for him to forget about the cupboards and slide on his knees across the floor. With one hand, he slammed his blade against the ground with such force, a tile cracked. So did the monster. It turned into a solid mass that broke in several pieces. When Rafe pulled out the blade, the monster turned into sand, finally dead. As if commanded, the cupboard monsters did the same. Tiny dust particles rained over them.
“Well, this is new,” Rafe said, frowning at the monster residue, brushing it off his clothes. “I think they were connected.” He looked up at Alise.
“I don’t feel any others,” she said. “Do you?”
“No. But I’ll check again to make sure. You go.” He nodded towards the dining room.
She swallowed hard. If he had been taken by surprise, they were in way over their heads. Gorem was pulling out the big guns. In his determination to get to her, he was not going to let any Guardian stop him. “Don’t be long,” Alise murmured and left the kitchen. There was nothing else they could do.
Chapter Eleven
“We’re going to have an early night, eh, honey?” Rafe said.
It was close to midnight and with no other monsters making an appearance, the men had bonded over drinks—much to Alise’s dismay. The more time passed, the less annoying Mark became to all of them. It wasn’t because of the drinking, alcohol hardly affected the Guardians, but since it gave them a reason to retire for the night, and after having exchanged a glance with Cassie to make sure she was going to be all right, Alise nodded submissively.
“I have to study some more for my exam,” Cassie said and looked at Vale. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No problem,” he said.
“Oh, right. How’s school?” Mark asked.
School was not a subject to be concerned about. His niece did well and got good grades more often than not. If there had been a problem, her mother would have been on it. Cassie deserved some time off from her family during the school year.
“School’s fine.” Cassie hid a yawn behind her hand. Everything else was a mess.
They got up from their seats and said goodnight.
“Goodnight, kids!” Mark said as he poured himself one last drink. “I think I’m going to call Sarah…”
“He’s hopeless,” Cassie said while they walked along the corridor. “Who wants to bet she’ll be joining us for breakfast tomorrow?” She grumbled. “I’m not crazy about her, but she really shouldn’t be here right now.”
“We’ll deal with it when she comes,” Rafe said quietly then raised his voice to be heard in the living room. �
��I can’t wait to put that guestroom to good use!” It earned him an elbow in the ribs and a glare, but he caught Alise’s arm, preventing her from bringing any more damage to his body. “Relax. I’m not making you sleep on the floor.”
He kept holding her by the arm until they reached the room and only then released her. Once he closed the door, they found themselves alone for the first time since morning.
Alise rubbed her arm and sat on the edge of the wide bed, frowing at Rafe.
With his hands on his hips, he stood there, a concentrated expression on his face. “I’m going out to check on things. Don’t leave the room.”
She wanted to point out that, if there was another attack in his absence, it would be wiser for her to do it, but he had already left. She put her feet up and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Outside, the dogs were yapping. Something evil is here!
A shiver ran down her back. Indeed, evil was there.
This time, she got no hint at the place it might strike. She just had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Absentmindedly, she scratched at her wrist where the coral had irritated her skin. The itch increased to the point that she sat up in bed, trying to remove the bracelet, but it wouldn’t come off. She watched with morbid fascination as her fingertips became transparent and disappeared. She didn’t have enough magic left to fight the overwhelming force that slowly dragged her away.
“Rafe?” The word came out more like a whimper.
Unlike her wrist, which kept burning, her palm didn’t hurt, although the void had eaten more than half her fingers by the time he ran back into the room.
The Guardian didn’t hesitate. Kneeling on the bed, he caught her arm with one hand, holding a blade in the other. With no space between the wrist and the bracelet—the sharp coral pieces were biting deeply into her skin—he went for the easiest choice. He sliced right through it. The blade tore her wrist open, blood gushing out freely, but it also split the threads in half.
Alise clutched the arm against her chest with a stifled cry of pain.
