It all fell on his shoulders, one way or another. The wight poison was his battle to fight alone, clearly, but even beyond that he was responsible for the safety and wellbeing of his family and his neighbors. Sebastian was a great handyman and a good problem solver, but Kai knew that he was much more powerful than his younger brother, so the bulk of the Village problems fell to him. He had to deal with the lease renewals coming up. He had to finish that stupid paperwork so they could get moving on the repairs to the roof at the very least. He had to—
“Come on, little girlie. I know some folks who’d love to meet you. Nice and easy and you don’t get hurt.” The oddly muffled voice made Kai’s fur stand on end. Every one of his senses went on alert, and he padded silently over towards the speakers. It was early, just barely dawn, and Kai was surprised to hear voices at all, let alone sounds of a scuffle. Usually all the patrols did anymore was leave him with another sleepless night to add to his tally, but now he was glad for his restlessness.
“Get away from me!” The girl’s voice that answered was young, but old enough to sound confident.
“I’m bigger and faster and stronger than you are, girlie.”
Kai could see them now. The girl was a little older than he’d thought, but still a young teen. She was sneering up at her attacker, her brown ponytail bobbing as she shook her head and snarled a reply. The man, however, was what really caught his attention. He wore one of those rubber wolf man masks that covered his whole head and down his neck. He also wore thin gloves that covered the skin on his hands and were painted to match the disguise. Jeans and a long black trench coat that he could have ordered from a Matrix fan site completed his kidnapper chic outfit. Still, for all his effort, the man was still merely human. As was the girl, but there was a scent to her that marked her as one of his people. She’d spent a fair amount of time at the Village, and that was more than enough for Kai.
“They’ll complain if you’re dinged up, but they’ll still take you.” The man took a step closer to his intended victim, but Kai moved much faster. He was between the two, snarling loudly at the wannabe movie monster. Kai felt that making an impression in his coyote skin was called for here, and as such allowed his body to grow a bit, so that when he turned to glance at the girl he looked her straight in the eye. He noticed that she didn’t even blink at the demonstration, just met his glance squarely and returned her attention to her attacker.
“You should get out of here. Seems like my friend likes you even less than I do, which is saying something,” she sneered. Kai would have grinned if his face could do that at the moment. As it was, he settled for turning back to the attacker and taking a slow step forward, growling loudly. The man retreated quickly.
“I’ll be back for you, girlie. I got a job to do,” he snarled before turning and running off down the path. Kai debated for a second whether to follow him and try to learn his identity, but a small hand landed on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” the girl said. She stared after her attacker as well, making sure that he was actually gone. She swallowed heavily and shivered. “That was terrifying. I wish Dad was here.” Kai shook himself and stepped back from her hand, and tipped his head at her for a moment, considering. Then, with a canine shrug he stepped back into his human form.
“Woah. I’ve never met a real werewolf before. That was amazing! I’m Cassandra Wells. Call me Cassie.” She held her hand out. Kai had to grin now. She was a bit of a firecracker, this one.
“Kai Russell. I’ve never in my life met someone so relaxed about seeing that for the first time. And I’m not a werewolf,” he said, shaking her hand.
“Oh. But…”
“I do have animal forms that I can take, it’s true. No wolves though, that was my coyote form. I also have a fox form that I’m naturally born to, and a few others that I can wedge myself into if I need to, but I don’t very often. Obaachan was a kitsune and my father has more than a few tricks of his own.”
“Obaachan? What’s a kitsune?” Cassie asked. She tipped her head to the side and glanced back down the path where the kidnapper had disappeared. Kai put his hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to face towards the trail up to the Village.
“Obaachan is Japanese for Grandmother—well, a bit less formal than that, actually. More like ‘Gramma’— and a kitsune is a Japanese fox spirit,” he said. “I’m kind of an American mixed breed, if you will. You’re Marcus’ step-daughter, then? It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Yeah. Dad was out all night looking for work, I guess. He left a note on the table, but I thought I’d go for a walk before I went to school. I didn’t think there would be too much danger nearby, considering…” She fidgeted with the zipper on her jacket.
“Considering there’s an entire community of spirits here?” Kai filled in for her. “It’s okay, I understand what you mean. Unfortunately, there is still a whole world out here, spirits or not. We do our best to keep the area safe, but we’ve had some trouble recently, and your dad told us about the hunters, so you should be extra careful. Maybe get Doc and Sarah to whip up a protection charm or something, just in case,” he said. Kai didn’t like the idea that Cassie could be wandering around on her own.
“I don’t know who they are,” she said. “I haven’t really met many people here.”
“Doc runs the Apothecary tea shop and Sarah helps her out. They’re both witches, and they’re both good at what they do. They’ll set you up with something if you ask.” Kai opened the gate and ushered Cassie through. “So. How are you settling in here? Is the school okay?”
“It’s nice to not be running anymore. I know Dad was doing his best, but it sucked,” Cassie said.
“But…” Kai grinned at her. He could hear the unspoken word clear as day. They were walking past the small playground area. It hadn’t seen many kids since the wights showed up there and seeing it empty felt lonely to Kai. The chill started creeping up his back again.
“But the kids don’t talk to me much here,” Cassie frowned. “I dunno. Maybe it’s because of what Dad is, I guess. At my old school nobody knew anything about paranormals and stuff. At school here, everyone kinda assumes that if the other kids from here don’t want to hang out with me, then there’s something wrong with me, and so I don’t really have any friends yet.”
“That’s stupid,” Kai said. He glanced up and bowed slightly at Mr. Young, who was starting off on his daily walk along the creek. Mr. Young smiled and nodded back, a second nod aimed at Cassie. “Looks like you have two friends here at least.” Kai grinned.
“He’s nice. He always smiles at me when he sees me, but he never talks. I couldn’t tell if he liked me or not,” Cassie said.
“It’s not just you. Mr. Young doesn’t talk to anyone. Well, not out loud anyw—”
“Cassie! Cassie, where are you?” The edge of panic in Marcus’ voice was clear even though he was out of sight.
“Dad!” Cassie called and took off running towards the sound. Kai caught up with them in time to see him wrap his arms around her and shudder.
“God, Cass, I thought something awful had happened.” Marcus’ voice cracked when he spoke.
“Dad! What are you doing outside? The sun’s up!” Cassie said, but then ducked her head. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Considering everything, maybe it would be best if you didn’t go out alone for a while,” Kai said. The sunshine crested the wall and felt warm on his back, and the obvious concern Marcus had for Cassie warmed his heart.
“Dad, you’re burning! Come on, hurry,” Cassie pulled him in towards the dark apartment. Kai followed, frowning. When they got inside, he realized that Marcus was indeed burning, angry blisters forming on all the exposed skin.
“God, Marcus!” Kai hauled his phone from his pocket and was dialing before he’d really looked. “Doc, bring your kit over to Marcus’ place. He’s been in the sun and it looks bad.”
“Be there in five minutes. Start by getting him to drink a glass of
water.” The line went dead.
“Cass, get him a glass of water, Doc’s on the way. Marcus, what were you thinking, man?” Kai was dialing again. “Seb, could you come over to Marcus’ place? We have problems.”
“I was looking for Cass. I don’t care if I get burned a little, it’s just skin.” Marcus slumped on his sofa while Cassie fluttered around, bringing him the water and making sure that the heavy velvet curtains were closed all the way to block out the sunshine. “I got back and you were gone. I thought…”
“Drink that water, man. You’re no use to anyone as a crispy fried vampire,” Kai growled and dialed a third number. “Cass, how much time do you have before school?”
“Um, I should be there in about half an hour. I got my stuff ready before I went for my walk,” she said. Kai nodded.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jennifer. Judah and Asher still there?” He asked.
“Yeah. The boys’re just about to head out though.”
“Think they could take Cassie to school on their way? I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure.” Kai heard her voice, now sounding muffled, and a faint reply. “They’re on their way now. There been trouble?”
“Yeah, of the distinctly weird kind. Might as well come over yourself, too. I’ll tell you guys all at the same time.” He hung up the phone and looked at his new neighbor.
“I guess I’m having a party,” Marcus said. The pain made his voice thin. He had only left his head and his hands uncovered, but when Doc came in she made him remove his shirt and it was clear that the cotton fabric hadn’t been much of a defense against the sun. The giant blisters stopped at his wrists and collar, but that was small comfort when they stared at the angry red skin.
“Wow,” Doc said. Cassie looked like she might be sick when she left with Judah and Asher, despite everyone’s reassurances. Kai had a brief word with them before they left, warning them that she may be targeted, and the two high schoolers looked determined as they walked out of the building. Still, their naturally optimistic natures were already showing through, and Kai hoped that they would be able to cheer the girl up a bit before they dropped her off. Sebastian and Sarah passed them in the door, and Kai felt like it was story time.
“I’ll be honest, Marcus,” Kai sighed as he flopped into another chair. Doc was still working, spreading her special sunburn lotion over the unblistered parts of the burn. “I’d rather nobody go running blindly into danger and getting fried like that, but your instincts are pretty good.” He watched as Sarah dropped down next to Doc to help with the first aid.
“What happened?” Marcus asked. He struggled to sit up, flinching as his skin rubbed against itself and the cushions of the sofa. Doc glared him back into submission while Kai went on.
“I was out for a walk myself this morning and found Cassie in the middle of a kidnapping attempt.” Kai held his hand up when Marcus started to launch himself off the sofa. “As far as I saw the guy hadn’t even laid a hand on her, and he certainly didn’t after I got there. She was doing a great job of being loud and standing up for herself, too, but if you two could make up a charm or something for her, I bet we’d all be happier.” Kai glanced at Doc, who just nodded and went back to tending Marcus.
“I don’t know how fast a lidérc heals, but you should stay as quiet as you can till you’re in better shape. Lots of liquids, too,” she said. Marcus just nodded.
“So, there’s some guy trying to kidnap Cassie? You think it’s the hunters?” Sebastian asked.
“I have no idea,” Kai said, dragging a hand through his hair. “But he was dressed up like a movie wolf man.”
Everyone just stared at him.
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked after a few moments.
“I mean he was wearing a full rubber head mask and gloves. Real Lon Chaney Jr. wolf man style,” Kai said. “And the part that really makes me nervous? One of the things he said is that he’d be back, that he had a job to do.”
“Oh shit,” Sebastian said.
“Yeah,” Kai said. “And I heard a couple of girls talking at the Apothecary the other day. Apparently, he’s tried to jump some other people in the neighborhood. We need to get the patrols going again. I really don’t want anyone— especially kids— out there unescorted.”
“We’re on it.” Sebastian and Jennifer nodded and stood, leaving Doc and Sarah to finish bandaging Marcus’ hands. There wasn’t much they could do about his face without making him look like The Mummy, and Kai pointed out that they’d already had enough Hollywood movie monsters for one day.
Kai shivered and closed his eyes, rubbing his hand over his forehead. Out of the warm sunshine now, he felt the chill crawling over his own skin. Where Marcus was roasting, he was freezing again.
“Kai,” Marcus’ voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. “Thank you.”
“She’s a good kid,” Kai said. “You should have heard her, dishing out as good as she got. Not bad for what, eleven?” Marcus nodded and smiled after wincing.
“She’s so much like her mom,” Marcus said.
“I know you know to stay inside today and well out of the sun. I’ll be back after we close up and check in on you. You too, Kai. Don’t think I can’t see you shiver. Unlike Marcus, you should be out there in the sunshine.” Doc stuck her finger in his face. “And don’t make me come drag you out there. I want you sunbathing by the pool for at least two hours, you hear me? I want to hear people talking about the lazy bum apartment manager lying on his stomach by the pool today.”
“Yes ma’am,” Kai rolled his eyes as soon as her back was turned and she hustled out the door, leaving the two alone in the dimly lit room.
7
Looks like we have opposite problems,” Marcus said. “I need to stay out of the sun so I don’t roast, and you need to get into it to thaw out.” He smiled at Kai, wincing when the skin on his face crinkled and stretched.
“We had some trouble with wights a few weeks back. One of them got a lucky blow to my back,” Kai shrugged. “And listen, don’t worry about Cassie. Judah and Asher will keep an eye on her now that they know something’s up. If this is the hunters after you again, they won’t get either of you. Those two are natural guardians. It’s in their blood.”
“Blood is the whole problem here, isn’t it?” Marcus sighed. “Nobody can help what they were born as. It’s not like I asked to be a monster.”
“You’re not a monster,” Kai said.
“I am. You don’t have to be gentle with me about it, I know what I am. I don’t know why I ended up less greedy than others of my kind, but we are known to drain the life energy out of our victims entirely, and it’s not much of an exaggeration. One of us gets a little unfocused, or extra hungry…” Marcus tipped his head back to rest it on the sofa cushions and he stared at the gloom gathered on the ceiling.
“Is that how you feed? I’ll admit that I don’t know a lot about your kind,” Kai asked. He’d done some research once Marcus had moved in, but the internet was not the world’s most reliable source for true facts regarding spirits.
Marcus nodded gently. “In a manner of speaking,” he said. “It’s the energy of life that sustains my kind and gives us our power. That’s how I started working as security for clubs. One good night at a dance club and there’s so much energy floating around the room I almost feel drunk just standing there. And it’s not just one person, it’s a whole room full of people giving it off freely, so I don’t feel like I’m hurting anyone. Definitely not any single person. Personally, I’d rather be sitting in a quiet room with maybe just a couple of friends, maybe just me and a movie, but a guy needs to eat, you know?”
Kai grinned, “You’re an awfully introverted vampire, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” Marcus grinned back for a moment, before his face started to fall again. “And then when I met Samantha, it almost felt like I was being unfaithful to keep working at the club, but she insisted I keep going. She pointed out that I didn’t want to fail her,
and if I died of starvation or accidentally overfed on her I would be failing her. Do you know how to destroy a lidérc?” Marcus glanced over at Kai who shook his head.
“We are, as a species, stubborn and prideful. If you are in danger from a lidérc, what you do is you think of an impossible task. Fill a sieve with water. Carry sand in a fishing net. Count all the grains of sand on a beach. Assign that task to the lidérc you fear, and we’re compelled to do it. Really clever people will make sure the task keeps us in the sun long enough to be destroyed.”
“Classic fairy tale solution, then? Nice,” Kai said.
“Yeah, it really is. And much more useful to people than having to carry around a silver bullet or a wooden stake or whatever. The tasks don’t really stack though, so I’d have to finish the first task before taking on a second. Sam knew that, bless the woman. When she finally set me a task, she didn’t do it so I would be distracted. She didn’t want to escape, she wanted to make sure that I would stay, and that I would be safe and healthy. So, she thought up the most impossible task she could, and I’m well and truly snared by it, and for a long time I couldn’t have been happier,” Marcus closed his eyes, and Kai knew he was thinking of his wife. “She dared me to be the best parent to Cassie I could possibly be, so that Cass would always know how loved and precious she is.”
“That’s…” Kai let it sink into his mind, understanding exactly how carefully Samantha Wells had thought about it. It made his heart ache for the man. “That’s beautiful. She must have been a very smart lady.”
“She was,” Marcus agreed with a smile, and he opened his eyes to look at Kai. “It means that I am compelled to do what I wanted to do with all my heart, for as long as it’s possible to do it, without having to worry about someone else drawing on the compulsion. And it means that I have to take relatively good care of myself so that I can complete my task. I would not be exaggerating now if I said that I lived for Cassie.”
“Running out into daylight seems like pretty much the opposite of taking care of yourself,” Kai said. He understood though. It was absolutely the reaction of a father.
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