by Peter Glenn
“Your nephew’s location. Where is it?”
“Oh. It’s in Australia. Near Julimar National Forest, to be exact. But like I said, it’s probably a silly idea to bring you to begin with and–”
“I’ll do it.”
I choked on my next words. “You’ll what now?”
LaLuna sat up straighter and stared straight at me. “I said I’ll do it. I’ll help you and your brother out.”
“But Grace. Who will watch Grace when you’re gone?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “Mei will do it. I talked to her about having some time off with you soon anyway. Said she’d be delighted to help.”
Mei. That cunning little witch. She would have said something like that, too. Her way of helping repair things without interfering too directly.
“It’s okay,” I told LaLuna. “We’ll go through the normal channels and get a pass. I don’t want to bother you too much.”
LaLuna stared at me with a bemused expression in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Damian? Afraid of going somewhere with little old me, are you?”
“No, of course, not. It’s just…”
“Just what, exactly?”
But the next words I had planned to say never left my mouth. A loud screeching noise from outside filled the air, stopping both of us in our tracks, in addition to waking the baby.
8
The horrible screeching sound only lasted for a few moments, then it was gone as quickly as it had come.
“What the hell was that?” I was pretty sure the noise had come from outside, but other than that, it could have been almost anything from an angry owl to a truck getting cut into tiny pieces.
LaLuna shot up from her spot and bolted toward the nursery, practically throwing her chair to the side in the process. I joined her soon after. Even if the noise had come from outside, there was no way to be certain little Grace wasn’t the target. It could have been someone trying to break into the house through a wall.
My heart raced as I rounded the corner to the nursery room to see LaLuna holding baby Grace in her arms. Much to my delight, neither of them looked to be hurt in the slightest, although Grace was starting to cry and looked a bit cranky. The room itself was also completely intact. No gaping holes in the walls or anything odd.
“Thank goodness she’s okay,” I said. In the same moment, I let go of a breath I’d been holding onto the whole time. If anything had happened to her…
LaLuna rocked the baby up and down a few times to calm her crying. “Indeed.” She flashed me a small smile then turned her attention back to Grace, shushing her and bouncing her on her arm. “Shh. It’s okay, little girl. Mommy and Damian are here for you. I’ve got you.”
The combination seemed to settle Grace down a bit. She stopped crying and looked over in my direction, holding out one little hand toward me. With a huge grin on my face, I walked over and held out a thumb, which she grabbed onto with all the strength she could muster, squeezing it extra tight.
“Hi sweetie,” I said, beaming at her. “Sorry your nap got disturbed like that.”
Grace smiled up at me and cooed a little, which melted my heart even further.
A strange look washed over LaLuna’s face, and she tugged on my shirt sleeve. “Damian? Whoever made that noise is probably still out there.”
My stomach lurched. I probably should have thought of that, too. My free hand went to Grax’thor’s hilt, and I wrestled my other thumb away from the baby as I darted for the door.
“Be right back,” I called over my shoulder.
As I traversed the short distance to the outside of the house, I readied myself for battle, unsheathing my sword and calming my reflexes to be ready for anything.
No one knew that Grace and LaLuna were here. No one but Mei and I, and neither of us would tell anyone else. This place was a secret. A small town on the map that most people didn’t even know existed. Nothing happened here worse than the occasional trucker over-sleeping their nap and leaving late in the morning. Surely nothing that would have caused that awful noise.
Muscles tense and ready, I flung open the door to LaLuna’s place and in one smooth motion flew into the gap, sword held out in front to catch any would-be ambushers.
But in the cold afternoon air, I sensed nothing. No attackers. No assassins. There was no one there, just me and Sevin’s car.
I strode forward anyway, practically running, until I could get a good view of the entire house. It didn’t take long. The place wasn’t all that big. I surveyed the property as best I could, but I didn’t see anyone hanging out outside it on any side.
Still, something didn’t sit right with me. Whatever made that noise had done it on purpose. It couldn’t have come from an accident on the road, or there’d be debris there.
I started walking back toward the house when my eyes finally fell on Sevin’s car. Specifically on the driver’s side front door. There was a big scratch along the side of it that hadn’t been there before. Several scratches, really. It looked like they spelled out a couple of words.
At about the same time, LaLuna came out her front door, holding onto baby Grace.
“Get back inside!” I scowled at them. “They could still be here somewhere!”
LaLuna waved a hand dismissively, and I could see the blue gemstone there flaring to life. She’d managed to don her combat outfit in the time I’d been outside skulking about.
I should have known. It only made sense. And it made me feel a bit better to have backup.
“Fine,” I growled. “You can look around with me.”
Truth be told, with her magic, she was far stronger than I was. I’d had the displeasure to fight against a fae guardian one-on-one once, and it hadn’t gone well. If it hadn’t been for LaLuna saving me at the end, I wouldn’t be here right now.
Which wasn’t an altogether bad thing, but that’s a topic for another day.
LaLuna wasn’t technically a full guardian, but she’d had most of the training and was every bit as deadly as one. So I couldn’t really argue with her being out here with me if she wanted to. Safety in numbers and all that.
The two of us did another sweep of the property, but no one was there. The only evidence of anyone’s passing by were the scratch marks on Sevin’s car door.
I returned my attention to the car, squinting at the scratches to spell out what they said. “Turn back,” I said hesitantly. I was pretty sure that’s what the message on the car door said.
“Turn back?” LaLuna asked. “From what?”
I shrugged. “From the investigation into Bao’s disappearance, I guess.”
“Well, I guess that makes one thing quite clear,” LaLuna said.
“That Sevin’s going to kill me?” I replied.
He totally was, too. I’d always been careful with his car, but once he saw his baby with that level of damage? I’d never see the car again, I was sure of it.
“No,” LaLuna said, laughing. “It means I’m coming with you after all.”
I frowned. “How do you figure?”
LaLuna sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? The whole point of me being here is so no one knows where I am. If someone was able to follow you all the way out here and do something like this, it means this place is no longer safe. So you have to take me with you now.” She was grinning something fierce at me.
I thought about her words for a moment. She had a point. Ravensdale was no longer safe for her. At least not while this investigation was ongoing. After it was over, maybe things would settle down. But right now? Whoever had it out for me for looking into Bao’s disappearance could easily come after her again when I wasn’t there. LaLuna had to find someplace new to hide.
Not that anywhere near me was a safe place, either, but if she was with me, then Grace would be with Mei. And there was no place in the whole world safer for anyone than by Mei’s side.
“So?” LaLuna asked impatiently. “Am I coming along or what?”
I bit my lip. I hated everything a
bout this. All of it. But what choice did I have, really?
“Well, hell,” I said at last. “I guess you are.”
LaLuna laughed again and shot me a playful gaze. “Sound happier about it, why don’t you?”
Early the next morning, we arrived at the airport with tickets in hand to go to Australia. Huifang had apparently sprung for first class tickets, which was nice, because there was no way I could have even afforded coach by myself, and I knew LaLuna wasn’t exactly rich, either.
I told Taio to thank his wife for me as I stared down at the boarding pass in equal parts glee and disbelief.
The night before had been… interesting to say the least. I’d picked up Taio, and we’d all driven to Sevin’s place, where I dropped him off. Sevin’s place was roomier than mine, so it made sense to go there. Then we’d dropped Grace off at Mei’s.
And when we got back to Sevin’s, well, of all things, we found Taio mucking about in the kitchen. Somehow, he’d had the nerve to find enough ingredients to put together a traditional Chinese meal and was just about finished with it.
The cad.
How he’d managed the feat, I had no idea, but it had impressed LaLuna. She’d asked me when I was going to cook for her like that. Never was the obvious answer, but instead, I just sat there with my cheeks burning while she lavished Taio with compliments.
Part of me figured it was some perverse way of getting back at me for the way I’d treated her on Valentine’s, and the worst part about that was I couldn’t even fault her for it. She had every right to dig at me like that.
Anyway, after that, we’d had to figure out sleeping arrangements. Fortunately, Sevin had two whole bedrooms—not that I understood why—but we still had to fit four grown adults in there, and with LaLuna not feeling up to sharing a bed with me, it meant I was on the couch.
No matter. I’d slept on my own couch several times, and Sevin’s was a far cry better than mine was. Still, the fact that LaLuna had asked for a separate bed still stung a little. Even if I did understand and agree with her reasoning.
“Have fun in Australia,” Sevin called to me as he waved us off.
He hadn’t said a thing about the damage to his car. Not last night, nor this morning as he’d driven us all to the airport. But I could hear it in his voice. The way he didn’t even manage to put on his snooty fake French accent. He was pissed about it.
I’d have to find a way to make it up to him somehow.
“You too!” I shouted after him like a moron, instantly regretting my turn of phrase. How is it that I’ve lived for three hundred and seventeen years, and I don’t know the right time to use “you too”?
Oh well. He’d appreciate the sentiment. I hoped.
Sevin peeled off and merged into the rest of the traffic a second later. I swore for a half second I saw him flipping me off, but he disappeared so quickly I couldn’t quite be sure. But I supposed if he did, I deserved that, too, even if I hadn’t been directly responsible for the car’s damage. It had still happened under my watch.
“So, where’s the gate?” Taio asked, frowning at his own ticket.
I glanced down at my phone. I was using a virtual ticket. The letters were a little blurry in the dim morning light. “Gate N4, it says.” I let out a deep breath. “Leaves in two hours, which should give us just enough time to get through security.”
Taio nodded. “Well, let’s get to it then, shall we?”
My eyes trailed over to LaLuna, who seemed a little more distant this morning than she had the night prior. Why, though, I couldn’t quite tell. Maybe she was just missing Grace. I couldn’t blame her on that one. The two of them didn’t spend a lot of time apart. Mei was an awesome babysitter, though.
Shrugging, I nodded at Taio and picked up the bags. Somehow on the trip over, I’d managed to agree to take the bags for everyone, even Taio. I still wasn’t sure how that had happened, but I wasn’t about to back down now.
I groaned as I lifted all three bags. Taio’s was, of course, the heaviest. What, did he have rocks in there? It wouldn’t surprise me. With another grunt, we all took off and headed into the airport proper.
Baggage drop-off and security didn’t take too long. Thankfully, they were running a tight ship that morning, and we got through without a hitch. Also, I’d actually remembered my passport, which saved us all a lot of hassle.
I’d forgotten it once a while back, and it had caused quite the escapade. But this time, I was as prepared as everyone else, and we managed to board the plane without any further incident. We even grabbed a small bite to eat at one of the overpriced airport restaurants before boarding. I’d argued against it, but Taio, showing off his nearly defunct good side, had insisted and picked up the check for the full bill.
If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn the guy was turning over a new leaf. But I did know better, and it had to be some sort of ploy I just hadn’t figured out yet.
Several minutes later, we walked down the boarding ramp. Everyone was being eerily quiet, and it unnerved me, but I tried not to let it bug me.
First class was a new experience for me. There were only two seats next to each other, if the chairs could even be called “seats”. They were more like little mini offices that could convert to beds. Or at least that’s how it all appeared to my eyes.
Each chair had its own set of armrests with an LED screen that popped out of one of them, along with a pullout table where you could set down your food or presumably do your work on your laptop with minimal fuss or interruption.
Which was all well and good to me, because I wasn’t in the mood to talk to either Taio or LaLuna all that much at the moment.
Even so, there would be a full row between one of them while only a small space between me and the other, so I had to choose who I sat next to carefully. Make the wrong choice, and I’d regret it for fourteen hours. Or longer.
One furtive glance at LaLuna’s equally hesitant eyes told me all I needed to know. She was going to want to talk. A lot. And I wasn’t ready for that just yet.
Groaning, I made my choice. “Taio, why don’t you sit next to me?”
To his credit, he looked adequately pleased and shocked. “Certainly, little brother.”
LaLuna huffed a little and maneuvered on past the both of us, taking her place in the next row. As she passed me, I caught a hint of a wry smile on her lips, almost like she’d planned it that way from the get-go.
Had she outsmarted me to earn herself a little peace and quiet on this long flight? I made to get up and go after her and change my selection, but she was already settling into her seat and flashed me a smug grin.
Damn.
With a sigh and a heavy heart, I finally took my seat next to Taio.
“I’m not in a talkative mood,” I told him without being prompted.
“Very well,” he replied. He settled back into his seat and started closing his eyes.
“So don’t come to me and try to start something or anything, okay?” I pressed. “Are we clear?”
Taio eyed me cautiously. “Yes, brother. We are clear.” He laid his head back against his headrest and closed his eyes again.
“You know, just because we’re brothers and I’m helping you, it doesn’t mean that we have to talk to one another or anything.” I shot him an icy glare, which he didn’t even have the decency to see. “You get that, right?”
Taio turned to look at me and sighed. “Yes, brother. I understand. I won’t speak unless you ask me to.”
I nodded. “Yes. Right. Well, good.”
Huh. That had gone so much better than I’d thought it was going to. I’d thought he was going to try and talk my ear off about some sore subject or another from the past, but he’d folded nice and quick, just like I’d asked.
It was uncanny. He was never nice to me. What was going on?
“Because just to be clear,” I added, “I’m not going to come asking you for anything. You and me, we don’t have that kind of relationship.”
/> Taio let out another long sigh. “What is it, Li? What’s eating at you, exactly?”
“Me?” I balked and pointed at my own chest. “What’s eating at me?”
Taio nodded. “Yes, brother. Something must be the matter for you to keep pestering me so.”
Was something the matter? Did I really want to talk to him deep down, and I was just ignoring the impulse? I supposed I was pushing the issue quite a bit. He had folded nice and quick. So what was up with me?
“You, that’s what!” I blurted out as the answer came to me. “Coming up here and interrupting my good life the way you did. And for your kid’s benefit, no less. Something you knew I wouldn’t be able to turn down.”
Taio looked taken aback. He blinked his eyes a few times then gave me a hard stare. “Yeah? And what of it?”
My cheeks flushed with anger. “And? We haven’t talked to each other in twenty-three years is what! The last time you said anything to me, it was about how disappointed you were in me. And then you show up a few days ago, all smiles and worried about your kid. What’s up with that? Why the sudden change of heart?”
Taio gave me a flat look, then turned away and closed his eyes once more. “Can a person not have a change of heart, brother?”
“Heh,” I muttered. “A person can, sure. But you?” I shook my head. “You’re much too hard for that. There’s no way you could change that quickly.”
Taio shrugged. “Believe what you will, Li. It’s the truth.”
“Yeah? Well I’m going to go with no on that one. Not for you.”
He let out another long sigh. “It’s Bao’s fault, really,” Taio said after a moment. “Having children has changed me in ways that I didn’t think were possible at first. It’s softened me a little. Made me realize that not all grudges are worth keeping. Not all battles worth winning. Sometimes, it’s best just to let things go and let the past stay in the past.
“It hasn’t been easy by any stretch, but as a parent, I had to come to realize that I didn’t have full control over my own children, let alone just about anything else. And it made me realize that I had to let go of my anger, or my son would never want to speak to me again.” He paused for a moment. “So I did. I let go. And my relationship with him has been all the better for it. And if that was true for him, well, then it would stand to reason it was true for other people I care about as well.”
