Just then Barry honks the horn. I startle and lean around Seth to give Barry the nastiest glare I can manage, which makes Seth laugh.
These next few hours had better go quickly.
***
When we get home, we find Leland in the kitchen. It looks like a flour bomb went off in here. There’s flour everywhere, including all over Alex.
“You do know that the flour is supposed to go into the bowl, right?” Barry laughs.
“I know that, but Alex doesn’t. Baking with munchkins is never a clean experience, as you can see,” he smiles, and I notice he even has a bit of flour in his eyelashes.
I giggle, “Sure, blame the one-year-old.” I kneel down to Alex on the flour dusted floor. “Mean Daddy,” I say and wipe some flour off his cheek.
“Hey! No teaching him new phrases!” he laughs as he points his whisk at me.
“Why are you making a cake?” Henry asks.
“Your mother wants real chocolate cake. So, that’s what I’m doing, making her a real chocolate cake,” he says as he checks the recipe. “According to her, the hospital only serves fake chocolate.”
“Fake chocolate?” Barry repeats, and Leland shrugs.
“Do you need any help here?” I ask.
“Bathe Alex?” he laughs.
***
Filling the hours until Seth arrives is my goal, but as it turns out, I miscalculated by about an hour. I bathed Alex, cleaned the kitchen, helped with dinner, did my homework, and took a shower.
I decide to sit at my desk and work on my soldier sketch, but my eyelids are so heavy. It’s an epic battle to keep them open. I keep trying to talk to myself and move my feet around, to stay awake.
I give up. I should go bug Henry and Barry, they’re entertaining enough.
I lean back in my chair to stretch and I freeze.
My walls have gone from white to baby blue, like my old room. I look down at my desk, seeing my planner and a textbook in the place of my soldier drawing.
What the hell?
Someone starts knocking on my door. A constant rapping of knuckles, it echoes through the room and pounds in my eardrums.
I can’t deal with this room, or that noise.
I growl as I open the door.
My mouth pops open.
Standing in my doorway is my dead sister, Sophie, light brown, wavy hair that hugs her shoulders, slim pink cheeks, wide stormy grey eyes, and a small round nose. Exactly how I remember her.
She raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow and taps her foot.
I reach out and poke her arm, when my finger meets the resistance of skin and I gasp, she’s really here! I launch myself into her arms and can’t hold back my sobs.
It’s a miracle!
I saw them pull her mangled body out of Dad’s car.
She can’t be here.
“Jazzy? Honey, what’s wrong?” she asks as she pats my back.
I blubber and stutter. “I don’t understand! How . . . When... How are you standing here?”
“Silly, what’s gotten into you? You knew I was coming home this week for break!” she laughs.
Then everything goes black.
No! Not now! I just got her back!
“Sophie, you have to run!” I yell.
She screams and goes limp in my arms.
“No!” I scream, as we fall to the floor in a heap.
I roll her to her back and check her pulse. My heart breaks for her all over again.
“You have to wake up! I need you!” I yell. “I just got you back. I can’t do this without you Sophie! Come back!”
When I stand back up to find help, something invisible knocks me backwards. My head cracks off the corner of my nightstand, on the opposite side of the room.
I try to roll over when invisible hands grab my throat and squeeze. I fight the invisible person but there’s nothing there to fight.
Something scratches at the door, but I don’t remember it being closed. My vision starts spotting as a wolf finally bursts through the door, and I’m able to breathe again.
My body starts shaking, the demented looking wolf, with two heads, trying to fight off something invisible sends me screaming all over again.
“Jazzy, can you hear me?”
I hear him, but I can’t find him. I can’t even tell who it is. The words sound garbled, like a bad cellular connection.
“Wake up, dammit!” someone yells.
“Squirt, I need you to open your eyes.” That’s my uncle. Where is he?
“Nap time is over, Princess!” I hear Barry yell.
My eyes open wide, everything looks clearer, sounds clearer and I’m looking up into three scared, and alive, faces.
Yep, Barry looks scared, too.
“Oh, thank God.” My uncle’s shoulders sag with relief.
Henry and Barry are going to rip me a new one in about two minutes.
I hold my breath and wait for them to shout.
Henry leans towards me, puts his arm under my neck and the other under my legs, and stands.
Holy shit!
He lifted me off the floor! I was in my chair!
My hand flies up to latch onto Henry, but seeing red I freeze.
“You’re the only one that knows what happened,” he whispers. “Barry is calling Fane, Seth, and Athan.” He sits me down on the counter in the bathroom and starts feeling through my hair for where the cut is. “They’re going to have to tell Leland, he’s really worried about you,” he sighs. I wince as he presses a washcloth to the back of my head. “It’s just a small scratch. Keep pressure on it and clean up. We’ll take care of your room, and I’ll bring you something comfy to wear,” he says with a sigh and shuts the door behind him.
I hop off the counter, take a deep breath, and face the mirror.
One stupid scratch on the back of my head produced gallons of blood? My blonde hair doesn’t look blonde anymore. Blood is streaked and smeared on my face and shirt. Damn, did I walk out of a horror flick or something?
I set the washcloth down and begin to strip down, tossing my bra and shirt into the garbage can. There’s no saving the shirt and I wasn’t a fan of that bra anyway. Turning the shower on full-blast hot is not the best temperature for a head wound, but I need warmth right now.
I step into the steam and spray and feel the heat cascade over my skin like a hot blanket. Here I can cry.
So I do.
I push as much of my devastation, hurt and grief down the drain as I watch the water swirl down - red, pink, clear - and wash my face and body.
With a heavy, tired sigh, I shut off the water and pat myself dry. There’s no point in hiding out in the bathroom. I’ll have to face the music at some point, and sooner will probably be better.
I dress in the clothes Henry hung off the knob for me and press the washcloth back to my head.
I desperately try to ignore that attack. I’m not strong enough to deal with the details of what happened in this one.
I’m so frustrated with having to rely on someone else just to sleep, that I chew on the inside of my cheek. This is ridiculous! Oh, hey, stop what you’re doing I need a nap. Yea, right.
The guys left my light on, I notice as I walk down the hall. I push open my door to flick the switch, but instead I freeze.
Barry is sitting on his knees on my floor with his back to me.
“I know it was stupid to fall asleep on my own.” I might as well get this out of the way. “By the time I thought to go get you or Henry, it was too late.”
He slowly lifts his head from his hands and shifts his body so that he can look at me. I gasp and rush over to him, dropping the washcloth in the process. I thump to my knees on the floor and throw my arms around his wide shoulders.
Barry’s freaking crying!
“Barry? What happened? Are you okay?” I trip over my words.
He laughs hollowly. “You don’t get to ask that,” He leans away from me and wipes his eyes as I drop my hands to my lap. “We thought you
were keeping yourself up. I kept telling myself that you needed help staying awake, and then I’d think about it and tell myself that you’d be mad at me even more if I did,” he sniffs and wipes his nose on his sleeve.
I grimace and grab the box of tissues from my nightstand. I even take one for myself.
“We didn’t know anything was wrong until we heard the crash,” he swallows. “When we came in, there was blood,” he laughs weakly. “One little head wound.” He shakes his head and closes his eyes. “I’ve never seen that look on Henry’s face, and I never want to see it again.”
I look down and trail my fingernail in the crack of the wood flooring. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“What did he do this time?” He reaches over and grabs both of my hands. “I have to know, Jaz.”
I take a deep breath and look up at him. “Umm . . . ” I was about to say it’s none of his business and that I don’t want to talk about it. But what if these attacks have hidden messages in them? Or even some kind of purpose.
I calmly tell him about the attack, up to the part where Sophie was gone again. “It was a sick joke he just pulled,” anger thrums through my veins like acid. “He gave me my sister back, and then snatched her away a minute or two later!” I brush away the tears staining my cheeks. “I tried to get her to run, I tried to wake her up, but I couldn’t. Then I was flyin’ across the friggin’ room and hit my head on my nightstand.” I reach across the floor and grab the washcloth again. “I could feel hands on my neck.” I touch my throat and Barry’s eyes follow my hand. The tears I thought gone, have started again, like a rushing river rapid. “Barry, I can’t keep doing this! I can’t take it anymore! I just want it to be over with!” I take a deep breath because I’m pretty sure he can’t translate sob-speak. “I can’t see any more death,” I stand and turn away from him. “How can I end this so that none of those dreams come true? I don’t want to lose anyone else. I’d rather be . . . ” I stop myself and roughly chuck the washcloth away from me.
He comes over and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I will end this, Princess, I promise. You won’t go through this alone,” he says quietly. “And if you tell me that you’d rather it be your death than anyone else’s, I’ll tell Leland to buy a ton of that fake chocolate cake from the hospital, and force you to eat it.” I smile at his words and fight the urge to gag at the thought of fake hospital chocolate as he leads me down the stairs.
We walk into the living room, and Barry pushes me towards Henry and walks away. I can feel Henry shaking as I sit next to him. He reaches over and hugs me to him. I hug him back, with everything in me.
Leland comes over and runs his fingers along my scalp, looking for the cut. I wince as he prods on the tender area.
“Can you tell me about this one?” Henry asks while he grabs a paper towel from Leland and wipes his face.
Barry answers from the kitchen. “You’ll hear it in a minute. You’re really not gonna like this one.”
Just as Leland finishes with the glue, someone knocks on the door, and he goes to answer.
I watch as Athan, Fane, Miss Jaynie, Flynn, and Seth walk through the door. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in attempts to calm my fear and anxiety.
Leland really isn’t going to like any of this.
Chapter 13
Tiny Turtle
I sit next to Seth at the table and lean into his side while Athan and Fane explain to Leland that the supernatural world is present and attended for in his kitchen.
I lace my fingers with Seth’s and try to figure out exactly how we share things mentally. We’re connected, I feel that much, but I don’t know how the connection works.
I wonder if I focus on him, if I can get a thought on command. I close my eyes and focus on the special place in my mind devoted to him. I can feel his emotions, like a secondary feeling, it’s not so foreign anymore. But his thoughts are silent.
Blowing out an annoyed breath, I give up trying to force his thoughts through the invisible mind barrier. At least he’s a nice pillow.
‘I know she’s not sleeping, but why isn’t she paying attention to her uncle?’
My eyes fly open and I survey the faces around me. Fane and Athan look annoyed or frustrated, Henry’s smirking, and Miss Jaynie and Flynn seem amused. I see movement from the corner of my eye, and turn to see what’s going on.
Barry jumps up, and the stool falls backwards. In a matter of seconds, Barry falls to the floor, limbs seeming to pop out of joint, he looks like something possessed. My eyes are so wide I fear they’ll fall out, and I’m pretty sure I’ve stopped breathing.
I squeeze Seth’s fingers, and he uses his other hand to rub my back.
My eyes tear away from the freaky mass that was Barry, to my uncle. Who is now standing, mouth moving with no sound coming out and arms flailing.
“What the hell! Why aren’t you doing anything to help him?” He finally manages.
My eyes travel back to Barry, a huge wolf stands in his place. It walks over to my uncle and stares him in the face.
No really, my uncle is just over six feet tall, and this wolf can look in his eye while on all fours.
Leland’s gone pale as he falls into his chair.
I’m not sure if I’m more scared or shocked, and I don’t remember the last time I took a breath.
The six-foot wolf turns away from Leland, towards me, and cocks his head to the side. This wolf doesn’t look near as vicious as the ones from the nightmare attacks. I breathe in and let it out. He takes slow steps towards me until he’s standing right in front of me. I hold my breath and strain my neck as I stare wide-eyed. He sits and lowers his lap sized head to my legs.
What the heck am I supposed to do pet him like a dog?
He looks like a regular wolf, but on steroids and maybe Miracle Gro. He’s black, with a hint of silvery gray.
This wolf is terrifying but absolutely gorgeous.
His nose bumps my hand, until I lightly touch his snout. He has thick, soft fur on his snout, but the fur along his body looks wiry.
I vaguely hear the others start talking again as Barry’s wolf continues to nuzzle my hand. A few minutes go by and the wolf trots off towards the living room. I stare after him until Barry emerges from the living room.
He stops behind Seth and I, and leans down so I feel his breath on my ear, “Did you like my wolf?”
I laugh a little. “As much as I’d like pink poodles stitched to my clothes,” I joke.
He and Seth laugh, and Barry walks over to his stool, rights it and sits. Leland stares at him with huge eyes, which causes Barry to smirk in that “I told you so,” way.
Leland steps out onto the deck then, and Miss Jaynie goes out to talk to him. We all just stare towards the door. Waiting for him to either, burst back in and kick everyone out, call the cops, or run his own interrogation.
When they come back inside, Leland spits out a million questions for Fane and Athan. I relax back into my seat and patiently wait for them to finish.
Leland jumps out of his chair and starts pacing as Athan explains what a devux does, the attacks and how they affect me, and what they’re doing as protection, prevention, and plans for ending it all.
Barry explains what the attacks were in the past and what it was tonight. I add my two cents and anything he left out. Henry and Leland both look at me with sadness and pity in their eyes, they understand, but I’m tired of seeing it.
“And her sleeping with him will stop that?” Leland asks in disbelief.
“Anyone who wants her safe could protect her at night. There has to be some kind of skin-to-skin contact throughout the night or an attack can happen,” Athan says.
“So, as long as they . . . hold hands . . . ” Leland’s words drift off, and he gives Seth and me a quick pointed glare, “She’ll be fine?”
“Yes,” Athan nods.
Leland leans back in his chair and blows out a breath. He raps his knuckles on the face of the table a few times before look
ing at me.
“I trust you, and because I trust you, I’m allowing this,” he says, wagging a finger between Seth and me and points upstairs. “Don’t make me regret this.”
I swallow. “You won’t,” I answer.
Seth nods in agreement, “I would never disrespect her or you . . . ”
Barry snorts. “You’re just petrified of what we’d do to you.”
“Enough, Jaz looks dead on her feet,” Flynn says. His eyes go wide and he reaches across the table to grab my hand. “I am so sorry, Jaz. I didn’t mean it! I . . . ”
I chuckle. “Flynn, relax,” I wave him off, “It’s fine.”
Seth begins asking questions to see if anyone’s gotten any further with finding more about Derik and his coven. I place my hand on top of Seth’s and get comfy in my seat.
I open my eyes to see Seth’s staring back at me. He grins and brushes some hair from my face. “Come on,” he says, pulling me to my feet. We get to the doorway and as an afterthought, I turn and say goodnight to everyone.
“Are you okay?” he asks as I fall onto my bed and crawl to the pillow.
“I guess. That dream, er attack, it just screwed me up. How did he know about Sophie?” I ask him.
“I’m not sure. I wish I had all the answers,” he shakes his head. “All I can do is be here for you,” he tells me and opens his arms. I slide into his arms without hesitation.
“You know what I could go for right now?” I smile.
“Maybe.” He smiles back.
He leans in and places his lips to mine. My hands travel his chest and rest on his shoulders. He rests his hands on my hips as he deepens the kiss. His fingertips slip under my shirt, sending tingles through me.
This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it’s better than what I was thinking. He rolls so that I’m lying on top of him.
My mind travels to the open door, then to our position.
This can get out of hand pretty quickly, and anyone could peek in.
I end the kiss, pressing my forehead to his chest and shift off of him. He lifts me so that our heads are on the same pillow.
“I honestly just wanted to talk a little bit,” I laugh breathlessly.
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