Vegas Rules

by Jan Stryvant

  After he'd finished, Pat excused himself, and Sean went back up to Roxy's room to get comfortable on the bed and slipping into his classroom, he got started.

  He'd already figured out the way to power his machines, he'd broken out the portion of the silver tag that converted silver to energy last week. That spell would be enchanted into a small gold plate that would sit on top of a large battery that would absorb the power.

  A second plate would sit above the first one, about four inches above and attached by long metal rods that would either be wrapped in gold foil or gold wires to attach it to the lower half that held the power. The item to be enchanted would be placed on the upper platter, while silver items to power the whole device went on the lower platter. If someone should place anything made of silver on the machine to be enchanted, he didn't want it to be destroyed. Hence the lower platter for converting and the upper one for enchanting. The only hard parts would be initiating the process of draining the silver, and enchanting the object.

  For the silver, he solved that easily enough, it would always be active. You set something on it, it got drained and converted. The tricky part would be making sure that no one overcharged the battery, or it could explode.

  That one took a while for Sean to figure out; he actually had to go back through his father's notes, as well as some of the other texts that were in his magical classroom, until he figured out how to burn off the excess energy by turning it into heat. It wasn't the best solution in the world, but at least it would provide a warning by causing the battery and the plate above it to heat up, warning the user that if they didn't watch out, it would start to melt, and maybe even explode.

  Next, he started working on the spells for the enchanting plate. The tarball spell part of it was pretty simple; he'd need a badge to calibrate the device when he actually built it, of course. But the spell was something he was familiar with. The problems came however with triggering the tarball to untar into the object. So far he'd been triggering them by hand, something any magic user could do.

  But this wasn't going to be run by a magic user. Eventually, he figured out how to put a touch sensitive patch on the side of it, like a button, then you could put the badge on it, press the button, and voila, the spell would trigger.

  But, but what if they tried to pick up the badge before it was finished?

  Sean winced at that thought. The energy would go into whoever picked it up, and that wouldn't be pretty. In fact, it could be downright nasty, deadly even. It took about four minutes for the spell to enchant the object, about four times the time it took him to do it. He could put a timer on it, but that was a pretty complicated item and he wanted simple. He could make the whole thing glow while it was working, or better yet, just make the plate glow. That might keep people from touching it while it was working.

  Looking at what he had, he tarred everything up, memorized the physical shape and size of the device, then leaving his classroom he opened his eyes and picking up the pencil and paper he'd left by the bed he started to sketch out the components so Daelyn could compare it to what she'd built for him. Looking at his watch, it was well after lunch, almost four.

  "Done?" Cali asked him.

  "Mostly," Sean told her, "it's a bit more complicated than I thought. I'm going to have to show this to Daelyn. Is she around?"

  "Sure, I'll go get her."

  When Daelyn came upstairs, Sean went over the problem with her, and between the two of them they eventually came up with a simple solution, a sign that said 'don't touch when glowing' and a simple spell to cover the plate with a small static field that would give you a shock if you tried to touch anything on it while the machine worked. Not enough to really hurt you, but enough to stop anyone but the most dedicated idiot.

  Sean didn't really care all that much about dedicated idiots. He was a big fan of Darwin after all.

  "So where is this lab they said they'd build for me?"

  "Out in the backyard in the shed," Daelyn grinned.

  "The shed?"

  "Well, you have set a few things on fire you know."

  Sean rolled his eyes, "That was before I learned about grounding. Well, I might as well go look at it."

  Getting up, Sean followed Daelyn downstairs and out into the backyard. He looked at the pool as they skirted it, then back at Daelyn and smiled.

  "We are not getting kinky in the pool, Sean!" Daelyn laughed and wondered if all lions had a thing for water, or if it was just Sean?

  "But they have a nice tall fence!"

  "Maybe after the sun goes down," Daelyn said with a wink as they came to the shed. It was made of wood at least and even had a window. There was a large assortment of yard tools stacked to the side of it; Sean guessed they'd cleared the place out for him.

  Going inside, there was still a faint smell of gasoline, but other than that, it was clean enough, with a table, chair, and a thick metal rod by the wall that went down through the floor and into the ground below. The sledgehammer next to it showed that it was a recent addition.

  Sitting on the table was the machine Daelyn had built; all it needed now was the enchantments.

  "Where are the extra batteries?" Sean asked.

  "Over here," Roberta said. "Supplies are in this cabinet."

  Sean checked the cabinet; sure enough, everything he needed was in there. Then he checked the metal slugs that he needed to make into batteries.

  "Well, I need to make these first," Sean motioned to the batteries. "I'll need to tweak a few of the other spells, and then I need to see a badge."

  "Think you'll have it done tonight?" Roxy asked.

  "Most of it. I can finish it up in the morning." Sean eyed the small stack of silver on the table. "We'll need some more silver, a pound's worth I think. And some badges to enchant."

  "Well, I'll go get some more silver, Daelyn, Roberta, keep an eye on him."

  "Will do!"

  Sean went and grabbed the first slug and sitting down set to work on making the first battery. The first one was always the hardest, but he'd made so many at this point, he wasn't worried. Actually, he was excited. He was finally going to make something new, something that hadn't been done by someone else before, an enchanting machine!

  Stewart's less than Fine Morning

  Stewart sighed and shook his head; he hadn't seen his father in two days now. He'd called his older sister and brother that night when their mother had left and told them both about what had happened after he'd called Harris. His sister wasn't at all surprised.

  "What, do you think you guys are the only ones sleeping with lycans? Mom and Art have been a thing for years. I think the only reason she's stayed married to dad this long was so she could keep seeing Art."

  "What? You knew?"

  "Of course I knew. If you'd been paying a bit more attention, you would have figured it out as well! Really, Stewart, I know you can be thick at times, but haven't you ever looked at the way your friends and their parents act? Who else gets a beating for calling their father 'dad'? Hell, I'm surprised mom was able to sleep with him to even have us!"

  Stewart's world had definitely been rocked by that information. His mother? Art? The council's head werewolf? How had he missed that?

  His brother had been even less help.

  "Pack your shit and leave, Stew! Now! Stop letting him bribe you to stick around with fancy toys."

  "But, why? Why should I go?"

  "The lycans are gone, mom's gone. Who do you think he's going to go after the next time he gets enraged? You're all alone with him now."

  "Actually, I'm not alone, I bought a lycan."

  "Well, after he kills her, you'll be next. Wake up, Stew, dad's a psycho. Why the hell do you think Joyce and I left?" and with that, his brother had hung up on him.

  From the look on Rachel's face, Stewart knew that she'd heard all of it. So he went over to his desk and opening his drawer he started going through all of the old rings and amulets he had. None of the rings or amulets were as good as
he was wearing, and of course, the best ones he had, had been taken off of him in Reno.

  But still, these were better than nothing.

  "Put these on," he told Rachel and gave her four rings and two necklaces after he'd figured out the best combination from what he had there.

  Rachel had nodded and put everything on. Two of the rings she put on her toes, and she'd turned one of the necklaces into an ankle bracelet by wrapping it around her leg several times. She gave Stewart a warm hug and then had taken him back to bed and screwed his brains out until he'd passed out, exhausted.

  For the next two days, they'd enjoyed the house to themselves, Stewart discovered that Rachel was actually a very good cook, and when he took her out with him, she was affectionate in public, respectful to him around his grandfather when he was working, and fawned on him when he was with his friends. She really was perfect. Hell, she was better than any of his girlfriends ever had been, and after last week's liberation, none of his friends, or anyone in the local Ascendance, had a lycan pet anymore. The simple fact that Stewart had gone out and bought one on his own had increased his social standing with all of his friends and many of the other Ascendants.

  When Stewart's father had finally come home late last night, Stewart hadn't gotten up to meet him.

  But it was morning now, and he could hear his father banging around in the kitchen downstairs.

  "I guess I have to go downstairs and face the music," Stewart sighed, getting out of bed and getting dressed.

  "Are you sure?" Rachel asked him. She actually found that she liked him. He definitely treated her better than any of her previous owners. No one had ever given her a magical item before, and Stewart had given her six!

  "Yeah, I'm sure. Get dressed, if worse comes to worse, we'll go out and come back after he's left for the day."

  Rachel nodded and getting up she gave him a kiss and watched him leave. If worse really came to worse, well, he'd shown her where all the silver traps were and how to get around them. She could shift into her full wolf form and be far away from here before anyone even realized she was gone.

  Stewart walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his father was trying, and failing, to make breakfast.

  "Morning, Father."

  "Just where the hell have you been?" Kurt grumbled.

  "Home, mostly," Stewart replied. His father was trying to make something, what exactly, Stewart wasn't sure.

  "Oh, right. Playing with that new toy of yours no doubt?"

  Stewart winced as his father burned his hand and swore.

  "Father, why don't you sit down over there, and I'll get Rachel to come down and cook us both breakfast."

  "It can cook?" Kurt said, staring at him, "You got a toy that can cook?"

  Stewart smiled at his father, placatingly, "I told you, Father, I went for a more experienced model, and I'm not regretting it at all. Besides, if I try to make you breakfast, we'll both starve to death before I'm done!

  "Now, please, Father, sit down. I'll call Rachel."

  Stewart watched as his father went over to the table and sat down, still grumbling and looking dour. Walking over to the bottom of the stairs he called up to Rachel.

  "Yes, Master?"

  "Could you please come downstairs and make us breakfast?"

  "Of course, Master."

  "Why the hell are you saying 'please?'" Kurt grumbled, scowling at Stewart as he came back to the kitchen.

  "Just trying to develop better habits, that's all, Father. The Walden's got a human servant Monday, and if you're rude to her, look out!" Stewart chuckled and looking up as Rachel entered the kitchen he smiled at her.

  "So, Father, what do you want to eat?"

  Twenty minutes later and they were almost done eating. Rachel's cooking was good as always, but Kurt was constantly finding fault with everything. It had been twenty minutes of nit-picking and snide remarks, and Stewart finally started to look at his father in a new light.

  Because this was how his father was. He was always finding fault, and while he was worse today than usual, he wasn't that much worse. Stewart had never really noticed or cared before because the house servants had all belonged to his father, so he'd figured it was none of his business.

  But Rachel was his, and she'd been nothing but a delight to him since he'd gotten her.

  As soon as she had cleaned up, Stewart hustled her out of the kitchen and sent her back up to his room.

  "I'll be up shortly," he whispered in her ear and gave her a pat on the butt, then went back to his father who was finishing up his breakfast.

  "Going to spend the day playing are we?" Kurt asked.

  "Actually, I was going to do some enchanting today," Stewart was about to add 'at grandfather's place' but stopped when he saw the instant scowl on his face.

  "You're not going over to that whore's father's shop? Are you?"

  Stewart shook his head.

  "Good, I want you to stay away from there; I don't want that whoreson putting any bad ideas in your head!"

  "Yes, Father."

  "So, what's your toy's trigger word?"

  Sean blinked and looked at his father, "What?"

  "What's your pet whore's trigger word? What pops her pellet?"

  "Father! Really! She's my property, that's my concern!"

  "Listen you!" His father yelled and standing up slapped his hands down on the table, "This is my house and any lycan bitches that live in it, I'm going to have the trigger for, in case they get out of line and need to be dealt with! If you're going to live here, you're going to give me that word! Understand?"

  Stewart gulped and nodded, "Yes, Father."

  "So, what is it?"

  "Rumpelstiltskin."

  "Rumpelstiltskin? What kind of a word is that?" his father asked, glaring at him.

  "One that no one will guess?" Stewart said weakly.

  Kurt snorted, "Well I have to go to the council. We have meetings all day today to try and decide just what we're going to do about getting our slaves back. Maybe you could have your pet clean house while I'm gone."

  "Yes, Father," Stewart sighed and watched as his father walked out of the kitchen, and grabbing his briefcase, he then left the house. His father had never yelled at him like that before. But then his father had always yelled at somebody.

  His brother was right; he was in the crosshairs now.

  Stewart went back upstairs in a bit of a daze, then was rather shocked as Rachel grabbed him and kissed him, holding on to him tightly.

  "What was that for?" he asked her.

  "For lying to your father," she said and then shivered. "I heard what you told him! What are you going to do when he finds out?"

  Stewart tried to smile, "Oh, he won't find out."

  But all Stewart could think about was that sooner or later, his father would find out, and then what?

  Thursday morning

  Yawning, Sean opened a bleary eye and looked up. Daelyn was straddling his legs and had a plate of food.

  "What's up?" Sean said, blinking and looking up at her.

  "You are now, lion-boy," Daelyn teased. "Seriously, it's noon. What time did you get to bed last night?"

  Sean looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was noon!

  "Umm, I think the sun was starting to come up," he said a little embarrassed. He'd had to carry Roberta back to bed, as she'd fallen asleep on him as he'd worked last night.

  "That late?" Daelyn said surprised.

  "I think I got a little carried away," Sean admitted sheepishly. "But, I finished the badge enchanting machine. I even added a few little tweaks to it so it can update any of the previously enchanted badges without breaking the enchantments already on them."

  Sean's stomach growled then, the scent of the food on the plate had finally reached his nose.

  Daelyn nodded, she understood what it was like to get carried away with a project, which was why she'd been sleeping in the museum the night Sean had found her.

  "Well,
how about you sit up, and I'll feed you," Daelyn smiled.

  Sean's inner lion's ears perked up at that, and sliding back towards the headboard, pulling Daelyn along with him, he sat up and watched as she picked up a forkful of food and held it before his mouth. Which he opened immediately.

  "Good boy!" Daelyn giggled and watched as Sean chewed.

  "Where is everybody?" he asked after he swallowed, then accepted the next forkful of scrambled eggs and bacon.

  "Roxy's parents and brother are at work. Roxy wanted to do some shopping, seeing as she didn't get to the other day, and everyone else went with her."

  Sean nodded, and swallowed, then opened his mouth as she gave him more food.

  It was about then that Sean realized that Daelyn was naked. He blinked; he really must have been tired to have missed that! And from the smile on her face, he started to realize that apparently, his dwarven wife wanted something special from her 'lion-boy.'

  "So," Sean said after he'd finished what was on the plate, and as Daelyn set it aside, he put his hands on her hips and started to pull her closer. "I guess that means we're all alone. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

  "Well, I can think of something," Daelyn grinned and leaning against him, she kissed him.

  "This wouldn't, by chance, have anything to do with that 'list' you and the others are always talking about?"

  "Well," Daelyn grinned and started slowly grinding her hips against his, "that may just have a little something to do with it."

  Sean laughed, "You know, Roxy is going to be very jealous about you really christening her bed before her."

  "Who," Daelyn giggled, "do you think suggested it? Now, get to work lion-boy, your wife wants a nice strong dwarven son to add to our growing household!"

  "Your wish, my Love, is my very happiest desire," Sean growled happily, and kicking the sheet that was between them, down with his feet, he put his hands to either side of Daelyn's face and kissed her, long and deep. He could feel his inner lion purring and even the First, who was quite taken with Daelyn, was sharing his pleasure as well.