by Jen Pretty
“It’s ok. Armond scared the shit out of me and got my magic to work. I shouldn’t be angry really. I know how important it is to get control of my magic. Hell, I even wanted Luke to scare me to see if it would work.”
Margot came and sat across from me and sighed. “Armond has always been impulsive,” she recalled with a frown. “He is the best Hunter because he doesn’t second guess his decisions but it can make him difficult to live with” she smiled. “When he was a child he used to do all kinds of foolish things. Climbing trees and jumping out of them. Riding his bike with his eyes closed. I was very close to his mother and stayed with his family while they lived on earth. He was a brilliant boy but sometimes so stupid,” she laughed at that “the other hunters are his family. It’s unusual to find a group of fae who aren’t related that fit like family but the hunters are different.” She sighed again before continuing. “He shouldn’t be pressuring you, but his love for his hunter family is making him callused towards everyone else right now.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I understand. I would do anything to protect my family if I still had them. I'm honestly trying, but it's like my magic only works when I'm scared. What if that's the only way it will ever work?" I asked honestly. Margot had been around a long time; surely she knew more about my magic than I did.
Margot patted my hand. “You forget my magic?” She asked with a smile “I have seen you. You are going to be amazing. Have a little faith, if not in your own magic, then in mine.”
With that, she stood up and went back to making sandwiches. After a few minutes, she brought me a plate of food and sent me to my room for a hot bath in the giant tub. I didn't argue.
After my bath, I made my way back out to the central part of the house and found Victor, Luke, Evan and Armond discussing strategy. It was mainly Victor and Armond. Evan was humming softly to himself, and Luke seemed a bit anxious. Probably didn't enjoy the discussion. He was so not a hunter.
“I hear you slowed time,” Victor grinned before looking at Armond “and kicked some idiot hunter ass,” he chuckled.
“Yes. Well. Some people should remember the ass kicking and never attempt to startle me again.” I scowled at Armond.
"Some people might," Armond declared "though it did work, so I'm not too sorry."
“Did it work though? I don’t think I’m any closer to actually controlling it than I was before you attacked me….with a knife! I might add.”
"I don't know. I think we figured out that we just need to scare you. That should be simple enough," Armond said before jumping up from his chair and taking two long steps towards me with a menacing look on his face.
My fists came up on their own, and I fell into a natural fighter's stance. Armond took another step forward, and he was right in front of me.
"Stop," I shouted, and Armond smirked. I looked over his shoulder as Victor and Luke stood up from the couch in slow motion.
Evan stopped his humming and said “I knew you could do It, child,” with that big proud grin of his.
I took a deep breath and another and Luke, and Victor came back to real time with the rest of us who weren't affected by my time magic.
I looked back at Armond who still hadn't moved from his place right in front of me. He was still grinning. So I popped him in the mouth. Fuck it. I was not going to encourage this behaviour from him. He doesn't get to scare me every time he wants me to slow time. His head flipped back and when he righted himself again his lip was bleeding. I smirked. "Slow learning curve? I asked innocently.
Victor and Evan chuckled, but Luke just looked pissed and was glaring at Armond. At least I wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate his methods.
“Alright,” I sighed “let’s see if I can get myself upset enough to do this since you are apparently not going to stop tormenting me until I figure it out.”
I tried imagining a vampire was in the room…..nothing. Then I tried imagining Armond with a knife to my throat….still nothing.
Armand raised his eyebrows.
Luke cleared his throat. “Think of your nightmare, Lex.” Shit. He was probably right. Luke walked over and took my hand just for a second. Enough to give me a confidence boost and then he let go and stepped back. This family bond was going to come in handy.
I closed my eyes and thought back to that night. It flooded me with sights and smells. The horror started to wash over me. My breath caught in my throat as I saw what was left of the people I loved. Then Luke retook my hand, and I snapped back to the present. Only Victor wasn't immune to my magic once Luke was touching me, but I felt it that time just like I felt the bond with Luke. I felt my magic push out and then I pulled it back in bringing time back to normal.
Luke reached up and wiped a tear from my face. I hadn’t even known I was crying, but all around me was smiles. Even Armond was smiling now. His teeth were still bloody from his split lip.
“Now we have something we can work with,” He huffed before turning around and pulling out his phone. He quickly left through the front door with his phone to his ear. I was pretty sure he was calling in the hunters. I guess I was going back to earth soon to join a war I didn’t even know existed until this week.
Luke made me use my magic twice more, pulling me out each time before he led me to bed because I was utterly exhausted. Apparently using magic too much will wipe you out. I slept the rest of the day and the whole night. Luke kept my demons away, and my mind was settled after finally getting a handle on the magic I should have had for the last year.
The next morning I woke up to lots of voices but they seemed excited and happy. I figured they must be the hunters that I was sure Armond called yesterday.
I got up slowly. Had a shower and got dressed. I took my time because I knew as soon as I left this room, my time was up, and it was back to the real world to face those real live demons. Time to put on my brave pants.
As I opened the door, a hush settled on the room. Victor and Evan were huddled in the kitchen with Margot, but the rest of the room was full of giants. Tall, muscular men and women of all descriptions. I counted seven, but they took up the open concept space like many more. Armond was easy to spot, the one smiling like an idiot at me and I recognized Darla and Fritz. Darla was chatting to Fritz, but I noticed Fritz was watching Luke as he moved about across the room, apparently oblivious to what Darla was saying. Hmm. I didn’t see Reg, but I was sure he was busy killing vampires somewhere.
The four others didn't introduce themselves. That was fine; I wouldn't remember their names. They all looked about the same – tall, muscles- so it was fine. I'd call them hunter if I had to speak to them. Darla finally gave up on Fritz and approached me. "Good morning. Once you have breakfast, we will head back to earth and get to work. Reg has been tracking the vampires involved in the latest attack, so we know where they have been hiding. Eat first though. Margot has to stay here so you might not get a meal as nice as this for a while," she winked before turning back to the rest of the hunters and taking a seat on a couch with some of the men.
I walked into the kitchen and Victor, Evan and Margot stopped talking and looked at me for a long moment before Margot gave me a plate of breakfast foods. It was a lot of food. And a giant mug of coffee. Bless her.
I walked over to the table and sat down. Victor left the group in the kitchen and sat beside me. "We are leaving you in the capable hands of the hunters. It's not safe for Evan or Luke to be there right now, and I stay with Margot in case she has a vision of something I can help with. If she does, I'll be there in a heartbeat, but Reg will make sure you are protected at all times, so you just have to stay with the hunters and use your magic," he reminded me before getting up and heading back to his room which I knew doubled as his office. Not one for drawn-out goodbyes, I suppose.
Luke came and sat in the seat Victor had vacated beside me before placing his hand on my arm. That connection was strong I knew he would be safe here and that gave me courage. It was time to avenge my fami
ly and many more families. All those small children who didn't deserve to get caught up in this needed my help.
Once I had eaten as much as I could, I stood up and hugged Luke. I wasn't looking forward to leaving him when I had just met him.
“Ready, princess?” Armond asked with that same stupid smile. I wondered if punching him in the face was an appropriate response. I was starting to enjoy hitting him.
"I'm ready if you are, fairy," I said, turning and heading towards the door before looking back over my shoulder at Margot. She waved, and I gave her a wave goodbye too.
The rest of the hunters followed us out, and we filled two SUVs and drove down the long gravel driveway. Away from the peaceful house in the woods, I was starting to get nervous. What if I didn't react fast enough and caused someone to get hurt or killed? I was no warrior. I could undoubtedly be killed by a vampire. What if we were outnumbered and a vampire got me? Oh god. This was a terrible idea. "Calm down princess; you're going to start changing time. No point in wasting your magic when we don't need it." He winked at me over his shoulder, so I flipped him off. He snickered. Asshole.
I took some deep breaths. “I don’t see how you guys can keep me from being eaten if you are all fighting vampires,” I said once I had myself under control again.
"Don't you worry your pretty head," Armond said "we have been working with timekeepers for generations. We know how to take care of you frail, little things."
I scowled at being called a frail little thing. “Except all the rest are dead.” I crossed my arms over my chest to try and keep myself together.
The SUV was silent for a moment before Darla turned to me “They were killed at their homes. We had no idea there was going to be an attack on them.” Darla shook her head. “If we had known, we could have protected them. Hunters are born to do two things; Kill vampires and protect timekeepers.”
I didn’t feel much better. I’d honestly rather have Victor and Luke with me. I was feeling more and more lost the father we drove from them. Another 20 minutes passed in silence before the SUV pulled over beside the other group of hunters just exiting their vehicle.
“There is a door in the middle of nowhere?” I asked.
"That's the way back to earth. We don't have to hide it here, but it is kind of out in the middle of nowhere," Fritz informed me happily. God, he was pretty. I'd been so distracted by thoughts of vampires I'd forgotten how beautiful Fritz was. Soft brown eyes and messy blond hair that was just a bit too long.
I sighed "ok. Is there anything I need to know before I walk through it? I was passed out last time."
Armond laughed, but Darla elbowed him.
"No. Just walk through like walking through any door. This leads back to the drive-in. Reg is meeting us on the other side but be ready in case there are vamps," Darla suggested as she gathered her weapons from the trunk of the vehicle.
Once everyone was armed, Darla came back over and gave me a knife. I looked at it skeptically, but she said "Just hang on to this. If someone needs it, they will get it from you. You won't have to fight. Just stay close, there probably aren't any vamps there right now anyway."
Armond opened the door, and we all filed through. As soon as I stepped through the door, I was back in the drive-through, and the shit hit the fan.
Chapter five
The hunters all had their weapons up and started fighting the hoard of vampires that were in battle with Reg and a group of hunters I'd never seen before. There were probably 40 vampires and they were so fast. Moving almost quicker than I could see.
“You’re up, princess!” Armond called as he swung his samurai swords around trying to hit a vampire who was charging him from the front while also defend against one to his right. He was actually smiling. I suppose if you were born to fight vampires, you might as well enjoy it.
"Shit," I muttered, and I tried to find my nightmare to bring my magic, but I was so distracted by everything happening that it was taking too long. I heard a scream, and that did it. I screamed too. And all the vampires within fifty feet of me slowed down to a crawl. I could see their red eyes and sharp teeth. One of them broke away from the hunters and was heading towards me. He wasn't as slow as Luke when I slowed time for him. He was more like human speed which was still pretty fast, and he was coming for me with his teeth bared. His red eyes trained on my neck and sharp claws on the end of his fingers were long enough to be short knives. I had the knife in my hand when my fists came up automatically to defend myself. I'd forgotten it was in my hand but just as the vampire launched himself towards me in a final leap, his head was removed from his body, and as he fell Reg was there smiling at me. Apparently, he wasn't serious all the time.
"I'm glad you have joined us," he said before turning and stabbing a vampire through the chest with his long knife. The vampires started to retreat to beyond the area my magic worked, but Reg took my hand and pulled me forward like a chess piece on a chess board he moved me strategically to let his hunters get the upper hand on the vampires.
As soon as I got close enough, the vampires speed was reduced, and the hunters took them out. My magic was doing that, and I felt a small swell of pride. I wasn't really fighting the vampires, but every vamp that fell was one less that would kill another child or family. I felt it then. That I belonged with these fae. That I was with my people and we were on the same team.
Armond was fighting two vampires while standing over someone lying on the ground. As Reg pulled me toward him, Armond lopped off one vampire's heads and skewered another through the chest with his sword. He then put his swords back in the hidden sheaths on his back and scooped up the injured hunter at his feet. He carried him to an SUV while Reg took me twenty feet past Darla who was fighting a tall skinny vampire with a knife and over to a pair of hunters fighting back to back against five vampires. As soon as the vampires slowed they knew they were done, and they tried to flee, but the hunters were fast and took them down quickly.
It was quiet then. Only the hunters and I remained in the drive-in parking lot.
Reg still had my hand while he led me through the carnage and into the passenger seat of one of the vehicles. Once inside I started to take some deep breaths and try to calm myself. I was shaking violently like I had fallen in a frozen lake. The battle was short but bloody, and I still wasn't used to seeing that. I wasn't sure I would ever get used to seeing that. My deep breaths turned in to quick shallow breaths and then I started seeing black spots. This was not going well. If I passed out again, I was never going to live this down.
The door opened again, and Darla was there. She handed me a paper bag and instructed me to breathe into it while she told me about the base we were going to. Apparently, we had a bit of a mansion to live in. I didn't catch much of what she was saying, but her distraction did manage to keep conscious. Yay me.
In total, four hunters were injured. Including Reg who had been bitten on the arm. I didn't even notice while we were in the parking lot or most drive home. He didn't seem to be in pain but his whole arm was bloody, and he was dripping a bit.
“You were bitten by a vampire. Are you going to turn into one now?” I asked him.
"No. Humans have to drink vampire blood to turn into a vampire, and only humans can be turned. Fae are immune."
“Oh. Thank God,” I said. I really didn’t want to be a vampire ever. There were some perks to being fae.
It was a long drive but I grabbed some coffee at a service station so managed to stay awake. No more sleeping for me, if I could help it. I no longer had Luke to keep my nightmare away.
Finally, we pulled up to the house which really did look like a mansion. The limestone façade looked old and weathered like something from the turn of the century. It was three stories tall and as sprawling as a shopping mall. It could definitely house several dozen people. The red steel roof and shutters made it look like a fortress but as we drove up Reg clicked a button on the ceiling of the SUV. I realized it had underground parking and the button open
ed a gate allowing us to drive down under the castle into the darkness. We parked, and everyone started filing out, taking their weapons with them. I got out of the vehicle and stretched. I was feeling tired as the caffeine cleared out of my system and the significant use of magic took its toll. Darla came around and told me to follow her. We walked to an elevator and got on with Reg, Armond, Fritz and two other hunters. The rest took a different elevator.
When the elevator doors opened again, we were in a large foyer. We all exited the elevator, and Reg led the way to a vast room with a massive table. Darla sat me down in a chair beside Fritz before taking the one on my other side. The rest of the hunters came in and sat down. They were all chatting animatedly about the fight. They seemed happy and relaxed. I was feeling the opposite, so I just sat there looking at my hands and biting my lip. I was numb, but at least I was still conscious.
Reg stood up. "I'll keep this brief; I know you all want to get to your showers and get the vamp off you. You all fought well today. We didn't lose anyone, and now that we have our timekeeper "he looked my way "let's hope we don't lose any more from this day forward. She is brand new, but she's powerful. You saw for yourself today how strong she is, and she will only get better with practice. We will all keep an eye on her here in the house and rotate watch in the forest around the house." He grinned then, and I felt like it might be ok "we've got you," he looked right at me, "and we will keep you safe and end this war."
Several hunters agreed with him loudly, and then he dismissed everyone. Darla told me to follow her again, and we walked through the maze of the castle until she stopped and opened a door. By this point, we were on the third floor, but I had no idea how to get back to where we started. I was really only interested in a hot shower at this point anyway. The room had a giant bed right in the middle. It was tall and had a step to get on it. There were mountains of pillows and blankets, and I was sure it would be warm and comfortable. I walked across the room and looked out the window down to a courtyard in the centre of the building. A small pond with a bench and extensive flower gardens. It seemed peaceful and perfect.
