Victor

by Taylor Longford

  While they were away, I patched the hole in the living room with a small piece of drywall Mac had found in the garage. And on the way home, they stopped at the hardware store and picked up some plaster for me, which I thought was pretty nice of them, everything considered. But Mac said she knew what it was like to lose your temper, and showed me where she'd put her foot through the wall when she was thirteen. A slight bump marked the place where her father had helped her patch the hole.

  "You did that?" Valor asked, looking stunned.

  "Yeah," she answered. "I got mad at my brother."

  "What did he do?" Valor asked incredulously. "Kill your goldfish?"

  "No, Walker just…made me mad. I can't even remember what he did."

  "You got mad enough to kick a hole in the wall and you can't even remember what you were angry about?" he asked, one of his dark eyebrows reaching for his hairline.

  "That's right," she answered, her cheeks turning pink. "What can I say? I have a bit of a temper that flares up every now and again. It comes in handy when I need to fight off harpies."

  "Okay," he answered on a low rumble of laughter. "I'll buy that."

  "Aye, we'll buy that," Havoc teased her. "Even if you are putting a very positive spin on a rather negative hole in the wall."

  "Very positive," I agreed, and spread some of the thick white plaster on the wall. And while I worked, MacKenzie filled us in on what had happened at the vet's office. The x-ray had shown there was indeed something foreign occupying Hooligan's stomach, and the vet had scheduled him for an operation later in the week.

  "How much later?" I asked.

  "Friday," she answered, looking unhappy.

  But the vet must have had second thoughts about Hooligan because he called at noon and rescheduled, asking MacKenzie to bring the dog in later that afternoon. And at three o'clock, the entire Pine Grove contingent was crammed into the vet's small waiting room, waiting to hear the results of the operation. Havoc and MacKenzie kept a bedside vigil during the procedure, Havoc holding Hooligan's paw and talking the dog through the ordeal…even though Hooli was under anesthesia the whole time.

  While we were waiting, we visited with a family that had brought in their tiny black goat for its shots. But when Havoc and MacKenzie finally stepped back into the room, all of us who weren't already standing bolted to our feet.

  "How'd he do?" I asked and caught Havoc's eye. "How's Hooli?"

  Havoc's mouth tipped into a wry smile. "Better now."

  "What did they find?" I asked.

  "Well, let's just put it this way," he drawled and gave me a significant look. "You owe me twenty bucks."

  "Alright," I muttered, a little annoyed at the way he was jumping to conclusions. As far as I was concerned, the sponge in Hooli's stomach didn't prove anything except that Alexa might be more clairvoyant than MacKenzie. But I didn't say anything, wanting to avoid an argument. I was just glad Hooligan was going to be okay. And thankful that Samantha's visit had started us down the right path.

  Hooligan stayed overnight at the vet's, and Mac's house seemed quiet without him. Not that he's noisy, just that he's part of the family and we missed him like we'd have missed anyone else. And let's face it, he takes up a lot of space so all of a sudden it seemed like there was a lot of empty space in Mac's house.

  He wasn't going to be released until the end of the next day so we drove Mac to school in the morning then took off for one of our routine visits to Limon. Since our last trip to the plains, we'd learned Courage had been burned in the fire that sprang up after the shipping van crashed. So this time we visited the hospital and the doctors' offices, asking questions about a teenager who might have come in looking for help. But it had been a long time since the accident and our questions might have come too late. Because nobody remembered anything about a young burn victim with blond hair.

  So that was discouraging but there was always a chance Mim would have one of her dreams that would help us find the missing members of our pack. Or MacKenzie's scrying might eventually reveal their location. And of course there was always the hope that the local authorities working with Agent Simpson would come up with something.

  Returning to Pine Grove, we picked up Mac then went to the vet's for Hooligan. He was released with some pills that were supposed to keep him sedated because the vet didn't want him overdoing it, which might have opened up his stitches. But Hooli was a long way from wanting to overdo anything. He flopped down on the kitchen floor, rested his head on his paws and watched us from eyes that were barely open.

  Havoc placed a water bowl next to the dog's nose and gave him stern instructions to bark if he wanted anything. "And don't lick the wound," he added.

  But Hooli couldn't even manage a tail-wag in response and when we headed back to our place for the night, we were sure he wouldn't be any trouble for MacKenzie and her mom.

  I was the last to crawl out of bed on Friday morning, and caught up with the rest of my family in the kitchen. Havoc had started a pot of tea and was just pulling a tray of scones from the oven…most of which quickly disappeared along with a stick of butter. But Valor managed to save two of the little cakes before they could fall victim to the ravening hordes, wrapping them in a napkin to take to MacKenzie.

  Flicking his blue eyes upward, he checked the clock on the wall above the sink, probably counting the seconds until he could leave for her place and see her for a few minutes before she left for school.

  "Fourteen more days," he murmured when he caught me watching him.

  I nodded, knowing he was talking about the last day of school when Mac would have the summer off and he could be with her all the time.

  While we polished off our breakfast of scones, we laid out our plans for the day. Dare and his brothers were going to cut out some new bows while Defiance was scheduled for vacuuming. I escaped from dusting but only because I had to finish the wall in MacKenzie's house. Assuming the plaster had dried, I needed to sand and repaint. Once that was out of the way, I could leave for Boulder although I wasn't sure how I was going to get there. I hadn't asked anyone for a lift yet. Of course, I could always wait until dark and fly.

  As the pale morning light spilled in through our kitchen windows, the peaceful hush of the surrounding forest was suddenly shattered by MacKenzie's high-pitched squeal. Valor leapt to his feet with lightning reflexes, his chair crashing backward and smacking against the linoleum floor. I caught a glimpse of his jet-black hair flying out behind him, and his napkin full of scones clutched in his hand as he shot out the door without stopping for his jacket. Naturally, the rest of us followed, racing to catch up to him and get next door to MacKenzie.

  And when we hurtled around the corner of her garage, we found her dangling several inches above the gravel on the driveway, her arms wrapped around the neck of a tall redhead with a rather distinct family resemblance…although his hair color leaned more toward strawberry that Mac's copper curls. Of course, we'd known MacKenzie's brother would be coming home for the summer but we'd never met him before.

  Valor only just braked in time to avoid a ramming collision. The rest of us piled up behind him at the corner of the garage.

  But MacKenzie didn't seem to notice. She was grinning up into her brother's face. "You're here early!" she exclaimed happily.

  "My plans fell through so I thought I'd surprise you," he explained. "I drove through the night."

  Mac turned to us as soon as her feet touched the ground again. "Everyone, this is Walker!"

  "Victor," I said, panting slightly and offering him my hand after Mac had introduced Valor.

  His grip was firm. "Walker," he said. "It's great to meet you. Mac's been telling me about you guys. You live next door?"

  "That's right."

  "It's good to know there's someone around to watch out for Mac when my mom's away," he said.

  "Mom!" Mac exclaimed. "I have to text her and tell her you're here. Maybe she can leave work early."

  "Yeah, let's do that," Walker
agreed and cast his searching gaze around. "Where's Hooli?" he asked. "Shouldn't he have shown up by now? I've been here two whole minutes."

  "He'd be here if he could," MacKenzie laughed mournfully. "But he's in recovery."

  "Recovery?" Walker echoed, a slight ridge forming between his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

  Mac shook her head. "The dumb klutz swallowed a sponge and Doc Wainwright operated yesterday to get it out."

  "A sponge?" Walker questioned, looking concerned. "How did that happen?"

  "We're…not sure," MacKenzie answered evasively. The soft morning sunlight spilled across her hair in a riot of color. "But I'm so glad you're here. We're going to have so much fun. Can we go-kart this summer? Like we did when we were kids?"

  "I hope we can go at least once," he answered with a laugh. "But first I need to look for a summer job so I can help Mom with my dorm bills next semester."

  The edges of MacKenzie's mouth turned downward. "That sucks. We won't be able to hang out if you're working at Walmart."

  Thinking quickly, I spoke up before Mac could get too depressed. "Do you know anything about building?" I asked him.

  Walker's questioning gaze locked on mine. "A little."

  "We're remodeling a house in Boulder if you'd like to help. It would save you spending time looking for a job. And we could pay you whatever's fair."

  "We?"

  "My family," I explained. "We're renting to own."

  "So all of you will be moving to Boulder?" he asked tentatively.

  "Nay. Just me and my brothers for now. Reason's in school up there so it would be you, me and Chaos most of the time. And Havoc when he can make it up there. But Mac could come up and hang around when school's out. And give us a hand if she wants to."

  "That would be perfect," Mac exclaimed. "I could do the painting while the rest of you guys do the heavy lifting."

  "That sounds pretty ideal," Walker said. "But I hate for you to pay me. Maybe I could just help in my spare time."

  "That wouldn't leave much time for go-karting," I pointed out while MacKenzie nodded energetically. "We came into some money recently so we can easily afford your wages."

  "What's the place like?" he asked, sounding like he was getting interested.

  "It needs a lot of work but the roof is sound and the bedrooms are dry."

  "So you guys are going to live there while you're working on it?"

  "Aye. During the week. But we'll be back here on most of the weekends." I tilted my head toward his black truck parked in the driveway. "If you want to help, we could certainly put your truck to good use."

  "They don't have any vehicles," MacKenzie explained. "Well, other than Defiance's motorcycle. And that's not going to Boulder."

  "And even if it was, we couldn't carry much drywall home on it," I added.

  "So what do you think?" MacKenzie prodded her brother.

  "I think Boulder sounds like a good place to spend the summer," he answered. "As long as I get to spend some of the weekends at home."

  "Yesss!" MacKenzie squealed, hopping up to give her brother another hug. "This summer's going to be so much fun. Now I gotta run or I'll be late for school. You guys take care of Hooligan while I'm gone."

  Naturally, Valor looked disappointed that he couldn't spend a few minutes alone with her but he ran inside and got her backpack, delivering it along with the scones he'd saved for her. And after the two lovers had shared a long, tender kiss, MacKenzie was bumping down the driveway in her jeep.

  So we kept our eye on Hooli while I finished the wall in the living room. And by the end of the day, MacKenzie's dog was back on his feet again…but moving very slowly and only venturing a few yards from the house where he found a sunny spot to stretch out on the driveway.

  Mac's mom got home early and visited with Walker while Havoc served them tea and worked on dinner.

  "You don't mind if I take over your kitchen?" Havoc asked before he got started.

  "Go for it," she answered with a laugh. But that wasn't exactly a surprise. MacKenzie's mom is a field engineer and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. So housework isn't exactly her favorite pastime. And she was more than happy to surrender her kitchen to Havoc.

  When dinner was ready, we all sat down together in the dining room for chicken en croute. And Mrs. Campbell didn't miss the chance to give me a hard time about the hole in her living room wall.

  "I'm truly sorry," I told her solemnly.

  "That's okay," she chuckled. "With a pack of boys in and out of this place all day long, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I'm only surprised that it was you, Victor, instead of…someone else."

  "What someone else would that be?" Havoc asked, somehow pulling off an innocent look.

  "Just someone else," she snickered. "Not Victor."

  But MacKenzie's mom didn't know what Havoc had said to me when I'd lost my temper. And she didn't know anything about us being gargoyles so I couldn't explain how his comments had been way outta line.

  "If it makes you feel better, it surprised us too," Havoc snorted and shot a significant look in my direction.

  "I assure you it won't happen again," I promised. But Mrs. Campbell didn't seem too upset about the wall so that was good.

  Chapter Nine

  Walker and I left for Boulder early the next morning. And on the way there, we talked about the changes I had lined up for the renovation project.

  "Of course, that's the long term plan," I told him. "It'll probably take all summer to pull it off. For now, we have to focus on getting the place ready for the housewarming next weekend."

  "Housewarming?" Walker questioned as he shifted gears and his truck ate up the miles traveling north on the highway. "That sounds like it might be fun. Who's invited?"

  "We don't know many people in Boulder so it will just be my family and their lasses. But you're welcome to bring someone."

  "I'll have to meet someone first," he pointed out with a rough chuckle. "Who are you taking?"

  "A girl from Pine Grove," I told him. "Her name's Alexa." And since Walker's a lot like his sister—warm and honest—it wasn't too surprising that I started spilling. "My family doesn't really like her."

  "That's tough," he volunteered sympathetically.

  "I know. But this will be a chance to show them how great she really is."

  "So Alexa's your girlfriend?"

  "She is as far as I'm concerned," I answered. "Now I just have to convince the rest of the pack."

  "Pack?"

  "The rest of my family and friends," I corrected myself.

  But the farther I got from Pine Grove, the less I thought about Alexa. And by the time we reached the new place in Boulder, she had effectively disappeared from mind. In fact, all I could think about was Samantha and how I was now in the same city where she lived. How I might run into her on a trip to the hardware store. The mere thought sent a rush of excitement unraveling through my system.

  Walker was pretty impressed when he got his first look at the house. It must have been a grand place eighty years earlier. And it was nice to know the rambling old structure would eventually regain its earlier glory under our hands. But even in its current neglected state, it exuded a sense of elegance and grandeur with its sweeping wings and tall turrets. The two stories of roughly-finished gray stone reached up to a steep roof with gabled windows. Out in front stood a huge blue spruce that must have been a hundred and fifty years old. Off to the side, her slightly younger sister cast a shadow across the driveway. A tall fence of Englemann spruce bordered the property, giving the small estate an atmosphere of privacy and seclusion.

  As Walker and I explored the old building with its rambling floor plan, wide arches and curved walls, I pointed out the changes I planned. It was funny how I already thought of the place as home. But that's what it felt like; the house was big enough for all of us yet the rooms were small enough to be cozy. The house would be our base for the future.

  "We need to pick up some furniture,"
I pointed out as we stood in the circular foyer. The sweeping staircase was truly the centerpiece of the house. Like something out of an old Hollywood movie, the marble steps swept around the perimeter of the room, climbing to the floor above. The handrails were made of black wrought iron, the leafy artwork almost matching the pattern on the leather wainscoting. "We can't move in until we have some beds, unless we want to sleep on the floor."

  "I've done that plenty of times before," Walker snickered. "But we can make a run to IKEA right now and bring home some mattresses in my truck."

  "Sounds good," I answered. "Let's do it."

  We had four beds set up on frames by noon then made a run out to the closest thrift store where we found a vintage breakfast set for the kitchen and a work table I could use in my bedroom to spread out my plans. Then we picked up a floor cleaner at a rental shop and spent the rest of the afternoon polishing the hardwood in the dining room. The old oak slats looked beautiful by the time we were done, the wood shining with a deep amber glow.

  "Now we need a dining table and chairs," I said as we took a break, sitting on the wide steps in the foyer. "And a fridge before we can start making our own meals. In the meantime, we're going to have to rely on take-out."

  A murmur of laughter traveled to my ears from outside and I listened to the approaching footsteps until Torrie and Chaos burst through the front doors. A skateboard dangled from Chaos's fingers while Torrie carried her board strapped to her backpack.

  They looked ridiculously in love, their hands locked together. Seeing them like that—the glow on Torrie's face and the deep content in Chaos's pale aqua eyes—just made me feel like I was missing out on the whole happiness experience. And the sight of Torrie made me want my own Evans girl.

  "I thought you were going to call us for a ride," I said. "That's why we called Torrie earlier on Walker's phone."

  "We took the bus then walked the rest of the way," Chaos told me, and bumped Walker's fist. "So you're MacKenzie's brother?"