Magaestra: Loyalties: An urban fantasy series Page 3

  “Alpha Molin was simply looking for an excuse, I suspect. Any excuse would do,” Aldric shrugged, making her head bounce slightly.

  Faith sighed. He was right. From all she had heard about him, Molin was as selfish as Honeyford was. More, actually, since at least Jesse Honeyford cared somewhat about his little brother, even though he had left their pack years ago. Which, naturally, is how this all started. Greg Honeyford had been Kaylee’s preschool teacher, and Jesse was her biological father.

  Aldric didn’t let go of her, just shifted his hold to rub his hand up and down her spine. She wanted to arch into it like a cat, but guess that this wasn’t the right time. Instead, she just added another layer to her self-recrimination for enjoying moments like this while the world was falling apart around her.

  And she thought that if anyone else got hurt, she wasn’t sure what she would do.

  4

  Faith sipped at her coffee and leaned on the deck railing as she watched her niece Kaylee run around the play structure with her new best friend in the whole world, Jake. It had been barely dawn when the kids had pounced on her bed and chattered on about breakfast and adventures and too many other things for Faith's foggy, un-caffeinated brain to sort through. She did understand, though, that Jake was trying to distract Kaylee from something, and Faith was going to guess the girl had another nightmare.

  So now here she was, half an hour later, watching from the sidelines as the kids ran off some of that energy. She hoped. They wanted her to play with them, but Kaylee had spent several minutes explaining to Jake that they had to let her have her coffee to make sure that Faith didn't turn into Aunt Monster. It was a small blessing, and Faith was going to milk her reprieve for all it was worth.

  "Man, if we could bottle that sort of energy, we'd break the coffee business," Tamika mumbled. She took a position next to Faith and sipped at her own coffee, the beads in her braids clacking quietly together as they tumbled freely over her shoulders. "Thanks for making a fresh pot, sugar."

  "There is no way I could survive these two without any coffee," Faith grinned. Tamika smirked her agreement and the two watched the children running and laughing for a few minutes.

  "You all probably shouldn't be out here without security, you know," Tamika said.

  Faith grimaced and shrugged. "I thought we'd be okay out here. Aldric's window is right there," Faith pointed up at the blue curtains on the second floor and noted again that the window was cracked open. He was probably listening to the kids right now, but she didn't think even his vampire hearing was good enough to eavesdrop on her quiet conversation. "And there's patrols all through the woods. We're safe enough here at the clan house, I figured."

  Tamika's gaze was sharp, even as she claimed to need the coffee, and it swept over the tree line and around the large clearing. She grunted and sipped at her drink again, but kept her watch. Faith enjoyed the company, truth be told. After the past few weeks she was definitely on edge. Crissy being kidnapped, then Kaylee and Jake being taken while Tamika and another security team member had been hit by a car and sidelined, even with their faster werewolf healing.

  Then the battle at that creepy lodge. She might never get over her own nightmares of seeing her new friends covered in blood from the fight. Ori, bloody and limping so badly Kenya finally just picked him up still furry and carried him to the vehicles; Marc covered in gashes from wolf claws and vampire talons; Aldric slamming into the wall of the lodge, about to be killed. And Mia's body too still and far too cold.

  It was a slideshow of horrors that she could do without, thank you very much. And even though they had successfully gotten the kids back, she had only a few minutes with Crissy before her sister was snatched again.

  Faith snarled into the last few sips of her coffee and felt Tamika's gaze turn to her.

  "Sorry," she mumbled and finished her drink.

  "Don't be," Tamika said. "It's been a hell of a few weeks. You've got every reason to be grumpy about it. Tell ya' the truth, I'm a bit surprised that you're as cheerful and positive as you are. I'm guessing that you don't want to bring down the little ones." She nodded at where Kaylee had Jake 'under arrest' in the little clubhouse by the swings.

  "She had a nightmare this morning," Faith said. "Jake is one of the sweetest people on the planet, and I guess hopped right off his own bed when he heard her crying, and did his best to cheer her up, and then convinced her to get me up. I could still see the fear around the edges of her eyes, though. That's why we're out here. A bit of normal fun and sunshine to chase away the last of the nightmares."

  Tamika clucked her tongue but didn't say anything for a moment. "Think they'd want to learn a few self-defense tricks? In case someone tries to grab them again? Might not keep them safe for long against a determined opponent, but it could give them time for one of us to get there."

  Faith pinched her lips together, hating that this was even a consideration. But she couldn't lie to herself. She and Kaylee were both in danger, even if they ignore the fact that they seemed to be at the center of this current storm, Faith had been warned from the time she was very young that she would be in danger if anyone discovered her magic. And now Kaylee could either have magic or a wolf form, depending on which of her parents she took after. They wouldn't likely know for a couple more years.

  "On one condition," Faith finally answered. Tamika raised an eyebrow in question and Faith grinned. "You teach me, too."

  Tamika barked out a laugh that startled the kids, who raced over to see what was so funny.

  "Sure thing, sugar," Tamika grinned. "We'll make a class of it. What do you kids think? A little self-defense lesson or two? Watch me put Faith here in a headlock or something?"

  Jake giggled, but Kaylee's eyes were wide and she nodded hard.

  "Yes, please! Then we can beat them up the next time someone hurts you or Mister Simon! I hate that they drove a whole car into him." Kaylee said with a snarl she surely picked up from living with wolves. "I'm glad he's okay, but I hate them."

  Tamika's grin softened. "Oh, Miss Kaylee. I hope to hell it never comes to that again, sugar, but that might be the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I'll sort it out with your aunt, okay, sweet-pea?"

  Kaylee threw her arms around Tamika's waist in a tight hug before grabbing Jake's hand and dashing off again.

  "We're gonna get her mom back, too. Don't you worry," Tamika said once the kids were out of hearing range. "We're not gonna let anyone who raises a kid like that sit in some vampire's prison zoo for long."

  Faith couldn't swallow past the lump in her throat, so she just nodded.

  They stood there for another half hour chatting about schedules and plans for the day. Just the little stuff that comes up when there is nothing immediately pressing. Tamika said that she heard Marc in the kitchen, and took Faith’s cup to refill both of them.

  Kaylee and Jake had moved on to some complicated obstacle course they had imagined going over and through and around the play structures. Faith was beyond grateful to Jake for being so determined to keep Kaylee centered and stable. He had decided almost immediately upon meeting her that they would be best friends, and damned if the kid wasn’t blowing that goal out of the water. Not too bad for a preschooler.

  “Ah, to be that age and carefree again.”

  A voice beside Her made her jump and spin around. Beside her, looking exhausted and rumpled, was Detective Kenneth Lincoln.

  “You scared the hell out of me, Detective!” Faith gasped and clutched at her chest to prove her point.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I wasn't being especially sneaky, so I thought you heard me coming," the detective shrugged. "I was going to knock on the front door, then I heard the kids, and guessed you or Mr. Keller would be back here with them. I was hoping to catch him, too. And Mr. Donnelly"

  "I think Marc's in the kitchen getting coffee. Tamika just went in for refills for us, and I thought I heard his voice," Faith answered. "Did you find something? Do you know where Crissy is?
" She didn't really think that he had, considering he had no idea she had been snatched by a completely different group, and the original kidnappers were either dead or in cells in the Frostwalker compound.

  "Sadly, no. I'm sorry, Miss Latham," Detective Lincoln shook his head and ran his fingers through already messy hair. It seemed likely that wasn't the first time he'd done that today. "We're still tracking down every lead we can turn up, though."

  A surge of appreciation for the police made her breath stutter for a moment, before she squashed it soundly. If any of the human cops tried to go up against a bunch of vampires-- or those awful blighthounds-- it would be a massacre.

  "You're up early," she said when he didn't continue, and the detective sighed, his exhaustion obvious in his slumping shoulders. Faith noticed the dark circles under his eyes, standing out starker against his pale skin. "You look like you could use a day off."

  Lincoln huffed a laugh. "Yeah, I'll sleep when I have time. I got a call last night that your niece's teacher has been abducted– or worse– so I was hoping to talk to you about it. Go back over all of it and see if you remembered anything else."

  "Kaylee's... You mean Mr. Greg?" Faith gasped.

  Detective Lincoln nodded. "Yes, I do. He didn't turn up for work a few days running, and when his boss called the police to do a wellness check they found quite a mess at his apartment," he said. "I was wondering if any of you had heard from him, or perhaps we missed something when the kids were snatched."

  "I'm sorry, Detect–" her words were cut off by Kaylee's scream, distinctly full of fear and not the joyful sounds she had been making. Faith whipped around to see Kaylee frozen, staring at a blighthound barreling out of the tree line straight for her. Before either she or the detective could react, Jake jumped in front of Kaylee and snarled, and to everyone's shock, shifted right there.

  Time seemed to stretch like taffy, everything moving in slow motion suddenly. The blighthound didn't slow down, however, and Faith forced her body to start moving again. She wasn't going to make it.

  Another glance at the trees showed several vampires and a few ragged, unfamiliar wolves following the hound, along with several more of the monsters. Jake was struggling to get clear of his clothes, but a puppy was no match for any one of these attackers. Where were the patrols?

  An angry roar sounded behind her and Faith knew that Marc and Tamika were with them now. A blur from the other side of the house told her that Aldric was joining them as well, and much to her shock, Detective Lincoln was firing his gun at the creature.

  The blighthound was almost on Kaylee, and nobody was going to reach her in time. She saw Jake finally lurch free of the bundle of clothes and the pup stood his ground, snarling at the monster hurtling at him and his friend. Kaylee snatched him up into her arms, fighting with the puppy and turning to run towards the adults she knew could help.

  Detective Lincoln's bullets were just bouncing off the hound's thick hide, and the gun fell silent. Faith pushed her legs to work faster but the blighthound was already leaping to bring the fleeing girl to the ground, and Faith sobbed, knowing there was nothing anyone could do. She wasn’t close enough to throw a shield over the kids.

  A wave of intense heat blistered the air as it flew past her, catching the blighthound mid-leap. It seared a hole the size of a cantaloupe into the side of the thing and knocked it a good ten feet away. Kaylee didn't stop until she was crashing into Faith who threw up her shield and watched in shock as Detective Lincoln joined the Frostwalkers in taking out the attackers, throwing fireballs like they were frisbees.

  A moment later, they were joined by Leo and his father, Eldridge, who tore into the attackers beside the enforcers making it too dangerous for Detective Lincoln to throw more magic. Only a few minutes after it started, the attack was over and they were all left snarling and glaring over a clearing full of dead bodies, the children clutched protectively under Faith's shield.

  "Are you three okay?" Eldridge asked, walking over to crouch by where Faith was huddled around the children, placing a hand gently against the shimmering magic that shielded them. Awe of the magic in the air and anger from the battle mixed in his expression, but his voice held simple concern.

  Faith released the shield and Eldridge's hand landed softly on her shoulder. Jake whined and squirmed to be released, but Kaylee had a firm grip on him and Faith had her arms wrapped around Kaylee and couldn't seem to let go” I-- I think so. Kaylee-bee? Jake?"

  "I wanna be a werewolf, too, Aunt Faith! When can I be a werewolf?" Kaylee wailed, clutching Jake awkwardly to her chest. Jake, for his part, had stopped struggling finally, and now seemed to be cuddling into her arms like he was trying to hug Kaylee back.

  "I think we're all fine. Completely freaked out and wondering what the hell happened to the sentries, but physically we're okay," she said.

  Eldridge nodded and glanced around. "I think Tamika has gone to answer the second question, at least. Leo seems to be taking more photographs for his search, although it is too late for many of these vampires. He may be out of luck.”

  The trick with vampires, it seemed, is that as soon as they died, nature forcefully asserted herself and their bodies rapidly aged to what they should look like if they had been born fully human with no magic in their veins.

  "And we all need some breakfast, I'd say," Aldric said, crouching behind Faith and wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace and let the adrenaline shakes subside, knowing that they were all safe now. He glanced up at Detective Lincoln. "It seems that we all have some talking to do."

  Detective Lincoln, for his part, just glared at the whole group, though he softened some when Marc, the huge, black wolf stepped closer and nuzzled into the furry lump in Kaylee's arms, whuffing softly at the kids to assure himself that the children were both safe and sound.

  "And we have the little wrinkle of Jake's very early shifting," Eldridge added. "I suggest that we all head inside, have that breakfast, and organize some more security." He glanced at Aldric, who nodded.

  "I am concerned about the missing sentries," he agreed. "Come, I'll call the rest of the enforcers and get a fresh pot of coffee started. Marc was thinking of making pancakes already, and he will want something to fuss with once the children are safely squared away inside."

  Marc chuffed his agreement.

  "You too, Magester." Aldric looked at Detective Lincoln steadily. "You saved the children. The very least we can do is feed you, and assure you of our intentions regarding your secret."

  Marc stood to his full lupine height and eyed the man for a moment before bowing his head in thanks then turned to pick up his son by his newly formed scruff. Marc bumped Kaylee with his head and herded her inside as well.

  Detective Lincoln just nodded and turned to go into the house.

  "I think he was friendlier when he vaguely suspected me of murder," Aldric sighed. "Come on, Faith. Let's go have some pancakes."

  Faith was more than happy to let Aldric make the decisions for now.

  5

  The enforcers arrived in one SUV again, like they so often did. Kenya and Ori went straight to the back clearing to take charge of cleanup and Rod went to help Tamika in the woods surrounding the house to bring in the badly wounded sentries. Aldric swore creatively when he heard that they had all been somehow taken by surprise, and he just thanked any god who would listen that they hadn't lost another clanmate.

  It didn't take long to figure out how the attackers had snuck up on them. Their scents were disguised by both faint magic and some hunters' scent-masking spray. Humans were endlessly inventive that way and as much as Aldric wished to curse them for it at the moment, he could not. Marc was outside, now that he had clothes on again, and checking in with everyone, proving to himself that his wolves were still with them.

  "Aunt Faith!" Kaylee's voice cut through his thoughts.

  "Yes, Kaylee-bee?" Faith answered. She was bustling around the kitchen, making more coffee and cleaning everything, a
nd taking up the pancake batter that Marc had left half-finished. She was clearly trying to keep busy.

  "I want to be a wolf! When can I change, too?" she asked. There was still a thread of fear in the young girl's voice and it felt like a claw through his heart. They had promised that Kaylee would be safe here, and now she had been attacked in the very place they should have been safest.

  "I don't know, baby. And maybe you won't," Faith answered with a sigh. She put the bowl down and turned to crouch next to the girl, looking her right in the eye. "Maybe you'll be like me and your mom. When we found out who it was that helped your mom make you, not even Chief Marc could tell us which side of the family you would take after."

  Kaylee sniffled. "But I wanna be like Jake. He's my best friend in the whole world and I want to be just like him!" Kaylee's lip trembled and her eyes swam.

  "Sweetie..." Faith sighed.

  Aldric leaned against the counter, a fresh cup of coffee in his hands and eyed Jake, who was still in his puppy form, now exploring the kitchen and falling over his too big paws. "I have spent much of my life here among these wolves, and I agree. They are truly remarkable, Miss Kaylee," he said, then he turned to look at her. "But your aunt has saved my life twice now. She has walked into this danger with grace and courage and I think that she is quite remarkable as well."

  "I guess," Kaylee sniffled. "But Jake is so cute and furry!"

  "Jake also seems to have his head stuck in my rain boot," Aldric remarked drily. They all looked over to where Jake, sure enough, had tripped over his paws again and gotten his head jammed into a large rubber boot. Kaylee giggled and ran over to help him, then giggled again when he sneezed as he was freed. Puppy Jake glared at her for a moment then yipped and scrambled off, Kaylee in pursuit.

  Faith stood. "Thanks." She leaned against the counter and rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes.