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Chapter Fifty Eight
Inside the house Michael had taken on the posture of a very angry father. Anna was prepared for this reaction as all the males in her life did this to her at one time or another.
"I don't care if Harriet had a feeling, it was a reckless and foolish thing to do. Do you even understand what that male could have done to you? Do you think he couldn't have raped you? He could have tortured a vow from you that would have given him your body, you are just lucky he was taken off guard!"
Anna sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."
Michael shook his head. "And now he can track you where ever you go for the next week, which means you can't leave this house for any reason."
"Except during the day…
"No, not at all. We don't know for certain he’s fully turned and even if he is he could have one of those half-turned assholes lying in wait. Which means we're going to have to find another place to stay after the week is up." Michael swept his eyes around the room with a hint of sadness.
Anna suddenly felt terrible. They would have to move? He would have to leave his home because of her? "I'm so sorry Michael," she said and this time really meant it. "I don't know what else to say."
He looked at her and sighed. "Well, I guess we should take a look at what we've traded our living arrangements for."
Coderin leapt to his feet and swept his arm to indicate the weapons on the table.
Matthias picked up the battle ax and unsheathed it completely. "My God, this is ancient. I fought with one like this in the only true battle I was ever in. You know I thought he looked familiar, I would be willing to bet this was his or a relative’s at least. God it's a shame he defected if he fought with weapons like these....." Matthias shook his head and passed the axe to Seth.
"I was wondering if we could send one to the McClarons'," Anna asked.
"Yes, of course," Michael said.
Matthias was looking at her oddly. She had removed her contacts and her hair was tied up with a bandanna wrapped around it, but a black lock had escaped the confines of the material.
"So you disguised yourself at least, huh?" Matthias stated.
She nodded, and Jess jumped in to describe what she'd looked like.
"Well at least she shouldn't be recognized once we manage to get ourselves situated somewhere else," Seth said.
"Take your hair down, I want to see it," Matthias ordered.
She did as he asked.
"That's a terrible look for you." Matthias said wrinkling his nose.
"You're such an asshole," Jenna said from across the room and he winked at her in reply. She snorted and looked away.
"It will start to fade next week and be gone in two months so I won't have to live with it forever,” Anna said defensively.
"Actually honey, you could get rid of it sooner if you wanted, there’s a shampoo sold at shops like mine that pulls the dye from your hair," Harriet told her.
"Oh good, I'll have to pick that up when I get off house arrest," she replied. She saw Michael frown and felt instantly guilty. "I didn't mean anything by that," she said quickly, "you're the one who really has to suffer for my actions."
He was looking at her with the father expression again. "It's alright Anna, you wanted to help and you did, we have the weapons. I berated you for things that might have happened, but the simple fact is your safe and maybe all of us will enjoy a change of scenery."
He was such a nice vampire, why couldn't she go wild for him? That made her think of the night before and she slammed the mental door quickly. Last night she'd absolutely refused to think about it, and she wasn't going to start now.
She smiled at Michael, then on impulse crossed the room and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed. It was so cute she had the urge to pinch the cheek she’d kissed.
"Are you blushing Michael-Angel-O?" Matthias laughed loudly, "Christ you need to get laid."
Michael turned away and Anna was embarrassed for him. She gave Matthias a scathing look and Jenna expounded. "Way to go Matthias, I knew you were a kick your friends in the balls kind of guy." She shot him a disgusted look and to Anna's surprise Matthias actually appeared regretful. Mildly, but it was there.
Anna looked around and noticed that Tyros and Jess had gone missing again. She was becoming increasingly curious about them and the things they talked about. Or were they talking? Anna worried a little about that one, Jess was not known to be a "no" kind of girl. Then again, what did it hurt if they were messing around? Well, besides the fact that if there was genuine affection it would only end in heartbreak.
She watched as Harri and Seth left the room and felt a laugh bubble up. For some reason the idea of Aunt Harriet sleeping with the wolf struck her as hilarious, meanwhile Jenna was still throwing castrating looks Matthias's way. There was definitely something up there too.
Anna wandered out of the room thinking of ways to keep busy for the next seven days. She wasn't sure how long her friends would be staying, but she had a feeling Michael would insist they stay until that time was up. In effect she had put them all on house arrest.
His face, eyes incandescent with fury blinked into her mind, and she shivered. She had no doubt that if he had been able to get to her she would no longer be living. She wondered if he would continue coming back every night just waiting for the opportunity to get his hands on her. She shivered again, but there was something other than fear in that shiver, something she had to once again shut the door on.
T
The males left before the sun went down, not wanting to be accosted by Jared even grouped up. The girls had strict instructions not to set one foot in the yard, as if they needed them. None of them, including her, wanted anything whatsoever to do with the ground shaker. They ended up pulling out a monopoly board to waste away the hours battling over real estate.
**
Jared watched as the males filed out. Piercings, wolf, the dark haired one, the boyish looking blonde who'd yanked her inside and one other…he blinked as another face from long ago teased the edges of his consciousness before fading away. He shook his head to clear it and took stock. Four vampires and a wolf, all out in daylight. They climbed into the SUV and because of the wolf Jared couldn't make the assumption they didn't possess the power to blur. Lyncane could only move that fast in their wolf form, so they might just be driving for his sake.
He was torn between following them and waiting to see if the female would emerge. He had a feeling she wouldn't, certainly not in daylight. No matter what was going on, there was no fucking way she was an unturned female, that little fact would not have escaped an entire population of vampires. But even when the sun went down, he was sure she wouldn't dare risk his fury.
He decided to follow the males. He kept pace with the vehicle, and listened in.
"Leo's going to wig the fuck out when he sees these," piercing was saying.
Jared saw that "these" were his weapons and nearly overturned the SUV in the middle of the highway. Unfortunately it was light out and there were humans everywhere. At least he would be able to keep track of where his things were going.
"I think Finn will be the most excited, he's an ancient weaponry connoisseur. And these are beautiful." The boyish one was lovingly stroking the handle of his battle ax. Jared envisioned sinking it into the little shit's skull.
"They are fine weapons, well made. I can understand why the bastard would be pissed. Especially if they were originally his or he inherited them." This from the wolf. Wise assessment, unwise reference.
"Nah, he probably stole them himself," boyish one stated. Battle ax. In the skull.
"It doesn't make a difference whether they were his or whether they're stolen. They're doing no good stored in a closet. Our guys can use them for the benefit of all."
Jared faltered, dropping behind the vehicle. Benefit of all? They couldn’t be hunters. Of course they could be, his mind whispered, and you've known it since you saw them this morning.
Doesn't make a difference, he thought borrowing the arrogant prick’s words, they stole from me. Machiavellian ends justify the means bullshit did not wash with him, especially if they were hunters.
They pulled up to a curb in front of a rare and used book store and filed out looking around themselves carefully. Satisfied there was nothing to harm them they ushered inside. Jared made to follow and a siren screech sounded in his head.
They had the place protected. FUCK. He wouldn't even be able to hear what was going on. So much for learning anything concrete. He blurred back to the house. All was still. If he was pissed off before, this shit was stoking the flames into a raging fire.
At the bookstore Leo and Finn were fawning over the weapons.
"Finally, we can take 'em down when it does the most good!" Finn was handling the ax with adoration.
"We're sending one to Jack, so you'll have to choose between the ax and the club."
"Oh, we'll take the ax," Leo stated, "We get the claws too?" At Michael's nod, he slipped his hands in them.
"So where's your brother? We haven't seen him around lately." Seth inquired.
"Brett is somewhere in Siberia tracking down a lead. He's been real mysterious about it."
"Well, I hope he finds what he's looking for, I'm sure it can only benefit."
"Yeah, if he's not wasting his time. Tonight we plan on taking down a couple of possessed SOB’s. They've been making routine visits to an abandoned warehouse. Interested?"
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Need our help?"
"Nah, just figured I’d ask in case you were looking for something to do."
"Maybe. If we do, we'll call. And of course call us if you need to."
"Why don't we go shoot a few games, we've got time to kill," Finn suggested.
"Sounds good!" Matthias clapped his hands together.
They left the store and headed downtown to a bar.
**
The males were tracking a trio of demons later that night when the ringtone for Leo's cell sounded in Michael's jacket. He answered and the hunter didn't even wait to hear his voice.
"Something strange is going down here. We're outside of the warehouse and there's a fuck load of demons on the roof, and a group of human demons as well."
"Address?" Michael inquired.
Leo rattled it off and Michael grabbed Seth's arm, blurring him to the site with the rest right behind, and found themselves on the outskirts of a bad neighborhood on an abandoned street.
They located the two hunters standing in the shadows of a building. Leo gestured towards the roof of the warehouse opposite.
"Holy hell," Matthias said under his breath.
"There’s gotta be at least two dozen of them,” Michael said quietly, as he scanned the area in question.
Coderin's amber eyes flared with excitement as Seth's lips drew back from his teeth in a snarl.
Michael turned to the hunters. "You two need to stay out of this one, you haven't had time to train with the new weapons. In fact, head back to the bookstore, worrying about you will be a distraction."
They reluctantly agreed and the males waited until they heard their car start a few blocks over before before leaping up to the roof. They were on the demons before they knew what hit them.
It went well at first but after the initial surprise the demons started fighting back, and along with stronger mental abilities this new breed could fight physically.
They were still holding their own when Coderin shouted and pointed at the sky. They looked up in unison and it was as if there was a rip in the fabric of the world. A small army of demons rained down from it.
**
Anna was just putting up another hotel on their ongoing monopoly game when she was jolted by a feeling of dread. At first she thought that she was sensing Jared outside, but then Michael's face flashed before her eyes. What the...she felt pain and realized she'd drank from him today. She jolted to her feet, her eyes wild.
"Anna? What's wrong?"
"Michael, he's in trouble, he's hurt!"
"You can sense that?"
She nodded frantically. "I have to go!"
"No!" Jenna jumped to her feet, "you can't, that psycho is out there, and besides if Michael's hurt...
But Anna didn't hear her, she ran out the door and leapt from the porch blurring the instant her feet hit the walkway.
Generously created for me by @son-of-satire