by Jamie Davis
She failed.
The demon-kinder timed her attack perfectly and launched up at Quinn just before she got there.
The move caught the Huntress by surprise. Before she could react, she found herself on her back, fending off punch after punch at her face and head.
The woman straddled Quinn’s waist as she rained blows on her.
Bloody and dazed from the headshots, Quinn tried to buck her hips to dislodge her attacker. It didn’t work.
She tried punching back.
None of the shots landed, and they left her face and head unprotected. The dizzying array of punches continued to come at her.
Quinn realized she should probably call Sylvie back. She needed help.
The punching stopped.
Quinn moved her arms from in front of her face and peered up through swollen eyelids. The tip of a sword blade had appeared in the center of the woman’s chest. As it withdrew, a wisp of smoke curled up from the hole in her shirt as black ichor oozed from it.
The woman fell to the side. Clark stood behind her.
Quinn rolled over and forced herself to her feet. She swayed a little but steadied herself. She searched the yard for Avery. The other Huntress stood in the center of the yard, pulling her katana from the throat of the final demon-kinder. Scorch marks striped the demon-kinder’s back and shirt where dragon fire had burned away the fabric.
Avery spotted Quinn staring at her and ran toward her, pulling her into a tight embrace. When they finally let go of each other, Quinn laughed. Avery had fresh wounds atop the partially healed ones from earlier. “Aren’t we a mess?”
“Your face,” Avery said, reaching up to trace a finger down Quinn’s bruised cheek. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine. A little healing, either from a friend or a nearby ley line, will do the trick. How about you?”
A fresh gash in her arm still trickled blood down to Avery’s elbow. It didn’t seem too deep, though.
“I’m still feeling the effects of the earlier beating, but with your little friend’s help, I held my own.”
Sylvie came around and landed on Quinn’s shoulder. “Eeeep?”
“Sorry, Sylvie. Let me formally introduce you. Avery, this is Sylvie. Sylvie, this is my girlfriend Avery.”
Avery smiled. “Nice to meet you, little one. You showed up just in time.”
“Eeeep,” Sylvie crooned, lifting her head high and puffing out her chest.
“Yes, you’re the best dragon around for sure,” Quinn said, laughing. She scratched Sylvie’s brow ridge. A smooth vibrating hum emanated from the dragon as she leaned into the attention.
Clark came over. “I don’t mean to interrupt your reunion, but we still have work to do. Any idea where the girls are?”
Quinn pointed at the house. “They’re locked in a room at the top of the stairs. The demon-kinder were to keep them here until Gemma sent for them. Then they were to bring them all to her, presumably somewhere up in Baltimore.”
Clark said, “You still think that’s where she’s headed?”
“I do.”
Avery said, “She’ll have to go there either way now. I assume we can take the little ones back to your place at O’Malley’s?”
“That’s where we can protect them the best,” Clark agreed.
Quinn nodded. “Let’s go fetch them. I heard one of them crying earlier when they locked me up.”
“Oh.” Avery frowned with concern. “Let’s go. They must have heard the commotion. We should let them know they’re safe now.”
“Wait a sec,” Quinn said. She searched the pockets of the demon-kinder who’d taken her upstairs and found what she looked for. She held up an old iron key.
Avery nodded, and they all headed into the house. Clark remained at the bottom of the stairs, keeping an eye out for trouble as Quinn unlocked the door.
Avery pushed past as the door swung open.
As soon as she entered the room, a chorus of little voices shouted as one. “Avery!”
Six figures rushed at her from the far corner, wrapping her in hugs from all sides.
“Girls, I’m glad to see all of you, too. Are you all okay?” Avery leaned down to check each of the girls.
The redhead, who looked like the oldest of them, nodded. “We’re fine. They didn’t hurt us. We’re just hungry. Do you have food?”
Quinn chuckled. “Typical kids. Always hungry.”
Avery laughed. “How would you know?”
“Fair enough. We’ll get them food soon. First, we need to get them out of here.”
“Clark’s got his car. Where’s my van?”
“It’s parked in the woods nearby.”
Avery nodded. “We’ll need it. It has all our things. Before you go get it, though, let me introduce you.”
Quinn smiled as Avery introduced her to Brea, Kami, the twins Margie and Jordi, and finally Ola and Suko. “It’s very nice to meet all of you. Now let’s go downstairs and get ready to leave. Then you can stop for food.”
Cheers erupted, bringing more smiles to Quinn’s and Avery’s faces.
Clark was still at the bottom of the stairs. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll go fetch the van. See if you can find my comm gear and the Bowie. They took them from me in the front room off the kitchen. The one demon-kinder made a comment about Gemma taking my knife, but she might have been lying.”
Clark nodded. He started searching while Avery corralled the girls by the front door. Quinn ran toward the woods where she’d parked the van. Sylvie flitted along in the air behind her.
Ten minutes later, Quinn pulled the van in front of the house. Clark had retrieved his car too. Avery and the six girls came out right away.
Clark came over and handed Quinn her phone, her comm gear, and the Bowie. “They were all there on a card table. It looks like they are all fine.”
Quinn sheathed her knife, clipped the comm pack on her belt, and put the earpiece in place. She tapped it once and said, “Taylor, can you hear me?”
“Quinn, thank God you’re all right. How are the others?”
“All good. We got the girls, and Clark’s here to help escort them back to Baltimore.”
“Good. I’m ready to bring you and Sylvie back when you’re ready.”
“Let me get them on the road, then you can send the recall.”
Quinn helped Avery get the girls settled in the van and nodded to Clark as he went to his car.
“Avery, Clark will shadow you in his car. He’ll keep an eye out for Gemma or any other trouble. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Avery nodded and pulled her close. “It’ll be nice to be with you again, Quinn. Thanks for coming when I needed you.”
“Always, you know that.”
Avery smiled and gave her a quick kiss. A chorus of “Oooooos” came from the girls in the van. Avery and Quinn started laughing as their lips parted.
Avery winked at Quinn. “More of that when I see you in Baltimore.”
“I’ll hold you to it. Be careful. You’re almost there, but don’t let your guard down.”
Avery nodded. She started the van and followed Clark’s sedan down the lane.
Quinn watched them drive away until they were out of sight, then called Sylvie to come land on her shoulder.
As the dragon landed, Quinn tapped her earpiece. “Taylor, we’re all set here. Bring us home.”
Chapter Twenty
Quinn, Taylor, and Naomi had their hands full as soon as Quinn and Sylvie returned via the VR system. It only took a few minutes of chatting as Quinn and her dragon recovered from the VR trip to realize they had six little guests coming. They would need a place to stay, somewhere they would be both comfortable and out of sight.
Their normal apartments were too exposed and easy to assault if Gemma came to take them back. It was Naomi who suggested the solution.
“We could put them in rooms down in the Hunter tunnels. There are only a few ways in, and they’d be out of view
if Gemma or the Fae sent spies into O’Malley’s to see where they were. Plus, we can use Tadpole’s help to get everything ready.”
“It’s kind of creepy down there, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t have to be. You’ve never seen the rooms I use.”
“I’m sorry,” Quinn said. “I figured it was a vampire crypt thing.”
Naomi laughed. “I see I should have invited you down sooner. I have two fully furnished rooms with rugs on the floor, and even a bed.”
Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. What her mother described was the opposite of what she’d envisioned. “Okay, I guess I owe you an apology.”
“Nonsense. It’s my fault for not inviting you down to hang out. The important thing is, there are a series of rooms off the hall linking the training room and the ceremonial chamber.”
Quinn nodded. “I know the ones. I’ve never opened the doors to see what was inside, though. You’re sure they’ll be suitable?”
“They have power, and they’re close to the bathroom off the training area. Tadpole stays in one of them. He took the largest room for himself. There are three others, though. They’re a little smaller than his, but I’m sure we could put two girls in each of them. Plus, there is the ceremonial vestments room. We could clean that out for you and Avery so you could be nearby. That way, you’d be close enough to keep an eye on them.”
Taylor smiled. She started typing on the keyboard behind the computer screens. “That means we have work to do.”
“What do you mean?” Quinn asked.
“I mean, we have to shop for furniture for six kids. This will be so much fun.”
“Easy does it, T. We don’t have all that much time—five or six hours at the most.”
“Then we’d better get started.” Taylor clapped her hands and rubbed them together as she ticked off the things they had to get done. “Naomi, go find Tadpole and clean out the rooms. I’ll order what we need online, then Quinn and I will borrow Paddy’s catering van and run to the Swedish Furniture Store for pickup. By the time I finish here, it’ll be time to leave. They open in an hour. We’ll need beds and other stuff for everyone, including you and Avery.”
Quinn shrugged. “I guess we have a plan. Taylor, you will be in charge. We have to hurry. All that furniture has to be assembled, and they’ll be here before we know it.”
Naomi said, “I’ll get things ready and figure out how we will assemble everything. Let me make some calls and see if Juni and Paddy can lend a hand. Maybe some other servers will come in early to help, too. Hurry back.”
Naomi headed down the hall, already talking on her phone. Taylor continued shopping online.
Quinn left the workshop to get the keys for the van from Paddy’s office. It was early in the morning, and it wouldn’t take Taylor long to gather what they needed online.
Taylor met Quinn as she came out of Paddy’s office. “Done already?”
Taylor shook her head. “No, but I can finish on here.” She held up a tablet. “We can finalize the order in the parking lot while we wait for them to open.”
Quinn and Taylor were standing at the doors when the manager unlocked them. Taylor showed him the order she’d put together on the tablet.
Seeing the number of items they were ready to purchase all at once, the manager called for several sales associates to assist them in gathering it all from the warehouse. That left Quinn and Taylor time to shop for a few fun items to help it feel more like a home for the girls.
An hour after they walked into the store, they left with a fully loaded catering van and a hefty credit card charge. Quinn pulled up behind O’Malley’s a half-hour later and checked the time on her phone. Avery and the girls would be here in three hours.
“I don’t know if we will get all this unloaded and assembled in time, T.”
“We can at least get started. Come on.”
The two of them went around back and opened the doors. As they did, the kitchen doors to the pub opened. Naomi stood inside, staying well out of the sunlight streaming into the alley. Tadpole, Paddy, Juni, and a bunch of the pub’s staff came out and started loading the heavy boxes onto carts. As soon as each cart was full, someone rolled it down into the tunnels.
Before long, all three rooms had teams inside who worked at assembling two beds and dressers in each one. They also had room for a small table and two chairs. Tadpole roamed around, cleaning up empty boxes and helping with heavy lifting to put the items into position.
They finished getting the last room ready with five minutes to spare. Quinn and Taylor were making the final checks on the freshly made beds when her phone chirped with a message from Avery.
We’re out back. Come help us bring the kids in. They’re beat from the drive.
Quinn smiled and called, “They’re here.” She texted a quick reply and went into the hallway.
Everyone who’d been helping them get ready waited for her.
“Thank you all for helping with this. You’ve gone a long way toward making this place a home for us over the last few months. Now you’ve done even more for people you don’t even know.”
Paddy grinned. “Never let it be said I don’t know how to extend hospitality to people in need. Juni and I’ll go up with the others and put some food together. Kids are always hungry, and I’ll bet your girls will want to eat once they’re settled in.”
As the pub staff headed back up to O’Malley’s, Tadpole reached out and tugged on Quinn’s sleeve. “Uh, Quinn, what should I do? Little kids might be scared because I’m so big.”
“Oh, right, that’s an outstanding idea.” She hated making him feel like that, but she was worried about their reaction, too. “You hang back in your room or the armory. Stay hidden until I can introduce you to them at the right moment. It might overwhelm them at first.”
Naomi nodded. “I’ll stay down here with him and double-check everything. You and Taylor should go up and greet them.”
Taylor bounced on the balls of her feet, excited to meet the girls. “I can’t wait to show them all the stuff in their rooms.”
Quinn knew her best friend liked kids. She’d done a lot of babysitting in high school, and she probably missed it.
The minivan with Avery behind the wheel had pulled up behind Clark’s sedan in the alley as Quinn and Taylor arrived. Avery smiled as soon as she spotted Quinn. The girls waved as the doors opened.
Quinn said, “Hi, ladies. Welcome to O’Malley’s. This is our home, and we hope it becomes one for you, too.”
The youngest of the group, Kami with the pixie-cut brown hair, walked over to Quinn, her eyes wide. “A home? Really? I’ve always wanted a real home.”
The Huntress’ heart melted. She’d been an orphan and a foster child most of her life. Now she got the chance to provide a home for girls who were special in that way, just like her.
Crouching so her eyes were level with Kami’s, she nodded. “Yep, this can be your home for as long as you want to stay here. You and all your sisters.”
Little arms wrapped around Quinn’s neck, catching her by surprise. It took her a second to return the hug. She stood, holding onto Kami and shifting her into piggy-back position.
“Come on,” Taylor said. “We have a surprise for all of you.”
The other five girls scampered along behind, following Taylor and Quinn into the pub, with Clark and Avery bringing up the rear. After leading them through the bar and restaurant area, Taylor opened the door to the storerooms and the tunnel down to the Hunter chambers.
As the hallway transitioned into a true tunnel, the girls stopped chattering to each other. There were only a few excited whispers.
Noting the change, Quinn said, “We’re going to a super-secret place that only a few people have ever seen. We’ve made a special place for all of you there.”
Brea, the red-headed leader of the six, caught up with Quinn in the hallway and walked beside her. She reached out to hold Kami’s hand as she rode on Quinn’s back.
After
taking the stairs down to the ceremonial chamber, the group turned the corner to the area made up just for them. Naomi waited for them. She’d made sure all the lights were on, so it looked bright and cheerful.
Quinn stopped and said, “Girls, this is my mom, Naomi. Maybe Avery can come forward to help me with introductions the other way since I’m still learning your names.”
Avery smiled and started with the eldest. “Naomi, this is Brea. She’s the oldest and is smart and resourceful.”
Motioning for the blonde twins to come forward, she said, “These two young ladies are Jordi and Margie. Behind them with the long black hair is Suko, and behind her with the dark brown hair is Ola. Last but not least is our fiercest little warrior girl, Kami.”
Quinn set Kami down beside Avery and smiled. The six-year-old puffed out her chest and stood with hands on her hips in a heroic pose.
Naomi nodded a greeting to each girl as Avery introduced them. Then she said, “I have rooms for you. You’ll each have to share with someone else, so I hope that’s okay.”
Ola smiled. “You mean, we don’t have to all sleep in the same bed anymore?”
“No, sweetie,” Naomi replied. “You each get your own bed, two to a room. Is that okay?”
“It’s wonderful!” Ola spun like a dancer. “Can we see?”
“You sure can.” Naomi waved her hand. “Come on. The rooms are right down here.”
The girls ran to catch up to Naomi, leaving Clark, Taylor, Quinn, and Avery in the hallway. They peeked into the rooms as the girls got situated in their new home.
Avery shook her head. “This must have been a lot of work. Thank you. They’ve been through so much.”
“Your room is right down there,” Taylor said. “It has a queen-sized bed in case you want some company.”
“Taylor,” Quinn grumbled, “that’s enough. Avery, I’m sorry.”
“I’m glad she said something. I was wondering who would watch the girls if I snuck up to your apartment.”
“Well,” Quinn said, “we can’t have you sneaking around like that. This is your home, at least for now. I’ll move down here with you if you don’t mind.”
Avery laced her fingers with Quinn’s. “I’d like that.”