by E. J. Krause
Confusion swirled off Andi, while Mr. Thomas took a deep breath and turned away. Mrs. Thomas stood looking at the ground, her face scrunched in concentration. She was the first to break the silence.
"It makes sense. How else would he have been able to get back here?"
"But is he using the demon, or is the demon using him?" Mr. Thomas said. "It seems there'd be no doubt the demon controlled him, except …"
"Why come after us?" She finished. "We had no conflict with it."
"Indeed. Which leaves us with the improbability that Derian is in control."
"Wait," Ben said, tears forming in his eyes. "Why would he take my parents? They never did anything to him. They didn't even know he existed."
Andi nuzzled up next to him, her hand rubbing his back. That helped. He blinked back any tears before they fell.
"Bait," Mr. Thomas said. "He knows we'll go after them."
"He took my parents so he could set a trap?"
"Afraid so," Mrs. Thomas said.
"So we proceed with extra caution," Mr. Thomas said. "We defeated him once, though then we didn't have to contend with the powers of a demon."
"Lee, it's obvious his powers are made for this fight. He's here for a reason. It should be now."
Ben thought for a second that Mrs. Thomas was talking about the necromancer, but then it dawned on him. Were they going to bind them for real? Weren't they going to wait until they were 18? Even if it was still 150 years away, he could handle dating for that long. According to them, the binding was like marriage. He liked Andi, liked her a lot, but there was no way he was ready for that. Only a little part of him disagreed and wanted them to bring it on. What scared him even more was that Andi, though fear bled off her, didn't have nearly the aversion to the full bind he did.
"No," Mr. Thomas said. "Absolutely not."
"You're not thinking this through, Lee."
"No, Cassie, you're not thinking it through. We'll discuss it later."
She firmed her jaw, ready to argue, but before she said anything, they both clutched their heads. Why would they do that if it hurt so bad? Ben wasn't sure if he'd ever talk to Andi like that. There wasn't much worse than a huge headache.
"Fine," she said, their argument apparently over. Ben marveled over that fact that he didn't feel as relieved as he thought he would. He looked at Andi and smiled, now happy that her disappointment outweighed her relief. What was wrong with him? Hadn't he just told himself waiting was better?
"Ben, go pack," Mr. Thomas said. "Quickly. Enough for a few days. You'll be staying with us until we get your parents back."
"Yes, sir." He hurried out and over to his room. Andi started to follow, but was stopped by her father.
"You stay here, Alexandria. The boy can manage on his own."
Ben chuckled under his breath and felt annoyance directed at him, what he took as the emotional equivalent of an eye roll. It wasn't until he swapped out the dirty clothes in his duffle bag for clean ones that the severity of the situation crashed down on him. He fell to a knee and had trouble breathing. Andi rushed in and tackled him with a bear hug. He cried into her shoulder.
By the time her parents came in a few moments later, he'd pulled himself together and had finished packing. Mrs. Thomas gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead, and he even got a smile and a fatherly pat on the shoulder from Mr. Thomas. Everything would be okay; they'd see to it.
*****
Ben lay in the bed of the Thomas's guestroom, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much in here yet, for which both Mrs. Thomas and Andi apologized, citing no time to decorate. He didn't care. All that mattered was the bed was comfortable. As amazing as it seemed, they'd moved in just a week ago, and he'd known Andi less than that. He felt so close to her, as if he'd known her his entire life.
He did his best not to think about his parents. He hoped his vision was correct. Yeah, they were scared, but at least they were unharmed. He hated to think of them getting hurt because of what he was, what Andi and her parents were. His thoughts drifted to them holding hands in there. It was an extreme situation, but maybe that was what it would take to get their marriage back on track. Maybe they wouldn't end up divorced.
He sensed Andi moving, and seconds later she was at his door. She put a finger to her lips to get him to stay quiet and motioned him towards her. He walked over, treading lightly in case any floorboards creaked, and made it without causing a sound. He couldn't help but notice how hot she looked in her flimsy white nightgown. She took his hand and led him to the bathroom, where they stopped in the doorway. He leaned over to ask what was going on when she pointed to the air vent. He stared up at it and heard her parents' voices.
"So we do this tomorrow?" Mrs. Thomas said.
"We can head out as soon as they go to school."
"You know where he is?"
Mr. Thomas gave the annoyed grunt Ben was so familiar with. "Last I heard he spends every day fishing at the Newport pier. As if he has nothing better to do with his time."
"Now, Lee, be nice. We need information."
Ben put his mouth up to Andi's ear. "Who are they talking about?" She shrugged and shook her head.
"I'm sure he'll rope us into having dinner with them. That's the last thing we need." He gave a humorless chuckle. "The joke will be on him, though; we very well could end up dead."
"When did you get so pessimistic? Honestly. We'll get through just fine, and when we do, if we go over for dinner, we'll enjoy Nix's wonderful cooking."
Mr. Thomas grunted.
"I'm more worried," Mrs. Thomas continued, "about your flat out refusal to bind them. You're being stubborn."
"They're too young, Cassie. The boy won't be physically ready to handle his powers. You know as well as I that guards are almost always 18 before they are chosen."
This time Mrs. Thomas let out a long sigh. "You need to get over it, Lee. She can't be Daddy's Little Girl forever. Fate wouldn't have brought us here, or Ben to us, if he wasn't ready. Besides, when was the last time you heard of a guard with powers before a binding?"
"All guards show potential with their weapon before they're bound. You said yourself that you had an uncanny ability to turn anything you picked up into a weapon."
"That's not what I'm talking about. He could sense the zombies before he saw them. That's not normal. If he could do that, how can you even question if he's ready to be her guard?"
"I'll not discuss this any longer, Cassie. You know why they can't be bound. It's too dangerous in the heat of the moment. They'll need a few days to get used to it, and we don't know if that's possible."
"Lee, just because …" Silence filled the space for a few seconds. "Fine. I'll drop it. For now."
Ben looked down at Andi to see what she made of all that and discovered she was cuddled into him. His arms were around her and latched at her waist, while she had one arm back around his neck and the other lingering on his hands. When had that happened? In his mind, it was a pose reserved for those truly in love, and they'd done it without thinking. He squeezed, and she looked up and smiled before leaning up and kissing his neck. Then they went back to listening.
"Do you suppose Max will have the location?" Mrs. Thomas asked.
"If he doesn't know it offhand, I'll march him right off his little pier to find it. It's in his records, if not his mind."
"That's fine, but remember to be nice. Max might be a bit brash, but he's always been helpful in the past."
Mr. Thomas grunted again, and they were silent for a couple of seconds until Mrs. Thomas said, "You don't suppose the kids can hear any of this, do you? Remember how Andi used to eavesdrop on us in that house in Virginia?"
"That was almost 400 years ago. Besides, they're both no doubt in their beds, pining for the other."
Mrs. Thomas laughed. "Remember the day we were bound? You certainly didn't have to pine for me."
Ben heard the scowl in Mr. Thomas's voice. "That's exactly why we can't bind them fully yet. Alexandri
a is far too young for that sort of thing. The boy is, too."
Waves of nervous energy flowed from Andi at the allusion to sex, and Ben had no doubt the same came from him. He talked a good game about wanting to go all the way when he joked with the guys at school, but he wasn't so sure he was ready. He looked down at her and smiled at the fear in her eyes. Good, it looked like they were on the same page. Hopefully they could get by with kissing and cuddling for awhile. That was fun.
"Lee, you know you can't use age…"
"Enough, Cassandra. You can pester me about it later. But for now, let's go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."
"Fine."
Andi pushed him away from the vent and led him back to his room. She stopped in the doorway and gave him a quick kiss, and then leaned her mouth to his ear. "We're going with them tomorrow. No matter what they say. Right?"
He nodded and leaned to her ear. "It's my parents we need to save. Try and stop me."
She smiled and gave him another quick kiss. Their fingers intertwined and lingered together as they moved slowly apart. When she left, he closed his door and let out a big sigh. He missed her already. This Dragon Guard stuff was going to take some getting used to.
Chapter 12
Mrs. Thomas woke Ben at 6:30 for breakfast. He dragged himself down to the kitchen and found everyone already downstairs. Andi had on a pair of pink sweatpants and a white long-sleeved shirt instead of the flimsy nightgown she wore last night. Too bad. He'd have liked to see her in that in brighter light.
He shook his head to knock that thought from his mind. Stop it, her parents were here. Besides, looking at her now, and thinking about how he'd lusted after her last night, brought out a blush. That had been way too weird.
Andi gave him a shy smile, her emotions singing the same song. Her dad gave him a slight nod and mumbled "Good morning," while her mom greeted him with a plate full of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. Everyone else had the same.
"Morning, Ben. I thought we could all use a hearty breakfast."
"Are we going after my parents soon?"
Andi shot him a look to not let on that they'd eavesdropped. He didn't think he tripped anything, though, since they'd have to go after them sometime.
"Cassie and I are," Mr. Thomas said. "You two are going to school."
"But, Dad, we can help."
"Yeah. They're my parents."
Mrs. Thomas set a bottle of syrup in the middle of the table. "We'll discuss it after breakfast."
"But, Mom …"
"After breakfast, Andi. I promise." She winked at Ben. "I usually make them fend for themselves in the morning."
"It's good," he said after he stuffed half a syrup-drenched pancake into his mouth. As he chewed, Andi motioned to the side of her face. She also wore a strange look, and feelings that reminded him an awful lot of last night poured off her.
"Alexandria, knock it off," her dad said. His tone was even, but he meant business.
"What? I didn't do anything."
Her mom hid a smile behind her hand and said, "He knows the look. I've licked syrup off his face a time or two."
"Mom!"
"Cassie!"
Ben's face heated up, and Mrs. Thomas gave him a playful nudge. "Welcome to the family." She cackled, which caused Andi to roll her eyes and Mr. Thomas to shake his head. Ben couldn't help but laugh.
As breakfast went on, Ben found himself drifting from any conversation going on at the table. He hadn't slept very well. It took forever to fall asleep in the first place, and then when he did, bad dreams plagued him. He jumped a bit when Andi put a hand on his arm. "What's the matter? You aren't quite here."
"Sorry. I had nightmares every time I closed my eyes last night."
"Nightmares?" Mr. Thomas asked. "Do you get them often?"
"Uh, no, but I sort of expected them. They were of my parents in that awful place."
"Were they more vivid than normal?"
He looked around the table and saw Andi and her mother staring at him, waiting for an answer. Mrs. Thomas seemed to know where this was going, but confusion bled off Andi. Good, Ben wasn't alone in the dark here.
"They seemed like normal bad dreams. I mean, they were real enough when I was having them, but once I woke up, I knew they were just dreams."
Both Andi's parents relaxed. "Good," Mr. Thomas said.
"Maybe that world can't affect them until they're fully bound," Mrs. Thomas said.
"Another excellent reason to put it off as we discussed."
"Are you going to share any of this with us?" Andi asked.
"It's not important today," Mrs. Thomas said as she cleared the table.
"Fine," Andi said. "And about us going with you?"
"No," her father said.
Mrs. Thomas nodded. "You may not need school, but this is Ben's first time through. It should be a priority."
"But I won't be able to concentrate," Ben said. "It might get me into more trouble than if I wasn't there."
Mrs. Thomas opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Instead, she shrugged and looked at Mr. Thomas. "He makes a good point."
Mr. Thomas sighed. "Indeed. Besides, they may be safer with us for the day."
"Congratulations," Mrs. Thomas said. "You don't often win arguments with parents, but you did today." She winked at them both. "Don't get used to it."
"There's a condition," Mr. Thomas said. "You do what we say. To the letter. Even if it doesn't make sense. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, Daddy." Andi leaned over and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be good. Promise."
Mrs. Thomas walked over to the phone. "I better call the school."
A light bulb went off in Ben's head. "Can we stop at my house before we go? I should call both my parents' work so they don't get fired for not showing up."
"Good idea. Now both of you go up and get dressed. This may be a long day."
As they headed up the stairs, Ben had to fight hard to not grab Andi's hand. Her dad wouldn't approve, and he didn't want to get sent to school at the last moment as punishment. Andi grinned at him, no doubt aware of what he was thinking. Yeah, this was definitely going to take some getting used to.
Ben rushed to get dressed. They were supposedly heading to Newport Beach first, and it'd be chilly down there, so he threw on a light jacket over his t-shirt. As he left the guestroom, Andi stepped out of her bedroom.
"How are you holding up?" she asked.
"I'm doing alright, I guess. I'm mostly tired right now."
She gave him a hug. He squeezed back and enjoyed the feeling of her melting into him. She felt right in his arms in a way no other girl ever would, he supposed.
Andi reached up and massaged the back of his neck for a few seconds, and then pulled his head down to hers for a kiss. Before it could be much more than a peck, Mrs. Thomas came up behind them.
"Would you two knock it off?" He and Andi jumped apart. Mrs. Thomas's expression was a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Act like normal teenagers and sneak around to do that so you don't get caught."
Ben muttered an apology, but Andi rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Aren't we basically engaged now? Why shouldn't we kiss?"
"You're too young to be worried about anything like that. Both of you. I don't care if you make out, but I don't want to see. And you better do all you can not to get caught by your father. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Yeah."
"Remember, all of this stands if I manage to change his mind about the binding." She motioned them down the stairs. "You two will be fully bound, but you'll still be high school students in our eyes. Your father won't allow any shenanigans until you're 18. Am I still clear?"
Andi scoffed and said, "I'm way over 18, if you want to get technical."
"Don't be stubborn, Andi. You know darn well how age works. You're a long way from being 18 in our world, and Ben is 15 no matter which way you cut it. Regardless of my thoughts
on this matter, realize how hard this is on your father. I hope this third time is crystal clear."
Ben nodded. That made him feel better. They wouldn't have to be married until they were ready. Andi, however, wasn't quite done. "Why is it so hard on him? I get that he doesn't want me to grow up, but so what? Stuff happens."
Sadness spread over her face. "We don't have time right now to talk about it. Besides, I can't tell you without his blessing, and I doubt we're going to get that anytime soon. Not under these circumstances." She leaned in and hugged them both, and then quickly retreated downstairs. Ben wasn't positive, but he thought he saw tears in her eyes. He turned to Andi, who looked back at him with a bewildered look on her face. They gripped hands one last time, and then followed Mrs. Thomas down the stairs.
*****
Less than fifteen minutes later, they arrived at his house, and Ben called both of his parents' workplaces. The two calls went smoothly, with no follow up questions about the food poisoning he'd claimed they had. As soon as he hung up, he dashed back to the SUV, and they were off to the beach, though Ben needed to remember he and Andi weren't supposed to know that yet.
Once they hit the 55 freeway south, Mr. Thomas let them know they were on their way to the Newport pier. "We need a spell to get to Derian's realm. In order to do that, we must discover where Rico is."
"Rico?" Andi asked.
"He deals in magical goods and services," Mrs. Thomas said. "Think demon pawn shop."
"And his name is Rico?" Ben asked. That sounded too normal for a demon.
"His real name is much more complicated," Mr. Thomas said. "Rico is about as close as the mortal tongue can get, so that's what he goes by."
"And Rico has the spell?" Andi asked.
"Yes. He'll want a favor in return, but we're hoping it won't be too difficult. We've completed tasks to his satisfaction before. That'll help him look on us more favorably."
"Are we going to have to do the favor before he gives us the spell?" Ben asked.
"No," Mr. Thomas said. "Unless he has an urgent task. More likely he'll bring us in sometime in the not-too-distant future."