by Apryl Baker
Without a thought, he picks me up and carries me to his Jeep, Mom and Cecily right behind him. He puts me in the back seat with Mom.
“It’s okay, honey. Everything’s okay.” Mom hugs me to her as Eli starts to drive.
“Mom, we need to move the shutoff valve to a safer place.”
“Yes, we do.” She glances down at the wounds, and I know she’s worried but trying not to freak out in front of me.
“Mom, I don’t feel so good.”
“Tell me,” Eli barks out as I feel the Jeep speed up.
“I’m dizzy and sick to my stomach.” I gag, the nausea starting to overtake everything else.
“Shouldn’t we put a tourniquet or something on her leg so the poison doesn’t travel faster?”
“No,” Eli tells her. “It can cause more problems than it creates. Are you numb anywhere, Ella?”
I gag again, and the salad I had earlier comes rushing up, and I barely lean over enough to spew all the contents of my stomach onto the floorboards and on my and Mom’s shoes.
“Eli, I think you need to go faster.” Cecily’s eyes are wide.
And he does.
Once we reach the ER, I’m rushed off into a room where they push on the wounds and collect samples in hopes of finding venom so they can identify the type of rattlesnake that bit me. I had no idea there were different anti-venom treatments for different types of rattlesnakes.
I’m given medication to help minimize the symptoms, and it doesn’t take long before the nausea starts to subside, but my leg is swelling.
Which I know isn’t good.
Eli walks in and sits down beside me. “And I thought a little B&E was gonna be the highlight of our day. You get into some dangerous hijinks, Ella Grace.”
“Hijinks and misdemeanors. That’s us.” I attempt a smile, but I think it’s more grimace than anything else. “Can I ask you something?”
He nods.
“What does the dragon lady look like?”
“Why?”
I peek around him so I can see the doorway. “I saw a woman under the porch. She’s why the snake attacked the first time. Mom caused the second attack. The woman looked like she’d been tortured.”
“I’ll find out,” he promises and squeezes my hand.
“I think my dad took her.”
“We agreed…”
“No.” I shake my head and cut him off. “I asked him if he took her and he wouldn’t answer me, Eli.”
His frown deepens.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Right now, let’s focus on getting you treated, and we’ll figure the rest out tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” I lean back against the pillow and close my eyes. “I’m tired.”
“No sleeping until they give you the anti-venom or whatever it’s called.”
“How did you get to me so fast?”
“I was picking up dinner for me and Gramps at the Coffee Shoppe.”
“I thought he promised to stop eating all that grease.”
Eli snorts. “Do you honestly think he’d do that?”
“He promised.”
“He only wanted you not to worry about him.”
“And going back to all that junk food is going to make me not worry?”
“Calm down, Shortcake. Don’t get riled while you’re still infected with venom. As soon as you’re better, I’ll take you back to my house and you can bless out Gramps to your heart’s content.”
“I’m gonna do more than bless him out,” I grouch. “I’m going to call the Coffee Shoppe and tell them to refuse to sell him anything but healthy food.”
“I said it before…you and what army?”
I laugh. I will need an army to keep greasy fast food out of Gramps’ hands.
“I don’t know what we would have done if Eli hadn’t been there,” Mom says as she comes into the room, followed by Dad.
“I’ll call someone to come out and check to make sure there’s no more snakes.”
“And that valve needs moved, too. We can’t risk the girls having to go under there when we’re not home. Either of them could get bitten again.”
“I’ll call someone today to have it moved.” Dad claps Eli on the back. “Thank you, Eli. I’m not sure my girls would have known what to do or have been able to kill the snake.”
“I was trying to get Ella out of the way of the snake.”
I keep my mouth shut about it causing the snake to bite me again. She’s already blaming herself as it is. It’s what Mom does if she thinks she should have been able to prevent something from happening to begin with.
“Can I speak with Ella for a few minutes alone, please?”
Mom frowns, but she doesn’t argue. Eli looks like he wants to, considering what I just told him about the dragon lady, but he gets up, giving my hand a squeeze.
Once we’re alone, Dad sits in the chair Eli vacated. “We need to talk about this, Ella. We can’t go on with you barely speaking to me.”
What does he want me to say? Sorry your job is to hurt people, but I understand you’re just following orders? Because I don’t. For as long as I live, I will never understand this.
That’s probably why I never seriously considered joining the military. They have to hurt people. Yes, it’s during war time, and the other side is trying to hurt them, but I don’t have it in me to do that.
“Then you need to return the dragon lady.”
He sighs. “Ella, I can’t discuss my job with you.”
“But you did take her.”
“I can’t confirm or deny.”
“I’m ashamed of you.”
He looks like I slapped him.
“Ella Grace,” he whispers, his face going pale.
“You need to get out right now before I say something I’ll regret. And no, I don’t regret telling you I’m ashamed of you. Because I am. But if you don’t leave, I’ll say something that’s even worse.”
“You and I are going to talk this out.”
“Are you going to quit your job?”
“No.”
“Then we’re not going to talk this out. I will never be okay with it, and as long as you’re a part of helping to kidnap and torture people, I don’t want to be anywhere near you. I want to go stay with Grandma in Phoenix.”
“No.”
Anger bubbles up. I hate that I can’t just leave. I’m not eighteen for a few more months.
“You know the second I turn eighteen, I’m leaving.”
His face pales even further.
“I hate what you’re doing, Dad, and it’s slowly making me hate you. I don’t want that to happen, but it’s coming. The more I’m around you while you’re doing this, the harder it’s getting to fight that feeling.”
Tears blur my vision, and he reaches out, but I turn away from him. I don’t want him to touch me.
“Please leave me alone.”
The chair squeaks, and he leaves, but Eli’s there seconds later, wrapping me up in his arms and holding on tight.
“It’s okay, Ella. Everything’s going to be okay.”
But is it?
I don’t think so.
Chapter Seven
Eli
It’s almost midnight when I come through the front door carrying Ella. She’s sound asleep. Gramps takes one look at her and motions me to follow him up the stairs. We put her in the bedroom across from mine. It’s the only girly-looking room in the house, with tiny blue roses on the bedding.
“What happened?” Gramps asks as soon as we go back downstairs. He hands me a Coke out of the fridge and takes a beer for himself.
“Her dad happened.” I crack the tab and take a long drink. “Any food?”
“I ordered pizza earlier. There’s a whole one in the oven that’s all yours.”
“Thank God. I’m starving.”
He waits until I get the box and sit back down, not even bothering with a plate. It feels like I haven’t eaten in weeks.
“That’s the bond causing you to be that hungry.” He gives me an amused look when I stare at him like he’s lost his mind. “She needs your strength right now and you’re giving your energy away to her. You’re helping her to be stronger.”
“I don’t understand. With Mattie, I never got hungry. She needed to be warm, and my body temp was always running super high, and I never felt drained. Why is it different with Ella?”
“Because it’s a different situation. No two bonds are exactly the same. Ella’s not as cold as the Crane girl was, for one thing. She’s only died once, so the ghost energy she’s amassed is minimal. Her core temperature will be considerably warmer than your other charge.”
“Mattie had only died once when I first met her, though, and she was freezing to the touch.”
“You’re forgetting who that girl is, Elijah. She wasn’t just a living reaper. She was made, and the manipulations that were worked to bring her into being forced her to become an almost full-blown reaper before her body was ready for it. It almost killed her.”
Mattie scared us all when she started having seizures so bad it nearly did kill her. Her body was very much human, and the supernatural powers she housed were never meant to be held by a mere mortal. She’s lucky to still be breathing.
“But wouldn’t I feel exhausted and starving giving off a higher body temp? I’m literally doing nothing but trying to be Ella’s friend right now.”
“Eli, you held part of yourself back when dealing with your other charge, especially in the end. You didn’t want to help her or feel like you had to. She was part demon, and you couldn’t get past that. With Ella, that’s not the case. You’re giving everything to her. Being her friend, being strong for her, letting her borrow your strength—that’s just as exhausting as being a furnace. More so in this situation.”
“It doesn’t make sense, and I never held anything back from Mattie.”
“You did, son. I watched you. I wanted to know who I would be welcoming in my home, should it be necessary. You were hurting, and I don’t blame you for holding back with her or your feelings on being forced to protect someone who you grew up learning to hate. I was there the day you died. I needed to know if you could change. I was worried your hatred for the supernatural world was so ingrained that bringing you here would be useless. But you proved me wrong that day. It’s why I agreed to let you come here, to become my family.”
Gramps was there? I never saw him.
“Wait…the Angels, they knew what was going to happen?”
“No. They make plans based on every scenario. Truthfully, I think they hoped you’d kill her.”
“They’ve wanted her dead for as long as I’ve known her, and I doubt that will change.”
“No, it’s not, and we veered off topic. Back to our girl. Why is she here and not at home?”
“She and her dad got into it. Things were said, and she didn’t want to go home. Her mom almost shut it down, but her dad told her to let Shortcake go home with me.”
“What was said?”
“I don’t know, but I can feel how much its tearing her up inside. This isn’t good for her, Gramps. She hates herself for feeling the way she does about her father.”
“What caused all this to explode today?”
“She asked her father point blank if he took the dragon shifter.”
“What did he say?”
“He wouldn’t say anything one way or another, which translates to Ella that he’s responsible for the disappearance.”
“It looks bad,” Gramps agrees, “but he might not have. I’ve been a soldier, and if you’re told not to discuss your work, then you don’t.”
“So, you think there’s a chance he didn’t?”
Gramps shrugs. “I don’t know, boy.”
“This whole situation is screwed up.”
“It is.”
“Can you find a picture of the woman who’s missing?”
“Yes, why?”
“Ella saw a ghost. It’s what caused the snake to spook and bite her.”
“Where?”
“Under her porch. She was down there shutting off the main water valve.”
“Under her porch?”
I nod.
“Her porch, Eli. We salted her property. A ghost shouldn’t be able to get near her there.”
Well, dang. I didn’t think about that. He’s right. We buried the salt lines to prevent anyone from messing with them accidentally. They circle her entire property.
“How far down did we dig?”
“About ten feet, across the entire property.”
“Could someone have seen?”
“I’m sure they did, but most of the Supes would know what we’re doing. For the humans, it looked like the landscaping job we wanted it to. We did fix the runoff problem from the hill behind the house.”
I mention something that’s been bothering me since Ella woke up after the hit-and-run before school let out for the summer. “But what about Major Banks’ boss? She sniffed around the hospital the entire time Ella was there the first time. Do you think she suspects something?”
“Hard to say, boy, but that woman stinks worse than a skunk’s butt. I wouldn’t put anything past her, and when you resuscitated our girl, there was a big shift in the supernatural world. We all felt it. His boss may have someone on staff who’s either a Supernatural or sensitive to the shifting changes and might have told her. Ella’s accident was the only thing local that happened that day. It’s not hard to put two and two together.”
“So, despite everything, they’re probably suspicious.”
“About you both.”
“What? Why me?”
“Because the two of you are inseparable.”
“We’re friends, Gramps. I saved her life. It creates a bond.”
He nods. “Yes, it does, but for people like Major Banks and his boss and his boss’s boss…it’s suspicious.”
“You’re telling me I shouldn’t hang out with her so much?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying, Eli. I’m saying just be aware that you’re probably being watched. Maybe recorded. Be mindful of what you say, boy, unless you know it’s in a safe location. Here, you’re good. I have a ward up that keeps electronic devices out. Inside, you’re fine, but come near the property’s line, and they die.”
“Is that why I lose cell signal until I get into the house?”
“Sure is.” He grins like a wolf who’s sated after a hunt.
“Huh.”
“Is there anything we need to do for Ella?”
“She got the anti-venom at the hospital, and they gave her an antibiotic shot as well as a prescription just in case, on her mother’s insistence. Her mom said she’d get it filled first thing in the morning. Other than keep her comfortable and let her rest, there’s not much more we can do.”
“How long is Ella staying with us?”
“Do you care?”
“No, I love that girl as much as you, boy. She feels like one of mine, same as you.”
A warm, fuzzy sensation overwhelms me. It’s a feeling I tried to keep from feeling toward the Nephilim, but he’s wormed his way into my heart.
“Love you too, old man.”
He snorts. “She can stay here as long as she wants.”
“She’s threatening to call around town to warn people not to sell you junk.”
His eyes widen. “She wouldn’t dare.”
“This is Ella.”
“Dear God.”
“Pretty much.”
“She can still stay, but I’m eating my grease.”
“Tell her that.”
“You can.”
“Not on your life, Gramps.”
“Go on upstairs and get a shower then bed, boy. You got an early practice in the morning. I’ll keep Ella here with me tomorrow, and we’ll discuss her sudden interest in my diet civilly, and I’ll convince her I need my fast food.”
“You and what army?”
His eyes widen. “Sweet Lord.”
“Good luck with that.”
I head upstairs and shower before checking in on Ella. She’s sound asleep curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. Her hair is spread out around her, the deep red locks bright against the white pillow. She had blonde hair when I first met her, but she told me she dyed it on a dare from her sister. Her hair is normally red like her father’s.
She looks so innocent, and the thought of anyone wanting to hurt her causes such rage I step back from her. I never felt this kind of anger with Mattie, but then, I knew when it came down to it, Mattie could protect herself. Ella’s a fighter, don’t get me wrong, but she fights for everyone but herself.
She needs me in ways Mattie never will, and I will protect this girl with my life.
Ella looks out for me too, the same way she does for Cecily. Like today with Jessie when she thought Jess wanted to get close to her to get to me. She was having none of it. I know her. She’d have ripped into Jessie but good. Thankfully, Jessie realized that I didn’t want a girlfriend early on and was happy just being my friend.
And when I asked her to be there for Ella, to be her friend when most of the kids we go to school with want nothing to do with her, she agreed with no hesitation. I’m good for Shortcake, but she needs friends that are of the female persuasion too. Or so says my sister Ava. She always wanted another sister, but she got stuck with four brothers. She’s SOL. At least Ella has a sister.
I really need to sleep, but leaving her when she’s already feeling alone, even in her sleep, is beyond me.
I get in the bed, on top of the covers, and curl up beside her. At least when she wakes up she’ll know she’s not alone.
Closing my eyes, I drift off, my sleep sound and dreamless for the first time in almost two years.
Chapter Eight
Ella
I woke in the middle of the night to find Eli sound asleep beside me. I pulled a blanket up over him because he looked cold. The next time I woke up, it was to the smell of pancakes, bacon, and strong coffee. I knew Eli wouldn’t be here because he had practice, but Gramps went all out to make me feel comfortable. Didn’t mean I didn’t give him crap for eating almost a whole pack of bacon by himself. Does he not understand what that will do to him at his age? He said he had to since I didn’t eat anything. I’m still sick to my stomach, though, and a little lightheaded. The ER doctor warned me about that. Said it might take a few days for all the symptoms to disappear.