by Jen Pretty
Victor came back out with a plate of food for himself and sat across the table from me.
“So, ready for this?” he asked before taking a bite of his breakfast.
“I don’t know. Armond is a bit of an asshole,” I replied.
Victor snorted and coughed a bit choking on his mouthful of eggs. “That he is, but he will have your back in battle and keep you from violently attacking topiary in a fit of rage.” He said pointing his fork at me and winking.
Oh god. Does everyone know about the tree? I might not be able to go back to the house on earth if everyone knows I tried to kick a trees ass.
I started laughing. I am such an idiot. I tried to hold it in but I burst out laughing again, and then Victor was chuckling, and Margot came in gave us both a questioning look and Victor and I started laughing anew. We were just catching our breath again, and I was wiping tears from my face from laughing so hard when Armond walked in the kitchen.
He looked at me then. Still looking worried and stopped. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. I was just laughing with Victor about my tree assault.”
He snickered a bit “That is funny in hindsight. Wasn’t at the time. I thought you had run away and been caught by vamps.”
I sobered at that. Armond was right, it had been a horrible thing to do. I couldn't put them through this again.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. Just try not to give me a heart attack too often,” He replied jokingly.
Armond ate his breakfast and when we were all done Luke, and I led Armond to the clearing in the woods where we tried to find my magic. Of course, Armond knew the way too, since that was where he had put a knife to my throat and brought my magic out. It seemed like a year ago, but really it was more like 3 weeks. Luke and I chatted the whole way about everything and nothing. It didn't matter. Our friendship meant more than anything to me, and it wasn't just the family bond, I realized. He and I had compatible personalities and similar tastes in music and movies and books.
“So my mother and yours were sisters?” I asked him as we followed the trail.
"Yes. Though I never met her, or you, unfortunately. I suppose our family stuck close to my father's side of the family." I hooked my arm through his as we neared the clearing. I was lucky to have met him and was looking forward to showing him my old life once we got the vamps figured out.
When we entered the clearing Evan was there. I waved at him, and he returned it. He hadn't really done much to teach me, but his grandfatherly demeanour warmed my heart.
“Hello child, I hear you have been causing quite a stir amongst the hunters,” he said with a crooked grin.
"Maybe. Though it's not my fault if the big bad hunters can't handle me," I replied honestly.
He laughed whole heartedly. “True enough. Those old fuddy duddys need to be reminded they are still fae and can’t get too set in their old ways.”
I laughed, but Armond scowled at the old man. He said nothing, of course, because respect for their seniors seemed to be a dominant trait amongst the fae. All the hunters called Evan Master Evan as a sign of respect for the old fae teacher.
Luke turned to me then. “This is very easy, Lex. You and Armond will each cut your finger on the same blade and press them together. You declare your intention to bond, and that's it. Just repeat what Armond says.”
Armond took out his knife and slit his finger before handing the knife to me, handle first. I took it tentatively and looked at it. I had never cut myself intentionally before. I started to panic a bit, and Armond looked into my eyes. I had slowed time, so now only Armond and I and Evan were in real time. Evan just sat back and waited.
“You want me to help you?” Armond asked gently. When I nodded, he wrapped his hand around mine holding the knife, so we were both holding it. With his other hand, he held my finger. He looked into my eyes as he brought the blade towards my finger and quickly sliced a small cut in the end. I hissed abruptly, but then the pain was gone. Blood welled up on the end of my finger, and he dropped my hand with the blade and pressed his finger to mine.
“I choose you to be part of my life now and forever,” he said and looked at me expectantly.
After I repeated him, I remembered I was keeping Luke in slow time, so I let go, and he snapped back. "I missed it," Luke said pouting a little.
“Sorry.”
I didn’t feel about Armond the way I felt about Luke. In fact, nothing had really changed.
“I don’t think it worked,” I said.
But Evan piped up then. “It worked, dear. Now time for you to get back to the important business and no more vacations or mental health days. You stick with Armond from now on. Margot's order." He looked very stern, so I hugged him, and when I stepped back, he no longer looked severe.
Luke and I said our goodbyes on the walk back.
Armond didn't waste any time when we got back to the cottage. I said goodbye to Victor and Margot and Evan quickly, and then Armond hustled me back into the SUV. Before I knew it, we were back on earth and driving back to the house.
"I don't know what it means to bond with you. Do I have to hang out with you all the time or what?" I asked him. Better to get all my questions out of the way before we got back to the house and surrounded by a ton of hunters
"I'm not so bad am I?" he asked jokingly. "You can stay in your own room, but we will train together and eat together. I spoke to Reg, and he wants me to take you into battles from now on as my presence should increase your magic. That could be helpful to the rest of the hunters. I have never led a timekeeper though so you will have to stay beside me and pay attention. I'm used to fighting in battles," He explained
“I’m sorry.” I realized this plan took Armond out of the fight where he liked to be.
He smirked at me before turning back to the road. "Don't worry princess. We will still kill some vamps, and Reg has agreed to put you in full training. Now that we are bonded, he doesn’t really have a say in what we do. Our bond trumps his command of the hunters. Plus this is what the elders wanted anyway.”
“Margot told me the elders wanted you and me to bond, do they also want you to train me?” I asked.
"Yup, hopefully, it's just for your protection and not because they know something they aren't sharing."
Shit. I didn't want to think about all the worst case scenarios that my creative imagination could come up with, so I just let it go.
"So I will get to learn to actually use a sword? Can I have my own sword?" I asked feeling like this bond might work even more in my favour.
“I already picked you up one. It’s in the trunk. I picked it up from the best armour in Homeland. His magic is steel. It’s lighter but just as strong and deadly as one of mine. Perhaps we should stick with the wooden sword until you get the hang of it though,” He said. We were pulling into the garage then. Time flew by as we drove.
“Did you know you were speeding time there, Princess?” he asked.
“I had no idea I was doing that. I was just happy,” I told him honestly.
"Well, that's alright. Let's go get some dinner." He hopped out of the car, and we walked to the elevator together.
I did feel happy. It was strange to feel that way here when I knew Luke was back in Homeland, but it was a good feeling, so I decided not to over think my new bonding to Armond and just roll with it. He had been friendly on the way back here. Maybe this was going to be a new leaf for us, and we would become friends like Margot and Victor.
Chapter nine
"Oh my god, you fucking fairy!" I screamed, "Now I have to go see a healer because of you!"
“Keep your sword up next time, Princess,” Armond reminded me with a smirk.
Ok. So it wasn't all roses, but at least he was actually teaching me to fight with a sword. I was slower than him by a lot, but I was improving to the point that I was able to block some of his blows with the wooden sword.
It had been 2 weeks since we last raided a vamp hideo
ut. We were all restless, and sword practice had become our daily entertainment. Unfortunately, it was entertainment for many of the hunters in the house, and we would always have some people sitting around watching. Hunters were still rotating through guard duty around the house but whenever they were not guarding they didn't have much to do.
After another 20 minutes of Armond kicking my ass, we called it a day. We walked together since his room was just 2 doors down from mine. It was nearly supper time, so once we had each had our showers and changed, we met back up down in the kitchen. He had grabbed 2 plates and 2 mugs of coffee and was waiting for me in our usual spot. We had fallen into a comfortable routine and for the most part got along. My favourite healer, Angela, met me at the table and fixed up the giant bruise on my arm caused by Armand's teaching methods and then I ate my supper before it got cold.
Just as we were finishing up a hunter came in and announced a meeting in 10 minutes. At the same time, Armond's phone rang, and he jumped up and left the room. So I finished my coffee and took our dishes to the kitchen for the sweet old lady whose name I still didn't know, then followed the rest of the hunters to the conference room.
"As you all know we have been hunting for more vampires, in and around the city. We have found a club where there seems to be a large number of vampires hanging out in the late evenings, and we are sending a small team to follow them tonight. As soon as we have their whereabouts, we will go in, but there are too many civilians at this club." He checked his file. "Club named Chilled.”
I gasped. Everyone looked at me. "All my friends and I used to go there," I mumbled.
Reg looked at me for a moment before returning his gaze to the hunters “We think the vamps have been recruiting from the club,” he paused “as soon as we have a hideout, team 1 and 2 will go. Dismissed”
Hunters got up and started leaving. I stayed in my seat. “I need to use your phone,” I said to Armond once the rest of the hunters were gone. He handed it to me, and I started dialling. First was V. I phoned her home and cell and got full mailboxes for both, so I called her mother.
“Hello?” she said.
"Hi. Uh, it's Alexandra. I've been trying to get a hold of Vanessa," I said.
"Oh, Lex. Thank God you are ok. I haven't heard from Vanessa in 3 weeks and couldn't get a hold of you. Have you seen her anywhere?" she asked sounding panicked and hopeful at the same time.
"I'm sorry. I've been out of town for a while now. I haven't heard from her, but I lost my cell. Can you call me at this number if you hear from her? I'll keep an eye out for her when I get back in the city."
She sighed tightly. “Ok dear. Please let me know if you hear anything.”
“I will. Goodbye,” and I hung up the phone.
I looked at Armond, and he had sad eyes like it was confirmed that she had been recruited by the monsters of my nightmare.
“Maybe she just went on vacation,” I suggested. But Armond didn’t reply.
I opened the phone again and called Justin. I still knew his number which was disturbing. He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”
"Hi, Justin. It's Lex." I said tentatively. I wasn't sure what to say now that I knew he was okay.
"Hey. Good to hear from you. Are you in town? Vanessa said you were out of town for a while. We should go out. How about tonight?" he rambled. Oh god, he was such a slimeball. I'm not sure what I ever saw in him.
“No. I mean, I’m not in town. Listen, have you seen Vanessa in the last couple weeks?”
He sighed “No, her mom has been around asking everyone questions and putting up posters. It’s so sad” he didn’t really sound sad.
"Ok. Well, thanks. I better go." Armond had a strange look on his face that I didn’t recognize.
"Alright, but when you get back in town give me a call, and we can do something."
“Ya, sure. Talk to you later” I said before quickly hanging up the phone and returning it to Armond who took it slowly.
“Is this going to be a problem for you, timekeeper?” Reg asked
I didn’t reply. There was no way we were killing my friend. “You can’t do that. She’s a good person. She would never hurt anyone.”
"She has, and she will keep hurting people. That is what vampires do. She will attack and kill you without remorse. She will kill children and do whatever the man who recruited her says she should do. That is why vampires recruit humans-because once they transform them they can control them completely." Reg said frowning at me.
"No. Not V. You can't kill her, Reg. She is my friend. We have known each other since we were children," I said starting to panic "maybe she's not even there!" I yelled, "Maybe she is on holiday." I was breathing too fast. I had slowed time, but it didn't matter to a house full of hunters. Armond reached over and took my hand. The effect was instant. I felt my heart rate slow, and my breathing regulate, but that didn't change how much my heart hurt. We all knew she didn't just wander off on vacation. She had a job and other friends, and she would have contacted her mother at least.
I bit my lip, and the first tears fell from my eyes. I was going to have a hand in the death of my oldest friend. It was the vampire's fault. They stole her from me, and I was done playing around.
Armond and I went up to his room. It had become a tradition when I was upset we lay in his bed and talked. It was never more than that, though I was starting to have feelings for him. Our relationship wasn't like my relationship with Luke. Armond wasn’t just easy to be around the way Luke was. Armond didn't just accept my failings and let me be; he pushed me to be more than the princess he always called me. He wouldn't let me wallow in misery or let me make excuses for myself.
It was like he knew who I would become if he just didn’t let me shrink back into the sad girl I used to be and sometimes still was. It was almost empowering even if it was also aggravating at the same time. Having someone with faith in your ability was a new experience for me. My parents always said I could be whatever I wanted but never really pushed me to follow through. Probably because they knew I’d leave earth to do whatever my magic said I should do when the time came.
I stayed in Armond's room till well into the night before I finally must have nodded off. I woke up steaming hot. Like the surface of the sun, hot and realized Armond was curled around me on the bed. I didn't have a nightmare, so I just lay there for a while soaking up the heat like a cat in a sunbeam until he spoke.
“You didn’t scream,” he said sleepily.
“I didn’t have a nightmare,” I replied.
“It’s a miracle,” he muttered before nodding off again.
The other hunters had decided it was Armond's job to wake me up if I started screaming in the middle of the night. So he had been dutifully coming into my room, pinning my arms and waking me for the last 2 weeks and I appreciated not being left alone in my nightmare any longer than necessary but waking up peacefully with Armond was even better.
I slid out of bed finally and staggered back to my room to shower and change and find out what the hunters had learned from their scouting mission last night.
I got downstairs, and there were only a few hunters up yet, so I scavenged some coffee from the kitchen and sat in the entertainment room in one of the big couches by the home theatre. About halfway through my coffee I heard a throat clear. I looked up to find creepy dude of the cryptic advice about letting go of my past standing there. "You have found your way. It won't be long now till you are tested. Be strong," he said. I scrunched my brow at him.
"What test? What are you talking about?" I asked, but he just turned on his heel and walked out. I set my mug down and ran after him, but there was no one there.
"What. The. Fuck?" I said out loud to no one. Alright time to find out who this joker is. I made my way back to the kitchen and dropped off my mug then shot up the stairs and around to Armond's room. I knocked on the door, and he opened it still sleepy looking and wearing no shirt. I tried to ignore that, unsuccessfully.
I shoo
k my head and followed him back into his room. "Ok. There is this weird cryptic guy I've seen three times now, but I don't think he's a hunter."
Armond spun around to look at me with an alarmed look on his face. “In the house? Why didn’t you say something? What does he look like?”
"He's like, a middle-aged guy. A bit chubby actually and balding a bit. He keeps saying things like ‘let go of your past' and ‘you will be tested,'" my imitation of his voice was spot on "and then he disappears. Am I losing my mind again or is this guy real?" I asked and then stopped and looked at Armond who had his brow furrowed and a weird look on his face.
"Is he about this tall?" he asked holding his hand up about halfway between my height and his own.
"Yes," I replied.
“Huh” Armond looked curious. “Tell me exactly what he said.”
So I explained about the first 2 times I saw him, and this last time. I repeated word for word the last one about being tested.
Armond took out his phone and made a quick call “Can you come to my room?” he asked into his phone. Then he hung up.
"Hang on," he said to me. So we waited, and about 3 minutes later Reg walked in without knocking.
“Repeat what you just told me,” Armond said to me. So I did. I retold the whole thing including the description of the creepy guy.
Reg snorted “Well, those old guys have to be involved somehow when a pretty young thing is set to change our whole world,” he said before turning and leaving the room.
I watched him go and then turned back to Armond. “What?” I asked.
“It’s one of the elders. Sometimes they pop in like Victor and drop weird bits of wisdom or advice that will slightly alter the future without causing too much drama. You were visited by one named Francis. That’s the name we know him as anyway. He probably has a weird old name in a language not even spoken anymore.”
"Holy shit," I muttered, stunned by this information. Margot had told me they were old so I assumed they would look like wrinkly old guys. I had been calling an elder a creeper for over a month. I hope he didn't know I was calling him that. Margot said they saw everything. Oh shit. I gave him the finger the first time we met.