Dangerous Sanctuary | Chapter 1a: Wish for Me, I'll Come Running to Save You
Dangerous Sanctuary
Disclaimer: (2018) Nathan is Marvel's. Samantha, Shara, Ben, and Sue were created by Zanne Chaos. Jade and Rob and Morkoth are property of J Chaos. The concept of Klingons, gakh, and other such things belong to Paramount. The concept of the Force and Jedis belong to Lucasarts Ltd. The water quote comes from The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles was written by Thomas Hardy. The food quote comes from Walt Disney's "The Lion King". The poem "The Choice" was written by Dorothy Parker. The Far Side belongs to Gary Larson. The 'scared/angry rabbit' quote is a "Deep Thought" created by SNL's Jack Handley. The concept of "Beaumont" was inspired by reading too many FoxTrot comics, (and you can never read too many of those ^_^) written and drawn by the great Bill Amend. This story is for non-profit personal entertainment only.
Song Disclaimer (in order of appearance): Romeo - Dolly Parton. No One Else on Earth - Wynonna Judd. Innocent Temptation - Zanne. A Simple Truth - Autumn. Outlaw Man - The Eagles. Who's That Girl? - Madonna. I Know It - Madonna. Eyes Like Twins - Wilson Phillips. You Wouldn't Say That to a Stranger - Suzy Bogguss. She's in Love With the Boy - Trisha Yearwood. Hypnotize the Moon - Clay Walker. I Could Fall in Love - Selena. What's Love Gotta Do With It? - Tina Turner. The Flame - Cheap Trick. Save a Little Room in Your Heart for Me - Eddie Money.
******
Chapter One Wish for Me, I'll Come Running to Save You
***
Friday, April 13, 2018 11:55 PM
Susan grumbled as she stepped outside of the library, peering at the rainstorm. The guard stopped behind her, keys in the door to lock it, and glanced over her shoulder.
"Need an escort, or an umbrella?" he asked.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks."
"Drive safe, now, y'hear?"
With a wave of acknowledgment, Susan ducked her head, forming a telekinetic shield around her to protect herself, but more importantly, the books and miniature laptop in her arms from the April downpour.
Lightning crackled overhead, closely followed by a boom of thunder so loud, it made her jump. The parking lot of the Bell Library at the Corpus Christi A&M University campus was nearly deserted, bathed in periodic sulfur-yellow pools of light that glistened wetly on the pavement. Her dark blue Taurus was parked on the edge of one of those pools of light, and she raced out to it, her jeans getting soaked as she splashed through some puddles, and fumbled for her keys, hitting the remote for the door locks.
Diving inside, she dumped her research materials on the passenger seat, and slammed the door shut, starting up the car. The soft pale glow of the LCD clock on her dashboard indicated it was a few minutes shy of midnight. She had been in the library for six hours.
No wonder her head felt like that rather spooky-looking ballerina hippo from Fantasia was dancing on her skull. And, thanks to the thunderstorm, it would likely take longer than the usual hour to get back to the ranch.
Happy. Happy. Joy. Joy.
As she sped down Highway 358, she knew she was pushing it, feeling the wheels hydroplane periodically. And she was only going sixty miles an hour, instead of her usual seventy-five plus. Felt like a snail's pace.
Even so, she backed off the accelerator, slowing down even more at the funny little feeling that started gnawing at her. She learned early on to listen to that feeling, because more often than not, it was her mild precognitive ability kicking up.
She wasn't disappointed. A half mile off from Interstate 37, the car suddenly bucked a bit, skidding as she was thrown into half-spin on the thankfully-quiet highway as the left rear tire blew out. Quick thinking and telekinetics kept it from flipping over, and finding new variations of standard swear words, Susan pulled over to the side of the road, purposely leaving the car facing the wrong way to put the vehicle between her and any oncoming traffic.
The tire was totaled. Giving it a swift, disgusted kick, Susan popped the trunk and pulled out the full-sized spare, jack, and lug wrench. It was too much a pain to try to shield herself from the rain, and still use her telekinetics to help her crank up the jack, and loosen the lug nuts on the tire. By the time she pulled the ribboned rubber wheel off, she was quite thoroughly soaked. Occasionally, headlights glared through the rain as a car passed, but for the most part, she just had the interior dome light to work by.
That's the last time I let Rob borrow my flashlight, the asshole...
She rolled the new wheel up to the car as truck headlights -- she guessed it was a Chevy from the setup of the lights -- slowed and came to a stop behind her car.
Susan stayed crouched, squinting warily at the glare, one hand on the tire, the other gripping the lug wrench.
There was a dual sound of doors slamming, and in another moment, she could make out two figures silhouetted by the headlights, both rather male in appearance.
"Need any help with that, honey?" one of them drawled.
Susan gripped the wrench tighter, giving the wheel a final shove into place as she straightened up. "Nah, that's all right. I've got it just fine."
"Your momma let a sweet li'l thing like you out this late?" the other voice piped up as they started walking closer.
Susan backed up. "I don't need any help," she said firmly. "Now leave."
"No need to get all high'n mighty on us," the first voice said. "You might not need any help, sweetheart, but there's plenty you could do for us."
The other man chuckled.
"I ain't interested, now scram."
"Ooh, tough talkin' li'l wildcat, ain'cha?"
She hoisted the lug wrench, backing up. "I'm armed!" she hollered, not wanting to give away her ace-in-the-hole, her martial arts training and mutant powers, just yet.
The second man laughed, and struck out at her car with a shattering clatter of glass. In the headlights, a broken beer bottle gleamed.
"So're we, sweetheart. Now just make it easy on yourself an' come along with us friendly-like, an' we won't hur'cha none."
"How's this? You get in your truck and go on home, and use your free time to learn proper grammar instead," Susan retorted, trying to squelch her nervousness. She could handle this. She was trained for this. She was capable of defending herself against a couple of backasswards redneck normals. She was--
--backed up against someone else!?
Before she could even react to the sensation of being pressed back up against a large, warm body, and certainly male from the size, a steadying hand clamped down firmly on her shoulder, and a strong sense of familiarity swept over her, a tidal wave of calm.
It would be all right now, she realized, as a long sword, the metal gleaming in the lights, was lowered over her other shoulder.
"It would definitely be beneficial towards a long life if you did exactly what the lady has requested," Morkoth said, using a tone she'd never heard before. It was pure ice, and emotionless. Lethal.
Yet oddly reassuring at the same time.
"What the fuck?" one of them exclaimed, peering past Susan. "Where the fuck did you come from?"
"Your worst nightmares. Leave. Now."
The other man slapped the back of his hand on his friend's chest. "C'mon, Hank. She ain't worth it."
Keeping their eyes fixed on the blade, the two men backed up to the truck, and climbed inside, driving off.
Morkoth did not lower his sword nor let go of Susan until the taillights faded off in the stormy night. Only then did he push her away a bit, turning her to face him. His expression chilled her more than the thunderstorm did; it was cold and hard, with the eyes of a killer.
"You are unharmed, yes?"
She nodded, still feeling shaky. He glanced off to the side, focusing on something, then looked back at Susan. She heard a clatter of metal behind her as a wraith completed the task of changing the tire.
"Thanks."
He acknowledged it with a slight nod. "What are you doing out this late?"
"I had to do some research for my English Lit term paper."
Morkoth nodded again, and glanced at the wraiths as they put the ruined tire and equipment back in her trunk. "Would you like me to accompany you home?"
"Uh, if you're busy, I'll be fine."
"That is not what I asked, Susan."
Shrugging as she tucked a soaked lock of hair behind an ear, she glanced down the highway. "If you want."
Without warning, he reached out and took her hand, holding it gently as he toyed with the silver horsehead ring between a thumb and forefinger. Her face felt unnaturally warm, but she couldn't quite manage to pull her hand away.
"You're becoming soaked," he observed, and it was then that she noticed he was somehow remaining dry.
She flushed even deeper realizing that her thin t-shirt was clinging like a second skin to her rather generous figure -- thankyouEVERsoverymuch, Gramma Maddie.
"Let's get in the car."
She nodded, and it took a moment for her feet to respond to her brain, and turn away to the car. Reaching inside, she started to grab for the materials in the front seat, then blinked when she noticed they were already in the back. After she unlocked the door, Morkoth got inside, and Susan turned the car back around, heading home.
Susan started to reach for the heat controls, then glanced at Morkoth. "You care if I crank up the heat a bit?" He merely looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the expression almost intimidating, but softened by the faint lifting at the corners of his mouth. "Riiiight. Dumb question."
He chuckled softly as she turned on the heating vents, and looking out the window, she blinked seeing a truck plowed through a railing at the start of a bridge. She almost hit the breaks when she realized it was the same truck that had stopped, but Morkoth wrapped his hand around her wrist.
"Keep going, Susan."
"They might be hurt!"
"There is nothing anyone can do for them now."
She stared hard at him. "Are you saying that--"
"SUE, WATCH THE DAMN ROAD!"
Her gazed snapped forward, and she jerked the wheel a bit in time to keep from crashing into the median. Looking back at Morkoth, he had his hand over his eyes, and was muttering something in a language she didn't understand.
Another moment ticked by in silence.
"Are they dead?"
"Do not ask, Sue. You don't wish to know the answer."
She glanced at him and sighed, putting her attention back on the road.
"What's your term paper about?" he asked after a few minutes.
"Thomas Hardy's novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. It's an interpretive essay, comparing the attitudes and double standards against women in Hardy's era against today's. Ya know, for all the technological advances we've made since then" -- she was interrupted with a derisive snort from Morkoth, which she ignored -- "we haven't come very far in social attitudes. Sure, some things are better, but there's still a big double-standard gap in sexual attitudes."
"I don't see what the big deal is. Male, female, they're still just entrees."
Susan blinked. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"Entrees. Noun. The main course of a--"
"I know what it means, doofus! I meant just what the hell did you mean by that?"
"Susan? Hello? I'm a dragon, remember? I eat people."
"That's my species you're talking about!"
"I'm sure a cow would tell you the same thing."
"Are you calling me a cow!?"
"Well, that would be a step up from Terran."
"I am a Terran!" she retorted hotly, glancing at him with a glare that bordered on venomous.
Morkoth looked at her, unperturbed. "You actually admit to it? I pity you."
"Pity!? Oh, I don't believe what I'm hearing! Of all the high-handed, condescending, patronizing, egotistical, morally bankrupt, self-centered, delusional--"
"Okay, okay, okay, you've made your point. Rather redundantly so."
She sniffed in disdain. "Terrans have many wonderful qualities to them."
"I won't disagree with you there. They do barbeque quite nicely. Not a good deal of hair, so you don't have to--"
"Shadow!"
"What?"
"We are not food!"
"You are to me!"
"Are not!"
"So you're saying you wouldn't like to be eaten?"
"Hell, no!"
"How would you know you wouldn't like it if you've never been eaten?"
"What the hell kinda absurd question is--" She trailed off as she glanced at him, and immediately, from the smirk on his face, she realized that somewhere along the line, the context of the conversation was changed and she wasn't notified.
Snapping her jaw shut as she flushed what felt like every shade of red in the book, Susan fixed her eyes on the highway. He chuckled, and looked away, but the furious heat in her cheeks remained.
"You're evil," she muttered under her breath.
"Why, yes. Yes, I am. And your point is what?"
"You cheated."
"I did not cheat."
"Did too."
"Did not. I merely got creative with the resources at my disposal."
"You cheated."
"I won, didn't I?"
"You did not win."
"Did too."
"Did not!"
"You're not arguing with me anymore on the point of Terrans being better served up a la carte. Although, there's a few exceptions that might be better served up a la mode."
Susan was about to retort, when mental images of what a la mode could mean filled her mind, and she actually sank down in her seat just a bit, blushing even more than before, if it were possible.
"Perverted jerk," she mumbled.
Morkoth just chuckled softly and looked at her. "Ya know, Sue, I wonder what's putting off more heat right now. You or the car."
Susan opened her mouth, trying to formulate a reply, but none was forthcoming. Shutting her mouth without a word, she sank down in her seat as low as she dared.
"Tight-laced prude," he said, grinning at her.
Susan shot him a loaded look. "Oh, just bite me, Mr. Redundancy."
"Sue!" He faked shock. "I didn't know you were into that sort of thing..."
She was certain she would have third degree burns on her cheeks by the time they got to the ranch if this kept up.
But at the same time, she didn't want it to stop...and for that fact, she mentally smacked herself.
Whassamattawi'ya, Sue? Not only is he what, like a cousin or such, but puh-leeze...c'mon, jeez louise, lady. Well, yeah, sure, he's, okay, he's gorgeous, but he's just baiting you here. Same old teasing and such. He doesn't mean a damn thing by it.
Not that I'd want it to, right? After all, I mean, c'mon. I really don't have anything in common with him. And for chrissake, he's just another overprotective older-brother type, nevernomind the fact he's a day younger than me.
Just...ignore him, yes. He's the last person in the world who'd flirt with you. I mean, well, after all, we're practically family.
Susan wiped away the water dripping down her forehead irritably. Then, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, quickly followed by a soft sensation on her face, a bit of silky material being used to wipe away the water.
"Keep your eyes on the road, Sue," Morkoth instructed quietly, not meeting her eyes when she turned slightly to look at him, focused on his task. She swallowed hard, her mouth dry paradoxically in comparison to her waterlogged state.
'Water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.' Maybe I should'a done my paper on Coleridge instead... Susan tried to see how many poems she studied in AP Senior English Lit that year, but her train of thought kept getting derailed, particularly when she found herself recalling a good portion of the Sonnets from the Portuguese.
Quit thinking like this... It was idiotic at best, foolish at worst. If Shara and Aunt Nass were any guide to go by as to how Elerian females looked... Yes, he was just teasing her.
Getting her thoughts refocused as the flames died down from her face, she reached for the radio to break the silence. But she had forgotten that the station was tuned into one of the several that reached the area which broadcasted country oldies, and winced at the resurgence of heat in her cheeks at the old Dolly Parton song.
"A cross between a movie star, and a hero in a book. Romeo comes struttin' in and everybody looks. 'Cause he's got that special thang that everybody needs, and everybody wants him, but not as bad as me!"
Traitor, she thought, giving the radio a slight glare. She was dying to change the station, but her limbs wouldn't respond. Maybe it was just her who noticed the lyrics. Mustering up her courage, she glanced at Morkoth out of the corner of her eye. He appeared disinterested, gazing out the window at the rain.
"I just know I'll get you yet. Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, let me be your Juliet. That sexy little body beats all I ever seen. I ain't never seen a cowboy look that good in jeans. My temperature keeps risin' every time we meet. I don't know if I'm in love, but let me tell you, I'm in heat!"
Oh, that tore it. Susan jabbed one of the preset buttons on the radio viciously, and kept her eyes focused on the highway. She flushed deeper when she felt Morkoth glance at her.
"Interesting songs you Terrans have," he said, his tone amused. Susan idly wondered if there was a way to use her powers to make the ground-or at least the car-swallow her whole at that point.
Hopefully the next song would be better. Susan tensed as music started, not even sure which station it was on, much less which song was coming up.
I've been a rock, And I've got my fences. I never let 'em down. When it comes to love, I keep to my senses, I don't get kicked around.But I shivered onceYou broke into my soul. The damage is done now!I'm outta control-- ...how did you get to me?</center>
Susan reached the conclusion that the universe was having far too much fun at her expense. But she'd already changed the station once. Just ignore it, just pay attention to the highway...
"No one else on Earth could ever hurt me, break my heart the way that you do. No one else on Earth was ever worth it! No one could touch me like-- No one could love me like you! You can make me want you Anytime you want to; you're burning me alive! And I can't deny you even when I--"
This time, it was Morkoth who changed the station. Risking a glance at him again, she saw he was as calm and unreadable as ever. Not for the first time, Susan found herself jealous of his ability to pull such a perfect poker face. Damn lucky sonuvabitch...
Then she realized he had, whether by accident or design, turned the station back to its previous one, recognizing the tail end of the song, Romeo. Fortunately, the worst of the innuendos had passed.
Of course they had, you were listening to them earlier... Susan was momentarily lost in thought wondering just how someone could be served up a la mode. She recalled a scene in an old movie, Top Gun, and swallowed hard as the image of that ice cube slid past her mind's eye.
She gave her head a quick, little shake. The road, dammit! Watch the road! Hoping that the radio was playing something distracting, she focused on it to listen for a moment. It was a more recent number, released a couple of years ago.
"She's the brightest sort of darkness, she's uncorrupted sin. She's a game of paradox that I have to lose to win. She's like Eve in the Garden with a spell I can't deny. She's innocent temptation, and a wicked sort of shy."
Morkoth switched off the radio, and Susan thought she sensed a brief spurt of irritation. "Don't you listen to anything else?" he groused, propping his head against his fist, elbow by the window as he glared out at the rain.
Meekly, Susan reached out for the radio, switching it back on and quickly changing the station to one that was playing slow, instrumental jazz. The music was soothing to her frayed nerves, and Morkoth did not appear to mind it all that much either.
It was growing increasingly more difficult to keep the car under control as the storm worsened. Susan eased up on the accelerator more as the car kept hydroplaning. Finally, she noted with a measure of disgust that her speed had been forced down to thirty-five. At this rate, it would take forever to get home.
She switched on the emergency blinkers, a warning to other cars that she was traveling far below the posted speed limit, and strained to see the road through the downpour. The radio transmissions were breaking up with an increasing frequency, and Morkoth shut it off once static took over.
The car was completely silent except the dull thunder of rain pounding against the exterior. Feeling a degree of alarm, Susan realized the pitch was changing -- there was hail mixed in with the rain. It wasn't heavy, at least not yet, but she could hear the distinctive sound of it striking the car.
So could Morkoth. "What's that sound?"
"Hail."
Her tension must have been evident in her voice because he looked at her. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said curtly, "just trying to concentrate." Not only did she have to worry about hydroplaning, the wind was not making it any easier.
"Maybe we should pull over and wait this out," Morkoth suggested as the speed dropped to ten miles an hour. It wasn't just the rain and the wind slowing her down. Even going at full tilt, the windshield wipers were doing a pathetic job of keeping up with the rain. Visibility was almost nil.
Before she could, they hit a patch of water and went into a spin, and there was a sickening crunch as they struck guardrails. She knew this road, that was barely a creek on its best days, but the rain had caused a flash flood. Closing her eyes, she encased the car in a telekinetic bubble, and a raw, sick feeling formed in her gut at the difficulty she was having with such a normally simple task.
"Can a wraith tell me when the car's past the floodwaters?" she gritted out, trying not to lose her grip.
"Do it, I'll let you know when it's safe."
She edged the car forward, feeling the strong current against her shield, and then there was a hand on her arm. "We're clear, Susan."
She dropped the car, pulling it over to the side of the road and shifted into park.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just shaken up. You?"
"Fine."
"Well. I guess that's that. We wait."
"Yep."
With the immediate crisis past, Susan began to notice the tension in her neck and temples, forming a dull, painful throb of a headache. Leaning forward, she started to rest her head on her hand draped over the wheel, then stopped.
A very definite, very nauseating sensation of danger was gnawing at her. Eyes widening, she sat up straighter, becoming more tuned into the presence of a threat, and glanced around.
***
Saturday, April 14, 2018 1:15 AM
When Susan brought the car to a standstill, Shadow sighed inaudibly and covered his eyes with his hand, propping his elbow on the door.
My Queen, next time I'm of a mind to get into a vehicle, remind me how much I absolutely detest this mode of transportation...
Then he sensed Susan tensing up. Parting his fingers a bit, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at her. She was sitting up straighter, glancing around, eyes wide and scared. Then those eyes suddenly snapped forward and stared out the windshield.
"Sue...?"
"Ohhhh...FUCK!"
Shadow blinked. "What, right now?" he replied, tossing out a smartass answer before he could stop himself.
She started scrambling hastily for her seatbelt, unbuckling it. "Get out, now! Run!" Susan screamed, shoving her door open.
Rather bewildered, he followed orders and stepped out. The wind was increasing, roaring past him as it whipped his cloak, and he winced a bit realizing hail was pouring. Susan didn't wait or even seem to pay heed to the hail. She tore off for the creek, grabbing the rail and peered down at the fast-moving water, which was surging over the small bridge.
Was she insane? Shadow ran after her, and had to grip the rail to keep his balance as he came to a stop, the wind shrieking and pulling at him. Susan tried to let go and walk, but he knew from experience she barely topped one hundred ten. ~~Mind telling me just what the hell we're doing?~~ he asked. Susan didn't respond, in a state of near panic. Unable to walk safely, she dropped to her knees and crawled to a soupy ditch down the side of the road, huddling down.
"Get down here!" she hollered, barely audible over the wind. The panic in her voice was unmistakable. Shadow glanced around, then without another thought dove after her, covering them both with his cloak as a shield against the weather as the wraiths tried to deflect the driving hail the best they could. Holding her close, he could sense the fear pouring off her in waves almost stronger than the ones surging past them in the flooded creek.
Pressing the both of them as close to the ground as he could, Shadow could feel an increasing vibration as the roaring sound grew louder. I've got a really bad feeling about this... Suddenly, the air pressure shifted dramatically, making his ears pop, and Shadow started to raise his head to see what was going on when something dropped on top of them, the sides of the ditch being the only thing keeping it from crushing them. The weight pressed them further into the mud, and as it disappeared as quickly as it hit, Shadow realized it was Susan's car.
Goddess...what the fuck is going on out there? Shadow chanced looking up again, and suddenly realized why Susan was so terrified.
A huge, dark, swirling mass was thundering down the road, ripping up chunks of pavement as it bore down on them. He ducked again as a large tree was uprooted and snapped in half with a shower of splinters. Maybe this normally would have offered them sufficient cover from a smaller tornado, but Shadow sorely doubted that it would cut it this time. Without another thought, he wrapped both arms around Susan securely, kicked away at the ground, and rolled back, opening a portal behind him as he did, sending them both into the sanctuary of the shadowlands.
They came to a stop, Shadow over her, shielding Susan from the darkness with himself and the cloak, the sudden quiet almost as deafening as the wind had been. The abrupt calm was heady, and they both lay there quietly, recovering from the near-miss. Shadow lowered his forehead to the ground, keeping his weight on his arms and off Susan for the most part.
"You okay?" he asked quietly. She nodded slightly, shivering as she continued to cling to him, and in the silence, he could easily hear her heart pounding.
"Wh...where are we...?" she whispered.
"Someplace safe...at least for me."
"Umm...what about me?" she squeaked.
"Trust me, Sue. I won't let anything happen to you. But you must be very careful to follow any instructions I give you exactly."
She nodded again. "The shadowlands?"
"Yes."
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't...it never occurred to me..."
"Shh." He raised his head to look at her, careful to keep the cloak between them and the darkness. She couldn't see him, but the absence of light had never been a problem where he was concerned. "If anyone should have thought of this sooner, it was me. It was not your responsibility, Sue. I didn't think of this, because it's not without risks of its own, and I did not realize what was going on."
"I should have told--"
"Sue. You were focused on what you needed to focus on...getting to safety." He paused, thinking. "Although I must ask, what made you think that would be safe?"
"Well, it was about four feet deep, and the creek was overflowing, ordinarily under the bridge would have been ideal. You can usually find relative shelter in a ditch."
"Why didn't you just turn the car around?"
She stared up at him, an incredulous expression on her face. Although he would have bet she couldn't see him, she met his eyes with an uncanny accuracy. "You never, ever try to outdrive a tornado. Sometimes you get lucky, but it's a very stupid thing to do."
"Your car tried to kill us."
"My car..." she whimpered, and buried her face against him. "I liked that car..." Then she tensed, moaning softly in dismay. "My work...two weeks worth of hours of research and writing are in that tornado..."
"Can't you redo it?"
"The final rough draft is due Friday! And the term paper itself is due next Friday!"
"Maybe they'll give you an extension?"
She whimpered, starting to cry. "I hope so." The tension that had been building up over the night was reaching a head. "I'm sorry..."
"Shh. It's okay. We're okay. Nothing was lost that can't be replaced. I'll help you get your paper done on time if I have to. We're okay, that's what matters."
"I know."
She was fairly shaken, and he didn't blame her. The sight of that swirling mass, so large he hadn't been able to see where it ended on either side, was firmly etched in his mind.
"I've never been that close to one before..."
"Me either."
"Can we not do this again?"
He could see her hesitantly smile, and chuckled softly, pulling one hand free to wipe off the tears. "Sounds like a plan to me."
She closed her eyes, the panic and adrenaline starting to subside from both of them. As they relaxed, he started to realize how close they were. It wasn't the first time; she and her twin played rough, and he lost track of the number of times she pounced him when they were younger. But...that was then. They both had grown up in the last few years, and he was starting to realize just how much.
Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard. "Sue, keep your eyes shut," he ordered as he stood, pulling her up with him, taking care to keep her under his cloak. "We should get you back home, I'm sure your parents are worried."
"Yeah," she said softly, her voice a bit hollow.
He started to ask what was wrong, then caught himself. Shadow was willing to bet he could hazard an educated guess. Without another word, he led her through the shadowlands, stepping out into the rather crowded kitchen at the ranch.
Ben and Rob were standing by the door, clad in rain-splattered slickers. Samantha was pacing, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed, and Shara was sitting up on the counter, watching Nathan fiddle with a radio, trying to get a clearer signal. Jadelyne was standing at the table, a map of the area folded open, putting markers down.
When the shadowlands opened up, all eyes snapped to him, and he pulled the muddy, sodden cloak away as they stepped through. Susan barely had time to blink when her mother pulled the both of them into a tight hug, heedless of the mud, with Nathan joining in a moment later.
"Ohmigod, you're alive, oh thank God, thank you, Morkoth, you're okay, you're both okay, ohmigod," she was rambling, crying in relief. Shadow ignored the name mix-up, and remained in the dual embrace only a moment before extracting himself.
Samantha looked them over to assure herself they were fine, then took in their current state. "Oh! You're soaked to the bone!" she exclaimed, an arm around Susan. "Everyone, living room, now! Jade, get your sister her robe. Shadow, send one of your helpers with Rob, and Robert? Let him borrow yours, then show him to a bathroom. Shadow, go into the laundry room and get out of those clothes. I'll let you know when you can come out. Move it, everyone!"
Nathan picked up the radio, and Rob peeled off his wet slicker, dumping it in his older brother's arms while he was trying to get out of his own. Ben shot him a glare, which was wasted as Rob ignored him, bolting from the kitchen. Shadow didn't even have to say a word; a wraith was already following him.
While Ben hung up the slickers in the mud room, Jade and Shara carefully moved the map with the little flag markers in place to the living room. Samantha pushed Susan down in a chair and hurried over to a door, pushing it open. Susan was hugging herself and trembling badly, not really paying attention to all the commotion, and it was rather a struggle for Shadow not to do the same.
"Here's the laundry room. If you want, just leave the clothes here and I'll see what I can do with them," Samantha said. He just nodded, his teeth clenched to keep them from chattering with cold. A wraith popped up with a dark green terrycloth robe, and Samantha set it over the back of a chair. Then, she stood on it -- Susan got her 'short genes' from her mother -- and pulled him closer. Blinking, Shadow watched her curiously as she started inspecting his left cheek, up by the eye. "That doesn't look too bad--"
"What is it?"
"Oh, just an abrasion. Possibly caused by debris or hail. A bit of peroxide would be good. If you can't find any after your shower, just let me know." She hopped down off the chair.
"After you change, find Rob and he'll show you to where you can take a hot shower and get warmed up. I should have Susan out of the kitchen in a few minutes."
"If not, there's the shadowlands," he muttered. Samantha nodded and shut the door behind her.
Alone, except for his wraiths, he let himself show the effects of the chill. Shivering badly, he fumbled at unclasping his cloak. Without having being asked, a wraith cautiously took over, helping him get out of his clothes.
He had just gotten the cloak, gloves, and coat off when he tensed, hearing Samantha gasp, and holler for Jade to get the medical kit. Without thinking, he opened the door and stepped out.
Susan was still sitting in the chair, huddled up, her head against the back of it, her back to him and Samantha was kneeling beside her, inspecting something on her back. Peering at it, he realized the splotch of color was from her shirt, and it had been cut away, looking like it was going into her skin.
"What is it?" he asked.
Samantha glanced over her shoulder at him. "She's got a pebble or something embedded her skin. It went through her shirt. I can use that to pull it out, I think, but it's also serving as a cork of sorts."
He winced inwardly. "Sue? You okay?" he asked as Jade came hurrying in with a medical kit.
She nodded curtly, tense at having him in the room.
"Shadow, you should go get changed, and check for any injuries," Samantha said, giving him a pointed look.
Recognizing the dismissal, he went back into the laundry room, and finished undressing. On closer inspection, he saw there was a bit of damage to the exterior layers of clothes. Their thickness had shielded him more than a thin T-shirt would have. Quickly shrugging on the robe, he stepped through the shadowlands directly into Rob's room.
~~Rob?~~
~~Coming.~~
~~...TOO MUCH INFORMATION!~~
He could hear Rob chuckling through the telepathy. ~~Asshole.~~
~~Jackass.~~
Rob stuck his head in the room. "Ready for your shower?"
"Yeah."
"Need any help?"
Shadow glared at him.
"Need Sue's hel--" Rob stopped dead as the glare grew icy. "Whoo," he whispered. "Okay, a no-go zone, I can deal with that." He led him to a bathroom and switched on a light. "This is Ben's. Anal Retentive that he is, he keeps his cleaner than mine. Feel free to use any of his stuff."
"I never thought I'd actually be grateful for Ben," Shadow replied, walking in and reached for the handles, then stopped, peering at Rob for a moment.
"What?" Rob asked.
Without a reply, Shadow gestured to the handles, and stepped back as a wraith turned the water on, getting the shower running. Watching it carefully, Shadow made certain that there were no interesting surprises waiting for him.
"What?" demanded Rob, in mock hurt. "Don't you trust me?"
"When it comes to you, and an opportunity for a practical joke, I've about as much faith in you being able to pass it up as I've faith in Mooj making friends with a lick."
"A lick, eh? Maybe he just hasn't met the right woman then?" Rob asked, smirking.
Shadow stared at him, then shuddered. "I didn't need that mental image, no thank you. Not tonight," he said, turning away to stick his hand under the shower spray, testing the temperature.
"Hey, you're the one with the brain that thought of it, so what does that say about you?"
In response, Shadow grabbed the removable shower head and aimed it at the other teen, who flailed back into the hallway, taking cover. He smirked, and put the shower head back in place.
"Ooh, Shadow, you got me wet, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing."
"You're the one who got wet, Rob. What does that say about you?"
Rob drummed out a rimshot on the doorframe and grabbed the knob, grinning. "I'll let you have that point and go easy on you tonight," he replied, shutting the door.
He took longer than usual, getting the mud out of his hair and generally just enjoying the higher temperatures for a bit. He knew there were two fairly large hot water heaters for the house -- he had gotten sucked into helping install them when Aunt Sammy caught him and Rob smuggling insects into Shara's closet -- so he didn't worry about using it all up.
When he stepped out, there was a red sweatsuit sitting next to a thick pair of white socks on the sink counter. Picking it up, he saw a white emblem of a cat of some sort on the front of the shirt, topped by "Calallan High School" and down the side of one pantleg was the word "Wildcats".
~~Robert asked us to provide you with these,~~ a wraith informed him, and Shadow weighed his options. The simplicity of the sweatsuit was rather appealing in all truth, so he just shrugged and pulled it on.
After finding some peroxide and antibiotic ointment in Ben's cabinet and treating the injury, he headed down the stairs rather than taking the shadowlands. Walking into the living room where the others were, he found that Shara already had a pot of hot water and some tea herbs waiting for him. Giving her a curt nod of thanks, he sat on the couch, listening with the others to the weather reports.
"What's going on out there?" he asked Nathan.
"Several big storm cells are converging. Nothing's come near enough yet to be a threat to the ranch, fortunately, but we've had reports of at least 5 touchdowns in a 30 mile radius around here."
"No kidding. We saw one of them up close and personal."
"How big was it?" Nathan asked.
"Well, I'm no expert on tornados, but it was like a solid wall. I couldn't see either end through the trees."
Rob whistled low. "Big one."
"There's been rumors of an F4, maybe an F5 touching down on 77," Ben said. "That's the route Sue would've been on."
"Which means that's probably the one they saw," Rob pointed out.
"How is she anyway?" Shadow asked, sipping his tea.
"She'll be fine. Mom and Jade got the rock out -- it wasn't in that deep, and the shirt helped -- and kept it from bleeding too much. It was a wee bit painful, but nothing serious," Rob replied.
"It's a good thing it hit where it did," Nathan said quietly. "Had it hit her head, or her neck, or over her spine..."
Shadow raised a hand, stopping him. "I know. I did what I could."
"It was enough, Shadow," Jade said, looking up from the map. "From the descriptions alone, I don't think that ditch would've been enough to protect Susan."
He shook his head. "Twice in one night," he muttered.
"Pardon?" Nathan asked.
"Sue had a tire blowout on the way home. I got there just as some entrees were trying to get close to her," Shadow said.
Ben narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Couple of mouthbreathers. They saw a chance to have some fun. Mourneblade convinced them otherwise."
Everyone exchanged looks.
"What happened?" Nathan asked quietly.
"Nothing. When I got there, Sue was backing away and insulting them."
"Insulting them? Oh, good going, Suzy. Provoke them, why don't you?" Ben muttered, earning him a dirty look from Shadow.
"She could'a took 'em," Rob said defensively.
"Taken them, Robert," Shara corrected, giving him a prim smile.
"Taken them where?" Rob asked in a dumb hick voice, crossing his eyes as he made a face at her, then hummed out a rimshot beat before looking back at Ben.
"You're only fooling yourself, and putting her at risk with that mindset," Ben said. "She's got the worst scores out of all of us in the training sessions."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't know the material, and can't use it against a normal," Rob said.
"Suzy's not good enough to take down two men on her own, normal or otherwise," Ben replied.
"She is too!" Rob snapped.
Ben looked at him calmly. "No, she's not."
"Shut up, you two!" Nathan shouted when Rob's fists balled up. "Neutral corners, now! Both of you! We're all tense tonight, and your mother and I don't need to deal with this right now. Rob, sit down." Robert and Shadow glowered at Ben, who pointedly ignored them both.
Rob plopped down on the couch next to Shadow as he picked up on Samantha's voice down the hall. He couldn't make out the words, but it was clear she was speaking with someone.
With an arm draped around Sue's shoulders, Samantha led her youngest child into the room. Sue's hair was wet, and neatly braided in pigtails, and she looked shocky. The deep blue sweatsuit only accentuated the paleness of her face, and he could see that she was trembling. A large bandage was taped up high on her forehead, and it wasn't large enough to cover the whole injury, with scratches peeking out from one edge. Shadow wondered why he hadn't noticed any wound there before, but there had been a good deal of commotion, and between the mud and her hair...
"Suzy? You all right?" Ben asked, and she nodded a bit in reply.
"Go have a seat, sweetie," Samantha told her. "I'll be in with some hot chocolate in a moment."
Shadow watched Susan as she stood awkwardly in the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. When their eyes met, she took a few steps toward him before looking away and stopping, shifting her course to lean against the wall instead.
"You should sit down, Sue," Jade told her.
"I want to stand," was the stubborn, muttered reply, and Jade sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
Shadow continued to study her, trying to catch her eye, but she would no longer look their way. She had been on her way over here, he was certain of it, but something made her change her mind.
~~Sue? Can we talk? Privately?~~ he asked.
She paused, then nodded slightly, pushing away from the wall. Shadow murmured to Rob that he'd be right back, and followed Sue to the office. He leaned against the door as he shut it, following her with his eyes as she walked over to lean against a desk.
"Sue? Are you feeling okay?" he asked quietly, walking over to her. She nodded a bit, and was quiet for so long he thought that was her only answer at first.
"Tired, sore, headachy, and my back hurts," she whispered.
"That I can understand. That didn't look like it felt very good."
She shook her head.
He reached out, brushing a loose whisp of hair away from the banadage. "What happened?"
Susan shrugged slightly. "Just...I dunno, it's just all scuffed up. Might'a been hail, or maybe hit it on a rock or something in the ditch."
"Sue? C'mon, look at me." He cupped her chin with his hand, tilting her head back until her eyes met his. He took a moment to study her, and was satisfied she didn't have a concussion. "Talk to me. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You've done all you could. Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm just glad I was there. Goddess, Sue..." he said quietly, trailing off as he shook his head. He wouldn't think about that. Damn contagious fatalistic Summers mindset. "That was quite an ordeal we just went through."
She nodded, looking down again.
"I'm not too proud to admit that tornado scared me," he told her.
There was a pause, then she looked back up at him.
"Yeah." He quirked a small smile. "I was scared. I've never seen anything like that, not at that close a range."
"They're still out there. There's more," she whispered. They could both hear the periodic booms of thunder that sometimes rattled the windows of the house.
"I know. You're still scared, aren't you?"
No reply.
"Sue, I'm not gonna tell anyone."
"Yeah, I am," she admitted softly.
There was a light knock at the door, and Shadow glanced up in irritation. Samantha looked in the room, holding a mug in her hands.
"Sue? Do you want your chocolate now, or later?"
"In a minute, Mom."
"All right." Samantha glanced at the two, studying them for a moment, then shut the door.
Shadow looked back at Susan, watching her for a moment. She was studying her hands as if they were the most fascinating thing on the planet. "Nothing's going to hurt you, you know that, right?"
She nodded slightly.
"It's okay to be scared, but I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know."
Shadow leaned against the desk next to her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
She was considering something, it was written all over her. But in the end, she just shook her head slightly. He had a hunch what she wanted, but she was afraid to voice it for some reason.
Reaching out, he gently took hold of one of her pigtails, and batted the tip lightly against her nose. She swatted his hand away, wrinkling her nose and made a face at him, glaring a bit. Shadow grinned slightly, and did it again. She swatted him harder, and jerked her head back, trying to get the braid away from him. This time, he tickled her ear, and she cringed, rubbing it as she hit him lightly on the arm.
"Cut that out!" she ordered, smothering a laugh as she reached up, trying to tug the braid away. He didn't let go and while she was occupied with that one, he picked up the other pigtail and tickled her face with it. Her expression scrunched up, and she swatted it away with both hands.
"Make me," he teased, taunting her with both braids captive as she kept trying to pry first one hand, then the other, away from her hair.
Finally, Susan abandoned that course of action, and attempted to grab hold of his hands, keeping them away from her face. Rather pointless, given that he was considerably stronger than her, until she started forcing his hands back with a telekinetic shield.
"Hey! You cheated!" he exclaimed, grinning down at her. Susan was more relaxed now, the sparkle back in her eyes as she tried once more to free her braids from his grip.
"Gimme my hair back! You got plenty of your own!"
Shadow laughed. "Nope."
Susan mock-glared up at him, and he took the moment to quietly instruct a wraith to bring around a lock of his own hair, once more tickling her nose and catching her off-guard.
The expression of resigned bewilderment on her face was priceless. Laughing softly, he let go of her hair, and before he realized what he'd done, he had her pulled into a hug, holding her carefully so not to aggravate any injuries.
Susan relaxed against him willingly, wrapping her arms around his waist. He stroked her hair back, resting his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes as the last vestiges of tension evaporated.
Then she jumped, stifling a scream as her arms tightened around him when thunder struck louder than before, and the lights flickered rapidly for a moment before staying off, plunging the windowless office into pitch black.
"Shh, easy, Sue, I'm here, I've got you," Shadow said quietly, distractedly, as he looked around the office, not letting go of her. "Come on, let's get back to the others."
Keeping one arm around her shoulders, holding her close, Shadow walked to the door, opening it cautiously. Nathan was already approaching, a flashlight in hand.
"What's going on?" Shadow asked, absently rubbing Susan's arm to try to calm her down.
"We're going to the basement. There's a tornado on the way."
Susan whimpered softly, and Shadow tightened his grip around her, following Nathan to the cellar door. Ben was waiting beside it, and glared at Shadow as he saw them together. Shadow didn't even blink, giving Ben the most expressionless gaze he could muster, and ever so slightly, accidentally-on-purpose bumped into him as he guided Susan down the steps.
Ben nudged back, aggression pouring off him in waves, and Shadow just smirked at him, pissing him off more.
"Come on, move it!" Nathan ordered, grabbing hold of Ben's elbow and pushing him to the door as they all moved underground.
The basement doubled as a second entertainment room, with plenty of comfortable furniture, and a kitchenette that doubled as a wet bar, along with a large screen television set and a huge sound system. Once they were all in, Nathan shut the second door at the base of the stairs, and bolted it. The door to the utility room was open, with glimmers of flashlight moving around within, and since Rob was nowhere in sight, Shadow guessed it was him. Jade was messing with a radio, trying to pick up a clear signal to find out what was going on, and Samantha curled up in a chair in the far corner, in deep concentration.
"What's she doing?" Shadow asked, to anyone who knew and cared to answer.
"Trying to put up a barricade around the ranch that'll hopefully deflect the tornado," Shara said over her shoulder as she pulled blankets out of a closet.
"Where are the horses?" Susan demanded, her voice hinting at hysteria.
"Rob and I have them under shelter the best we can manage," Ben said. "If Mom keeps the twisters away, they all oughta be fine."
From the utility room came a few clanks, and then a motorized hum. A moment or two later, the lights came on. Rob walked out as they started switching off flashlights, and Nathan headed to the kitchenette, looking in the cabinets.
"It's gonna be a long night. Anybody want some coffee?"
A trio of affirmatives piped up. Samantha was too deep in a trance to hear Nathan's offer, and Shara made a face at the mention of coffee. Neither she nor her brother ever developed a fondness for the bitter drink, and for once, Susan didn't show any interest in it herself.
Telling himself it was just to annoy Ben, Shadow led Susan over to a specially-built chair Samantha had commissioned for Marjakh. It had a twin in the upstairs den, and it was sufficiently large enough for two people, just a hair smaller than a standard loveseat. Deeply padded, it was an extremely comfortable lazyboy recliner.
"Shara, blankets," he said, using the bare minimum of words necessary to interact with her. She didn't look at him as she held a couple out, not stopping on her course to Jade, and a wraith took the blankets from her, delivering them to Shadow.
They both sat down, and Shadow tucked the blankets around them, raising up the footrest. He could feel Ben's furious glare on him, and smiled inwardly. Surprisingly though, he was the only one who had a problem with Susan and Shadow's seating arrangement. That struck him as being a bit unusual, but then, it was a very unusual night.
"I can send some wraiths out to monitor the grounds and keep an eye on the storm," Shadow suggested.
Nathan nodded. "Do it."
"Send one to the stables, please?" Susan asked quietly.
Shadow didn't even need to do anything. A wraith responded immediately, keeping watch over the horses.
It wasn't just people in the shelter. Beside the chair, relaxing in a large wooden bed built just for him was Bali, a male Bengal tiger. The son of the late Rajah, he came with the family to Texas when he was barely more than a cub. The remote location of the ranch, and careful supervision on Samantha's part had enabled her to keep him a secret for the last seven years. Looking around, he spotted Samantha's stormdrake, Melody, curled up in a faux fur-lined hammock of sorts in a corner above Samantha. He hadn't recalled seeing her until now, guessing that she had been down here all along, happily napping away the storm.
There were smaller, domesticated tabby cats elsewhere on the grounds, but those stayed primarily outside, keeping the barn free from vermin. Anything larger was most certainly kept at bay with Bali's nightly prowls. Training, conditioning, and an electrical collar kept him from leaving the property and hunting neighboring cattle. Although Samantha was certain Bali would not hunt anything he wasn't permitted to -- he left their own herd alone unless Samantha gave him permission -- she didn't want to risk him accidentally leaving the ranch's boundaries and getting shot by an enthusiastic rancher.
Rob brought over a mug, and Shadow shook his head. "I don't drink coffee."
"I know that, jackass. It's tea," Rob replied, smirking a bit.
"Oh." He took the mug with a faint chuckle. "Thanks."
Rob nodded. "Sue?"
She was still and silent for so long, Shadow at first thought she had fallen asleep. "What?"
"Wanna drink?"
She shook her head.
"You okay, sis?" Rob hunkered down next to her side of the chair, peering at her.
She nodded slightly, and Rob glanced at Shadow. They both knew she was upset, but it was understandable.
"If you change your mind, gimme a holler. I've got a set of arms and legs I'm not using for anything," Rob told her.
Normally, Susan would have made a comment about that. Tonight, though, she just nodded.
"Anything I can do for you?" Shadow asked softly after Rob walked away.
Susan was quiet for a moment, then shook her head.
Moving his free arm up and around her, he pulled her closer, stroking her hair with his free hand as he sipped his tea. It wasn't quite the way he liked it, but close enough he'd let it go.
Perhaps ten minutes passed in relative quiet until Samantha visibly relaxed with a soft moan, rubbing her temples.
"Aunt Sammy?" Shara asked, looking up.
"We're in the clear, for the time being anyway," she said tiredly, giving her husband a grateful look as he brought her a cup of coffee, sweetened up to her tastes.
"Should we stay down here?" Ben asked.
Samantha nodded. "I get a feeling that would be a very good idea. If any of you want to grab something from upstairs, now would be the ideal time. I'd suggest pillows if you're tired."
"You guys want anything?" Jade asked, looking at Sue and Shadow as she stood up.
Shadow shook his head. "Anything I would need, I can get the wraiths to bring me."
"Whatever. Sue?"
"My term paper."
"Sorry, that's a bit out of my capabilities," Jade said, wincing a little. "I would if I could, though."
"Suzy, quit worrying about that stupid paper," Ben snapped. "We've got bigger things to worry about. You should be thankful you're just alive."
Shadow shot him a glare dripping venom, and Rob punched him in the chest.
"Lay off her," Rob snapped.
"Worrying about a term paper is just a bit ridiculous under the circumstances," Ben retorted.
"Sue's got a shot at being the salutatorian at graduation, maybe even valedictorian, if she scores high enough on the term paper," Shara told Ben. "Quit acting like a prick."
Shadow blinked and glanced at Sue. He knew she was an honors student, but he hadn't realize how close she was to the head of the class. Not all her subjects came easy to her, and he had been around over the years often enough to see how much works he put into her studies. It began to make sense why she was so upset over losing a paper that could very well dictate what percentile she graduated in.
"Everybody, just shut the fuck up," Samantha snapped in irritation. "Just get what you want and get your collective asses back down here before I have to get up and kick them."
That threat brought the brewing argument to a screeching halt. The four teens quietly made their way up the stairs, followed closely by Nathan.
The basement fell silent again as Samantha sat back, sipping her coffee periodically, her eyes closed. Susan's breathing was steady, but it didn't feel like she was actually asleep. Shadow lay his head back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to think of a way he could help her. He had never heard of Thomas Hardy, let alone that book or whatever she was doing her paper on. But he did have resources, and could probably procure all her data for her.
But he wasn't a writer. That still left a great deal of work for Susan, recompiling all the data and writing it all out again.
She had it with her in the car. Frowning in thought, a remote possibility formed. It wasn't much of one, but it was still a chance, and he summoned over a wraith.
~~Were you in the car with us?~~
~~Yes, master.~~
~~I don't suppose any of you might have salvaged anything from the car? Like notes or books or anything of that sort?~~
~~We did.~~
Shadow blinked. ~~You did? Get them now!~~
The wraith departed, and a few moments passed before it returned, lugging behind it several books, a purse, a small computer, and a binder.
"Susan? Do me a favor?"
"Hmm?"
"Open your eyes and tell me if that's your material you lost."
He felt her stiffen, and then she sat upright, blinking and reaching for it. The wraith held the items out, and Samantha looked on in interest as Susan looked them over.
She was quiet, inspecting everything and then squealed in delight, dropping a book to turn and hug Shadow tightly. "Thank you!"
He hugged her back, smiling a bit. "Don't thank me. Thank the wraiths. They pulled it out of the car when we ditched it."
She pulled away, and he watched her sort through them at length, double-checking that all her information was there, and just basically assuring herself she was actually holding them. He felt relieved and thankful he was able to help, and made a mental note to reward whichever wraiths thought to grab them when they bailed from the car.
~~In the morning, or whenever the storm lets up, I want you to search for Sue's car,~~ Shadow told several wraiths. He seriously doubted it was salvageable, but there was always a chance.
Jade, Ben, and Shara came back down with assorted items, wondering what Susan was making all that noise about. Only when Shadow saw Ben's venomous expression did he realize he had been lightly stroking Susan's hair. Oddly unsettled, he withdrew his hand, watching her quietly as she finally began putting books down on the floor.
"What's this?" Jade asked, walking over and picked up a textbook.
"My stuff from the car! Turns out Shadow's wraiths saved it!"
"How convenient," Ben said acidly.
Susan narrowed her eyes as she gazed at her older brother. "Oh, piss off."
Ben ignored her, glaring at Shadow. "I don't suppose you've a reason why you've waited this long to tell her you had them all along?"
"I wasn't aware they were recovered in time until a few moments ago," Shadow replied, keeping his tone dangerously soft. "I hadn't time to consider the possibility that the wraiths might have the books."
"Ben, does it matter?" Jade asked, trying to play peacemaker. "She has them now."
"He withheld them and let her suffer!" Ben snapped.
Shadow was only partially glad that he did not have Mourneblade at his side. "How dare you imply I would ever do anything to bring grief to her intentionally?" he hissed. A part of him realized Susan was cringing away from him, but he was too livid to be concerned with that at the moment.
Then Samantha was between them, her own expression dangerous. "Shadow, calm down," she ordered, in a deadly voice that was almost deep. Then she turned on Ben. "I want you to shut up and sit down, now."
"Mom..."
"NOW!"
Nathan and Robert finally came downstairs, their hair wet from the storm outside. "What's going on?" Nathan demanded, walking over.
"Shadow realized his wraiths might have Sue's research, and he was right. Ben accused him of holding out to play mind games on her."
"All right, you two. Neutral corners," Nathan ordered. "If we have to intervene one more time..."
Samantha gave them both loaded glares. "You're not too big for us to whup your collective asses from here to Oklahoma, ya got me?"
"Yes'm," Ben muttered.
Shadow nodded curtly and settled back in the chair.
----------------- Click the 'Dangerous Sanctuary' tag to go to chapter 1b.