Part 8
Kestrel sighed, glancing at her sharp nails, wondering what it would feel like to use them to slit the throat of the new trainee waitress they'd been cursed with.
She had gotten the orders wrong knocked a bowl of salad over Blake and orange soda all over her. "I doubt they'd mind if we polished her off afterwards," Blake said, shaking his head in disgust.
"This isn't exactly what I ha in mind for a fun filled evening," she admitted.
"Well, I might still be able to make it up to you later," he said with a wicked grin.
Kestrel studied him head tilted to one side, smiling lopsidedly. "You don't do subtle, do you?2
He seemed like an okay guy - though with an almost freakishly short fuse somewhere. At one point she was certain he would have killed the girl, and everyone else in the restaurant. Then he'd stopped himself. She was positive she'd seen him before somewhere. He reminded her of a slightly more psychotic version of Ash.
"I don't do subtle, it's no fun," he said dismissively.
Kestrel chuckled. "So what do you do for fun, then?"
That wickedly delicious smile again. "Let's get out of here and I'll show you."
"Sounds like a plan." She looked around. "I at least hope we can get the bill without any major disasters. What's the betting she'd manage to break the money?"
"Forget the bill. Come on." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
"You're insane!" she snorted. But was dying to know what eh had in mind. The girl at the till opened her mouth then her jaw sagged. Kestrel felt the strong push of mental power. She'd never known a Night Person wish such power before, power even she could feel brushing the back of her own mind.
"Thanks, sorry about the waitress - she's new," the girl said, opening and closing the till, and handing him a receipt.
"That's okay, send her round to the back entrance so we can straighten things out."
The till girl nodded, her expression still blank and headed off. Kestrel looked at Blake. "Impressive," she admitted. "What was that all about."
"Making up for the sucky meal," he said, leading her out the restaurant and to the back alley where their waitress was waiting.
"Oh."
* * *
"I hope we're not to late," Rowan said worriedly as Mary-Lynnette drove her car to the pizza restaurant.
"I hope they're actually *in* there," she said, parking the car.
"That's more or less what I said," Rowan pointed out as Mary-Lynnette parked and they went inside.
Mary-Lynnette wasn't in the mood for it. She was now wishing she'd insisted Ash come with her to get Kestrel and Rowan could have gone with Midian.
"They went to have a word with Alisa, our new waitress who had a little disaster serving them. They're out back," the girl running the cash register told them.
"Thanks." Rowan grabbed Mary-Lynnette's arm. "Come on."
"Taking a girl out back and these people do *nothing*? With murders and dead bodies popping up everywhere."
"Are you okay?" Rowan glanced at her curiously.
"Fine," Mary-Lynnette said, clearly lying, but not wanting to waste time. "Let's just go get Kestrel before she does something stupid."
Rowan looked at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. Mary-Lynnette turned a corner to see a good-looking guy with long hair, and an arm around a girl's shoulder. The other girl was small with curly black hair, looking up at him with glazed eyes. Kestrel was watching eagerly, her own gold eyes glowing hungrily.
Rowan grabbed her sister's arm in an unusually rough gesture. "We have a family emergency. We need to go, *now*."
Kestrel scowled, turning briefly. "Deal without yourself."
Rowan slapped her. Even Mary-Lynnette's mouth dropped in shock. Rowan was the kindest, gentlest person in the world. Mary-Lynette would especially never have imagined her hitting one of her own sisters.
The boy had turned around, his lip curled. "Rowan. Always a pleasure."
"Go away." Rowan was almost growling. "Leave the girl alone, and if you know what's good for you, you'll leave town too."
The boy - who must be the infamous Blake Redfern - laughed. "From you? You can't even squash a fly. Come on Kestrel, let's go somewhere else."
Kestrel shook her head, moving away from him to stand by Rowan. "No. Family comes first to me, if there's an emergency, I'm going back with my sister."
Blake laughed again. "You Redferns never cease to amaze me." He shrugged good naturedly. "Your loss." And he was gone.
"Um - what - I think he - "
The dark haired girl was speaking, looking around, trying to figure out where she was and why she was there.
"Go back inside and do whatever it is you do, you'll be okay now," Rowan said, her tone still with an angry edge.
"What's the matter with you?" Mary-Lynnette said, starting the car once they were back in.
"Someone nearly broke our *vows*. Nearly killed without remorse," Rowan said, scowling at Kestrel. "How many *times*? Not since we *got* here and - and - " Rowan threw up her hands, almost in tears.
"Did he do something to you," Mary-Lynnette asked.
"Who the hell *is* this guy?" Kestrel asked.
"He - it's a long story," Mary-Lynnette sighed as she pulled up in front of the Burdock Farm house. "Go in and I'll explain."
Kestrel shook her head, got out the car and stalked back into the house.
"Are you going to be okay?" Mary-Lynnette asked, moving to the backseat where Rowan was still sitting. Rowan was sniffling, head in hands. Her arm snaked around her friend's shoulders comfortingly.
"I hate that guy," Rowan whispered, her head moving to Mary-Lynnette's shoulder.
"What'd he do? Maybe if we talk about it now we can figure out what we're going to tell the others."
"He didn't actually *hurt* me in the physical sense of the word. Not like he did to Midian. He was - mean. He made me feel bad and scared me."
Rowan was getting a little too cuddly for Mary-Lynnette's liking. ~It could be the perfect way to get back at Ash~ her inner voice was saying. ^Ash has not done anything to deserve payback^ she told the inner voice.
"You never told anyone."
Rowan shook her head. "He made me watch him torture Midian once. He said if I told anyone he'd do that to me."
Mary-Lynnette felt her blood start to boil. She didn't think it was possible for her to hate someone as much as she hated Blake Redfern.
"We'll make him pay," she promised, steel in her voice. "Everything will be okay." ^I'll make it okay^ she thought.
* * *
Kestrel sighed, glancing at her sharp nails, wondering what it would feel like to use them to slit the throat of the new trainee waitress they'd been cursed with.
She had gotten the orders wrong knocked a bowl of salad over Blake and orange soda all over her. "I doubt they'd mind if we polished her off afterwards," Blake said, shaking his head in disgust.
"This isn't exactly what I ha in mind for a fun filled evening," she admitted.
"Well, I might still be able to make it up to you later," he said with a wicked grin.
Kestrel studied him head tilted to one side, smiling lopsidedly. "You don't do subtle, do you?2
He seemed like an okay guy - though with an almost freakishly short fuse somewhere. At one point she was certain he would have killed the girl, and everyone else in the restaurant. Then he'd stopped himself. She was positive she'd seen him before somewhere. He reminded her of a slightly more psychotic version of Ash.
"I don't do subtle, it's no fun," he said dismissively.
Kestrel chuckled. "So what do you do for fun, then?"
That wickedly delicious smile again. "Let's get out of here and I'll show you."
"Sounds like a plan." She looked around. "I at least hope we can get the bill without any major disasters. What's the betting she'd manage to break the money?"
"Forget the bill. Come on." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
"You're insane!" she snorted. But was dying to know what eh had in mind. The girl at the till opened her mouth then her jaw sagged. Kestrel felt the strong push of mental power. She'd never known a Night Person wish such power before, power even she could feel brushing the back of her own mind.
"Thanks, sorry about the waitress - she's new," the girl said, opening and closing the till, and handing him a receipt.
"That's okay, send her round to the back entrance so we can straighten things out."
The till girl nodded, her expression still blank and headed off. Kestrel looked at Blake. "Impressive," she admitted. "What was that all about."
"Making up for the sucky meal," he said, leading her out the restaurant and to the back alley where their waitress was waiting.
"Oh."
* * *
"I hope we're not to late," Rowan said worriedly as Mary-Lynnette drove her car to the pizza restaurant.
"I hope they're actually *in* there," she said, parking the car.
"That's more or less what I said," Rowan pointed out as Mary-Lynnette parked and they went inside.
Mary-Lynnette wasn't in the mood for it. She was now wishing she'd insisted Ash come with her to get Kestrel and Rowan could have gone with Midian.
"They went to have a word with Alisa, our new waitress who had a little disaster serving them. They're out back," the girl running the cash register told them.
"Thanks." Rowan grabbed Mary-Lynnette's arm. "Come on."
"Taking a girl out back and these people do *nothing*? With murders and dead bodies popping up everywhere."
"Are you okay?" Rowan glanced at her curiously.
"Fine," Mary-Lynnette said, clearly lying, but not wanting to waste time. "Let's just go get Kestrel before she does something stupid."
Rowan looked at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. Mary-Lynnette turned a corner to see a good-looking guy with long hair, and an arm around a girl's shoulder. The other girl was small with curly black hair, looking up at him with glazed eyes. Kestrel was watching eagerly, her own gold eyes glowing hungrily.
Rowan grabbed her sister's arm in an unusually rough gesture. "We have a family emergency. We need to go, *now*."
Kestrel scowled, turning briefly. "Deal without yourself."
Rowan slapped her. Even Mary-Lynnette's mouth dropped in shock. Rowan was the kindest, gentlest person in the world. Mary-Lynette would especially never have imagined her hitting one of her own sisters.
The boy had turned around, his lip curled. "Rowan. Always a pleasure."
"Go away." Rowan was almost growling. "Leave the girl alone, and if you know what's good for you, you'll leave town too."
The boy - who must be the infamous Blake Redfern - laughed. "From you? You can't even squash a fly. Come on Kestrel, let's go somewhere else."
Kestrel shook her head, moving away from him to stand by Rowan. "No. Family comes first to me, if there's an emergency, I'm going back with my sister."
Blake laughed again. "You Redferns never cease to amaze me." He shrugged good naturedly. "Your loss." And he was gone.
"Um - what - I think he - "
The dark haired girl was speaking, looking around, trying to figure out where she was and why she was there.
"Go back inside and do whatever it is you do, you'll be okay now," Rowan said, her tone still with an angry edge.
"What's the matter with you?" Mary-Lynnette said, starting the car once they were back in.
"Someone nearly broke our *vows*. Nearly killed without remorse," Rowan said, scowling at Kestrel. "How many *times*? Not since we *got* here and - and - " Rowan threw up her hands, almost in tears.
"Did he do something to you," Mary-Lynnette asked.
"Who the hell *is* this guy?" Kestrel asked.
"He - it's a long story," Mary-Lynnette sighed as she pulled up in front of the Burdock Farm house. "Go in and I'll explain."
Kestrel shook her head, got out the car and stalked back into the house.
"Are you going to be okay?" Mary-Lynnette asked, moving to the backseat where Rowan was still sitting. Rowan was sniffling, head in hands. Her arm snaked around her friend's shoulders comfortingly.
"I hate that guy," Rowan whispered, her head moving to Mary-Lynnette's shoulder.
"What'd he do? Maybe if we talk about it now we can figure out what we're going to tell the others."
"He didn't actually *hurt* me in the physical sense of the word. Not like he did to Midian. He was - mean. He made me feel bad and scared me."
Rowan was getting a little too cuddly for Mary-Lynnette's liking. ~It could be the perfect way to get back at Ash~ her inner voice was saying. ^Ash has not done anything to deserve payback^ she told the inner voice.
"You never told anyone."
Rowan shook her head. "He made me watch him torture Midian once. He said if I told anyone he'd do that to me."
Mary-Lynnette felt her blood start to boil. She didn't think it was possible for her to hate someone as much as she hated Blake Redfern.
"We'll make him pay," she promised, steel in her voice. "Everything will be okay." ^I'll make it okay^ she thought.
* * *