Author's Note
Sorry for the wait…a little too much New Years partying. Didn't get home till 4 am. grins sheepishly Anyway Happy and Healthy New Year to everyone! Chapter 4 should be up in the next 24 hours. Till then, Enjoy…
P.S. Ya'll will hate me by the end of this chapter…
Chapter 3: Smite The Foe
King and I took off on foot after the intruders. All that I was focused on were the 3 men in the far distance. The only sound to be heard were our shoes crunching on the asphalt…and King's harsh breathing. We were scaling a fence when he decided to break the silence.
"We've been chasing after these cocksuckers for what? 45 minutes?"
"Try 15…"
"What? No fuckin' way… We can't let them escape."
"Well you're doing a great job at eluding them…"
I was being sarcastic, I know this, but sometimes his attitude rubs off on me.
"I love you too…"
King was getting frustrated. He hated chasing the familiars because we couldn't just kill them right off. We had to torture them to see who they were pets for. We continued on foot for two more blocks until finally I noticed that we are catching up. From the corner of my eye I see King reach for a glaive and toss it at the unsuspecting ankles of one familiar and he dropped like a dead fly, screaming in agony. Just the way I like them.
"I-27…and BINGO!"
His two comrades stopped and panicked. I whirled around and kicked one while King toppled the other. The third watched hopelessly as he struggled to get to his knees. I punched him in the back of the head and flicked the silver knife I had in my wrist guard.
"Kiss the pavement sweetheart, or I'm shoving it through your skull."
While he obeyed, I was straddling the man beneath me as he tried to escape and I slammed him back down hard.
"No, no…Stick around. This might be fun."
King had one guy by the throat and the one laying face down looked to be in danger of passing out from blood loss. Neither of us cared really, we still have 2 live bodies full of information that we could pump out of them. King scanned the wrist and neck of his captive.
"Let's check if you have some I.D."
He found what he was looking for on the inside of the man's forearm. I looked it over and the symbol seemed vaguely familiar then it hit me. It was the same one that Hannibal has. He noticed it immediately and smirked with disdain. This man was a surviving familiar of Danica Talos.
"Oh, my girlfriend fucked you too huh…what a cunt. Oh well I always knew she was a little slut. So tell me, who's running the bordello now?"
"Fuck you."
The man's voice choked. King raised an eyebrow and looked at me. I simply shrugged. King then promptly punched the guy in the face.
"Fuck me? So, you swing both ways? Sorry you're not really my type, I like brunettes."
"I think he's just confused."
"Maybe I should hand you over to the sexy vixen on my left. If you don't have a boner after 5 seconds of her straddling you, then sorry my friend…you're definitely gay."
I decided not to comment on that considering King and I have never been in that situation before. While King was antagonizing his new "friend", I sedated the remaining two and called Dash so we all could go for a little ride. It turns out a new vampire cell was taking over reign for Danica, headed up by some guy named Azrael. There was just a handful of her familiars left, controlled by the lost causes of her vampire coven. They shouldn't be that difficult to take down, but the new cell should be a nice challenge. Our little birdies were spitting out all kinds of info in exchange for their life. I left them with a final message to tell their master attached through the chest of the familiar who didn't quite make it. King did the honors with one of his silver stakes.
"Tell your master, Azrael, that he has a date with Abbigail Whistler…"
With that King heaved them out of the van at one of the buildings we knew Talos still owned and we drove off. It was a relatively quiet drive home, neither of us speaking, adrenaline still pumping. We drove through the gate when I told Dash to stop the van. King looked at me with a question hanging in his eyes that I intended to leave unanswered because at the moment I just wanted to be alone.
"I'm going off for a while. Make sure Zoë knows that we're safe."
King wanted so badly to protest because he hated for me to be out anywhere he couldn't find me. I gave him a withering glance and shut the door running off in the opposite direction. After nearly an hour of running, I reached my destination. The sun was fading into the horizon and dusk started to settle in. I knew I wasn't going to have much time before King took it upon himself to go out looking for me. That meant my solitude would be short-lived for tonight. I was at Blade's old compound. The skeleton of the structure was the only thing left standing in the charred remains of the warehouse. The last place my father was when he was alive.
I walked around the edges and sat on a remaining pile of rubble, staring into what I can only guess was a window at one time. I sighed heavily and started to talk aloud.
"Daddy…"
Saying that made me feel like I was a little girl again, a child searching for her father that she'd never really known. Even though our time was short together, I'm glad that I finally got to know my father. It answered so many questions I'd had as a teenager. I figured out why I was so good at fixing things and creating new weapons. Why fighting and combat came so natural to me. I felt like I belonged somewhere when he introduced me to the Nightstalkers and told me all about Blade and being in a blood-laden comatose for all those years with Deacon's followers. He was the reason I knew that I had to save King, and for that, I will always be eternally grateful…
"Thank you…"
I blew a kiss to the heavens and got up. The wind blew gusts disturbing the ashes, making them swirl around my feet. Stars dotted the sky like guardians watching over me as I walked back to the Honeycomb Hideout. It took another hour and a half to get there because I decided not to run this time. I wanted to be somber and reflect. Besides I'm sure to get an earful from King when I got back. As I approached the building the wind whipped my hair around and I caught a glance on Zoë standing in her favorite look-out spot on top of the roof. She walked down the steel steps and headed towards me.
"Am I in trouble?"
She shook her head no and hugged me tightly without a word, which startled me a little.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes."
"Where's King?"
"Out looking for you."
Damn it.
"He told me you were alright when he came back but he left an hour ago saying he was going to look for you. He told me not to worry, but I knew he was worried because he got all fidgety."
I smiled to myself and laughed internally. I've seen him like that and as sad as it was to laugh at him when he was worried sick, I did because he looked so adorable.
"So I went on the roof and waited there to see if you or him would come back."
I brushed the hair away from her face and pulled her into a side hug.
"Well thank you Zoë, I'm sorry I worried everyone. Why don't we go inside before this wind picks you up and carries you away?"
She took my hand as I led her inside. I walked her into the kitchen and poured her a glass of warm milk while grabbing a bottled water out of the fridge for myself.
"Did you eat dinner yet?"
"Dash got sushi earlier…"
I quirked an eyebrow at her. I didn't think she'd even touch it.
"And you actually ate it?"
"I had a couple of pieces, but none of that wallaby stuff."
I giggled but was impressed. Sushi can be an acquired taste.
"I think you mean wasabi…"
She nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, that's what it was. Dash said it was really hot."
"He's absolutely right. C'mon, we have to get you into your pj's and settled into bed. Bring your milk if you want, and don't forget to get your Wizard of Oz book."
She grabbed her milk, ran to her room, and pulled the book down from the shelf. I tucked the covers around her and settled myself beside her. She nestled herself in the crook of my arm, shifting until she was comfortable. Opening the book and skimming the pages with her forefinger, she began to read…
Zoë stopped right after Dorothy's house crushed the Wicked Witch's sister. She took my finger and guided it slowly across a set of raised dots on the page.
"Can you guess what that word is?"
I thought for a moment, and then shook my head.
"I don't have a clue…"
"You just read the word, ruby slippers."
Both she and I smiled genuinely at this. I was so happy that Zoë was teaching me something new. She was happy and proud too, it was written all over her face. She needed the little things and moments like these to remind her that she was a child and not everything was bad. That's why I loved King so much for being the smart ass he is, playing with her the way he does. He can set her off into a fit of giggles in a heartbeat. It's so easy to get attached to him like that. I turned my attention back to Zoë as she continued to read, changing voices for each character.
King came stumbling in 3 hours later looking haggard and on complete edge. He saw Dash working in the basement and ran over to him.
"I've been all around the fucking city. Four hours! Four fucking hours, it's almost midnight and I can't find her anywhere…I even wore her favorite cologne of mine, nothing…"
Dash spoke and kept typing, never missing a beat while King ranted on getting more flustered with each passing second
"She's upstairs…"
"…I mean she's never been gone this long without letting someone know she's alright….wait, what?"
"I said she's upstairs. She came home 3 hours ago. She was going to go back out to look for you but I stopped her before this vicious cycle could repeat itself. None of y'all would get any sleep."
King's expression turned from frightfully worried to completely livid in 1.2 seconds flat as he raced up the stairs screaming her last name over and over again. When that didn't get a response, he resorted to her first name. He searched various rooms, all empty then stalked towards Zoë's room, poking his head around the corner.
"Abby, where the hell…"
His voice faded as he spotted Abby in the bed with Zoë, both sleeping peacefully. The Braille book folded over her abdomen. He watched for a moment as her chest rose and fell in calm, steady breaths. He felt his anger instantly melt away and relief washed over him at the sight. He couldn't be angry right now. This was why he loved to watch her sleep. She seemed at peace. He didn't have the heart to wake her, but if she slept with her neck at that angle he knew she'd be paying for it later. So, as quietly as he could he crept over to the bed, took the book placing it on the nightstand, and gently lifted her into his arms to carry her into her room.
I felt this sudden weightlessness in my dreams and tightened my grip on whomever I was holding onto, murmuring slightly as I did so. I then heard this hushed voice in my ear.
"Shhh… sleep Abbigail."
I recognized King's voice and buried my face further into the warmth of his shoulder, causing Goosebumps to pop up on his flesh. He climbed the stairs without difficulty. Half asleep, I started to hum a lullaby, which caused him to chuckle softly and kiss my forehead. Next thing I felt was the bed. He laid me gently onto the pulled back sheets and recovered me, him slipping in behind me and cradling me in his arms. He rested his face in the curve of my neck and I felt him breathing, warm and gentle. It had become too much. At that moment I felt my senses come alive and my body began to react to him, all pretensions of sleep rapidly forgotten. The way he held my hip firmly to his, his body pressed against my back, heat radiating from him. I felt a tingling spread and almost shivered involuntarily. Finally, not able to withstand it a moment longer, I spoke. However my voice was almost foreign to my own ears. It was soft, seductive, and pleadingly raw.
"King…"