Fast-Food Restaurant
An uneasiness settled over Henry Fitzroy as he stepped out of the restaurant. He intended to warm up the car for Vicki and Coreen. But something told him that was the least of their concerns. The intuition proved accurate when he heard an odd clicking sound like a malfunctioning clock.
He approached his car slowly and crouched down to look at the underside. His vampire aptitude for darkness allowed him to perceive more of the light spectrum than humans. The device under the passenger seat was small, but obvious. There was no doubt who it was intended for.
A gunshot rang out as he stood. He barely dodged. The bullet impacted the wall behind him. He kept low and used a car for cover, wary of the bomb.
Guns were a human weapon. With that in mind, Henry focused on hearing. Simply living made a variety of sounds. Even the quietest sniper couldn't stop his heartbeat. And it gave him away. Unfortunately, there was more than one person hiding. While confident he could take them, he wasn't their target.
Reluctantly, he found his cell phone. While he preferred to handle it himself, too many people could get hurt.
"What?" Mike sounded stress.
Henry quickly explained the bomb and sniper. "Vicki is definitely the target." Sending four people to kill a defenseless woman meant they knew about the baby.
"Any idea who they are?"
"No." He had an idea who they weren't. Astaroth wanted the baby. The Naiad had no reason to attack. The cultists wanted to sacrifice Vicki or the baby. "Has to be connected to the man who tried to break into my apartment." Religious extremists were less likely to care about collateral damage.
"A response team is on the way."
Henry heard a cell phone buzz. It belonged to one of the four. The man spoke softly, but Henry heard most of what was said. "They have a contact at the police station." They would act before the team arrived.
Vicki Nelson sat on the floor under the table. If it was simply another gunman, Henry would have dealt with it. She hated not knowing. The undercover officers instructed everyone to get down. They knew something. It suggested Henry called Mike.
"Your aura…" Coreen whispered.
Before Vicki could respond, her vision wavered. It was the same thing that happened in her new apartment. Except more intense. She gripped Coreen's hand as the seizure started. Except this time, the baby wanted out.
Energy flowed from Vicki. The lights flickered. Then went out.
A sharp pain started in her back and wrapped around her middle. The shaking intensified. She could only imagine she was going into labor. First Aid training did not cover giving birth to inhumane babies somehow channeling power from an insane Incan priest.
Vicki screamed as the baby left her body. It wasn't physical. As irrational as it sounded, she felt like it was ripping out of her soul. She remembered what she did to her life force to kill the priest. For a moment, she wondered if what remained was leaving her.
The demon symbols on her wrists glowed red and burned before disappearing completely. She couldn't see, but somehow she knew they were gone.
"Vicki?" Coreen asked after the seizure stopped. She sounded scared.
Weakly, Vicki replied barely whispering, "I gave birth." She felt empty. But at the same time, she could feel the baby. Except her daughter wasn't a baby anymore.
Henry Fitzroy turned and watched as a young woman walked through the wall. She looked like a younger version of Vicki and wore an ancient-style Greek dress with a Tiger's Eye pendent. Her sandals sparked gold on contact with the sidewalk. What little ice remained melted.
A gun shot rang out. Moments later, the bullet exploded inches from the woman.
Like the gunmen at the apartment, the four attackers didn't know what they were dealing with. They thought she was a demon. Having been near Astaroth more than once, Henry knew she wasn't. Although he had no more idea what she was then the attackers did. When one mentioned the bomb, he didn't know what to do.
Do you understand? Henry wondered, motioning toward his car.
Her expression said she sensed something. Then she started glowing like sunlight. It reminded Henry of the Incan priest invading his dreams. But it didn't affect him. Are you the angel from Vicki's dreams? Henry wondered. She thought it was Nicholas.
The door opened and Coreen half carried Vicki out. Coreen looked terrified.
"Can you stop them without hurting them?" Vicki sounded weaker than she looked.
The young woman found the question strange.
"Don't hurt them."
The light shifted to a golder color. The men screamed moments before their heart rates dropped and they fell. Henry suspected they'd been forced to sleep.
Vicki looked at Henry. He nodded.
"Good."
The young woman turned and reached toward Vicki. "Mitera." The gold light extended from the young woman's hand and enveloped Vicki.
Henry rushed to catch her as she fell. Although barely conscious, her skin tone looked healthier. He lifted her. Coreen held the door as he carried Vicki back inside. He suspected she was going back to the hospital. At least the police department would have a difficult time interrogating her.
The lights came back on as the door shut behind them.
"What happened?" One of the undercover cops asked, approaching cautiously.
"I don't know."
She whispered, "Thalia."
Walking toward the nearest chair, Henry wondered if Vicki just gave birth to one of the muses from Greek mythology. Thalia was associated with comedy and poetry. After everything that happened, it didn't sound as crazy as it should have. He sat down, holding Vicki on his lap.
Vicki's New Apartment
Taking a shower seemed like a small task. Vicki Nelson felt relieved standing unassisted. She needed to focus on small things. She had no idea how to wrap her mind around what happened. Her injuries were completely gone along with a few small scars she learned to tolerate and the marks on her wrists. She hoped the miraculous healing included her eyes.
The bathroom door opened. She somehow knew it was Henry. Logically, he was the only one that walk in while she was showering. But there was more to it.
"How are you?" He sounded worried.
Vicki didn't know. "At least being a divine conduit doesn't leave stretch marks."
"Gives me a few ideas for my next graphic novel." Henry tried for humor.
She smiled, shutting off the water. "Better than feeding a character based on Mike to hell hounds?"
"I wouldn't go that far."
Somethings didn't change. "Will you hand me a towel?"
"I could join you." Henry's uncharacteristic uncertainty was one more reminder of everything that happened.
Tempting, Vicki thought. But it meant leaving Coreen alone with Thalia. Before Vicki responded, Coreen knocked on the bedroom door.
It opened slightly. "Mike called. He's on his way."
Vicki pushed aside the shower curtain. "I need ten minutes."
The door closed.
Henry handed her a towel. His fingers touched hers and lingered. "Not enough time." His eyes sparkled.
"Don't tempt me."
He laughed, reaching for her face. They kissed until she'd forgotten her argument. Then he stepped back toward the door, smiling. "Foreshadowing not temptation."