In The Beginning, Chapter 55
“Report.” I ordered, as I began preparing drinks for everyone.
“The vampire teleported into the store, he must have had someone inside, on the staff, because he knew exactly where we were. He bound us with some sort of magic, it was like smoke, but it coiled around our bodies, and we couldn’t stop it, couldn’t fight it. But it took a lot out of the vamp that controlled it. He was slow to fight, and there were several openings he ignored, maybe he was overconfident, but I swear the smoke got weaker when Charlie body slammed him into the wall.” Bailey insisted, and I knew he was telling the truth, if it had been simple, he would have used all of five words, when he gets animated, its usually because shit went crazy.
“Alpha?” Kyle asked.
“Speak.” I snapped, still angry and needing to take it out on someone, punish someone for the state Charlie ended up in.
“I take full responsibility. I checked out the store, I must have missed something.” Kyle replied, which just made me angrier.
“I was in that store for over an hour, you didn’t miss shit, we don’t know enough about vamps to know what to look for, so we were on high alert. Anything even a tiny bit off and we were on it, there was nothing to find. I don’t know how they’re doing it, but there was no one physically in that store. None of the staff were nervous or excited, except that one girl, but you interrogated the hell outta her, turns out she thought you were hot! Well before you went psycho on her, then she tried to give me her number.”
“Enough!” I interrupted Bailey’s rambling.
“Sorry Alpha.” He replied, I’d known Bailey a while, he was in Ben’s class during training, and word got around that he was second only to Ben. We had gone round for round a few times over the years, and he put up a hell of a fight. So, I knew he didn’t bullshit, he was a stoic bastard on times, but he took responsibility.
“Play by play.” I demanded as I finished my father’s coffee and started on Ben and Maria’s. They took me through everything, without embellishments, then again with, because I wanted to know every move that could have been made, as well as the ones that were. Bailey knew exactly what I was looking for, Kyle caught on quickly, adding a slightly different perspective, that allowed for more precise details. When Ben and Maria joined us, I had finished making everyone coffee, Ben went and got my father, then Maria ran through it from her point of view.
“I wish I could’ve seen that! Sweet little Charlie decapitating two vamps!” Ben guffawed, when Maria got to that part, and something occurred to Kyle, I heard it in his increased heart rate, and breathing.
“What?” I asked him, as he battled with himself.
“What if you could?” He asked.
“Could... what?” I prompted.
“See it? The store had video cameras in the public areas, I guess because everything is so expensive, or like insurance or whatever?” Kyle looked at us like he was feeding us the answer. “What if they were watching us on the cameras, and that’s how they knew where we were?”
“It makes sense. Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, even Dionysus, they all have businesses, and then their children take over competitors, turning them into subsidiaries, growing the businesses and their wealth. Then they infiltrated human governments with lobbying firms, law firms, medical supply companies, insurance companies. And of course, the money and influence they get from religions, and the right-wing groups they fund to destabilise and increase discord, in turn creates the landscape for them to increase their profits, and power in a vicious cycle of despair.” Theia lamented. “I’m curious about this coffee, it does not smell the same as the coffee I had last time I was on Earth.” She looked at my almost empty cup with interest. Thankfully Maria took her to the coffee machine, and began explaining her options, while I got back to work.
“See if anyone in IT at Appletree, anyone in cyber, anyone we know, I am calling in any favours, I want to know if that’s how they’re spying. And get me that footage!” I ordered, Bailey and Kyle immediately started emailing and texting their contacts to get me what I wanted.
“What will seeing the attack teach you?” Theia asked, and I found my anger flaring.
“I don’t know until I’ve seen it.” I ground out between my teeth.
“Your men failed to protect my niece, what else is there to know?” She asked, and I lost it.
“YOU DON’T WANT TO GET INTO WHO FAILED WHO WITH ME!” I screamed, letting my anger get the better of me.
“Say what you mean Alpha.” Theia replied, coolly, and I looked to the living room, afraid my anger had woken her, her heartrate increased a little, but that could just be her dreaming, it was still a little slower than usual.
“How did they know where she was if you had protections on her?” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low, but still displaying my anger.
“I don’t know, he must have a spy here.” Theia replied, taking a sip of the coffee Maria had made her with an entertained smile.
“Who? Can you find them?” My father asked as I drowned in the idea of another traitor in our ranks.
“I am not sure, but I will try.” Theia replied. “You said Charlie’s powers saved you?” She asked my mother and Maria, and I sank into a chair feeling exhausted.
“Yeah, all of us, there was no way we were going to get out of there alive, they were too strong.” Maria began.
“She saved me from a bite, I wouldn’t have thought that possible before, but I could feel her power chasing it through my veins, pulling it out of my wound. Once she did that, and somehow stopped me from bleeding to death, my wolf was able to heal me, but without her, I would be dead right now.” My mother added, and took a moment to squeeze my father’s hand, we all took a moment, to appreciate the gift Charlie had given us.
“She used far too much energy; she could have hurt herself if she hadn’t released her power when she did.” Theia sighed angrily.
“Hurt herself how?” Maria asked, and we all paused to listen. Everyone cared about Charlie and wanted to know exactly what she had risked for us.
“She could have drained too much of her spark, she could have put herself in a coma. In order to maintain the balance, she might have exhibited the injuries she healed, or just stopped breathing, there are too many unknown variables to know for sure, but she will need a lot of rest, and plenty of food to restore her.” Theia insisted, Bailey and Kyle excused themselves to go home and get cleaned up. I heard my mother mutter something about a bubble bath to my father and they were gone, and my tub was ruined for me.
“I will see what I can find out.” Theia said softly, once we were alone, and then she disappeared in a cloud of sparks.
After everyone had left, I carried Charlie upstairs, I didn’t want her waking up in her destroyed dress, and the big plastic clips couldn’t have been comfortable. Big mistake, she woke up screaming, fighting me, she was terrified, I could feel she didn’t know who was touching her, the things she was saying left little to the imagination. I found myself trying to soothe her while I wanted to hunt down the bastard that scared her so badly and rip him to pieces.
“NO! NO, NO, NO! YOU CAN’T TOUCH ME!” She screamed, scratching and fighting to keep her clothes on.
“Charlie, it’s me, you’re safe, it’s just me.” I tried to get through to her, the moment she realised it was me she threw her arms around my neck and sobbed until she passed out again. I got her out of the dress, cleaned her up, and put her in one of her soft pyjama sets, and put her in the bed. I wanted to crawl in next to her and hold her, but I had work to do, because in that moment I swore she would watch Asclepius die.
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