Chapter 47

“Well, I think that went alright.”

Ryan turned in his seat to raise an eyebrow at his sister, who was squished between the other two girls. Seth, who had come with Mike to the party, had insisted on driving, saying that he felt more comfortable with Talia safely in the back seat.

“Not bad,” Seth agreed. “Considering the usual course that the discussions between Michael and myself usually take.”

“Mike and Seth go way back,” Talia said helpfully. “They were pals right from the start, back… What is it, Seth? A hundred years, now?”

“One hundred and two that I’ve known the gentleman, actually,” Seth replied. “Or very nearly. However, I would not classify the nature of our relationship as being ‘pals’.”

“Grandpa Seth and Mike Connor don’t really get along that well,” Aunt Firi told Aleda, who giggled.

“Yeah, I kind of got that,” she said, grinning. “Ryan told me about the well incident in Scotland.”

Seth laughed. “Yes, I’m sure he did. That story was one of Gabriel’s very favorites. Fortunately enough for me, dear Michael did not hear of that particular occurrence. I daresay he might have reacted even more harshly had he known. My thanks, by the way, for granting me an excuse to take my leave.”

“Sure thing, Uncle Seth,” Ryan said. “I was getting restless myself. To be honest, that grandson of yours has been getting a little… bureaucratic, lately. You might want to be having a word with the lad.”

“Oh, mercy,” Seth sighed. “I knew that allowing him to live in such close proximity to Michael would be a bad idea. He’s a good lad, but he does have an unfortunate tendency to allow his cautious nature to overcome him.”

“Yeah,” Aunt Firi snorted. “You should have seen how crazy my brother got when he found that little ginger-haired girl of his. Barely let anybody but cousins so much as lay a hand on her. Would have driven me insane.”

“Alejandro can be as protective as he likes, as far as I’m concerned,” Ryan said. “It’s when he gets too rule-bound like this that gets under my skin.”

Seth nodded. “Very true,” he agreed. “I myself was quite protective of my wife and daughter. I would not be surprised if my grandson has inherited that trait from me.”

“Well, he’s lost it this time,” Ryan said. “You should have heard him when I took Aleda out for lunch a month ago. If I hadn’t left when I did, I think he might have thrown me out anyway.”

“He did not seem to take it kindly today, either,” Seth pointed out. “It’s well that you are nearly of age,” he addressed to Aleda. “You’ll soon be able to do as you please, with or without his say so.”

“Trust me. I know.”

Aunt Firi laughed. “You’re probably counting down the days, aren’t you?” she asked. “I know I did.”

“Yes, and promptly followed me to Manhattan as soon as you were able,” Seth interjected, not sounding altogether pleased.

“Hey, Seth,” Talia called mid-highway. “Could you stop at my place? I want to get out of these clothes before we do any hunting.”

“Of course. And where would that be?”

Talia happily gave him directions, fortunately before they missed the exit for Elkton. As soon as they arrived, Talia dragged Fioralba and Seth into the apartment to give them the grand tour. Ryan and Aleda followed a moment later, glancing at each other in shared amusement. There really wasn’t much apartment to show, although much to his chagrin Talia did insist on including Ryan’s room in the tour. After taking care to point out every feature of the living room, kitchen, tiny hallway and two bedrooms, Talia finally had them sit on the couch and handed over the remote. She told them she wasn’t sure what was on at that hour, but said that they should just surf until they found something, and then she disappeared into her bedroom. Aleda, thinking of something, knocked cautiously on her door and slipped in behind her.

“Do you think I could borrow some of your clothes again?” she asked the little blonde. “I’ve got on my nice stuff that I wore for Mom’s party.”

“Of course!” Talia said. “Here, let me see what I’ve got for you.”

She poked around in her closet and practically emptied her drawers, opening and slamming them shut so often that Aleda was afraid she’d splinter the wood.

“Well, my jeans won’t fit you. Are you good with a skirt?” She pulled a long stretch of red fabric out of a drawer and held it up for her to see. “I bought it back when I was going through my artsy phase and I never got around to throwing it out. It’s not fancy, don’t worry.”

Aleda took the skirt from her and looked at it more closely. It was thick enough for early spring, and looked long enough that, on Talia, it would probably hit the floor. It would probably work just fine. Meanwhile, Talia had found old long-sleeved T-shirt with a university name Aleda didn’t recognize emblazoned across the front.

“Here,” she said. “I stole this from the guy I was seeing before we moved here. He was a skinny b*****d, as far as guys go, but it looks like it’ll probably be just about right for you.”

Aleda accepted the shirt as well and changed clothes as discreetly as possible while Talia did the same. Soon they were both dressed for hunting. Well, dressed for clearing a nest, really. It was better to dress at least a little more nicely when hunting for one or two demons at night. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about her shoes. Talia’s feet were at least three sizes smaller than hers. The nice boots she was wearing would have to do, and she would simply have to be careful not to get any mud on them. Or blood. The skirt, on the other hand, Aleda reflected, was just the right color to hide any bloodstains. Probably the reason the girl had picked it in the first place. Or maybe not—it was hard to tell with Talia, sometimes.

Well, either way it looked fine on her.

Out in the living room, Seth and Aunt Firi were watching a soap opera while Ryan had busied himself filling several plastic bottles with milk and loading them into a backpack.

“Just how hungry do you think you’re going to get?” Aleda asked when she saw his handiwork.

“I like to be prepared.”

“I’ve never seen you take milk on a hunting trip before.”

“Well, maybe I’ll need it this time.”

“Talia!” Aleda called out loudly. “Your brother’s being weird!”

“Again? Stop being weird, Zeus!” Talia shouted from the bedroom.

“I told you not to call me that!” he shouted back.

“Ha! Try and stop me!”

Aunt Firi looked over at them from the couch. “Why does she call you that, Ryan?”

His eyes flicked briefly to Aleda. “No reason,” he said. “She’s crazy, that’s why.”

Talia emerged from her bedroom in cargo pants and a T-shirt. She pointed at Aleda. “That’s Little Leda.” She moved her arm to indicate her brother. “That’s Zeus.”

Seth chuckled; Aunt Firi looked back and forth between them in confusion. “What does…?”

“We’d better get going,” Ryan said, interrupting her. He quickly ushered Aleda towards the door. “Don’t want to let it get dark.”

“…It’s two o’clock in the afternoon…” Fioralba pointed out.

“Are you coming or not?”

“It’s no use talking to him when he’s in this mood,” Aleda said over her shoulder.

Ryan looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. “Oh I have ‘moods’, do I?”

Aleda smirked up at him and brushed by him through the front door.

Behind them, Talia rolled her eyes and shooed Firi and Seth out of the apartment.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Talia asked when they had all reached the car; all but Ryan, that is.

He shook his head. “I’ve got some errands to run down in Philly after we’re done.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know where the nest is!” Aunt Firi protested.

“So follow me,” he retorted.

“Whatever,” Talia said. “Just don’t drive like a maniac and lose us, like you did last time I tried to follow you somewhere!”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope!”

He sighed. “Well, it’s in Ridley Creek. Not that far off of Route 1. We’ll take 95 up.  Got it?”

“You’re the boss!”

Ryan rolled his eyes heavenward and got on his bike.

 

 

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The drive was a long one—Ridley Creek State Park was almost all the way to Philadelphia, and it took them forty minutes to reach the small parking lot intended for visitors to the park. There weren’t many people around, fortunately. It might have been a lovely first day of spring, but it was also midday in the middle of the week. The man at the gate did nothing but mention casually that they were only the second group to come into the park that day.

“So how come people even come here anymore?” Aleda asked while they walked briskly down the path. “If there’s a demon nest in the middle of the park.”

“Oh, the demons are all asleep right now. They have to leave to find dinner, because there’s nobody around when they’re up and about. The nice park rangers don’t like it quite as much when you try to visit after hours.”

“Oh, yes,” Aleda said. “And I’m sure that stops you dead in your tracks.”

“You know me,” he said. “I always follow the rules.”

Seth burst out laughing. Aleda turned and faced him with a grin, continuing to walk backwards. “Great-grandpa Seth, Ryan isn’t a troublemaker, is he?” she asked sweetly.

“That would be one way to phrase it,” Seth agreed. “That young man of yours is an exact likeness of his dear father, at least as far as his temperament is concerned.”

“M-my…?” Aleda stuttered, startled. “Oh, he’s not…” She looked at Ryan, embarrassed. “I mean…”

“Hey, Big Brother, are we there yet?” Talia asked, cutting her off.

“Just a few more minutes,” he said.

Aleda turned awkwardly and went back to walking forwards, this time a bit farther to the side of the path.

“I don’t understand,” Seth whispered to Talia. “I can hardly tell the difference with my eyes closed.”

“Long story,” Talia whispered back. “I’ll tell you later.”

Ahead of them, Ryan waved them to silence. “We’re almost there,” he said. “So you can shut up now.” He adjusted the weight of his backpack to one shoulder and pulled out one of his bottles, cracking it open and downing it in one go.

“Holy hell!” Aleda exclaimed. “Are you thirsty?”

“Not yet,” he said simply. “And shush. You’ll wake them up.”

“What are we hunting, anyway?” she asked, dropping to the stage whisper she had once used in the woods behind her neighborhood.

“More feeders,” he replied in the same voice. “Half-cat rakshasas. Remember what I told you about them?”

Aleda nodded. “Really strong, no allergies, don’t have to shift. And if they’re half-cat, they’ve got cat’s feet and claws.”

Ryan smiled slightly in approval. “Not bad. Just watch out for the claws and you’ll be fine.”

“If they’re strong, though…”

“I’m strong,” Ryan pointed out. “That doesn’t stop you on Saturdays.”

“How do I know you’re not just going easy on me?” she asked persistently.

He gave her a shining half-grin. “Since when do I go easy on anyone, least of all you?”

“Oh, sorry,” Aleda whispered teasingly. “I forgot. You’re a horrible, horrible, mean old man who gives me hell for the hell of it.”

“And don’t you forget it.” He stopped suddenly. “We’re here.”

“How many?” Seth asked, coming up behind them.

“Thirty, give or take a few.”

Firi let out a low whistle. “No wonder you left this one for last!”

“I’ve seen worse.”

“Are you certain that my great-granddaughter should accompany us?” Seth asked, a little worried. “She might be injured, with none near enough to reach her in time.”

“She’ll surprise you,” Ryan said. “Trust me on that one.” He set his backpack down and pulled out another bottle. “Anybody thirsty?”

He was answered by a hushed chorus of no thank yous. Satisfied, he downed that bottle as well and motioned for Aleda, who was staring at him in utter bafflement. She shook her head to clear it and walked over to where he had set down his backpack.

“Here,” he said, pulling out her sharp set of training claws. “We’d better get these on you.”

Aleda held out her hands obediently and waited while he strapped the bits of wood and leather around them. “What kind of claws to these rakshasas have?” she asked thoughtfully.

“Inch-long. Two at the most. Nothing to worry about.” He grinned. “Nothing like ours. The nest is just over here,” he addressed the rest of them. “Quiet if you can. We can probably take out half of them before they start waking up. Aleda…”

“Arm’s reach. Got it.”

The nest was much like the first Aleda had seen, although much larger and constructed more heavily out of fallen branches and dead leaves. The entrance looked like the opening to a cave, although made of wood rather than stone. It made her hands itch just to look at it. Inside she could see the huddled forms of sleeping creatures piled in nearly on top of one another. It would be difficult to get very far in without stepping on at least one. She turned to ask Ryan what they would do, but he pressed a finger against his lips and shook his head slightly. No more noise.

Talia, the smallest, went first. She leapt lithely over the first knot of bodies and picked out the nearest of the next to skewer through the heart. Aunt Firi went next, this time killing one that lay across the entrance. Both bodies disappeared in an explosion of stench. Now Aleda understood: they could simply kill their way through the mass, and they wouldn’t have to worry about the mess. Seth went next, followed by Ryan, who pulled Aleda through behind him and gestured for her to pick her own prey. She looked closely at the bodies at her feet.

They did indeed have cat’s feet.

She took a moment to decide on her kill. The closest to her was stretched across another. If she made either of those disappear the other might notice. She chose one that was a little farther away from the entrance. This time, there were no mistakes. The claws went in smoothly and she reveled in the sensation of the demon’s destruction, even as she gagged on the fast-fading smell.

Five down, twenty-five to go. They each moved on to new prey. By unspoken consensus, Ryan and Aleda went for the two that were laying together, killing them at the same time so that neither could notice the loss of the other. The stench was getting worse—in such a confined space, there was hardly any room for it to disperse as quickly as it would have, otherwise. It made Aleda’s eyes water.

Unfortunately, the demons were noticing as well. Throughout the nest, bodies began to stir restlessly as they woke up mid-slumber. Ryan, who was watching them closely, reached out and pulled Aleda’s back to his chest. Swiftly-sliced palms found her neck and cheek and gave her no time to so much as protest before the light flooded into her with a welcome rush of electricity. Suddenly she could see everything in sharp detail. She looked up to see the other three hunters readying themselves to attack waking prey and gasped. She nearly cried to see her family shining so brightly in the darkness of the nest. But there was no time to waste.

No sooner than Ryan had released her did the twenty or so demons still left in the nest finish waking. Aleda charged the one nearest, dodging the claws easily and ramming her wooden claws through its heart. Wooden or not, they did the trick. Another attacked her and she leapt high to avoid it. She reached as high as the roof of decaying leaves and destroyed it before she reached the ground again. All around her she could see and feel the warmth of her family doing the same. One caught her with a scrape across her leg, while the fabric of her skirt was twirling in the other direction. She swore and ducked out of the way. Her leg kind of tingled. She ignored it. Now there were two focused on her, and she was hard pressed to avoid the blows of both at the same time. She finally dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way, moving on to a new opponent and leaving the two who had teamed up to a more experienced cousin. The demons were nearly all gone.

This one was tough: a little larger than the rest, it got a hold of her with its cat’s paws and snapped at her jugular. She jerked away just in time to feel sharp teeth grazing across her skin. She jabbed at it with her elbow and all her strength and managed to shove it a few inches.

Strong they might be, but not as strong as Ryan.

It gave her just enough room to kick harshly at its knee and pull herself away while it screeched in pain. She grabbed hold of the advantage and attacked again, this time with a claw-studded blow aimed for its chest. Got to kill it quick. Sharp claws dug into her arm as she brought it around but she swallowed the pain. The force of the creature’s blow pushed her hand too far off course; the wooden claws buried themselves five inches deep into its chest but it did not disappear. It raised its other paw above its head and Aleda’s eyes widened.

Then it stumbled, and was gone.

No longer blocked by the rakshasa, Ryan rushed to Aleda’s side. He had seen her bloody arm. Crimson but bright, it trickled down her arm and off her fingertips.

“Your arm!” he exclaimed, and rolled up his sleeve.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Aleda protested. “I don’t think it was that deep.”

Despite her protests, Ryan took her bloody hand in his and pulled it towards him so that he could see her arm. Crimson light soaked into his skin and left Aleda feeling momentarily strange, as if she had just looked at herself without a mirror.

Ryan smiled at the sight of her arm. “You’re almost healed,” he told her. “But here, anyway.” He sliced a shallow cut in the palm of his hand and ran it down her arm, moving his lips near-silently as he did so. When he was done he pulled her close again, on the pretense of checking her more thoroughly for injury. His thumb traced her jawline and hooked behind her ear. “How do you feel?” he asked softly.

“I… good. Wonderful. That was…” she trailed off, wishing she couldn’t see him so clearly at that moment, and being forever grateful that she could. He was shining so brightly she could see him even when she closed her eyes, which she did. She felt like she’d be able to see him a mile away. She didn’t even have to. Every inch of her body could sense him standing there before her, from the hand now resting on his wrist to the deepest pit of her stomach. So she closed her eyes and ducked her head, unable to stop herself even if she’d tried.

“You did good, lass,” he whispered. “Four out of thirty, and not yet a hunter.”

Aleda swallowed and opened her eyes to meet his, which was a mistake. “M-my leg,” she said.

Ryan frowned. “Is your leg injured?” he asked.

“Not anymore, I think,” she said. She shifted her weight and rubbed her untouched leg against the skin that had been torn by one of the demons. It was slick with blood but she felt no pain. “No, I’m fine. Just a little messy.”

He nodded. “There’s towels in the car. Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” she said. Her face slipped into a teasing grin again. “Unless you have some burning need to carry me,” she added.

Seth cleared his throat. “We should probably get back,” he said. “Unfortunately, I will need to visit a clothing store to replace this shirt.”

Talia jumped forward immediately. “Oh, come with me! I can get you a great discount at my store!”

“And I’ve got to get back to my date,” Aunt Firi added. “As far as I know, he’s still at my brother’s house.”

“Not a problem. Hey, are you coming, you two?”

Aleda had stepped off to the side and was attempting to wipe the drying blood off of her leg, while Ryan was attempting not to watch.  “Coming!” she called, and gave up her attempts. With the skirt down, there was no sign she had ever been scratched.

 

 

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True to his word, there were plenty of towels in the trunk of Talia’s rustbucket for just that purpose. Aleda was soon cleaned up and as good as new.

“Looks like I’m headed back to Delaware,” Talia told her. “You need a lift?”

Aleda hesitated, and grimaced at the thought of having to face her father. “I don’t know… I’m not sure I want to go back there just yet.”

“Do you want to kill a couple of hours in Philadelphia?” Ryan offered. “I’ve got some business there.”

She looked between him and the car. “As long as you don’t mind me tagging along…”

“Tell you what, Aleda,” Aunt Firi said. “You go have fun in Philly and your great-grandpa and I will go see if we can’t butter up your father for when you get back.”

“That would be wonderful,” Aleda said in relief. She smiled tentatively at Ryan.

He handed her a helmet.