“A shapeshifter! You willingly brought a shifter into my house?” Eve demands, as she angrily paces the sitting room in my new home.
I watch in alarm as Gran wrings her hands together, as if wringing my neck. More worryingly, I notice how she makes great effort to relax her hands. Finally taking three deep breaths and releasing them, she turns toward me.
“What were you thinking?” she screams in frustration and fear. Obviously, she has not calmed down or got herself under any form of control.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, Gran, but, until a couple of days ago, she was stuck in her dog form. We didn’t even know if she was going to be able to come out of it,” I explain as calmly as I can, though to be honest I’m getting annoyed by my grandmother’s extreme reaction. What the hell would her reaction be concerning my association with Victor and Kheda? If she can’t handle them, how the hell will she react to the girls from the army, who became my sisters in arms as well as life? All of us are a supernatural of some sort or another.
“In my army unit, I became friends, and then chosen sisters, with the women in my unit. We depended on each other for our survival and our abilities. Our supernatural abilities, especially, brought us closer and saved our lives on more than one occasion. Each one of us is from one type or another supernatural heritage. Grandma, if you can’t accept her, you can’t accept me either. I never restrict myself to being friends with just witches and humans. I’m surprised you do.” I bluntly finish my statement with a frown, as I shake my head in regret.
I watch Eve staring at me, as if she is finally seeing the woman I have become, and realizes she doesn’t know me at all.
A witch who speaks to the Goddess and who the Goddess speaks back to, as if to an equal. A woman, who is friends with not only shifters, but also other supernaturals. One who views them as family. Finally I see the distrust, and with a shake of her head, Eve takes a large step back. Numerous emotions flicker across her face: regret, confusion, fear, anger, and finally repulsion.
“I’m sorry, Candi, I have to think. I also think it will be best if you moved in here as quickly as possible,” Eve mutters, anger and confusion lacing her voice, before she turns and flees my new home.
I watch in stunned silence as she leaves, heading toward her car. I can’t believe I had allowed my grandmother to run away. I notice the moment she stumbles, her head bent, a hand reaching up to swipe at her face. It looks like she’s crying.
“Oh Goddess, I made my grandmother cry. There probably is a special place in hell for people like me,” I mutter in disgust at myself.
Hearing Jasmine laugh, I turn toward her and give her a wry grimace. “It’s not funny,” I chide her.
“It is, Candi; you can’t seriously believe you have done anything wrong. Being friends without discrimination is not bad, far from it, in fact. Okay, maybe it is dangerous, but definitely not bad. Candi, you are family, and so I will tell you something, your grandmother has a problem. It has nothing to do with you. You are not at fault. Let her have her space, she knows where to find you. She loves you; she will be in touch as soon as she is ready.”
With a great big groan of dissatisfaction, I plop down on the sofa with a thud and put my head in my hands.
“I know life is not easy, but does it have to be so hard?” I moan in frustration. I don’t expect a reply to my complaint.
“No, it doesn’t have to be so hard, Candi. If you want, I’ll leave,” she replies quietly, but seriously.
“Don’t you dare! That’s not an option. I meant what I said to my grandmother, if she can’t accept you or the rest of my friends including Victor and Kheda, she can’t accept me.
“I am not losing you, or giving anyone up, to make life easier for others, because it would be miserable for me,” I calmly state. Looking at her, it’s obvious she hates the thought of the trouble she might cause me by staying.
Taking a deep breath, I decide to head over to my gran’s house, collect what I can fit in my car, and see if she’s up to talking yet. At least if she isn’t, she will know I’m not mad at her. With my decision made, I turn toward Jasmine.
“I’m going to go and get our stuff from my grandmother’s house. Please stay here, I invited Kheda and Victor over,” I hastily carry on before she interrupts.
Grabbing my car keys, phone, and jacket, I pause on my way out the door. “Jasmine, you’re my sister, never, ever, think by leaving, you would be helping, because you wouldn’t, far from it.
“Also, outside of discriminations and fears, we have far bigger things to be solving. We need to stick together, now, more than ever.” I give her a quick hug, before turning and leaving my new home.
****
I quickly cross to my car, unlock it, climb in and drive to my grandmother’s house. When I arrive, I notice her car isn’t there. Letting myself in, I collect Jasmine’s things first and load them into my car. Then I go upstairs to my room, and pack my clothes and toiletries. Once they’re packed I bring them downstairs and load them into my car.
Returning upstairs to my room, I cross to my writing desk and quickly write my grandmother a note. I’m getting a really bad feeling about her absence.
Hey Grandma,
I collected my things and was surprised you weren’t here. I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow, but can we meet at twelve o’clock instead of one please? Give me a ring if this doesn’t suit you. Thanks for coming over tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Love, Candi
My grandmother and I have no lunch plans for tomorrow, but if something has happened to her, they wouldn’t know it. I cross my fingers that I’ll get a phone call from my grandmother, asking me what the hell I’m talking about. Picking up my note, I bring it down to the kitchen, leaving it on the counter with a mug containing a tea bag on top of it. A simple guarantee it’ll be noticed, as the mug will have to be moved to read the complete note. Also, if anyone other than my gran picks up the note, we can get fingerprints off it.
Hopefully it won’t come to it, I think giving a slight grimace, before going back to my room to collect my desk. I give it a thorough going over to make sure no bugs have been planted on it. Finding none, I bring it downstairs and load it into my car, then finally, go back upstairs for my chair.
I go over it carefully, but this time I find a tiny device on one leg. Leaving it there, I carry it downstairs, and once I cross the threshold of the house I stumble, reposition my grip on the chair with a peeved Fuck’s sake. Sadly, I manage to knock off the device, and whoops, stand on it. I load the chair into my car, return to the house, and lock up. Climbing into my car, I drive off.
On returning home, I quickly get out of my car and grab my desk chair, and walk into my home.
Jasmine is just coming to help. I quickly shake my head. As I move into the sitting room, I check the chair again. Finding nothing, I tell her to stay in the sitting room and check everything I bring into the house for devices.
Going back to my car, I collect my desk next, and slowly I unload and “check” to make sure I haven’t dropped anything while unloading
I crawl out of my car, after collecting a scarf. I knock a small listening device onto the ground, and with great satisfaction, I stand on it and crush it.
Locking up, I return to my home with my scarf held loosely in my hand, in case anyone was watching.
When I arrive in the sitting room, it’s Jasmine’s turn to put a finger to her lips. She has found three more devices.
I decide to flush them down the toilet; wrapping them in tissue, I drop them into the loo and flush. I stare into the toilet until I’m sure they’re gone. Quickly I wash my hands and return to Jasmine.
“I flushed them,” I explain to her raised eyebrow.
Between us, we tidy everything up and put the lot upstairs into our rooms. Once everything is put away, we meet in the sitting room, where I update her on what has happened at my grandmother’s.
“To be honest, I think something has happened to her,” I finish with a frustrated sigh. “I hope I’m wrong, but finding these listening devices is not helping.” Getting up from the sofa, I start pacing. Back and forth, back and forth before finally with a growl of annoyance I run upstairs and pull on sweats.
I’m going for a run and check out her house to see if she’s back yet. When I exit my room, it’s to find Jasmine in dog form, wagging her tail with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.
“Thank you my sister,” I whisper in gratitude.
As we descend the stairs, there is a knock on the back door. Quickly we head toward the kitchen and open the door to find Victor and Kheda. I let them in and explain the situation.
“I have to go and make sure she’s okay. I’m so sorry, but I have to cancel tonight,” I apologize.
“I’m going with you,” Victor answers, looking me in the eye.
I’m sure Kheda is, as well as Jasmine, so shall we go look for her? I gather we’re going through the woods. Would you like me to flit you there? Kheda and Jasmine can run over.”
“Are you sure? Thanks, yes, if it’s okay,” I stammer in shock at the offer of so much help.
In the next instant I’m in Victor’s arms as if I weigh nothing, then we’re speeding through the woods with Jasmine and Kheda running behind us in the distance.
We arrive at the outskirts of my gran’s property, in the woods to keep us invisible, her car is still missing, but we notice someone skulking in the bushes further ahead. As Victor releases me from his arms, I slide down his body and carefully place my feet on the ground. No way in hell do I want the skulking bastard to hear us because of me stepping on a twig!
Besides, Victor’s body is rock hard. And wow, a girl has to enjoy herself, even under extreme circumstances. Like trying to figure out if my gran has just gone out and about, and all this is a major coincidence.
“Damn, there really is a special place in hell for bad grandchildren, or if there isn’t, there should be,” I mutter under my breath.
“What’s the matter, Candi? Did you enjoy being in my arms a little too much?” Victor enquires with a wicked smile and gleam in his eyes. “If it helps, I enjoyed you being in my arms, and especially, you sliding slowly down my body.”
“Hem, ahhhh, you, yeah,” I stammer, flushing a bright beetroot color. Sadly I do not do flushing prettily.
“It’s all right. I’m not going to take you right here, right now, however much I would like to,” Victor interrupts my stammering with a slight rumble of laughter flowing up his body to mix delightfully with his rich sinful voice.
“My God, phone sex with you would be amazing,” I blurt out, before clapping a hand over my mouth. My eyes have widened so much I can feel the delicate skin around them stretching. Holy shit, I had spoken out loud!
“We are definitely going to have a very private talk later Candi Reynolds, but sadly our two furry friends are just arriving, and we must decide what to do with him,” gestures Victor, pointing toward the man hiding in the bushes.