Chapter 8

I was savedfrom thinking about the situation, at least for awhile, by the doorbell ringing. Hesitantly, I moved forward and peeked out the window. There were two men, both looked familiar.

"Oh right," I said, remembering Kyle's promise to send his men over to keep watch. I opened the door a crack. "Hello?"

The taller man tipped his cowboy hat at me. "Von O'Brian, and Kells Cardington, at your service."

I pulled out my phone and pulled up Kyle's text. Sure enough, the pictures were the same, as were the names they'd given me. Kyle wanted me to know who he was sending, so I wouldn't chance letting in a stranger.

"Thank you, yes, come in."

They entered the house, politely standing until I ushered them over to the sofa. "Kyle didn't have to do this—" I started to say, but Von cut me off.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but from what we understand, having a guard walking your property would be a good idea, wouldn't it?" He was polite, good-natured, but no-nonsense, with a wavy mullet that made me think of Kevin Bacon from Tremors.

"Yes, and I appreciate it. I just don't like putting people to an inconvenience." I sat down in the rocking chair next to the sofa. "So, what did Kyle tell you?"

"Not much, just that you're having some sort of problem with break-ins?"

I quickly ran down what had happened. "My shop's a mess. I'm going to have to pay for some expensive renovations before I open again. And there's speculation that whoever did it, may be out to get me. On a personal level."

"We'll keep an eye from dusk till dawn, Ma'am. James, our third man, will be here soon. Did he tell you when he was going to arrive?" he asked Kells. "With three acres, we'll want to keep an eye on the shop, and walk the perimeter of the property, as well."

"James is on the way," Kells said. "I volunteer to walk the boundaries. You can watch the house, and James can watch the shop. He's got that bum knee, you know. I can run a lot faster than he can."

As they divvied up my property into sectors, I withdrew from the conversation and headed into the kitchen, returning with three water bottles. "Here. I don't have any alcohol?—"

"Just as well, we'd rather not take a chance on being inebriated. We'll just wait outside for James, if you don't mind. We have camo parkas against the weather." Kells stood, pocketing the bottle of water as he moved toward the door.

I waved at the two men as they headed out into the night. Feeling better, though still like I was some special snowflake, I shut and locked the door behind me, and then went to change into a nightgown and robe. I stretched out on the sofa to wait for Grams.

* * *

Grams joinedme after her bath. She was wearing a velvet bathrobe over what looked like velour pajamas and a pair of fuzzy slippers. She settled into the rocking chair, leaning back as Silver jumped on her lap and curled up.

Fancypants was sitting on the back of the sofa, his eyes closed. He was dozing, and like the kittens, he was listing to one side. I reached up to catch him when he toppled over.

"What? Huh?" He shook his head, bobbing it around like it was on the end of a short snake. "What's going on?"

"You fell asleep sitting up again, little dude." I tilted my head and he scrambled up on my shoulder. "Grams, I have to be honest, it's been one hell of a week. I don't know what to do."

Grams stroked Silver's back as he curled in her lap, purring, his eyes shut tight. "I'll help you rebuild the wards tomorrow."

"Thank you." I wasn't sure how to say what I was about to say. "I don't know what I'm doing. I opened the shop because it seemed like a smart thing to do. My inheritance was so helpful—I won't pretend it wasn't, but I didn't receive enough to tend to flowers and walk in the woods for the rest of my life, which is what I'd like to do." I shrugged, feeling a little foolish. "Is it selfish to say that I just want to chuck it and go play in the dirt?"

"You're an earth-witch. Of course that's your go-to. But I think there's more to it than that, isn't there? Be honest with me." Grams stared at me. "When I was here in August, I could tell you weren't ready to think about this. But now, I think you realize you've been using your shop as a distraction."

"What do you mean?" But I knew what she was talking about. "Yeah, you're right. Everything was planned out last year. I had an entire future in sight, and it was all stripped away. I've had to let so many possibilities go, because they all included Rian."

"Yes, and now you have to create a new future. I think you can still have the shop, if you want it, but you have to figure out if that's really what you want, deep in your heart. Don't settle just to feel like you have a direction." She paused, then added, "And don't let anyone—me included—force you into a decision you aren't comfortable making."

"You're talking about Bran, aren't you?" I licked my lips, wondering how to tell her what had occurred to me. "Grams, what would you say if I told you that I think I'm falling in love with two men? That I don't want to make a choice?"

She stared at me. "You're talking about polyamory?"

I nodded. "Well, I don't know if it's that, exactly. But tonight, I realized that Faron and Bran both fit different parts of my life. I don't know if I can tie myself down to one person." I searched my heart, and then said, "I'm going to tell you something that I've barely been able to admit to myself. I've found myself thinking about this a lot over the past few weeks."

"What is it, child?" Grams's voice was neutral, and I couldn't read her face.

I gently laid Fancypants to the side, resting the sleeping dragon on a pillow. "Grams, I think if I'd married Rian, it wouldn't have lasted. I loved him. I loved him so much. But now, when I look back, I don't see us lasting a lifetime together." I felt ashamed to admit it. "His death changed me—it tore me to pieces. But it also forced me to face myself, honestly. It took me a year, but now that I've been on my own for awhile, I'm learning things about myself that I'd never have guessed or expected."

Grams leaned back in the rocking chair. "We live in a different world than when I was young. Life evolves, sometimes for the worse, sometimes the better. Marriage today is far from what it was a few hundred years ago. Mostly, it was economic and political, at least among the wealthier families. Our own clan boasts many matches like that. Your great-grandfather and I were an arranged marriage. Luckily, we grew to love each other. But it could easily have gone wrong."

I hadn't known that her marriage to great-grandpa had been arranged. "Why were you matched?"

"My magic was strong, and the Clan McPherson wanted to make certain that the strength of our magic flowed down through the line. That's why we marry within the clan, or we bring in spouses who match the energy of the clan."

"I know we're supposed to be demon hunters?—"

"Truly, yes. Your destiny has barely begun to show itself. I believe you're on the threshold of becoming who you are meant to be. You wouldn't have come to this point if you were with Rian. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. And I think you know that in your core." Grams gently placed Silver on the rocking chair as she stood and moved over to sit beside me.

I leaned against her. "Are you disappointed in me?"

"Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed in you? But you need to talk to Bran and Faron about your feelings. I know you can't talk to Faron now but?—"

"I talked to Bran tonight about it. That's when I realized that I can't choose between them, and I don't want to. If they aren't comfortable with the thought, I won't be offended. But I've decided that I'm not ready to choose either one. I'm not sure I'm meant to settle down."

"What did Bran say?" Grams asked. "If it's any of my business."

"I think he's amenable to the idea." I shrugged. "Grams, I'm not cut out to lead a normal life. I don't know if I can, after what happened with the Butcher." I finally said the words that I had been thinking in my heart, but afraid to verbalize. "That night changed me, and it changed the way I view the world. I spent months in absolute fear—fear of everything. Then, I moved here and started over, but I'm quickly realizing that I just can't think of the future the way so many people do."

Grams was quiet for a moment, then she cleared her throat. "Do you know much about your paternal heritage? Your mother should have told you this, but I think she just chose to ignore it."

"You mentioned I have a destiny—that I'm bred as a demon hunter. Or at least, the clan is. I know that much."

"Yes, that's true. I had hoped that your mother would teach you more about it. After all, her lineage has its roots within the same clan, so you're doubly bound to the MacPhersons. Over the years, there have been women born to our family, to the clan, who are gifted with powers that come on as they age. And usually, beginning in their thirties, they find themselves on a different path than normal. There are demons all through this world, and somebody has to take care of them. Not all our clan members can wear the mantle, and not only our clan members do—around the world, other great families are born with similar gifts and destinies."

I listened to her, realizing that she was as good as handing me my destiny on a silver platter. "Do you think the Butcher's a demon?"

"Yes, I believe that he's more than a vampire. I think he tapped into who you are, and that he followed you, hoping to forever sideline you. If you were any weaker, he might have. But Elphyra, you have a strong spirit, and no matter how far the encounter knocked you down, there is no doubt in my mind that, at some point, you'd get up and face life again."

"Will he come back for me?" If anybody knew, it would be Grams.

She let out a long sigh. "I fear that he'll be back, so yes. Even though May helped you cut the cords connecting him to you, he'll track you down. When a demon marks you, they don't forget about you."

I stood, pacing over to the woodstove, where I added more fuel. "Why didn't he kill me when he had the chance?"

"Perhaps he was overconfident. Perhaps he was satiated with Rian's death. Perhaps…he enjoys the hunt and the chase. He's a sadist, so making you fear for years would be par for the course. I can't answer you're question, but I do know that you have to be ready to meet him when he returns. And you have to be ready to take him on and win. We'll discuss your training regime tomorrow."

The day had taken twists and turns I never expected, but I knew—gut deep—that Grams was right. And that meant that I was right. I wasn't meant to lead a normal life, I wasn't meant to settle down and be happy—at least not the way people thought it was supposed to look like.

"I'm not going to enjoy this, am I?" I asked, wryly.

She gave me a veiled laugh. "Oh, my dear, who knows what you'll discover? Maybe you'll enjoy living up to your destiny. Maybe you'll embrace the fear instead of trying to hold it at arm's length. Adrenaline can be an addictive drug."

And with that, she excused herself and headed into the bedroom. I peeked out the curtain just in time to see a patrol car easing into the driveway. Whoever the officer was, they paused long enough to get a look around, then silently withdrew. I could see Von stiffening from where he was sitting on the front porch, but then he relaxed and sat down again.

Grams was right. I needed to learn how to protect myself. I appreciated the extra help, more than Kyle and Daisy could know, but I wanted to be able to protect myself. I wanted to be someone people respected and knew enough to leave alone. I wanted my power back, and then some.

I thought about the demons of the world. We all knew about the ones who were all-too familiar—the politicians out to strip away our rights and freedoms, the religious ones out to force everyone into a hive-mind all worshiping the King Bee. We knew about the serial killers and the con artists. But behind everything lurked the true demons, who were out to dismantle humanity as a whole. And they often acted as puppet master, using mortals as their cover. Maybe I could make a difference. Maybe I could stop some of the harm from happening. If I was born to hunt demons, why not do so in a way that it benefitted more than myself?

Feeling both confused but oddly optimistic, I headed for bed, looking forward to the morning and to what Grams was about to put me through. It was time I woke up. It was time to take up my responsibility within the family. It was time to grow into the woman I was meant to be.