“No,” he finally says, stepping forward and sitting in the armchair. “Let me know if you want coffee. In the meantime, I’m interested to hear more.”
I blink. Did I just make progress without meaning to? Perhaps, on hearing how hard I’ve worked on this, some of his attitude actually started to thaw.
“Right,” I say, and shake myself enough to smile at him. “Just stop me if I start to ramble too much. Now, where was I…”
I had thought I would eventually drive Dane away, but he ended up staying until the afternoon, and helped me do my chores. When I asked him about his farm, he replied that he and Warwick did a majority of their chores last night, and that Warwick had fed the animals that morning.
Despite being cooped up all afternoon, listening to me talking about animals, he seemed more than happy to stay a little longer. I’m pleased, because he’s been a little less stiff. I’m almost sorry when he straightens and says he has to go.
“Thanks for coming by and helping,” I say.
“It’s okay,” he says. He glances at me. “I didn’t have to, but part of me is curious about what Warwick sees in you. I think I’m starting to get an idea. There’s something interesting about you, and I’m not surprised Warwick couldn’t resist.”
He walks away before I, taken aback by his words, can reply. I close my front door and frown. What did he mean by that?
Not wanting him to catch me watching, I sidle to one of the front facing windows and watch as he trudges down the long driveway. Dane is definitely curious. Though I’m happy that I’ll be able to tell Warwick that Dane and I got along today. Who knows? Maybe, one day, Dane and I will even manage to be friends.
It’s as I’m smiling at that thought, that it happens.
Dane reaches the road, which was as quiet as always. As he steps onto it, however, prepared to cross, a black car screeches out of nowhere, barrelling toward him. Shocked, Dane leaps backward in a bid to not be hit, but the car skids to a half right beside him and a door opens. Arms reach out and pull him inside; Dane too surprised by what’s happening to resist. Then the door closes and the car speeds away.
It all happened in a matter of seconds. I blink, trying to process what just happened. Dane was there, and now he’s not, taken away by a mysterious car.
Then it hits me. Dane was just kidnapped right in front of me.
“Fuck.”
Warwick
When I arrive home, I’m tired but overall happy with my purchases. Dane will definitely be pleased; the hay, food and tools I’ve brought home are of very high value, and they will be useful to the farm. It’ll definitely go a long way to soothing his ruffled feathers because I made him spend the entire day with Luciana.
At the reminder of this, I feel a little bit of anxiety in my stomach. I knew I shouldn’t have pushed them together, but it’s important to me that my brother accepts Luciana. If things keep going the way they are, she’s going to be in my life for quite a long time. Dane needs to get used to seeing her. I trust her. He doesn’t have to trust her completely, but he does need to stop glaring every time her name comes up in conversation.
I hope their day went well. Knowing my usual luck, Luciana and Dane are not forever estranged, which won’t make things easy.
“I’m home?” I call out as I kick my front door closed. “Are you here Dane?”
There’s no answer. I frown. That’s odd, I definitely would have expected him to be home by now.
“Dane?” I call again.
That’s when there’s a frantic, hard knock at my door. I know that isn’t Dane, but the sound of it makes my heart drop, because it means that something bad has definitely happened.
I open the door and almost get a fist to the face before Luciana, the one desperately knocking, realizes it. I would have laughed if it wasn’t for the extreme distress on her face.
“Warwick!” she says feverishly. “You’re home, finally!”
“Yeah,” I say. “Is everything okay? Where’s Dane?”
Had he gotten himself killed again? I don’t like the thought of him going through that again. Then a truly horrific thought occurs to. I made Dane stay and help Luciana with the poison. What if he accidentally touched it?
“…then it just went speeding away,” Luciana says, stressed, and I yank my thoughts back on track. “I didn’t see any number plates or anything. By the time I got down the driveway, they were already gone! I don’t even have any idea which way they went.”
Wait… a car?
“What does a car have to do with Dane?” I ask.
“For heaven’s sake, Warwick!” Luciana says, loud and frustrated, and there’s true fear on her face. “Now isn’t the time for you to only half listen! Dane has been kidnapped!”
It feels like the rug has been pulled from beneath my feet.
“Kidnapped?” I ask incredulously. “Tell me again; what happened?”
“Dane left my place around mid-afternoon,” Luciana says, her shoulders slumping. “It was around four hours ago, now. He got all the way to the end of the driveway when this black car appears out of nowhere. They pulled him in and sped away. I got in my car and was prepared to go after them, but they were long gone by the time I left my property.”
This isn’t good. I run a hand through my hair.
“Did you see anyone in the car?” I ask sharply.
“The windows were tinted,” Luciana says, shaking her head. “And I was too far away. But I did see the arm that pulled Dane in. Whoever it was, he was wearing a black coat and had some sort of odd wrist band.”
My blood runs cold.
“Could you see any inscriptions on it?” I ask hoarsely.
“I’m sorry,” she sighs with a grimace. “No, I didn’t. The band was thick and the only reason I saw it was because the sun caught on it.”
It’s not much to go on. But it’s far too much of a coincidence not to be true.
Due to the fact that they deal with all manner of supernatural creatures, many of whom could and would tear them to shreds, Hunters and Supernaturals had learned to carry with them an array of protective materials. Of these, was a silver wrist band that was quite large and was covered by their coats. The band had tiny crosses etched into it, and it was supposed to be a last line of defence if they were caught by a vampire or a werewolf; all they would have to do is swing their arm up and they would have the beast either in their power or writhing in pain. Now if that Supernatural is a vampire or werewolf, well then that complicates things of course.
That means one of those two groups has my brother. If the Hunters have him, Dane is already dead. But if the Supernaturals have him…
I’m selfish enough to hope that he might be with them, if only because it means there’s a chance to save him. On the other hand, however, he wouldn’t be suffering if he was with a Hunter.
“Either Hunters or the Supernaturals have him,” I say tired.
I can’t believe this has happened. We’ve been so careful!
Then I pause. No… we haven’t. Or, rather, I haven’t. I dragged Dane into that fight with the poachers and got him killed, which forced him to rejuvenate. I took Luciana to the hill and showed her my wings in the open. I took her flying.