Post by StoryGirl83 on Jan 4, 2010 18:10:49 GMT -5
Chapter Seventeen – Vera’s Next Move
“Story, Mommy,” Ashlyn requested looking up sweetly.
Bianca smiled and shook her head. “Sorry, sweetheart, but three’s the limit for tonight. You want more and you get ready faster.”
“Want a story,” Ashlyn replied again stubbornly.
Bianca clucked her tongue and picked her up. “Not tonight. Bed time.” She carried her toward the kitchen and stuck her head in. “Really, Lawrence. Eating this late isn’t good for you.”
“We didn’t have much of a chance to eat at The Manor,” Lawrence reminded her, “since we left so soon after our food arrived. I was just putting it away, though, so quit worrying. I will starve, but my metabolism or whatever is the problem with eating late won’t suffer.”
Bianca snorted. “Right. Come with me to tuck her in?”
Lawrence closed the refrigerator. “Of course.”
As her daddy came out of the kitchen, Ashlyn leaned out of her mommy’s arms and grabbed at him. “Daddy! Story!”
Lawrence laughed. “I believe you already got your stories for the night.”
Ashlyn blew out a breath glared at him. “Story.”
Lawrence took her from Bianca and swung her around. “Nope. Off to bed.” He carried her off to her bedroom, Bianca behind him. He put Ashlyn onto her bed and tucked her in.
Ashlyn reached up her hand and grabbed his shirt before he could unbend. “Story?”
Lawrence turned to look at his wife who just shook her head, smiling. “Is she this persistent when I’m not home?”
Bianca shook her head. “Not usually. She seems to think Daddy will give in.”
“Story?” Ashlyn repeated, looking up hopefully.
“Sorry, sweetie. Bed time.” Lawrence leaned down and gave his daughter a kiss.
“Night, Daddy,” Ashlyn replied, giving up. “Kiss, Mommy?”
Bianca laughed as she learned down and gave her daughter a kiss. “I love you, Ashlyn.”
“Love, Mommy,” Ashlyn returned and added, “Love, Daddy.”
“Yes, I do,” Lawrence replied. “I love my Ashlyn.”
After bidding their daughter goodnight, Lawrence and Bianca headed to their own bedroom. Bianca dug into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Lawrence looked at her curiously.
“I agreed to leave only if they call if something goes wrong,” she explained. “No use in that if I don’t have my phone out.”
Lawrence nodded, having dealt with many different types of people through his wife and spent many nights sleepless wondering if she was coming home. Having seen for himself what had happened when Vera attacked he had a feeling these brothers could handle her, but if it made his wife feel better to keep the line open he had no objections.
A little over an hour later a scream filled the ears of Lawrence and Bianca, causing both to bolt upright. “Ashlyn!” Bianca exclaimed as she looked at her husband in horror.
Paying no attention to what Lawrence was doing, Bianca climbed out of bed and blinked her eyes. When she reopened them she was in Ashlyn’s room staring across it to where Vera stood holding her screaming, kicking daughter captive.
Vera offered Bianca a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, Bianca. It seems we are at an impasse.”
“Easily fixed,” Bianca returned. “Our daughters are not part of this.”
“That’s hardly true considering my daughter’s connection to your husband’s family.”
“I’m not responsible for that.”
“It matters not,” Vera returned. “I will give you back your daughter, unharmed. Just stay out of my way. When those witches are dead Ashlyn is free. I see you anywhere near them again and Ashlyn is dead. Am I understood?”
Bianca gulped. “Leave her out of this.”
Vera sneered. “Hardly.” And then she blinked, taking Ashlyn with her to places unknown.
Lawrence ran into the room, seconds later. His eyes darted around the room before he looked at his wife. He gathered her into his arms without a word and let her cry.
After several minutes she finally was able to form words. “All I can think is I should have allowed my mom to get that ability for her.”
Lawrence stared at her confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Did you know that the ability to blink is actually a rare ability?”
Lawrence frowned. “But it seems so common.”
She nodded. “That’s because warlocks have found a way to pass it on to their offspring even when they didn’t come by it naturally. Deep magic, powerful spells. Occasionally a warlock will be born with it naturally, but that is even more rare than a witch being born with it, because it’s associated with good magic.” A sound that was a mixture between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips. “Funny really since everyone who thinks of it associates it with warlocks.”
“I still don’t understand,” Lawrence informed her. “What has this to do with Ashlyn? She can’t blink like you can.”
“That’s because my ability isn’t natural and I refused to allow my mother to cast the spell that would have passed it on to Ashlyn.” She sucked in a breath. “And I was right to, but right now I still wish I hadn’t refused her.”
“But why did you refuse if it is only a spell.”
She looked at him. “Because it costs a life. To steal a power, a life must almost always be lost. Occasionally there are ways around that, but not often and warlocks don’t care about that. And while Phoenix are a breed apart, they are still, when it comes down to it, only witches or warlocks.” She heaved in a heavy in another breath. “But no more of that. We have to do something to stop her. We cannot just let her keep Ashlyn.”
“So it was Vera?”
Bianca nodded. “Yes.”
“Did she say what she wanted?”
“For me to step aside and let her kill the Halliwell brothers and I cannot. I can’t, Lawrence.”
He nodded, his eyes sad. “I know. So what do we do now?”
“We call them. We tell them what happened and we go from there.”