Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4)

“You get inside,” Uri said in a stern voice to her.

Natalia found she couldn't leave. She stayed in the doorway, so she could watch.

Hans jacked up the front of Uri's car. They slid one of the wood planks across the gap up to his back tire on one side, then did the other before lowering his car.

“Don't start it. Just put it in neutral,” Hans said. “We'll give it a push. We don't want any one in the car in case it goes.”

No one moved. Both doors to the car were over the cave-in.

“Put another board across. You can walk across on that,” she said, giving them the solution.

Doug trotted out to get another board.

The new board was placed. Uri walked across it with one hand on his car for stability. Natalia wasn't too worried about him. If he fell, it wasn’t that far of a drop. What worried her was how the board flexed under just Uri's weight.

“Those boards are going to hold the weight of the car?”

No one answered her. Uri opened his car door. He put the key in and shifted the car into neutral. The two men pushed at the front bumper while Uri pushed from the side. Slowly, the car backed up. The boards flexed dangerously. She thought they were almost going to break. Cement crumpled around the boards. Then the car was off the boards and out of the garage. Uri hopped into the car to hit the brake as soon as it was clear.

“That's a big hole,” Hans said.

Natalia felt he was stating the obvious. She figured out already that he was the brains of the pair, and that wasn't making her feel very comfortable.

“I guess we do your tunnel and then pour a new pad in the garage. We'll have to break up the rest of the pad to do it proper with rebar and such.”

“Yes,” Uri said. “That's what needs to be done.”

Natalia had enough of watching them. She retreated into the house and headed toward the nursery. Uri caught up with her at the foot of the stairs.

"You okay?” he said with concern.

“Yes. Now, I am.”

"What did you need?”

“I needed you out of the basement,” she said.

He stared at her.

"You were in the tunnel, right?” she said.

He nodded.

“How did you know? And how did you know it was going to cave-in?"

“The same way I knew there were intruders last night.”

His eyes moved to Victoria.

He nodded, looking very thoughtful.

"Are you going upstairs to rest?” he said.

“Yes. This is too much excitement.”

Victoria moved her lips almost like she was nursing.

"Where are Grazie and the girls?”

“Next door. I'm good. You stay safe.”

He nodded, looking solemn.

Natalia shifted her eyes toward the garage where she could now hear Grazie and the girls.

"Get that area blocked off,” she said to him with a raise of her eyebrows

He left in a hurry.

Natalia went up and settled in the rocking chair. Grazie soon joined her. He sat in the only available chair with Grace while Grazon, Tracy, and Marian sat on the floor.

“She's a beautiful little girl,” he said. “She looks very much like you.”

Tracy nodded in agreement.

“Thanks. Grace is looking more and more like you. She looks very happy,” Natalia said.

Victoria fussed.

"She's a quiet thinker,” Grazie said. “Very much like me.”

Grace grinned and raised both hands.

“Nobody is like Anna,” Tracy said in a hushed voice.

“Everyone is getting along well,” he said. “I'm still surprised every day with how everything turned out. Not many twenty-one year olds have seven children to take care of.”

“I hear someone is throwing darts already,” Natalia said, tilting her head to look at Grazon.

He grinned, looking shy, while he leaned against his father's leg.

“My mother says he’s just like me at that age. Quiet and shy,” Grazie said. “Yes, he’s throwing darts but not at the dart board. Where were you throwing darts?”

Grazon hid his face against his father.

"Where?" Grazie said again.

“The toilet,” Grazon said in a soft voice.

"He was throwing darts down the toilet,” Marian said with a roll of her eyes.

"At least they were only toy darts and he never flushed,” Grazie said. “Never flushed because we caught him in time.”

Natalia laughed.

“A whole lot better than a hole in the garage,” she said.

The two girls giggled

"Someone needs to yell at him,” Marian said.

“I think Mag and Bonnie aren't too happy with him,” she said. “They didnt yell, but I'm sure he got a good glaring.”

“Things will get resolved,” Grazie said. “Well, we need to take off. Summer club is almost done for the day. We need to go pick those three girls up.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Let's go crew,” Grazie said, rising.

They filed out of the room.

Victoria fussed again and Natalia unsnapped her dress to let her nurse.

About mid afternoon, Mag appeared with tea and cookies on the balcony where Natalia now was. “Thanks, Mag. Taking a break?” Natalia said.

“Called it a day. Tomorrow will be the busy day and all the hard work. Uri said there would be a dumpster.”

Mag left.

Natalia enjoyed her cookies. The backyard next door was still full of furniture, but no one was around. She could hear the traffic pick up in the neighborhood. There was the sound of the bus that went around dropping off kids around three. She figured it was for some summer club or summer camp activity since it was summer and school was out. There was also the traffic of either people coming home from work or drivers heading out to pick people up.

Victoria shifted. Natalia looked down at her.

"Hey there, blue eyes.”

Victoria was awake and looking up at her.

“We're going to need some gel to tame that hair of yours.”

She moved a few hairs that were out of place, but they slid right back.

“You and Grace have the same messy hair style.”

Victoria blinked.

"Maybe we should take a walk and see what's going on.”

Natalia rose. On her way down the stairs, she could see that the pipe through the house was gone. She decided to go out the front door, but didn't go far. Right in front of the door, on the laneway, was a pile of dirt.

“From the basement, I take it,” she said.

The laneway was packed full of all four cars, their three and Kate's. The pile of dirt blocked a large part of the laneway.

“Good planning with the dirt, boys.”

She went back in and looked out into the garage. All three doors were closed. There was caution tape around the cave-in. It seemed a little bigger than the last time she saw it. The drain that usually sat under Uri's car hung in mid-air. She shook her head while she went back inside.

In the kitchen, she found Mag, Kate, Zena, and Bonnie. They immediately clammed up when she stepped in. She already knew they had been talking using the hushed Viperian voice to make sure no one heard.

“Make sure his dinner is cold,” Natalia said.

The four just smiled.

She retreated to the living room. Her tablet was there. She read some of her homework assignments while she waited for dinner.

Dinner was starting to smell good when Mag came out.

“Dinner,” Mag said.

Natalia headed for the dining room. Uri came out of his office.

Mag served Natalia then disappeared into the kitchen. Natalia was please to see angel hair pasta with shrimp in a white sauce on her plate. She savored her dinner for five long minutes before Mag came back out with Uri's plate. However, she set it on the edge of the table, far from him, before she again, disappeared into the kitchen

"Mag," he said.

Mag didn't appear.

He rose and retrieved his plate.

Natalia smiled when she spied its contents.

“It is cold?" she said.

“Three frozen peas and a piece of plain white bread. Yes, it's frozen, too.”

“What were you thinking?” she said. “With all this and a newborn?”

“I was thinking, since I was home, that I'd be able to supervise the remodel.”

"And you didn't think of things that may affect a newborn?”

“You're fine. Victoria is fine,” he said.

"Or your staff...”

"Especially your staff,” Mag said, having stepped out.

Uri opened his mouth, but Mag didn't let him speak.

“You didn’t think buying another house and all this construction would cause any problems?” "Mag..."

“You think I don't have enough to do with this house as in cooking and tending to Nattie and Victoria?”

“Mag...”

“Have you been in that house next door?”

"Yes, I did a walk through...”

"Do you realize how much work it's going to take just to get that house livable?”

“The house didn’t seem that dirty...”

“Every single wall and ceiling must be cleaned. You can write your name on them with a finger. He smoked and apparently liked fried foods. Grime covers every wall and ceiling, even upstairs.”

“I didn't...

"And you think myself, Zena, and Kate can do that? In between taking care of this house, Nattie, and Victoria?”

“Mag, I..."

Uri was looking agitated.

“Now the garage...”

“Mag, there is no way I could have predicted the garage caving in.”

“Now, we have to post sentry and watch the vehicles since they have to be parked outside. Especially since we already had vandals spray up the garage doors.”

“I did repaint them,” he said in a terse voice.

"We had twenty friends and family come over today and that was just to clean the kitchen...” “Mag,” he said, shouting her name.

“There is no way that house will be ready by the end of the month or the next month,” Mag said, rising her own voice.

She looked furious.

"And..."

“Mag,” he said in a calmer tone.

"And you've made it very difficult to tend to grubbies and beetles with a work crew down there. A work crew that isn't even Viperian.”

“I'm sorry, Mag. I wasn't thinking.”

“Well, that's obvious,” she said.

“I will slow down the construction to just the tunnel. You tell me when the other house is finished.” “The other house needs more than just cleaning,” Mag said, not looking at all pacified. “We will need to remove all the carpeting.”

“I understand,” he said. “Only work there when you can. I can hire other people if you cannot. There is no deadline. We will all need to back off and take care of Nattie and Victoria. I'll take first watch on the cars.”

“Good.”

Mag spun on her heels and left.

Natalia continued to enjoy her pasta. Uri stared at his plate.

"Mag?”

Mag didn’t come out. Natalia had the feeling no one was there.

He rose with his plate and went into the kitchen. She could hear him opening cabinets and the fridge. He seemed to be taking a long time. She was almost done with her dinner when he finally returned to the table. He had a glass of iced tea and two cookies, which he ate in silence. Then he handed her the flask with the good sanguine tea.

"One swig,” he said.

Natalia swallowed two before giving it back to him.

“Are you done?” he said.

She nodded.

He took all the dishes into the kitchen. She could hear him washing them.

Victoria wrinkled her nose, but remained asleep.

“Let's go back upstairs, little girl. Almost diaper change time.”

She took her tablet with her.

The stairs felt easier to do.

“Not so stiff. Moving around is helping. And your eight pounds is nothing.”

She settled into the rocking chair. Mag came up a short time later with what looked like a tiny tub. “I thought we'd give her a bath,” Mag said.

Natalia unraveled the baby wrap, and Mag took Victoria.

Victoria fussed.

“Bath,’ Mag said. “Warm.’

Victoria fussed more and more while Mag removed her clothing and her diaper. However, once Mag set her in the warm water, she stopped.

“It's usually going in and coming out,” Mag said. “That's when they complain.”

Mag was quick with the bath. When Mag took her out of the water, Victoria began to fuss. She scrunched up her face to begin to cry until Mag wrapped a warmed towel around her.

“Weren't expecting that, were you?’ Mag said to Victoria.

Victoria unscrunched her face.

'A nice warm towel. Dries you nice and fast.’

Mag finished drying her, then dressed her in a diaper and a light blue onesie.

“All done, Miss Victoria."

Mag handed her back to Natalia.

“Thanks, Mag.”

“I'll bring your tea and cookies up here.”

“Thank you.”

Natalia didn’t see Uri for the rest of the evening. He didn't seem to be in his office either. She even went to bed without him, figuring he was out watching the cars.

She had only slept a few hours when she woke. The house had an odd silence to it. She used the bathroom before going over to Victoria's room. Uri was sitting in the rocking chair with Victoria cuddled against his chest.

“I thought I'd spend sometime with the only woman in the house who's not mad a me,” he said in a quiet voice.

“I'm not mad at you,” she said. “I was just terrified of losing you.”

“I'm sorry for all the mess. I underestimated what it was going to take.”

“I was over at the other house. It is a mess. I'm sure you saw tidy rooms. There wasn't any clutter.” “I assume no clutter meant a clean house. The house felt a little dreary, but I figured it was the dark wood.

“That dark wood is actually a light maple.”

She paused for effect.

"Once you wash it.”

"Oh."

“Mag is pretty mad at you.”

“I figured that out. When I went into the kitchen to get some dinner, I found iced tea and two cookies. She had emptied the entire fridge and all the cabinets of food.”

“That's pretty mad.”

She watched Uri rock. He was gazing intently at Victoria.

“I think,” he said, “Victoria's senses are enhanced, probably due to that tea you've been drinking You might have drank too much of it.”

“I'm glad I did.”

“To some extent, yes,” he said.

“I didn't tell you about two phone calls I had today.”

“Was one about Saturday and the Moralis cook out?”

Yes."

"Grazie told me about it, but I said that attending would be up to you.”

“I told Francie we would come, and I'll invite the ladies to go with.”

"Who was the second from?”

“The second was from Kareen. Apparently, there is a petition to define what is Viperian.”

Uri stopped rocking and looked up to meet her eyes.

“Victoria,” he said.

He dropped his eyes back to her and resumed rocking.

“I presume 50,” she said. “Perhaps because people believe blonde isn't Viperian. And we can't confirm fangs.”

"All offspring from a Viperian are Viperian,” he said.

"Someone is challenging that concept.”

"How can my daughter not be a Viperian?”

"What does it matter? She's in a Viperian household. No one can block her from going into Viperia.” “But they can block her from going to a Viperian school. Or the hospital. She'll be at a great disadvantage not going to a Viperian school.”

"She's our daughter. You said it didn’t matter if everyone didn't like her.”

“Being liked or not is trivial. Being ostracized from our society is disastrous,” he said with distress. "Viperians, who have segregated themselves from our culture, don't do well. Undent hospitals don't have the medicine or knowledge to treat them.”

He stared into space for a moment.

"Viperians needs Viperians. We are not a people who can live alone.”

She remembered he had talked about this before. That was why when young people left home to strike out on their own, they lived in bachelor houses. A shared house with two more more roommates.

"Who's watching the cars right now?”

“Bonnie.”

Victoria twitched and fussed in her sleep.

“Mag will go next and then I'll relieve her. Short shifts.”

“That's good.”

Victoria twitched again.

“She may be getting close to nursing,” she said.

He nodded, but didn't move.

"Or a diaper change.”

He nodded.

Victoria twitched and seemed to wake. She fussed.

“II...” Uri looked down at Victoria. “I heard her. Bonnie needs help.”

He rose abruptly and handed over Victoria to her. Before Natalia could ask, he was gone, running down the stairs.