Sanctuary's Fiend

“He’s blaming you,” Bhav said down the phone.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” I said. It had been a week, and so much had happened that I’d forgotten entirely about Chad. “Ooh. Wait, hold on. I mean, yeah, I saw him in The Grind. Gave him a stern talking to. But that’s it!” I considered this one of those little white lies that people wanted to hear.

“He’s annoying. He walked up to us, and Peter was about to start something, when this loser just drops to his knees and starts crying. We called him every name we could think of. In multiple languages.” I could hear the sound of the mall they were walking around in the background. “Now he’s just following us around quietly. Can you make him stop?”

I actually had no idea. Maybe I could. Did his bond to me last that long? Could I glamour him over the phone? I mean, I hadn’t been feeling hungry again, so maybe I still had some power left in me. “Put him on.”

After some muffled voices, Chad’s voice blared through my speaker. “Hey babe?”

I rolled my eyes, but unfortunately it didn’t have any effect over the phone. “Why are you following them around?”

“Saying sorry the only way I know how. Duhh.”

“By stalking them and getting in their way?”

“Yah.”

“Okay. Well… stop?”

“No way! They’re totally starting to get used to me and accept this. Trust me, I’ve gotten loads of girls this way.”

“You’re really creepy, Chad. Put Bhav back on.”

More muffled voices, and Bhav spoke. “That didn’t sound good.”

“It didn’t go according to plan, sorry. Look, I’ll come over and help you out, but I’m really busy today. Just ignore him. The second I’m free, I’ll give you a call, okay?”

We said goodbye, and I put my phone away. I turned around. “Really sorry, guys!”

Ariel, and Erin were busy texting each other, accepting that friends needed to be contacted at any time, day or night. My mom and dad seemed less accepting.

“I do apologize, dear, if we’re getting in the way of your social life,” my mom said.

“Now, Freya,” my dad began, “you know that talking to boys is far more important than having an official parlay.”

“Oh hey, sarcasm again, what a unique take on the situation, dad.”

My mom laughed. “She’s better than you.”

Dad didn’t seem too happy about being out-sarcasmed, but I knew that his sulking wouldn’t last long. He was still feeling happy about me actually being alive and Mr. Anderton not actually hunting us down.

“Everyone ready?” I asked.

Ariel’s eyes shot up even though her thumbs kept typing. She beamed a radiant smile at me and bounced up and down.

Erin held up one finger, not saying anything. I gave her a few seconds. Still waiting…

“How’s the boyfriend, Erin?”

Another few seconds before she finally looked up from her phone. “Okay. Done. He’s awesome, obviously!”

“Okay. So let’s go over the rules again,” I said. They all looked attentively at me. “Oh, no no. I don’t know them! Dad?”

I could tell he was a split second away from face palming. “There’s no time to go over them all again. It’s a preliminary meeting, and we just want to mend broken fences. Leave that to the grown ups. Long story short, don’t say anything.”

Ariel jumped up and down then laughed.

“Exactly,” my dad said. “You two girls just follow Ariel’s example, and we’ll all be fine. Oh, and the golden rule is…?”

Me and Erin said together, “Don’t tell Mr. Leland.”

“He did say that he kind of hates elves,” I said. “‘Vicious and evil’ were his exact words.”

“Well he’s not stupid,” my dad said. “All right. Let’s go! Rel, if you want to do the honors?”

I turned away from my friends and family, and raised my fist. I stepped forward to knock on the door, but… I couldn’t do it. Come on, Rel. This was bad enough the first time when you were on your own, but now you have an audience! Oh my God, even now, after everything I’d learned and become, I couldn’t bring myself to knock on Rick’s door. Just move your hand. This isn’t even the hard part!

I wished that something would come and just swallow me whole before the others realised I was frozen in terror. Couldn’t something save me?

The door swung open, and Mr. Anderton was stood in the doorway. I could have sworn it was the same suit that he wore when I saw him last in Ariel’s ruined house. Maybe that was his security blanket. No, no, his lucky armor. He’d prefer I called it that, probably.

“Hello everyone. I didn’t bother waiting for the knock, I could hear all of you talking, I hope you don’t mind. I trust everyone’s ready for,” he stopped to gulp, “an interesting lunch?”

My dad stepped forwards, my mom beside him. I was pushed to the back as the adults presented a cordial front.

“It’s good to see you again, Anderton,” my dad said. “Of course you’ve met Freya before. Whether these circumstances are better or worse, I’m not sure yet.”

“Oh don’t be so stiff, Tom.” My mom elbowed him in the side and he flinched theatrically. “It’s good to see you again, and of course we’re ready for lunch. I just hope you’ve cooked enough human souls for everyone!”

I had never heard silence like the silence I heard just then. Oh mom…

A woman from inside the house cleared her throat. I recognized it from the hospital room. “A swing and a miss. I’m Claire.” She stepped forwards to shake their hands, but thought better of it at the last second and changed her step into an awkward curtsy.

I peered past the adults to see if he was there. “Where’s Rick?”

Everyone looked at me. My parents’ faces were clearly trying to hide their embarrassment. Mr. Anderton’s was a carefully schooled mask of neutrality. “For obvious reasons, he won’t be joining us. Myself and Claire already know of…” he slipped a hand inside his jacket, and removed it a moment later, like some nervous tic. “Supernaturals. But he doesn’t. And won’t. His hospital stay left him with plenty of homework to catch up on.”

“Can I say hi?” I asked, trying to hide my disappointment. Let’s be honest, this entire meeting had just sounded like a good way to spend time with Rick.

“I don’t think that’s–” my dad began.

“Don’t worry, Tom. It’s a good idea,” Mr. Anderton cut in. He stepped out of the doorway, allowing everyone in. “Please, everyone take a seat. We’ll just be a second.”

Everyone filed into the dining room, but Mr. Anderton motioned me to follow him up the stairs. I ran my hand along the dark lacquered wood, and followed Mr. Anderton to the left. I’d never been upstairs before. Unlike the downstairs, it was carpeted. At the end of the hall were two doors. The door on the left was plain and undecorated. The one on the right was covered in stickers of places I’d never heard of, and a few countries I had.

Mr. Anderton stopped and turned on me. He whispered so no one else could hear. “You’re alive because of Richard. Nothing else. You will never hurt him again. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“He… likes you. So as long as you make him happy…” he sighed as if he could hardly believe he was about to say whatever it was. “You can… spend…” he waved a hand in the air vaguely. “Time together.”

I couldn’t keep a grin from spreading over my face. “He really likes me?” I may have hopped from foot to foot as I asked.

Mr. Anderton groaned. “I do have one ultimatum though. He can never find out about this side of you and Sanctuary. I’ll be your chaperone for as long as I possibly can. Earn my trust and… maybe, maybe, I’ll let you out of my sight.”

The grin didn’t leave my face. I may have jumped up and down a little.

He rolled his eyes, but continued on to Rick’s door and knocked. “Rel is here to see you.”

I was hot on his heels, and as soon as he pushed the door open, I got to see Rick again.

He’d cut his hair, and it was short on the sides now, but I barely noticed as our eyes locked. I wanted to look around his room, and get to know what he surrounded himself with. Maybe one day I could be one of those things in his room. Umm, that he surrounded himself with, I mean. Not in his room. At least I hadn’t said that out loud.

It had been a long three weeks, and a lot had changed. Ultimately I had done everything for myself. Rick had started my changes, been my catalyst, but this had all been about me and my life without him. It was my own strength, and the support from friends and family that had made me stronger. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be my reward.

“Hey, Rel,” he said, and his smile grew to match my own.

Then I felt it return.

I couldn’t wait to taste him.