Sami rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You told me. You’re smart, strong, and whatever else you want to be today. That’s not the point. Mom and Dad are out there somewhere. They can’t find us if I don’t have my phone, and I dropped it in the woods. They’re probably out there looking for me.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that your mother doesn’t need the phone to find you?” Rafael sounded exasperated. “Your parents will be here shortly. I have no doubt about that.”
Sami stubbornly folded her arms across her chest. “I want to call them.”
“Then call them. The witch said you could use her phone.”
“I don’t need your permission.” Sami sullenly extended her hand in my direction, curious as she asked me, “What sort of witch are you?”
I handed her the phone. “Just the normal kind.”
“There is no such thing as a ‘normal’ witch.” Sami stared at the phone for a moment, furrowing her brow. “Um ... I don’t know Mom’s phone number.”
Rafael rolled his eyes. “What did I tell you about that?”
“That I could lose my phone at some point and need to call my mom from another phone.” Sami was petulant, which I found funny. “You were right, oh mighty one. That doesn’t help me now. I need to call her. They’re probably freaking out.”
“Probably,” Rafael agreed. He rattled off the number to her. “Make sure you tell her you’re okay. Lead with that so she doesn’t burn the world down in an attempt to get to you.”
The way he said it told me he wasn’t joking. Whoever Sami’s mother was, she was powerful. Sami punched in the number.
“Mom?” Sam’s voice shook, reminding me that even though she was an adult in many ways, she was a child at heart. “I’m fine. I’m okay.” She was quiet a beat. “Rafael is okay, although he was nearly ripped apart by some vampires last night. We had help. We found those Spells Angels people.” More silence. “They haven’t tried to kill me yet, so I think they’re okay.”
I pursed my lips and glanced at Gunner. Despite being blown across a hallway by a teenager, he looked relatively relaxed.
“I said we’re fine, Mom. The Spells Angels people are going to make breakfast because I’m really hungry. I was in the woods all night under a dome and they had Rafael tied to a chair. It was all a big misunderstanding.”
I widened my eyes when the girl handed the phone to me. “What?”
“She needs to know where we are. She wants to talk to you.”
That sounded unpleasant. “Okay.”
“She says she’ll be here soon.” Sami fixed her imploring eyes on Gunner. “I really am starving.”
He cracked a smile. “Well, if your mom and dad are coming, that means breakfast for six. Coming right up.”
Five
Twenty minutes after Sami placed her call an expensive SUV pulled into the driveway. Sami hopped to her feet and raced in the direction of the vehicle. The vampire, still hobbled, kept his eyes on the girl until she launched herself at the tall man who exited the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“Daddy!”
“You’re okay.” There was absolutely no doubt the man was her father. They looked exactly alike. Coloring. Build. They could’ve been clones except for the fact that she was female. “Look at me and tell me you’re okay.”
The father’s eyes were red and puffy as if he’d been crying, and the relief he felt at having his daughter in his arms was palpable.
The woman who exited the passenger side of the vehicle was a different story. She was blonde, icy blue eyes locking with mine across the expanse, and it was obvious she was coiled for action.
“Your friend is hurt,” I said, pointing toward Rafael. “We didn’t do it, just for the record. We tried to help.”
Looking unconvinced, the woman focused on the vampire. “Are you okay?”
“I’m alive,” Rafael replied.
She frowned and headed for the stairs. Rather than give me a wide berth, which would have been a smart, strategic move, she pinned me with a warning look as she brushed by. She didn’t even bother acknowledging Gunner. “Let me see,” she instructed while Rafael worked to protect his flank.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me see.” The blonde was insistent, to the point where the vampire gave up fighting and lifted his shirt to reveal smooth skin, which was just as tan as his face, and rippling muscles. Although the wound I’d gotten a gander at the previous evening had healed quite a bit there was still plenty of damage to contend with. “Hold still.” The woman placed her hand on the wound, a blue light pulsing out of her fingertips. Within seconds, the angry wound that had marred the vampire’s flesh had disappeared. “How much easier would that have been if you didn’t fight me?” she asked the vampire when she was finished.
“Give me a break,” Rafael groused, sinking back into the chair. He looked exhausted. “Your offspring is fine, by the way. I protected her as I promised.”
I cleared my throat to get the woman to look at me. The power that emanated off her was astounding. I’d never seen anything like it. While I should have been fearful, I was more curious than anything else.
“I helped him protect her,” I stated. “In case you’re wondering.”
The woman’s lips quirked as she moved to stand in front of me. It wasn’t exactly a smile. It wasn’t a frown either. “I’m Zoe Lake-Winters. This is my husband Aric. You’ve already met Sami and Rafael. If you helped them, I’m thankful for it.”
The oxygen whooshed out of my lungs and I suddenly found myself breathless. “You’re Zoe Lake?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I see my reputation precedes me.”
“Zoe Lake-Winters,” Aric muttered, his arm around Sami’s waist as he climbed the porch steps. “Winters.”
I fought the urge to smile at his annoyance. I lost that fight. “I apologize. The stories I’ve heard always refer to her as Zoe Lake. I
