How the hell was this her life now?
A meaty hand landed on her shoulder and startled her eyes open again. When had she closed them?
"It's been a hell of a time for you, these last few days, hasn't it?" Marc's eyes were nothing but kind.
"Yeah. It's been a lot to absorb. I think Kaylee's handling it way better than I am. I barely slept last night."
Marc nodded and went back to fixing the coffee. Once it was brewing he pulled out a small plate and piled cookies onto it. They were going to have to make more at this rate.
"Kids are flexible like that, I think. Their worldview hasn't solidified yet, since there's still so much that they don't know or haven't experienced. But she's still affected, don’t think she’s not,“ Marc said. He grimaced, then a small smile grew instead. "I was keeping an eye on them at bedtime last night because you know how it can be with kids having a sleepover. It could have been games all night or squabbles or anything, but mostly it was just Kaylee having trouble sleeping. Every time she dozed off she started to whimper, and she'd roll over and wake herself up. I was getting ready to go in there and see if I could help, but I heard Jake wake up. He dug up one of his teddy bears from the stuffies hammock and asked if she wanted a snuggle. I think it was about five minutes later that they were both snoring away, all curled up in a puppy pile.”
It was clear how proud he was of his son, reaching out to help someone in trouble.
"He's a good kid," Faith said. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help her out."
Marc shook his head. "Don't be. It worked out perfectly and gave her a chance to sort through some things on her own. Knowing that you have people to lean on is sometimes all it takes.” He leaned back on the counter to scrub a hand over his face then back through his hair.
“Did you know that Kaylee scents of wolf? Being around other wolves is probably putting her at ease, which is helping, but I will be honest with you. My son is going to be a powerful wolf when he grows up. I suspect he was lending her some of that power, as well, let her sense that she had strong allies to keep her safe. I doubt very much if he even knows he did it."
Faith sighed and slumped into a chair at the table. "There is so much I don't know. God. How am I supposed to deal with all of this?"
Marc poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and picked up the plate of cookies. "Well, I think you're doing exactly the right thing. Practice. Knock the dust off your skills and sharpen them a bit. And don't let yourself forget that even if wolves and vampires are a bit faster and stronger than you are, you're not helpless. We all bleed just like you do." There was a flash of something absolutely lethal that crossed through his eyes for just a second. "And you and Kaylee are ours, now. Jake has all but claimed Kaylee as his own family, and I have known Aldric all my life and never seen him so… So personally invested. You're both Frostwalkers now, and your sister is, too, by extension. We don't let anyone hurt our own. We'll get her back, Faith."
"Thanks, Marc," Faith said. Marc nodded once and turned to head back to his office with his coffee and another cookie in his hand.
She supposed that having an Alpha werewolf lay claim to her and her whole family should have been terrifying, but this felt more like she was being adopted. There was no threat behind Marc's words. Just the promise of support and protection.
Being a Frostwalker wasn't so bad, really.
She was going to have to find Kaylee her own bedroom eventually, though.
Faith lay down on the bed, completely exhausted. She had been in her room running through the few small spells she could remember: lighting candles, pushing objects around, and stirring a breeze in her room. Moving the air was easier for her than the candles, though Crissy had always had trouble with it and found the candle exercise easy.
A soft knock on her door interrupted her thoughts, not that she was thinking particularly hard about anything other than a nap.
"Come in?"
"Hey, just wanted to check in, chica," Tamika stood in the open door and smiled. "I didn't mean to interrupt nap time."
Faith groaned and sat up, propping herself against the pillows and the headboard. "Nah, I was just sort of staring at the ceiling. It's been a crazy few days. How're the kids?"
“Marc has 'em helping with dinner. They seem to be making mac and cheese. Or a complete disaster, one or t’other,” Tamika shrugged and plopped down on the bed next to Faith's knee. "It was a little hard to tell when I left."
Faith laughed, and Tamika grinned.
"Hey, I did have a slightly ulterior motive, though. Marc mentioned that you might feel a little better with a weapon of some kind. I know you're not trained to fight or anything, but here. I brought you this." Tamika pulled a compact but deadly looking knife from a sheath under her jacket. "You sound like the sort of person to keep a pretty level head in a crisis. I wouldn't suggest you rush into battle with just this thing, but if you get caught without one of us around, somehow, it might come in handy, ya know?"
Faith took the knife
