4
Aldric blinked down at the woman in his arms and struggled to get his mind fully wrapped around the last few minutes. A human woman. Using magic. A human woman protecting a child from a rogue werewolf attack, by means of a shield formed entirely of magic.
And as clear as the distrust of him was in her eyes, she hadn't hesitated to try to protect him from the rogue he had failed at first to actually kill. What Aldric had thought was the sound of the beast's neck snapping had been merely a leg, and he cursed his own carelessness. He would have to be more thorough in the future, especially now that he had this woman and this child to protect.
It was very nearly beyond his capacity for belief.
He hadn't seen a human mage since he was a small child– and that was a very long time ago– and now not only was there one right here, but she had defended him. And there had been something fierce in her eyes before they had fluttered closed that he wanted to see again.
"Aunt Faith?" the child whimpered, still following her aunt's instructions to keep her eyes closed.
"Your aunt is safe, child. But she wore herself out in the battle and needs to rest," he said.
The child didn't much resemble the woman. Where her aunt had long, soft brown hair pulled back in a braid, the child had wild, dirty blonde curls flying around her head. The woman's eyes had been hazel, and the child's eyes were a deep green. Well, they were when she wasn't squeezing them shut. Aldric had only managed that quick glimpse.
"Here, put your hand out, I will guide you," he said.
A small crease formed between her brows. "Mommy and Aunt Faith both said that I shouldn't talk to strangers."
Aldric found himself smiling despite himself.
"Your mother and aunt are both wise women," he said. "But if there was a fire, you would speak to a firefighter, correct? Or if you needed an ambulance you would speak to the paramedic?"
The child's frown deepened slightly and she chewed on her lip for a moment before nodding. "That's true. Mommy says that when I'm in trouble I should look for a helper, like a policeman or a doctor."
"Exactly so,"
The girl's expression cleared, though she kept her eyes squeezed closed.
"Okay," she said. "But you're a monster fighter, not a firefighter."
Aldric was unable to stop the chuckle. "Among other things, yes, I am. My name is Aldric Donnelly, and it is my job to try to keep this area safe from monsters.“ It was as good an explanation as any he could come up with. Defining the differences between rogue wolves and his clanmates could wait until all three of them were safely away from here.
She held her hand out now in as formal an introduction as she could manage, and Aldric couldn't help but be charmed. He reached out and shook it, which made the girl smile in delight.
"My name is Kaylee Francis Latham. It is nice to meet you," she said. "You promise Aunt Faith is okay?"
"It is an honor to meet you, Miss Kaylee. I believe your aunt is perfectly well, simply exhausted. Here," he took her hand and guided it to her aunt's shoulder, and Kaylee immediately wrapped her arms around Faith's neck in a hug.
"We should go. I will take you both someplace safe where your aunt can rest."
"My mommy went to the store. What if she gets back and is worried?"
Aldric frowned at this information. Faith had asked about her sister, and now Kaylee said that the woman was somewhere nearby and unaware of the danger.
"I will call a friend of mine to come and help look for your mother. Now, I'm going to pick your aunt up so I can carry her to my truck, so step back for a moment," Aldric said.
"Don't forget her purse! Aunt Faith never goes anywhere without her purse," Kaylee said.
"Where is it?"
"On the little table by the front closet. She says that if she doesn't put it in the same place all the time she'll never find it again."
Aldric smiled again. "We will walk past the table on the way out. Perhaps you could pick it up for me? Once we are by the door, you may open your eyes. Just be sure not to look behind us, it's not something you need to see."
"Okay," Kaylee said. She backed up enough to let Aldric stand, then reached out blindly until he put his elbow in the way of her hand. "Hang on to me and I will guide you."
Faith fit neatly into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder like a lover's, and Kaylee trotted along beside him without hesitation as if they were old friends. Something in his chest squeezed and he recognized it as satisfaction. An odd reaction, certainly, over two people he hadn't even properly met.
"Okay, Miss Kaylee. We are at the table. Would you please take your aunt's purse and open the door?"
Kaylee opened her eyes to find the bag and then eyed the door with something like suspicion before turning those emerald eyes on him.
“You’re very big,” she said.
“I am six feet and three inches tall,” he replied, not sure what else to say. He probably looked like a giant to the child. She nodded as if this was exactly the information she wanted, then frowned and glanced at the door she stood beside.
"What if there are more monsters outside?" she asked. Her voice was small and frightened, and her eyes wide.
He shook his head. "I would know if there were any more of those rogues here. I could hear them, for one thing. They are annoyingly loud creatures. Quiet makes them nervous," Aldric said.
"Like when you're in a library and it's really quiet and you have
