“Tory might have mentioned that she’d like to take a little vacation to someplace other than Magic,” Nonny admitted. “Topper just happened to run into Alexandru on one of her trips and mentioned that Tory would like to see a bit of the world.”
“Just happened?” Sophie asked with a shake of her head. “You know Charlie won’t like it.”
“I know my son very well,” Nonny replied with an amused smile. “Why do you think I asked Topper and the Fates for help?”
Sophie chuckled as she looked up in time to see Tory rest her head on her father’s shoulder. She shook her head. Poor Charlie. He didn’t stand a chance against so many women.
“You are an evil woman, Nonny,” Sophie laughed. “Does Charlie have any idea how manipulative you are?”
Nonny reached over and grasped Sophie’s hand in her own. She threaded her fingers through her beautiful daughter-in-law’s and squeezed them. She, Topper, and the Fates had picked the perfect mate for her son. They were still working on her other two sons. But for now, it was Tory’s time.
“He thanks me every day,” Nonny softly replied. “After all, I found you for him.”
*.*.*
Tory angrily wiped her eyes. She glared down at her father in frustration. She wasn’t a little girl any more! She was a mature Vampire!
“Hey, Tory,” Maverick said, jumping over the edge of the roof to sit next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Yeah, Tory-nator, what’s the matter?” Kevin asked as he crawled over the side behind Maverick.
“What are you two guys doing here?” Tory asked grumpily. “You know my dad is going to bite you again if you don’t stop popping up all the time, don’t you?”
Maverick grinned. “It’s worth it just to see him get riled,” he said, glancing mischievously down at the ground where Charles Carson was talking to his wife. “Dad asked me to stop by anyway, so I have a reason. He wants to let him know that the Pre-season football game party is being moved to the Ampitheather due to the possibility of a fight breaking out. He doesn’t want the bar trashed this year.”
“Yeah, my mom sent me to warn your dad that if anyone tramples her flowers around it, she was going to be doing some bashing herself,” Kevin said with a roll of his eyes. “Why I had to be born to Garden Trolls I’ll never know. I don’t even like dirt!”
Tory released a short, bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, you should try being a Vampire who is allergic to most blood types!” She mumbled.
“Is that why your dad is so protective of you?” Kevin asked, curiously.
“Yeah, I think so. You know, except for a peck on my cheek from my cousins and brothers, I haven’t even been kissed yet!” Tory grumbled. “I swear he cast a spell on me through all of my Middle and High School years! The one time Edgar Tinberry tried to kiss me, he broke out with Blisterwarts and couldn't run in the State Track finals. Everyone was mad at me, like I was the one who did it! After that, you two were the only ones who would hang with me.”
“Hey, what are best buds for? Besides, from what I hear from some of his former girlfriends, you didn't miss much. They said sandpaper wasn't any fun to kiss. Anyway, I think the only reason Edgar was popular was because he was so fast on the track. Duh, the guy is a Jaguar shifter! Of course, he'd be fast. None of the girls cared about that fact, though. The only thing they cared about was the way he strutted around the field in his tight, little shorts. I think he should have been disqualified from the team for that alone! That wasn't much fun to have to look at for four straight years. Besides, why would you want to be kissed by old sourpuss Edger when you can be kissed by me? Hey, do you think you might still be enchanted?” Maverick suddenly asked with a grin as he pulled her chin around to him. “I wouldn't mind bragging to everyone that I was the first one to kiss you.”
“Maverick,” Tory warned with a roll of her eyes at her best friend’s teasing. “You know…” Her breath caught as Maverick was suddenly lifted by the back of his shirt.
“Hi, Mr. Carson,” Maverick yelped as he suddenly found himself hanging in the air.
“Say goodbye, Maverick,” Charles growled.
“Goodbye, Maverick,” Maverick repeated, laughing as Charles suddenly tossed him off the roof of the house. "Bye, Tory!"
“Daddy!” Tory cried out in dismay as she watched Maverick disappear out of sight. “You could have hurt him.”
“He’s a Werewolf,” Charles said, turning to Kevin, who gave Tory a crooked grin as he scrambled for the drain pipe. “He’ll heal.”