“Hey, Mr. Carson!” Maverick called up from the ground where he was brushing the grass from the back of his pants. "Dad said to tell you the Pre-game is at the Amphitheater this year instead of the bar."
Kevin's head popped up just enough to see his eyes and nose over the side of the roof. “Oh yeah. My mom said not to step on any of her flowers, or else,” he added before he scampered down the drain pipe. “Bye, Tory!”
*.*.*
Charles glared at the back of the two boys running across the rocky field behind the house. Well, the huge gray wolf with a Garden Troll on his back. He shook his head before he turned to look down at his daughter. A deep sigh of regret escaped him as he sank down onto the roof next to her.
They sat in silence for several long moments before he reached over and picked up her slender hand. He sighed again. It was so hard to let her grow up.
“Do you remember when you turned six?” Charles suddenly asked in a gruff voice.
A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of Tory’s mouth. “You mean when you told me I couldn’t have any more birthdays and I would have to remain six the rest of my life?” She asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
Charles smiled and looked out over the long drive that led to the main road. The red dirt of the New Mexico soil called to him as much now as it did when he first came to Magic over a hundred years ago with his small family. The cool air of the evening and the twilight sky cast the desert flora into silhouettes.
“Yes, that’s the one,” Charles replied in a soft voice, glancing at Tory. “You were growing up so fast. I wanted you to remain little forever.”
“I’ll always be your little girl, daddy,” Tory reminded him in a quiet voice. “But, I need to grow up. I want to see the world. I want to know what’s out there. Alexandru and Benjamin are always talking about the places they’ve been. The only place I’ve ever seen is Magic.”
Charles released her hand and folded his together. His eyes followed Sophie and his mother as they walked toward the house. He knew they were giving him and Tory some privacy. A deep sigh escaped him before he tried to explain why he was so protective.
“I met your mother in Romania,” he began.
Tory sighed. “I know,” she muttered. “Nonny and Gramps sent you there on a quest. You were traveling through the village mom lived in when she saw you. She invited you to her and Grandpa Vuia’s home for the night when it started to rain.”
“Yes,” Charles said heavily. “I fell in love with your mom the moment I saw her. Her father was just as protective of her, if that helps. Lucky for me, your mom loved me as much as I loved her and her father accepted me even though I was half Vampire, half warlock.”
Tory pushed a stray strand of dark brown hair back from her face and frowned in frustration. She knew the story by heart. Her parents had been married on a crystal clear night and eight months later her elder brother, Benjamin, had been born.
Her Grandma Vuia had died years before in a tragic fire and her grandfather had died a few nights after Benjamin’s birth. She had always assumed he had died of natural causes since no one had ever mentioned anything different. It was very unusual, but not totally unheard of as far as she knew. After all, she had almost died when she was baby from drinking the wrong blood type.
“How did Grandpa Vuia die?” Tory suddenly asked. “I mean, was he like me? Did he have an allergic reaction to the blood he drank?”
“No,” Charles responded in a distant voice. He pulled up his sleeve and showed the light scarring on his left forearm. “No, he and your grandmother were murdered by the villagers three days after Benjamin’s birth.”
“They were… I thought grandma Vuia died in a fire years before you met mom? What happened? Why didn’t you, mom or Nonny ever tell me? Why would the villagers kill them?” Tory asked in confusion.
Charles’ eyes softened as he looked at the shocked expression on Tory’s face. He often forgot just how innocent she was in the way of the world outside of Magic. While he would love to keep her protected from the cruelty of the outside world, that could be deadly. No, if she was going to be happy and safe, he needed to find a happy medium where he could let her spread her wings while being protected as she did it.
“Times were different back then,” Charles replied with a sad smile. “People were very superstitious. They still are, but today most people are more curious than threatened by those that are different from them. Well, for the most part, anyway.”
“What happened?” Tory asked in a hesitant voice.