There was enough room to shift, but they wanted to do things quietly as long as possible. It would be better if Balthazar did not know they were there until it was too late. That's how Mallory saw it going in a perfect world. She had never been in that sort of situation before. It was hard for her to imagine how anything was ever going to be the same again. That tiny bubble of safety that she had clung to for so long was now gone. That last was maybe one of the worst. It certainly felt like it cut deeper than all the rest.
It didn't take as long as Mallory had feared. She was also very happy that she had Vincent along. Not only was he so many things to her, but he was also a bit of a beast. He literally ripped one of the guy’s heads off. Mallory was strong, but she was not that strong. It helped that some of the guards were human.
They were inside the house before Mallory felt that heavy feeling again, like something was wrong.
“This is too easy.”
He agreed, but neither one of them had time to say anything before Mallory felt a pinch at her neck. She looked over and already her eyes were getting sleepy. All she could think was that she didn't want him to win. If nothing else happened, Mallory couldn’t stand the idea that Balthazar would win.
As she was falling to the ground, she heard Vincent shifting and then the sound of fire being blown around. Her heart sank in her chest, but then there was no more worrying. There was nothing but oblivion.
***
Mallory came to with a fear that had settled into her chest. It was literally the first thing that she felt, and it was so intense that it almost hurt. Obviously, she didn’t know if anything had happened. She had been asleep. But it felt like it. It felt like her whole world was gone and she popped her eyes open, looking around, hoping that she was wrong about everything.
The first thing she said was her son’s name and the fear was back. It was gripping her and there was nothing she could do about it, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. The fear overwhelmed her, and she wasn’t even able to get anything out for a time. It was like she had stopped learning how to talk as well as think.
Then she took in her surroundings a little bit better. She was not at Balthazar’s. She was back at home and Vincent was next to her. He touched her hand softly and said that everything was okay. He was a bit emotional and she took this as it was something bad that he had to tell her. Mallory didn’t want to hear it, unless it was good news. She couldn’t take any more bad news.
“Where is my son?”
“Our son is in the other room watching TV. He is very happy that you’re awake.”
It was the way that he said it, that made her wonder how long she had been out. It was one of those things she was afraid to ask. She wasn’t sure what the answer was going to be. She had a feeling it was going to be longer than she wanted it to be.
“How long have I been out?”
“Couple of weeks.”
She panicked for a minute and she had to consciously pull herself back together. How had she been out of it for so long?
“A couple of weeks?! Why would I out for that long? What was in the dart?”
“We don’t really know. Everyone I talked to said it was magic and that we just had to wait and see what was going to happen. I can’t tell you how long that wait has been.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for? I was just worried about you, but now you’re awake, and everything is going to be okay.”
His voice broke and she looked at him closely. She had never seen him so upset before and it saddened her to see it. Mallory didn’t want him to ever feel that way.
“Is it bad?”
“It was bad enough. I don’t want anything to ever happen to you. I realize how bad it would be when I found you on the ground. There was an ambush, and that’s why it was so easy to get in there. They wanted us to get in there. It was all set up. I should have known better.”
“We should’ve known better.”
He just kept shaking his head like he was the one that had done it all. Mallory didn’t feel that way at all. It was Balthazar’s problem. He was the one that had done it. He was the one that they were going to have to take care of they ever wanted to live in peace. It was sad but true.
“Balthazar? Is he still breathing?”
“Yes, as far as I know. He took out like a coward. I would have given anything to get my hands on him.”
Mallory agreed. She could see by the instant aggravation Vincent had on his face. It was clear that Balthazar getting away was taking its toll on the present. There was guilt and shame written on the lines between his brow.
“Do we know where he went? He has to be stopped. We aren’t going to be able to sleep with him still running around.”
“Not at the moment, but I have Nathan on it. He can find anybody for me, so I don’t think it’ll be too long before we have all the answers we need. I will make sure that he is not alive for much longer.
