Meanwhile, Tammy tiptoes down the hallway, looking like she just rolled out of a fairy war zone: hair wild, clothing ruffled, and a spark in her eye that says she delivered a killing strike or two. She also looks five years younger, about the age she was when she first started high school. I scream when I see her.
Anthony pokes his head out of his bedroom and comes out to investigate. He sees his older sister and chuckles. Of course, his older sister now looks younger than him by a few years. Heck, she looked younger than him even before her weird transformation.
I sit up, blinking. “Hey, kiddo. How’d it go last night? I heard a lot of banging and an explosion or two. Pretty sure the house lost power for like ten minutes. Didyouhave anything to do with that, young lady?”
She grins. “Let’s just say the Tooth Fairy is free to do that groovy thing she does.”
“Paying for teeth?”
“Something like that.”
“Tell me about last night,” I say. “And don’t skip the details. And why do you look like you just graduated middle school?”
She sits next to me, spills the tea, so to speak. As she does, I’m not sure if my eyes could bug out anymore than they do. “Wow, okay!” I hug her tight. “So glad you’re in one piece,sweetie. Pretty sure I never want you doing something like that ever again; at least, not without me.”
“Well, I did have myothermom with me.”
I narrow my eyes.“How dare you,”I say, playing along. Tammy knows I get a little jealous.
“You’ll always be my number one, Ma.”
“Better be!”
Next, I hear pots rattling in the kitchen and smell bread toasting. Paxton’s in there, humming something fromThe Lion King.
Tammy reaches into her jeans pocket and pulls out a shimmering crystal tooth, of all things. She sets it gently on the table beside my laptop.
“Thought you might want this.”
I raise an eyebrow. “A tooth?”
“Not just any tooth. A talisman. From the Tooth Fairy. For luck. You know, in case the whole dinosaur thing gets too big.”
“Too big for me? Really?”
“Ma, we’re talking dinosaurs here. Those things are ginormous.”
“They’re also extinct,” I counter, though I slide the tooth into my pocket anyway. Good luck never hurts. And I never look a gift horse in the mouth… especially when it came from the Fairy Queen’s sister.
Chapter Fourteen
It’s just after 1 a.m. when I finally seemovement.
I sit up straighter on the couch where I’d been trying to get comfortable. Not necessarily sleeping, which I suspect I might have been, even if lightly. Yeah, I’ll sleep when bored enough, and after nearly a week of watching this damn monitor, I was pretty much bored out of my mind.
Mark’s front door opens... slowly. I hold still, a worthless breath caught in my throat as he steps out and walks down the cement path to his car. He’s carrying a long case, the kind musicians or hunters favor, and it looks light enough to be empty.
He opens the back door, slides the case inside, and then moves to the driver’s seat. A moment later, the engine rumbles to life. Exhaust curls into the cold air.
No headlights; he’s definitely up to something.
He pulls away from the curb like a ghost drifting through the neighborhood... silent, unnoticed. Not a curtain twitches. Not a soul awake.
Except... there’s one vampire mama watching it all.
Where is he going in the dead of night, and what’s in the case? To me, it looked empty and weightless. Anyway, I really didn’t care where he was going or what was in the weirdly shaped case; after all, my intent was never to follow him.
I rise, stretching out the stiffness from waiting too long in one position. Then head quickly down the hallway to my bedroom. I flick on the light, and start changing into someone... unrecognizable.
