“I’ll kill him,” Boon snarled.
“See?” Daniel said with a cold smirk.
Boon nodded and sighed. “Yes, I do.”
“Just remember this. And don’t kill him. She’ll never forgive you. Unless, she wants to kill him herself, then she might just say ‘thank you, Dad’,” Daniel said.
Carnage threw his arm around Daniel and dragged him along beside himself almost in headlock. “Dahn ‘Arnge faahmlee. Noo m’oe hiit.”
“Good to know,” Daniel said with a laugh. “And I won’t glare at Boon anymore. Unless he makes me.”
~~~
Carnage led everyone off the tree-shaded trail and into an expansive clearing covering several acres of land. There were two houses, one on each side of the clearing, and land between the two, and in fact the entire clearing, was kept neatly trimmed so much so that it almost had a manicured look to it.
“Oh, this is really pretty,” Avaleigh said.
“It is nice, but I think I like the more untouched look better,” Angelle said.
Boon smiled at Angelle and squeezed her hand, content in the knowledge that many of the same things that spoke to him, spoke to her.
“’Stoy,” Carnage said, pointing to the home on the left. “Trawl” he said, pointing to the right.
“This is where we usually have all the community gatherings. The area is so large and accommodating. Enthrall is as you know kind of the mayor of Whispers, if you will. And Destroy helps him with whatever comes up when he’s busy or away.”
“And Brannaugh helps with his own people,” Boon added.
“His own people?” Angelle asked.
“Some of the dark ones I told you about. Technically, they’re all our people. Everyone of them belongs in Whispers. But some of them have a problem trusting Enthrall.”
“Why?” Avaleigh asked suspiciously.
“They’ve been persecuted more than most. They have a hard time trusting those who’ve always played by the rules, I guess,” Boon said.
“They don’t trust the light. It’s burned them many times so it’s hard for them to believe that there are those of us who don’t wish them harm,” Carolena said.
“The light? Didn’t you say Enthrall is a Vampire?” Daniel asked.
“He is. But he’s also inherently good. He was a victim of Vampirism, it was not his choice,” Carolena said.
“Who exactly is it that doesn’t trust a Vampire because they think he’s got something against them because they’re, what, ‘darker’ than he is?” Daniel asked.
Boon smiled. “Brannaugh is a Dark Fey. The Dark Fey are known for trickery and manipulation. They often manipulate people, as well as other paranormals, to have things turn out in their favor. They’re even known to toy with humans to the point of driving them insane or causing their demise.”
Avaleigh’s brows shot up in concern.
“But Brannaugh isn’t one who does that. He was at one time. He was even a favorite in the Fey court — which speaks to his abilities, but quickly grew tired of the darkness in his soul. He’s a good male. He’s mated, he’s got three little daughters, and he’s deliriously happy. Because he was once dark in nature, those that originated much as he has, trust him. Brannaugh, like many of them, didn’t ask for permission to join Whispers. They just gravitated toward it when word began to spread among paranormals that we were a safe haven for those like us. They expected to be banished, so they didn’t ask. They settled on theoutskirts in the deepest parts of the swamp, and lived there in secret, or so they thought. Enthrall was aware they were there, and as long as they caused no trouble he had no problem with it. Eventually, they came into contact with each other. Brannaugh was their unofficial representative, so Enthrall asked his help in making sure they all knew they were welcome and didn’t have to hide as long as they followed his rules. Brannaugh even became their go between when necessary. He is still an assistant to Enthrall, just as Destroy is. Some of Brannaugh’s people still go to him rather than Enthrall, though now it’s more a habit than out of fear,” Carolena explained. “I will admit though, he is a beautiful male. Almost too pretty to be a male. Long dark hair, lavender eyes. A voice that can make you want to purr.”
“Nooo!” Carnage snapped, looking at Carolena like she’d lost her mind.
Carolena laughed as she hugged Carnage. “But no one is as handsome as my Carnage.”
Carnage gave one sharp nod of his head. Smacked a kiss to her forehead and started across the clearing toward Enthrall’s house.
“Who are some of the other dark paranormals that live here?” Angelle asked.
“Well, we’ve got Lore, who the land actually belonged to before he gave it to Enthrall for the reason of establishing a sanctuary for paranormals.”
