“Nope, he just said an old friend.”
“Huh…”
I took the waffle off the iron and added more batter. While it cooked, I grabbed two plates for Bryce and me.
“Grab three,” Seth said. I turned to him in shock. “I want to try one.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Banshees can eat food. We just never have the need. Besides Bryce seems excited to have them and they smell fantastic.”
“Well I’ll be… learn something new every day.”
“Qadira, I am sure I told you this.”
“Nope, and I have seen no one in the clan do more than drink water or the tea you make.”
“Huh, I swear I’ve mentioned it. Oh well, let’s eat!”
I gave Seth the first serving and watched as he took his first bite and moaned.
“Is all food this good?” I shook my head and smiled. “You may just have to make these every day.”
“That’s not gonna happen, but I’m glad you like them. So, tell me more about banshees being able to eat. If they can, why don’t they?”
“Banshee children eat regular food to supplement their diet. We grow so quickly that we need more nourishment than mortal essence can provide.”
Fairies and banshees make up the Fey. They have similar life expectancies. They’re basically immortal. Fairies age at around the same rate as mortals, while banshees grow at a rate about three times that of mortals. Both stop aging around twenty-five. Though, too much faeritonium poisoning can age a banshee, if it doesn’t kill them first.
“So, you’ve eaten food? You must know what a waffle is.” I just found it odd that both Ian and Seth had never seen a waffle.
“Yes, I’ve eaten, but it was a long time ago. Banshees stick to the basics, the staples. You know protein, vegetables, and fruits. We don’t venture out enough to try something this delicious. Once we stop growing, we no longer need the extra nutrients, so we stop eating.”
After we finished breakfast Bryce went off to his books and Seth helped me clean up even though he’d only eaten half of a waffle. I could only imagine how his stomach must feel after not eating for decades.
Unable to do much else but wait, we moved to the den. I chose a book while he played solitaire. It didn’t take long for me to become restless.
“I can’t take this anymore!”
“Dammit, Kadi, look what you made me do.” The cards had scattered across the table and onto the floor.
“Sorry, but I need to get out of here. I need to move!” Bryce had strengthened the wards on the house. I could barely walk by a door without getting zapped, let alone walk out of one.
“Damn girl calm down. Go grab a run on the treadmill.”
I frowned for a second before huffing out a sigh in defeat. “I hate that damn hamster-wheel.” It was treadmill or nothing.
Seth joined me in the training room, and we ran for about an hour. When Seth went to shower, I moved to the mats to do a little yoga.
I was making my way up the stairs to take my shower when Sheryl came barreling into the house yelling for Ian.
“He’s not here, Sheryl.”
“What do you mean he’s not here? He was supposed to meet me, and he never showed. I figured he’d be here.”
The color drained from my face as my imagination began to run wild. I ran to the weapons cabinet.
“No, Qadira—”
“No, Bryce, no way will I sit here waiting while you guys go looking for Ian. I am a proficient Hunter.”
“Qadira, do not make rash decisions based on your emotions. That never turns out well. If, and it’s a big if, they took him, they are most likely using him as bait to lure you out. I promise Ian will be okay.”
“How do you know he’ll be okay? You can’t know that. He was alone. They could have taken him to get to me. I can’t have the people I love risking their lives for me! You’re crazy if you think I will allow that, and you’re crazier still if you think I’m staying here again while Ian may need help!”
“Dammit, Qadira! You don’t know where he is. You want to go after him, fine, but you will calm down and think rationally before you do.”
I’d never seen him angry, but it didn’t matter. Ian was out there alone and could be in trouble.
The commotion had brought Seth back downstairs. He moved toward me with a soothing look that said it was his turn to try to “reason” with me.
“Kadi, please think about this. It’s you they want. If they took Ian, he could already be dead, and you’d be running right into a trap.”
His words were like a knife to my heart. I know he was not trying to hurt me, but the hurt still came.
“How can you say that? Ian is too smart to let those worms kill him. He. Is. Not. Dead! I will do whatever it takes to make sure he gets back here alive. Even if I have to do it alone. That’s a promise.”
Seth grabbed my arm to keep me still. “Hold on just a damn minute. We never said we won’t help you, all we’re saying is you need to calm down and think before you act. You are very young. You haven’t been doing this as long as we have. We are only asking you to trust us.”
I looked around, Sheryl nodded at me, and Bryce gave me a gentle smile.
“You trust us, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, but if something happens to him, I won’t be able to live with myself knowing I didn’t even try to help him. Can you understand that?”
“I can, yes. I am pretty sure I know who he went to meet. He has a friend, Peder, who owns a house in the keys. It’s near one of the Gabriel’s rumored hideouts. It must be where he planned to move us. We should contact him. He should be willing to help us out.”
“Was this the friend who put that look on your face earlier?”
“No. I was only trying to figure out who he would meet.”
“And you landed on the one who doesn’t hurt to think about…”
“Yea — Wait! I wasn’t upset. Just drop it, Kadi.”
“You know how to reach this Peder?”
“Yes.” He sent a text and slid the phone into his pocket. “Now we wait.”
“Oh good, more waiting.” I began to pace the room.
Chapter Four
A few hours later there was a knock at the front door.
“I’ll get it,” I called from the dining room, where I was polishing my knives. I ran to the door and as soon as I touched the knob Bryce’s ward jolted me. “Dammit, Bryce! Remove the frigging wards!”
“Sorry, my pip.”
The man at the door was dark, short, and stalky. The power emanating from him was substantial. This is an old banshee.
Normally, banshees conceal their power. That I could sense his strength was rare… and bizarre.
“Hello, you must be Ian’s friend Peder.” I held my hand out to him and jumped back as a bolt of power ran up my arm when our hands met. “What the fuck?”
“Oh, sorry about that, darlin’, I seem to have forgotten my manners.” His voice was soft for such a burly man. “It’s sure nice to meet you. Ian has told me a lot about you.”
He studied me for a moment before saying, “Oh darlin’, don’t you worry so much. Ian will be just fine.”