“Dima, you might be onto something there. How ̓bout I hack the shit out of your father’s holdings and you help me work on Sandy?” Junior bargained.
“I can do that,” I agreed with a laugh. “But you have to remove all the cameras immediately. I’d burn a dude to a crisp if I found out he was watching my every move.”
“Done,” Junior said as he crossed his heart. “So about the passwords, you got any?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I was able to procure some of them them a few years back,” I told him as I pulled his laptop toward me and typed in some information that I’d memorized.
“You mean steal?” Essie asked with a grin.
“Semantics.” I laughed and shrugged.
Junior examined the screen as the information came up and whistled in appreciation. “Well slap my ass and call me Sally, this is gonna be even easier than I’d first thought as long as he hasn’t changed anything.”
“My father is a creature of habit,” I promised. “He isn’t capable of change.”
“Then y’all skedaddle. I got me some Dragon accounts to take down,” Junior mumbled. He became immediately engrossed in his computer screen as if we’d already left.
“Come on,” Hank whispered as Junior typed away. “He doesn’t even realize we’re here anymore.”
“Can we eat?” Essie asked. “I’m starving.”
“You got it, babe,” Hank said as he took her hand in his.
I watched them with a mix of envy and happiness. I wanted love like they had, but I knew it wasn’t in the cards for me. If I could make Daniel’s life safe that would be the best gift I could receive in this life. Real love had eluded me for 499 years. It certainly wasn’t going to find me now.
“Do you guys mind if I call Granny and have her bring Daniel to meet us?” I asked as I followed them out into the bright Georgia sunshine.
“Already done,” Hank said over his shoulder with a smile. “They’re meeting us at the diner.”
God, I liked these Wolves. I knew I couldn’t stay here forever. It would be too dangerous for them if I did. My father was always searching for me and Daniel. However, I was going to treasure every single moment that I had in Hung, Georgia. Real friendship was new to me and it was getting addictive.
***
“I’d like to do a little show at the wedding reception,” Granny told Essie as she cut Daniel’s chicken fingers up so small I almost laughed.
We were all crammed into a booth at the Hung Diner. The place was packed and hummed with happy people eating fried food. I hadn’t felt so relaxed in a long time. Letting down my guard was dangerous, but I was in the company of two deadly Werewolves, a Vampyre and a half-Vampyre half-Wolf.
Essie’s granny had almost died in a fight with Dragons and feral Werewolves. Dwayne had taken a chance—and with Essie’s permission, had turned Granny. Other than the people at this table and Junior, no one knew of Granny’s new bizarre DNA. It was the only reason I’d told them about Daniel. Essie needed to know my most precious secret because I’d inadvertently learned hers. Very few people knew about Daniel and I wanted it that way. His life was in constant danger with my father alive.
“What kind of show?” Hank asked warily as Essie’s eyes narrowed at her grandmother.
“I want it to be a surprise,” Granny hedged as she put an obscene amount of ketchup on my son’s plate.
“Does it involve exposing your breasts?” Essie’s lips pursed as she questioned her grandmother and Hank’s eyes closed in pain.
It was a fair question. Granny was apparently notorious for stripping in her younger years. She had to be in her eighties now, but didn’t look a day over forty. She was a looker and then some.
“Um…no,” Granny mumbled.
Dwayne grinned and watched the drama unfold.
“Nipples?” Essie demanded.
“I wear pasties—so, no. Mostly my bottom will be exposed as I’ll be wearing ass-less leather chaps,” Granny explained. “White ones because it’s your wedding.”
“What?” Essie choked out as Hank paled and tried not to gag.
“I only face the back when I do my leaps across the stage, so my tushy will be displayed minimally. Plus there are quite a few feathers near my butt,” she promised. “Now, normally I wear the nipple-less sequined bra for this number, but since it’s your special day I’m just fine with wearing white jeweled pasties. Dwayne’s gonna rap while I dance. He’ll be dressed as Nicki Minaj. His wig is fabulous.”
Hank’s guttural groan and Essie’s squeal of terror were eclipsed by Dwayne and Granny’s peals of laughter. Daniel, who was now covered in ketchup and looked like he needed hospitalization, joined in even though he had no clue what he was cackling at. These people were nuts and I so wished they were mine.
“Got ya!” Granny yelled with delight. “Shoulda seen your face. Hank near passed out!”
Essie’s sigh of relief was so audible I started to laugh.
“You realize you will pay for this prank when you least expect it,” Essie warned Granny and Dwayne with an enormous grin on her face.
“I’ll be ready, sweetheart,” Granny vowed as she kept laughing.
“I think it would have been fabulous,” Dwayne said as he attempted to wipe all the ketchup off of Daniel.
“You should never think,” Hank snapped as he shuddered.