Hallows: Pretty Snakes & Devils

What's Wrong With You?

Steve Lacy- Static

B.B.

David, Delilah, and I are standing in front of the casket as it's lowered into the ground. Each of us is holding one of his sons and despite what she said about her not wanting to be involved, they were her sons as well. I know enough about Vanessa to know that she would never have abandoned them. I know for a fact that she would be here with us trying to figure out what to do about the marks on their little baby necks, She'd probably be pissed that they're here outside at her funeral the day after they were released from their incubator.

We're surrounded by people. Her family. David's. All hunters. Carson insisted we wear protection and hidden around the cemetery are our bots ready to jump into action if either one of us is attacked. Our allegiant stones are also present. So far, everyone has been behaving. I'd never met Vanessa's parents. I never really asked her much about her because I didn't think she would ever really stick around. However, seeing how cold and detached everyone is, I think we were the closest thing to a real family she might have ever had. Just like David, Liam, and the other hunters.

I offered David the garden to host for them. I know there are traditions and rules. The demons have the house on lockdown. We're all on edge and there's really no telling what direction this is going to lead to. There's a thick tension in the air and not the kind that can be cut into. This is thick and hot like blood.

When I went back to New York in the morning, Delilah was calm. I was able to speak to her properly. She doesn't agree with my decision but she's accepted it. She even gave me a copy of her new riffs. I haven't been able to listen to them but I am excited to.

"They agreed to a twenty-four-hour cease-fire," David informs us when he takes a seat between us. "The Helsing council has been reactivated. They offered me a seat,"

"That's brave," Delilah scoffs. He grins and reaches for a chute of orange juice. "Here," she pulls his hand to hers and pours some vodka into it, "No need to do this completely sober,"

"Amen," I show them my weed pen. They both shake their heads.

"How are you holding up?" David asks me.

"Good. The devils helped me get some sleep," I smirk. Delilah laughs at his expression."You asked,"

"What happens after the twenty-four hours?" Delilah asks.

"They will be escorted out of the city. The manner in which we escort them is going to be completely up to them," I say wiping Ambrose's mouth.

There have been very generous donations from all over to feed the triplets actual breast milk and not just the formula stuff. Their nannies have been keeping track of everything. We test all the samples before defrosting them. We're taking every precaution. The guys are all insanely good at this. It's so cute watching them fight over who gets to feed them, it's when it comes out the other end that they have a problem. The marks on the back of boys' heads are really active at the moment. I can feel it around them and it's really worrying me. I've only found Danny's and it's not good. I also don't know how to take them off. We have to locate the rest of the Helsings soon and take them out.

"This is interesting," a woman approaches our table.

"f**k off, hunter," Delilah hisses at her baring her fangs,

"Are you really going to subject my sister's sons to these things, General Helsing?" she ignores her.

"They don't belong to Vanessa. They never have," I stand up when Ambrose's nanny takes him from me. "These are of my bloodline. They belong to my mother and if any of you come near any one of my brothers, I'll f*****g skin you,"

"My sister died giving birth to them," she bares her teeth at me.

"You should take that up with your people. They're the ones who used her as a human incubator. Maybe they should have taken better care of their assets,"

"You're going to let her come at us like this, General?" she turns her attention to David. He smiles at her.

"Dishonorably discharged, remember?" he shrugs. "You're in her house. Maybe you should mind your manners. B.B. is always very well-behaved but lately, she's had a little bit of a violent streak,"

The woman looks between the two of us and walks away. I laugh glancing over at my sister who hands the baby over to his designated nanny.

"Take them inside. No one gets close," David orders them.

The three of them take the boys inside. There's no way anyone will be able to get to them in there. The demons are completely enamored with the three of them. They've even gone the extra mile to accommodate the cats outside so that their fur doesn't affect the babies' breathing. None of us are allowed to smoke and or hold the babies after smoking. It's why I decided to switch to a wax pen.

"What is going on over there?" Delilah points towards a group of women by the gazebo. They seem to be arguing. "Creepy sister. Go be creepy,"

I laugh when she pushes me away from David. I make my way around the garden and get close to them. I slip into the gazebo. The pretty wisteria growing over the top of the gazebo is giving me cover. I sit back listening to the argument, I shouldn't go as far as calling it that. It's more like bickering.

"She has no claim over those boys. None of us do. They're Helsing's sons and that f*****g little monster fucker. Whatever her f*****g name was that married that Blackstone freak," one woman says. Ha. For once I'm not the one being called that but it doesn't feel good to hear them say that about my dad the day after I told him to get lost for a while.

"Vanessa was David's wife. She was those boys' mother. She was so happy when she found out she passed the trials. Van couldn't have kids. This was her only chance at ever having that," another says.

That's not true. Vanessa was fertile. I have her medical charts in my room. In fact, there was really no reason for her to have died during childbirth. Damian and I have been looking into it. He wanted to take a look at her remains but the best David could do was get us samples which led to us stealing her medical records and bribing the funeral home into getting us scans. They absolutely refused to let us open her up last night.

"That doesn't give any of us the right to claim them,"

"This would never have happened if you hadn't pushed Vanessa to come here," a more agitated voice says. "You did this to her,"

"Jaz, calm down,"

"f**k you, Bren. My sister would never have come here if you wouldn't have told her to marry Helsing. That man betrayed his family for that Blackstone monster. Do you see how protective he is of his daughter knowing that she's just like him? That f*****g psycho teenage prostitute declared war on all of us. She took some of our strongest hunters and turned them against us. Vanessa should never have been here,"

"Vanessa knew how important it was for us to get involved with the Helsings. She had been undercover for the council for years and Helsing always took care of her. She was friends with Ashley Blackstone and Lily Kennedy. They wanted to stop this war between us and the Hell Stone,"

"Are you out of your f*****g mind? There is no stopping this war. Did you see the feed they sent out? They burned twelve shifters and broadcasted to the entire world. Those things are monsters. They're not interested in a truce. They want blood,"

"You don't f*****g know that. Those things attacked them and these little boys were supposed to bring us together,"

"You know damn well what those boys were created for and it wasn't to bring anyone together. The council doesn't give a f**k about us or any stone. They just care about creating their f*****g super soldiers. That's what those things are. They're probably not even human just like former General Helsing,"

The discussion just went on in a circle. When I got up to slip out they all turned to look at me. I gave them a little wave and made my way back to my sister and David. No real information was given except that my brothers were in fact created with the sole purpose of turning them into David Espinosas.

"What did you find?" David asks me.

"Nothing we don't already know," I sit back."Why don't you introduce me to Vanessa's sisters so that I can put a face to their voices? Maybe we corner the angry one,"

"Come on," he waves me over. Delilah decides to tag along. "Ladies,"

"So, you're going to act like you didn't just listen to our private conversation?" there she is. The lady that walked up to us earlier. How did I miss her tone?

"B.B. this Jazmin and Brennan-"

"You're upset," I cut him off without taking my eyes off Jaz. "Over something, no one had any control over except for Van,"

"Don't say her name like you know her," she reaches for me but her sister steps between us and pushes her back.

"I probably knew her better than the two of you. She probably knew me better than my sister knows me. She was my doctor and I have access to all her records," I shrug.

"You looked into her medical records? That's illegal," she pushes against Brennan.

"So is genetic splicing outside the Fringe breeding laboratories. As a form of supernatural law enforcement, you are all accessories to the birth of three witch/hunter-born hybrids that were implanted illegally in a humanoid vessel. That's just one infraction. The first is the illegal extraction of the eggs provided for the insemination procedure. If anyone should be angry it's my mother and I assure you if she were here, you stupid hunter bitches would all be f*****g dead," I scoff.

"Jesus, B. Tell them what you really feel," Delilah laughs.

"I feel that these dumb old hags had a conversation in our garden and thought they'd get away with insulting both our father and our mother," I shrug. "And they called me a hooker,"

"I'm sorry, what?" Delilah pushes me back. "You old shitbags called my little sister a hooker?"

"What? Was it a secret?" Jaz scoffs.

"You do know that this little hooker," Delilah motions me. I glare at her because she's insulting me on purpose. Never misses a chance. "Can kill you all with a f*****g flick of her wrist,"

"I wouldn't-" I start to deny it when Brennan pulls out a gun and aims it at Delilah's face. I act before I think. I push Delilah into David and swing my arm upward hitting her arm so hard it snaps. She screams releasing the gun. I kick it up and turn back on them.

"Holy s**t," Delilah laughs when they all pull their guns. "f*****g ninja,"

"Put your f*****g guns down," we all raise our hands when Carson and Lucien come over with the rest of the guys. They also have some guys I've seen them hanging out with backing them up. I am very impressed by his timing.

"You put your f*****g guns down," Jaz shouts pointing her gun at me.

"Baby, back away from these psycho bitches," Lucien waves me to him.

"Come on," I growl making them all look at me. "She pulled the f*****g gun on my sister. She started this,"

"You threatened her," Jaz shouts. Brennan is holding her arm while some of the other women fuzz over her.

"No one threatened anyone. If I wanted to kill any of you, you'd be f*****g dead," I shout.

"Just back up, Baby," Carson calls out.

"No, no," I look back at him. "No one is going to kill all of Van's sisters in my house. That is so f*****g disrespectful to her. She was the only person who was there-after Delilah went missing. Just back the f**k up,"

"Put your guns down," David tells them.

"B," Lucien calls out.

"Put your guns down, please," I push the safety back on and turn it around to hand it back to Brennan or Jaz since I most definitely broke her arm.

"Are you out of your f*****g mind?" Carson shouts at me.

"You're not going to make yourselves martyrs here," I offer it to her. "If you want to be stupid enough to try and fight me, you're not doing this s**t in my house. My little brothers are asleep inside. Don't make me fuckin kill you here,"

"Put your guns down," David repeats. They finally do it.

"Now get the f**k out of here," I hiss at all of them. "All of you get the f**k out of my house,"

All of our demons appear around the garden and start escorting everyone out. We stood around the garden watching everyone leave until we were the only ones left. As soon as we were alone, the guys all turned their angry expressions at me.

"You," Ahsan points his finger at me accusingly.

"What?" I ask taking a step back.

"Why the f**k would you hand the hunter the gun?" Carson tosses his arms in the air dramatically.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Lucien adds.

"Do you have a death wish?" Victor shakes his head disapprovingly. Ro and Dec just cross their arms glaring at me.

"I wasn't going to let a mass shooting happen in my garden where-" I lower my voice. "I murdered my mother, you idiots. An investigation is going on and they would have dug all this s**t up just to be assholes,"

"Why did you give her the gun back?" Carson demands.

"I put a tracker on it," I smile.

"What?" David laughs.

"What's wrong with you? Baby, you can't just go around doing sneaky s**t. One day you're going to get f*****g hurt doing-" Carson stops and turns away putting his hands-on on his head. "I'm not going to add to this. I am really upset with you right now,"

"I also tagged a bunch for the reaper. Would you like to come with me to kill some scummy hunter assholes?" I offer.

"Yes," he spins around and smiles. He's upset I stopped him from shooting up a bunch of hunters in our house. Asshole.

"Can we all go?" Delilah raises her hand. "They called you a hooker,"

"Who called you a hooker?" Dec growls.

"Yes, there's a lot and we have to get to them before they leave the city," I laugh.

"We're at a cease-fire," David reminds us.

"So we have time to gear up," Ahsan grins.

"And we get to play f*****g hunter bullet tag. I knew having this b***h around was going to be fun," Lucien smacks David on the back. "And not just cause he volunteered to be the sacrifice,"

"I didn't volunteer for that. I was chosen," he scoffs.

"You volunteered when you came here," Delilah explains to him.

"These are the consequences of that so everything that's happened to you and will happen to you in Hellbourne is all your fault," Natalie laughs. "So you volunteered,"

"I hate all of you," David shakes his head. "Come on, then. Let me tell you what you little fuckers are getting into. Vanessa's family specializes in war zones. They're mostly stationed in the Middle East and Russia. They're not going to be easy to hunt,"