The Child

Chapter 10

I open up the cab of the truck, and Brutus comes flying past me, sitting in the passenger seat.

“Come on Brutus, get out.” He huffs at me, laying down. I shrug my shoulders at him. Who am I to argue with a King Shepherd. He probably wants in on the action.

“Here comes Ollie,” Richard shouts as he lifts Oliver high into the air, making airplane noises. The toddler grins, holding his arms out. Marie’s dad put Ollie in his car seat and buckles him in.

“Bru, get into the back,” Marie shoves the big brute, making him jump to the back.

“It looks like all the seats are taken, so Gabe and I will transport there.” My jaw drops again at my dad’s abilities.

“We are going to have to have a long talk about your gifts. Also, I want to know what I can do, being an angel and all. I am sure there is much more than I think there are,” Marie says with excitement.

“Don’t worry, honey. I will teach you everything. We need as much practice as we can to stop Damion.” Richard gives us a big smile.

“So do you need an address or anything?” I ask with curiosity.

“No, as long as Richard can feel Marie, he can find where she is,” Gabe comes walking up, trying to explain. I nod I understanding.

“Well then, let’s get this show on the road,” Marie says, climbing into the passenger seat. I jog around to the other side of the truck and get in.

“Now I am warning you, three of my brothers and two of my sisters still live with my parents, so it is kind of crazy there. And they will all probably want to meet you at the same time, so don’t get overwhelmed. If you need to, hide behind me and I’ll keep you safe from the flurry of hugs and kisses,” I chuckle. She nods and looks like she is preparing herself.

It’s a 10 minute drive from the cabin. As we pull up, Marie looks at me in disbelief. I chuckle and put the truck in park, turning off the engine.

Marie

We drive down a winding driving, climbing higher up the mountain. We reach the top and a humongous mansion comes into view. I am blown away. It is three stories with an extremely modern look. It is basically a mansion made of glass, almost like glass boxes stacked on top of each other. It sits perfectly on top of the mountain, offering a three hundred sixty degree view of the surrounding mountains. I was in love! I look over at Joey, he is grinning from ear to ear. We step out of the truck once it’s parked. Joey walks around, grabbing Ollie. Brutus jumps out next, nose to the ground, sniffing heavily.

“So your parents are loaded, I take it,” I say in surprise.

Joey chuckles at my reaction.

“Not just my parents, my love. I am loaded too!” He laughs at my eyes bugging out of my head.

We walk up the path and Joey opens the front door with his free hand, balancing Oliver in his arms. Brutus rushes past to explore the mansion. He leads me to the biggest kitchen I have ever seen. It has a large island in the middle. It has granite countertops, white cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. It matches the modern theme of the outside of the mansion. There is a kitchen table that is next to the window with two women sitting there talking, one of them being Gwen. They stop and look at us. Gwen smiles at us as she jumps up from her chair. She walks over and gives me a warm hug, then kisses Joey on the cheek. Oliver reaches over Joey, and flies into Gwen’s arms and gives her a big hug.

“It’s nice to see you too, Oliver!” She says as she chuckles. She places him on the ground and he teeters over to the other lady with curiosity in his eyes. He looks at her for a moment, then climbs up her legs, planting himself firmly on her lap. Brutus barrels through the kitchen, stopping right in front of the lady holding Ollie.

“Well, hello little one,” the lady says with amusement. “And hello big puppy,” she leans how and pats Bru on the head. She has wild auburn hair with kind, bright yellow eyes. She is thin, and has pale skin. She couldn’t be older than her late 30’s.

She brushes Ollie’s hair out of his face, giving him a warm smile.

“He must sense his own kind,” she starts to grin.

“I’m sure he does, Tally. But then again, children always want to be around you,” Joey laughs.

“Oh! You are Tally! I am Marie, and this is Oliver,” I introduce myself. I am so thrilled to meet the only other witch in town.

“It’s a pleasure.” She places Ollie on the ground, then stands up. We shake hands, and I feel her magic as our hands touch.

“Now that’s interesting…” Tally looks me over. I c**k my eyebrow at her. Before I can say anything, my dad and Gabe pop in out of no where. Gabe looks at his surroundings while dad looks between Gwen and Tally. Then his gaze settles strictly on Tally, watching her every move.

“Gwen, Tally, this is my dad, Richard Kimberly. This is his friend, Gabriel.”

Tally looks at Gabriel, c*****g her head. She gets a wide grin on her face.

“It’s not everyday you see an angel and a demon in the same room,” she says. My draw drops.

“Gabriel, you’re a demon?” I look at him hesitantly. He simply nods and sits down at the kitchen table.

Tally turns her gaze to my father, looking him over. She gives him side smile, “aren’t you a handsome angel!”

My dad grabs her hand and kisses it gently, causing her to giggle. I look at Joey, he just shrugs his shoulders.

“Joseph, my boy,” says a deep voice from behind us. I turn and see an older version of Joey staring at us. He looks at me with amusement. Before I know it, I am being lifted off the ground in massive hug. I look at Joey as he laughs. Brutus runs up, jumping around, wanting in on the action.

“Help me,” I mouth to him.

“Dad, put my mate down.”

“Sorry, I just got excited.” He gently places my feet on the ground. Ollie walks up to him and motions to be picked up. Joey’s dad reaches down, picking Ollie up, throwing him up in the air repeatedly.

“This must be Oliver.” I nod, watching him love on Ollie.

“I am sorry, I forgot my manners. I am Thomas, but you can call me Tom, or dad,” he chuckles and gives me a wink. I shake my head as I laugh. Gwen walks up to Thomas, kissing him on the cheek then gently pets Brutus on his back. He wags his tail.

“And I take it this is Brutus,” he looks at the dog.

“I haven’t seen a King Shepherd in almost 700 years! It’s an honor to have one. You are a lucky lady,” he says in awe.

“Ok, let’s get down to business,” Thomas says after everyone introduced themselves. To my surprise, Gwen had set some snacks on the table for Ollie, and refilled his sippy cup with milk.

I look over at her in surprise. She chuckles at my reaction.

“I got the snacks ready when I found out you were coming. I figured Ollie would be hungry,” she explains.

“Thank you so much. He is always hungry.” I sit down at the table with Ollie on my lap. He grabs a celery stick and starts munching. Bru slides under the table, laying down at my feet. Joey sits next to me. Everyone sits down, as well. To my surprise, dad takes a seat next to Tally, scooting closer to her.

“Alright, I want to know what’s going on. Someone needs to explain the prophecy, and what all it entails,” I say, ready to get some more answers.