Page 39 of The Blood Widow

“Hey, sweet girl, remember this is my friend Cole, he’s going to help us. He won’t hurt you,” I reassured her in the softest voice I could manage.

Cole sat on the ground, so he wasn’t as imposing.

“I’m sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to help the Blood Widow with your bags. I promise I won’t touch you. Is it okay if I put your bags in the car?”

I loved Cole’s soothing voice. He had a way of calming almost anyone. That was why he helped young ghouls. It was hard living life eating flesh. People saw them as monsters and there wasonly so much a person could take before they started believing the whispers. Cole helped ghouls learn to live a normal life, so they’d never have to become monsters.

Ghouls were physically the same as vampires. They were naturally pale, and had striking features, and a stillness that made them elegant in a way no human could match. Cole was the same, but he had a rugged manner like he forced himself to not resemble a vamp. The fact he could tan made all the difference.

Cherry peaked her head out from behind me. “You no touch me?”

Cole shook his head. “I promise. I just want to help get you to your new family. You’ll have a mommy that listens and plays with you. You’ll even have a daddy that’ll teach you what a good guy is like." He crossed his legs, getting comfortable on the grass.

“I have a few rowdy boys of my own that I look after. They came from bad families like this one.” He pointed at the house we just came out of. “I want to help you like I help them.”

She slowly stepped beside me, grabbing my hand. “How?”

He smiled at her. His soft expression melted my heart.

“By letting you know nothing that happened to you was your fault. You’re a good kid. And by taking you to a family that can show you that.”

My vision blurred. His words hit home for me as well. What I wouldn’t have given for someone to tell me that as a child.

Cherry tilted her head up to meet my eyes. I didn’t trust my voice to work right now, so I smiled and nodded.

She did the same for Cole. “Okay, you can help.”

Cole slowly stood. Cherry tensed but didn’t freak out as he took her bags. We stayed still while he put the bags in the trunk and hopped back in the driver’s seat. Once the door closed, she walked to the car.

We climbed into the back seat and got ourselves situated. I’d done a lot of bad shit in my life, but all of it was worth it for times like these.

I spent most of the night with the Florence family as they got situated. They wanted to adopt a girl, so the house was set up for Cherry already. It took her a little while to get over being shy, but by the time she went to bed, she seemed settled well enough.

I stuck around just so she knew I wasn’t abandoning her, and Cole stayed by my side to give me support. While her new mother played with dolls on the living room floor, Mr. Florence told me their plans. They were going to move somewhere no one knew them so as not to raise suspicion about Cherry. I’d portal them there, so I’d know the location. They were panther shifters with no pride to hold them to the area.

Mrs. Florence couldn’t have children, so they were willing to do anything for Cherry. The way the little girl laughed extra loud, testing the waters, was precious. She even made funny faces every time she laughed. She glanced my way with a bright smile each time they passed one of her little tests.

We went over their finances and other important things that would make Cherry’s life better. They knew what her past was like and that she might need therapy, I knew a few therapists for kids they could go to. The therapists knew what the Blood Widow did and helped my rescues when I asked.

Cherry could say, “My old mommy that the Widow took me away from,” as many times as she’d like and none of them would call the authorities.

It was a job well done, and I needed this happy ending in my life. It felt good to help her and create some calm in my chaotic world. If all hunts ended like this, I’d live a fulfilled life.

Chapter

Nineteen

Iyawned and grabbed Cole’s hand as we left the Florence’s house, so I could take him in the portal with me. I was too tired to hold it open for him to follow behind. The sun was peeking over the buildings and the brisk air was cold enough that I leaned into Cole’s warmth.

“Let’s get back to the cabin. Bell texted me and said she’ll be there to pick up the boy in about an hour,” I told him as I called on my magic, letting the energy spike up across my skin to get the portal here faster.

Cole covered his mouth to hide his yawn. “Why did it take her so long? She didn’t tell us much, but he’s obviously important.”

I shrugged just as the yellow circle appeared up on a tree. I groaned. “You’re a bitch.”

Cole snorted. “Your magic still being a pain in the ass? With how close it was to you when you portaled out of the bathroom the other day, I thought it had been getting better.”

My spine stiffened at the mention of that moment. I knew he was going to want to talk about it, and this was a smooth way of going about it. Even if I didn’t want to talk about my feelings, I could respect the ease he did things. Whereas I wouldhave stumbled to the topic, he let it flow, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

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