Page 7 of The Blood Widow

The little girl’s chubby cheeks were high and almost covered her red eyes. Whereas the boy was completely opposite, he was bone thin, and his red eyes were large. They glared at me suspiciously while his sister cowered behind him. Poor babies were half demon and vampire like me. A wave of pity crept over me because I knew the ridicule they were going to go through, at least with the vampires. The demons didn’t care as much, but they weren’t a loving group in general.

The little boy wiped his nose with his long black sleeves. “Are you the one that saved us?”

I nodded, but I made sure not to move any other part of my body. They needed to feel safe, and adults were the enemies that trapped them in a cell. I watched as he glanced to the side, thinking. He nervously licked his lips.

“What’s going to happen to us?” His shaky voice and glossy eyes threatened to make me tear up as well.

I cleared my throat, so I could speak through the frog in my throat. This never got easier. Each kid I’ve saved healed my past trauma, but their helplessness also tore at my insides.

“You’ll go somewhere safe with my friend, Bell. She’s a powerful witch that can hide you from any of the bad people wanting to hurt you.” My tone was soft, and I hoped it easedtheir worries. The body I wore now tended to calm children more than my yellow-eyed huntress form.

The girl peeked her head out from behind her brother. Her eyebrows scrunched together like I was a puzzle that was missing a few pieces. “You have to promise. Mommy always said, you can’t trust a demon unless they verbally promise.”

My mouth popped open before I could clear my expression. Wow. She could sense my magic, which was a rare ability. I relaxed, letting my spine bend. A sense of pride shined brightly in my smile. It gave me hope. These children could survive if they had power on their side. Wherever Bell sent them, the place needed to be open minded. Both the kids would have special abilities. If it wasn’t so difficult to make halflings, there would be a lot more of us. The fact the prince made two was unheard of.

“That’s super smart.” I let my demon magic rise inside of me. The energy felt like storm clouds flaring to life under my skin. “I swear I am here to help you and Bell will send you somewhere safe.”

The magic in the air zipped around like static electricity. Their little bodies relaxed. I could see the stress melting off of them. The exhaustion was a heavy force that might as well have been magic. Their eyes got droopy as they nodded and cuddled with each other.

“Thank you,” the boy whispered.

I got to my feet, my heart warming at the sight of the children so comfortable. This was why I made the Blood Widow persona to begin with, to save children. Each one of them I saved gave me hope for the future.

“What’s your name, ma'am?” the girl asked as I walked to the door. The knob would only turn for me and the window in the room was a fake, so they were safe here.

“Widow. What’s yours?” Bell would erase my name from their memory, so they couldn’t be tortured for answers later. It made telling them things easier.

She smiled and yawned. “I’m Pen and my brother is Ben.”

I smirked. That wouldn’t be hard to remember. “Nice to meet you. I’ll bring you guys some food later. Get some rest.”

She yawned again and rested her head on the pillow. Her head sunk into the soft pillow as she spoke again. “We haven’t slept in a while, this feels good.”

It really did. I was glad Moon Blessed got to me in time. I pulled out my phone as I closed the door and walked to the kitchen to see what there was to feed the munchkins. I didn’t know how to cook, but I bet there was at least cereal. My face was in my phone checking my messages, when I felt them. I froze mid step.

This place was small with tan, black, and white furniture, even the large TV was white. So, the three men with stunned expression sitting on the couch in all black stuck out like a sore thumb. I would have pulled out my weapon, but my ex, Cole, was one of them. He used this safe house sometimes, too. I didn’t think he’d be here.

“Shit,” was all I could say.

Cole stood abruptly like someone shoved a thumb up his ass. “I’ll go check on the girls and see if the other safe house is taken.”

“Whoa, whoa,” the big man with gray eyes, a Greek nose, cupid’s bow lips, and full lashes said as he lifted his beefy arms in protested. “We can’t move these girls. The vampire family has a hit on one of them and is using magic to seek her out. Leaving this building is suicide, Cole.” The man’s silky dark locks had a slight curl and went just below his ears. His arms were covered in tattoos. He had to be a shifter.

The other guy lifted his arms in defeat. “Ezra, what have I said about blurting out secrets like that. You act like you’re new to the currency. Besides, we can’t trust her.”

“Probably the same number of times, I’ve told you not to use names, Dominic.”

Dominic’s red demon eyes winced as he realized his screw up.

I couldn’t help but snicker. These guys wouldn’t last long if they were giving away secrets to strangers. This city ran off of secrets. Good thing I wasn’t some low life or criminal looking for a way to increase their status in life.

Cole kept moving without looking at me. His jaw clenched tight. It was safer to just ignore him, though.

My mind took in my surroundings on autopilot. The cabin comfortably fit the couches and television, but the men made the space feel tiny. The wall separating the kitchen made the space even smaller. If not for the bar window, it would be claustrophobic. The narrow walkway into the little dining room called to me. Anything to escape the scrutinizing stares.

“Who are you?” the big guy with a brutish face growled out. He squinted at me like he knew me from somewhere but couldn’t place it. “If you have access to the room, Bell must trust you, which is the only reason you’re still alive.”

The growl that came from Cole surprised us both. He cleared his throat and turned away again. This time, he looked awkward staring at the wall like a kid being put in a timeout.

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