Page 21 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

Their powers had combined and combusted.

When it was all said and done, all but one of the creatures that had been in the foyer and parlor area were no more. They’d been reduced to piles of sticky goo. The others, the ones that had still been downstairs in the basement and the ones that had run out of the house, survived. But ultimately, Rachael and the little girl had been caught in the crossfire and paid the price for Henry’s vision.

They’d been injured and taken away to a hospital that could deal with supernaturals. Drest and Stratton had tried to accompany them, only to find themselves the subjects of an internal investigation. They’d attended Henry’s trial, barely holding it together, and shortly thereafter found themselves in the hot seat, being reprimanded for their behavior both in regards to the case and their actions in the courtroom.

Stratton’s biggest regret was not killing Henry when he’d had the chance. He could still vividly recall watching Henry give his side of the events on the stand. Saying he was delusional was an understatement. In addition to blaming the Nightshade Clan for his actions, he’d cited his daughter as a primary reason for it all as well, blaming her for Amice’s passing, rambling on and on about the child inventing a headless horseman sighting for attention, causing him to go off the road.

In addition, Henry had made it very clear that he’d not only created the other monsters in hopes of building an army that could stand against the Nightshade Clan and any others who might think to try to stop him on his mission to resurrect Amice, but to rid him of the curse of the little girl. A child he’d been adamant on the stand was not his biological daughter.

How the man could have sat there, laying blame on an innocent child who had been injured at the time and getting medical attention, was something Stratton would never be able to understand, or forgive.

Stratton clenched his hand, wanting to go back in time and beat the ever-loving hell out of the man.

No.

He wanted to unleash every ounce of evil his magik was capable of when left unchecked. He wanted to become the very embodiment of what others thought the Nightshade Fae to be. He wanted to show the man no mercy.

Henry’s punishment wasn’t severe enough in Stratton’s opinion. The second the man had said he’d hoped the monsters he’d made would kill the child, Stratton had been forcefully removed from the courtroom. That probably had something to do with the fact he’d leapt over a railing, and then a table, then tackled Henry, knocking the man to the floor where he then began to punch him in the face—repeatedly.

Turns out, the higher-ups frowned on that kind of behavior, especially since the case had gained the attention of other heads of supernatural factions. All eyes had been on it. Stratton had already known as much from the fact Drest had been removed by force as well a day prior when Henry had threatened Rachael and the unborn child.

Their outbursts in the courtroom, combined with Stratton’s lack of control of his power during the actual event at Frankenstein Manor, followed by the outing of Drest’s relationship with Rachael, had left the men in something of a jam with those in charge. So much so that they’d been yanked from their New York detail and sent off to Chicago. It could have been far worse. Siberia had actually been on the table as a possibility.

Not that Chicago was much different. It got damn cold there too.

When it was all said and done, Stratton and Drest were left working out of Chicago and with bans on contacting Rachael or the child. Apparently, the reasoning was that neither Stratton nor Drest could be trusted to think with a clear head when they came into play. Therefore, a fifteen-year ban had been put in place. A drop in the bucket as far as the immortal higher-ups were concerned. They didn’t seem to care that Drest wouldn’t get to see his mate during that time or know his child. Hell, they’d taken months to even bother to let Drest know Rachael and the baby had been okay and released from the hospital within a week’s time.

The people in charge were out of touch with humanity and what it meant to have a family, not that Stratton was any sort of expert. Still, even he knew how wrong it was to blame Drest for falling in love. Rachael was his mate. It was instinctual for the man to be drawn to her, and they were meant to be together. Had Rachael been a full Fae or something other than a member of the Frankenstein family, Stratton highly suspected exceptions would have been made. As such, they weren’t. And since the Nightshade Clan’s court consisted of magiks, the fifteen-year ban came with a binding spell. One that made sure the order would be followed.

The day that had marked the fifteen-year mark from the ordeal had come and gone three years prior. Drest’s spirits had been high in the month leading up to it all, positive he’d be reunited with his mate and their child. A child he’d not yet met. Even Stratton had found himself getting eager to see Rachael, her child, and the little girl who wasn’t little any longer.

At some point over the course of the fifteen years, Rachael had parted ways with the Nightshade’s version of witness protection. It differed slightly from its human counterpart, but the gist was the same. She’d been so successful at vanishing and going it alone that Drest and Stratton had yet to find her. That was part of the reason they used their free time from both work and Nightshade duties to hunt the monsters Henry had made. Each of them hoped that following the trail of the monsters would lead them to Rachael and the children.

Stratton stiffened; his hand still clenched.

She’s hardly a child anymore.

If his math was right, the little girl would now be in her early twenties.

Habit left his thumb making a move to go to the ring he no longer possessed. The last time he’d seen it had been at the Frankenstein Manor in Tarrytown some eighteen years prior. It had gone haywire and had amplified his power to the extreme. He’d basically gone off like a mystical bomb.

ChapterEight

Stratton

“This place is pretty much Dullsville,”said Drest, pulling Stratton from his memories of the past as they stood on the grounds of the campus. “I’m not seeing any sign of—”

Before the words were out of his mouth, there was a massive black dog charging across campus, heading right for them.

Stratton instantly sensed something that was Dark Fae in the area, but he didn’t have a chance to investigate further because the dog came rightathim and leapt, flashing teeth, growling, all while spittle flew.

“Tor-rrr…no!” shouted a voice that made Stratton’s groin forget that it was about to become a dog chew toy if he wasn’t careful. He jerked out of the way and the dog skittered to the ground. It then scrambled around and lunged for him again.

A tall woman with a head of short bright purple hair darted in front of Stratton and tossed her arms out as she faced the dog. “I said no! Stop it now or…”

The dog drew back, watching Stratton through eyes that more than said he still wanted to attack.

Drest began to laugh—hard. “Wow. He really doesnotlike you.”

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