Page 22 of Witches Be Damned

Pascal’s eyes shot up to Loco. “Don’t kill Tor, please.”

I threw an arm over Pascal’s shoulder. “Thanks, buddy.” I patted his chest, holding him for some time, surprised it didn’t agitate him. When he squirmed, I released him.

“It’s safe to say we all would have done the same, Tor.” Serena’s calm delivery made me brace for reprimand. “She’s one of us, Loco’s daughter, your girlfriend, and my son’s girlfriend’s best friend. We don’t leave our own behind. You made the right choice.”

Serena’s support surprised me, and I stared at her. Knoxe chewed my asshole a new one for ruining a mission.

I fell back into old ways and laughed off her attempt to make me feel better when I caused this and accepted responsibility. “They must have you on serious pain meds.”

“I’m serious, Tor.” Her no-bullshit tone pulled me up short. “You don’t have to hide behind your jokes.”

Fuck. I didn’t know what to say. Tor Helms lost for words. A first.

It was no secret that I didn’t make wise choices. I got into trouble. All. The. Time. I made peace with that a long time ago, thanks to Supergal showing me my heart was in the right place, but I just went about things the wrong way sometimes. Life in the Guardians wasn’t peachy. We all made decisions on how to support our families and survive in a difficult environment. That didn’t make us inherently bad. It made us fighters and survivors.

The ache in my shoulders that flared when I came down from my superhero high lessened a few degrees. My gaze darted to the rest of the team, and they nodded what I interpreted as their endorsement of our leader’s sentiment. The suspicious needle in my mind leaned toward us dying and going to heaven. No way would Knoxe go along with this.

“Next time, tell us what you’re planning and don’t pull any surprises on us.” Serena delivered the words like a mother teaching a child how to do better next time. “We’re a team and decide what to do together, even in the event of an emergency.”

A fair request that I’d make if the situation were reversed.

I swallowed, not feeling worthy of this moral support when I was used to being treated with derision and scorn, jettisoned as soon as I made a mistake. My natural inclination was to laugh it off and pretend it didn’t bother me.

“I can do that,” I croaked, slightly suspicious that I dreamed this, and reality was about to slam into me, letting through the voices shouting at me and hands on my arms dragging me to The Hole.

I glanced at Knoxe, who remained silent all the time, probably learning how to be a better leader.

“Good.” Serena smiled.

“Thank you, Serena. I honestly didn’t expect this and will respect you if you want to knee me in the balls when you get out of that bed.”

She waved away my offer.

I turned my focus on the others. “The same applies to the team. One free shot.” I raised my palms. “No knives, Dad. I need the crown jewels.” I stopped short of mentioning “for the purposes of creating grandbabies” out of fear of what he might do with the pen when he stabbed multiple prisons to death with a thin chemical spatula.

Loco glared for a second, the lines easing on his forehead as he burst into a laugh. “Be good to my daughter, or else I’ll reconsider the matter.”

What a sport. I went to give him a hug, and he shoved me away. “Thanks, Dad.” I finally won a real laugh from him and counted that as another win. Today was full of them.

Falling serious again, because we had other matters to settle, I posed the next question, “What do we say about Astra’s location and our failed mission to retrieve her?”

Loco’s pen resumed its circular motion. “We say a vampire grabbed her and ran away with her.”

“Does everyone agree with this?” Serena eyed us all off for our vote.

“Yep.” Knoxe set down his vote.

“Absolutely.” I made it three to two, swinging the odds.

“Me four,” Pascal threw in.

“I agree as well.” Serena concluded the tally.

Good. We were all in agreement for once. It felt nice to be on the same side. Team goodness and light. Or was it team stained with a little darkness? I edged toward a villain, and it was fun to walk on the dark side, so long as it didn’t hurt anyone.

Serena winced as she shifted to grab her drink, and Loco finished the task for her. After a sip, she said, “For now, we reiterate that we caught the number-one on our most wanted list, and that we’ll go out when I’m better to apprehend the missing prisoners, unless Vancor wants you back out there.”

I felt a small relief knowing the doctor gave her pain medication, and she’d be good again in a few days.

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