Page 56 of Son of a Witch

“So, it’s safe to assume the device the vampires used has scrambled the energy?” Serena asked.

“I’ve no doubt of it,” Astra replied.

“I agree,” I backed her up.

Serena pinched her brow and massaged it. “This is going to make tracking them darn near impossible.”

“No, it’s not.” Astra stood firm, eyes burning with a new fire, hands glowing orange. “We just have to find the frequency that this device operates on. Whether sound-based, chemical, or electrical.”

No easy task. It could take days or weeks.

“I need to collect samples,” Astra advised. “But I have no clue how to collect samples of air or electricity.”

Serena released her brow, her gaze going from Astra to me. “Let’s figure it out then and get whatever you need.”

CHAPTER20

Tor

Time to make the call.I gripped the phone receiver tightly. There was no other way to say it. No beating about the bush. I had to tell her. She deserved to know why I couldn’t come and see them, why I couldn’t contribute, why I was a failure. Again.

“Hello, Mrs. Helms here,” she said, “Who’s speaking?”

“Mom, it’s me.” I almost fucking lost it at the sound of her voice.

“Tor, my darling.” Unlike the last few phone calls, her voice brightened, sounding happier to hear from me. The conversation where I had to drop the bomb on her that the bank was going to sell her new house. Fuckers. “Your girlfriend’s house is wonderful. Please thank Astra for letting us stay here.”

Mom, my sister Janet, and her two kids had moved into Astra’s rental last week. Thank God my girl had come through for them, otherwise they’d be in a world of pain.

Circulation cut off in my hands from gripping the receiver so tightly. “I’ll thank her tonight, Mom.”

At my wavering voice, she instantly knew something was wrong. “Tor, what’s wrong, honey? Are you still in trouble?”

Air drained from my lungs as I prepared to drop my second bomb on her in the space of a month. “I … I had an accident.”

“What?” Her pitch hiked a few octaves. “What happened, Tor?” She used that whole worried mother tone on me.

“I …” Fuck, I nearly broke down and had to swallow the lump in my throat. God, what was I going to say? It wasn’t like I could tell her about the vampire leader that smashed me into a pole and broke my back in three places. The whole conversation would be shut down before I could explain further, and my phone privileges stripped. So, I came the closest I could to the truth. “I had an accident at work.”

“What kind of accident?” This time, Mom’s voice came out as a protective, momma bear growl.

I banged my head against the wall a few times as if it might help dislodge the lump in my throat. “The kind where I don’t walk again.” It came out as a harsh croak.

“Oh God, Tor. No.” She whimpered and then burst into tears. Her tears made my own slide free. Fuck, this was the last kind of news she needed. Hadn’t she been through enough already? Losing Dad in an accident I had caused. Her Multiple Sclerosis worsened and she couldn’t work and support herself financially. Having to sell the house to afford caregivers.

When she calmed down, she said, “What the fuck have you done to deserve this?”

“Mom, you swore,” Janet, my sister, chirped in the background. “You’ve got to put twenty cents in the swear jar.”

Something rustled and it sounded like Mom had pressed the phone to her chest. I heard a door close and her sigh and the muffled words, “Fuck the swear jar. Tor’s hurt his back again.” Then she brought the receiver back to her mouth. “Where are you? I’ll come get you and bring you home.”

“No!” I said it too quickly and too sharply and it must have raised her suspicions. “You can’t come and get me.”

“Like hell, I can’t. Why not?” she pressed.

Fuck. What was I going to tell her? I ought to have prepared my answers better. It put me on the spot and in a world of shit. Sweating, I glanced at the guard by the door, flipping through his copy of a men’s magazine, skimming past the sports’ commentary, the article on a car rally, getting right to the centerfold. Some busty blonde with fake lips. I’d be bored too, if I had to watch one person while the rest of the teams had been deployed. If I said anything about the Guardians, he’d cut the phone call short and ship me to the warden.

“I’m in New York and you can’t afford the ticket.” I tried the best excuse I could muster. Damn, I sounded as convincing as a bored teenager upselling me at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

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