Page 13 of Wonder (Wonderfall #3)

Simon told each of the former captives that he wouldn’t be offended if they didn’t want to create a connection with him, but all five said they wanted to. Arlo and Ophelia were a little hesitant to take Simon’s hand, but once the connections were formed, they were smiling and relaxed.

The Hunters took Thomas, Arlo, Ophelia, Anika, and Morris to a local hotel for the night.

All of them avoided touching any of the Hunters, but they didn’t seem in distress, talking excitedly about what food they wanted to have delivered.

Morris’ husband would pick him up at the hotel in the morning, and the other four would be returned to their homes tomorrow.

Two Hunters were staying to guard the vampires’ house and search it more thoroughly.

Neither Tucker nor I mentioned the laptops and papers we’d found.

I didn’t feel at all guilty giving Simon first crack at them. He could pass them on if he wanted to.

Dominic came over as Tucker and I were discussing how to go pick up my, Simon’s, and Shirley’s cars. We’d all parked on the next street.

The Hunter looked down at Nicky. “Reno said Nicky here’s been held captive for a long time. We’d like to cross him off whatever missing persons list he’s on. Do you know where he’s from?”

Simon hesitated, then said, “He was taken in Scotland. I’ll talk to him about whether there’s anyone there he wants to notify.”

Dominic was unimpressed. “What’s his last name?”

Simon shrugged. “I’ll ask when he wakes up.”

I turned away so I wouldn’t laugh. When Dominic finally gave up and stomped off to bother someone else, Tucker caught my eye and grinned. For all he worked for the police department, he’d always enjoyed watching someone give the finger to people in authority.

Shane stayed with Nicky while Tucker drove me, Shirley, and Simon to our respective vehicles. Simon had a minivan of all things. Though it probably blended in better than something like the vampires’ van, and he could sleep in it if he needed to.

I invited Shirley and Tucker to have dinner with us, but Shirley wanted to go home, and Tucker went with her.

Simon met me back at the vampires’ house, where we loaded a still-sleeping Nicky into one of Simon’s rear seats, which could be reclined to lay almost flat.

His cargo area was full of plastic storage containers, some knitted blankets, a yoga mat, and what looked like a mini fridge.

Shane, with Jackson still sleeping in his back seat, and Simon followed me to my house. As we pulled onto my street, I saw Tia Esperanza’s car in the driveway. “Fuck.” I should’ve known she’d stay to meet the crime victim I’d told her I needed to feed.

I pulled in beside Tia’s car, and Shane and Simon parked in front of my house. I got out and trotted over to help Simon with Nicky, but he already had the man in his arms and only needed me to slide the minivan’s door shut.

Simon carried Nicky as if he didn’t weigh anything. I did not have any feelings about seeing Simon holding someone—not someone else, just someone—in a bridal carry. It was the most efficient option after all.

Shane and Jackson met us on the way to the front door, and I held up a hand. “Fair warning, my aunt is here. She’ll feed us, but she’s also nosy as hell. You don’t have to tell her anything you don’t want to.”

Shane snorted. “We’re lucky my grandmother wasn’t visiting when Jackson asked to come here.” He glanced around. “Though it’s probably only a matter of time.”

Shane’s grandmother was dead, but she’d hung around in ghost form. One of Shane’s partners, Rory, was a Medium, and Shane had the ability to see ghosts now too. Rory’s grandfather was also passed on but still part of the family.

I opened the front door and ushered everyone inside. “Tia?”

“In the kitchen!” She hurried into the living room, gasping when she saw Nicky in Simon’s arms. “Oh, the poor thing!” She pointed at the ground-floor guest room. “I made sure there were fresh sheets in that room, and the attic is ready for guests too. Hola, I’m Esperanza.”

Simon beamed at her. “Thank you for cooking for us. I’m Simon, and this is Nicky.” He carried Nicky into the bedroom.

Shane and Jackson introduced themselves.

Jackson had altered their appearance slightly, no longer looking exactly like Misha Collins, and they were now wearing jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

Tia stared a little, probably noticing Jackson’s unusual magic, but she didn’t ask any questions, thank goodness.

I pointed up the stairs. “Um, I’ve got another spare bedroom in the attic, but there’s only one bed.”

Jackson shook their head. “I can sleep anywhere in one of my other forms, so don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll take the attic then. I’ll go get cleaned up and be right back.” Shane headed upstairs.

I didn’t know where to have Simon sleep.

The couch was a sectional made up of four recliners, so he could sleep there if he wanted to be close to Nicky.

Or he could share my bed, since it was a king, but that was a recipe for me waking up with my morning wood pressed against Simon’s body without his consent. Screw it, we’d figure it out later.

Jackson looked around, seeming uncertain about what to do.

“You can wash up in the kitchen if you like.” They seemed relieved to have instructions. I followed, intending to wash my own hands. I really wanted a shower, but it would have to wait. “Tia, do you want me to set the table?”

“Please. You can make a salad when you’re done with that. I need to warm up more tamales.”

I showed Jackson how to chop tomatoes and carrots for the salad, which they took to with great enthusiasm, if little skill.

Esperanza eyed them like she was itching to show them how to hold the knife properly, but she must’ve decided she had bigger concerns and went back to stirring the soup.

Shane joined us, sitting at the kitchen table since the kitchen itself was too crowded already.

Simon came out of the guest room. “Hey, Nicky’s gonna need a bath somehow, and clean clothes.”

I frowned. “He’s not the only one.” I pointed at Simon’s less than clean jeans and his blood-smeared chest. “Shit, I’m sorry. I had a change of clothes in my backpack this whole time. Do you want them now? And my stuff’ll be huge on Nicky, but it’ll do for tonight.”

Simon looked down at himself. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how dirty I am.”

I snorted. “It was well-earned. None of us are complaining.”

He gave me one of those over-bright smiles. On anyone else it would seem fake, but it made me feel like I’d... exceeded his expectations, maybe?

He waved a hand toward the front door. “I have enough clean clothes in the minivan, though if I could borrow your washing machine tomorrow, it’ll save me a trip to the laundromat.”

“Of course. I figure you and Nicky’ll be here for a good while, so make yourself at home. I’ll go find Nicky something to wear.”

“That boy needs to eat before anything else. I’ve never seen anyone so skinny.

Our dinner can wait.” Tia grabbed a mug from the cabinet, then dropped in a couple of ice cubes before ladling some of the soup into it.

“Are any of you going to tell me what happened to him?” She glanced deliberately from Simon to Jackson.

“Seems like something important’s going on. ”

Fuck. I ran my hand through my hair. “Those vampires everyone’s been talking about? Simon ran them to ground an hour outside of town. They had six captives, including Nicky. The others are okay, but they’d had Nicky for a long time.”

She narrowed her gaze at Simon. “You’re the vampire who’s been helping, yes?”

He squared his shoulders. “Yes, ma’am.”

She put a spoon into the mug and handed it to him. “Here. The boy eats first, then he can have a bath. If he feels well enough afterward, bring him out to sit at the table, or he can lie on the sofa. It’s not good for him to be shut away from everyone.”

Simon gave Tia a weird little bow with his free hand clenched into a fist and held over his chest. “It shall be done.” He turned to go but hesitated. “Reno, maybe you should come with me, in case he gets scared about me being a vampire again.”

Crap, good point. “I can do that. Let me grab the clothes for him.” I dashed upstairs to my bedroom and picked out a t-shirt, some boxer briefs, and a pair of basketball shorts. Hopefully the elastic would keep everything from falling off of him.

Nicky was still asleep, his body small under the quilt. The bandages were gone from his head, but his hair was matted with blood. We’d have to change the sheets again once we got him clean. Simon gestured at me to wake Nicky, and he stood back a little holding the mug of soup.

I sat on the edge of the bed. “Nicky? Can you wake up? We’ve got some soup for you.” When he didn’t respond, I touched his hand.

Nicky exploded into motion, sitting up and knocking my arm away, punching at me with his other hand.

“Fuck!” I barely got my elbow up to block his strike. I dove off the bed onto the floor. When I looked back, he was panting, wide-eyed and with his fists up.

“Peace, Nicky. I’m Simon, and that’s Reno, remember?” He held up the mug. “We didn’t mean to startle you. We brought you something to eat.”

Nicky blinked, then lowered his fists. “I’m sorry.”

I climbed to my feet. “No, it’s my fault.

I should’ve remembered what you’ve been through.

It’s natural for you to be uneasy. You're at my house. This is my guest bedroom.” Shit, I hoped there was a therapist nearby who was part of the campaign.

I waved toward Simon. “My aunt made some chicken and vegetable soup, if you’d like to try it. ”

He looked at the mug. “I’ve never had that before. It smells good.”

Simon handed the mug to him, and Nicky pulled the spoon out, examining it like it was a novelty. His face twisted as if he were trying not to cry. “I haven’t been allowed any utensils since....” He shook his head, then dipped the spoon into the soup.

My throat went tight. “You can have all the utensils you want now. Knives, forks, whatever.” Feeling odd about looming over him, I sat on the chair in the corner of the room. Simon moved to lean against the doorframe.

Nicky’s hand was too shaky to use the spoon effectively, but he got one mouthful in with it. He smiled. “This soup is amazing.” He ended up sipping the remainder directly from the mug. When it was gone, his expression was almost mournful.

“There’s more, but why don’t we get you a bath first?” I pointed toward the bathroom across the hall.

Nicky’s mouth fell open as if I’d offered him a million dollars. “A bath? Like, in a tub?”

Oh, fuck, my heart. I didn’t want to consider how they’d kept Nicky clean. “Yeah, and there’s a shower too, for when you’re stronger and can stand up.”

Nicky allowed Simon to carry him to the bathroom.

I offered to wait outside while Nicky relieved himself, but he asked me to stay.

I guessed he was nervous being alone with a vampire, even a friendly one.

Too bad I wasn’t the sort of magic carrier who had super strength, but Nicky would get used to Simon over time.

When I helped him remove his scrubs, I braced myself to see additional bite scars.

But there were many, many more than I’d anticipated.

He hardly had any unmarked skin, including his scalp.

My stomach roiled at the realization of why his head had been shaved.

He was so thin I felt like he would break if Simon dropped him.

Other than his pointed ears and his eyes, which had purple irises and vertical pupils, Nicky could pass for human.

He didn’t have any body hair at all. Had he even gone through puberty?

I had no idea about the life cycle of Elves, but if he’d been this malnourished for all those decades, he might not have been able to experience puberty on time.

I forced myself to keep smiling and show Nicky how to use the pump on the bottle of shower gel. He inhaled the honeysuckle scent and eagerly used the washcloth to spread it all over himself, including his head. Simon and I didn’t correct him. He could use the shampoo next time.

We ended up draining and refilling the tub twice before Nicky deemed himself clean. He was tired afterward but didn’t want to be alone, so we got him set up on the couch with a blanket and a pillow. Tia fussed over him, and Nicky gazed at her like she was the most amazing person he'd ever met.

Simon retrieved his clothes from the minivan and took his own shower. After changing Nicky’s sheets, I cleaned up as well.

The others were waiting for us at the kitchen table. They’d been sharing a plate of quesadillas Tia must’ve whipped up. Shane had a glass of wine in front of him, as did Tia, but Jackson was drinking water.

When she saw Simon, Tia popped up out of her chair. “Simon, dear, do you eat human food too, or only blood?”

He smiled at her, but it wasn’t the over-the-top smile he’d been giving me all day. “I eat regular food as well. Thank you for checking though.”

She nodded. “Okay, and do you need blood this evening?”

I froze. Oh, shit. He’d expended a lot of energy today. He probably did need blood. I vaguely remembered someone posting in Discord about a blood bag drive for Simon, but that wouldn’t have been local.

“I already had some, ma’am. I got a bag out of the little fridge in my minivan.”

I scowled. “You need to move those to the refrigerator in the kitchen. What if your minivan’s battery runs down? Plus it’s more convenient.”

I got another megawatt smile. “Thank you, Reno. I’ll go get them after dinner.”

Tia urged us to sit down and eat. I was tired, but I forgot that she wouldn’t be. We were halfway through the meal when she started. “Simon, what are you plans for after this?”

He cocked his head and his eyebrows scrunched up. “After what?”

She waved her fork in the direction of the couch. “After the last of Nicky’s kidnappers are... dealt with. Are you and Reno planning to stay here, or do you call somewhere else home?”

My head shot up. “Tia Esperanza! What the hell?” I should’ve known if I brought houseguests home so soon after my renovations, she’d decide one of them was my mate. However, when I turned my head to apologize to Simon, he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Simon?”

He sighed and finally looked at me. “I’m sorry, Reno. There hasn’t been a chance to talk to you about it.”

“Excuse me? About what?”