46)

Once again I was training with my Mom, both of us in a close up grapple. My Mom was looking me straight in the eye as she instructed me. “Let me lead, this is what Neal will be doing. Keep his one hand on your hip and don’t let him slide it down, but get in a little closer. You’re dancing, go by my hands to figure out where I’m going to move us next.”

I know it doesn't sound like much, learning to dance formally. But I had to do it in heels as well.

"Why do I need these things, I like that Neal is taller than me. Why do I have to compensate?"

My Mom sighed. "Because it makes your butt wiggle side to side when you walk. Which distracts foolish boys and stupid men. Like your father.”

I stared at her. “Mom!”

She grinned, "Get your boy to walk down a hill in front of you, it looks good on men too. Spicy."

Nope. Not asking about my Dad walking down hills. And I was always going to go first on a hill with my family from now on.

The tournament was in two days, and I would be going straight from school in one of the ten person used rental vans my grandfather had bought in the hope he would have many more chances to drive that many people around.

I had to remind my Dad when he gave it a thoughtful look that I still wanted a two seater convertible at sixteen.

For his sake, I hoped he was joking about how I should get a learner car first that I didn’t mind getting into a few minor accidents with before I got something nicer.

I just shook my head at him. “I have a Witch for a sister, an aunt, and a grandmother. They can fix a scrape.”

At least I think they could, Grandma wasn't much for technology, Aunt Rose was more of a destroyer than a fixer, and Ami might refuse to spite me.

Most of the rest of the students, teens, and adults, were making the drive to Chicago in the most reliable of the high school buses. While Me, Del and her two friends, Austin, Ryan, and Dare were taking the Van with Dare driving.

Along with my Grandpa riding shotgun since he had the map.

An actual place mat sized book of maps. Which I mocked. “Grandpa, we have maps on our phones, everyone has maps on their phones. We don’t need…” I wave my hands at the book. “That.”

He blew through his lips at me. “Nonsense, these maps got my family all over the country when we were kids, they can guide another generation.”

I did the mental math. “It’s sixty years old! Are those even the correct states on there?”

My parent were driving their Nissan with my sibling in it and Milinda, the little girl from next door since Dare asked if they could take her since she was giving him the silent treatment at not being able to go along with him.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The Dojo wasn’t taking kids that young, even if she was stronger at the age of eight than some of the adult werewolves in town.

She was going to a be even more of a terror as she grew up and came into her power. Maybe she could represent Dad’s School then.

A carload of my cousins joined the caravan as we pulled out of town. While they would be cheering me on, they weren't here for me.

Outer magic workers like Ami were rare. Rare enough for someone desperate to try to grab her even though she was the daughter of a man who was known and respected internationally as a troubleshooter, the niece of someone feared worldwide, and the great granddaughter of someone who was feared in both this world and many others.

But then that meant some people might just see her as an easier target to harm than everyone who cared about her.

...Maybe she could just stay home, I didn’t really need my parents there just to see me fight.

I leaned forward in my seat in the first row of the van and whispered. “Saku, guard Ami.”

There was the sound of a soft and distant “Yip.”

It was about a two and half hour drive to Chicago, so of course my grandfather insisted we stop for lunch, his treat. I wanted to argue with him, but the werewolves were making puppy dog eyes at me.

I got two of the chicken burgers at White Castle, I didn’t want anything that might get stuck overnight when I might be getting kicked in the stomach tomorrow.

Me and my family were staying in the Congress Plaza Hotel in one of the suites set up for the contestants. All the werewolves had a set of rooms at the Knickerbocker with Grandpa and Dare chaperoning. Dad had gotten the rooms there for free since Grandma had a longstanding offer for a permanent room there which she had never claimed from her yearly updates to the place’s wards. So the management was delighted to be able to do something to keep on her good side.

Really she just did their wards for free since some friend of hers lived then year round and she wanted them to be safe.

I would have liked to stay with my friends instead of my family, and I would have Saturday night unless I was hurt badly enough that I needed Grandma to watch over me. But Friday night I had to attend a dinner with my parents while Grandma and Aunt Rose watched over Ami and Aran.

At least I should be able to eat something healthier than fast food. And I got to wear my new dress, with flats. Black ones

Mom had packed the matching high heels, but somehow they vanished from my suitcase. I just hope Saku didn’t leave any tooth marks on them.

The dinner was nice, at least as far as the food. High protein, fresh vegetables, and a decadent dessert of rich, thick, chocolate fudge cake with buttercream frosting and caramel drizzled on top.

My Grandfather would have made fun of me for not only eating my cake but savoring it as well. But my parents had been in training most of their lives. They understood you had to earn your rewards and enjoy them as much as you could.

Other than that…

Too many people, most of whom seemed to know and either hate or fear my family, with a few that phrased them and my Grandmother. While not mentioning Aunt Rose or my Great grandmother.

I also was introduced to many of the people I would be fighting Some of who seemed dismissive of me, while others carefully shook hands with me as we took each other measures.

Are they better at concealing their strength them me of something? Or are they all really that weak?

One of them, a younger woman, my dad seemed surprised to see. “Nina? I’m glad to see you. I didn’t think you were a fighter?

The pale girl Latino girl tilted her head down in embarrassment. “I’m not, but it’s so rare for one of my kind to be under eighteen, they asked me to compete. I think they hope I’m strong and fast enough to make up for it.”

My Dad gave her a stern look. “There will be some blood spilled, and you're very young to stay under control after how quickly you were turned.”

She gave him a wide eyed look and shook her head. “Oh no, no. If I feed before the fight and every round or so if I win, it’s easier to keep in control because I’m young. I can’t drink all that much blood, not like the elders.” She held her hand in front of her belly. “They can swell up this big, they are like Garrapata. Ticks.”

I think the girl wanted to chat with my Dad for longer, but my Mom caught up with us and gave the girl a smile with all of her teeth while dragging my Dad off.

She sighed. Looking over at her, I asked, “Vampire?”

The girl nodded after giving me a long stare.

So I did warn her. “I got a lot of werewolves here to root for me. I don’t want to offend you, but you might want to keep your distance tomorrow.”

Her eyes went wide. “Werewolves are real?”

I sighed. “I swear, we need a handbook or something.”

The two of us talked for the rest of the evening, she kept me from any more introductions from my parents since my Mom was keeping my Dad on the far side of the ballroom. And we got to exchange a few bits of information neither of us had ever heard from our own kind.

We exchanged some social contact information before I headed upstairs to get some sleep, while she was headed for some apartments in the sub basement.

The elevator stopped halfway to my floor and four men stood outside.

Black suits. Black sunglasses. Black gloves. Black tasers. Black clubs. And a black sack the size of my head.

Oh. Ami wasn’t the only target in my family.