Day In Court

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

The last thing Zanna wanted to do was call Wes Saunders. Her father's cousin had joined his younger brothers in walking away from the dark side a few years earlier, largely thanks to the Master of the City influencing him to embrace his good side after a couple of decades of being his evil mother's doting son.

It wasn't that Zanna hated Wes. He had been there for her more than her own father. He'd found a decent warlock to raise her, one who kept her hidden from Rachel Saunders, the Helena Blackrain of the East. Zanna was powerful and had both Saunders and Blackrain blood in her veins. Rachel would have tried to turn her into the most evil warlock to walk the planet, second only to the heads of both families. Although Wes trained her to use some of the family power, he also protected her from them.

Still, calling Wes meant bringing in the rest of the New York Saunders. Wes was good now, and his younger brothers, Phillip, Jonathan, and Vincent, had always been good at heart, but Zanna knew involving them would inevitably alert their evil Massachusetts cousins to the situation... Including her father. That was definitely not something she wanted to deal with.

She reluctantly dialed his number. Wes answered quickly. "What's wrong?" He asked, not bothering with small talk.

"The Blackrains are invading the City," Zanna replied.

"I noticed something was off. We felt it, even in Sleepy Hollow. What are they doing up North?"

"They're after a baby vampire I'm now magickally bound to, and they found me, too."

"Would you like me to assassinate them?" Wes offered helpfully.

"As tempting as that is, you're supposed to be good now. Your brothers and Cat would freak out." Zanna usually referred to the Master of the City by her official title when speaking to others, but Cat was a Saunders, so she didn't bother when speaking to the family. To them, she was just Phillip's daughter, not the most infamous vampire to ever walk the streets of New York.

"Cat banned our kind from practicing in the City. Technically, I'd just be enforcing that," Wes replied.

"My mother says I can't kill the kids."

"Emmy said to protect the kids?" Wes repeated.

"Yeah, my sixteen-year-old twin cousins, Barbie and Bambi." Zanna shook her head. "Okay, so it's Amber and Ginger, but that's not much better."

"Magickally, those are powerful names," Wes pointed out. "Amber is associated with protection, healing, clarity, psychic shields, and other things. Ginger is associated with love, passion, power, protection, and courage."

"Ironic, since Ginger seems to be the timid one."

"Maybe she'll surprise you."

"I still say they have stripper names."

Wes laughed. "Why would your mother get involved?" He asked.

"You know she likes to stick her nose in my business. She also insisted I help the baby vampire I mentioned, Maddie."

"Emmy doesn't do things without reason, Zanna. She is extraordinarily powerful-"

"Yeah, I know how powerful she is, Wes, considering her powers drove her insane. That doesn't mean I have to like her always butting in."

"If Emmy says we shouldn't kill the kids, there must be a reason. They're young. Maybe they still have good in them." He paused. "Besides, it's never too late to find your way back to the light. If I did it, anyone can."

"Cat helped you get there. I don't think she'll do that for these two."

"She asked me to, actually."