Watcher in the Darkness, Book 3: Imprisoned

Chapter 24

I jerked awake when the thud of a shutting door echoed throughout the house. Given my situation and the fresh deadline breathing down my neck, it surprised me that I'd dozed off at all. I didn't have a minute to spare, but stress will suck the energy out of any man. Plus, stalking tends to get boring fast.

Sunlight stabbed through the wooden slats of the garden lattice. I'd been asleep for a couple hours. Luckily, no one on the sidewalk had noticed me lurking in the braces of Gwen's awning.

I pulled up to peek through the nursery window. As I'd hoped, Gwen had finally left the room. She'd taken the girl with her, but the boy was asleep in their shared crib. He breathed deep and slow, with a secure contentment I've never known.

My cramped legs were slow to respond, numb as they were from having crouched for so many hours. Once I settled on the window ledge, I closed my eyes then took a deep breath through my nose. The world unfolded around me as I opened my other senses.

On the ground floor, Gwen murmured in a comforting tone as floorboards creaked under her feet. She hadn't been kidding when she'd said teething made little humans fussy. Christ on a cracker, I don't know how anyone can stand babies. The girl grunted, and I could smell baby powder and drool soured by apple juice.

Time to get this suicide mission underway.

I tapped my knuckle on the glass. The little boy turned over, and the crib squealed beneath him like an army of burning mice. The little shit didn't wake up, though. I muttered a curse under my breath as I listened for his demon guardian.

Gwen continued to pace, and had begun to sing a soft, haunting melody in a language I didn't recognize.

I took a deep breath then knocked on the window again, a little bit louder this time. The little boy pushed himself up with a scowl. His blonde curls were a mess and he sucked on a pacifier. He looked around, his eyebrows drawn into a tight knot. I drummed my fingers against the glass to get his attention.

"Hey, kid," I said with a smile, not that it helped. I could see my reflection. Between my fangs and what remained of my stringy hair, I looked like Gollum.

The baby's cheeks grew red and his eyes glistened. He started to breathe fast, building up to a tantrum.

"No, no, no, don't do that," I said as I pulled the multi-colored stuffed animal out of my waistband. I pressed the toy against the glass for the kid to see, and it dried him right up. "Yeah, you like this? Just what every spoiled brat needs, right? A rainbow panda-monkey-dog...what the fuck is this thing?"

It didn't matter. I shook it so the tiny bells on its jester hat jingled. The boy grunted in excitement as he used the crib railing to stand.

I shook the toy again. "You want this?"

The baby held out his fat little hand.

"You can have it. All you have to do is invite me in."

The nursery door opened, and I fell backward on reflex. I missed my claws as I dangled from the window ledge, the toy clenched between my teeth. Inside the nursery, I heard Gwen groan. "Oh, no. I just got you down. What are you doing awake?"

I kicked myself. I'd had one ear on the Gwen downstairs, so I hadn't bothered to listen for her coming down the hall. How could I have forgotten about her splitting-in-two trick? Justine must've lobotomized me when she'd taken that bite out of my head.

Gwen took the boy from the crib then settled into the rocking chair. "I can't wait until you and your sister learn how to talk. Everything will be so much easier when you can articulate your needs."