Stone In Love

Chapter 26

Once again, I found myself waking up in a strange bed, but I quickly recognized the sterile decorating style of Vincent's home. He had set me up in his spare room, claiming it would give me a place to escape, but our ideas of escape differed greatly. He had gone all out with the color scheme, choosing cool blues and sandy neutrals, which paired well with the paintings of Greek-themed seascapes. Apparently, the artist was a gollum and a good friend of the family.

I remembered climbing under the covers for a nap about seven thirty, after the sun had set, so my internal clock was a little off. I guessed the time to be around midnight, and when I checked my phone, it read twelve thirteen. Not bad, considering the circumstances.

The drone of voices dragged me out of bed, and after checking my condition in the mirror and deciding not to worry about my puffy hair, I shuffled into the living room in my well-worn jeans and Young the Giant tee shirt. Sitting next to Bonnie and Clyde were two people I didn't recognize, although I had a feeling the white-haired man was Charleton, Lucy's husband and the patriarch of the family. The grooves etched into his face made him appear older than Lucy, although he had probably endured many battles over the course of his life. Despite his obvious maturity, he still looked fit enough to kick anybody's ass. A younger woman sat with him, around Mom's age, with light brown, shoulder-length hair and dark, expressive eyes.

As soon as I made my entrance, the man stood up, and so did Vincent. The woman suppressed a gasp before she greeted me with a smile. Vincent walked over and escorted me further into the room as he made the introductions.

"Reese, I'd like you to meet Charleton Valentino. Charleton, this is Reese Kentwell."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reese." Charleton bowed his head politely without the added gesture of a hand shake. I didn't take offense. He was probably wary about welcoming a demon-infected human into his home.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Charleton."

The woman stood as formalities were dispatched, and she took my hand without hesitation. "Hello, Reese. I'm Wren. I can't tell you how happy we are to have you here with us."

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Wren. Vincent speaks highly of you. Of everyone, actually."

Although tears were threatening to fall from Wren's eyes, she shot a skeptical glance at Vincent. "Has he? That was thoughtful of him."

Her reaction didn't surprise me. I had witnessed enough interactions between Vincent and his family to deduce he was a hard-ass around them.

"Would you like to sit down and join us?" Wren said. "We were just talking about Colin's recovery. Lucy and Amelia will be leaving shortly for Baltimore to take up a vigil with him."

"How is Colin doing?" I asked as Vincent helped me into a black leather chair. Once he was satisfied that I was comfortable, he stood guard next to me.

"He is doing better than the doctors speculated, although it is in our nature to heal quickly, so none of us were surprised. Colin has a strong will to thrive. How are you feeling? I heard about your close call yesterday. Jonathan spoke of your courage and tenacity."

I felt like I needed to catch my breath when Wren finished her statement. She seemed to be using dialogue to keep her emotions in check. "I'm fine, but I'm sure I wouldn't be if Jonathan and Ward hadn't found me."

"Jonathan said he and Ward tracked you by your whistle," Charleton said. "What made you think to do that?"

"It was a shot in the dark, really. It came to me when I was trying to think of something that might give away our position. I've been able to whistle like that for as long as I can remember. My parents told me the police heard my whistle when I was discovered in the abandoned factory."