Natural Magick (4 page)

~~~

At seven-thirty the next morning, Pete was at the house with Eon. Duncan had left word that it would be fine for the extra help. Duncan had introduced them to Daniel Taggert who ran the security system for the house. Aaron had wanted to make sure that one did not interfere with the other and was glad that she had mentioned it, Duncan had said in his message. They set about the house, figuring out where they were to set up each computer station, a desk top in the kitchen, one in the office, and then a whole house wireless system for the game system and a couple of laptops with printers.

Eon was in charge of bring the cable that Booger had dropped down from the pole just off the property up to the house, then Pete would bring it in and wire the house. She started on the kitchen wall installments while Eon worked his magic outside. The wiring and setting up the computer took nearly two hours, then the system set up took another hour, but no one had to sit with that part for it to work. She went to the office next and was wiring in there when a kid came in. He was very quiet and still for a kid, so it took her a couple of minutes to notice him.

“
Hello there. Whatcha doing?”

Pete didn’t interact much with kids and had never been very comfortable around them. Usually, they got bored with her because she never talked to them any different than she did the adults she knew.

“
I’m wiring up the room for the computer system that’s being installed in this house. I’ve been hired by the lady of the house. Who are you?”

“
My name is Brent Shell Larimore. Shade and Colin are my new parents, and I stay with Duncan and Sara sometimes. Who are you?” Cheeky little guy, but she had asked him first.

“
I’m Pete Bartholomew, at your service.” She held out her hand for him, and he took it with a smile and a firm grip.

That was all the encouragement he needed, apparently, and soon he was nearly in her lap trying to see everything she was doing. She didn’t care and was very patient with him, telling him everything he wanted to know, letting him hand her the tools she needed from her big tool box. When Eon came in about an hour later, Pete set him up at the kitchen computer to work through all the set up menu’s and the plug and play programs. It wasn’t hard work, but it was boring. And Eon’s attention span was not really all that long anyway.

Daniel came into the kitchen at lunch time to get a sandwich from Duncan and was surprised by how much they had gotten done. Of course, the house still wasn’t hot yet, but Pete would do that herself once Eon left. She was very careful who knew the house schematics of the household systems she installed.

“
You guys do fast work, but is it good?”

Pete didn’t object to his questions. It was pretty standard of the type of questions she got from the heads of security on all the job sites she went on. This guy wasn’t bad. She’d had others who followed her every move making sure she didn’t mess up their part of the install.

“
Pete’s the best. Just ask her, she’ll tell ya.” Eon was a goof-off, but she liked him anyway. She ruffled his hair as she walked past him.

“
She’ll tell you what?” Sara had waddled into the kitchen at the end of the conversation so wasn’t aware they were talking about Pete.

Pete looked at the pregnant woman. She looked exhausted and tired. Pete could tell that she was carrying twins. She had accidently brushed against Sara the first day. Pete avoided any physical contact with people. Touching had consequences that she didn’t care for.

“
Pete. I was asking Eon about how good they were, and he said that Pete knew she was good, to ask her. I was just going in to ask her when you waddled, I mean walked in with upmost grace.” Daniel grinned and Pete laughed.

Duncan had made several sandwiches and was laying them out on the table with drinks and chips when Brent walked in the kitchen. He’d been “helping” Pete all morning and she had only just escaped him not ten minutes ago.

“
See, I told you he would make you a sandrich. They’re always good too. He puts me lots a mayo on mine, don’tcha, Mr. Duncan? I told Pete to come and have one too, okay? Her belly was thinkin’ her throat was cut, I heard it. Can I have some pop, Sara? I did good at school today.”

“
Yes, of course. Please have a seat, Pete. There is always plenty to go around. Eon, come on before Daniel eats it all himself.”

Pete had never eaten at anyone’s house before, opting to go out and bring something back for her and whoever was helping her out at the time, which was not often. There was plenty to go around, too. In addition to the “sandriches,” there was chips and potato salad, macaroni salad and fat dill pickles. And plenty to drink as well, beer, tea, a variety of soft drinks, and juice.

Pete had a bottle of water, but Eon and Daniel had opted for a beer each. Eon didn’t get to do anything with his but put it to his lips before Pete simply cleared her throat and put out her hand. Eon didn’t say a word, but set it in her palm and got himself a pop.

The computer and the gaming system were up and running to full capability at around two-thirty, then Eon left “for another gig,” he had told Duncan.

Duncan had had to ask, and discovered that the young man had another job and was still in high school, going to night classes to finish his education. The only way he was able to help Pete out for the extra money was he had to promise he would finish high school. She wouldn’t have it any other way. It worked out well for both of them. She got an apprentice, and he was getting his education.

~~~

Aaron just happened by his office as Pete was cleaning up and getting ready to finish for the day. He stopped to listen to the conversation between a woman and Brent. He didn’t know the woman’s voice, but he knew Brent’s. The woman was explaining to him something about an eye problem she had. He had missed the first part of the conversation, but assumed that Brent was being his usual self and asking ninety questions. Aaron loved that about him.

“
Well, I wear them because people don’t care for the color of my eyes. Plus, it’s a little painful around bright lights and the sun sometimes.”

“
Oh, well, people can be just dumb asses sometimes is what Colin says. I believe him ‘cause he ain’t never lied to me. Shade either. They’re life mates, did ya know that?” Brent asked.

He heard a crash and nearly went in, but as neither person seemed concerned, he let it go for now.

“
Watch your language, kid. You’re too little to cuss yet.” Another crash and still no movement from the two in his office. “Nope, never heard of life mates before, but different strokes for different folks, I guess,” she answered him.

“
How come you don’t got a mate? Shade says that everyone needs a mate to love them. I think she just says that ‘cause they kiss and stuff all the time. I think that stuff is gross. Don’t you?”

Aaron heard the same crashing sound and again, no one made a sound. It was then that he realized it was tools, some tools being banged together on something soft.

“
Kissing? Gee, I don’t know, buddy. I’ve never been kissed before, not really. People aren’t attracted to people like me, and before you ask, it’s because I was born on the wrong side of the sheets, err...I mean tracks. My kind of...person isn’t good enough to have life mates. We’re more of the...well, long term commitments aren’t something I see a lot of and it’s doubtful I ever will. Here, put those back into this case like this.”

Aaron felt his own mate coming near him. When she was close enough for him to see, he motioned her to come and have a quiet listen with him at the door.

“
They’ve been talking for the past ten minutes. She is very outspoken. I hope Colin and Shade don’t care. It could be an eye opener if Brent repeats anything she’s told him,” Aaron whispered through her mind with a laugh.

“
She’d better not be telling him dirty jokes. Colin will murder her. Not to mention Shade.”

“
No, love, just listen. You’ll see what I mean.”

Aaron wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands over his children nestled within her womb. They had learned when she was first pregnant how to talk to them, and loved doing it every chance he got.

“
You don’t have a boyfriend or nothing? I thought Eon was your lover or something,” Brent asked her.

This crash was different, he noticed right away, sounding as if a lot of tools had been dropped. But this time onto a hard surface rather than into a bag.

“
Sheesh, kid! Where the hell did you hear that? You don’t...you’re too young...you know, you’re not either of those, are you? Okay, kid, look, I’m only gonna tell you this once so you listen up, all right? No, Eon is not my lover. I don’t do sex with kids, nor dumb asses, and he’s definitely both. Nor do I discuss either my sex life or my lack of sex life with a seven-year-old. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone wants to discuss their sex life, good or bad, with a seven-year-old. You should save those questions for when you’re, say, forty or fifty and then only ask this Colin guy or Shade. Sara obviously knows a little about sex too, so any of the people that you are staying with, the adults you’re staying with, ask them. Never ever, ever, ever ask Eon about sex, never. Understand? There’s no telling what he’d tell you. And I’d hate to have to pay for the amount of therapy you’d need if you were going to seek advice from Eon again. We square? You get it?”

“
Yeah, I gots it. Don’t talk to Eon about sex. You’re not mad, are you? I mean, you act kinda all mad, but you ain’t, are you?”

Aaron stiffened, ready to go in and protect Brent if she were to say one thing to upset him. Brent had had enough for one so young, he thought. Brent’s own mother had sold him to men for sex so she could buy drugs. Brent’s little sister Becca had been murdered for the same reasons. The only thing that kept Aaron from storming in was Sara’s hand gripping his.

“
Nah, kid, I’m not mad. I don’t get mad all that easy. But I suspect I’m gonna be yelled at about this sometime tomorrow though. What do you think, buddy?”

Aaron felt it then, a very gentle probe of magic, a small touch. He also knew that she had been looking to see who was near, much like he had done when Sara was coming up the stairs moments ago. He moved into the room. He wanted to finally meet this woman, this paragon of mystery.

“
You should be fine with Colin and Shade, as you were honest with him and gave him good advice, I believe. Thank you,” he said. “My name is Aaron. I’m happy to meet you finally.”

So he was introduced to Pete, the computer whiz. Sara had told him about Pete, but had neglected to mention she was a she. He knew that the other men were also assuming she was a Peter and wondered what their reaction would be when they found out. Oh, he thought with a mental rubbing of his hands and a smile, this is going to be so much fun.

CHAPTER FOUR

Dominic was still staying at his old master’s home. He was not happy about it, but a promise was a promise. He had promised Colin that he would stick around and help him for as long as Colin needed him to. The work Colin had Dominic doing was much easier now that the realm was beginning to trust the new couple that had taken over.

Colin had fought and beaten the previous master several months ago. He had been there and still couldn’t believe the way Colin had simply cut the man down the way he had. It was both awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time.

At first Dominic had thought poor Shade, Colin’s mate, was going to go out and drag the reluctant vampires of the realm into Colin’s office. Colin had inherited them from the old master and it had taken this long to make the vamps believe he was not going to punish them for every little thing.

The first week had been the hardest on everyone, especially Shade. She was still a day walker, a vampire that could walk in the sunlight without any consequences, just like Sara, Aaron’s mate. Shade had made plans to have an antique dealer come in the large mansion to get an estimate on the God-awful furniture that was crowding the house.

The man had taken his time, estimating what was the least amount he could pay her for each piece, unknowingly telling Shade what he could sell it for on the open market because she could read his mind. He had also assumed, like everyone else did, that Shade was alone most of the time in the house. But Colin, since bonding to Shade, had been able to stay up well past noon now, her magic flowing through his veins as well his through hers.

When the dealer had made a pass at the young woman, Colin had nearly torn the man’s throat out before Shade could get him to just toss his “cheating, lying ass” out the door, which he took to mean literally and did just that, tossing him head over ass onto the gravel drive. People, especially vampires, tended to sit up and take serious notice of the way a man protected his mate, and that had been the turning point for the others as well.

Now they had a full staff of workers, tearing out the old wall paper, cleaning the house top to bottom. Also, plumbers and carpenters were there as well. In the few months since Colin had challenged and won against the old master, he and Shade had made many improvements. And more and more of the vampires were coming in to meet them rather than Shade dragging them in.

There were also the added workers working on the secondary home that was being built on the back half of the property. It was a very large structure that would have twenty-four bedrooms and twelve full baths on the second and third floors; the main floor would house a nursery, kitchen and dining hall. Around this building were going to be four small duplexes that would each have two or four bedrooms along with a kitchen, bath, and living room.