It was pretty late in the evening, probably close to midnight, and we were all huddled around the fireplace in the family room. I had changed into my pjs and had my favorite fuzzy robe covering me up for extra warmth. Athen was near the fireplace, which was throwing a warm glow onto his skin, highlighting his yellow-green eyes. He was so hard to resist. He had changed into some flannel bottoms and a t-shirt, looking absolutely perfect.
“Well, Brenda and Rob think they may have some leads as to where this yurt might be. They’re going to round up some others and head up there to see if they can find him. It sounds like our snowboarder hasn’t been turned yet. We can only hope it’s not too late. They told us they would keep us posted as soon as updates come in. In the meantime, we have to focus on our own little situation. We’ve got to get this resolved before we are of any help to what’s going on in Whistler.” Arie grabbed her cup of cider and sipped slowly.
“Switching gears…So the plan is to wait until he appears again. My guess is that he will be casing the house when we are away. I think we should all leave, and then Athen and I will bring him back to here and trap him. We’ll take care of him that way.” Cyril announced.
“Ok, but what if the minion is present?” Arie asked. I could detect a hint of worry in her voice.
“Aah, we can take care of it,” Cyril said, his cockiness flooding the room.
“I know, I know. I think…” I cut her off before she could begin. I knew what she was feeling. We couldn’t bear to lose them both at the same time.
“I want to be a part of this. I need to be. In fact, I insist. I can’t be talked out of it. I know I’m no match for the demon’s skill level, but there has to be a way to include me… We bring him into our trap, not fall into his. I can be the bait.”
“She’s right,” Arie firmly agreed with me, and I could tell that our history must have included a lot of these types of chats, “We don’t know his true skill level. If he detects your trance, he’ll be waiting for you. We never want to be on the defensive, only the offensive.”
The two guys looked at each other acknowledging defeat. They both sat back on the couch. I saw Athen begin to shake his head. I knew the fight was not entirely over.
“No, I’m not using you as bait. There’s no way I can do that,” Athen argued. “I’ve lost you once. I’m not going through that again, especially at my hands.”
“It’s true, Ana. I don’t think I could go through another day, let alone a year, of having to deal with Athen’s moping around. Plus, I missed you too. It’s gotta be a no.”
I could feel the fury building up inside me. I was being thrown aside and given no vote in any of this, and it was all involving me. I was not giving up.
“No, sorry. I’m not going to be on the sidelines anymore. That time has passed. We can all leave in that car together, but I guarantee you that Arie and I’ll be back at the house waiting before you trance or whatever it is you’re talking about. I won’t take no as an answer. We’ll have to come up with a solid plan, and I’ll be a part of it. You’ll be on your best performances to ensure nothing happens to me. Got it?” I didn’t know where this assuredness was coming from, but I liked it. I looked over at Arie, and she nodded at me. I was on the right path. Maybe I wasn’t the self-conscious Sally I‘d grown to be on my own.
“That’s my girl,” Athen said, coming to sit next to me in the oversized chair. He squeezed in between the pillows and me, giving me a big hug, “You are quite right. I didn’t ever want to get back to the stage where you were part of it, but I knew it would come sooner or later. You always wanted to be in the action. I guess I hoped that part of you wouldn’t fully return like before. Apparently, I was wrong.”
“Well, wait until I get my fighting skills up,” I said, laughing with a pit in my stomach.
“Not so fast on that one,” he said, kissing me on my forehead. “So what’s our plan?”