Wyatt didn't stop until he reached the railing. Pausing then, he set Elspeth down and quickly unwound the towel from around her legs. She needed mobility for him to lower her down to his grandmother's porch.
Wyatt straightened from the task to find Elspeth had removed the upper towel as well and was now peering sadly back into her burning bedroom.
"El?" he said gently. "We have to go."
Nodding, she turned back to him and then frowned as she looked him over. "You got burned."
"I'm fine," he assured her and urged her closer to the rail. "I'm going to lower you to Gran's porch and--"
"I can climb," she interrupted. "Do you want me to help you?"
Wyatt smiled crookedly at the offer, but shook his head. "I'm good. Let's get moving. The fire hasn't spread to the porch yet, but it still could."
Elspeth nodded and began to climb over the rail. Wyatt followed suit, throwing one leg over the rail and then quickly lowering himself even as Elspeth did. When she swung out and dropped to the grass in front of his grandmother's porch, he did as well, and then he caught her arm to urge her away.
"Oh thank God!"
Wyatt glanced down with surprise as he was suddenly caught up in a ridiculously tight hug by Alex, he saw. She'd approached so quickly he hadn't even seen her coming, and now she lifted him off his feet briefly, and then set him back down and clasped his face, pulling him down to buss his cheek. "You saved her. And yourself. We're so glad you're both okay."
Alex had barely finished saying that before she released him and switched places with Sam, whom he now saw releasing Elspeth. Alex caught El up in a hug now even as Sam rushed around her to hug him as well. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank God you were here! We never could have got to her."
Wyatt chuckled and patted the woman's back, his gaze now moving around the backyard just in time to see Julianna and Victoria rush around the corner of the burning house and hurry toward them. His grandmother and Martine followed, the two women moving at almost a jog, which was as good as a full-on run for his elderly grandmother. She looked fine, though, he noted with relief. They all did.
"How are you?" Sam asked, pulling back to look up at him with concern.
"I'm good," he assured her, stepping back. "I--" The word ended on a grunt as the twins reached them and both threw themselves at him at once, nearly knocking him over before he managed to regain his balance.
"Thank you for saving Elspeth, Wyatt," Julianna said, hugging him tightly. "And thank goodness you're all right too."
"How do you know she didn't save me?" he asked with amusement.
"I read it from your mind as we rushed up," she said easily, and then gave him another squeeze, and slid away to hug Elspeth.
"Thank you," Victoria said simply and gave him another squeeze as well before following Julianna.
"Wyatt?"
Turning back at that anxious cry, Wyatt hurried toward his grandmother, intent on making sure she was okay too.
"You're good?"
Elspeth smiled at that question from Julianna. "Yes. Perfect. Not a blister or splinter."
"Good, good." Julianna hugged her again and then said, "But Wyatt was hurt."
"Yes, I saw that he had a bit of scorching on one arm," Elspeth admitted, her worried gaze sliding to the man as he greeted his grandmother. She noticed her mother standing next to the pair, talking on the phone, but then glanced back to Julianna as she continued speaking.
"Not his arms, although he has more than a bit of scorching there," she said solemnly. "His feet and lower legs are badly burned from running through the fire, and his feet are cut up pretty bad too . . . from the broken glass from the French door."
Cursing, Elspeth turned and rushed over to where Wyatt was talking quietly with Meredith.
"I'm fine, Gran, really," he was saying as she reached them.
Elspeth slowed to a stop and looked him over with concern. Julianna was right. He was more than a little scorched on the arms. There were a couple of good burns on the bottoms of his lower arms, but there were a lot of larger, deeper scorch marks on his legs and feet. Elspeth closed her eyes briefly. He'd run through the fire. She hadn't been able to see that. She'd thought he'd found a way around the flames or something. She'd never imagined he'd run right through it. She couldn't imagine what the bottoms of his feet must look like.
"We are going to Marguerite's. Rachel is meeting us there. She will look after Wyatt," Martine announced as if she thought she could still order them all around.
Elspeth turned slowly to stare at her mother, a dozen different thoughts racing through her head. Trust and appreciation for her thinking ahead and making the necessary phone calls for these arrangements were not among those thoughts. For one moment, Elspeth even considered telling her mother to go to hell, that they'd go check into a hotel. All of them . . . except Martine. Unfortunately, she couldn't really afford it herself, and knew Meredith couldn't either.
No, it was better for them to stay at Aunt Marguerite's until they could get ahold of the insurance companies, both hers and Meredith's, and see if there was any kind of housing allowance in a situation like this. Until then, Aunt Marguerite's would do. Elspeth was very fond of her aunt, and knew she'd be kind and understanding with Meredith.
"So, I talked to Mortimer," Sam announced, leading Alex and the twins to join them. "He says we're going to Marguerite's?" She looked at Elspeth in question, and when she nodded, relaxed and smiled. "Okay then. Mortimer is sending Donny to collect Martine and the twins, and I thought Wyatt would rather Meredith ride with us?"
When everyone looked his way, Wyatt nodded solemnly, but his gaze was shifting around the dark yard, searching the shadows and corners. No doubt looking for their arsonist, Elspeth supposed and started looking as well.
"I think we'd do better to wait in the front yard where the streetlights offer more illumination," he said now.
"Good thinking," Sam said with a nod and began to usher the group around the house.
Elspeth couldn't help noticing that Wyatt positioned himself between her and his grandmother, one hand holding each of them by the elbow, ready to move them where he wanted if trouble hit. Usually he would have had one hand hovering near his weapon as he escorted them, she knew. Unfortunately, he didn't presently have his guns. Those were sitting in the bathroom sink in her burning apartment.
"Is Mortimer sending someone to deal with the police and the firemen?" Alex asked Sam as they reached the front of the house and found both departments in evidence. There were two police cars, a large fire truck, and uniformed men running everywhere, Elspeth noted as they made their way across the front yard. One of the neighbors must have called 911 relatively quickly for them to already be here.
"Yes. Magnus and Rickart are going to come handle the police and firemen," Sam assured her, mentioning two of the men from the UK Enforcers who had come to assist while the North American hunters were short on Enforcers. "They were the closest crew and should be here--right now," Sam finished with a wry smile as they saw an SUV glide into view on the street.
"Not a moment too soon," Elspeth said dryly as she noted that they'd been spotted and several of the uniformed mortals were making a beeline for them.
"Which one of you is the homeowner?"
"Did everyone get out?"
"Is there anyone still in the house?"
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Do you know how the fire started?"
The questions came rapid-fire as half a dozen men converged on them.
Elspeth saw Meredith open her mouth to explain that she was the homeowner, but the woman never got the chance to say it. The men had already turned away as one and were walking back across the yard.
"Well, that was . . . What on earth . . . ?" Meredith said a little shakily. Elspeth slid into her thoughts to calm her and then watched as the officers and firemen made their way straight to Magnus and Rickart as they got out of the SUV. The two men had obviously taken control of them
from their vehicle when they saw them converging on the group. She'd have to thank them later, Elspeth thought on a sigh. She was just too tired to deal with things like that at the moment.
"It's all right, Merry," Sam said soothingly as Elspeth retreated from the woman's thoughts. "That's Magnus and Rickart. They work with Elspeth and me. They'll take care of everything."
"Oh, how nice," Merry said with a weary smile.
"That's impressive," Wyatt said solemnly next to her, his gaze on the two immortals facing the half circle of men in uniform. "And one hell of a handy trick."
Elspeth smiled faintly, and then spotted a second SUV pulling up behind the first, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"There's Donny," Sam said now. "Martine--"
"Yes," her mother interrupted. "Come along, girls. Our ride is here."
She sailed across the yard then, simply expecting the girls to obey, but for one of the few times in their lives, Julianna and Victoria did not obey at once. Instead, they simply watched her until she was several feet away and then turned to Sam and begged in unison, "Can't we ride with you?"
Sam eyed them sympathetically, but shook her head. "I'm sorry. There isn't enough room for all of us in our SUV."
"We could ride in the back with the cooler and the gun chest," Julianna said desperately.
Sam hesitated, but then pointed out, "It wouldn't be comfortable and there are no seat belts back there."
"We'd be safe enough," Victoria assured her. "So long as we aren't beheaded we're good, and that can happen as easily with seat belts as without."
"And a little discomfort is fine," Julianna added firmly, "so long as we don't have to ride with . . ."
They all turned to watch Martine crossing the yard and Elspeth could see the struggle taking place on Sam's face. It was obvious she didn't want to say no. Finally, Elspeth said, "If you're going to allow it, you better say so now and get them in the SUV before Mother notices they aren't with her and takes control of them."
"Yes, yes, all right. Get in the back quickly, girls," Sam said, and then shook her head as they watched the twins run for the SUV parked in the driveway. As the rest of the group followed at a quick clip, Sam elbowed her sister and muttered, "Your mother-in-law is so going to hate me."
"But my sisters-in-law won't," Alex pointed out. "Besides, the more I see of my mother-in-law, the less I like her, so what do I care what she thinks?"
The driveway was much closer than the road, and their group reached Sam's SUV faster than Martine reached the one Donny was in.
"Uh-oh. I think you'd best get this puppy in gear and get us out of here, Sam," Alex said suddenly in warning as they were doing up their seat belts. "Martine just noticed the girls aren't with her and doesn't look pleased."
Elspeth glanced toward her mother to see that she'd stopped in front of Donny's SUV and was looking back to where they'd been standing when she started off. No one was there anymore. Of course, when she didn't spot them at once, Martine glanced around until she did spot them. But Sam already had the SUV started and was maneuvering around the police cars in the driveway to get to the road.
"Call Donny and let him know the twins are with us and he only needs to transport Martine," Sam ordered once they were accelerating away up the road.
"You don't think he'll figure that out for himself?" Alex asked dryly, even as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"He might not. The girls ducked out of sight in the back the minute they got in," Sam explained, glancing in the rearview mirror as both girls popped up now in the back.
"She has to see you to . . . do her thing," Julianna finished with a glance at Meredith.
Victoria nodded, and added, "We thought ducking might be for the best. If she'd try to make Elspeth . . ." She paused briefly, and when Elspeth noted the concentrated look on her face as she peered at Meredith, she realized she was taking control of the woman, and understood why when she finished, "If she was willing to make Elspeth bite Wyatt, she might not be above making us jump out of a moving vehicle."
"Yes," Julianna agreed unhappily. "She appears to be less concerned about our well-being than controlling us."
Elspeth would have liked to argue the point, and say that their mother loved them all and certainly wouldn't have made them jump out of the vehicle, but she wasn't at all sure that was true. In fact, she was rather surprised her mother hadn't taken control of Sam and made her stop the car. The only thing she could think was that Alex must have been in the way, preventing her seeing Sam to do that. Or perhaps she'd just been so shocked at being disobeyed so openly that she hadn't thought to do it.
Whatever the case, they'd got away and were en route to Aunt Marguerite's. Unfortunately, it was only a brief escape. Martine would follow them there and they'd still have to contend with her.
Wyatt's hand covering hers drew Elspeth's attention, and she glanced to him in question, but he wasn't looking at her. His concerned gaze was on his grandmother. Turning to the woman on her other side, Elspeth noted that Meredith appeared to be sleeping.
"Julianna, did you put Merry to sleep?" she asked, turning her head to peer over her shoulder.
"Yes," she admitted apologetically. "I'm sorry, but Merry was pretty upset, Elspeth. She lost everything. Including every picture she had of her dead husband. She was panicking as she thought about that, so I decided it was better if she slept."
"Thank you," Wyatt said solemnly before Elspeth could respond, and then he sighed wearily, and shook his head. "She and Gramps were neighbors growing up, and started dating at fifteen. They truly loved each other." Peering at the older woman, he added, "I remember how crushed she was when Gramps died. She still gets teary-eyed when he comes up in conversation. Now she's even lost her pictures of him. This will be like losing him all over again."
"I'm sorry," Elspeth murmured quietly.
"What for?" Wyatt asked with surprise.
"This is all my fault," she pointed out. "That wasn't a natural fire. Even with the towel you wrapped around me I could smell the gasoline in the room. Someone threw a firebomb in."
"Molotov cocktails," Alex said grimly. "We were still in the kitchen when it happened. We heard breaking glass and ran to the door just as a flaming bottle came flying through a hole in the French doors and crashed in the living room."
"It landed right next to a large rock that must have been thrown through first to break the door," Sam told them. "And then we heard the glass breaking in the bedroom too. We sent Julianna and Victoria down to get Meredith and your mother out, and then ran up the hall to make sure you guys were okay."
"The room was an inferno," Alex said with remembered dismay. "We couldn't see you, but we couldn't go in to try to find you either. All we could do was stand there and scream for you, but it took forever for you to respond."
"We were asleep," Wyatt explained.
"In the bathroom?" Alex asked with disbelief. "What on earth--Oh. Oh! You two had life mate sex and passed out!" she said with sudden realization, and Elspeth was very glad that Merry was asleep.
"Awesome!" Julianna squealed suddenly, and shifted to her knees to crawl forward in the back to half hug Wyatt over the car seat. "Welcome to the family, bro!"
"Yeah, Wyatt, welcome to the family!" Victoria said with excitement, moving up beside Julianna to half hug him over the seat as well.
"Sit down, girls," Elspeth growled. "You'll have a police officer pulling us over for no seat belts."
"Sam would just control him and send him on his way," Julianna said with unconcern, but the twins did settle back to a sitting position in the back of the SUV. They also shut up, which was even better, since Elspeth felt like she was about to hyperventilate. What the heck was that all about? "Welcome to the family"? Dear God, they'd had sex, not got married, for heaven's sake.
"Here we are," Sam announced suddenly as she turned into Marguerite's treed driveway.
"Lissianna's car is here," Alex pointed out. "And I think that's Rachel's car nex
t to it."
"Yes," Sam said, and explained, "That fire made Mortimer think it might be better if the four of us were on-site at all times." She glanced at her sister worriedly. "If that's okay with you?"
Alex shrugged. "That's fine. Cale is out of town on that job for Mortimer anyway."
"Thanks," Sam said with a smile, but Elspeth frowned. Meredith's home and all her belongings were gone, Wyatt had been injured, and now Sam, Alex, Lissianna, and Rachel were going to have to spend twenty-four hours a day babysitting her? Everyone's lives were being disrupted because of her and whoever it was who appeared to be out to kill her. She had to sort out who was behind all of this, Elspeth thought as she watched the front door of Marguerite's house open. Several people hurried out, heading for the SUV as Sam parked it.
"Will Gran stay asleep if I pick her up?"
Elspeth glanced around at that question from Wyatt, but it was Julianna who answered.
"I can keep her asleep if you like," she offered.
"Yes, please. I think it's probably for the best if she just sleeps right through until morning," he said quietly.
"Okay," Julianna said easily. "I'll follow you to whatever room Aunt Marguerite has for her, and make sure she's well under before we leave. I can't guarantee she'll sleep through the night, but . . ." She shrugged.
Wyatt nodded, and then glanced to Elspeth as he undid his seat belt. "I'm going to walk around to the other door to get her out. I think it's better if you follow her out that door. This one faces the road and if we were followed . . ." He didn't bother to finish his sentence, but opened his door and got out.
Elspeth turned her attention to her seat belt then and didn't realize anything was wrong until she heard a grunt. She turned back toward Wyatt just in time to see him crash to the ground outside the SUV.
Twelve
"What is it? What's wrong with him?" Elspeth asked anxiously as Rachel turned Wyatt onto his back on the paved driveway and began to look him over. Everyone had rushed around the car when Wyatt had collapsed. The group reached him almost as quickly as Elspeth had scrambled out to kneel next to him.