Chapter 21 – Claws Sunk Deep.

If there was one thing that her father was a master of, it was efficiency. Barking orders, having people run around, and making sure that what he wanted to get done, got done, and in a timely manner. As an added bonus, it kept him occupied, meaning that Callie was able to stay away from him, and Riddling. But their actions hadn’t been without consequences. They got looks. A lot of them, most of those that had come with her father giving them a wide berth, and no small amount of whispering. About her, as she was now, about the relationships, and about the fox that Julia was holding on to. Felicia just smirked, enjoying being close to Julia. They knew nothing of the truth after all.

It took less than an hour for everything to get sorted, and everyone to start boarding the helicopters. Someone had been sent to the hospital, and while Burt was stable, he was in a very serious condition, and wouldn’t be moved anytime soon. Callie made a point of expressing again that she was not travelling in the same helicopter as her father, or Riddling, and while he had glared at her, a quiet word from Riddling and he had relented. There was still too many people in their vicinity in the machine, but at least it wasn’t those two.

It was only a short trip to the scene of the attack, relatively speaking, all of them staying on board while a number of the other team disembarked to examine the carnage. The looks on their faces as they returned pretty much told her that things had gotten worse since they’d left it, no surprises there, and the stop was rather brief, the helicopters lifting off into the air again after less than an hour. Picking up on some of the conversations before the rotors made talking impossible, it seemed that the trailer unit had been salvaged, and loaded into the other machine, a few more people riding in the one that they were in. Whatever was in there, that was of importance to Riddling, had obviously survived Alyther’s fire, or was partially salvageable. As to the vehicles themselves, and the bodies that lay within, it seemed that another crew were on their way, and the poor police officers that were tasked with watching the site would be there for a while yet.

Callie was positively tired from stress and anxiety by the time the helicopters landed in a familiar location, night having fallen. Her father wasn’t stupid enough to try and have the helicopters fly all night, arrangements being made for at least some of the team to sleep in the motels there. Which did include Callie and the others. They requested the same arrangement as usual, the person at reception not even batting an eye and just handing over a key, while one of the spellswords handed over a package of food. Guardian rations that were tasteless and bland, but they wouldn’t be getting anything else, not this time around. Not being able to prepare some proper food for them felt sad, like she was missing out on something.

She was glad when she crawled into bed beside Uriah, her husband wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. It felt so good, so right, that she could say that now. That they were each others. That the bond was very much real, confirmed by Riddling even. Not that her parents would buy it, but even so, that didn’t change its validity. Julia looked at them a little jealously, settling into the other bed, Felicia sending a mental chuckle before she shifted into her human form and snuggled into a somewhat surprised, but also very grateful Julia.

‘Hey, I did declare as such,’ Felicia added, while making some rather interesting noises, Callie blushing and trying to ignore her actions.

They may have also pushed some furniture up against the door, and totally because she did not trust her father at all. Nor Riddling. Not that it would do much if they actually tried something, as either of them were much more skilled than an intoxicated Burt, but it would hopefully give them at least a little warning, and provided a measure of security.

Callie was woken in the middle of the night by Uriah’s scream, his body hot and sweaty as he sat up in the bed, breathing heavily. She could feel his pain, his fear. The terror still clawing at him. Blinking sleepily, she pulled herself up as well, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and giving him a light kiss.

“You alright Uri?” she asked quietly. No, he wasn’t, she knew that, but it still felt like the right thing to say, bond or not.

“The bullet,” Uriah mumbled with a shudder. “He almost killed me, Callie.”

Callie reached up, tracing a finger along the graze. It was almost fully healed, just a faint line. Much faster than for any other wound he’d had before. She gave it a kiss, before snuggling her head into his shoulder. “He didn’t though, nor we will allow him to ever try again.” She hissed at her own mention of her father. If it hadn’t been for Felicia, she wasn’t sure what would have happened, but irrespective she still hated her father for it. And for everything else that both her mother and father had done to her and Uriah as they’d grown up. It was a surprise that they were well adjusted at all. Or perhaps they weren’t. Not that it mattered. They were them, and she loved him anyway.

“We’re here, and we’re safe, for the moment at least,” she added, trying to send reassuring feelings as she wrapped her arms around him more.

“Thanks,” Uriah replied back, putting his arms around her as well. He then gave a little chuckle. “I’m meant to be the one protecting you though.”

“Huh, what makes you say that?” Callie looked up at him and gave him another kiss. “We’re a team. All of us.” Yeah, she was... she was including Julia in that too.

“Misplaced perceptions perhaps?” he offered as an excuse. She knew the actual reason though. It was part of his nature, who he was, and in some ways, he had been doing that his entire life.

“We’ll keep each other safe, Uri. We’re not what we were before, and they have no clue. No clue at all, about the four of us.” And the bonds that they’d formed had made them all stronger too she was sure. It was obvious for Felicia, and Julia given the blood, but even for her and Uriah. She could just feel it, and that was ignoring how much her mark had changed. “You are my knight,” she added though, giving him another kiss and running her hand down his chest. And she was the Witch, very much equals in all of this, and they both knew that.

“Heh.” That at least had amused him. “The bullet could have been for you too,” Uriah then said, the worry and fear back.

Callie shook her head. “Not from them. Not from my parents. Perhaps someone else? But the same still applies. We’ll look after each other.”

Uriah then sighed, and lay back down in the bed. “I had never expected him to go so far. We’ve pushed him over the edge huh?”

Callie lay on his chest, pulling the sheets over them, arms still wrapped around him. “I did declare it. Just this time we were able to go through with it without their intervention. They’ve lost a little of their hold over us, Uri. A little of their power. Father fears that. The loss of his own power.”

“Your mother isn’t going to do nothing you know.” Uriah ran a hand through her hair and down her back.

“I know.” Callie closed her eyes and held tighter. ‘I’m scared about that too, of what she’s going to do. We rebelled big time. We would have made so much more of a mess if Julia hadn’t been held hostage by Riddling.’ She thought the second part, knowing that he’d receive it as well. There was more to it than just her words, but feelings as well. The most worrying part was that she had no clue as to what her mother would do. She was a schemer and manipulator, her network just as big and worrying as her father’s but for different reasons.

‘Hopefully though Julia will be spared from all this, given that they don’t know about her changes.’ Uriah replied in like, giving her a light kiss on the head.

‘Riddling suspects something, and we are all in the same room though.’ It wasn’t pure coincidence that Riddling had threatened Julia, and it hadn’t been because of the arranged marriage. She could but hope.

‘We’ll be back home tomorrow.’

“Hmm.” That they would be, and that was the only positive about it. They’d be back under the full umbrella of the Guardians again, and they’d have to face her parents again. Both of them. She could feel the fear starting to settle in again, and here she was meant to be comforting Uriah.

‘Life has never been easy, Callie. But we’ve made it thus far, haven’t we?’

‘That we have.’ Callie gave him a smile, and a kiss on his chest, before she snuggled in more and closed her eyes. She couldn’t change the coming tomorrow, but they were all in this together.

---

As Callie had expected, they were woken at the break of dawn, someone loudly banging on their door, declaring that they would be shortly departing. Callie groaned and rolled out of bed, her breasts sore again. That at least she was pleased about. As to the rude awakening, they’d humour her father, but she didn’t have any intention of rushing. They’d get up, get dressed, and eat. Then they’d return to the helicopters and finish the journey home. She was half tempted to see how long they could drag it out for, but that could just make things worse, so she wasn’t going to. They did make sure to remove the furniture away from the door once they were dressed though.

Breakfast was bland, but at least what was provided in the room was better than the rations that they had been given. Julia all but nibbled at hers, pushing away the plate and then sighing into Felicia. “You ready to face the day?” she asked, standing, and putting Felicia down on the table.

“No?” Callie answered. But they’d have to anyways.

Julia chuckled, and then looked at Felicia with a semi-serious expression. “At least you could give me a kiss before we head out into the nightmare.”

Felicia chuckled and gave her an amused grin before she was enveloped in her magic, then standing before Julia, arms wrapped around her. “They’ll see you know,” she teased daintily, batting her eyelashes. A light laugh followed before she pulled her in, kissing Julia deeply, hands wandering, before she shifted back into her fox form, back on the table.

“That was too short,” Julia moaned with a pout, picking Felicia up and cradling her in her arms. “I guess we should go then?”

“Yeah.” Callie pushed her chair back, and taking Uriah’s hand, headed out of the motel room.

The second day’s travel was as much as the first. Sitting uncomfortably inside the helicopter, trying to ignore the stares of the others that were there, and barely able to hear much above the engine of the machine, even with the soundproofed headphones on. Not that that was an issue for three of them, but it did leave Julia out of the loop, and Callie could clearly feel her rising nervousness as the day wore on and they got closer. Matching her own, and Uriah’s as well. Only Felicia was unaffected there, though she was getting the feedback from the bond, comforting thoughts sent her way when she wasn’t actively snuggling into Julia.

It was late afternoon when the helicopters settled down in a fenced off area behind the Guardians’ complex, somewhere she had been often enough but which held no interest to her. Now it was filled with vehicles that her father had acquired, crammed into the numerous warehouses or sitting out in the open, parked against the edges. A little bit of chaos to her fathers more rigid nature. There was no one waiting in the area as they landed though, which was a relief. She had half expected her mother to be there, but she could do without having to face her right now. Or anyone from her family. She just wanted to go home to her apartment, and ignore the rest of the world for a while, till it inevitably came knocking.

They quickly disembarked from the helicopter, but only made it halfway to the exit gate before she heard her father’s voice shouting out from behind her, Callie wincing at his use of her dead-name.

“Fraser, you are to return to the family estate. I don’t care where your little friend goes, but he is not to step foot with its boundaries.” She turned to see him marching towards them, the guard not far behind him.

“No,” Callie said bluntly and with no small measure of annoyance. “We are returning to our apartment.”

A wicked grin spread across her father’s face, Callie getting a sinking feeling. “No,” he reiterated. “You will return to the estate. Your apartment is yours no longer. The lease has been terminated, and all of its contents disposed of. All of your accounts, both of yours, have also been terminated, the funds reverting back to the family accounts. You, son, will return to the estate.”

Her blood running cold seemed to be becoming a familiar sensation, Callie staring at her father in disbelief. “You... you can’t do that. You can’t! It’s our home, not yours!”

“You are our son. We do as we please, and you will do as you’re told.” His voice was cold and harsh.

“I. Am. Your. Daughter! And I am my own woman dammit!” Well, hers and Uriah’s and Julia’s, but technicalities. “I am not a child. Nor a tool!” She shouted the last part, glaring at her father as her magic raged again, wanting to lash out, to reinforce her words. She could feel the energy arcing between her hands, raw and potent. Turning she all but ran the rest of the way to the exit, only slowing when she was through, waiting for the others, who were just behind her.

“They can do that?” Julia asked as they quickly walked their way to the complex.

Callie nodded. It was something that not only could they do, but that her mother would totally do as well. She had terminated all of her jobs after all with but a brief conversation, and this was a mere step above that. To strip all her freedom and independence from her.

That’s what it was, after all. They’d rebelled, significantly, and now her parents were tightening the chains in retaliation. But she wasn’t theirs any more. Hadn’t been for a long time, even if they had kept her chained within their web. And it was another attempt to split her and Uriah apart. But they weren’t going to succeed there either.

“They really have,” Uriah said, his voice small and quiet as they entered the complex, showing her the screen of his phone. Their accounts were still listed there, but clearly marked as terminated, the funds all gone. All of it, including their pay for being members of the Guardians, and everything that she had earnt outside of it. That the phone account was still active was a surprise.

“%$#%,” Julia exclaimed, still walking with them.

Callie walked with her eyes to the ground, the pain clawing at her, the hope that it was all a lie, all but gone. She knew what was waiting for them at their apartment. Nothing. But still, she needed to see, to confirm it. That her parents had gone and destroyed that part of her life. Of their lives.

The corridor, the door, it all looked the same as it had when they left. Callie stood there, and took a deep breath, squeezing Uriah’s hand for reassurance.

“This changes nothing for me,” Julia stated as she stood just behind them. “Nor will anything that your parents say or do. It is no longer about our families, but about us. The decision is mine and mine alone, and I still want this relationship with you. This relationship that we have.”

Callie nodded, taking a deep breath as she stared at the door. At the finality that lay with. Stepping forward, she placed her key in the lock.

It didn’t fit. They’d changed the lock as well.

Fine. The damage was on their hands. Taking ahold of the door handle, she sent her magic through it, charged with intent, and the knowledge of how the locks worked. It had been part of their training after all. With a click and a burning smell, the handle turned and the door swung open.

The only thing that greeted them was the emptiness of an apartment that had been hurriedly and messily cleared out.

She couldn’t help herself. Callie collapsed to her knees and cried, the tears flowing freely. It was all gone. The home that they’d built up together over the last seven years had been stripped away from them.