Elois is irradiating with joy, while Ellena is sulking by his side, a dark look looming over her face.
…Girl, how long are you going to pout? Seriously, stop pouting for only this much! I mean, of course, we're going to borrow your brother's clothes to dress James, and not yours! Oh, gosh, I swear, kids…
"Why can't Uncle wear my dress?" she sniffles for the nth time, tears welling in her eyes as we walk down the stairs. "My dresses are pretty."
That's not the problem, but… Oh, hell, how am I supposed to explain to her why a grown-up man might not want to wear a little girl's dress?
No matter how I try to turn it over in my mind, it sounds wrong. Very wrong.
"My clothes are pretty, too!"
Please, Elois, I'm begging you, don't taunt your sister. I don't want to handle a crying fit this morning. I'm too tired for that.
"James, we brought you clothes—"
I choke on my words, my eyes growing wide as I take in the sight before me. A little boy sits on a bloody couch, the adult shirt barely hanging onto his tiny shoulders. He lifts his misty eyes to meet mine, and I'm left stunned.
To be fair, James, as an adult, is a handsome man, but darn, he's unbelievably cute as a child. He looks like an angel—no, scratch that. Angels are scary as fuck.
He brushes his messy, blond hair behind his ears, mumbling in a soft voice, "I'm warning you; I'm staying in that child form until we get those goddamn fuckers. I'm not switching back and forth between an adult and a child form. Nuh-huh, not happening. I refuse."
Well, seeing the bloody mess, I've got a pretty good hunch as to why. Jonathan looks utterly unbothered, though. Pal, how about showing a bit of compassion, hum? Just a tiny bit?
"See?" Ellena stomps her foot. "Uncle looks so cute; my dress would suit him better than Elois's clothing!"
I feel my mouth fall agape, and I can't help but look at her in disbelief.
Don't you think your uncle already has enough on his plate? You want him to wear a dress on top of everything? And that aside, I know we bought warm socks for you and all, but it's still freezing cold outside today.
For the record, I don't really want to learn whether a vampire can catch a cold or not.
James rubs his puffy eyes and asks Jordan, "What's the ratio between the victims' genders?"
"Pretty much the same," Jordan answers matter-of-factly. "For the time being, two girls and two boys have been identified. They seem to alternate between the two."
A hum, and James eyes his patriarch. Then he sighs, resigned. Erm, wait a second. He couldn't be planning to actually wear Ellena's dress, could he?
"Ellena, can you bring me one of your dresses?" Sparkles lighten her eyes, and she forgets about sulking. "I'll take one of Elois's jackets, though. Is that alright with you two?"
The kids' heads bob up and down, pink bubbles seemingly floating around them as they run upstairs to choose a dress and a fitting jacket. Since their parents tend to buy them matching clothing, it shouldn't be too difficult to find something suitable.
Once they're out of sight, I throw a questioning glance at James, who shrugs in response.
"We're not sure whether they need a girl or a boy for tonight, so better not to take any chances and stack the odds in our favor. I'll wear the dress, and Jonathan can be his usual self. It should increase our chance to bait the dickheads."
Fair point, I guess.
It also doesn't seem to bother James, so I decide not to comment. In any case, he's cute enough to pass as a girl, and Ellena is over the moon.
Thank God, no crying fits for me this morning.
***
James is having a blast pretending to be a kid.
It leaves me speechless, to be frank.
Well, whatever.
I bring the plastic cup of coffee to my lips and take a sip. For a second, I allow myself to enjoy the warm sensation trailing down my throat. I take another sip and watch the "kids" play and giggle near the barricade that keeps people from jumping into the street. The giant snowmen are parading, and loud, upbeat music is blaring.
It's giving my tired brain a migraine, if anything.
Jonathan leans against the barricade, and James holds onto him. The vampire patriarch's movements are getting more sluggish by the second. He hasn't taken his afternoon nap, so he must be exhausted.
"Don't drink too much coffee," Jordan chuckles, and I shift my attention to him. "Or you won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Yes, yes, I know."
I take another sip, anyway.
"Any news from the government agents?" I ask.
"No, none."
No news is good news, huh? Yeah, my ass.
Alright, fine. At least, no corpse has been found, but damn do I wish the cultists had gone to pick up the shapeshifter already. We're well into the evening, past dinner time, so what the fuck are they waiting for?
Urgh, how annoying.
The wait is stretching my nerves taut. I won't be able to relax until they show up.
Scott, calm down. Everything's fine, and no more kids are going to vanish out of the blue. Government agents are not completely hopeless.
Well, the field agents usually aren't.
"Looks like the parade is nearing its end," Jordan comments, and I glance at the street. We can see the last snowman already. "Hm? What are the kids doing?"
Jordan's words bring my attention back to the children. They're leading a drowsy Jonathan to sit on a bench, and James sits beside him. They exchange a few words. I can't hear anything at this distance, but whatever James says, Ellena and Elois nod to it before turning around and dashing toward us, leaving them alone.
Ah, James is setting the scene for a perfect abduction, isn't he? Now that the parade is over, the crowd starts to scatter and fill the alleys. Soon enough, I have to crane my neck around to see them, as the sudden influx of people is hiding them from sight.
"Dad, Father!" Ellena smiles at us, holding onto her little brother's hand. "James says he'd like tea for him and Sir Jonathan!" She giggles. "He asked us to buy some for him. Can we?"
Jordan and I share a glance. I know he's not enchanted by the plan, but still, he nods.
He knows what to do. So, he leans over to pick up his children, cradling them in his arms. Guess that's the advantage of being as tall and strong as he is. There's no way I could do that. I need both of my hands to hold onto one kid.
I'm not jealous. No, never.
"Sure, let's go."
I watch them from the corner of my eyes as Jordan makes way to a stall a bit further down the alley. That's where we bought my coffee earlier. Now, there's quite a line. It's gonna take a while before he can order the drinks.
A sigh leaves me, and I move closer to the bench, close enough so my field of view isn't obstructed anymore, or at least, not as much. Bait or not, I'm not leaving these two out of my sight.
Then, I wait.
Minutes pass slowly. I'm counting the seconds, half of me praying no one is going to strike up a conversation with Jonathan and James. That hope gets crushed when a woman approaches them. I'm just about to curse and warn Jordan when I notice the shadow of wolf ears twitching atop her head.
Ah, a lycan.
She's not a human, and I can help but let out a discreet sigh of relief. Right. There's nothing odd here. She could be genuinely worried about two kids left alone on a bench, with one of them sleeping against the other's shoulder.
Missing children have been making the news these past few days, after all.
Looks like our baiting won't be successful today.
To start with, that little plan of ours is completely up to luck. The two vampires can either catch the attention of cultists or good Samaritans. It's impossible to tell which of the two has approached them until the last minute.
I watch as James nods and smiles brightly to the woman, leaping to his feet before shaking Jonathan's shoulders. The vampire patriarch dozily stands up. Neither can tell she's not our target, so they get ready to follow her.
I put down my plastic cup of coffee and get ready to interrupt them. I'll need to apologise for the trouble—wait a second. That's not the security stall direction. Where is she bringing them…?
Panic wells up in my chest. I haven't warned Jordan yet. I didn't think she was… No. Wait.
Your Seer ability could mislead us.
My husband's voice rings in my ears as I bolt toward them. They're about to disappear into a corner. One second too late, and she'll be gone, bringing both James and Jonathan with her.
She's a lycan, not a human.
I don't have the time to call Jordan.