Colonel Seeders' Mail Order Bride, Hank

25 Hank

Hank spoke to Sebastian about the information he got from Hawk, but refused to tell him how he knew about everything. They always judged Hawk harshly because no ten year old boy could possibly know the things he did. Naturally the two had to speak in code for fear of their conversation being overheard.

Sebastian’s inspection of his craft, done by Bridgette and Eddy, came up with a tracker and some listening devices.

“Hank, we sealed those windows. What are you going to do with the door?” Xander asked.

Matteo stood biting the skins beside his nails. He started up as soon as the blizzard blew in and Hawk and Michelle never returned. Then the vampires threw themselves at the door, yelping each time the electrical currents shocked them. He still remembered the day their father installed the security system. Hank asked him why the door had no metal sheets blocking out the snow and wind. His explanation made more sense when he needed to get out to go after Hawk and Michelle when Hawk told him how afraid he had been. His panic faded as soon as he found out what Hank had done. He cuddled closer to his mother, knowing that Hank would never let them die in that cabin. He couldn’t if he himself wanted to stay alive.

“Don’t do anything yet. If those vamps come back, blast them with fire. I need it open in case something happens.”

Something did happen, not ten minutes later.

“Dad. You have to come now. Mom can’t take any more. She’s getting sick.”

Hank pushed his brothers out of his way. His wings broke through his skin at the same time as a roar bellowed out of him.

“You shared your heart-fire with her?” Xander shouted. “With a murderer?”

Xander’s back slammed against the wall, his feet kicked out as he gasped for air.
“Call my wife that again and I will forget that I am related to you. You insulted my son for the last time too. One more comment about either of them and I will kill you. Is that understood?” Hank growled in his face.

“Hank, let him go. You need to explain why you say that. All we know is that she killed someone.” Matteo laid his hand on his shoulder. “If it was you, you would have done the same. Right?”

Hank set Xander down and turned to Matteo. “He tried to rape her. She was still pure and protected her innocence from that Whallestraton. The same one that worked for Simmons. He would have killed her like he did with those five women that we found at his home. It was her or him. Two years he had been beating her, touching her in an inappropriate manner and she never said a word because he threatened to have her fired. She had nothing else. She needed the money. She is not a murderer and if either of you ever say that, I will cut all ties with you. She’s hiding here, because people are looking for her. She’s changed her name, but… That hair, eyes, body… Unless she changes everything I like about her, she will easily be recognised. Someone already did. The day we came to you.” He said the last to Xander. “Now I have to leave because she is getting sick while trying to keep Hawk-“

“Mommy, don’t leave me alone here.”

“No. Hawk don’t let her go sleep. I’m coming,” Hank shouted and rushed out of the house, leaving his brothers in his house to protect it.

Fur shredded from his body as his limbs reformed to a much large, black dragon. The wind howled around him, but he only felt his son’s fear at losing his mother.

He sped through the trees, following their footsteps and scent. A vampire jumped out from behind a tree, pale and naked with blood dripping from his mouth. Animal blood, not human. They got to Hawk’s birds.

Hank blew fire at him, ignoring the screams as it ran off, fire melting the skin from his decaying body. He did the same to two more that rushed him from both sides. His tail whipped the head off another.

Where did they all come from? Older vampires would not die this easily. Simmons must have been busy making a new army. But for what purpose? One girl could not be that important.

He finally made it to the cabin and slammed his hands against the door. “Hawk open up.”

“I can’t.” His voice shook as he sobbed. “I can’t wake Mommy up. Dad break the door. Please.”

He rammed into the door. It creaked but did not budge. He ran at it over and over, but still nothing. He ran his hands over the cold wooden walls, covered in ice. The fire must have died down. In a last attempt, he flew back a few metres and then flew back as fast as his body would go, twirling at the last second to slam right through the wall.

He braced himself as he hit the opposite wall, bending his wing out of the way just in time.

“Dad!”

Hawk sat with Michelle’s head cradled on his lap. She jerked as shivers ran over her naked body. The blanket hardly covered her lower body.

“Get on my back. I will have to carry your mother. Hold on tight. I need to fly really fast so that she doesn’t freeze. Help her into her clothes.”

Hawk did as instructed, struggling badly as his own little body shook from the cold. Hank blew hot air over them, hoping it would help for a little while longer. When he finally climbed up onto his back, he sat up straight, until Hank had Michelle pressed against his body, limping on three paws to get outside again.

Two more vampires rushed them, screaming about finding the woman, but Hank blew out a stream of fire as he turned his head right and then left, engulfing the vile creatures in flames.

Two flaps of his wings took them high enough off the ground so that nothing else could get at them. Some strange looking animals started wondering over to the dead vampires and then Hank had to fly higher when a large beast, twice his size stomped clear of the trees. It had huge black eyes and hair of a grizzly bear. It roared up at Hank and swatted an arm just short of his stomach. All the other animals scampered away, leaving the easy meal to the much larger beast.

Had it been the one that scared his brothers? Had it scared his father into attempting the long route towards home?

Hank did not wait around to find out. He flew away and headed home.

“I’ve seen it before. It never tried to come near me. I don’t think that was the beast that killed or scared Grandpa.”

Hank did not say anything. He didn’t need to. Hawk would hear the gratitude in his thoughts. He had been surprised to hear Michelle’s thoughts in his head, forbidding him to come out to them. He could not lose her now. Not after everything they had been through the last few days.

That thought urged him on. He breathed heat over her, keeping her from freezing, even as his own wings crackled with ice.

He made it home in less time than it took him to get there, taking the direct route over them. He stumbled as he landed, sending pins and needles through his frozen legs.
Xander stepped closer and held out his hands. “Let me make this right?”

Hank lowered Michelle into his arms. Hawk slid off his back, flopping to the ground.
“The bed. It stretches. We all need it,” he whispered.

Matteo picked him up and ran into the house with him. Xander followed behind him with his beautiful wife in his arms. Hank changed back and slowly stumbled after them on blue feet. He crashed into the wall when he tried to lean against it with a numb hand. Seconds later, Matteo returned to help him up the stairs.

“Hawk showed me how to make that bed bigger. Let’s get you settled beside your beautiful mate. Seems like you all have some frostbite, but according to that manual on the dresser, it should be all fixed up in two hours,” Matteo said as he almost carried Hank up the stairs.

Hank welcomed the heat of the bed. It beeped as Matteo pushed a few buttons. The bed readjusted under them, a sheet covered them like it had been vacuum sucked around their bodies, and right before the glass dome closer over them, Hank looked at Xander.
“Thank you.”

Xander nodded, but turned away from him, staring down at his feet. Hank sighed. He could not blame him for what he said. He had the same thoughts when she said she killed a man. Hell he thought that Sebastian was sending him a criminal when he mentioned that she had gotten into trouble.

Hank pressed his lips against her head and whispered, “Don’t leave me, love. Fight through it. You are strong. You are someone. To me and Hawk. Come back to us.”