Chapter 19- A Friend In Need

POV- Dominic

*Brrzt Brrzt*

"Hello?" I hear Penelope ask, her voice slightly warped from sleep. "Okay, one sec. Babe?" I turn over, wincing at the vibrant bright light coming from the phone screen. "It's Raphael, he said he needs you." 'Which means he and Landon are in some DEEP shit,' I groan.

Bringing the phone to my ear, I lie back, asking, "What did you do now?"

"Nothing, I swear," Raph's voice came through. "We found Landon's mom. The woman in that picture, Seylah. We found her."

"Cool. And?" I heard him sigh, somewhat disappointed by my lack of reaction.

"Umm, well Landon kinda got kidnapped by her and I wanted to call you in case she takes me out too. Since I can't wolf out in the middle of the day and all."

Sitting up to make sure I heard him right, I asked to confirm. "He got kidnapped? By his mom?"

"Well, I didn't want to be there for their first meet and talk, you know? So, I just hung around. Landon sent me the address when he got there, like we used to whenever I would get mad and run off, or if you were going really far out for a party. Anyway, she's got him tied to a chair." I listened, not entirely sure what I was hearing as he then asked for help, something he hates doing. Moreso from me. "I know we fought, but I could really use a hand. She seemed really sweet, then knocked him out and tied him up…She's dangerous."

Looking over at Penelope, who could no doubt hear Raph since the room was so quiet, I sigh, looking at her excited face. "Send me the address and only follow her. Don't do anything stupid until we get there." 'True, he's cowardly and pathetic, but nevertheless, I can't ignore them when they ask. Though this makes us even for the time Raph lied for me to cover with the foster parents.'

Ending the call, I throw off the doona, climbing over Penelope with a small kiss before I threw on a pair of shorts, having been mysteriously stripped, and smelling faintly like our coconut body wash. 'It's sweet, if a little weird,' I thought, imagining Hope stripping me down and washing me clean. Planting a kiss on Hope's cheek, I step out, making my way to Alaric's 'office', though all the students knew the side door led to a small bedroom he practically lived in.

Knocking, I open the door, not bothering to wait for the man since I figured he'd still be up around this time. 'It's only 1 after all.' The glare I got in return was almost an attack in itself, but as recognition hit, his eyes softened.

"Dominic, what's wrong? It's obviously important since you're practically roaming the school naked." Looking down I realised the shorts I thought I threw on were my sports pair, making them far shorter than normal and tighter, trapping my member firmly against my thigh.

*Cough* "Sorry, Raph called and said Landon was kidnapped by his birth mother. I need to borrow your car."

"Do you have a license?"

"…well no. I never had a car, so I didn't see much point."

"Then no." He looked me up and down before he groaned, no doubt tired from the constant barrage of monsters and issues since Landon, Raph and I arrived. "Get dressed and meet me back here in 10 minutes. And find a witch just in case we need any magic." 'Good thing I have two in my bed.'

Explaining the situation to Penelope and Hope, who'd been woken by Penelope when I left, still in the process of getting changed, I'm surprised by the impressive excitement of one of my girls.

"I'm going," Penelope said quickly after I repeated Alaric's last words. "Sorry Hope, but you get your private time with him during training. I'm taking this." Hope opened her mouth to argue but shut it when I shook my head.

"You don't need to be a hero all the time Hope. Besides, it's an 18-hour car trip and you desperately need some sleep." Brushing the hair from her face, I hugged her warmly, being followed instantly by Penelope whose fondness for Hope had grown over the last week…unsurprisingly. When she disentangled herself from my Tribrid girlfriend, we left, promising to be safe to quell her nerves. 'Some serious trauma and fears to work through,' I thought. I'd seen it before, but she was still terrified of losing those close to her. Something I could emphasise with.

And so, sitting in the back of the 4x4, Penelope and I sat pressed against each other, completely ignoring the other, more spacious passenger seat. It only took an hour before the cuddling became a more tantalising grinding and with a smirk, she shifted, moving to the luxurious position called my lap. A personal favourite of Hope's…and Emma's based on the repeat sessions during school hours. As the casual cuddling became vigorous and rather poorly concealed grinding, Alaric cleared his throat, making me pull my head from her neck to look at him.

"Don't try and have sex in the back of my car," he intoned, sounding more tired than he had been an hour before. "Damn teenagers," he muttered, looking back at the GPS.

The grinding stopped but neither of us moved, enjoying the feel of the other on our bodies. While my hands traced along her stomach and hips, my long tongue danced along her neck, paced between feathery kisses and love bites on her neck and earlobe.

"Mmmrrmmnn."

"Okay, that's enough! Dominic, get in the front now."

I couldn't help but snigger, "I thought you DIDN'T want us fucking."

"Front SEAT!" Penelope whined, but couldn't help but show her tinkling laugh as I moved her to the seat beside me, got out and moved to sit in the front. That being said, within 30 seconds she had reached around the seat and pulled my tail free, playing with it with her hands while we drove, making the experience incredibly hot, slightly embarrassing and carnally torturous all the same. While not as sensitive as my dick, I could still feel through it, and the way her hands worked over the shaft had my throat dry and me thankful I wore a zip-up hoodie to cover the tent in my track pants.

The rest of the drive was as dull as could be expected, Alaric quizzing us on subjects as well and digging for information on my powers and growth for so long we could have aced the exams just using this as revision. 'I sure hope this trip gets more exciting than mooing at cows and the history of the 14th century.'

Waking to the sound of the car door opening, I looked up, finding the car parked in front of one of those white-painted suburban homes that you can often see in movies and shows set in America. Copies of the same house lined the street and after spotting Raph mid-way up the street, we made our way over.

"Thank God you're here man. She's still got him tied up to the chair, I think. She's been checking out the window every time a car pulls up on the street." Raph's panic could be seen from a mile away, overshadowed only by the relief at our presence. "Dr Saltzman…Penelope." He didn't look entirely sure about Penelope's presence but was happy Dr. Saltzman had come along to help.

The four of us moved to make our way up to the house after comparing strategies, urged on Raph's continuous worry. A heavy panting sound, like that of a big dog carried over the air, accompanied by the clacking of claws on concrete. I'd thought it was a neighbour walking their dog but the groan from Alaric made me look back over my shoulder. There, running up the street was a humanoid being, roughly 5 foot in height with a dog's head in place of its own.

"What is that?" Raph asked.

"Looks a bit like a kobold?" Penelope replied

"Aren't they lizards? I asked.

She shrugged, looking rather unsure of herself as she answered. "I think it depends on the country of origin… One of the witches is a huge fantasy geek. Anyways, that's a kobold. Nothing particularly remarkable that I know of."

The kobold, however, seemed to disagree, moving at a speed far beyond human as it bound towards the front door of Seylah's house, bursting through the wood in a single charge.

"Not exactly subtle," I grumbled, picking up the pace, knowing that of the group, only Raph and I were capable of making it before a gruesome attack was carried out.

"HOLY FUCK!" 'Ah, he's awake.' Identifying her through her emotions, which emanated from the kitchen, hidden from my line of sight, I called out. Leaping through the broken remains, I stepped into the kitchen, earning myself a katana through my chest. "DOM!"

Grabbing her wrist, I snapped the blade from the hilt, pulling the blade through the other side. "Oww." Glaring at Seylah, I stripped her of her fear, hoping to calm her down. Unfortunately, all this seemed to do was make her more confident, her attacks hadn't stopped at all as she watched me heal from an impaled heart almost instantly. It was after I parried the fourth kick that I gave up, sending a pulse of sleeping magic, as I'd grown to call it, through her leg, leaving her to collapse, seemingly lifeless, like a puppet cut free from its strings. Her head bounced from the floor but since she just stabbed me, not even Landon complained.

"So…your mom's a little aggressive," I said to Landon with a smirk, earning a scoff.

"She saved me from the dog-man…thing."

"Kobold, apparently. Anyway, we need to move. We need to question her but the cops will be showing up any minute."

Alaric made it into the house, carrying a small bag like I remembered seeing at the church. "Not to mention the hunter groups. They'll be here even quicker than the cops, let's move." Penelope flicked her wrists, snapping the restraints on Landon while I picked up his mother.

We made it to the door before Penelope snorted from behind me, "You really don't like her huh?"

Looking back, I quirked my brow, "How could you tell?"

"Well, you've got her by her foot for a start. She's gonna have a nasty cut from you dragging her face along the floor."

"She shouldn't have stabbed me," I said, believing it enough of an explanation.

Taking her to a motel out of town, Alaric tied her down while Penelope and I went looking for food. "I want you back here in 15 minutes, you two. You're to get food and come back here…nothing else. Got it?"

"Of course, Professor." Even Landon, as distracted as he was didn't believe the smirk on Penelope's face, the wicked and fun-loving witch a well-known rule-breaker. Considering he was using this time to question the boys without us there, I wasn't sure why he would complain all that much if we took an extra 10 minutes…or more. 'It's practically impossible to get a straight answer from them normally. Not to mention he has to explain what Malivore is.' And with that, the two of us ducked out of the room, each fully aware that food was only second on our list of priorities.

~~~

"What did you not understand about the instruction? I said 15 minutes, not 20, not 25 and certainly not 45 minutes." Chuckling softly, I looked into Pen's devious brown eyes.

"Sorry sir, couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat." Pen's smirk only grew while the two teens looked on exasperated. It wasn't the first time they'd seen me do shit like this, but they'd assumed it had slowed down some after I'd gotten into a relationship. "Here's your burger though." Alaric's eyes were like daggers as they pierced me, flicking between us before he let out a deep sigh.

"Dom, can you wake her up now, we need to ask her some questions?"

The violent tremor that signified her wake was almost an attack in itself, only dodged because I was so much taller. 'Fucking piranha.' Her eyes were alert as they scanned the room, counting entrances, occupants and the general layout. 'She's trained.' Her upper body, now still, looked relaxed, however, there was an unnatural stillness as if she was trying to hide the movement of her wrists and hands as they tried to unbind the rope.

"Honey, you're not going to make it out of that rope." Penelope's mock imitation Southern accent only earned her a scowl from the captured mother.

"Look, my name's Alaric, I'm the headmaster of the Salvatore school. We handle students with supernatural backgrounds. Vampires, werewolves and witches. Yet, you don't look surprised by this at all, which means you're aware of all…this," Alaric said gesturing around the room.

"It's not the first time I've heard about them, no. You could say my job was like yours, to keep the supernatural world hidden."

"And based on your combat training," I say, taking a sip from the milkshake, "you're a hunter."

"No, I collect monsters, bring them back."

"Not sure I appreciate being called a monster," Pen rather snarkily said.

"You're monsters to me." What followed was a short series of questions regarding her life, where she was from, what she did for work, and who Landon's father was. Each was answered smoothly until the last question.

"He was a man I met during my-"

"Lie." Heads whipped to me as I looked at the Seylah. "Her guilt spiked compared to the control questions."

"Fucking monsters," Seylah spat. "Fine, I met the guy-"

"Lie."

Landon was now confused, "She hadn't even said anything, though?"

Alaric, however, picked up on what the lie was. "Landon's father wasn't a 'man' at all…was he?" Seylah's gaze couldn't have been more venomous if she tried, and I wondered if she was a gorgon of some kind herself. "If you aren't going to be open with us, we'll just have to look through your memories. So…"

Again, she was asked the question but it was obvious she didn't feel comfortable sharing, constructing a matter of half-truth to try and avoid my detection. "For fuck's sake." Walking over, I put her to sleep, diving into her unconscious before anyone could even raise their voice.

'A coffee shop, huh? Didn't expect that.' Unlike the Necromancer, Seylah was far less troublesome. Being young, sane and human left her mind basically unprotected, even by an avatar. Watching through her memories, I delved into the memories of the past 18 years, not wanting to miss any potential partners that could have been Landon's father, revealing a truth more dangerous than any I'd heard before. 'MALIVORE is Landon's dad.' Sifting through years of monster hunting, I found a company, Triad Industries, that had taken possession of the consciousness-consuming pit. Highly trained and experienced monster hunters, dedicated to 'protecting' humans by preventing the supernatural world from being discovered.

A strong force yanked me while I was watching her hunt a vampire, deciding to watch it to build my own experience, leaving me with a blinding pain that elicited an exclamation of pain. "YEAAAOOOWWW FUCK SHIT!" I could tell I was no longer in the mindscape, able to hear everyone's voices as they shouted in panic.

"Fishman!"

"Merman!" Both Raph and Alaric were right, the man was definitely fishy. Slim, with green, sleek scales coating his body, the fins and gills that coated his neck and back identifying him as something approximating a merman. The fear, confusion and anger were a little overwhelming in such high quantities while trapped in this room, but seeing Seylah's bleeding chest, I understood why I was kicked from her mind. 'It seems I have a protective measure that frees me from the mind of a person suffering outside influence. Something I should consider as both a win and a potential weakness.'

Penelope had the fish bound by his feet when Raph tackled him to the floor, supernatural strength carrying the fish to the ground with him. Oddly though, the fish seemed more interested in Landon, who stood clutching his backpack.

Extending my claws, I ripped through its chest, blood pooling all over the motel room floor. "What," I began, panting slightly from my pain and exertion, "is in that bag Landon?" His face turned pale as he seemed to recognise what had happened.

"No, NO. I didn't take anything. I didn't steal anything, I promise." His eyes were alarmed, almost pleading as he frantically searched through the bag before he found a jar.

"Malivore's second key," I recognised. "A canopic jar. Seems rather fitting. A sacrificial knife and a jar used in the mummification ritual for collecting organs in…tasteful."

"What about Seylah?" Landon asked. Penelope had already moved over to her, ignoring Alaric as he kept pressure on the cuts. A deep blue glow coated her hands before skin and muscle tissue stitched itself back together, preventing further blood loss. Unfortunately, that's all it did, as the woman had lost enough blood to recolour the floor from the bathroom to the first bed. Far more than healthy at least.

"I want to move her, but it's too dangerous. The spell isn't foolproof and with her condition, rest is a priority." Pen nodded at Alaric's words, casting a cleaning spell that siphoned the blood from the floor and into the shower. "So, let's get some rest. We will be taking watch in pairs until she wakes, or 10 tomorrow morning. And no, Penelope and Dom cannot be on watch together."

"Worst road trip ever," I grumble, earning a laugh from Landon.

"This isn't even in my top three," Raph chuckled, taking the opportunity to crash in bed.

"I have stuff to talk about with Dr. Saltzman, but he's been up for over 24 hours, so he should rest first. Landon, you're with me." Leaving Penelope and Seylah on one bed, the boys struggled to form bedding arrangements before Alaric just kicked Raph to the floor.

"Dom, could you at least burn the merman before we all crash, it's rather discomforting." And so, with a flash of black flame, we began our watch, a demon and a half-golem. 'That sounds like the beginnings of a really poor joke.'