54)

I was getting an offended look from Sara, and a mixed look of being both grossed out and intrigued from Ami as I sliced up the rest of a Banana for Aran to layer onto his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

My own sandwich had gotten some already since I thought adding some fruit to lunch would be healthy and I was trying to be the responsible adult. Then Sara started going on about it being too much sugar, and I felt the need to defy little miss know it all. The boy just like to try new things, very unusual for little kid. “But no hot sauce, you put that stuff on a peanut and jelly sandwich and you are disinherited.”

Aran looked confused. Ami piped in. “That means you don’t get any of his stuff after he dies.” The boy looked at me in concern. “Are you dying?”

Just as I was about to taunt the girl about worrying her sibling, I felt someone on my land.

It wasn’t like the solid push I felt when any of the werewolves came here, or the mushy presence of normal humans, but a feeling like a storm had just rolled in.

I noticed the boy looking around, then turn toward the direction of the front gate. “Auntie.” There was a lot of mixed feeling wrapped up in that one word. Both the girls seemed to perk up for moment before looking at each other in dismay.

“Auntie, as in your aunt that burned down you house, Auntie?” I dug out my phone and started bringing up the security camera app.

Ami was starting to panic, Sara stood up on the sideways support of the tall stool she had been sitting on to make herself taller while using the breakfast bar to keep her balance. “She’s a witch like Ami, but she knows what she’s doing, don’t let her turn this into a fight. That’s what she always tries to do when you don’t let her have things her way.”

“...” I didn’t know what words to pick. If she tried to hurt the kids...but she’s their aunt, why would she hurt the kids? If she did? Could I stop her? Would I even try, knowing that this is someone who could hurt me, even now?

…

Yeah. Hell yeah. I would stop her if she tried to touch my kids. No matter what.

Wait, when did they become “my” kids?

On the phone I could see a newish looking kind of sport car, one of those new models that had the modern “all sort of looking the same” thing going on. Whoever the driver was she was creeping the car slowly up the drive in a series of slow stops. Until she finally rolled up to right in front of the gate and I could see her on the camera. All unaware as she lifted up her sunglasses to try to peer past the gate.

“That isn’t your aunt, that’s your grandmother, Brianna.”

It was as if she hadn’t aged more then a years or two, I couldn't see the color of her hair in the black and white image. But her face, the paleness of her skin. It was still the same as when I had fallen in love with her all those years ago.

Ami pulled my arm down so she could see the phone as well as the two girls crowded around me. Sara shook her head. “No, that’s Aunt Rosario, well, great aunt Rosa really. Her and grandma look like twins even if Aunt Rose is like twenty years younger. You might want to let her in before she gets impatient and does something to your gate to make it open. She usually breaks stuff when she does that.”

Sara looked thoughtful. “She might even have been breaking thing deliberately. Huh.”

Ahhhh? “Maybe we should just try the intercom first”

I pressed the button on my screen. “Can I help you?”

Her head snapped around wildly and she lifted her hands up like she was about to take control of an invisible marionette. After a moment she seemed to relax slightly and sneered at the camera she had finally noticed. “I’m here for my niece...and the other two if they're here. So open this damned gate and let me in.”

“I think...I’m going to need your to declare you intentions before I can do that. The kids are here with their parents permission, but I’ve been told you might be trying to take custody of them without their parents consent. But just in case you’re actually worried about them, how about some proof of life. Say hi kids.”

“Hi aunt rose!” Excited. Ami. “Auntie...” Rather cold. Aran. “Mom said you burned out house down.” Annoyed. Sara.

The aunt look chagrined. “Er, that was the fault of some guy claiming to be your uncle, he wasn’t cooperating.’

Sara sighed. “You’ve met uncle Dave over a dozen times Aunt Rose. You even got him to take you back to your hotel once.”

I could see the blush even on the cheap security cam. “He just gave me a ride, I didn’t even invite him up! Did he make something up?”

Sara shook her head...at someone who on the phone. I was glad to see that someone else did that, and decided to never tease her about in since she could blame in on the genetics she got from me.

“No Aunt Rose, he never mentions you, at all. I don’t think you matter enough to him to even think about.”

The aunt looked taken aback, even I almost flinched as Sara just stared coldly at the phone. She would glare at me for trying to tease her, but her aunt… This was calculated hostility.

Note, never burn down Sara’s house, and don’t push her too much to find out if the bar for truly being pissed off is set lower then that.

The aunt shook her head and glared at the camera. “This isn’t a conversation we should be having over a speaker, let me in or I will let myself in.” Then she turned her head forward and rolled up the tinted window.

I looked at Sara, “So just letting her sit there...” I was interrupted at the sound of her aunt beeping her horn and took a moment to turn off the microphone. “and get more angry is just going to make it worse?”

The eldest grandchild shook her head. “You can’t play games with her grandpa, she used to getting her own way and she has the power to do it.”

I shrugged. “Guess I gotta let her in then.”

I pressed the button to open the gate and headed outside to meet her from the front door, all three kids trailing along behind me. I’d guessed they would be safe enough, they were family.

I’m not.

I glanced over at Sara. “I’m guessing she has something to stop a bullet?”

Sara’s eyes went wide. “Please don’t shoot my aunt Grandpa.”

I thought it over and nodded to her. “Alright, but if she tries to set my house on fire, I’m seriously going to punch her. Right in the face. Even if she is a girl. My mother taught me not to hit girls, but she said if they come at truly intending to hurt you. Put. Them. Down.”

Really? That got another eye roll?