79)

I put on a light jacket over the tee shirt, as well as socks and an old set of work boots. I considered getting the shotgun out, but really, I wasn’t looking for a fight.

Two of the trespassers had come in from the south, but it felt like there were a few more out there. Just off the edges of my land, but close enough that I could feel their interest being aimed in my direction.

I hadn’t asked Adora about this land sense, and I had to wonder if she had it as well. If she did, how far did hers go? Did it just cover her own home or all the land she was responsible for?

The moon was only at a crescent, and I had taken the time to turn off the motion sensors. I didn’t see the need to wake up anyone else. The youngsters needed their sleep, and it had been a pretty stressful day for Drew.

I headed out to about thirty feet from the closest one and saw no sign of them. Even though it was clear as daylight out here to me, they still were managing to stay completely out of sight.

“People tend to put a type of weight on the land for those who have a connection to it. Those with magic in them press down in a way that has an entirely different feel to it.”

I pointed out to the side where the second one had started to move around behind me, still not giving me a glimpse or making a single sound. “We’ve moved on to talking, not stalking. So either come on out and join the conversation or take a walk back off my land so I can get some sleep.”

The other person stopped moving, but neither one seemed ready to speak up.

Looks like it was time to take a guess at who all was out there.

“Or maybe you’re planning on throwing down, but I’m guessing that will send my son running into the witch’s arms. With his daughter.”

A man stepped out of nowhere and bowed, followed a moment later by a woman. Both were dressed in dark colored clothing, a sort of mix of high-tech military gear and streetwear.

As they bowed. My phone rang.

Darn it. They got my number.

Instead of some random relative of my daughter-in-law, it was Yuki herself. “Good evening Father-in-law. My idiot great-grandfather has asked me to pass on his apologies and asks if you will allow my cousins to leave your property without incident.”

Hmpf. “I’m not exactly impressed with your family Yuki. This was rude.”

“Well, they are impressed with you. I don’t think anyone in my family even believes in werewolves, except the family head. He also assured me that he forbid any of them to carry silver. He just wanted a better idea of what he was walking into tomorrow. They will withdraw back to town and stay there. If that’s okay with you.”

I thought that one over. Then held out my free hand, palm out and fingers spread, before doing the old switcheroo from human hand to furry clawed weapon.

Their eyes went wide. “Tell your grandfather that two of them believe now, or better yet they can tell him and you can go back to sleep. Good night my daughter-in-law.”

I dropped my phone in my pocket and pointed at the guy with my furry finger. “I am not going to try to hurt the family of my grandchildren. But others of my kind around here can be a mite more territorial. So get going and stay off people’s private land around here.

The two of them bowed again, then sort of vanished on me. Oh, I knew where they were, I just still couldn't see or hear them. So really, I completely lied about the not being impressed part.

Once I felt them starting to move and they crossed over the edge of the property line, I turned to look at whatever had been lurking in the trees. Whatever it was having followed me from the house. So, time for another guess. “I would appreciate it if you could also remove whatever that is from my land as well Miss Caine.”

As far as I knew, all three of the Caine family were unmarried, so it was a safe guess regardless of which of the three was behind it.

I stared at the tree for a long moment, before something briefly burned with a green flame and its presence faded away.

Oh crap! What the hell was that? Green fire! I am so glad I stopped by the bathroom before I came out here. Freaking ninjas that vanish in clear sight! And...whatever the hell that was. A spell? A demon?

Of course, that was all just on the inside. On the outside, I just shook my hand around as I switched it back to normal. Then began to walk back to the house. Cool as a cucumber.

If it was just me here, I would be spending the rest of the night holed up in my safe room with all my guns loaded. Curled up in the corner shaking in a cold sweat.

But I had guests. It was entirely possible that one or the other of the two sides of the family had let themselves get spotted to see what I did afterwards with some means of spying on me that I couldn’t sense.

Good thing I wasn’t planning on getting to sleep anytime soon.

I still had some shopping to do.