After Lydia helped Malia get a bath, they went back downstairs to the living room. Soon after, Allison and Jacob joined them.
Lydia looked at Allison, who had her arms crossed tightly over her chest and was looking at Jacob in disgust. "What's wrong with you? What did he do?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Allison muttered.
"Now I want to know even more." Lydia pressed. "Did he do something perverted?"
Allison shook her head. "No, nothing like that, but..." She shivered. "He touched me with his baby hand. It was so creepy."
Lydia raised a brow. "Baby hand?"
"Yeah, his missing hand is growing back, and now it looks like a baby's hand."
"Really?" Lydia said, then turned to Jacob, who was sitting on the couch next to Malia. The coyote leaned into his side, and he was absently stroking her fur with his normal hand. "Jay, show me your baby hand."
Jacob took off his hoodie and revealed his newly grown arm, which indeed looked small and soft like an infant's. "Do you wanna touch it? It's so soft."
Lydia moved next to him and gently took his arm, examining it. "It really is soft."
Jacob put his small hand on her chin, stroking it with his tiny thumb before leaning in to kiss her.
Lydia suddenly jumped away and sat next to Allison. "Okay, that's weird. Don't touch me with your creepy hand until it grows back to its normal size. Don't get me wrong, I liked the kiss. It's just that when I felt that little hand touching me, it was like I was kissing a baby, and I don't like that."
She then looked at Allison. "Wait, if you find his baby hand so creepy, why didn't you think it was creepy when you two were... you know, in the bathroom earlier?"
Allison blushed. "He didn't have a hand in the bathroom, just a stump. And he wasn't touching me with it—at least, I don't think so. I was... preoccupied with other things."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we heard your moaning."
Suddenly, Jacob yelped. "Aaahhh! Malia, don't bite it!"
Both Allison and Lydia looked over to see Malia gently nibbling on his newly grown arm, and they burst out laughing.
Jacob pulled his hand free and cradled the small hand to his chest. "That hurt!" He looked at Malia sternly. "What do you think you're doing? My arm is still weak and sensitive. You're being a bad girl." He moved as if to grab her. "Let me punish you."
Malia jumped from the couch and scurried to sit between Allison and Lydia, looking back at him with what seemed like a grin on her coyote face.
Jacob started to stand up to catch her, but Allison stopped him. "Okay, leave her be. She was just curious. Now, tell us how the hunters and the wizard found you."
Jacob leaned back on the couch. "It was the wizard who found me, or more precisely, his Barghests did."
Lydia asked, "Those creepy-looking dogs?"
Jacob nodded. "Yes. Remember the night I tried out my Storm Call ability in the woods?"
Lydia glared at him. "How could I forget? You almost killed me that night."
Jacob coughed awkwardly. "Anyway, the wizard was headed to the supernatural auction we're going to on Saturday. He knew there's a Nemeton here in Beacon Hills, so he stopped to siphon power from it. But he saw my storm and sensed the magic in it, so he sent his dogs to investigate."
Allison asked. "How did the dogs find you?"
"Well, they couldn't follow my scent because of the rain that night, but they're very sensitive to magical energy. So they found me yesterday when I was in the woods, beati... ahem, I mean, talking to your dad. They followed me back here to the mansion but kept their distance."
Lydia frowned. "And why didn't you sense them?"
"It's hard to sense their presence. When those dogs are in their hungry state, they have no magical energy at all. They kept their distance, and the wizard ordered them not to attack me, so I didn't feel any immediate danger. That's why it was hard to detect them."
Allison asked. "What about the hunters? How did they come to town and target you?"
"The wizard was planning to attack me by himself." Jacob explained. "But when he first saw me, he sensed the huge amount of magical energy inside my body. So he posted a commission on a supernatural forum in the dark web, asking for hunters to help him hunt a powerful shapeshifter. Those poor bastards were close by and accepted the job. When I left the house earlier and went to the woods, they followed me." He paused. "Now, let me show you what happened, and the memories of that wizard."
Lydia hesitated. "Wait, are they bad? The wizard's memories, I mean."
"Yeah, very bad." Jacob said grimly. "You don't have to see them if you don't want to."
Lydia thought for a moment before steeling herself. "No, I have to see them."
"Alright. Are you girls ready?"
Allison and Lydia nodded. Jacob closed his eyes, focused, and telepathically shared the memories of his fight against the Barghest, the hunters, and the wizard, followed by the dark memories he had ripped from the wizard and Marcus.
Images, sounds, and sensations flooded into Allison and Lydia's consciousness. They saw Marcus' memories, then they saw through the wizard's eyes: the grimy basement altars, the terrified faces of innocent girls, the unspeakable rituals performed under a sickly green light. They felt his twisted devotion, his hunger for power, and the cold, alien presence of the demon he had bound himself to in exchange for it. The final memory was the most chilling—the sacrifice of an infant, an act of such profound evil that it felt like a stain on their very souls.
When the psychic connection severed, both girls gasped, their eyes flying open. Lydia was pale, one hand pressed to her mouth as if to hold back a wave of nausea. Allison, however, was vibrating with a cold, pure rage, her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists on her knees.
"Damn those bastards!" Allison spat, her voice low and venomous. "Those hunters were monsters, but that wizard was far worse." She then looked at Jacob with concern. "By the way, Jay, that wizard seemed to have made a contract with a demon to gain his powers. That's why he was sacrificing innocent girls and babies. What if the demon comes after you for killing his servant?"
Jacob smirked. "Don't worry. If the demon comes, I'll burn him to ash too. And if I knew where that demon was hiding right now, I'd go after him myself without waiting for him to find me."
Lydia, who was just recovering from the horrific memories, sighed heavily. "I… I wish I hadn't seen that. What a cruel, cruel world we live in."
"Very cruel indeed." Allison agreed softly.
"Alright, let's stop thinking about bad things." Jacob said, shifting the mood. He pulled the wallet he had taken from Marcus and the bag from the wizard out of his pocket dimension. "Let's talk about our loot. That evil wizard had a bank card with 38 million, and the hunter Marcus had a card with two million."
Lydia's eyes widened. "That's a lot of money."
Jacob smiled. "Yes, it is. And now it's ours. My only regret is that Marcus didn't have a bank card linked to his entire Laurent family fortune. If he had, I would've asked Cogman to take all their money."
Allison mused. "Maybe you still have a chance. Since Marcus died in Beacon Hills, his family might come here to investigate what happened."
Jacob's smile turned predatory. "Well, I hope they really come."
Lydia asked. "How will you make the money on these two cards yours?"
"Cogman will handle it." Jacob said.
"Can he really do that just by using a bank card?"
"He already has. I took a card with four million from the Harvester hunters' leader, and Cogman already transferred the funds to me legally." Jacob then took two more cards from his pocket dimension. "And since we're talking about money... here, these are for you. Each has two hundred thousand. Use it however you want, and if you need more, just tell me."
Allison took her card with a smile. "Thank you."
Lydia took hers and gave Jacob a deep kiss. "I love you."
Jacob smirked and touched her cheek with his baby hand. "Love you too."
Lydia recoiled playfully. "Ewww, don't touch me with that!" She sat next to Allison and said. "How about we go shopping tomorrow?"
Allison grinned. "Sure! And I'm thinking of buying a bike. Just like Jay's."
Jacob said. "Now that you live with me and things are good between me and your parents, you can ride mine whenever you want. I was only worried your dad might hurt her before."
"In that case, I won't buy one." Allison decided with a sweet smile. "I like yours very much."
"You're going to steal her from me, aren't you?" Jacob asked with a mock sigh.
Allison winked. "Maybe."
Jacob smiled fondly. "As long as you're happy."
Allison raised a brow. "Aren't you going to cry this time, like when I first took her home? I thought you loved that bike more than anything."
"I love you girls more." he said simply.
Allison pouted playfully. "I love you too, but that's not the reaction I wanted. You made it boring."
Malia walked over to Jacob and nudged his leg with her nose, her eyes fixed on him.
Jacob patted her head. "If you want money, you have to turn into your human form first."
Malia let out a dismissive huff and shook her head vigorously.
"What? You don't want money?" Jacob asked.
She shook her head again.
"Then… how about more of that meat I gave you in the woods?"
Malia nodded eagerly, her coyote head bobbing up and down several times in enthusiastic agreement.
Jacob smiled. "Alright, alright! I get it. I'll give Cogman some to cook."
They all went to the kitchen. Jacob gave Cogman some Sea King meat to prepare and sat at the table with the girls. "By the way, girls, we'll head to Vegas on Friday. We can have fun Friday night and during the day on Saturday, and we'll probably come back to Beacon Hills after we deal with the auction at night." he added firmly. "And no gambling. I hate to lose. If I lose even a single dollar, I'll do anything to win it back and probably end up losing everything. And then…" He paused, his gaze darkening. "I'll probably lose control and end up attacking the casino."
Allison said. "Alright. No gambling for you. Ever."
Lydia, pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. She suggested. "We can get tickets for the Mystère show at the Treasure Island theatre Friday night. It's supposed to be incredible—acrobatics, music, a total sensory experience. Then, on Saturday, we can spend the day at the Shark Reef Aquarium. They have a walk-through tunnel with sharks swimming overhead. And if we have time, there's always the High Roller observation wheel or the Bellagio fountains." She looked up, her eyes alight with the thrill of planning. "There are a thousand fun things to do there."
"That works for me." Jacob agreed.
"Why don't we stay in Vegas and come back Sunday night?" Lydia asked. "It's such a waste to rush back on Saturday after you guys deal with the auction."
"Because there's a very high probability that I'll have to burn that auction building—and everyone in it—to the ground." Jacob explained matter-of-factly. "So we should leave before Vegas becomes chaotic and the police and FBI show up."
The stark reality of his statement hung in the air for a moment, a chilling contrast to the glittering Vegas plans.
Soon, Cogman served dinner. After they ate, Jacob gave him the bank cards to handle. Then, he and the girls headed upstairs to sleep.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Jacob looked at Lydia. "Should we go to your room?"
Lydia shook her head. "No. I… I don't feel like doing anything tonight. Not after seeing those bodies in the woods, and those… memories you showed us."
"Alright." Jacob said understandingly. "Then let's all sleep in my room."
They went into Jacob's room and collapsed into the king-sized bed. Allison curled against Jacob's left side, Lydia on his right, their heads on his chest, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. Even Malia jumped onto the bed and slept with them.
---
The next morning, pale sunlight streamed through the windows. Jacob was the first to wake up. His first conscious action was to look at his right hand, which had fully regenerated. He looked at the still-sleeping Lydia and Allison, then carefully got out of bed without waking them. After a quick shower, he went downstairs.
He found Malia in the living room, lying on the couch, her full attention captured by the large TV. A documentary about the great migrations of the Serengeti was playing, and she was utterly enthralled, her ears twitching at every lion's roar and wildebeest bellow.
Jacob smiled and sat beside her, running his hand through the thick fur on her back, and thought. 'System, sign in.'
[Daily sign-in successful. Rewards obtained:
- A pair of rollerblades
- A black leather reclining chair (with built-in massager & cup holders)
- 6 kilos of Cabrales blue cheese]
Jacob read the rewards and sighed internally. 'Rollerblades? Useless. The reclining chair is good, I guess; I need one in my gaming room. And Cabrales blue cheese sounds expensive. Let me do a quick search.'
He pulled out his phone and looked it up. 'It's a $55-per-kilo stinky blue cheese. Let's see if it's edible.'
He took the wheel of cheese, wrapped in black and yellow packaging, from his pocket dimension. Malia looked at him curiously. He took a knife and opened the wrapping.
The smell that erupted was not just strong; it was an assault. It was a pungent, eye-watering wave of ammonia, old socks, and damp cellar, so potent it felt like a physical blow.
The moment the smell hit them, they both recoiled.
He threw the cheese wheel aside, coughing and shouting. "Damn, that's not cheese, that's a bio-weapon!"
Malia whimpered, trying to cover her nose by nudging his leg.
"I'm sorry, Malia!" Jacob said. "I didn't think it would smell that bad."
The commotion brought Allison and Lydia stumbling down the stairs, their hair messy and eyes still heavy with sleep. "What's wrong? Why are you shouting?" Allison asked.
Jacob, still coughing, pointed a trembling finger at the offending cheese. "I tried to taste that… thing. It smells like something died and then was left in a locker room for a month."
Allison frowned, keeping her distance. "Then why did you even buy it?"
"I thought it would be good!"
Lydia walked over to the cheese, took a cautious sniff, and immediately gagged. "Ugh, it smells terrible! What are you going to do with it?"
"I don't know." Jacob said, stepping further away. "You girls get rid of it. I don't want to get close to it again."
"I'll take it to my parents." Allison offered. "They love all kinds of weird, stinky cheese."
"Okay, great! Can you please put it in your ring? It smells really bad, my nostrils are burning." Jacob pleaded.
Allison walked over to the cheese, took one whiff, and immediately regretted it. She gagged, her eyes watering as she quickly waved her hand. The foul cheese wheel vanished into her storage ring. "Ugh, disgusting!"
After the cheese fiasco, they had breakfast. Cogman then drove them to school, leaving Malia at home watching the animal documentaries she seemed to love so much.
To be continued... 😊