The boy's name was Calvin. Detective Ames told me who he was after they discovered the body. Without Sam, Calvin probably would have never been found. I did some research the next day on missing kids in St. Louis. Calvin had been missing for six days, and his parents had been searching the city fiercely. They had been scared that he was another victim of the human trafficking that had been on the rise in the past months. Calvin's parents had now been notified that their son was found, and their searching could end. Their world fell apart in a single phone call from the police. It was earthshattering. Calvin was at rest, and they needed to know… but that would never make it any better.
The police scanned the area for clues but didn't find much. It didn't look good, but they still started the investigation into his death. They'd never find the killer even with the evidence they had uncovered. I knew that it had done something to Sam, seeing the little boy like that. He wouldn't stay on the phone long enough for me to calm him down. It was like he was on a mission, just passing the information and continuing with whatever he planned to do about it. I worried about him… and what he was going to do. He sounded shaky and uncertain. I had never heard him like that.
Eleanor and I didn't tell anyone about our meeting with Sam, not at first. We didn't think we should, but after talking with Sam and Detective Ames, we decided to fill in the rest of the family. Eleanor and I didn't want to tell Autumn yet. Luckily, she was pretty tied up with Kayla and Patrick lately. It would be fairly easy for us all to meet up without her knowing.
The rest of the family had arrived sporadically throughout the late afternoon. The temperature had dropped a little in the last few days, and there was a good breeze passing by, so we decided to have a small fire out back and cook some burgers for everyone. El and I wanted to try and butter everyone up before we told them what we did. I worried how Arthur and Zeke would take it. They didn't speak much about Sam, just listening to the stories we told them. His presence around the family might create complications.
Allen and Eloise were the last two to arrive. They were connected at all times, never leaving each other's sides. They calmed down eventually after they told us the truth about meeting Sam, even though they didn't know who he was. I think they thought he disappeared after saving all our lives at the cave. Everyone knew it was him out there that night who killed the Olitiau. They were all just waiting for the moment he appeared… hoping he would return, but unsure how to approach the situation or the mixed emotions that came with what he carried. We all wanted him back, but he'd be bringing back the most dangerous monster any of us had ever seen. There was hesitation, though no one would admit it. Others of my family wanted him back immediately, consequences be damned. Wayland struggled the most, worried for Delilah. My cousins were the most apprehensive, obviously. They weren't as close with Sam… they hadn't seen or felt the things he had done. Not like the rest of us. They only knew of him as a formless shadow in flames that appeared on the other side of an inferno.
"How did he sound, Carter? Is he okay?" Eleanor asked as she brought me the burgers to place on the grill.
"He sounded… stressed. He was okay, but he was frantic," I said, opening the grill. "He wanted to make sure the boy was found, but he knew he couldn't call it in. I tried to talk to him, but he hung up too fast."
Frank shook his head, "That poor boy. Who could do that?"
"It makes me sick," Clara was emotional. Seeing the boy's picture and family on the news was gut-wrenching for her. It made her scared for Delilah, worried that she'd be taken at any minute. Wayland kept his arm around my sister as we spoke, supporting her while maintaining his own composure.
"I just wish we knew where he was," Frank sighed, thinking of Sam. "He's been alone too long, and he's still out there by himself, seeing things like this… We need to be there for him, Carter."
"Are we going to tell Autumn?" Clara asked as she wiped her eye.
"When the time is right," I answered. "She seems like she's in a good place right now. She's actually seemed happy the last day or so. I don't want to bring her down with this, especially with how hard she took Sam leaving before."
They all nodded, agreeing with my thoughts.
"However," I prepared myself, "there is something that Eleanor and I want to speak with you all about."
Frank, Wayland, Clara, Arthur, Zeke, Allen, and Eloise all looked up to us. They could tell something was unusual. I think Eloise could only tell something was amiss due to everyone else's body language. They all knew something was up, and it showed.
"This wasn't the first time we've spoken with Sam since he's been back," Eleanor chimed in.
Wayland cocked his head up quickly from the patio table, "What? What do you mean?"
El and I both glanced at each other quickly, nodding in assurance. We knew we had to tell them.
"The other day we," my words were cut off at the sound of people coming out of the back door of the house.
Autumn, Kayla, and Patrick stepped out of the back door onto the patio. Patrick seemed unassuming, but Autumn quickly realized something was going on. Kayla joined her dad and uncle, never picking up that something was wrong.
"Hey," my daughter greeted cheerfully. "What's everyone doing here?"
No one answered her, they all just looked back at Eleanor and I. Autumn's gaze followed everyone's to me. I could tell she was connecting the dots in her mind. She didn't know anything specific, but she realized she was being kept out of the loop on something.
"Why's everyone here, but I never got a call?" she asked, the edge in her voice sharpening.
"Apparently, Sam reached out about a body he found on the river. It was a little kid. He called it in to Carter, so he'd be found," Frank explained gracefully.
The silence after Frank's statement was like a punch in the chest. Every single person knew Sam was back in that instant. My cousins were hesitant. Autumn was irritable.
"Sam called?" Autumn asked quickly. "When?" she demanded.
Patrick seemed shocked by her quick reaction to the news. He didn't think she'd be this moved by the information.
"Yeah, but your parents were just explaining that this wasn't the first time they've spoken with him?" Zeke turned the attention back to me. He had a "whoopsy" look on his face as he said it, knowing the damage it could cause.
"Mom… Dad, what's going on?" Autumn asked, her anger gaining momentum.
Patrick just stood there beside her, waiting to hear the news. As far as the Wicklows were concerned, Sam was gone. But how much they really knew, I wasn't sure. They had their ways, and they might be just as up to speed as I was. Patrick seemed unaware, however. I didn't need to assume; I knew that Patrick would not like the idea of Sam being back around us. Sam and Autumn's past relationship was a threat to him. Sam and Autumn really seemed to connect, even though he was… something not totally human anymore.
"We did speak with Sam the other day… for a while," Eleanor offered to everyone in the backyard. "After the cave, and everything settled down, Carter and I decided it was time to find him." Then Eleanor looked at me.
I had to tell the truth, "I already knew where he would probably be if he were still in town. I knew where he was before he disappeared from Martin's bar, but I didn't tell you all."
"What?" Clara snapped. "What do you mean? How?"
"Martin came to me shortly after that night Sam left here in a rage. He told me he was going to his bar a lot. Martin gave him a place to stay; that old safehouse we built for him a while back."
"That place in the woods… that's where Sam has been this whole time?" Frank was honestly shocked and visibly dumbstruck that he hadn't thought to check there.
"No, he hasn't been there the whole time. He only recently came back," Eleanor pointed to Allen. "After Allen called him, he rushed back to St. Louis to help us… If we needed it."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Zeke roared. "We could have helped you, or at least watched your backs. I cannot believe either of you would risk yourselves to go talk to him without warning any of us," Zeke was angry, but not because we were unsafe.
I rolled my eyes at my cousin, who was obviously taking advantage of a shitty situation to insert his opinions about Sam into the conversation. He was king of unsafe… just look at his hunting methods.
Clara and Wayland looked at each other with a silent mood. They were slightly wary of the idea of Sam's return. They both worried for Delilah more than anything, Wayland more than Clara. However, Clara and Wayland both felt the same level of debt and gratefulness toward Sam as the rest of us. He had saved this family in our moment of need. It was just the mysteriousness of his monstrous identity that worried them… for their daughter's sake.
Allen spoke up for the first time, "Mom… Dad," my son looked to me. "He's dangerous. You can't put yourselves around him…" he remembered the vague flashes of the short glimpse he saw of our ominous friend. He worried about us.
"I know you are all going to be upset with us for not telling you, but we cannot just act like he doesn't exist," Eleanor said, taking over the conversation. "We had to find him. We should have spoken to you all first, but we didn't want to waste more time. It was more spur of the moment, and we didn't even think he'd be there."
Autumn stood there rigidly as we spoke. Her eyes looked like they were getting glassy, mostly from the realization that this huge part of her life that had vanished was back. She wasn't angry anymore. She realized we weren't keeping things from her, but she was more distracted by the fact that he was back.
"How do you know you can trust him?" Zeke asked with a snide tone. "How do you know he won't murder everyone the moment we let him in here?"
"The chimera and that witch would have killed us all if it weren't for Sam's intervention. So now, tell me, what has he done to us that should make us turn away from him now?" El stopped talking, making everyone sit in silence and think about what she was saying. It wasn't for our immediate family, but for our cousins. We had told them a lot about our interactions with Sam, and they knew the stories.
No one said anything, they all started seeing sense. Well, at least Zeke shut the hell up, for now.
"I for one cannot ignore what he's done. The only reason I can even stand in front of you all like this is because he traded his own life for mine. I have his life inside of me… I should be dead. He should be human again, back with his own family… but he's not. He gave up everything for me… for this family and his own," El started getting choked up through her words, but she kept going. "Allen and Eloise are here only because of Sam. None of us ever had a clue that Allen was alive. Sam went on his own without any of our knowledge and brought him back to us. It is because of what Sam is that he was able to do that. He took on an entire pack of werewolves to get us our son back…"
Eleanor was too worked up to continue; she just leaned back in her chair and joined in everyone else's silence. She shook her head in frustration.
A minute later, Frank asked, "Can you tell us everything? I want to be up to speed with what you guys know." Frank spoke expectantly, completely ignoring the tone of our cousins and Allen.
Autumn spun on her heels quickly, not saying a word to anyone else. She left us all in the backyard and quietly retreated inside. Patrick didn't know how to react to that, let alone everything else that was going on. He looked overwhelmed and slightly angry. Only a few seconds passed before he followed Autumn inside.
Autumn had a lot more going on inside of her than anyone else realized. I knew she felt something for Sam still, and my decision to keep her in the dark was not something she appreciated, no matter how short-lived it was. Plus, it didn't help that I already did it once.
I knew she'd be okay with time, but I'd let her sort through this on her own for now. I knew my daughter, and she'd be fighting with herself over what she felt now that Sam would be around again. Not to mention, she had been spending more time with Patrick again. The complications for her were stacking up, no matter what was or wasn't said.
"Okay," I said to Frank. "I'll tell you everything." Then, I began replaying everything I had been keeping from them over the past ten months.
The following day, I received a call that had my elusive friend's name assigned on the screen. "Sam," I answered while sitting at my office desk.
"Hey," Sam responded. "Thanks for the help."
"Thank you, Sam. You gave that family a little bit of peace when you found their son," I told him.
"I hope so," he brooded. "I wish I… could have saved him…"
"We can't be everywhere at once, Sam. It's not your fault. You helped in this terrible situation, and now the police have a place to start," I assured. "Detective Ames told me they found some evidence out near the body that they were looking into. They'll find who did it. They'll make them pay."
"I doubt that," Sam said subtly. "Listen, I need to talk with you guys. I learned something that you need to know."
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"I'd rather tell you all in person. Would it be alright if I came over?" he asked, seeming much calmer since the last time we spoke.
"Um," I thought. "That might be a little difficult right now. Our family is still staying with us, and they just became fully aware of your presence again. I'm not sure how they'll take you right in front of their eyes. But," I thought out load, "I'll talk with everyone and make sure they are okay with it before I have you show up and scare the shit out of them." I couldn't help but laugh at the amusing thought. Hopefully Zeke would piss himself a little. "Would you be willing to meet some of our cousins?"
"I can do that," he assured calmly. "Plus, I was hoping to see Eleanor again. If that's okay," he added.
"Yeah, I think she'd like that," I told him. I wanted to see him too. "We had a sit-down with everyone yesterday and told them about our meeting."
"Oh… you did?" Sam asked. He was curious how everyone took it. I suspected he wanted to know how Autumn responded. I couldn't tell him that since it wasn't a great reaction.
"It was… as expected. They were pretty upset that I had been keeping things from them, but we talked for quite a while about everything. I think having you over would be a good next step for our cousins. The rest of us want you to be back with us like now!"
I heard Sam breathe a quiet laugh. It was good to hear, despite its quick passing.
"Honestly, they all want to see you," I added, making sure he knew that the core of our family was unchanged. We wanted him with us.
"I've wanted to see everyone too… I just…" he trailed off. "I wasn't sure how to come back around after what happened with you guys… let alone the rest of the family. I haven't spoke with anyone else since the night you all found out. Then I thought I might have crossed a boundary at your house. I didn't want to just assume I could come back any time I wanted, and obviously a lot of time has passed…"
"It's already forgotten, Sam," I assured. "Some of them might be a little cautious about you at first, but… give it time. We've already spoken with everyone and prepared them." I was thinking about my cousins.
"I wouldn't expect anything less." He understood. "Does tonight work?" he asked.
"That works," I said, knowing our cousins would be there at some point. "We'll make dinner and introduce you to our cousins. Just remember," I reminded, "we'll have to ease them into everything. I'll guide the conversation, you just have to act as normal as you can, okay?" I winced as soon as I said the word 'normal.'
"What do you mean?" Sam actually laughed.
I sighed internally with relief.
"Just as human as possible. I feel bad saying that to you, but they know you're something… other than human. I just don't want them to get spooked. Our family is very important to us, and we want them to see you like we do. It will just take time."
"I can do that," he assured with no more questions.
"I'll let everyone else know, so they're all on the same page. I apologize for having to ask that of you, but our relatives might not understand everything right up front. We can hit them with the truth as we go; ease them into everything. We can't have them telling others in our family that might not be as understanding," I explained. "They might not feel comfortable with a creature like you around if we push everything all at once. They don't even really know how involved Martin is with our family. So… you could imagine how this could be difficult."
"Oh shit… really?" he asked.
"Yeah. As far as they know, Martin is an acquaintance we see from time to time, under very strict rules," I explained. "Obviously that's all bullshit."
Sam agreed to everything. As far as our extended family was concerned, the Sam they were going to meet was a mysteriously unidentified creature that was around to protect and help us fight monsters. He'd be a close version of Sam from before, when he kept his secret hidden from us. We'd ease into the rest with time.
I told Autumn and Eleanor first, trying to regain the little bit of trust that might have been tarnished before. I didn't want to keep anything from my two most important women. However, I did worry about how Autumn would react. Yet, when I told her, she seemed… quiet. She didn't react initially. She actually went upstairs to her room and shut the door for a while. Eleanor and I worried for about an hour or so, but then she came out a little later. She had changed clothes, gotten ready, and seemed in a better mood. She was still fairly quiet, but something in her face seemed… content. I think she desperately wanted to see Sam, but couldn't verbalize it to anyone. She struggled internally with what she felt and what she thought we would think about it all. Maybe that was just me.
I worried about how Autumn would take Sam's return in the long term. She hung around with Patrick, even going out on double dates with him, Kayla, and some guy she had met while in town. A part of me thought she was stringing him along. I think she was looking for an escape from what she was feeling in the beginning after Sam left. I didn't want Sam's return to throw her back into the spiral she seemed to be caught up in the first few months. She was subtly acting out in her own ways, going out to bars with friends all the time, leading Patrick along, for better or worse, and she just had this look sometimes… She wasn't doing anything that should really alert me or El… but it just wasn't her usual motivations. It worried me. I hoped this wouldn't make things worse. I just wanted her happy… and safe. As much as we could get in this life.
No matter what anyone could say about Sam, I had my own opinions. Sam was a strong-willed character. He did things… brutal things. He made sacrifices that changed his entire world to help us and protect others. But… something dreadful lurked inside him every second of every day. But… behind that terrifyingly unstoppable beast, he was a good guy. I wanted to know more about him and who he is.
As early evening approached, most of the family had made their way over to meet with Sam. We all talked as we waited, and everyone had their own opinions about the situation.
"When's he going to be here?" Allen asked.
Eloise sat next to him on the sofa, looking just as nervous in the eyes as Allen did.
"He'll be here soon. I told him to get here before dinner so we could iron out any more details if needed, before everyone else shows up," I told Allen. "It'll be okay, son. Sam just wants to protect us. Think of him like Martin."
"I get it, Dad. I do, but you didn't see what we saw." More flashes of their memories had returned from the time since Sam had slaughtered their pack, and it terrified them even more. "The way he moved and killed the werewolves we knew over there… he was different. And," he added, "silver won't hurt him. We have no way to stop him if he turns on us. Why would we put ourselves in that position if we don't have to?"
El chimed in, "Allen… It's okay." She didn't say anything else. She just assured him everything would work out.
We had all made our way out to the back patio, looking towards the woods as the time came. Out in the tree line, I saw a few black birds circling overhead. They floated about the highest point of the trees in this specific area. Eleanor and I sat in the chairs closest to the edge of the covered area. We were looking out to the woods expectantly. Eleanor wanted to see him badly. She had so much she wanted to say to him, but most of all, she wanted to check on him. She knew that no words could ever repay what he did, but she knew she had to make sure he was taken care of.
Then, after about ten minutes of waiting, the birds that flapped along the edge of the trees scattered into the wind. They bolted like there was something near them, scaring them away with angry caws.
"Dad," Allen said, "he's here." He heard Sam stepping through the last few feet of trees with his supernaturally enhanced hearing that came with the curse of the werewolf.
Eloise gripped Allen's arm tightly as they sat together in a large patio chair. They both looked in fear towards the woods, awaiting the unknown. Allen placed his hand over hers, trying to calm her. They both looked more worried than the rest of us. I wish I could have seen what they saw. Sam was still such a mystery. Eloise had a fear in her eyes that I couldn't describe.
Then, a figure emerged from the trees, revealing a welcome shadow. Sam came out of the woods with his hood up over his head, pacing across the grass in a steady stride.
Eleanor got up almost immediately after seeing him. She ambled to him, and I followed. Autumn looked hesitant as we walked out to meet him, then stepped out behind me as I passed. She looked like she was nervous to talk to him for the first time.
"Autumn…" Allen was shocked at his sister. "You need to be careful. You don't know what he can do."
"It's okay, Allen… really," Autumn tried to assure him. She didn't fear what Sam could do.
I partly agreed with Allen. I thought Autumn should stay back, but I didn't want to make things more stressful for anyone in this already high-tension moment. The rest of our family stayed back and waited under the covered patio, sitting randomly at the table and chairs. This was their first time seeing Sam after everything, and they all had a lot of questions about what happened and what he was.
Sam and Eleanor's steps slowed as they reached one another. Autumn and I were only a few steps behind them as they met.
"Sam," Eleanor spoke out to him as they met. She closed the distance to him and wrapped her arms around his sizeable, hooded frame. Sam gently hugged my wife, slowly patting the back of her shoulder blades.
Autumn and I stepped right up to them, watching and waiting as Eleanor kept him trapped in a tight embrace; she wasn't letting go. She had wanted to see him so badly since the other day when we talked for all those hours.
"Thank you, Sam… for coming," Eleanor said.
"I'm glad to be here," Sam assured her, using his free hand to lower his hood.
I could see a smile slowly working its way up the corners of his mouth as Eleanor wouldn't let him go. He looked up at me and nodded thankfully. He was happy to be back with us. I could see Autumn's emotions begin to surface as she witnessed her mother's reaction to Sam.
Eleanor pulled away from him long enough for me to step in. I reached in and pulled Sam to me. He was hard to move, but I reeled him in for a tight squeeze. I tried to keep my own emotions in check in front of my immediate family.
"Thanks for coming, Sam." I pulled back, patting Sam's rock-solid shoulder. I planned to talk more with Sam when it was just the two of us. "Everyone's here and ready to chat."
When I stepped back, surprisingly, Autumn stepped up quietly.
Autumn and Sam just looked at each other for a moment. Neither of them said a word; they both just offered a welcoming smile. I think they both had things they wanted to say, but neither was sure if they should.
Autumn went in for a hug suddenly, without saying anything to him. Sam wrapped one of his arms around her, not wanting to worry me. I saw him shoot a glance my way as my daughter touched him for the first time since that night in our back yard, when he first returned to us after saving Eleanor. I knew he didn't want me to worry that he'd hurt her. I knew he wouldn't purposefully, but accidents never happen intentionally. I was still worried about Autumn with him, however thankful I was.
"I'm glad you came. I've wanted to see you for a while," was all Autumn said.
"I've wanted to see you… I just…," he tried to find words.
Autumn nodded in understanding, letting him know he didn't need to explain.
A lot went unspoken in those few short seconds between all four of us. He had done things for us that we never thought possible, and I think we had done things for him that he never thought possible again. There were a lot of ties between us now, and the monster inside of Sam made it all more complicated… in both good and… different ways. I was just happy he was here.
They separated themselves quickly. We all three looked to Sam and then back to everyone under the patio.
Eleanor asked, "Are you ready to see everyone again?"
Sam nodded, "You think it's a good idea?"
"They want to see you, but it may take time for some of them. Allen and Eloise were the most… fearful," I told him.
He just nodded, "Makes sense. I wasn't very open with details back then."
We walked through the grass expanse between the trees and our home. As we approached, I noticed Frank already had a drink in his hand. I couldn't tell if it was the stress of everything or if he was just celebrating.
As soon as we made our way under the large patio canopy, Frank had already made his way over.
"Sam," he said, pulling him in for a joyful hug, slapping Sam's back like he always did. A little too hard if you ask me… like Sam was just some regular guy. "Where've you been?"
Sam just smiled, "Around…"
I looked at Frank like I wanted to slap the shit out of him. I gave him a nonverbal look that I knew he could understand.
You're a fucking idiot!
His eyes responded.
What?
I saw Allen and Eloise's eyes bug out a little at Frank's quick action.
"You're elusive, aren't you?" Clara said, next in line behind Frank. She took her turn, carefully giving him a welcoming hug. I saw Wayland tense up right behind her, worried for his wife. "Thank you for everything you did for Eleanor. I hope one day we can repay you."
"It's just nice to be back," Sam said.
"Why don't we sit down?" I suggested. "We have a lot to talk about."
Eleanor pushed Sam down into a chair, not taking no for an answer. He let her win, sitting in place between her and I. Autumn sat just beside El as we readied to speak at length about whatever it was that brought Sam back to us. Her eyes rarely left Sam as he sat with us.
Allen and Eloise stayed in the large padded chair just a few feet from the outdoor table. They saw how much we trusted Sam and heard the stories of what he did for us. They knew what he had done for them; however, they couldn't un-see whatever they witnessed. They still feared our friend, but they were willing to give him a chance.
"Before we start," Wayland interjected, "how did you find that little boy out there on the river?"
We were all thinking the same thing, but we didn't want to push him yet. I tried to hold back their questions at first, but Sam actually took it well.
"It's actually kind of complicated… and strange. I don't fully understand it, really," he said as he stared into the table, thinking deeply about it.
"Only if you want to tell us, Sam," Eleanor insisted, placing her hand on his arm.
He nodded, taking a breath as he prepared to share his story.
"It was the other day, after you guys left," he motioned to El and me. "I had just come back outside of my house, well, Martin's safehouse. There were crows… everywhere. They were swarming the place. When I stepped out, they all scattered, except for one."
"There were crows that night at the cave, too," Autumn mentioned.
"That's right… I remember that. Right before you showed up, Sam, there was a bunch of them above us… It was weird," I remembered.
"This might sound weird, too, but I followed one. I felt like it was staying with me, trying to get my attention. It seemed like it was leading me somewhere. I followed it all the way to the boy… Calvin."
Sam's jaw clenched as he said his name. He was still visibly moved by what he saw that day. He looked like he was clenching down so hard his teeth would shatter.
Eleanor reached up in a smooth rush and patted his hand.
"That's when you called Carter?" Wayland pieced together.
"Yeah," Sam looked to him as he answered.
"Crows…" Frank thought out loud. "That's fuckin' weird. You said there were a lot of them at your place, too?"
"Yeah, like a couple hundred. They were surrounding the house… or me… maybe."
"The ones we saw at the cave were like a swarm, just cawing above us," Clara added.
"Do you think it has anything to do with… him?" Eleanor asked about that thing from that other place.
"No," Sam quickly responded. "This was something different. It wasn't like what I feel when he's around, that's why it was so confusing. I don't know how those birds were doing it, or why they came to me," he said.
"Crows are messengers of the dead," Allen spoke out suddenly.
There was an awkward silence as we all looked at my son.
"What do you mean?" Autumn spoke after the quick silence between us all.
Allen explained, "That's just something I learned over there with the pack. Darry, our alpha, always said that they couldn't leave too many bodies of people they killed. He always said that the 'crows would see.' I always thought it was just some old superstition he'd mention as a joke, but maybe it was more. One time, I heard him talking around the campfire about it," Allen said.
Eloise nodded, "He did speak of that often, like he was afraid of what would happen."
Allen continued, "He said that crows were messengers of the dead. Crows eat carrion, the dead flesh of animals. If they come across a body of someone who was killed unjustly, they won't eat it, but they'll carry their message. Everyone thought it was just superstition; no one actually believed him… but," Allen looked up to Sam. "If it's true… why would they…" he lost himself in thought.
Sam looked troubled and deep in thought as he stared into the patio table. I could tell he was thinking hard about what this meant. He was just as curious as the rest of us, if not more so. He really didn't have the answers to a lot of questions. I could see it in his eyes, his responses to things.
"I just hope they find whoever did it," Clara spoke out.
Sam cut his eyes up from the table slowly, a little coldness in them, "They already did."
I was scared to ask, but I had to, "What do you mean?"
He was silent for a moment with a hard and relentless look in his eyes, "I found him."
"What'd you do?" Autumn asked, hesitant at the answer she knew was coming.
Sam didn't look at her; he didn't look at anyone as he spoke. He looked into himself, at the memories of the act, "I killed him in a parking lot."
Nobody said anything for a minute or so. I could feel the tension in the patio. Allen and Eloise went rigid at his unapologetic admission. They knew what he could do to us all at a moment's notice if he wanted to.
Wayland spoke first, and what he said shocked me. "Whoever killed that little boy… was a fucking monster. All I see… is that you hunted another monster, just like we do. If I had the chance…" Wayland trailed off at his own internal admittance, shaking his head at the thought. "I can't fault you for what I would have done myself, if given the opportunity."
Clara leaned over and patted her husband's chest, "Don't even think about it, sweetie."
"Good," I said quickly. "We've had our fair share of run-ins with people who needed dealing with. It gets tricky when it's a human that won't burn up in the sun… but monsters are monsters. Even if they wear the skin of a regular human."
"You guys aren't… upset at that?" Sam asked with real surprise in his eyes.
El was the one to respond. "It's not ideal for us to have to get involved against humans, but it has happened in the past. Usually, we work something out with Martin or Jane. However, we won't shirk away from our responsibilities to protect people."
It was a dark truth about our family and this life of hunting, but it was true. We couldn't lie to Sam as he spoke the truth to us.
"That was last night," Sam admitted. "Before I killed him," I saw Autumn almost flinch at his words, "he told me something that worried me. It was something I knew I had to tell you guys."
"What is it, Sam?" I asked.
"He was tied in with more of the human trafficking going on in the city. He said that they weren't kidnapping people and selling them off like usual. He said that when they take someone now, they normally end up 'dead in a ditch.' Those were his words. He said that someone is in control now, that's like me. But he said they had powers; that they could do things I wouldn't believe." He explained, "He said that after he stabbed me, and realized I wasn't normal. I think somewhere in the city, somebody is taking kids for some kind of ritual or something. Calvin was a part of it. That's why he killed him." Sam shook his head, "The guy told me that the one who wanted the boy, couldn't do it himself. He had to have the guy do it for him. Said he was like me… with green eyes."
"What the fuck?" Frank said what we were all thinking.
My whole family flanked around at each other as we remembered that night out in the woods surrounding the entrance to Cliff Cave. The one out there with the bat, controlling it.
The thought scared and shook me to my core. All of the people's faces that were shown across the news for the last few months could have been abducted to become food for someone or something. Something supernatural, like the Wicklows, was behind it. We had never faced anything like this before.
"But you killed others before," Frank remembered when Sam had saved that van full of missing kids. Three men died that night. "How many more could there be?"
"He said he was just for that side of town. There are others," Sam knew it to be true. He looked worried about it. "Have you ever faced humans who have done things for monsters?"
We all looked around to each other, remembering past scenarios that we tried to keep hidden from the world.
I took the lead, "There have been times when we've come into contact with a person, or persons, that align themselves with vampires. They want that power, and they'll do anything to get it. When someone knows that much about the supernatural world and the things that they could have… they won't stop. We've had to put an end to that before…" I told him. No one was proud of it, but it had to be done. "We usually work things out with Martin or Jane to assist. Those are some of the darkest times in our family's hunting history."
"We might need to talk with Annabelle about this," Clara said.
"Agreed," Frank said.
"Agreed," Wayland also spoke.
Eleanor and I looked at each other, nodding in concurrence.
"Everyone else will be here soon," Eleanor warned as she looked at the time on her phone.
"Wait a minute… that place we built down Allenton Road?" Frank asked. "You've been staying there this whole time?" It finally clicked in Frank's mind about where Sam had been staying after he left that old factory behind. I think he finally remembered the details of that build.
Sam actually laughed, "Martin let me borrow it for the time being. I've had to come and go a few times," he cut his eyes over to Allen and Eloise.
Eloise was a generally gentle girl in her human form. She was very quiet ever since she had come back with our son. She was very unique compared to the rest of us. We were all light featured and as American as they come. But she was French, very dark-featured, and had an outlook on the world that was grimmer and more damaged than most I had met in this life. It was because of what had happened to her and her family. I could tell that she cared very deeply for Allen and would stick with us as long as Allen wanted her around. From what I could say about Allen, he wanted her to stay by his side no matter what. Whatever happened to them in that pack had bound the two together by something far greater and more powerful than just a physical attraction. She didn't speak up about much, letting Allen talk for her most times, but she cut in.
"Sam," her accent weighed heavily on her words as she spoke our foreign language. "Thank you… for setting us free…" She looked like her words would bounce back and destroy her. Even though she saw how we all treated Sam, she still feared him. They both did.
"Yeah, thank you…" Allen reverberated the gratefulness, yet held the caution about his distanced stance.
"You don't have to thank me," Sam guaranteed. "I'm sorry I wasn't a little more open with you before, when it was all happening. I just wanted to get you out of there and back here as fast and safely as possible. I didn't think you needed to know that much about me yet. I was still dealing with some things. I didn't know if I was coming back, and I didn't want everyone to know I was around, just to leave again." Sam motioned to us all.
Allen and Eloise eased out of their constant rigidness around Sam, ever so slightly. They would get there eventually. They all would.
"Well," Eleanor got up from the table, "how about we get inside and get everything ready. They'll be here soon, and we need to make everything as normal as possible."
Frank stood up, reaching down beside his chair to grab another unseen beer he had already grabbed. It was a Corona, and he walked it right over to Sam, "I knew if you stayed, you'd need some of that nasty shit you brought the last time."
Sam grinned, actually letting out a laugh, "Thanks."
We all stood from our seats and headed in. Eleanor stayed close to Sam, never letting him get too far away. I knew that she felt connected with him, thinking of him as a second son in a way. However, the things he had done for us made even me want to keep him around, no matter what he ended up turning out to be. We still had no idea what he was, but for the time being… that was okay.
Autumn still held her silence as we paced inside. I could sense something between them again from the moment they reconnected in the yard. It was unspoken, but to me it was plain as day. It worried me to see it. I just wanted my daughter to have a full life, and it pained me to think it, but I didn't think Sam could give her that.
All I hoped now was that we could keep our cousins in good standing about Sam's status. They'd be in the same room with him soon, and I had to make sure we could maintain their inclination to keep him a secret. We had other families that were not as understanding. If Zeke and Arthur did not see Sam as we did, we could have a very big problem.