Page 106 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
“Demi knows about you, Drest. I told her everything I could,” I said. “From the time she was little, she’s been drawing and painting pictures for you. She writes you letters. She thinks I don’t know that she still does it, but I know. And she thinks about you at every important event in her life. The night of the attack, right before her high school graduation eighteen years ago, she wanted to put one of her certificates of achievement in this wooden box she has—for you. For when she got to see you. Not if. When, Drest. You may not have been able to be there for her since birth, but if you think she’s not a daddy’s girl, you’re wrong. She’s loved you without ever having gotten to meet you.”
He didn’t look at me. He didn’t say anything at all. At first, I thought he might not have heard me. Then I saw the tears tracking down his face as he drove.
I couldn’t help but tear up too.
“My home is just over this ridge up ahead,” said Robin, sitting up more in the seat.
I did a double take. “Why does it look like there is a thunderstorm happening right over the ridge?”
The sky was lighting up with bluish purple flashes.
Drest let out a curse word so foul that it left me staring at him.
“What is it?” I asked panic welling in me.
He glanced at the rearview mirror, toward Stratton and Astria who were still behind us. “This happened the night Henry released the monsters, remember?”
I tensed, nodding.
“And it happened again eighteen years ago. Astria caused it both times,” he said.
“Astria’s causing this now?” I asked, confused. “How? She’s behind us. She’s not even there yet.”
“Rachael, I think it might be somethingallthe Frankensteins can do to varying degrees,” said Drest. “If that’s the case, it stands to reason that Demi could. And also…”
I cupped my mouth, shaking my head. “No! Henry and Nile can’t be there. They can’t be near her. Oh God.”
The second we cleared the ridge, I saw why Demi hadn’t been answering her phone. The front lawn of the sprawling estate looked like a battleground. Stitched-together monsters were everywhere, as were men in black robes. I saw a good number of the Van Helsing slayers in the mix as well as partially shifted men.
I looked at Robin.
He nodded to them. “Local wolf-shifter pack.”
I nearly cried tears of joy knowing the people of Grimm Cove had come to my daughter’s aid.
Robin nodded, making a move to try to exit the car.
Drest ran the Falcon right up and through the iron fence surrounding the property. He then mowed over about a dozen monsters. Anyone who knew the man knew what his car meant to him. Seeing the lack of hesitation on his part to go through a fence and monsters my family made spoke volumes to his fatherly instincts. And in that moment, I let go of the resentment I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get past.
He threw the car into park and was out before me even. I hurried out and Robin joined me. He met my gaze and then vanished. I knew he was going for Demi. He could pop in and out of spaces that were within a certain range of the pendant.
Stratton came careening in by us, hitting more of the monsters. He hopped out and ran around the Jeep, pointing at Astria. “Stay in there!”
She glared at him.
His focus shifted to Drest. They shared a look, and Stratton took off into the chaos, going at monsters.
Drest’s gaze met mine. “Rachael, get in the Jeep with Astria. Go. I’ll find you when we’re done here.”
Ignoring him, I twisted and went at one of the robed men who was holding a steel sword. I jumped onto his back, wrapped my legs around its waist and snapped its neck in one swift, clean motion. As he was falling, I jumped off him, grabbed the sword, brought it up, and beheaded a monster with one blow. When I glanced over my shoulder, Drest was standing there, looking stunned.
Astria got out of the Jeep behind him and ran at a group of monsters. My niece proceeded to beat the ever-loving hell out of them.
Torid appeared out of nowhere next to her in goblin form and began biting the heads off any bad guy dumb enough to get close to him.
“Get to Demi!” I shouted at Drest.
He jerked and nodded. Turning, he attacked a robed man who had been trying to sneak up on him.
