Free 3 Dark Energy by John O'Riley Page B

You can call me Protector.”
    “I will do no such thing.” Josephine glared at him with suspicion and contempt.
    “All right. You can call me Perry.” The man’s brows furrowed with contemplation. “Perry White.”
    “I don’t think so. And get the hell away from me,” Josephine snapped.
    “He won’t hurt us,” Mark said.
    “This man almost killed me and my grandson!” Josephine glared at Perry and unleashed a powerful wave of telekinesis from her wand.
    The man flickered and a sparkling white mist swirled over him as the spell passed harmlessly through his body. An instant later, he solidified and his gaze swiveled over to Jake whose forehead was bruised and blood trickled from his lip. He also had scratches from the shattered windshield on his arms and neck. Perry rushed over to the driver’s side door and opened it. Josephine shouted with alarm and followed him. Perry rested his hand against Jake’s bloody forehead. A glimmering white light flowed from beneath his fingers and spilled across Jake’s body like a wave, healing his injuries. A moment later, Perry pulled his hand away and Jake’s eyes fluttered open. Jake jerked with startlement when he recognized Perry and struggled with his seatbelt.
    “It’s all right,” Josephine said in a soothing tone. “Apparently Mark turned our attacker into a healer.”
    “I’m a protector,” the man corrected her.
    “Whatever.” Josephine threw him a dismissive look as she knelt down to take a closer look at her grandson. “Are you all right?”
    “I feel great, actually.” Jake grinned at her with surprise. “This guy has got some serious magic.”
    “You can call me Perry,” the man offered.
    “Sure.” Jake offered his hand to the creature. “It’s good to meet you, Perry.”
    Josephine cocked a brow of bemusement at her grandson as he shook hands with their former assailant. Alex stirred and groaned as he awakened. Everyone’s attention shifted to him as he opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings. Josephine briefly explained what happened to the creature. Alex had a bloody nose and bruising on his forehead which Perry healed.
    Perry turned to direct a concerned look at Josephine. “I’ll need to stick close to you to make sure you’re not attacked by any other curses.”
    “I refuse to bring you with me while I work and you’re not setting foot in my house,” Josephine said.
    “That’s all right. I’ll just keep an eye on you from above.”
    Josephine opened her mouth to argue further but Perry exploded in a sparkling white mist. An instant later, he coalesced into a white dove that soared into the air. A fluffy white feather drifted down to the pavement at her feet.

 
     
    Chapter 7
    Josephine took a sip of her coffee as she enjoyed the company of Alice, Helen, and Mark at the dining room table of her house. She’d just finished recounting her adventures from yesterday with the construo letalis curses and was gratified by her friends’ reactions.
    “You were very clever to lure that thing into your garden,” Helen said.
    “It must be nice to have Perry as a devoted protector,” Alice remarked.
    Josephine snorted with derision. “He’s always skulking around. I’m  not sure how much good he would do if I get attacked by another construo letalis.”
    “Surely the Valituras doesn’t have more of them,” Helen said.
    “They probably have a bunch of them stored up and ready to use.” Alice sipped some more of her coffee.
    “I tend to agree. I expect there will be another attack soon. Maybe two or three at the same time,” Josephine said. “I’ll be sure to carry more niveus imperium wands but the police station only has eight. When I used just one, the curse was temporarily immobilized but it only lasted for a moment.”
    “Maybe if you hit them with several it would do the trick,” Alice suggested.
    “It will at least buy me some time. And there are a few other advanced magic antidotes I can use. I put