Free Enhanced: Brides of the Kindred 12 (The Brides of the Kindred) by Evangeline Anderson

the
pragmatic part of her was screaming that she didn’t have time to be
freaked out. She could have hysterics later. Right now, she had a chance to
save Kristin and she had to take it.
    Aiming right for Dungston’s eyes, she
squeezed the button and fired a powerful stream of pepper spray right in his
face.
    “Agh —God! My eyes!”
    As Mei-Li had hoped, Randy stumbled
backwards clutching for his eyes. He dropped both the bottle and Kristin in his
blindness as he cursed and flailed.
    Mei-Li ran forward to grab the little girl
at once. She was so focused on Kristin that she barely even noticed when she
sliced her knee open on a piece of the broken bottle. The pain was sharp but
her fear for Kristin was sharper.
    “Kristin?” she said, patting her cheeks.
“Kristin, come on, honey—be okay. Please be okay!” She was feeling for a pulse
when Kristin coughed weakly, her eyelids flickering.
    “Mizz Hastings?” she slurred, focusing on
Mei-Li.
    “Kristin!” Mei-Li hugged the little girl
to her, a wash of relief sweeping over her. “Oh, sweety, you’re all right!”
    “Get your Goddamned hands off my child,
you bitch!” Angry Mom was suddenly pushing her away. “You done enough damage
for one night.”
    “I did damage?” It wasn’t professional but Mei-Li couldn’t
help herself. “I had to come in because you let this…this monster back into your home and into the lives of your children.” She gestured at Randy
who was still pawing at his eyes like a wounded bear. Six was also still
standing there, looming over all of them but Mei-Li didn’t feel ready to deal
with him yet. She might never be ready to deal with him.
    Angry Mom’s eyes shifted uneasily.
“Randy’s fine as long as you don’t go riling him up! If you hadn’t come in
waving your stupid pepper spray—”
    “I don’t believe this.” Mei-Li shook her
head. “You’re still defending him? After what he just did to your daughter?
What is wrong with you?”
    Angry Mom got a stubborn, hateful look on
her narrow face.
    “The only thing wrong with me is that I
need a new case worker. And I’m gonna ask for one first thing in the morning!”
    “Good,” Mei-Li said evenly. “You can call
and ask as soon as you get finished talking to the police.”
    “The police?” Randy muttered. His eyes
were still streaming but he appeared to be able to see again—at least somewhat.
“I don’t think so. Fuck this shit—I’m out!” Keeping a wary eye on Six who was
still standing there mutely, he edged out the door and ran into the night.
    “Hey, come back here!” Mei-Li exclaimed
but she wasn’t about to run after him. Not while Kristin and her little sister
were wailing and Angry Mom was shouting expletives at her. The noise in the
little house made her head throb and her sleep deprived brain felt like it was
going to burst. She looked up at Six angrily. “Why did you let him get away?”
    “I didn’t come here for him.” He gave her
a long, level look from his one normal eye which was steel gray. “I came for you,
Mei-Li.”
    Hearing her name in that deep, frightening
voice made everything seem more real somehow. Oh my God—this isn’t a dream.
He’s real and he’s really here. He’s come for me—come to take me away!
    The realization scared her to death—which
made her angry.
    “Now, you listen to me,” she said,
standing up and limping towards him—God, her knee really hurt and she
could feel a warm trickle of blood running down the inside of her calf. She
wanted to get away from Angry Mom and her crying children before having this
conversation so she went into the small entry hall by the open doorway. Six
followed her obligingly. “As I was saying,” Mei-Li went on. “I don’t care—”
    “You’re wounded,” he interrupted. Suddenly
he was kneeling in front of her, like a huge, black boulder that had somehow
lodged itself at her feet. “Let me see.”
    “What? No!” Mei-Li protested, moving away.
“I’m