18:00- Salvus
Series: Hunter's Path
Pairing: James/Claudia
Word Count: 962
24hour_themes prompt: Matters of safety, protection and completion
Chapters: Master List
Infitialis | Latere | Abeo | Obsidis | Videlicet | Praesidium | Transitus | Mutatio | Umbra | Terminare | Constantia | Autus | Salvus | Gubernatio | Spero | Animus | Consensio | Discrimen | Consilium | Veritas | Phoebus | Fortuna | Sensus | Victoria Trust had never come easily for her. That was what she liked to tell herself anyway. Apparently she'd been mistaken. She'd thought it was all right to trust the people she'd worked for and with for ten years. She'd even let herself get close to some of them, calling some of them family. And that had obviously been a mistake. Neither Sean nor Jean had been present for what happened to her, but they'd come along on this mission obviously to hunt her as a rogue, so she had to believe they'd known something, if not the entire plan from the beginning.
For a few minutes, she'd been dead. That seemed like that should mean something, like she should have seen something beyond Simon's fist, blackness, then James' worried face: choirs of angels or devils and demons, at the very least. She'd almost declare the whole thing a bust, if it weren't for the fact she was very aware that if James hadn't show up and known CPR, she wouldn't be here. She wouldn't have woken up, that much was certain to her now. Halfbreeds didn't come back without assistance.
They'd been at this hotel room a week. She could move on her own all the time now, but neither of them had taken down the line of chairs that doubled as a rope of sorts between the bed and the bathroom. Just in case and all that. After all, as Jamey had pointed out, she still looked and felt like hell. Actually, she'd seen herself in the mirror: until the bruises faded a bit more, they'd need to stay here; otherwise people were going to wonder if (a) she was on death's doorstep, (b) she was the star of some Lifetime movie about abused women, or (c) they should maybe call 9-1-1 and have James arrested. None of the options sounded appealing, so she'd sent him back to the Camp for the things they'd need to stay here another week, as well as to check on the new Enforcers and Gypsy.
In the meanwhile, though, she had the door locked and bolted, and a chair shoved against it. That had been James' concession to go to run these quick errands; he hadn't left till he heard the locks click and the chair move into place. Most of her weight leaning against the wall, she had a book laid open on that chair while she carefully copied each sigil with chalk onto the walls next to the door.
The ones on the left of the door were for witches. It took two and they were fairly complicated, so she did them first, but then she had to sit and regain her breath before moving to the right side of the door. The first one there was for golems, and even though he was only half like she had been, she figured it should keep Simon at bay. The final sigil was one she'd never thought she'd need to use. Technically, it only kept the Wolf away, but Sean and the Wolf were tied up in one another like few Lupercans she'd ever seen, so the ward should keep him on the other side of the door.
She should have done this a week ago, she thought in disgust, and not made Julian keep the protection up on this room. The downside of these wards in particular was that, while they were the most effective, they had to be renewed daily; they "expired" at just after six every afternoon, the second the sun moved out of view. She also should have someone start putting them up at the Camp. Not at the gate, since a year-old Lupercan could easily hop that fence like it was a stick on the ground, but at all the doors and windows on the first and second floors, as well as the basement.
Someone knocked on the door twice, and she started, nearly dropping her chalk. The door didn't have a peephole, but that hadn't been a big deal for her most of the time she'd been here. Julian had a key, and James had been here with her. She was loathe to admit she was nervous alone, but then she'd been alone when Simon found her; a little phobia was understandable, she thought. The tapping on the door repeated itself, this time three times, and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. That was the code she and James had worked out so she'd known it was him returning and would move the chair and remove the bolt. Even so, she opened the door slowly and breathe another quiet sigh of relief when it was him and he was alone.
"Get everything all right?" she asked, leaning against the wall as he came in, locking and bolting the door behind himself.
He tossed a full-looking duffel bag on the bed. "Enough clothes for both of us for another week, more Vicodin for you, another pack of chalk, and," here he reached behind his oversized shirt and produced one of her guns and her waist holster from the small of his back, "your Glock." Suddenly she could breathe easier with her remaining main weapon in the room. Yeah, James had his H & K's, but these were her ever-faithful Glocks. "Gypsy sends her best and would like you to call her when you feel up to it. Romeo's stick to her like glue, so she'll be fine till we get back. John and Sara are taking our patrol routes. We're fine to hide out another week."
"Almost." She turned and sketched the final symbol on the last ward, and they activated with a bright blue flash of light for a second before vanishing. "Now we're fine."
Pairing: James/Claudia
Word Count: 962
24hour_themes prompt: Matters of safety, protection and completion
Chapters: Master List
Infitialis | Latere | Abeo | Obsidis | Videlicet | Praesidium | Transitus | Mutatio | Umbra | Terminare | Constantia | Autus | Salvus | Gubernatio | Spero | Animus | Consensio | Discrimen | Consilium | Veritas | Phoebus | Fortuna | Sensus | Victoria Trust had never come easily for her. That was what she liked to tell herself anyway. Apparently she'd been mistaken. She'd thought it was all right to trust the people she'd worked for and with for ten years. She'd even let herself get close to some of them, calling some of them family. And that had obviously been a mistake. Neither Sean nor Jean had been present for what happened to her, but they'd come along on this mission obviously to hunt her as a rogue, so she had to believe they'd known something, if not the entire plan from the beginning.
For a few minutes, she'd been dead. That seemed like that should mean something, like she should have seen something beyond Simon's fist, blackness, then James' worried face: choirs of angels or devils and demons, at the very least. She'd almost declare the whole thing a bust, if it weren't for the fact she was very aware that if James hadn't show up and known CPR, she wouldn't be here. She wouldn't have woken up, that much was certain to her now. Halfbreeds didn't come back without assistance.
They'd been at this hotel room a week. She could move on her own all the time now, but neither of them had taken down the line of chairs that doubled as a rope of sorts between the bed and the bathroom. Just in case and all that. After all, as Jamey had pointed out, she still looked and felt like hell. Actually, she'd seen herself in the mirror: until the bruises faded a bit more, they'd need to stay here; otherwise people were going to wonder if (a) she was on death's doorstep, (b) she was the star of some Lifetime movie about abused women, or (c) they should maybe call 9-1-1 and have James arrested. None of the options sounded appealing, so she'd sent him back to the Camp for the things they'd need to stay here another week, as well as to check on the new Enforcers and Gypsy.
In the meanwhile, though, she had the door locked and bolted, and a chair shoved against it. That had been James' concession to go to run these quick errands; he hadn't left till he heard the locks click and the chair move into place. Most of her weight leaning against the wall, she had a book laid open on that chair while she carefully copied each sigil with chalk onto the walls next to the door.
The ones on the left of the door were for witches. It took two and they were fairly complicated, so she did them first, but then she had to sit and regain her breath before moving to the right side of the door. The first one there was for golems, and even though he was only half like she had been, she figured it should keep Simon at bay. The final sigil was one she'd never thought she'd need to use. Technically, it only kept the Wolf away, but Sean and the Wolf were tied up in one another like few Lupercans she'd ever seen, so the ward should keep him on the other side of the door.
She should have done this a week ago, she thought in disgust, and not made Julian keep the protection up on this room. The downside of these wards in particular was that, while they were the most effective, they had to be renewed daily; they "expired" at just after six every afternoon, the second the sun moved out of view. She also should have someone start putting them up at the Camp. Not at the gate, since a year-old Lupercan could easily hop that fence like it was a stick on the ground, but at all the doors and windows on the first and second floors, as well as the basement.
Someone knocked on the door twice, and she started, nearly dropping her chalk. The door didn't have a peephole, but that hadn't been a big deal for her most of the time she'd been here. Julian had a key, and James had been here with her. She was loathe to admit she was nervous alone, but then she'd been alone when Simon found her; a little phobia was understandable, she thought. The tapping on the door repeated itself, this time three times, and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. That was the code she and James had worked out so she'd known it was him returning and would move the chair and remove the bolt. Even so, she opened the door slowly and breathe another quiet sigh of relief when it was him and he was alone.
"Get everything all right?" she asked, leaning against the wall as he came in, locking and bolting the door behind himself.
He tossed a full-looking duffel bag on the bed. "Enough clothes for both of us for another week, more Vicodin for you, another pack of chalk, and," here he reached behind his oversized shirt and produced one of her guns and her waist holster from the small of his back, "your Glock." Suddenly she could breathe easier with her remaining main weapon in the room. Yeah, James had his H & K's, but these were her ever-faithful Glocks. "Gypsy sends her best and would like you to call her when you feel up to it. Romeo's stick to her like glue, so she'll be fine till we get back. John and Sara are taking our patrol routes. We're fine to hide out another week."
"Almost." She turned and sketched the final symbol on the last ward, and they activated with a bright blue flash of light for a second before vanishing. "Now we're fine."