Chapter 35: Enraged Father

Andrea continued to try to protest against me going in alone. Even with my abilities and the anticipation that my family would probably try to hurt me while I was trying to help them, she only saw worst-case scenarios.

"I'm not going in expecting any of this to be easy. I'm not really fighting Randal. I'll be working against their deepest, darkest impulses amplified to the point of insanity. I'm not going to try to reason with them, this will be completely by force."

"Do you really believe that you can handle all of that yourself? Why not let our team go in and subdue them?"

"Because then your House will have that much more information on me than I want them to have. I can trust Michael to not tell them anything about me. I'm fairly certain of you too, but I can't trust that team not to pass on what they may witness."

Andrea opened her mouth to say something else but thought better of it - either that or she thought of a different tack, because she then said, "You really believe the Houses are looking for you to try to put you down?"

"I saw Randal's memories. I saw what he saw. Those Dragons weren't there to talk Mom and Dad down; they were there to take them down, period."

"You can't know that for fact. I mean, you said it yourself Ral, Randal's mind is so screwed up, how do you know what you saw was true?"

That made me pause. There was no way I could confirm it unless I spoke to one of the Dragons who had been present. The problem with that was I didn't know any of them. "I don't have anything else to go by. No one wants to claim something like that, sending the Dragons out to kill my parents. I'm just trying to fix the mess that's resulted from it."

"You can't fix everything, Ral."

"You're right, I can't. I probably can't fix Randal's state of mind. He's doing that to himself. But if I can rescue my family, then that's something." With that, I got up and left the office. Yvonne, Chloe and Savannah didn't hesitate in following. I heard a continued exchange between Michael and Andrea but couldn't hear what they were saying.

Once outside I turned to my girls. "Okay, Andrea was right. This is going to be rough, even dangerous. So, once we get to the house, I'll get out and the rest of you head down the street or something so that you're not too far away but not in immediate danger either."

No one argued, they all nodded and we piled into Monique's SUV.

Just before we pulled away, Michael and Andrea came out and waved us down. Yvonne rolled down her window.

"Ral, we just got news ... Randal woke up on the way to the hospital and escaped. No one knows where he is, but we're pretty sure we know where he's going."

"Back to make sure my family finishes before I can get to them."

Andrea nodded. Michael said, "I'll track him down, Ral, and we'll try to slow him down if we can. We might buy you some time, but not much."

I nodded.

"Just keep in mind. With your family, your will has to be stronger than Randal's. The only way to break his bond with them is to replace it with your own. It doesn't have to involve sex, just your will. The reason for binding with them really doesn't matter as long as it's strong enough to break his bond."

I had an idea. The issue with Vikkor, back before school had started, I had dived into her mind and fought with one personality while trying to bring the other into control. The other did most of the work, but I then helped them to become one whole personality. I wondered if delving into my family members' minds would help. I nodded to Michael, acknowledging I understood, and we drove off.

{hr}

Ten minutes later I was standing outside the house. Yvonne and had done just what I suggested, parked down the street. I looked back at them one last time, wishing them well, and then opened the front door.

Surprisingly, it hadn't been locked. I closed the door behind me and looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished. No pictures, no real decorations, just a few pieces of furniture. I heard banging coming from down the hall and started for it, but then movement caught the edge of my vision. I hadn't moved fast enough and someone bowled me over.

Sitting on me, pinning me to the floor, the individual sat up and began pummeling me. I held up my arms, fending off the rapid blows. Finally I had enough of it and grabbed the fists. My adoptive Father, Garret, was glaring down at me. His face was contorted with rage. He hadn't shaved in a few days, and the strain in his arms told me he was a lot stronger than he looked. I was, too, but I didn't want to hurt him.

Recalling all the training I had usurped from the police and fire departments, I brought up one leg and hooked it in front of Garret's face, then forced him down off my chest. I could feel the heat of his breath seconds before his attempted bite, but I pulled back and rolled away from him.