Dragons Blood

Ian sighed. "You both can stay here." There wasn't really another choice. He had seen what was there and on some level, he believed it. On another level he couldn't believe it at all. He shook his head. He may have been a jerk, but he wasn't a heartless bastard. "Rose and I will go shopping. I'm gonna need something in the house if I'm gonna be feeding anyone," he said shaking his head. "Don't worry Luke, I'll take care of your little sister," he grumbled cutting off his friend's objections. "C'mon Rose," Ian said grabbing the younger girls risk and dragging her along.

Ian had chosen Rose because he had talked to Luke already and he trusted his friend to watch those two...whatever and he didn't feel like arguing with Melinda. That woman could drive him nuts and he needed whatever sanity he had left to get through the rest of the day. Let alone any more time he was going to have to get through. The fourteen year old followed him silently as they walked through the dirty neighborhood that was his home. Ian was tempted to smoke. The only thing that stopped him was that he needed to go into the store. He could smoke on the way back.

"Get real food not any goddamn sweets," Ian growled at the younger girl before moving back to the other side of the grocery store. He grabbed a cart as he went and dumped things into the cart as he went. He met Rose back in the front ten minutes later and paid for everything with the rest of his paycheck. He would get paid within the next week so he wasn't too worried as he picked up most of the bags and let Rose take a few others. She hadn't got any sweets to her credit.

Out of his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter fumbling with both and the bags as he inserted the cigarette into his mouth and lit the butt. The first sweet rush of nicotine flowed through his veins calming and relaxing him. He let out his breath slowly allowing the lighter to fall into one of the bags. "Let's head back Rosie," he said giving her a little half-smirk. The young teenage girl simply shook her head and rolled her eyes at the older boy. She was used to Ian by now.

A shot rang out. That was nothing unusual for this neighborhood. The problem was when the wind of the bullet grazed Ian's cheek. He felt a sting along that same path as he dropped the bags he was carrying and grabbed Rose, tucking her into his body as he rolled. "Damn Ian muttered looking back. He wasn't supposed to own a gun, his own had been confiscated after his arrest. He hadn't bothered to buy one since. He regretted that now.

No one was in sight. Another shot rang out though, this time leaving a bolt at Ian's feet. Then silence thundered through the area. Ian's quick dark eyes flitted around but he saw nothing. Minutes ticked by before he finally began to relax and uncurl, Rose clinging to his middle. He reached out and took the bolt. It looked like it had come from a crossbow, all metal and etched with symbols. "What the hell?" Ian muttered shaking his head before he looked at the bags he had dropped along with his broken cigarette and growled. "Dammit, my cigarette and the goddamn fucking eggs."