Chapter 294: Unwanted Visitors

LUMINA I was standing at the kitchen counter, mechanically chopping vegetables for lunch and trying very hard not to think about the fact that there was a five--hundred--year--old supernatural creature currently imprisoned in my basement.     The knife made rhythmic sounds against the cutting board----thunk, thunk, thunk----and I focused on that simple, normal task because if I didn't focus on something mundane, I was going to completely lose my composure.   My hands were shaking slightly. I noticed this with a distant sort of detachment, watching my fingers grip the knife handle with more force than was strictly necessary. We'd been attacked. In our home. Our sanctuary. The place where my children were supposed to be safe had been violated by creatures made of smoke and darkness, and only the quick thinking of two traumatized five--year--olds had prevented something far worse from happening.     I should have been there. Should have sensed the danger sooner, should have protected them