Wizard in a Witchy World Page 23

  I grabbed her arm to stop her progress. She pulled up and turned toward me. She was still in sultry mode and stepped in a little too close for my comfort. Even though she was older by a couple decades, I wasn't completely immune.

  "Really?" I asked. "Would you tell me about her? I have so few memories," I said.

  "She was a contradiction, as the best of us are. Many would describe her as a hard woman. But, she could show great kindness. We had a common love of plants, which brought us together from time to time. It was a shame when she disappeared."

  "What do you know about that?" I asked.

  "Not much. One day she was here, the next she was gone. I didn't put it together, that you were her son, until I heard about Tenebris Manerium. I imagine you know her last name was Baltazoss, not Slade, like your own." She took my hand to lead me further into the greenhouse. "But, enough of that. We'll have lots of time to talk, but we need to get to work. Mari has been burning through my rosemary like it's candy. I'd like to plant an additional fifteen. Have you ever worked with rooting hormone?"

  TROUBLE IN PARADISE

  "Hand me that hammer, would you?"

  It was Friday afternoon and the sound of spraying water had interrupted a late lunch with Gabriella and Clarita.

  "Shouldn't you call someone?" Gabriella asked, handing me the tool.

  "Probably, but I used to pull pipe on the farm. It's not usually that hard, but this valve is frozen," I said.

  "Can't you free it with… you know, that hand wavy thing you do?"

  "I'm trying, but the rust is strong in this one." I looked back at her for acknowledgement. If she recognized my humorous reference, she wasn't letting on. I manipulated small objects with my hands, but rust-frozen valves weren't on the list. I tapped on the valve with the hammer and attempted to twist it with my free hand.

  "Most people will be wearing black for the memorial," Gabriella said. "Do you need any help picking something out?"

  There would be a new moon tomorrow night and the memorial was scheduled to start at eleven o’clock at the Leotown Botanic Gardens.

  "Crap. Not going to happen," I said, giving up and flipping the breaker for the well to off. "Now, what was that again? You want to help me get dressed?" I deadpanned it as best as I could, but Gabriella understood my meaning.

  "Felix. Clarita is here." She tried for scandalized, but it's difficult to lie to a wizard or a witch. "And you have an unresolved relationship with Amak."

  "As do you, with Brian," I said.

  "Not as much as you'd expect," she said.

  "Why do things always break just before the weekend?" I complained and then realized she'd said something interesting. "What's going on with Brian?"

  "He's asking for space. What’s been happening… it's a lot to take in. I don't blame him," she said.

  "I do." I stepped closer, running my hand down her arm and gently grasping her hand. "You deserve better."

  She pulled her hand away. "We're just taking a break, Felix."

  "This doesn't have to be weird, Gabriella. If all the room you have for me is as a friend, I'm okay with that."

  "Are you serious? What of Amak?"

  "She doesn't think of me like that," I said. "She's offering a friends with benefits type of relationship."

  "Sounds ideal. No commitment." Gabriella's mood quickly turned dark and the wave of sarcasm behind her words wouldn't have been lost on a mundane. "Is that what you want from me?" She turned and stormed over to the stairs that led out of the mechanical room, picking Clarita up. "Come on, Clarita, we're leaving."

  "Hey." I called after her. "That's not fair." Somehow the train had come off the tracks and I had no idea what I'd said.

  I dropped my hammer in the toolbox and ran up the wooden stairs after Gabriella. The mechanical room was off a small hallway which deposited us in the small hallway joining the dining room that had once been a solarium to the kitchen. I caught up with her as she was exchanging a greeting with Amak, who I didn't know was coming over.

  Gabriella looked over her shoulder as she continued her retreat. "You were quick to judge how I treated trolls. What you're doing is despicable."

  "Gabriella, wait," I said. But, it was too late, she had already hurried out of the room.

  "Trouble in paradise?" Amak asked, chuckling.

  "I don't know what I said."

  Amak waved her hand up and down across my body. "Why are you all wet?"

  "Sprung a leak in the basement. I tried to turn off the water to the rest of the house so I could keep the boiler running, but the damn valve is stuck. Want to give it a try?"

  "Sure, but we're going to Rose and Crown tonight. All work and no play makes Amak a grumpy girl." She followed me back down to the basement mechanical room. "What valve?"

  I picked up the hammer and pointed at the heavy copper pipe with the frozen, industrial-strength valve. Most men would be intimidated to have a female friend who was physically their superior. Not me. If anything, I was disappointed that she had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. But just like with Gabriella, I wasn't willing to lose a friend over it.

  Amak grabbed the small iron wheel and braced her hips against the wall. The strain visibly transferred from her hands to her arms as every muscle grew taut. Her muscles were sinewy, not bulky like a bodybuilder's and when put to the task, they looked like iron bands. If ever there was a basis for the Amazon myth, Amak and her kind were certainly it.

  She let go after a minute, breathing hard. "How hard do you want me to try? I could damage something."

  "That's two-inch copper and an industrial fitting, don't hurt yourself," I said. "But, if you did break it, nothing changes. I'd just have to call a plumber anyway."

  "Okay." She repositioned, locking her hips and feet against the stone wall and house support post. "It's all about leverage, Slade." For a moment, other than her knuckles turning bright white, nothing happened as she grappled with the stubborn plumbing fixture. The pipe’s groaning was the first indication that something was happening and it was followed by a sharp cracking sound as Amak broke the valve's handwheel and stem free and water sprayed from the fitting.

  "I thought you had the water off," Amak's laugh was infectious and I grabbed her hand, helping her out of the new fountain.

  "It is," I said laughing as we danced out of the way. "The boiler is completely full and that valve is lower."

  "Oh, crap. You're going to flood the basement."

  "There's a valve on the boiler reservoir. I'll turn it off." I splashed my way over to the large water tank and easily twisted the new valve shut. "Furnace guy already replaced this one. I'll give him a call. He said he'd do emergency fixes.”

  I turned around to find Amak standing in front of me, her shirt in her hand. "Whoa. What are you doing?" I was working hard not to think of her in that light.

  "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Slade. My shirt is soaking and I want to get it dry. Like you haven't seen all this." She gestured to her front.

  "I don't think you know how distracting I find all that." I forced myself to look away.

  "You just keep telling yourself that. I'm still holding out hope for those benefits and I don't mind playing dirty."

  "Say the words ‘long-term commitment,’ troll girl, and I'm all in. I just can't go halfway," I said. Having feelings of love for two women and little hope of a future with either one was driving me nuts. I wasn't sure my heart could take it.

  "You're a strange one, Slade. I've only met a few human men who had any interest in the real me and not a one of them had issues being playmates. Far as I could tell, that's all they wanted. But, you… you would become my mate, but won't share physically with me otherwise.

  I'd turned away and was surprised by her wet arms wrapping around me from behind. I was immediately aware of her wet, naked breasts pressing into my back. Instead of playing naughty and reaching for me in a way that I would not have had the strength to resist, she just held me, her head coming
to rest on my shoulder.

  "I accept your proposal of friendship, Felix. My people's bonds are deep and I find in you a worthy companion. I am unable to give you what you want, as it is not for me to cleave to another. If it were otherwise, I might have allowed my heart to be open to you. My friendship is all that I may offer," she said.

  "Does that have to do with your people's relationship with the witches?" I asked.

  "I can't talk about that."

  "I hate how they control you," I said. "What if I could find something that blocked their control?"

  "Why would you do that? Your witch would be furious," she said.

  "You saw her stomp out of here. She’s clearly not my witch."

  "You're reading that incorrectly."

  ***

  I awoke the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. Amak and I had spent the night at Rose and Crown and the pounding of my head had synchronized with the beat of the ring tone. That was just one of several reminders that I'd hit it too hard last night. I was unable to focus on the phone, but was pretty sure it was the furnace guy, ready to repair the broken valve.

  "Slade," I answered, rolling out of bed. I shivered in the cold air of the unheated room.

  "I'm twenty minutes out."

  "What time is it?" I asked.

  I must have caught him off guard because he guffawed into the phone. "One o'clock. Tough night?"

  "Yeah, sorry," I said. "Do you need me to be here?"

  "No, I think I know my way around well enough," he said. "I assume the problem's not too hard to find?"

  "Yeah. Open your new valve by the boiler and look for a geyser."

  "Understood. I'm sure I'll find it."

  I'd promised the Katty sisters I'd help with the memorial and I needed to get going. They had a load of chairs and tables that needed to be hauled over to the gardens and set up. Even with two trucks, we'd have to take more than one trip.

  After cleaning up to the best of my ability without running water, I grabbed my dress clothes and hopped in the truck. I ended up passing my furnace guy on the way out and gave him a friendly wave.

  "Come here, you crazy kid," Willow said, walking up to me after I'd backed up to the Katty sister's storage shed.

  "What?" I asked.

  She reached for my face and gently rubbed her thumbs across my closed eyelids. Cool relief and sense of calm spread from her touch as she chanted a simple spell. "Comfort for pain - we're thankful for lessening of strain."

  "Where have you been all my life?" I asked, grateful for the relief from my headache.

  "This afternoon will be hard enough."

  She was right. The three sisters each had a daughter. Solstice, Cypress, and Dande had come home from college and were helping, but there was still plenty of work for the lot of us.

  "Do I have to worry about nudity tonight?" Solstice, Dande and I had just finished setting up the last of the chairs and were taking a breather before starting in on the candles.

  "No," Solstice said unconvincingly. I could tell she was questioning if I was a creeper or actually concerned.

  "Are you serious? A new moon with all the free energy?" Dande was quick to correct her cousin. "Aunty Willow will be down to a lace skirt by midnight. I'd bet money on it."

  "My Aunt Judy and her coven burned my eyes out more than once when I was growing up. Some things you just can't un-see."

  The girls tittered, sharing a joke between them. I suspected they'd seen things they wished they hadn't as well.

  It was well after six when we finished. The furnace guy had repaired the damage, but reiterated the fact that I was living on borrowed time. Regardless, I appreciated the hot shower. I'd promised Belle that I'd show up early to carry food in and left the house shortly after ten.

  Parking near the gardens was impossible and I ended up a few blocks away. It was a crisp night, which put me in a good mood. The odds of random old-lady nudity diminished with every degree the mercury dropped, but with a hundred or so witches expected, I wasn't going to completely dodge the bullet. I looked to the sky and saw stars. I'd been holding out for a freak snowstorm and was disappointed at the cloudless sky.

  A block out, my phone rang. I suspected it was Belle, wondering where I was. Even though I was early for the event, I was a few minutes later than I'd planned.

  "Flaeger and Bothelman broke out of holding." It was Lozano, who hadn’t communicated with me in over a week.

  "I thought they were in federal custody," I said.

  "Feds came for them this morning. When they arrived, both Flaeger and Bothelman were gone."

  "How is that possible? And where have you been?"

  "You've been a good friend, Slade, but it's not going to work out."

  "What are you talking about? What's not going to work out?"

  "I'm no good for Jennifer or the girls. Promise me you'll look in on 'em from time to time," he asked.

  "You can fight this, Joe."

  "You don't know what you're talking about. It's part of who I am now. I think it always has been."

  "That's crazy talk. You were infected by Flaeger. This wasn't something you were born to," I said.

  "Fate's a fickle dragon, Slade," he said. "Tell Jennifer I love her, would you?"

  "No! You need to tell her yourself."

  "Goodbye, Slade. Take care of yourself and don't underestimate Flaeger," Joe said and hung up the phone. I tried dialing him back, but he didn't answer.

  I'd stopped walking, not trusting myself to have an intense conversation without tripping. I'd held out hope, but could hardly blame him. Everything I'd read said exactly what his wife’s grandmother, Nanna, had said when we visited. There was no coming back from being bitten by a lycan. Joe was probably doing the best thing he could for Jennifer, but his family was being torn apart just as surely as if Shaggy had attacked them all.

  My mind raced. If Shaggy was loose, he'd either skip town or try to tie up loose ends. Whoever had hired him seemed the most likely to have sprung him. My guess was ‘the boss’ would want him to finish what had been started. The question was, what was the end goal here? With my claim on Happy Hollow complete, there was no reason to go after Clarita. Unless…

  I dialed Dukats. The phone rang quite a long time before she picked up.

  "This better be good, Slade. It's late."

  "You knew about Flaeger and you didn't think to call me?" I asked.

  "Don't need you playing vigilante again," she said.

  "Is that what you think? That I'm out chasing Flaeger? No. I'm going to a memorial service for Victoria and Benita Barrios, where his kidnapping victim, Clarita Barrios, is going to be. Flaeger could be coming here," I said.

  "It's ten thirty. Isn't that unusually late for a memorial service? Where are you?" Dukats asked.

  "Botanic Gardens. And, it's an unusual group of people."

  "How long is the service? I'll send a cruiser."

  "Probably wind down around two a.m. You need to be discreet, this crowd is expecting a private service."

  "I get it, Slade. You can't be on the force in Leotown without understanding we have a religiously diverse crowd. The officers won't crash your party."

  Religiously diverse. That was about as politically correct as anything I'd heard.

  "Thank you, Dukats."

  "Just leave Flaeger to us. You copy?"

  "He's all yours. If I never see him again, it'll be too soon," I said and hung up.

  I suddenly felt exposed on the darkened street and quickened my pace. I knew I was responding to the moment, but I still felt like there were eyes on me.

  "You look like you've seen a ghost," Willow said as I approached the Katty's catering truck where she and the younger Kattys were unloading. Like her daughter, Cypress, she was dressed in a simple, lacy green dress.

  "Is Gabriella here? I need to find her," I said.

  "What is it, Felix?" Willow asked.

  "Shaggy, the werewolf, has escaped from jail," I said. "I t
hink Clarita and Gabriella could be in danger."

  "Girls, finish up here and get inside," she instructed. "Do not worry, Felix. We've woven a spell of serenity and safety and we'll strengthen it with a hundred strong. No lycan will pass onto our hallowed ground tonight. Besides, they are at their weakest at the new moon."

  "Gabriella?" I asked.

  "Yes, of course. She and Clarita are making final arrangements in the courtyard."

  Wordlessly, I ran off. I had to find them and make sure they were safe. Any other night, I would have loved navigating my way through the carefully planned paths and well-tended plants. Tonight, I cursed the lack of a straight route. I doubled back and forth along the sloped terraces, thick with full hedges.

  In the end, I resorted to clambering down over the final rows, inadvertently tipping over a beautiful potted planter. I winced as I recognized what it contained: one of Willow's Solanaceae, or nightshade. It had been full of gorgeous and delicate deep purple flowers. I managed to save the pot but shredded much of the foliage.

  "Felix. Stop! What are you doing? This ground is consecrated," Gabriella had turned, hearing my steps. A look of horror crossed her face at my clumsy approach.

  She wasn't holding Clarita, nor could I find the six-year old anywhere as I rushed up. "Clarita. Where is she? There's danger," I said. It was all I could manage. The thought of either of them coming to harm again, was more than I could bear.

  I felt Mari's presence before I saw her. A blanket of calm settled around me and I turned to see her, Clarita in her arms. "We're here, Felix. Everyone is safe."

  Clarita lifted her arms, slipped from Mari's gasp and ran to me, scrabbling up into my arms. "Little monkey, you're so pretty tonight." My world seemed to fall back into whatever gear I'd slipped out of and I was once again able to breathe.

  "What's this about?" Gabriella asked. She was broadcasting her annoyance at my entrance.

  "Flaeger escaped." I was hoping Clarita wouldn't recognize his name.

  "We're safe here tonight," Mari said, placing her hand on my shoulder. She wasn't as curvy as her sister Willow, but she was beautiful in her lacey, green gown. Mari probably wouldn’t win any traditional beauty contests, but she had a depth of presence found only in strong women, those who didn't look to others to establish their self-worth. Through her touch, I felt her connection with the ground beneath us and caught a glimpse of the protections woven by the Katty women.