Chapter 6
I WOULD HAVE overslept my alarm, but Aegis woke me up promptly at seven. I dressed in a black and green plaid skirt, and a hunter green V-neck sweater. I asked Aegis to find my big tote bag in my closet, because it would be easier to carry everything I needed around in it. The dizziness seemed to be under control until I stood up, but even though I could stand on my own, one step told me that I was still incredibly unstable on my feet. He carried me down the stairs and into the kitchen, set me down, and I leaned on his arm as I made my way to the table from the door.
“An email came in for you about four a.m. this morning. I was updating our accounts, and I saw the notification. I think it’s from Gregory.” He fixed me a steaming mocha, piled high with whipped cream, with cocoa powder dusted on top. “There are five shots of espresso in there to get you started.”
“You know how to make a girl’s heart sing,” I said, smiling. “I want to see what he said.” I started to stand, but Aegis shook his head and motioned for me to sit down.
“Wait right here. I have a surprise for you. This one, I think you’ll like.”
He hurried out of the room, and I noticed he was wearing sneakers. I blinked. An unusual fashion choice for Aegis. I preferred the motorcycle boots, but he had the right to choose his own footwear. He returned carrying a laptop.
“I bought this for you so you can take your work around the house, instead of staying in the office. The password is ‘enchant,’ but you can change it to anything you want.”
I blinked. I’d been meaning to buy a laptop soon, but hadn’t got around to it.
“Thank you,” I said, stroking the smooth black surface. As I opened it and turned it on, I saw that the laptop was loaded with just about every program I could want. And then I realized it was top of the line, probably costing about five thousand dollars.
“I can’t believe you bought this for me. When did you get it?”
“It was a secondary anniversary present. I was going to give it to you when we got home the other night, but I didn’t foresee us ending up as fish food. I almost forgot about it with all the aftermath, but then I remembered after I put you to bed last night. I transferred all of your email and documents over to it as well last night. The wireless is strong, so you can take it anywhere out in the backyard, up to the edge of the trees.”
He glanced at the clock. “I should get to bed, love.”
As he leaned down, gazing at me with those deep, brown eyes of his, they pierced into my heart and once again I felt a surge of love and gratitude that he was in my life.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
He stroked my cheek. “I have an idea, but I like to hear you say it.”
“You are unlike any man I’ve ever known.” I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, kissing him long and deep. A wave of hunger rushed over me, but we didn’t have any time this morning. “Tonight, I need you.”
“Tonight, I’m all yours.” And with that he kissed me again, this time on the nose and, waving good night to Kelson, who was entering the room at that moment, he headed downstairs to sleep before the first rays of sun touched the sky.
“He’s a keeper,” Kelson said. “He’s really quite extraordinary.”
I waited, but she didn’t finish it the way I expected her to. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not finishing your sentence with ‘for a vampire.’ ”
“Those who qualify their compliments don’t usually mean them.” Kelson winked at me. “What do you want for breakfast? Eggs, bacon? I’m in a cooking mood, so just ask.”
“I want English muffins, sausage, and a cheese omelet.”
As she got to work, I brought up my email. The laptop ran extremely fast. Aegis hadn’t skimped on the memory or the CPU speed. And there it was, an email from Gregory Oakstone. With shaking hands, I tapped the touchpad and opened the letter.
Dear Maudlin: I can’t believe I’m writing this. I’m still in shock over your email, but first let me say how grateful I am that you wrote to me. I always knew I was adopted, but my parents would never tell me where I came from, or who my real parents were. They just told me that I was given to them with love, and to let sleeping dogs lie. I would love to talk to you after I have processed all of this information. As you can probably guess, I never expected to discover who my birth parents were, not after all this time. I will be in the United States next year for a conference. Perhaps we can meet then, as I will be passing through Seattle on my way home. Meanwhile, I’ll be taking some time to think about what you said, and I will email when I know how I feel. Ever grateful for your note, Gregory O.
I stared at the screen, not sure about what to think. I was glad he had actually written back, but I had expected one of two responses: either he would freak and tell me to fuck off, or he would immediately swamp me with questions.
“Are you all right?” Kelson asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, just a little disheartened.”
It was then that I realized I had been hoping for an exuberant email instead of a noncommittal thank-you. I closed my email after scanning the rest. It seemed obvious that Gregory didn’t want to hear from me until he had processed through the information I had left him with, and I wasn’t the type to bother someone when they made it clear they didn’t want to be approached.
“Your breakfast will be ready in a moment. I just need to butter the toast,” she said as the bread popped out of the toaster.
I stared at the laptop. I had no clue that Aegis had been planning such an elaborate anniversary. And here, I had almost forgotten it. I frowned.
“Kelson?” I asked as she set my plate in front of me.
“Yes?”
“Can you help me plan a romantic evening for Aegis and me? He tried, but luck was stacked against us.” Luck and the weather. And possibly Fata Morgana, if she had driven the storm into Bedlam on purpose. “He has rehearsal tonight, but I think he’s free tomorrow night, so let’s shoot for then.”
“Should you plan it for next week, when your vertigo should be gone?”
I let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t want to be staggering all over the place.”
“All right.” She grabbed a pen and notebook and sat down. “What do you want?”
“For one thing, we need a romantic dinner. Since we couldn’t have a picnic at sea, and I’m not about to try a do-over on that one, see if you can get us reservations at the Surf Side.”
The Surf Side was a new restaurant, beautifully decked out, with a menu that had made my mouth water when Sandy told me about it. Max had taken her there two or three months ago. I had laughingly pointed out that if she went there again, she would be competing with her own seafood bar, now that it was newly built in a safe location. But she pointed out that the Oyster Bar was fast food. The Surf Side was haute cuisine.
“I’ll call them as soon as we’re done.” She paused. “Should I see if they have an no-vampires-allowed policy, before making the reservations?”
I blinked. I hadn’t even thought of that, but it made perfect sense. “Yeah, good idea. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask, and that would be a quick way to ruin the evening.” I thought over what I wanted to do. The Surf Side had dancing, too, so I’d buy a new dress. “See if they have a dress code? I may need to surprise Aegis with a suit jacket and tie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him all decked out in fancy clothes.”
“I’ll get right on this after I serve breakfast to Henry. Did you want to buy Aegis a gift?”
I thought about it. What could I give him that would mean as much as the key pendant he had given me? The laptop was a lovely gift, and I was going to enjoy using it, but the key—now, that packed a punch. Then it occurred to me. “I need to go down in the basement today, or send you down there. I need to know what his ring size is.”
She frowned. “How do we do that?”
“You—because I don’t think I can make it down the stairs—measure his right ring finger with a string and mark it. Then we take it to the jewelry store.” I was going to buy him a gift he’d never expect.
“Oh, so much joy on that one.” Kelson grimaced. “It’s all too much like measuring a corpse, you know? I don’t mean any disrespect, but—” She paused.
I snorted. “That’s because you are, in a way. I don’t mind you being blunt. He’s a vampire. He’s no longer alive—at least not in the normal sense. But let’s leave it at ‘He’s a vampire’ and drop it, okay?”
Kelson laughed. “All too happy to. I suppose we should get right on this, given you want to surprise him next week.”
I beamed. “You got it. I’m going to eat breakfast, then we can get moving. I’ll need you to drive me to the jeweler’s as soon as you’ve finished the other errands. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look online to find out which one I want to go to.” Cranking up the laptop, I got busy.
DELIA CALLED SHORTLY after I had decided on which jewelry store I wanted to visit. I still hadn’t heard from Sandy and was starting to get worried.
“Hey, I just got Essie’s email with the attachment listing the whereabouts of her nest members. Thank you for talking to her.”
“It wasn’t pleasant, but at least it’s done.”
Delia paused. “But do you trust her? Really? If you tell me you think she’s telling us the truth, I’ll accept what you say.”
“I wish you wouldn’t put it on my shoulders like that.”
“I’m not, but I do trust your opinion and it’s probably more accurate than mine.”
I thought about Essie and how she had acted. “She was almost…afraid. I think she really doesn’t know who the rogue vampire is, but the news about the vampire kill spooked her. She was her usual high-and-mighty self, but there was an edge of fear behind the pretense.”
I paused, gazing outside where the wind started whipping the trees with stiff blows. One of the younger birch trees in my yard was bending back, and for a moment, I was afraid it might snap. “Hell, are you getting the wind I am here? I checked the weather last night and it said blustery, but this is a gale-force gust.”
“Yeah, same here. Hold on.” She put me on hold for a moment, then returned. “There’s a major wind advisory coming through. We’re in the path of an incoming storm that’s likely to rival any Bedlam has had in the past ten years.”
“Typical November weather, but in October. We’d better batten down the hatches, then.” I thought about Essie. “I wonder if Essie thinks another vampire is targeting her territory. We know how vamps ascend to the throne.”
“You could be right. Well, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any more attacks. Meanwhile, take it easy and recover.” She paused. “Maddy, that was a dangerous thing to do, going out onto the water. Next time, listen to your head instead of your heart. I know that Aegis meant well, but sometimes when you’re damned near immortal, you can forget other people aren’t. And I don’t care how long of a lifespan you have, you aren’t anywhere near as invulnerable as he is.”
With that, she signed off.
I put in another call to Sandy while I was waiting for Kelson to finish cleaning the sink. She was meticulous about never leaving a dirty dish on the counter and I didn’t complain. I enjoyed having a clean freak in the house.
This time, Sandy answered. “Maddy?” She sounded like she had been crying.
“Are you all right? How’s Jenna doing?” I knew I shouldn’t bombard her with questions but I couldn’t help myself.
“Me? About as good as can be expected. But Jenna, I’m not so sure about. She’s locked herself in her bedroom and won’t come out. I’m worried. She won’t talk to me. She won’t talk to Alex, and she won’t even talk to Max. I’m at my wit’s end.” Sandy sounded exhausted. I didn’t even want to think about how tired she must be.
“Want me to come over and see if I can get her to open up?” I wasn’t much of an expert on teenagers, but Jenna and I liked each other and she seemed to enjoy talking to me.
Sandy let out a sigh. “No. I’ll call you in a little while if it seems like we’re still getting nowhere. How about you? Are you healing up?”
“Yeah. Still have vertigo and not about to drive myself, but I’m better than I was yesterday. I had to talk to Essie last night, and you know just how much I enjoy that.” I didn’t want to burden Sandy with anything more than she was dealing with, but she had to know. “Listen, and this is hush-hush until Delia gives us permission to speak about it openly, but there was a vampire kill in Bedlam. Delia found the body yesterday morning. She dropped by yesterday, asking me to pump Essie for any information she might have.”
Sandy barked out a laugh. “I can just imagine how much fun pumping Essie was. At least you’re not a guy and you didn’t have to pump her the old-fashioned way.”
I choked. “I don’t think it matters to Essie whether I’m male or female, and…ewww. I love Aegis. He’s a vamp. But the thought of doing the vampire queen? Oh, hell no. Bite your tongue.”
“Better than biting hers,” she said, again letting out a stifled laugh. “All right, I’d better get off the phone and see if Jenna is ready to talk yet.” Sandy sounded like that was the last thing she wanted to do. “I guess I need to learn and learn fast on how to be a mother. My only fear is that now that I am her mother, or at least her guardian, she’s going to start resenting me like she did Derry.”
“I don’t think Jenna will ever resent you,” I said. I had no clue whether that was true or not, but I felt the need to reassure her. I set my phone down and looked over to Kelson. She had just finished putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. “Are you ready to go?”
“Five minutes, while I get my purse and make sure the front door is locked.” She glanced outside at the rising storm. “Wear a jacket. Even though we’re mostly going to be in the car and in stores, it looks nasty out there.”
“Delia told me that a storm front is coming in. It’s supposed to be the worst storm Bedlam has seen in ten years, so once we get home we need to make certain that everything outside is either tied down or put away. I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help there.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Come on. While we’re out, I’ll stop and get some more milk and eggs and a few other things we’re running low on.” She hustled through into the living room, and returned with our jackets and her purse. “Here, put your arm around my shoulder and I’ll walk you out to the car.”
I stood, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “I think if you just hold me by the elbow and maybe put a hand on my back to steady me, I will be fine. As long as we go slow, that is.”
Kelson placed her left hand on the small of my back, and angled toward me so that she could take hold of my right hand. Slowly, we made our way to the sliding glass door, and then out into the backyard. It was quicker to the driveway than going through the front door.
As we crossed the grassy side yard, a sudden gust almost blew us off balance. The wind had to be blowing at around forty miles an hour. Kelson stopped, holding me steady as the gust blasted past. A branch from one of the tall firs went sailing past to land in the yard. A good three feet long, it was splintered on the end that had broken off from the tree.
“Are you sure you want to go to the store today?”
I nodded. “Yes, we have blustery weather all the time. I’m not going to let a little storm stop me. It’s not like I’m heading out onto the water again.” In retrospect, Delia was right. Aegis’s plan had seemed foolhardy. But hindsight was always best, and it had seemed like an incredibly romantic idea at the time.
The fresh air seemed to strengthen me, and by the time we reached the gate I could walk a few steps on my own. Kelson shut the door after I slid into the passenger side. I buckled my seatbelt. The skies cracked wide, then, and a heavy rain began to pound down around us. Kelson raced around to her side of the car and dove in, laughing.
“Well, we’re in no danger of a drought, are we?” She started the ignition, and the car purred smoothly. Kelson had traded in her sedan for a Subaru Outback. As we eased out of the driveway, I glanced at my CR-V longingly. I liked to drive, and I didn’t like having to be dependent on anybody else.
“I have a feeling we’re a long ways from a drought.” Another branch went flying by, landing too close to Aegis’s Corvette for comfort. “This is shaping up to be a tidy little storm, isn’t it?”
BEDLAM WAS A magical little town. Literally. There was so much magic in our town that it changed the very weather of the island. With about six thousand permanent inhabitants, I suppose we were actually a village, which was more apt, given the nature of Bedlam. Oh, we had a few chain stores, but most of our shops were boutiques, privately owned and inherently unique.
The town was spread out across the island, but with a fountain in the square and a large park where we held community events, downtown Bedlam had a quirky charm all of its own. The lampposts and shops were decorated for Samhain. Brightly colored streamers were draped from lamppost to lamppost, and orange and purple lights wound around the poles. The park had a massive display of jack o’ lanterns—all carved by townsfolk. A few of the witches who worked for the city had enchanted them so that they wouldn’t rot until Samhain was over, and at night, they lit up, a sparkling display of the haunting reminder that it was the season of death and the time of the ancestors. The Fae who lived on the island had enchanted them with faerie fire, so they glowed with the twinkling lights that darted in and around the display.
“We should stop at Calou Bakery for some bread. I know Aegis likes to make dinner rolls, but I’ve been hankering for croissants and French bread lately.” I loved the bakery. Run by a hearth witch named Glenna, Calou Bakery was intensely comforting. She kneaded magic into every bite.
“All right, but I’m going in. You’re going to stay in the car.” Kelson found a parking spot right in front of the bakery.
I grinned. “You call on the parking goddess again?”
Kelson had a knack for finding open spots right when she needed them.
She laughed. “So, what should I get?”
“French bread—several loaves. A couple croissants. Maybe some of her cinnamon rolls? And if she has it, a fresh apple pie.” I could have gone on—there was a long list of things that Glenna made that I loved—but I decided to opt for a little self-control. Not to mention, I had noticed that Aegis was starting to get mildly offended when I brought outside baked goods into the house. The more he baked, the more he enjoyed it. I didn’t want to stomp on his ego.
Kelson returned, her arms full of fragrant packages. My mouth began to water, even though I was still full from breakfast. I promised myself that when I got home, I could have a cinnamon roll with a peppermint mocha. Until then, I’d be good and keep my hands to myself.
I had decided on Diamond Promises for the ring. We turned left on Brandy Street, and sure enough, there was a spot right in front of the store. I glanced at Kelson.
“I’d like to know what kind of magic you use for that,” I said with a laugh.
“I’d like to know too. You know I don’t do magic—I’m a werewolf. But I do seem to have an innate ability to track down a spot wherever I go. Ready?”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and slipped on my jacket. The sky was awash in an army of gray clouds, and fat droplets bounced on the sidewalk. The air crackled with static electricity. It smelled like thunderstorm weather. Kelson dashed around to my side of the car and opened the door for me, helping me out. The vertigo was still strong, but it was definitely on the wane. She guided me to the door of the shop, and we slipped inside out of the storm.
Diamond Promises was more of an artisan’s studio. One large main room was divided into two sections—three display cases with benches in front of them for the clients to sit on. And then, across the back of the room, looked to be a jeweler’s studio, with workbenches, and a Chinese apothecary cabinet, which I assumed held various jewelry clasps and the like. One door led to a back room area. Vines from a large potted plant to one side trailed up a wooden stake that touched the ceiling, weaving through a rope trellis suspended across the room. The storefront windows glimmered with a faint light. Magical protection, no doubt.
A woman was dusting the jewelry in one of the front cases, and a man was seated at the bench in the work area, intent on his work. They both looked up as we entered.
“May I help you?” The woman stepped around the case. She was Fae, I could tell that from her energy. She wore a knee-length black dress, with a discreet nametag that read “Nera.” She motioned to one of the seats by the front counter. “Have a seat.”
“I’m Maddy Gallowglass. I’m looking for a ring for my boyfriend.” I sat down.
Nera fluttered around us, overly excited for my mood. “Oh, are you going to propose? We have some lovely men’s wedding rings or we can make a custom one—”
“Hold that thought,” I said, holding up my hand. “Nobody’s proposing to anybody. I just want… Think of it as a promise ring. A love token. I’d like something with Celtic knotwork on it, if possible, and here’s the width of his finger.” I handed her the string and flashed her a smile. “Trust me, when—if—we ever shop for wedding rings, it will be together.”
That punctured some of her balloon, but she got right to business. “What kind of metal?”
“Has to be gold. No silver. He’s a vampire.”
That brought a double take, then a nervous laugh. “Of course. I don’t want to be responsible for hurting him.” She looked through the inventory in the right-hand case. “What about a claddagh band? We have one in gold with Celtic knotwork running around the band.” She took the string and measured it. Then she brought out the ring and set it on a cushion in front of me. The gold band was highly polished, with two hands holding the traditional claddagh heart with a crown over it. A fede ring, it stood for all that was loyal: vows and oaths, promises, hope, and faith.
I picked up the ring. It made sense, truly. I wanted a ring to promise my love to Aegis, to reassure him of my trust and loyalty. Just like the key to his heart that hung around my neck.
“This is lovely. Is it the correct size?”
“Actually, yes, and you’re lucky—we’d have to order in another if he needed a bigger size. This ring can’t be sized due to the design.”
The knotwork was beautiful, intricately interwoven. I glanced at the man in the work area, who was wearing an eyepiece while he looked over a ring. “Did he make this?”
“No, Mr. Diamond didn’t make that ring, but he ordered it straight from the smith in Ireland who did. The jeweler who makes these comes from the Winter Court.” She motioned to the case. “I have a few others if you’d like to see them. Some have birthstones, others are simple knotwork, but very beautiful.”
I nodded, still staring at the ring. Something about it called to me and I knew it was the right choice. “I really like this one. How much?”
Nera looked surprised, but relieved. She probably received a commission on sales and no doubt, I was her easiest one of the day. “Twelve hundred, marked down from one thousand, five hundred. We’re having a special this week, though, with twenty percent off any purchase over five hundred dollars.”
“Can you gift wrap it for me?” I suddenly froze. “Oh hell, I forgot. My purse is at the bottom of the lake.”
Nera’s smile vanished and her eyes narrowed. “Oh?”
“Can you hold this for me for an hour? I’ll go to the bank and get cash—” Again, I froze. Even though they knew me at the credit union, I didn’t have any identification.
Kelson came to my rescue. “I’ll put it on my card and you can write me a check when we get home.” She pulled out her wallet.
“I can’t ask you to do that—”
“It’s not like I don’t submit a bill each week for groceries and household goods. I’m fine with it. Go ahead and ring up the purchase.” She handed Nera her credit card.
We were out the door, jewelry box in hand, and back in the car within a few minutes. “We need to replace your identification. You can do it online, but that may take awhile.”
“You want to drive me to the DMV?” Luckily, Bedlam’s department of motor vehicles was small, given the population, and wait times were generally short. I had my Pretcom identification card, but needed a state one as well.
We spent the next forty minutes going through the hoops of getting me a new license. I had already filed reports on my lost credit cards and replacements were on the way. I never carried my social security card, so that was still safe, as was my passport.
Complete with a temporary license and feeling much more secure, I wove my way out of the DMV, holding on to Kelson’s arm. The wind had picked up even more, and was now blowing a steady forty miles an hour. The gusts were worse.
“We should get home so I can anchor down anything that might take a mind to go sailing,” Kelson said. She glanced up at the clouds. The rain had abated, but looked like it could return at any moment. The sky was an ominous mixture of gray and silver, coming out of the northwest, down from the Discovery Islands that dotted the Strait of Georgia and the Johnstone Strait in British Columbia. “My instincts say this is going to be a bad storm, and a long one.”
I could feel what she meant. There was a shift in the wind, and the bracing gusts bit with a bone-deep chill. The temperature had dropped at least five degrees since we had left the house.
“Let’s stop and get some pizza on the way, but yeah, home we go.”
As we paused at the stoplight by Turnwheel Park, an upsweep hit the car, rocking us as it whipped past. The streetlights swung wildly on their lines and I winced, hoping they would hold. All the birds had vanished, hiding in whatever safe places they could find to ride out the storm.
After a quick stop at The Pizza Stone for three large take-and-bake meat-lovers pizzas, we headed for home. We were rounding the bend where Elk Wood turned into Yew Tree Road—the street the Bewitching Bedlam was on—when a massive gust just about blew us off the road. Kelson clutched the steering wheel, turning hard so that we bumped onto the shoulder. We were next to Old Man Tee’s farm, and the field next to us stretched for a good quarter-mile, filled with ripe orange pumpkins. He had probably sold half of them, but this weekend the rest would be gone. I caught my breath as we rode out the gust, waiting for it to subside.
“That was almost hurricane force.” I shivered. This storm was shaping up to be no joke. Bedlam was in for a good blow, all right.
“We’re almost home,” Kelson said, easing back onto the road. She tapped the accelerator and we sped quickly along the last mile. We had just passed the Heart’s Desire Inn—which was a ten-minute walk from the Bewitching Bedlam—when a massive crash behind us shook the road and everything on it.
I glanced out the side mirror. A huge oak stretched across the road, uprooted from the front yard of the Heart’s Desire Inn.
“Crap. Ralph just lost that massive old tree in the front yard.” And then it hit me that, had we been a few seconds slower, we would have been under that oak tree.
Kelson must have realized that too, because she whipped into our driveway. “Come on, let’s get you inside first. Then I’ll bring in the groceries. I forgot the milk, but we can drink juice.”
I eased out of the car, shaking. She ran around to my side and slipped her arm around my waist. I clung to her as we quickly crossed the lawn to the kitchen. Once I was inside, through the slider, she ran back to the car to retrieve the baked goods.
Shaking, I was about to call Ralph to ask if everybody was okay when a flash of lightning broke through the clouds, so bright that it almost blinded me. Kelson made it back to the house, just in time to avoid the quarter-sized chunks of ice that began to fall. As the ice pellets bounced on the grass, coating it with a sheet of white, I stared out the window, thinking about the sudden onslaught of bad weather. Was Fata Morgana behind this? I wanted her to show herself, to quit hiding behind the storms. The bronze pentacle was sitting on the table where I had left it. I picked it up, fingering it gently. What was going to happen next? But even as I asked myself the question, I realized I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.