Gray tidings, p.24
Gray Tidings, page 24
None of them had been good people. Black witches, as a rule, weren’t. But I should have felt something.
Something other than the boundless nothing within me.
Distantly, I wished I hadn’t sent Derry and Marita home, but I thought then I wanted to grieve in private.
Not for the first time tonight, I was wrong.
“Ready to go?” Asa stuck his head into the RV. “Clay’s waiting.”
The SUV idled in front of the bakery, our bags and Colby already inside, but I saw no sign of him.
That could only mean he was buying snacks for the trip home.
Grateful for an excuse to leave, I followed him down the stairs. “Aedan?”
“He left.” Asa dipped his chin. “He didn’t want to be here while Camber was…in session.”
“That makes two of us.” I walked into his arms. “This case was a nightmare.”
“I’ve contacted Moran.” He kissed the top of my head. “She knows to expect us at the farm.”
Another fissure spiderwebbed across what remained of my battered heart. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
Living so close to Camber and Arden was how we became friends. The kind thing to do was to remove myself from the equation, so they didn’t have to see me at work, or at home. I owed them that much for turning their worlds upside down.
“Aedan will take care of it.” He stroked my jaw. “You haven’t asked where we’ll be staying.”
“The bunkhouse?” I leaned into his touch. “Or tents?”
Those were the only two viable options in such a remote location with no time to prep for guests.
“We will be living our tiny house dreams.” Clay, who had sneaked up behind me while I was moping over this latest turn of events, passed me a chicken and waffle donut. “We can discuss logistics on the way.” He stuffed one in Asa’s mouth when he opened it to speak. “Or we could, if you would get a move on.”
On the way.
Not on the way home.
I appreciated the distinction as much as I loathed its necessity.
“There’s one benefit to moving you haven’t considered.” Clay urged me into the SUV with gentle hands. “Stavros can’t find you at the farm.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” I toyed with my seat belt. “No more surprise gifts or visits.”
It did nothing to ease the bone-deep ache of losing my home, but it was a good point.
“And,” Colby squealed, swooping onto my shoulder, “I get my own house.”
“You what now?” That shocked me into feeling—panicked. “Your own house?”
“If we had more time, I could have commissioned our new field office to our specifications, but alas.” Clay climbed in behind me. “I had to get what I could find. That means you and Ace have a one bedroom, I have a one bedroom, and Little Miss Gamer Pants will also get a one bedroom.”
“I don’t know how I feel about her living on her own.”
“I’ll be maybe four yards away.” She scoffed. “Plus, I’ll need the extra room for my rig and all my stuff.”
All the custom equipment would have to come out of her room for her to be comfy elsewhere.
“I should also mention I’ve ordered some acrylic tunnels meant to let cats explore the great outdoors from behind clear plastic. We can mount them on the roofs, so she can walk over for a visit instead of flying. That will keep her safer and give her a way to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air without us.”
“The centuria will protect her,” Asa added, climbing behind the wheel. “She’ll be safe.”
“Come on, Rue.” She rubbed against my cheek. “It’s temporary.”
For the sake of her bright spot of hope, that life could one day go back to how it had been, I relented. “Okay.”
“Yes.” She zoomed through the SUV. “This is going to be awesome.”
I was glad one of us thought so.
The centuria had done their best to make the tiny house community that had sprung up in their backyard comfortable for us. With their preternatural strength, they had arranged the three homes into a loose U shape, with Colby’s house in the middle.
In the center of that U, they had dug a firepit ringed with stones and placed bright metal chairs around it. Solar lights ran to the houses’ roofs from a large tree across from the small yard, creating an umbrella effect that made the scene welcoming. From the same tree, on a thick limb, blew a Jolly Roger.
The skull and crossbones design of the pirate flag was oddly comforting and reminded me of Blay.
Though, if given a choice, he might have picked a basket of oranges for the banner instead.
It wasn’t home, but it was homey, and my family was here.
That was what mattered the most.
As we pulled in, the headlights flashed over Aedan, who carried crushed boxes from the solar lights.
Once Asa parked, I got out and trailed after my cousin, glad to see he was safe and sound.
“How are you doing?” I bit my lip. “Dumb question.”
“The centuria have plenty of work to keep me occupied.” He wiped sweat from his brow. “I’ll miss the quiet of the shop, but it was never meant to be a permanent solution.”
As tempted as I was to tell him Arden asked after him, cared about him even when she was furious, I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to give him hope where there might be none. If she wanted to talk, she knew where to find him. If she didn’t, she knew how to avoid him. That was the best I could do.
“I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
Done stuffing the boxes into a metal barrel to burn later, he turned. “You’ve lost more than I did.”
“I’ve had time to make peace with it.” Yet, it hadn’t been nearly long enough. “All that mental prep didn’t do me a whole lot of good when the bill came due, but at least I’ve had years to stew over it.”
“She was never going to love me back.”
This was not a conversation he should be having with me. I was too awkward with my own feelings to help someone else navigate theirs. But we were family, so I tried my best. “I think…she might have.”
“I don’t mean the shop boy.” He struck a match and tossed it in. “I mean me.”
“She’s descended from witches. Whether she knows it or not, there’s magic in her veins. She might be more open to the idea than we give her credit for. She did choose to keep her memories.”
“She didn’t want to forget what I am.” He bowed his head. “She didn’t want to want…me.”
And she had ensured she couldn’t forget what he was or what I had done to her and Camber.
“She’ll come around, or she won’t.” I hooked an arm around his waist. “All we can do is wait and see.”
That went for both of us.
“If you guys had a creek,” Aedan said, forcing his hurt aside, “I would move in. These houses are nice.”
“Clay bought them on the company dime, so I’m sure they’re the best you can purchase prefabricated.” I glanced over my shoulder at the beckoning glow of the lights. “I haven’t gone exploring yet.”
The truth was, it would become real when I stepped inside Asa’s and my new residence.
Residence, not home.
Only one place would ever be that for me.
The house and town in which Rue Hollis was born.
The house and town that might as well have been a million light-years away.
In tune with me as always, Asa sensed my black mood, and he came to investigate.
“I have a surprise for you.” About to follow him, he jerked his head at Aedan. “I meant him.”
“Awkward.” I shoved Aedan at him to cover my embarrassment. “Bring him back in one piece.”
Once they walked off, Clay strolled over and stuck a slice of loaded baked potato pizza in my hand.
“Where did you get this?” I took a bite, not caring that it burned the roof of my mouth. “I didn’t see a delivery driver.”
This far out, I doubted they would come. The flavor profile wasn’t typical Samford fare either.
“The great thing about winged daemons? They don’t mind popping a few towns over for grub.”
The centuria did need to acclimate so they could manage human interactions, so I let it slide. For now.
“Any idea what that’s about?” I pointed my slice toward Aedan. “Asa looks pleased with himself.”
Guiding me a little ways ahead, Clay pulled me to the side to watch the great unveiling from a distance.
“What is that?” I hadn’t noticed it under the tarp Asa whipped off for his reveal. “A watering trough?”
The galvanized oval looked to be about three feet wide, eight or so feet long, and maybe two feet high.
“Technically, yes.” He laughed, stuffing his face. “It’s a stock tank pool.”
“What does it do?”
“It holds water.”
“Cute.”
“I know I am, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
“What is the purpose of this pool?”
“That spell really wiped you out, huh?” He softened his tone. “It’s a spare bedroom for Aedan.”
A fist squeezed my heart until I worried it might burst at the thoughtful gesture.
“Aedan has had a rough few days. You both have.” Clay stole my slice before it went cold and ate it. “Asa thought it might be a good idea for him to split his time between your place and the farm, so we can keep an eye on him.”
As I watched, Asa shook Aedan’s hand, his rigid posture conveying his uncertainty.
Aedan, eyes glimmering, pulled him in for an awkward one-arm hug.
“I really do love him.”
“Aedan?” Clay licked the grease off his fingers. “He’s a good kid.”
“Him too, but I meant Asa.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He made gagging noises. “You two are still disgusting. You don’t have to rub my face in it.”
Slanting him a look, I decided to play dirty. “I noticed you giving Moran a tour of your new house.”
A cough lodged in his throat, and he pounded a fist on his chest, dislodging a wad of pizza on the dirt.
“She asked to borrow a cup of sugar,” he wheezed. “I was being neighborly.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
While I didn’t doubt we had groceries—Clay believed in a well-stocked pantry—I doubted Moran had sugar on her mind when she followed him inside his new space.
Well, at least not the granulated kind.
“Can I change my mind about the sea monkeys?”
Seeing as how I had already forgotten I owed him new pets, I said, “Absolutely.”
“Oh good.” His grin was pure evil. “I want a jellyfish instead.”
“One day, I’ll learn not to agree before I hear your sales pitch.”
“God, I hope not.”
“Wait a minute.” I grabbed his arm. “There were jellyfish in Pontchartrain.”
“Really?” He placed a splayed hand on his chest. “You don’t say?”
“Tell me you didn’t catch one.”
“One might have swum into a noodle hammock, and I might have named him Mr. Squiggles.”
“And you, what, accidentally had a saltwater aquarium set up in your new house?”
“Accidents happen.”
“Did you see the pool?” Colby, who must have sneaked off with Asa, pinwheeled overhead. “Asa said he even bought a kit to make it a hot tub when it gets cold.”
Central Alabama didn’t really do cold. Mostly, fall and winter were lukewarm. Sometimes even cool.
Halloween costumes were skimpy on some years for good reason, and more than once, I had worn shorts on Christmas.
But it was still a nice gesture, one I was sure Aedan would appreciate.
“We should get some of those noodle hammocks Marita had,” Clay decided. “Those were nice.”
“Would you even fit in that pool?” I eyed his muscular build. “Without breaking it?”
“I’m not talking about that one.” He whipped out his phone with a flourish and showed me a behemoth that would have been at home in any amusement park. “I’m talking about this one.”
For such a short trip, maybe six hours total, Clay had been a very busy golem.
“You realize our residency is temporary?” I had to make myself believe it. “That’s a big investment for a few weeks or months.”
Please don’t let our exile stretch longer than that.
“The centuria don’t know much about fun.” Clay put away his grand plans. “I figure a lazy river and a few water slides are a good start. There’s an adjacent hot tub, so it should appeal to everyone.”
“Especially in this heat,” I joked, touched by his vision but concerned too. “This is temporary, right?”
A pretty lie would have been welcome right about now, but I knew he would tell me the ugly truth.
“You know how I said one day I might want to buy my own land and build my own house? One close to you, but not in your face?” He spread his arms. “I like it here. I like how there’s always someone awake. How there’s always something to do and someone to do it with. Out here, I won’t have to lay in bed for eight hours and breathe quietly until everyone wakes up unless I feel like it.”
“Oh, Clay.” I touched his arm. “I didn’t know it bothered you so much.”
“I didn’t either.” He rubbed his bald head, a sure sign he was home and off the clock. “Until I started hanging out at the farm.”
“It doesn’t hurt that Moran lives here, huh?”
“I do enjoy the scenery, it’s true, but this isn’t the time for starting relationships.”
“You’re probably right.” I stared up at the moon. “Things are complicated for everyone right now.”
“Moran deserves to live a little before she settles down.” He rolled a shoulder. “With anyone.”
“Building a waterpark is a good start,” I teased. “She’s going to love it.”
Already, I could picture the parties he would host. He could live his best twenty-four-hour life out here.
“Especially when she finds out I’ve ordered water cannons to shoot fliers out of the sky.”
“Umm.” I shared a glance with Colby, who was giggling. “That sounds…fun?”
For the landlocked daemons.
“The platform will have digital locks installed so the cannons can’t be activated without the passkey.”
Colby landed on my head, leaning over my forehead to look me in the eyes. “So I don’t get caught in the crossfire.”
A mild panic attack gripped me as I pictured her blasted out of the sky, her fragile wings torn to shreds.
Palming his forehead, he sighed at his partner in crime. “I wasn’t planning on spelling that out.”
Now that she had, I could look forward to nightmares about her free-falling to a watery doom.
“Hey, Rue.” Aedan jogged over to us. “Mind if I stay tonight?”
“You don’t have to ask.” I squeezed his hand. “You’re always welcome here.”
Color suffused his cheeks, and he took a long breath that eased the pinch of his shoulders. “Okay.”
“Let’s get a fire going.” Clay waved us toward the pristine pit. “We have s’mores fixings.”
I let them go on ahead while I waited on Asa, who had been a few strides behind Aedan.
“That was very kind of you.” I closed the remaining distance to him. “I think he was worried that leaving him behind at the house was tantamount to leaving him behind period.”
“He’s family.” Asa rubbed my back. “This is what we do for family, right?”
Why everyone asked me, when I had the least experience with loving familial relationships, stumped me every time. It made me wonder if Aedan repeated my advice to the others, leading them to believe I had any clue what I was doing. How could anyone who knew me think I was an expert on feelings? Or on right and wrong? Seriously?
“Right,” I agreed, because I wanted it to be true. “That’s what we do for family.”
With a mischievous smile, he guided me into the trees to a clearing where an old rope swing hung from an ancient pecan tree that might have once been part of an orchard but was now a lone sentinel. The wooden seat was weathered and cracked, but the rope had been replaced recently, if the bright red nylon was any indication.
“Hop on.” Asa held it steady for me. “You’ll enjoy this.”
“If this cracks, and I bust my butt, and you tell Clay, I will never let you in my pants again.” Laughter sparkled in his bright eyes, and I stared at him, utterly captivated. “I love you.”
“I know.” He helped me on. “I’m not convinced you want to, but you do, and that’s what counts.”
“Does anyone want to love someone?” I gripped the rope and climbed on. “It’s like baring your chest and asking someone to crack open your rib cage, stick a fork in your heart, and rip it out by the arteries.”
“That very Rue sentiment only makes me appreciate your faith in me all the more.” He shoved against my lower back to get me moving. “Now.” He waited until I was a blur. “You and I need to talk.”
“Did you trap me here to lecture me?” I leaned back, catching his eye before he pushed again. “That’s dirty.” I kicked off my shoes. “Cruel, even.”
“What happened in New Orleans…” He kept a steady pace, his mouth tight while he debated his words. “It frightens me that you possess so much power, so much knowledge, but had no awareness of it consuming you.”
The tiny nudges in my head worried me as much or more.
Had that been the old me piping up? The new me chiming in? The new me fighting with the old me?
Or had it been the grimoire whispering sweet words of conflict?
But I voiced none of those worries. No. I had bigger fears living inside me. “I could have killed you.”
“That’s beside the point.” His hands pressed against my spine. “You could have died.”
“Me killing you while in a fugue state is not beside the point.”
“There’s someone who might be able to help, but I don’t know how you feel about meeting her.”
Summoning my wings, I lifted off the seat and glided out of range of the swing. “Who?”
