“My little Panda Bear.”
He leaned over to wrap her in a hug. “Aunt Colleen.”
Up close, it was impossible to judge her age. No wrinkles marred her face, but she also didn’t have the soft pads of fat on her face to make her look young. Her skin was smooth and clear, but her eyes carried centuries of wisdom.
A chill shot down my spine, and my mouth went dry. This was not a woman I would impress easily or at all. My only hope was that she took pity on me.
Once their greetings were done, she turned to me. “You must be Ella.”
I shook her hand, but my nerves got the best of me. “Hello, Ella. I’m Colleen. You’re so glad to be here—” My face felt on fire as my words hit my ears. I coughed as though my slipup was caused by a frog in my throat and not a total brain meltdown.
She removed her hand from mine, which was still shaking hers long past the time that a handshake normally lasted. She didn’t look judgmental or understanding, perhaps only the mildest bit curious. She was probably wondering how I managed to navigate life with the intelligence of a rock. I tried to read her emotions, but she had a shield so tight that I couldn’t even sense it. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t even have been able to tell that a mage stood there.
The silence stretched out, and I realized she was waiting on me, so I tried again. “I have been looking forward to meeting you, Monza Colleen.”
“Please just call me Colleen.”
I smiled at her, and again the silence stretched out between us. She seemed comfortable, but the compulsion to fill the air with words was overwhelming, like a magnet pulling on iron filings. “You’re the first Monza I’ve met.”
She tipped her head slightly and nodded in reply.
Anxiety crawled up my throat and made it feel difficult to breathe. Over the past year I had dreamed of the day I’d meet her. I had imagined it a million ways, her wrapping me in her arms and welcoming me to the Monza sisterhood, or she might immediately push me into training exercises. I even had nightmares that she would accuse me of not being a Monza, but never had I expected her calm, almost-bored detachment. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t impressed by or interested in me.
But everyone was very interested in her. No one approached, but all eyes were swiveled in her direction. Could everyone tell that I was totally striking out?
I fidgeted from foot to foot, trying not to be too obvious in my discomfort. “It’s probably weird that I’ve never met a Monza, but I am one. I can explain but obviously not now… I mean obviously this is not the time or place. You are probably very tired. I always look like death after a long flight.”
She gave me the smallest smile possible that could qualify as a smile, but it wasn’t condescending. “I feel fine. Thank you.”
“Oh good. I mean, if you need anything, I can get it for you. Do you have a place to stay? Do you need some food? A drink?” I was falling over myself verbally, trying to find a way to get this conversation on the track I wanted it on.
“I’m fine. Excuse me. There are some people I need to greet before the evening is over. I will speak with you soon.” As she walked off, she gently squeezed my upper arm, the only sign from her of any familiarity.
I turned to Bear once she was out of earshot. “She hates me.”
He grimaced. “That wasn’t your most shining moment, but it will be okay. Just relax next time.”
“I tried. She is so intimidating. It felt like she could see my soul.”
“She intimidates everyone. But she did come to see you.”
Vanessa caught sight of me and tottered over. She attempted to whisper in my ear, but it came out a lot louder and wetter than I think she intended. “How much longer?” Her lips didn’t fully enunciate the words, as the liquor was just starting to affect her.
I jerked back and rubbed at my ear. “I think there are four more toasts then some dancing then some other magical traditions—something with an ice sculpture and a flaming sword.”
She blew out a raspberry. “No one does that anymore,” she sulked. She finished off her blue drink and raised two fingers to indicate two more to a waiter hovering at the wall.
Bear excused himself to find Badger. Then the waiter brought over the two drinks, handing one to each of us. Vanessa eyed the glass in my hand, and I realized she had probably intended to keep both. I took a sip of mine just in case her etiquette lessons failed her and she was debating snatching it from my hand. She let out a sigh then sucked on the straw of her own drink. Half of the liquid in her glass disappeared.
“Tiffany insisted on doing every tradition any mage had ever heard of. Even Auntie Ann had to look up the details in a few books.” When I had told Thomas, he had sent me a book on magical wedding traditions that was at least a few hundred years old. I had found it open on the kitchen counter to a tradition of elopement. Had that been a hint?
I surveyed the crowd at the pre-wedding party and tried to find where Colleen had gone. I thought she had gone to talk to Marshal Felix and his goons near the front again. Marshal Felix Ricci was not only the law enforcement for the entire Rambler area and someone that I took every chance to avoid, but he was also Thomas’s father, which only complicated things. The marshal had the right to demand to know who I was and who my family was, and when he had, I had come out as a Monza.
Being a Monza protected me because they were known to cut ties with their families and take on the name of their familiar rather than family, but that had caused a whole new host of problems.
I narrowed my eyes when I saw his head stooge come alongside him. Victor Bruno must have felt my eyes on him because he jerked around and, with laser accuracy, returned my glare. I immediately turned away then cursed myself for my cowardice. I had nothing to hide that he knew about, and I forced myself to look back at the group.
He was still looking at me until the marshal said something to him and he turned away. Victor had been the one to egg the marshal on into demanding who I was. Perhaps he knew something about me and my father, or maybe he was just a jerk.
Next to him was another man I hadn’t previously seen. He was very tall and slender. His angular cheekbones stood out. He did not have the same anonymous appearance as the other henchmen surrounding the marshal.
His suit was cut to perfectly fit his body in a way that only a tailor could manage. His manners were more confident, and even though I couldn’t guess at his words to the marshal, I could tell that he didn’t kowtow to him the way others around him did. Colleen obviously wasn’t with them, and I was about to look away when I realized that the younger man reminded me of someone, and when he turned to look in my direction, I gasped as the realization hit me.
“He looks like Thomas!”
Vanessa swung around to stare in the direction I was looking. “That’s Ben Ricci. The marshal’s his dad. Apparently the marshal is quite a ladies’ man. But I never noticed that he looked like Thomas.” She waggled her fingers in a little wave at him and blew a kiss, but Ben didn’t seem to notice her.
I shuddered at the thought of the marshal sleeping around. He reminded me of a praying mantis. “He has the same eyes as Thomas. They might even be the same color. I can’t tell from this distance. Thomas never told me he had a brother.”
“Half brother.”
“That makes sense. Their coloring is pretty different. Why are they”—I gestured to Ben, the marshal, Victor, and the men surrounding them—“even here? Is it, like, required to have the local marshal at your wedding?”
Vanessa rolled her eyes and swayed a bit on unsteady legs. “The marshal is normally invited as a formality, but that’s not why he—they—are all here. I guess Tiffany’s dad is in a wheelchair and not all here mentally, so she got the idea that the marshal should walk her down the aisle.” She pressed a hand to her chest and burped. The stench of liquor enveloped her. “Victor and Ben are going to be ushers and seat people for the wedding.”
“Why?”
“Vin told me that Tiffany�
��s pushing him to get in tight with the marshal. Since he isn’t working at the Golden Pyramid Casino anymore, she thinks he should start looking to ‘work his way up the ladder.’” She did little air quotes, forgetting about the glass in one hand. Luckily, it was mostly empty, and a waiter scooped the liquid and a few ice cubes off the ground before anyone could trip. “Vin said he would rather die than be put in the mage bureaucracy, but whatever she wants for the wedding is up to her.”
“But why did they agree to it? Heavens know I wouldn’t be in the wedding for anything.”
Of all the places in all the world, Vin and Tiffany’s pre-wedding party was the last place I wanted to be. I had been sure that I could avoid the entire sordid affair, but since Vin’s family had taken responsibility for my training, it turned out that not being present was akin to wearing white after Labor Day to walk under a ladder while opening an umbrella inside then breaking a mirror before spitting on the queen. Bad luck and terrible manners all rolled into one. I had been seriously weighing the option of faking my own death.
But at least I wasn’t miserable alone. Vanessa groaned next to me and fidgeted from foot to foot in her heels that were several inches taller than were practical given the way she listed from side to side, like a ship in a storm. I had tried to convince her to wear something lower, but she insisted they were worth it with all the single men that would be present, but the joke was on her. All the single men were huddled together around Vin and hadn’t given Vanessa even a passing glance.
I lifted my drink, and the bracelet at my wrist made a light, delicate sound like wind chimes as the charms jingled against each other. As I always did, I stopped to admire it, running my fingers over each handcrafted item dangling off the bracelet. A week after Thomas had left for the East Coast, I had found a flat violet box sitting in the center of the coffee table. It hadn’t been there that morning, but a pop of magic with the aura of freshly crushed pine needles had set my mind to Thomas. When I spotted the box in the same striking hue as his eyes, I knew it was from him.
Inside the box was a white metal chain bracelet made up of oval loops, and attached to it was a heart. Folded underneath the jewelry was a note in the handwriting that I recognized.
Dearest Ella, things are far more complicated than anticipated, and I fear it will be months until I can see you again. I must travel far and wide to find who and what I need, but you will never be far from my mind. I had hoped to stay in touch, but I will be unable to call or text. This platinum bracelet reminded me of you, delicate yet strong and tougher than gold or tarnished silver. Danger is everywhere, and I have placed a protection spell on it and the charm. Please wear it and think of me. T
The bracelet gave me an odd mixture of happiness and sadness. I was obviously thrilled with the gift and especially the thought behind it, but I had also vowed to distance myself from Thomas. Not only could I not date anyone, but he was the last person I could even entertain the idea of being connected with. I had suspicions about his intense interest in me, and his father was a dubious character. I would list forever the reasons I should pack up the bracelet right that second and drop it off at his father’s casino, but instead I slipped it on my wrist. What could it hurt to try it on for a few minutes?
The second I closed the latch on the bracelet I could feel Thomas’s magic envelop me. It was a gentle caress across my skin, a stir in my belly, and a warm whisper on my face. I felt safe, treasured, and content. His magic was like walking through a forest as light dappled across the ground and leaves and needles crunched under my feet. Despite my reservation, I wanted to wear the bracelet.
It was a good thing I felt that way, as an inspection of the bracelet showed that the latch had fused shut, and there was no way to remove it without cutting off my hand. I was momentarily concerned about how to explain it to Vanessa, but in the end, I decided that I would explain what happened without mentioning that I was glad to have an excuse to never take it off.
Vanessa was alarmed, but Auntie Ann concluded that there was no magic beyond a basic protection spell, and the matter was settled. Until a week later, when I found Patagonia batting around a catnip-filled mouse with a small bag attached to its neck. A full day passed before I gave it my attention and realized I had not seen the toy before. Picking up the toy, I removed the small bag and peered inside to discover a platinum cat charm. After a few moments in my palm, it twitched and flicked to connect to the bracelet.
After that, every week or two I would find another charm in a unique location and with special meaning. One day I poured my bowl heaping high of sugary cereal when another bag fell out. This “prize inside the box” was actually a delicate doughnut with thick enamel frosting and even tiny sparkles: my favorite post-training snack.
Then one morning I woke up with a bag next to my pillow. That charm was a piece of bowtie pasta to represent my love of Italian food. That was when the phone calls started. The first few times, I refused to answer. I wanted to thank him for the bracelet, but I also needed to tell him to stop sending charms. But I didn’t want to have the conversation. Then he called at two a.m., when I was too groggy to do anything more than pick up the phone and answer on instinct.
The second his warm voice came over the line, it was already too late. The bracelet on my arm was both warm and cold, sending a tingling sensation from there to… everywhere. I rolled over in bed, in the darkness, and talked to him until dawn’s gentle light let me know it was morning. Perhaps he could sense my own privacy on certain matters, or maybe he had his own background to hide, but neither of us spoke of our jobs or families or even too many details about our pasts.
The conversation had flowed effortlessly though. I had talked about the qualities I valued, places I had visited, things I loved to do. He had shared the same, and we found we had so many things in common. And I had thanked him for the bracelet but insisted that he didn’t need to give me anything more. I had dragged my way through training on far too few hours of sleep that next day only to discover a new charm on the kitchen counter: a small phone.
The calls were sporadic, but I waited for them, the highlight of my days or, most often, nights. Not that it was a hard time. I was still training with Vanessa but no longer just with Auntie Ann. Now Vanessa and I also trained with Badger and Bear. Ever since I had introduced them, they had figured out a schedule to coordinate the training. This gave each of them more time to devote to their other businesses. We had also started a strict five p.m. end time with weekends off.
Despite the reduced training time, my growth had accelerated. I had made more progress in the six months than I had in the previous year. Even Vanessa, who had long ago concluded that she was as good as she would ever be, had shown considerable improvement. Perhaps it was the new trainers, or maybe her renewed interest, but she insisted it was because she was finally having fun.
And boy were we. Saturday was devoted to friends and fun. We had partied our way up and down the Avenue, hiked every waterfall, canyon, and mountain for hundreds of miles, and shopped in every store that sold anything bigger than a stick of gum. If we received an invitation, we answered yes. We had seen comedians with Natasha, gone dancing with Britney, and done yoga with Beth, who was doing much better after rehab.
Sundays were days of contemplation. I went on long walks alone with Patagonia, read books, and had even taken to visiting a stone church on the edge of town to think about the bigger issues. If Saturday was about activity, Sunday was a day of rest. My life finally felt whole and healthy.
And I would recount all the details of my adventures to Thomas in late-night phone calls. I wasn’t sure if he was a night owl or in a different time zone, but occasionally I would hear foreign languages spoken in the background, but none that I could recognize. And a few days afterward, I would find another organza bag with a charm inside. Each was so carefully and perfectly matching in details to my stories that they must have been handmade based on his excellent recall.
The bracelet was li
ke a scrapbook to my summer: what I loved, what was important to me, and what I had done. It perfectly captured who I was as the spring turned to summer then summer to fall. The crisp wind was blowing outside, and the leaves on the trees had turned. Twenty delicate charms went all around my wrist and were a testament to Thomas’s feelings for me. And my growing feelings for him.
That was the scariest part. I had allowed him to slip into my life and heart, but I had let it be my own little secret, our calls in the dark. Vanessa knew a bit. It was hard to miss my growing charm bracelet, but she hadn’t said anything about it. She was probably worried that I would cut our days off. And I might have done just that.
Of course days off were temporarily on hold. With Vin and Tiffany’s wedding on Saturday—only five days away—we had been spending our days off helping Auntie Ann and Olivia prepare. Tiffany had originally wanted to have it on Halloween, but her family refused to miss their own parties, so instead it was scheduled for mid-October, just as the holiday season was ramping up.
Though I had wanted to skip the whole event and couldn’t, I was happy that my involvement had been limited to behind-the-scenes work, this party, and the actual wedding. Britney and Natasha had both been forced into the wedding party and had been texting us nonstop about Tiffany’s unbelievable behavior. She made every other bridezilla seem like Mary Poppins.
And I already knew she was twice as bad as anything I wanted to deal with. I had repeatedly heard her refer to the wedding as the event of the year. This party was the start of the wedding week, and while I had little to do except for stuffing gift bags and marking things off the delivery checklist, I was already exhausted. Mage society was very old fashioned, probably because so many of them were literally born in a different era, and politeness was valued probably a bit too highly.
I glanced at Colleen. “How long do we have to stay? I figured it would be over hours ago.”
Vanessa jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Not until the last fruit falls.”
Casino Witch Mysteries Box Set 2 Page 19
