by KJ Robinson
“Mom!” I heard Tyler scream over in the grass. I broke my concentration to see if he was okay. Azrael used that distraction to fight against my power. He grabbed a dagger that lay on the ground that I hadn’t seen. I thought he was going to plunge it straight into my heart, but instead he plunged it into his own.
Chapter Fifteen
Seeing Azrael vanquished I ran to where Tyler lay on the ground and placed my hands on his chest. I used the magic flowing in me to heal his wounds. I could feel his broken bones knitting back together and the blood starting to pump through his veins in a regular fashion. I cradled his head in my arms and rocked him like when he was a baby. Demetrius and Ali rushed over to where we were. "We did it!" Demetrius cried.
"Yes we did,” I said.
Ali enveloped us all and used his magic to transport us back to my house.
We all landed safely back in my living room. Sheba trotted towards me and nuzzled me. It was going to take some getting used to my cat also being my mother. I wanted to ask her so many things, especially about how she could transfer her spirit into Sheba, but there would be plenty of time for that now.
I laid across my couch my head in Demetrius’ lap as we watched a movie on Netflix. I was in a flowing yoga tank and lounge pants. I grabbed for the bowl of popcorn that was slightly out of my reach on the coffee table. When I couldn’t reach it, I used my magic to make it inch forward about a half a foot.
Using magic in the house, that was knew for me. But since we’d battled Azrael I had stretched my magic muscles a little each day. The use of my magic in battle had left me magic fatigued, but Demetrius told me to still try and stretch myself a little every day.
If you told me a week ago that this is how I’d be spending my Friday night, I would’ve never believed you. But here we were like an old married couple lounging around watching TV, no demon apocalypse in sight.
Tyler jogged out of his room. He was still wearing the basketball shorts he had worn earlier that day when he and Demetrius played one on one at the Rec. Another site I had yearned for, but had almost give hope on. “Hey Ty, where you going?” I asked him
“I’m going to go see Jacinda,” he said as he zipped up his hoodie.
“Be careful,” I called out to him as he walked out the door. Demetrius looked down at me, his eyebrows knitted.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” He asked.
“Having an undead girlfriend? Probably not, but what can I do about it?”
“I don’t know, but how long is he going to be happy having to sneak around to see her. It’s not like she can just pop up and say, surprise all that blood, and me being at the morgue, practical joke.”
I punched him in the arm. “I know that,” I started. “But he’s happy right now. He hasn’t been really happy in a long time.”
If he didn’t mind visiting Jacinda in the darkness of Little Bennett Park every night, then I wasn’t going to pry. There was an old abandoned cabin in the wilderness there. No one usually came near it, so it was perfect for her to hide out, but have some type of comfort. I didn’t know what they were going to do in the long-term, especially with him going away to college soon. But I was going to let them figure it out for themselves.
Tyler wasn’t the only happy one, though. If I was being honest with myself, I was happier than I’d been in a long time myself. Although I love Chase I was never able to fully open up to him with me being a Supe and him being a Norm. With Demetrius, it was easy. We both knew what we were.
Sheba jumped up on the couch and made herself at home on my stomach. “Way to cock block, mom,” I said to her stroking the fur on her back. She hadn’t talked since the day that we fought Israel but I was hopeful that one day she would talk again. I was just happy to know that she was here with me.
Demetrius stroked my head and leaned down to kiss me on my forehead. “What do you think of Miami?” he asked.
“I’ve never been,” I said.
“Maybe we should go. Take a family vacation before Tyler starts at Georgetown. There’s a pretty big supernatural community down there. I could show him some things,” he said.
I thought about it. I could use a vacation. It’d been a week, but my bones and muscles still ached with the exertion of using so much magic. I think I owed myself a long vacation after this. I think that saving the world was worth at least a relaxing jaunt to Miami. A family vacation. Tyler, Demetrius, Sheba, and myself for a little surf, sun, and sorcery.
I was sure there were plenty of Santeria shops in Miami we could visit. And plenty more supernaturals to mingle with. It would do Tyler some good being around his people. I didn’t know much of the supernatural community here in Clarksburg since I’d been sheltered from it. There was plenty of time to introduce myself after at least a fortnight of sun. It would also do good for Demetrius and Tyler to have some bonding time, as well as my mother and I while we were down there.
“I say Mama could use some sun!” I replied. Demetrius leaned over and kissed me gently on my lips. It was a kiss I didn’t want to end. A kiss I’d been waiting on for just about eighteen years.
When he released me, I was breathless. I wanted more. Needed more. But I couldn’t go through what I’d been through with him before. I couldn’t just see him walk out of my life again.
“D, what are we doing?” I murmured.
“What do you want to do?” he said as he cocked one eyebrow up.
I grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him. “I’m serious.” I paused. “I need this to be…serious. Not just for me, but for Tyler, too. We can’t lose you again.”
Demetrius embraced me. He smelled like vanilla, honey, and warm musk. He felt manly and comforting. He felt like home. With his lips on my head, he spoke into my hair, “You’ll never lose me again.”
Epilogue
The heat in Maryland was just as muggy and oppressive as the Miami heat, we’d just left. If only there were palm trees and beaches here too. No such luck, just curly swelling, hair shrinkage inducing, never knowing if it’s going to be a good hair day humidity.
It had been good to connect with one another on the trip. Although, at times I thought Tyler was going to have a breakdown not being able to connect with Jacinda. I told him as soon as we settled in, he could go see her.
I had already hauled Sheba and her cage into the house. That was my only act of hard work of the day. Mentally I was still on vacation.
Tyler and Demetrius had started lugging our suitcases back into the house. Okay it was mostly my luggage, but hey a girl’s gotta have a variety of swimsuits when she’s in Miami. They had finally brought in the last one and
While they were in the house putting things away, I ran back out to the car to grab a pair of sunglasses I had left on the dashboard. I placed them on my head as a headband to hold back my hair when I saw someone jogging across the street.
Ordinarily a jogger in our neighborhood wasn’t a strange sight. This jogger however had the build and gait of someone familiar. I peered closer and then rubbed my eyes, not believing what I was seeing.
I had either had too much sun. Or the dead had arisen, again. Because I would have bet my last dollar that I’d just seen a very much alive Chase. And he was jogging down my street in the darkness.
About the Author
KJ Robinson grew up on Xena the Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Charmed. So it's no surprise that she writes kick ass heroines with magical powers. When she's not writing she's Queen of her testosterone filled domain as the only XX chromosome in her immediate family of five.
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