“Blessed be,” the ladies chorused.
“What else do you desire on this most auspicious of days?” Lucy asked her.
Natasha closed her eyes and thought about Gus and the black roses. She was intrigued. “I want to meet my soul mate. My lover, my companion; someone to share in the darkness and light.”
“I think that sounds like something everyone in this room desires, doesn’t it?” Lucy said. “Who doesn’t want to meet her soul mate? So many of you ladies have been single far too long. It’s time to get a companion to share your life with.”
Toni opened her mouth to say something and then stopped. Lucy turned to her. “Toni? You have something to say?”
Toni shrugged. “I don’t know if I want to be tied down. I like having lots of guys.”
“Spoken like an Aries. That’s okay, Toni. When it’s your soul mate, your true soul mate, you’re not tied down. You’re complemented.”
“I don’t know.” Toni sighed.
“No, you don’t. But you will. And you will find it refreshing. Trust me on that,” Lucy said.
“How do you know? When were you ever married?” asked Toni.
Lucy sighed. “I’ve loved and lost. Yes, too many times. I’m a private person, and my affairs happened long before any of you were even born. Well, almost all of you,” she said, staring at Natasha, who looked at the floor. “I didn’t give up on love, but instead, I fueled my fantasies into a higher power. I use my energy for you ladies, to help you live fruitful, productive lives and empower your gifts.”
“I see,” Toni said.
“But enough of that. Let’s get back to work. Everyone, breathe deeply and focus on opening your heart and mind to bring love into your life.”
When the circle was finished, Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. The energy had been so high and Lucy had made that little public jab at her. Well, she couldn’t really blame her. Lucy had been around as far back as she could remember, and likely farther back still. Lucy had always been in her life.
After the circle, the ladies had wine and a buffet with chicken breasts for the carnivores and falafels for the vegetarians. They drank wine and toasted Natasha’s birthday.
Natasha noticed Lucy was staring at her. Lucy waved her hand, motioning for her to come over.
As Lucy led her down the hall, she spoke excitedly. “I have something to give you, Natasha. Follow me.”
They arrived at one of the many bedrooms in the west wing, and Lucy went to a jewelry box on the dresser. She held up a large golden locket. The stone in it was a large opal with diamonds around the edges in the gold facing. The oval-shaped locket was as big as Natasha’s palm. The heavy gold chain was braided and doubled to hold the weight of the stone.
“Here, you need to have this,” Lucy said as she placed it in Natasha’s hand. The locket was cool and heavy, a pleasant vibration emanating from it.
“What is it?” Natasha asked. “It’s beautiful.” She held up the locket to study it better. The diamonds sparkled, and the opal glittered with secrets.
“It belonged to Sorona herself,” Lucy whispered, her eyes dancing. Natasha stared at her, incredulous.
“But why?” she asked. “Why me? I’m not family.”
Lucy held one of Natasha’s hands and looked her directly in the eye. “There may come a time when I’m not going to be here. You and I both know that no one lives forever.” Natasha swallowed. Lucy continued on. “I don’t know if you’ll live forever, if anyone can. Surely, the body wears out no matter how many spells you do. I don’t know. I just know I’m mortal and I can feel my body crumbling.”
“Oh, Lucy.” Natasha sighed. “You—”
Lucy raised her hand as she spoke. “No. It’s part of old age, and I accept it. I’m not afraid to finish my job on this earth and move on. I know there are better things waiting for me. My family waits for me. Sorona and Serephena are waiting to meet me.” She smiled, her well-worn face glowing, her eyes distant to the heavens. She took a deep breath and turned back to Natasha, her eyes flashing once more. “But I do know you’ve got a secret; you’ll be here long after I’m gone. I’m giving this to you on the promise you’ll lead the circle when I go or at least until you can find someone really willing to be there for the long haul.”
Natasha rubbed the stone. It buzzed warmly and comfortingly under her fingers. Lucy’s request had caught her off guard.
“But shouldn’t there be a relative?” Natasha asked. “A relative to continue on the work of Sorona and Serephena?”
“I trust you more. You have been here every circle…for decades. You know how it’s done, how to calm the ladies. You know what to do.”
“I do.” Natasha nodded. “Thank you, Lucy, for trusting me with this precious gift. I won’t let you down.”
Natasha hugged Lucy. The tiny, frail woman was so delicate in her arms. Natasha sometimes wondered why she didn’t just blow away in the wind. Lucy wrapped her arms around Natasha, her tiny arms barely meeting as she rubbed Natasha’s back. The energy from Lucy was warm and plaintive but calming.
When Natasha pulled away, Lucy had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Natasha. Be careful.” Lucy clutched Natasha’s arms.
Natasha looked at her quizzically. “Be careful of what?”
“I’m not sure. There’s some bad energy around you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Wear it always.” Lucy touched the amulet that was still in Natasha’s hand.
“I will,” Natasha said as she hung the locket around her neck. It was heavy, but it felt natural, as though it should have always been there.
“Don’t you look regal?” Lucy smiled. “Welcome to the family. And happy birthday.”
When Natasha returned to the room, the ladies were huddled around in a circle, whispering.. The energy was sharp and tumultuous as she approached them.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Did you hear?” Maggie asked. “That’s why I was late. I just saw it on television.”
“Hear what?” Natasha asked impatiently. She could tell by the long look on Ellie’s face that she wasn’t going to like what she was going to hear.
“That guy, Pete. He’s dead.”
Natasha stared at Maggie. “That Pete guy? From the Cave?”
“Yeah. They found him all torn up. Like a wild animal got him,” Maggie said, her eyes welling up with tears.
“Maybe a wolf? Or bear even?” Toni said.
“That’s crazy,” Natasha said.
“I feel so bad about it,” Maggie said. “I was trying to be all fun when I came in so I wouldn’t ruin the circle. But now…well, shit.”
“I know. It’s just so bizarre.” Natasha pulled Maggie aside to talk alone. “You know, he ran after me. I had told him some stuff about his grandmother and he wanted to know more, so I told him. After he left, I thought I heard a noise.”
“What kind of noise?” Maggie’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t know. A scream. A wild animal,” Natasha said. “I didn’t really think anything of it. Sounds of the night in New England. Could have even be cats fighting. Who knows?”
“But it was Pete. Getting attacked.”
Natasha shook her head. “Now I feel bad. I wonder if I could have done anything.”
“Just be grateful it wasn’t you,” Maggie said. “What else could you have done? It was his time.”
The women hugged one another. From the other room, the rest of the women were calling for Natasha. When she returned, a large birthday cake complete with lit candles and her name written in fancy frosting script greeted her.
Natasha touched her amulet, made a wish, then blew out each and every candle.
Chapter Nine
Listen to the music within yourself.
Music Has Charm
Natasha ran her bow along the strings as the brightness of the full moon cast a spotlight on her. Craig plucked his guitar, and as they played together the cacophony of sound was discordant and catchy.
When the song came to an end, Natasha put down her violin and bow. “I’m thirsty,” she said. “I’ll go get some wine.”
“Do you have beer?” Craig asked as he placed his guitar in the stand.
“Beer it is,” Natasha said as she went through the door to her apartment. As she pulled on the door, she was aware of the energy shift.
They had been waiting for her, listening at the door, seething with impatience as the recent smudging kept them at bay.
They swirled feverishly around her as Natasha pulled two beers out of the fridge. She batted at them as if they were pesky flies. Their misty forms twirled around her head, their anguish making her dizzy. They chattered and chided at her, resentful of being locked out of her room.
“On second thought,” she said as she pulled out two more, “don’t want to come back in here if I don’t have to.”
She took the beers and the opener back into the other room. The ghosts teased her hair and pulled at her clothes, urging her to come back and be with them.
“Bye-bye,” she said as she kicked the door shut.
“Huh?” Craig asked, looking up from a music book.
“Sorry. Just talking to myself.”
Craig laughed. “I do that too. A sign of genius, or maybe it’s just insanity.”
Natasha put the beer down on the coffee table. “I brought several so I don’t have to keep going back and forth. Help yourself.” She gestured at them.
Craig opened a beer and gave it to her. He opened another one and took a long swig from it. “Ah, that’s better,” he said. “I’m much better now.”
“Me too,” Natasha said. “Beer was a good idea.”
The smell of his cologne was sweet; his sweat was sweeter. Natasha’s teeth began to itch. She took another sip of beer. She couldn’t start getting hungry again so soon. She had to wait.
Craig continued to talk about the merits of beer while Natasha stared at his neck. The veins throbbed when he talked, enticing her. Up and down, undulating blood flowed through them. Rich, red blood that tasted so wonderfully salty. She could almost taste it oozing along her tongue, dripping down her throat.
Natasha drank the rest of her beer in one gulp. A burp slipped from her lips, surprising her. Embarrassed, she clapped her hands over her mouth.
“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry,” she said, her face growing flushed. “I never—”
“That’s what happens when you drink beer fast, little lady,” Craig drawled. “You’ll be belching like the men folk ’round here.”
They laughed as he opened another beer for her. As he handed it to her, he teased, “Now you drive slower this time, hear?”
“Righty so, pardner.” Natasha lifted the beer and took a ladylike sip from it as proof. Before long, they decided to jam some more. They were learning how to feed off each other in a harmonious give-and-take that resulted in sensational vibrations resonating through the room. Natasha was lost in the reverie of their music when there was a crash outside the window.
Even Craig heard it through the sound of his wailing guitar. “What the fuck was that?” he asked as he clutched the neck of his guitar and held it out like a weapon.
“It sounded like something just outside the window.” Natasha looked toward the window where the sound had originated.
“This high up?” Craig asked.
“Well, it could have been from the street. That window over there is open a bit to keep the air flow going.”
“It sounded like someone was out there.”
“I do have a fire escape,” Natasha said. “One can’t be too careful in these old places.”
“That’s it, then,” Craig said as he ran toward the window. He lifted it up and looked down the fire escape. Natasha saw a dark figure loping down the street. She couldn’t tell if it was a man running with his coat flapping or if it was a bear.
“There’s nothing there,” Craig said, satisfied he had looked down the fire escape enough. “Maybe it was just a raccoon. Look, that flower pot is broken.”
“Yeah, I get raccoons a lot. He probably ran up to the roof,” she said, looking up. He followed her gaze.
“I don’t see him now. He’s lucky this time,” Craig said as he shut the window. “Do you mind? I don’t want to see any raccoon running in here. Or anything else.”
“Not at all,” Natasha said, locking the window. After glancing at his face, she went around and locked all the windows, even ones that weren’t near the fire escape.
“Better?” she asked.
“Almost,” he said as he put his arms around her and pulled her toward him. He kissed her long and full on the lips. When he was done, he stepped back and stared into her eyes. “Now I’m better.”
Natasha smiled coyly. “I can make you feel even better.” She kneeled down and unbuckled his belt. Within seconds and with his help, she had his penis out. He sighed as she sucked him fully.
“Oh yes. You know how to make a man feel real good.”
As Natasha sucked him, she wondered about the noise and the figure she had seen. She touched the locket around her neck. It felt warm. She wondered if that was a sign.
“Oh, deeper, baby. That’s it, that’s good,” he directed her as she sucked him. When he was hard, she took a condom from her purse on the coffee table and slid it over him. She hiked up her skirt and leaned over the couch. He held her hips as he slid his cock into her warm, moist pussy.
“Yes.” She sighed. “That’s it.” He pushed deeply into her and held it for a moment until they both could feel him throbbing with excitement inside her.
He pulled out slowly, then plunged himself in quickly and deeply, causing her to moan. “Oh, God, that’s delicious,” she sighed. “So good.”
He teased her for a while, changing strokes and depths until his own excitement took hold. His fingers danced on her clit while he pushed into her rhythmically.
“Oh yes.” She sighed. “Yes. Yes.”
Just when she thought he was going to come, he pulled out. “Lie down,” he panted. “I want to look at your face.”
She lay down. He held her legs up as he entered her, staring into her eyes.
Natasha could see lust in his eyes and something more. A softness she hadn’t seen in a long time.
He pulled out and thrust in again repeatedly. The smell of him so near caused her stomach to rumble with hunger and excitement. The flesh of his neck was so close, and it would be so easy to just have a nibble. A teeny, tiny taste.
She reached up, clamping her mouth over his neck. She sucked on his warm, salty flesh, her eyes rolling back in desire and anticipation. She didn’t bite hard as he continued to fuck her.
“Oh, yes, baby,” he cried out. “Nibble my neck, you sexy vampire. I love it.”
She bit down harder, enough to taste a bit of salty blood. It stung her lips, her stomach roiling loudly as it craved more. She licked and sucked on his warm flesh, careful not to bite deeper, but carefully savoring the tiny, weeping wound. Her body quivered with excitement, and she was coming.
“Yes, come on my cock,” he cried as he fucked her faster.
She held onto his neck as he pumped into her furiously. He came with a groan.
They lay together for a moment, and Natasha slowly released her mouth from his neck. She was frustrated but satiated at the same time. The little taste of him was delicious, but it only served to make her want more. His essence was sweet and hearty, much different from most of the married men she picked up at the fetish club. His flavor resembled virgins more than most of the men she had consumed over the years. Perhaps it was his innocence. Or maybe the sweetness was a result of his genuine affection for her.
Craig rolled off her, and they lay hanging off the couch for a bit. He touched his neck with his finger and saw a smudge of blood.
“You enjoy role-playing?” he asked, holding his finger up in the air to examine the smear of blood.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked, reaching over t
o his neck to wipe away the last drop of glistening blood with her fingers.
“Not at all. It was sexy. Delicious. Fun.” He saw the blood on her fingers. “Although, you really did draw blood.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she slowly licked her fingers. “It’s a fetish, I guess.”
“I like your fetish. We can play vampire anytime you like.” Craig leaned over to kiss her. “Anytime at all.”
Chapter Ten
You may run into an old friend.
The Flea Market
Natasha wandered through the mall’s basement flea market. Psychics ran most of the booths from Hermana, although there was the usual collection of antique furniture and record dealers as well. Sometimes Natasha enjoyed looking through the posters of old movies and Broadway shows. Somewhere in the back recesses of her mind, dingy, dusty theaters and velvet seats danced in her fragmented memory. An old phonograph record was playing in one of the stalls as she flipped through the prints. It was the theme from Limelight, an old Charlie Chaplin movie.
The plaintive melody dredged up haunting sensations, as if she should remember something connected to the song but couldn’t. She stared at an old Broadway poster for Gypsy and wondered if she had seen the show.
Around her, ghostly shapes took form and led each other through a slow and romantic dance. Natasha pretended she didn’t see them, intensifying her mock search through the prints. Beside her, a little girl pointed to the ceiling and tugged at her mother.
“Look up there! They’re dancing,” she cried.
The mother looked up and shrugged. “There’s nothing there, dear,” she said and led the child away as she stared back to watch the couples embrace.
Natasha waited until the song ended, and then they were back again, pleading with her in their wailing grief to connect them with their loved ones. It was always worse at the flea market because so many objects belonged to those who had passed on.
Natasha put the prints back with a sigh and wandered farther down the aisles, halfheartedly looking at sweaters and T-shirts among the ornate antique jewelry.
Capricorn Cursed Page 9
