“To us,” Emily said and took a drink. She spit the liquid back into the cup and ran out of the room.
Mike took a sip. He didn’t really like the harsh taste, but he could only concentrate on her words. ‘To us.’ The words calmed Mike’s earlier doubts about her. Emily popped back in the room with a 20-oz. bottle of Coca Cola.
She sat down next to Mike and held out the bottle. “This helps.”
“I don’t mind the taste. Not the smoothest drink I’ve ever had, but it’s not bad.” He got used to the harshness of the booze after the first glass, and now he really enjoyed the finely aged Scotch Whiskey.
They crushed about half the bottle in an hour, and Mike grew to love every drop of it. His face and lips were buzzing, and he felt like he was floating on a cloud. “Why don’t you call that guy again so we can collect that money?”
“I did when I was in the kitchen. We should drive by his place now. Flush that gopher out.” She giggled.
“I don’t think you should be behind the wheel right now. You’re...you’re drunk.” Mike struggled with the words.
“I think you should be behind me right now.” She attempted to speak in a sexy manner but she ended up laughing and spilling her mixed drink on the couch.
Suddenly, Emily jumped up and grabbed her car keys off the mantle. She shook the keys around. “Let’s take a little drive, shall we?”
Mike stood up too quickly and fell back onto the soft cushions of the couch. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and placed his palm on the coffee table for assistance. With focus and determination, he slowly rose from the couch and followed Emily out the front door.
They got into the vehicle, and Emily fumbled the keys. She finally located the correct key and scraped it around the ignition before sliding it in. She turned the key and the engine fired up.
They drove down the street, and as Emily increased the speed, the car jolted into gear. Mike could tell the transmission was slipping and wondered if she knew about it. He wasn’t about to bring it up now.
The scotch calmed Mike’s nerves as he fingered through his side pocket to get the amulet. He found it stuck in the corner and slid it out. As he squeezed the tiny object in his hand, he could feel its dark energy, as a strange tingle emanated from the object into his palm and ran up his left arm.
They pulled into a nice neighborhood, and Emily slowed the Jeep down to a crawl. “I don’t remember exactly which one it is. Just look for the big red van in one of the driveways.”
“Okay. Oh, what about that one in the open garage right there?” Mike pointed to his right.
“Bingo.” Emily steered the car into the driveway and parked. She turned off the ignition and pulled the keys out.
Chapter 20
THEY GOT OUT OF THE Jeep and moved toward the burgundy door of the small lavender house. Mike read the black sign with gold lettering above the door frame.
Tucker’s Tarot Reading
Emily turned to Mike. “Go ahead and knock.”
Mike wondered why she didn’t do it herself. He made a fist and pounded on the door.
She slapped his hand down. “Not like that. Don’t do a cop knock. He’ll never answer if you do that.”
“Sorry. Just making sure the old man can hear it.”
They waited a few moments, and Emily said, “Knock again. But this time do it much lighter.”
“Why don’t we just go through the garage?” Mike pointed to the open door. “Do you know him well enough to pop in and make sure he is alright?”
“God, no. I just met him when I was getting my reading. We started talking, and that’s how this crazy opportunity came to pass. But I would never walk into his house. He’s way too creepy for that.”
A rush of solace cascaded over Mike’s body and his jealousy of Emily’s secret relationship faded. Just using the word creepy to describe the man gave Mike comfort. “Should we come back tomorrow? It is pretty late. Maybe he’s a heavy sleeper and he doesn’t wake up for anything.”
“I guess. He doesn’t answer his phone after dark either. You want to go back to my house and do some fun stuff?” She poked him playfully in the belly, and the gesture made Mike think about Alayna.
“I think maybe I should just go home, and we could get together tomorrow. It’s already late.” Mike had no idea where the responsible words had come from. He thought Emily would argue with him, but she quietly agreed and they left Tucker McSeamus’ house.
Emily took Mike home, and much to his surprise, Alayna wasn’t there. He lay down in bed and only thought about one person.
That fuzzy feeling attacked Mike’s throat again and he began to choke. He rolled onto his belly and hacked for several minutes, causing deep pain in his lungs. He expelled a bloody wad onto the floor next to his bed. Mike knew his time was near.
THE NEXT DAY, MIKE went to the Forester Cemetery. The overcast morning hadn’t dried the dew on the long blades of grass in desperate need of a fresh cut. Grave markers ranged from almost non-existent to towering monuments over ten-feet tall. Mike noticed flowers and wreaths, and felt stupid for not bringing anything.
He knelt in front of a humble rectangular gravestone that stood about twenty-four inches high. The gray headstone had been deeply engraved but hadn’t been cleaned in a while. Mike took the bottom of his shirt in his hand, moved in close to the head stone while paying close attention not to kneel on his mother’s burial area, and wiped out the letters.
In Loving Memory
Brighid Parker Boyle Merlino
Mother. Wife.
That’s it? Not even her birth and death dates? Did the engraver get tired or something? Or did my dad buy drugs with money that should have gone to this? Probably. Wife and mother. She was so much more than just that.
Mike looked around the cemetery to make sure he was alone, then spoke softly. “I’m at a crossroads, Mom. I found a girl that I really like. And she likes me. We’re going to get out of this town. Go to a big city maybe. But there’s another woman that is teaching me a lot of great things. Only problem is she wants me to stay away from Emily, the girl. I know that’s a lot of problems to lay on you.”
A bird sitting on top of a ten-foot-high grave marker squawked and broke Mike’s concentration. He jerked his neck and watched a cardinal fly into the overcast sky. He turned back to his mother. “Anyway, I don’t know what to do. I don’t think I can have both. I’m going to try to keep both of them happy, but I don’t know how it’s going to work out. I’m confused as all get up if you can’t tell.”
On the walk over to the cemetery, Mike had rehearsed beautiful, poetic words of praise for his Mom, but none of them came to mind right now. He didn’t know what to say to his own mother. He stood up and folded his hands, fighting back tears, and tried to think of something to say to his mother. But he couldn’t.
He just stood there, staring at the little grave marker. Mike dropped down to one knee.
“You’re a good son, Micheal,” said a soothing voice.
He turned toward the sound. Alayna walked a few steps closer.
Mike shook his head. “I’m a good son? I’m a good son? Me? This is the first time I’ve been here since the funeral. That’s how good of a son I am. You sure you aren’t talking about someone else?
“Now’s not the time for you to start doubting yourself. This might be the first time you have visited your mother here, but how often do you think about her?”
“All the fucking time.” Tears burst out of their ducts and streamed down Mike’s face.
Alayna carefully worked her way closer to Mike, avoiding the sacred areas. He remained on one knee. She sidled up next to him and hugged him from the side. She wrapped one hand around his belly and her other hand around his back. Mike draped his arm around the faerie and squeezed.
Alayna’s warmth gave him a sense of reassurance and confidence. “Mike. What’s important is that you think about her often. I know you love her and so do you. I’m pretty sure she knows it too. I
n fact, I’m pretty positive she knows.”
“I hope so. I feel like I’ve let her down. Look at me. I’m a complete failure. No job. About to get kicked out of my house. The only thing I have going for me is this girl, and you hate her.”
“I don’t hate her or anyone, for that matter. She might be the loveliest woman in the universe, but I know that she will try to kill you or inflict you with the disease.”
“What disease?”
“The dark spirit disease. Once inflicted, forever afflicted. There’s no cure for it except a merciful death, or a lifetime imprisonment in solitary confinement.”
A worried look spread over Mike’s face. Alayna smirked and said, “Don’t worry. It can’t be sexually transmitted.”
Mike wondered how she knew what he was thinking. “If you think I’m going to kill Emily, you’re crazy. I don’t even want to talk about this here.”
“I agree. Tell me something about your mom.”
Mike rubbed the blond hair on his chin. “Well, she had blond hair, blue eyes. She was kind of short, I guess. She was always painting her fingernails. She had a big mole on her left arm, and she called it her chocolate chip.”
“That’s nice, but I didn’t ask for a list of physical descriptions. Give me something that tells me about her as a person.”
“She worked at a packing plant to make sure we could pay the rent while taking care of the cooking and cleaning. She took me everywhere, and she even was president of my baseball league. She didn’t know much about baseball, but we needed a president, and she stepped up.”
“How nice. What else?”
Mike’s eyes lit up, and he wiped the tears from his face. “She used to read me a bedtime story every night. I don’t remember all the books’ names, or even what they were about. I just remember being with my mom. My dad made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with me from the start, so it was important to me.”
“That’s sweet. Is there anything else?”
His frown shifted to a smile as he paused for a few moments. “She used to say that I was made out of the stars above.” Mike chuckled. “I know it’s not true now, but it always made me feel special. She always said that I was her special star.” He gave Alayna an extra squeeze, and slowly stood up, breaking the embrace.
“She was technically right, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you go by the big bang theory, she was correct. The big bang started with the formation of atoms that eventually led to stars. Then you had exploding stars known as supernovae that had a big impact on forming the galaxies and planets. Without those explosions reconfiguring the universe, earth as we know would not exist. So technically, your momma was right, Micheal.”
Mike’s smile grew bigger, and he looked down at Alayna’s gentle face. “Thank you for coming here. I think it’s time to go back now.”
Mike and Alayna walked side by side in silence for the first few minutes.
“Do you think you’re up to another lesson in the other world?” Alayna asked.
Mike nodded and took a few deep breaths. “I think I can handle it.”
They walked to the river and found the door marked with a triskele. Alayna led the way through the darkness, and this time, Mike confidently stepped off the ledge.
They emerged into the paradise-like underworld and headed for the Grand Oak Forest. Alayna pointed to a long, moss-covered log, and the two friends sat down.
“What are we doing?” Mike asked impatiently.
“We’re waiting, silly,” Alayna teased.
“I know that. What are we waiting for?”
Alayna cracked her knuckles. “I told you last time what the new lesson would be. This is another short one, but you will get to meet some very important people. So make sure you act properly.”
Mike saw an owl hooting on the branch of a pine tree. He wondered what a bird of the night was doing out in the middle of day. The owl ruffled its feathers and Mike rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
When he looked back, a woman draped in a cloak of flowers and exotic feathers that hung to her knees was standing on the tree branch.
The fair-skinned female gracefully pranced down the branch and jumped to the ground. Her bare feet snapped and crunched the brush beneath as she approached them.
Alayna curtsied. “My inspiration.”
The woman bowed her head and held it down for a few moments. “My dear Alayna. Wonderful to see you again. Is this the new student?”
Alayna gestured to Mike. “This is Micheal Merlino.” She pointed at the woman. “And this is the lovely Blodeuwedd.”
Mike wasn’t sure what to do. Should he bow or to take a knee? Blodeuwedd eased the pressure and extended her hand. A sweet flowery smell grew stronger as he took a step closer to the blond woman. Her slender fingers gripped his hand and shook it up and down.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She smiled and tightened her grip.
The pressure increased until Mike felt like the bones in his hand were about to snap, then Blodeuwedd released her hold. “The pleasure is all mine.”
He could see the imprint of her fingertips on the back of his aching hand.
She turned to Alayna. “When are we leaving?”
The faerie answered, “As soon as our flying friends show up to take us to the Otherworld known as Clara Spiritus.”
“I’ll be right back.” Blodeuwedd wiggled her nose around and started to disappear. Her hair vanished first, followed by her arms. Then her face and legs were erased, and the cloak of flowers and feathers hit the ground.
The exotic cloak shifted around, moving up and down. Mike was convinced a beating heart was inside it. He took two terrified steps backward and watched a beautiful owl wearing a necklace of intertwined flowers wiggle out of the cloak. The majestic bird had bright yellow forward-facing eyes and a facial disc of golden, white and black feathers arranged in vertical patterns.
Mike couldn’t take his eyes off the black and white feathers or the standing ears on top of her head. Blodeuwedd shook her face around, and Mike zeroed in on the golden beak and extremely long silver filoplumes as the owl suddenly flapped her wings and took to the air.
Alayna said, “You can pick up your eyeballs now.”
Mike jumped. He had been fully focused on the shifting creature and her beauty. “That was pretty wild. Is she a Goddess?”
“Indeed. There are many that you will learn in due time. Today we will travel to Clara Spiritus so you can get some more background information on different forms of magic before we start going into precise detail. It’s my last big push for your recruitment.”
“Well, what do I do? Do I bow? Or what did you call Blodeuwedd? Your excellency or something?”
“My inspiration. I won’t go into heavy detail, but Blodeuwedd was formed by the flowers of the broom, meadowsweet and oak. She didn’t have the life on earth you would expect from a God or Goddess, but that is the beauty of this culture. We are all flawed creatures, and there is no shame in that. How we react to our flaws is what will define us.”
Mike heard a clomping sound that seemed to be getting closer.
Alayna whispered, “Epona has sent us a gift to get to Clara Spiritus.”
“Who’s Epona?”
“She is the Goddess of Horses and Fruitfulness. Another note about the system of Gods and Goddesses. It can sound quirky to people just learning about it, but trust me, there is a grand system for everything that you will find out soon. I hate to keep teasing you, but I don’t want to pack too much into your mind and make your head explode. Just seeing some of the visions down here can be a lot to take in, not even mentioning the information involved.”
“I’m not going to lie. This is kind of making me think this world is all a dream.”
“You want me to pinch you?” She gestured with her fingers and thumb.
“I’ll thank you to stop pinching my butt at any point in time.�
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“We’ll see about that. I’m trying to keep your exposure down here at a minimum, by the way.”
“Minimum? It’s like a mythological playground. I don’t really understand some of the creatures I’m seeing, but I like it.”
The clomping sounds grew nearer as two animals trotted down the dirt path toward them. A white Pegasus and a peryton with brilliant shades of purple, red and blue slowed to a walk as they approached Alayna and Mike.
The Pegasus hadn’t blown Mike’s mind because he had seen many iterations of the creature before. The Pegasus’ tucked wings imparted a regal look, but the horned animal captured Mike’s attention.
The peryton appeared to be a twelve-point stag with reddish-brown fur. The outside of his wings started with red at the shoulder and bled into a purple in the middle before blending into a vibrant blue at the tips of the wing feathers.
The peryton towered over the Pegasus like a stallion over a pony. Alayna said, “Our rides are here.” She whistled with an intensity that filled the woods. Within moments, Blodeuwedd arrived in owl form, and the group moved to the verdant clearing outside the woods.
Alayna walked over to the Pegasus and patted the animal on the head. “I’ll be riding with Anabelle and you will travel with Redridge.” She pointed at the peryton.
Mike slowly approached the enormous animal. With the huge rack, the animal stood taller than Mike. He tentatively patted him on the shoulder and could feel the warmth and power of the creature. Redridge leaned down, allowing him to get on his back.
Alayna said, “Grab the area right near the base of the wings. It’s the perfect spot to hold, and it doesn’t hurt Redridge.”
Mike jumped up on the animal’s back and held on for dear life.
The animals trotted along the flat stretch of land, picking up speed. Mike felt and heard the peryton’s wings expand and begin to beat. Its feet came off the ground, and they were gliding through the air. The peryton kept flapping its wings as they rose up even higher.
Blodeuwedd streaked by, reminding Mike he wasn’t there alone. He searched the sky for Alayna and found her with a big smile on her face as the Pegasus did a few barrel rolls. Redridge took Mike near the loose dome of electric-charged tree roots.
Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3 Page 53
