by Amber Garr
“Mr. St. Ange. Can you hear me?” I asked in a commanding voice.
The coffin rattled as his corpse tried to sit up. I didn’t help him though. I wasn’t quite sure what would happen if I touched a reanimated corpse while still under my spell. So I just stood motionless.
As the man’s old body began to rise, Charlie and Mrs. St. Ange stepped closer. Tears streamed down their cheeks as they watched their loved one struggle with his temporary rebirth.
“Can you hear me?” I asked again.
He glanced at me, now that he was fully sitting upright. Then he looked down at the bottom half of the coffin lid covering his legs. With head tilted in concentration, he tried to lift the heavy wooden cover. A noise similar to a moan, yet not quite human sounding, escaped his mouth as he attempted to free himself.
“Stop,” I commanded and he did. Like an obedient dog, he listened to my every command. Dropping his arms to his side, he moved his mouth and sat up straighter. “I hear you,” he mumbled. Not because he was being defiant, but because his voice wouldn’t be clear ever again.
I focused on Charlie. “What do you want to ask?”
But it was Mrs. St. Ange who stepped forward out of her son’s clutching hands. She stomped over to her dead husband, glared at his made-up face, and then slapped him hard across the cheek.
“You son of a bitch,” she cried out. “How long? How long, Louis?” She slapped him again, only this time, Louis’ head didn’t snap back into place quite as quickly. I worried she might actually injure his body. Not that he would feel it. It just wouldn’t be so good for business and I wasn’t a fan of abusing corpses. Good or bad ones.
Charlie pulled her away as she reached out for another hit. “Where is the money, Louis? That is my money, not hers!”
Noah edged a little closer at the same time I reached out to Mrs. St. Ange. “He can’t answer you. Only me,” I reminded her.
The deadly glare contorting her face lessened, and a moment later she threw her shoulders back and breathed deeply. Still dabbing at her tears, she clamped her lips together and forced herself to stay quiet.
“Should I ask him about the money?”
Charlie nodded. “Yes. It would appear that his will was incomplete. And after my mom found out about Rosanna, she feared he’d given it all to her before his death.”
I looked up to Noah who shrugged when I narrowed my eyes. I wished I would have known that I was getting into the middle of a family feud.
“Louis, where is the money?” I asked.
Dark eyes blankly stared at me. He should be compelled to answer, but looked as though he tried to be defiant. Eventually, he caved. “What…money?” His throaty voice seemed to echo against the tombstones.
“You know what money, you bastard,” Mrs. St. Ange cried out again.
I gave her a look to silence her and Charlie filled in the rest. “He had an account. Somewhere offshore, and no one can find it.”
Okay then. I was starting to agree that he was kind of a bastard. “Where is your offshore account?” I asked.
“Bermuda,” he whispered.
“And where is the account information?”
Louis hesitated again like he wanted to defy me. I knew he couldn’t, so I just waited. “Under…under the stairs.”
I looked at Charlie. “Does that make sense?”
He shook his head, but then his mother smiled. “Yes. Yes it does,” she whispered. Then she focused on me. “Can you ask him how long he’d been having the affair?”
My eyes found Noah’s and I struggled to decide if I should ask any more. He didn’t give me any indication for what I should do, and I felt lost for a moment. “Do you really want to know?” I finally asked her.
“Yes.” She stated it so clearly, so purposefully, that I couldn’t refuse. Besides, I’d want to know too if I were her.
I asked Louis the question. “How long were you seeing Rosanna?”
He stared blankly beyond my shoulder. His time here was coming to an end. Again. But he would have to answer…
“Ten years,” he muttered from his drying lips. “Ten years,” he said again.
Charlie pulled his mother away before her anger could get the best of her. They began to walk down the path and back toward their car. They got the information they needed, so I assumed my job was done.
“Goodbye Louis,” I said as I reached for the knife. His cold hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me from putting him back to dead.
“I miss her…” his voice trailed off as his eyes looked toward his departing family.
I was tempted to ask if he meant his wife or his mistress, but decided that some things are better left unsaid. As his grip lessoned, I yanked the knife from his chest and watch his body fall back into the satin pillow inside the coffin.
“Well, that was interesting,” Noah said.
He startled me with his closeness, and I almost screamed. “That was definitely interesting,” I mumbled to myself. “Did you know that’s what they wanted to ask?”
Noah shook his head and closed the coffin lid. “Nope. I didn’t want to pry.”
“Huh,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s just that I haven’t raised a human in a while and the last time I did it was because somebody needed an answer too.” My thoughts drifted back to the funeral home, my brother, and my dad. My father had died with a big secret left unrevealed and without my magic, we would have never known where my mother was.
“I’ll finish up here. You should go get your money before they leave.” Noah winked at me a second before the coffin lifted off the ground and floated back into the open pit. Telekinesis was certainly a skill worth being envious over.
Smiling and high on my success, I didn’t even notice the stomach pains churning until I’d almost reached Charlie’s car. Nausea swarmed my senses, causing me to stumble and almost lose it right in front of them.
“Thank you, Cressa,” Charlie said, handing me an envelope. “Your secret is safe.”
I could only nod, as the bile rose in the back of my throat. I couldn’t wish them gone fast enough. And the moment they pulled away, I rushed to the nearest tombstone for support and threw up all over the ground.
“Sorry, Mr. Murray,” I whispered once I saw whose grave site I’d just defaced. “Please forgive me.” I hoped if his spirit was still stuck in this realm, he would understand that my actions were out of my control.
“You okay?”
Noah’s voice hit me at the same time another round of comforting energy trickled over my skin. I was suddenly reminded of my night at the frat house, after I’d gotten sick outside. I’d sensed something new—some kind of magical intrusion then as well. And it had felt just as fantastic as it did now. Had Noah been in that alley with me?
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, not lying and trying to stand.
Noah rushed to my side, helping me up. Sparks danced between our skin, or at least it felt like it to me. Whoa, was I in trouble. But then a familiar burning raced down my spine. Time for a piece of Louis to join my other scars. I tried not to react, but Noah must have felt my tension.
“Let’s get you home. I can drive,” he said.
For the first time, I really took in my surroundings and I noticed Noah didn’t have a car. “How’d you get here?” I asked, still distracted from the burning on my back. He ushered me into my front seat and climbed into the driver’s side.
“I came with Charlie.” He started to pull away from the graves and I felt embarrassed by my crappy car for just a moment. But then the adrenaline dissipated and fatigued claimed my limbs.
“I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute…” My voice trailed off as we bounced through the streets and headed back to my city. I thought I heard Noah humming something, but within seconds, I soon heard nothing at all.
“Where are we going?” I asked once I could force my eyes open again. I didn’t recognize the street and I was pretty sure we weren’t anyw
here close to my apartment.
“To my place,” Noah said and made a sharp left turn.
Something wicked trickled through me as I thought about what that might mean. Not that I was expecting anything to come out of tonight, just that he seemed so comfortable having me over without even really knowing me.
And after seeing me throw up all over a grave.
“Are you sure?” I asked since I felt like I needed to say something.
He looked over at me and smiled, the lone street light catching his purplish eyes. “I have a feeling you may need a little break.”
“Okay…,” I didn’t fully understand what he was getting at.
“I thought we could order some food and then I could make sure that you’re feeling better.”
At his words, my new scar started to ache again. And then my stomach growled loud enough for everyone in the state to hear.
Noah chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”
We made a few more turns into suburbia galore before pulling into a driveway of one of the cookie-cutter houses. The yellow siding and white trim certainly did not scream hotness alert, and I couldn’t help but gape. “You live here?” I leaned to the side to catch a better glimpse and hit my head against the window. When Noah stifled a laugh, I glared at him.
“I’m just visiting,” he said with a mischievous look plastered all over his ridiculously cute face.
“Oh right, you’re friend.” I continued to stare at the nuclear family home and wondered what kind of friend he had. Surely a man didn’t live here by himself. A pain cut deep into my chest when I thought about the alternative. Was he here with a woman?
“Our company rents the house. We just go where they tell us.”
“Your company?” I asked.
Noah brushed a stray hair out of his eyes. “Well, Rome’s company really. He’s the one that actually has a job.”
I raised my brow and Noah hung his head. “So you’re telling me that you’re unemployed?”
“It’s complicated,” he said and then quickly opened his car door. “Come on, let’s get inside.”
Oddly enough, my door opened all on its own, and I caught the smug look Noah wore when I climbed out. “You know, you should really tell me what you are,” I said, following him up the stairs to the front porch. “I’ve let you in on all of my secrets tonight.”
“You mean you don’t know yet?” he teased.
“I have my guesses, but no, I’m not certain.” I crossed my arms and studied the man in front of me. He seemed to appreciate the gesture.
“I thought women liked that dark and mysterious kind.”
“Some do.”
“You don’t?”
“Not really.”
Noah flicked my nose in a way that no one ever had. Boy was I in trouble. “Well, that’s too bad.” He opened the door, with the key this time, and gestured for me to walk inside.
If the outside looked like Suzy Homemaker, the inside screamed bachelor pad. Minimal furnishings, blank walls, and I bet I’d see an empty refrigerator if I checked.
“Who’s Rome?” I asked, still looking around and trying to find some clues about Noah.
“A friend,” he said.
“And where is this friend of yours now?”
Noah caught the slight edge to my voice, and lifted the side of his lip. “He’s working. He works most nights.”
“What does he do?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
I followed Noah through the open entryway and into the kitchen. “Secrecy is not becoming,” I muttered as I pulled out a bar stool and plopped down on it.
Noah chuckled under his breath and reached into the fridge to grab two beers. Yep, totally empty. “The food should be here soon. Hope you like Chinese.”
“Works for me.” I took a sip of the homebrew and was surprised by how much I liked it. I wasn’t usually a fan, but everything seemed to be feeling and tasting good right now. That electricity, or magical intrusion I’d felt several times now, still lingered in the background.
“So, Noah—” My question was cut off by the doorbell, and Noah moved quickly around the counter to get it.
“Hold that thought,” he said.
Several minutes later, he returned with three brown paper bags. “How much food did you order?” I asked, savoring the smell like I hadn’t eaten for days.
“Well, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I kind of ordered one of everything.”
His adorable grin threw me for a loop and for a moment I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know if anyone had ever done something like this for me before. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever felt as comfortable as I did right now. In a strangers home. Eating Chinese food. After raising the dead.
Instead of continuing my question, I decided to eat. And my stomach certainly appreciated it. As I was about to dig into the chicken and broccoli, Noah started to laugh. “Yes?” I asked.
“You don’t use chopsticks?”
“Can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Don’t know how. It’s just not in my genes to be able to do anything but stab my food.”
He stopped and stared at me. And then he laughed again. “Kind of perfect, right?”
“Sorry?”
“You’re good at stabbing things.”
Confused, I had to think about it for a minute. And when I finally realized what he was referring to, I joined him in sarcastic laughter. “Oh, right. Like stabbing the corpses. I get it. Hilarious.”
This time Noah nearly spit out his food. I rolled my eyes and kept on eating.
“So, tell me about Rome,” I finally said after gorging myself thoroughly.
“Rome?” Noah’s eyebrows lifted higher than I thought they could and I sensed a tiny bit of jealousy. “Why Rome?”
“I’m kidding. Tell me what you are.”
His pressed lips grew into a smirk when he realized what I’d just done. “Why don’t you guess,” he suggested while he gathered up our trash and put the leftovers in the fridge. At least I knew he’d have something to eat tomorrow.
I tapped my finger to my chin in thought. “How old are you?”
“That’s hard to say,” he replied seriously.
“Why?”
“Keep asking,” he teased.
“Are you a fiend?”
“No,” he said and actually looked appalled that I would ask.
“An imp?”
“Nope.”
“Have you always had telekinetic abilities?” I sipped my beer. Number three now if I was keeping count. But who needed to keep count?
“In this form, yes.”
Not sure where to go with that, I said, “You lost me.”
He winked and shrugged his shoulders. “Some creatures are more than what they appear.”
“Okay, you seriously need to stop.” I rubbed my temples, pretending like he was giving me a headache.
“Let’s just say that I’ve only been human for a few months.”
“Seriously?” I said in frustration. “Why are you telling me that? It doesn’t help.” His laugh continued to irritate me in a cute but annoying way. “Well, if that’s true then I have zero guesses.”
He rose from the bar stool next to me and reached for my hand. “Come.”
Not sure where this was going, I complied. I also couldn’t resist the thrilling power of his skin against mine. Whatever creature he was, this ability of his was at the top of my must-have list.
He pulled me behind him, around the corner and toward the back of the house. Plain, white walls stared back at me as we drifted past the dreariness and entered into a bedroom. A large, king size bed claimed most of the space, with a dresser, mirror, and several paintings of the sun highlighting the rest of the room. Paintings.
“Is this your room?” I asked, still aware of his hand holding mine.
“Yes,” he said.
“It’s got stuff in it,” I marveled and he smiled.
�
��Yes, yes it does.”
“Sorry, it’s just that the rest of the house is so…”
“Boring?” he guessed.
“Yeah. And…bachelory.”
“Is that even a word?” His hand dropped and I felt saddened by the sudden coolness.
“Probably not. But I just made it one,” I said as I stared at one particular painting. It was of a sunrise, or maybe a sunset, but the nimbus surrounding it outshined the star itself.
“Are you familiar with Greek mythology?” Noah asked once he sat on the edge of his bed.
I looked at him in surprise. “Sure?”
“What do you know about the Phoenix?” he asked quietly.
Again, not sure where this was going, I turned my back to the painting and leaned against the dresser. “Aren’t they the ones that can be reborn or resurrected or something?”
“Or something,” he said with a nod. “A phoenix is a creature of luck. One that is often used to watch over people’s decisions and to protect them in their time of need.”
“Often used? As in they are real?”
His eyes flashed a golden yellow for a brief second before turning his attention to another painting on the wall hanging above his bed. I stepped closer, wanting to see what it meant to him. When I couldn’t see, I climbed on the bed beside him.
Noah wrapped his arm around my back as we both sat on our knees looking at the picture. “What do you see?” he asked quietly.
I stared. And stared some more. “A sun, I guess.”
“What else?”
Turning my head to see him, I watched as he gazed at the painting with longing. When he didn’t speak again, I focused on the wall. As I did, the painting suddenly seemed to move, taking on a life of its own. Behind the sun, yet intricately drawn within it, I saw a bird. A beautiful bird with wings like an angel and a tail that stretched to the ground. Fiery feathers sprouted from its body the same color as the burning sun around it. The embers moved, the feathers floated…it was like a 3D puzzle painted on canvas.
“Beautiful,” I whispered and Noah’s arm tightened around me.
“A phoenix is a protector. Reborn over and over again to see that fate is carried out and those who stray return to their path.”
