by C. G. Powell
Mae looked at herself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised. The corset fit perfect and gave the illusion of having curves. She smiled thinking of Beck destroying the laces in the back in the attempt to get the tightly fitted garment off of her. Gemma handed her the black dress she bought earlier today so she could see if it covered the corset, which it did.
After about an hour, they left the store, each of them with purchases that would catch the eye of any man lucky enough to see them. They headed back to Beck’s house in Meredith’s Prius when Mae started to think about what turns Beck on. She remembered that they always had a hard time controlling themselves when she wore the perfume he bought for her in Waterford. Was there something about the ingredients that made them so randy? Meredith was good with herbs, so Mae asked. “Mere, every time I wear the perfume Beck bought me we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other. Are there any herbs that work like vamp nip?”
Meredith giggled at her, then tilted her head and paused to think. “I heard that the mixture of water lily and rice can entice vampires. But that is a very odd combo, so you’re not likely to come across it very often.”
“Unless you use rice powder foundation and spray yourself with perfume that has water lily in it,” Mae added, laughing at her own mistake before leaning back in her seat.
“Oh no!” Meredith laughed. “Well at least you know what perfume to wear when you want to get his attention,” she said, pulling into the driveway and parking.
~~~***~~~
Evening had come and gone. Mae lay in her bed trying to get her mind off Beck, but the vision of him haunted her every time she closed her eyes. The band of her ring was humming the song of the diamond it held, reminding her of Beck’s protective care as well as his absence. Mae’s cell phone suddenly rang, breaking the trance of the ring. It was Beck.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hello beautiful, did you have a good day?”
“I’m glad you asked Gemma and Meredith to distract me, otherwise I think I would’ve died,” she said dramatically.
“I know how you feel. I cannot wait to get back home.”
“How are your tests going?” Mae asked, hoping they went well so he could leave soon.
“The tests look very promising,” Beck replied with excitement in his voice.
“I miss you,” Mae admitted, her voice faltering as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Mae, do not cry. I miss you too. I called because I could not fall asleep,” Beck said as his voice started to crack.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t control my emotions today and you’re not the only one who can’t sleep,” Mae sniffled trying to hold back the tears.
“Meredith can help you with that. Ask her to put a sleep charm on you so at least one of us will get some sleep tonight.”
“I’ll do that, otherwise I’ll cry all night.” Mae was emotionally exhausted and desperate for sleep at any cost.
“I have to go now, I promise to be home tomorrow before dinner. I heard Meredith has something planned for us. And tell Gemma I wish her a safe trip home and that I hope she comes back soon.”
“I’ll tell her. Good night Beck,” she sighed.
“I love you. Bye,” he replied, ending the conversation.
Mae hung up the phone and walked down the long hallway to Meredith’s room. She and Gemma were sitting on the bed, laughing when she walked in. “What’s so funny?” Mae asked, putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot, waiting for a reply.
“I thought you were asleep. We were just talking about Mr. Casanova…I mean Aidan,” Gemma laughed. She gestured for Mae to sit with them on the bed. “How are you holding up?” she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
Mae remained standing by the door. “I came to ask Meredith to put a sleep spell on me. I can’t sleep; every time I close my eyes I think of Beck,” she moaned, holding back her tears.
Meredith and Gemma both got up and put their arms around her in a group hug. Mae hated being such a whiner. It was not a role she felt comfortable in and this whole pity party was not working for her. She simply wanted to sleep through her emotional agony and try to get over it at some future date.
“I will put you to sleep. You don’t mind if Gemma and I stay up and talk?” Meredith asked her leading the way down the hall and back to Mae’s room.
“I don’t mind. In fact I’m glad you’ve become friends, because I don’t know what I would do if I lost either one of you. It’s ironic how the one man in this house, that we all love to hate, has brought you girls together.” Mae crawled back into bed and tried to relax while Meredith worked her magic. Her mind went completely blank as she drifted to sleep.
Gemma watched Meredith work her spell. “How long will your spell work?” Gemma asked.
“I hope the entire night, but with Mae you never can tell. She’s very different from the rest of us witches.” Meredith walked around the side of the bed and turned off the lamp before she and Gemma went back to Gemma’s room to finish their conversation about Aidan.
~~~***~~~
“I don’t know how you managed to date him no less than ten times and for three years straight!” Gemma squealed while sitting with her legs crossed on the bed.
Meredith was walking around the room when she confessed, “Were it not for Helen, I think I would have gone after Beck instead.” She stopped cold in her tracks, realizing the error of her words.
Gemma gave her a puzzled look. “Who is Helen?” She asked, hugging her pillow waiting for the response.
Meredith realized she had just opened a can of worms and it would not be easy to explain without creating more damage. She sat on the edge of the bed with one leg curled under her and the other still on the floor, looking at Gemma pensively. “I guess I need to start at the beginning, if you are to fully understand,” she sighed. “How is your Greek mythology?”
“The story of Beck and Helen goes back to the days just prior to the Trojan War. His name had been Paris in those days. The Veshtu had become the gods of Greece and Rome at the time and they enjoyed meddling in the lives of their half-breed children. It was at the wedding banquet of a friend when most of Beck’s troubles began.”
“One of the Veshtu named Eris was left off the wedding list because she had a tendency to cause strife. She was insulted by this slight and plotted her revenge. During the banquet, Eris threw the Apple of Discord engraved with the word Kallisti- “for the most beautiful one” in front of the three most prominent female Veshtu….Hera who was the wife of their leader, Zeus; Athena, the tactician and strategist of the Veshtu; and Aphrodite, the scientist in charge of the breeding program and the most beautiful Veshtu of all. With no humility, the three goddesses allowed their vanity to take over and an argument ensued as to whom the Apple was meant for. Zeus was asked to settle their argument, but he feared it would cause chaos if he, their leader, chose a winner. He delegated the task to Paris, the most intelligent and handsome among the half-breeds.”
The goddesses each attempted to bribe poor Paris; Hera offered him the realms of Europe and Asia. Paris knew that retaining ownership of the land was not guaranteed, so he passed on it. Next came the bribe of wisdom and skill in battle offered by Athena. Paris was already more intelligent than most of his peers and as a herdsman, he had no need for skill in battle, so he also passed on Athena’s offer. The last bribe was from Aphrodite, who offered him the love of the most beautiful woman on earth…Helen of Sparta. This seemed like an odd bribe to Paris since vampires are not known to dabble in love.”
“Love is not logical and goes against their nature, but Paris had once allowed his human half to rule his life and still remembered what it was like to be loved. He also knew the pain and emptiness of lost love, especially at the hands of death. So, Paris struck a deal with Aphrodite. He would accept Aphrodite’s bribe of Helen’s love and proclaim her the winner, but in return Aphrodite had to promise that Helen’s conscience would continue to be reborn in a different
body upon her death. Paris never wanted to feel the pain of loss again.”
“The one thing Aphrodite failed to mention was that Helen was married to the king of Sparta and Paris would have to kidnap her. Thus began the Trojan War.” Meredith paused for a second before explaining that Helen had returned in Mae’s body.
“Beck started the Trojan War?” Gemma was visibly intrigued as she asked her question. “But in the books, Paris dies and Helen winds up back with her husband in Sparta.”
Meredith shifted her legs under her. “Yes, he did and with the assistance of Aidan they were able to steal Helen. As far as the written word, we tend to bend the truth to fit our needs. We don’t want humans to find out they have immortals living among them, so we sometimes pen our own deaths to hide the truth.”
“What does all of this have to do with Mae?”
Meredith paused; this was the part she dreaded answering. “Mae is Helen’s host, but Helen is not able to take over Mae’s consciousness because she is not human.”
Gemma furrowed her brow and shuddered. “You mean Mae could eventually become Helen? Is that why Beck keeps her close? If it is, I don’t like this situation at all.” Gemma got up and started to pace the room.
Meredith watched Gemma walk circles around the room. “When Beck went to meet Mae for the first time he assumed that Helen had already taken over which is why he left the bar that night in a hurry. But it did not take him long to fall in love with Mae and it wasn’t because of Helen. He battled his conscience over this very issue to the point of almost killing himself. That is when he decided it was Mae that he wanted, and not Helen.” Meredith was fidgeting as she tried to explain what Beck had confided to her.
Gemma stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the bed near Meredith. “How do we stop Helen from surfacing?”
“Beck asked me the same question,” Meredith explained. “And like I told him, I haven’t a clue as to how to remove Helen. I’m afraid that whatever mechanism Aphrodite put in place those thousands of years ago, is far beyond our comprehension. Please understand that this was not something Beck ever had control over…he did not choose to make Mae, Helen’s host. All he did was fall in love with Mae after the fact.”
“Why hasn’t he told Mae about Helen?”
“He’s afraid she would leave him. You saw what kind of chaos that created today. Look Gemma, Beck is a good man and wouldn’t do anything to hurt Mae; you have to understand what he is giving up to be with her…He and Helen have been together for thirty-five hundred years and it was not an easy choice for him to let her go; not to mention the fact that he’s been off the dating market since the Trojan War and hasn’t a clue what to do,” she laughed, stretching her legs across the bed next to Gemma.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to Mae. I hate to add to her confusion, but she needs to know about Helen. This is her life we’re talking about.” Gemma threw herself back on the bed and lay down.
“I told Beck the same thing and he promised he would tell her when he thought she was ready for the truth,” Meredith sighed.
Chapter 10
"Mae, wake up!" Gemma said, shaking the edge of the bed. "I have to leave in an hour,” she bellowed, shaking the bed again.
Mae sat up and yawned. "What time is it?" she asked, climbing out of bed and stretching.
"Time for you to get up," Gemma answered, looking tired and unrested.
“Gemma and Meredith must have stayed up all night talking,” Mae thought, snatching her clothes from the dresser and walking into the bathroom. Gemma followed her and took a seat at the vanity.
Gemma looked at herself in the mirror and poked the puffy circles under her eyes. "Did you sleep well, Mae?"
Still feeling groggy from the sleeping spell, Mae replied, "Yes, I slept well, which is apparently more than you did. How late did you and Meredith stay up?" Mae wished she had been in a happier state of mind to join them last night.
Gemma turned to look at Mae as she brushed her teeth. "By the time we were ready to turn down for the night, Donald called to let us know that Alexis arrived," Gemma said, grimacing in concern for her friend.
Gemma was giving Mae a contemplative look. "What's wrong?" Mae asked, causing toothpaste to run down the sides of her mouth.
Gemma sighed, "Leaving you here with Alexis worries me enough to almost cancel my flight. Were it not for the fact that I trust Meredith, I don't think I’d be able to leave."
Mae slipped on her jeans and t-shirt as they walked out of the bathroom. "Is she really that bad?"
“Let’s just say, that little rumor about her being able to make Aidan cry…I no longer have any doubt that it’s true.”
~~~***~~~
Mae entered the kitchen and could see a beautiful young woman sitting at the table. She was dressed in olive cargo shorts, a black tank and looked like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider with a red braid hanging down her back. "You must be Alexis? I'm Mae," she said, reaching out to shake her hand.
Alexis eyed Mae warily while they shook hands. "Hello Mae, nice to meet you. It looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Do you know how to shoot?"
Mae raised her brow wondering if Alexis’ question was just a jest. "Are you American?" she asked, trying to avoid answering Alexis’ question.
"Yes, that is where I spend most of my time. Beck flew me in last night; he said it was an emergency," she replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders at her importance. "Hey Mere, did you get the equipment that I needed from Beck?"
"Yes, I'll get it for you." Meredith got up and left the room.
"What are you planning to teach me?" Mae questioned, taking the seat across from Alexis at the table.
Meredith reentered the room carrying several holstered guns and knives. "Everything you requested should be here," Meredith stated, laying the weapons on the table.
Alexis grinned, picking up one of the guns and chambering the bullet. "I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself." She holstered the gun, stood and strapped it to her hip.
She was much shorter than Gemma and Meredith, who each had modelesque statures, but lean and athletically built. It was hard to imagine that this petite girl was the same person that was known to bring Aidan to tears. "I thought you were a witch?" Mae asked in a confused tone.
Alexis laughed, "I'm the deadliest witch you’ll ever meet and I owe Beck big time, that’s why I’m here. By the way, where is his royal hotness?" She looked around the room as if the mere mention of him would bring him sauntering in.
Mae was jealous at the ease in which Alexis seem to carry herself and her blatant casualness to Beck’s appearance. It had never occurred to Mae that so many witches were attracted to Beck and she wondered why none of them had ever caught his eye. “He’s in Dublin, until this afternoon,” Mae disclosed, causing her mind to instantly refocus on their being apart, making her heart ache for him.
“I need to go or I’ll miss my flight,” Gemma stated, removing herself from the table and grabbing her overnight bag with Mae following her to the front door. “Mae, there is something you need to ask Beck when he gets back…Ask him about Helen.” She stepped through the front door of the house and handed Donald her overnight bag. He carefully loaded it in the trunk along with her other luggage, then walked around the side of the car and opened the backdoor for Gemma.
Mae hugged Gemma goodbye as she got into the back seat of Beck’s Bentley. “Who is Helen?” she asked curiously.
Gemma smiled, a single tear rolled down her face. She looked down at her lap for a second then back up at Mae, as if to avoid answering the question. “Just ask him,” was the last thing she said before Donald closed the back door of the car and drove away.
Gunfire could be heard coming from the back lawn. Mae walked around there to find Alexis pointing a rifle at Meredith. Before she had a chance to ask what was going on, Alexis fired her weapon. Mae panicked and rushed Alexis, which was a big mistake. She had Mae on the ground with a knife at her throat befor
e Mae could even lay a finger on her. Meredith yelled across the lawn, “Alexis! Stand down! We should have told her we were practicing before you started shooting.” Alexis withdrew the knife from Mae’s throat, stood up and sheathed it.
Mae let out the deep breath she had been holding. “Sorry, I didn’t know what was happening. You could hurt someone with that thing,” she added, pointing at the gun on the ground.
“No shit, Sherlock! What the fuck were you thinking jumping me from behind?” Alexis exclaimed, scolding Mae like she was a naughty child.
“I didn’t want you to kill Meredith is what I was thinking!” Mae yelled back in defense.
“Well simmer down pork chop, Meredith is just fine which is more than I can fucking say for your dumb ass if you ever sneak the hell up on me like that again. I was about to slit your God damn throat.” Alexis picked up the rifle from off the ground, put it over her shoulder and walked away.
Looking at Meredith as she gave Mae her hand to help her up, Mae jeered, “Does she always have such a potty mouth?”
“They don’t call her Tourette’s for nothing,” Meredith laughed, helping Mae brush the grass and dirt off her back. “Don’t take it personally; she is like that to everyone but Beck. She has a bit of a soft spot for him.”
They walked to the patio table where Alexis was reloading the rifle. “What were you and Alexis practicing?” Mae inquired.
“Self-defense against bullets, something you will need to learn and soon. Alexis is the best teacher I know as far as teaching survival and believe it or not, a loyal friend. You just have to get used to her ways,” Meredith explained.
Alexis stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for them to join her. “Today we might need to start off with a little hand to hand. Beck tells me you’re half vampire; if that’s true, you should have been able to put up a better fight, Mae. You have the advantage of speed and strength, plus the ability to heal yourself rapidly. Anything less than a 50 mil automatic shouldn’t even faze you,” Alexis surmised, checking the gun on her hip and flipped on the safety.