by Heloise Hull
“Will you bring that lantern with you?”
“Always.”
I sighed. “I guess this means I need to stop being so apprehensive and start trusting my friends more.”
Coronis kissed both of my cheeks and scooted me out the door. “Ava?”
I paused and turned around. Coronis was biting her lip.
“Thank you,” she said.
I gave her a smile. “Nothing to thank.” Things still felt out of my control, but it also felt like I had a lasso to help me reel them in little by little.
I walked to the bakery to collect Rosemary.
“How’s Coronis?”
“A little tired. I made her some tea, and I think she’ll join us later tonight. I hope so, at least. I can’t thank you both enough for watching my boys while I was under house arrest.”
“It was the least we could do. We look out for each other here, which is why Luca’s betrayal hurt so much. He lied about being supernatural, and then he tried to kill us. I let him have free biscotti every day and he just took it!”
My mood immediately darkened. “About that. Aurick said the Council let him off with a slap on the wrist. He’s not allowed to do magic for ten years, and he can never do necromancy again, but that’s it.”
Rosemary’s jaw dropped. “Quoi?”
“Because he didn’t technically kill anything that wasn’t already dead. The Council is jacked up if you ask me.”
“I might have to agree,” she murmured. “Marco will not be happy.”
We motored off, cobblestones turning to dirt the closer we got to Villa Venus. Songbirds called to each other, and animals chittered in ancient trees. While not cold yet, the island would clearly chill over the next few months.
When we arrived, no one was outside, but a long wooden table was set with plates, napkins, forks, and various nuts scattered along the middle. A chipmunk’s touch, if I had to guess.
We could already hear rambunctious singing, led by Aurick from the sounds of it, and lots of laughing. Despite all the awfulness of the last hour, it buoyed my spirits to hear. Rosemary grinned at me. “La famiglia è la patria del cuore.”
“I think even I can translate that one. Family is the home of the heart.”
“Exactly. Now, let’s go say hello and indulge.”
“God, I love the Italians and their indulging,” I said as Rosemary laughed.
“And you’re one of us now!”
We swept inside, and Aurick met me with a glass of wine. Nonna was dropping clumps of fresh, hand-rolled pici pasta into a stockpot of boiling salted water, and Tiberius played the part of the conductor near the wood oven. I let him scamper across my shoulders and nestle in my hair.
“Where’s that old crow?” Nonna called.
“She’s resting,” I began. “Mages attacked my boys at school. She warded them off, but she took a hit. I had to shake her out of a coma. It was a whole thing. Suffice to say, the boys are fine for now, Coronis is awake, but she needs some time to recuperate.”
Aurick’s face had gone from shocked to horrified as I spoke. He still looked a bit tired from our journey, but at least it hadn’t knocked him out for a year like last time. The time Luca attacked him. And the Council thought the necromancer was mostly benign.
“Are you serious? What else did Coronis say?”
“She’s watching them with some lantern and doesn’t think they’ll attack again any time soon. But I’m still worried. Apparently, part of my curse affects my twins. Like Romulus and Remus, they are destined to rise or fell empires. These mages clearly wanted that power for themselves.” Avoiding his eyes for the moment, I didn’t mention the latest development about rising Thoth, too. I wanted to do that later. Alone.
Rosemary wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me little murmurs of comfort, although Aurick’s face told me everything I needed to know. It wasn’t good. I kept asking myself the same question, over and over. Which was crazier? Moving into the dorm room with them against their protests—and probably a restraining order as well—or not going at all?
Aurick didn’t pull any punches. “They’ve already begun hunting them. This power will be irresistible to many.”
“What can I do?” I asked, my stomach turning to lead. My appetite had vanished as quickly as a ghost.
Thessaly cleared her throat and Nonna jumped, putting a hand to her heart. “Siren, you are going to be the death of me, sneaking up like that.”
“I haven’t moved,” she said dryly.
“Yes, well, with all your silent lurking, I forget about you.”
Thessaly rolled her eyes in a very human way and addressed me. “I volunteer to watch them. Coronis is strong, but she is not a demon. Any mages will think twice—and probably three or four times—when they encounter me.”
“Why don’t we all take shifts, watching them as we know best. I’ll astral project,” Nonna said. “Demon here can hide in liminal spaces. Aurick…” Nonna cocked her head at him. “What good is a mummy?”
Aurick didn’t rise to the bait. “Not much, Signora. But I can send my bronze warrior to integrate himself into their landscape at all times. He will report back within seconds if anything is amiss.”
“There. That’s settled then. Feel better, Mamma?” Nonna’s bracelets and earrings jangled as she looked left and right. “Come on, then. Let’s eat.”
Nonna ordered us to all take bowls that held twisting curls of pasta with big shavings of black truffle. Bottles of cold white wine and serving platters of green beans with hazelnuts and blood orange zest sat waiting at the table. She’d unearthed a bottle of Amari for after the meal. “A little starter before we head to Marco’s,” she said with a wink. In a low whisper, she added, “Don’t worry, Mamma. We’ve got this all sorted.”
“I know, but it’s my job to worry about them in a regular situation. Are they brushing their teeth and doing their homework? Add bloodthirsty mages who want to start a new world order, and I don’t think there’s enough wine in the world to make me feel better.”
“That’s just a lack of imagination, Mamma.”
Sensing there was a feast, my Renaissance Romancer, Piero, arrived. For some reason, he finally lifted my spirits. I had saved him. Me. Even if I felt powerless to help my twins, I wasn’t. He was living proof. Well, dead proof.
“Piero! I could almost kiss you. How do you feel? Are you back to normal?”
He fixed his doublet and straightened the feather in his cap. “A kiss? Does that mean you’re reconsidering my offer to inhabit a sheep? I promise to make it a night you shall never forget.”
I shuddered. “No, it means my brain stopped all its higher functioning for a moment because I’m so happy to be back.”
“Had you left, Signora?” he asked.
“I guess it’s only been a few days, but yes, I went to the Council. They didn’t keep me. End of story.”
Piero twirled his pencil-thin mustache. “Hm.”
“Tell us what happened, Mamma. The specifics.”
Aurick put a warm hand over mine, although he was staring suspiciously at Piero and his offers of sheep sex. “You don’t have to relive it.”
I gave him a grateful smile. “Actually, that’s the problem. I don’t know if I’m done living it. They let me go, but I don’t think it’s because they believe I’m an innocent She-Wolf.”
“You think there’s an ulterior motive?” Aurick asked.
“Yes.”
The silence deepened around the table.
“They took a vial of my blood to test. I’d like to think it’s because I’m innocent and my blood proved it, but I don’t trust the Council. Why didn’t they explain releasing me and why didn’t they tell me if they found anything?”
“Good thinking, Mamma. Those old codgers have lost touch with reality.”
“Perhaps they have lost their way in this case,” Aurick said, “but the Council also acts on behalf of all law-abiding supernaturals. Nothing more and nothing less.�
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Nonna sniffed. “Spoken like a true Council lackey, but do you know who butters your bread?”
Aurick held up a piece of ciabatta slathered with olive oil, rubbed with garlic, and sprinkled with flaky sea salt and pepper before dunking it into his cream and truffle sauce. “Tiberius? Were you in charge of bread today?”
“Pah,” Nonna launched a green bean at his head. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, but what I don’t understand is why you’re sowing doubt about the Council. It exists as a helpmate after the gods were defeated.”
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing,” Nonna replied.
“Wait…” I trailed. “Are you quoting Thomas Jefferson?”
“Or was Thomas Jefferson quoting me?” Nonna asked, quite seriously in my opinion.
Rosemary waved it away, a twirl of pasta on her fork. “Come now. Enough of this,” she ordered. “We’re celebrating Ava’s return. The boys have both Aurick’s warrior and Coronis’s lantern keeping watch. It does no good to beat ourselves up over things we can’t control. None at all. Now raise your glasses, per favore.”
We all held our glasses by the stem, a little reluctantly, as Rosemary cleared her throat. “Ah hem. Grazie. Amici e vini sono meglio vecchi. Salut!”
We clinked and took a sip.
“What did that one mean?” I asked.
“Friends and wine improve with age,” Rosemary translated.
I laughed. “If that’s true, you guys must be the best friends in the entire universe. Not that I’m calling you old or anything, but you’re old.”
“You’re one to talk!”
The tension finally broke as everyone relaxed into their cups. The sky was blue with pillows of clouds hanging lazily in the air. Lunch was delicious and elegant, and I wished this feeling could go on forever. Unfortunately, not even supernaturals lasted forever. Not even the gods, banished as they were to some other plane of existence. I wondered if there was anything at the Library of Alexandria on the gods. It’d be smart to research the Archon Wars, too, and maybe the Council for good measure. Mostly, I wanted to know more about my past. The curse. What were the threads pulling everything together? Who was the god in the cave? What were his motives? I still had no idea the answer to either of those questions.
“Rosemary, do you mind if I come back to work in a few days? Coronis promised to take me to do some research, but I don’t know when or for how long. I definitely want to keep learning about yeast and making macchiatos, though.”
“Of course, darling. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be thrilled to have you. Yeast, though… we’ll see.”
Everyone laughed and the conversation continued as the sun began to sink behind the walnut trees. Finally, the wine and Amari were finished, the Knight had fallen asleep, and Piero was playing a lute. Everyone knew what that meant. He was feeling frisky. Sonnets were not far behind.
I stood and helped clear the table, but Nonna shooed me away. “We’ll take care of this. Go into town. Enjoy your first night home.”
I gave her a two-cheek kiss. “Thank you, Nonna. It feels amazing to be back.”
Thessaly fixed me with her purple-eyed gaze. After centuries on a rock in the ocean, her people skills were stiffer than roadkill, but I found I had a connection to her. Perhaps my own people skills weren’t so hot, either. We bonded like that.
“Hey, Thessaly, you coming with us?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I wasn’t invited.”
I smiled. “It’s an open invitation.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means that you’re one of us now. You don’t need to be invited directly.”
“Oh,” she said, her glacial glance moving a fraction.
“So, you’ll come?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, great. I’m going to grab a jacket. Be right back.”
I headed inside, but Aurick caught me by the elbow. “Ava, a moment?”
“Of course.”
He walked me to the villa and opened the door. The warm glow and familiar smells of Nonna’s kitchen almost sent me over the edge again. While it had only been a short time at my old house, I had begun to seriously miss this place. That reminded me. “Aurick, do you know why my trial got moved up so quickly? Manu told me it would be two weeks before they called for me. It barely took two days.”
“They shuffled a few things around, like Luca’s trial, and halted other things.”
“Why?”
“Honestly, I’m not privy to the inner workings of the Council.” He gave me that lopsided grin that made me forget my name. Or was that mind-control? He continued before I could ask any more questions. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about, though.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to enjoy a girls’ night out with your friends, and I need more rest after astral jumping with a partner—” here he gave me another earth-shattering grin to negate the fact that he wasn’t coming, “—but I must confess that I don’t want to share you. I want you all to myself. Would you get dinner with me tomorrow?”
My mouth made approximations of “uh” and “yes” before Aurick took pity on me.
He grinned. “Shall I pick you up at seven?”
“You know where to find me,” I managed to quip before ducking into my room, my face red, to grab my jacket and leftover lipstick.
Chapter Sixteen
I collected the ex-siren and Rosemary, and we rode to town. Thessaly’s skin was still ocean-cold, and she had a briny smell that I doubted would go over well in the mortal world. To be honest, I doubted Thessaly herself would go over well in the mortal world. Ever since she got out of the ocean, she insisted on wearing three layers of clothing over her chiton, which flapped in the breeze. She was serious about never being cold again. Nonna had given her a bunch of mothball-eaten sweaters and a pair of slippers, but the demon still shuffled around the house wrapped in a thick, cotton blanket. If she knew what earmuffs were, I’d bet she’d own a hundred pairs.
Not that I was one to throw stones. We all belonged on this island of misfits.
Marco’s taverna was lit up with twinkly lights hanging from the rafters, and tea lights accentuated every table. The golden glow beckoned us inside and promised us a feast. With the warm trade winds gently blowing across the sea, it was still sixties outside, and people chatted and clinked wine glasses on the patio. A beautiful night to enjoy friendships.
Immediately, we saw Coronis sitting next to a man at a little, iron table. When she stood, rather shakily, I saw it was Mak, and my stomach did a warm flip-flop at his sculpted smile. She waved us over as the lantern watching my boys glowed like a mini moon on the table next to her purse.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, giving her a big squeeze.
“I’m fine,” she promised. “Thanks to you and Mak.”
Mak gave a little bow. He had changed into slacks and a button-down, leaving, of course, the top three buttons undone. No chest hair. Hm. I wondered if he waxed it off with his beeswax and immediately felt my face redden. Then, I scolded myself for betraying my newly-minted single status by getting embarrassed merely for admiring a man.
It was like having whiplash.
Aurick and I shared a kiss. One measly kiss. We certainly weren’t dating, and if I wanted to look at another man’s lack of chest hairs, I could. That was my prerogative in life now.
Mak held me firmly by the shoulders and gave both sides of my face a kiss. His cheeks were smooth against mine, and when he pulled back, a smile played at his lips. “Ava, how good to see you. I would say what a coincidence or something about how lucky I am to see you twice in a day, but that would be a lie, and I’d rather not start our relationship with a lie. Instead, I will readily admit that I asked Coronis if you’d be here tonight and she said yes.”
His eyes sparked with heat and his deeply Italian accent stoked the fire. I was a sucker for an accent.
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br /> “Oh, well, lucky you.” This was the part where I would’ve face-palmed like the emoji, only that would’ve been even more awkward.
Marco bustled out with a bottle of robust Chianti just in time to save me. “Are you staying, Mak?”
Mak never took his eyes off of mine. “Not tonight. I merely wanted to tell Ava I have something that may help her boys at my shop if she would like to stop by tomorrow?”
“My boys?” I found my voice and confidence immediately. “Yes, definitely. Thank you for the offer.”
“Ciao, Ava. I look forward to seeing again.”
In his wake, Mak left a sweet floral smell hanging in the air. This was a man who knew how to take care of himself. I wondered what he was. Clearly something Graeco-Roman. I’d have to ask him later. That seemed more appropriate than begging my friends to send me a spreadsheet of each supernatural resident and their affiliation so I could study it every night before going to bed.
Okay, I might grill them later after a few glasses loosened us up.
As soon as we were alone, Rosemary and Coronis catcalled and wolf-whistled as I blushed.
“Oh Mak’s just flirting because I’m the first new female on the island in decades,” I said, despite the fact it hurt a little to admit. I could still be desirable. I wasn’t dead. Or a necromancer or something weird like that.
“That’s probably true,” said Thessaly. “Also because you smell like mating pheromones.”
“We’ve got to work on your bedside manner,” I grumbled as Rosemary and Coronis both laughed.
“Darling, he’s not flirting because you’re new. There are plenty of beautiful women on the island, including literal nymphs. He’s flirting because you’re interesting and beautiful. Stories have been swirling ever since Manu manhandled you back to the Council. I’m sure he wants to get to know you.”
“Do you want him to?” Rosemary asked.
I lifted my shoulders in a noncommittal way. “Aurick and I don’t have an understanding or anything, but we do have a date.” I paused. “And we kissed. In St. Louis. But I also kissed Luca and you saw how that turned out. My girl-senses don’t tingle nearly as regularly as they used to. I once punched a kid who cornered me on a slide.”