by Sarah Biglow
“I, Ezri, take you, Jared Tyler, to be my husband. And with this ring, I bind us together in sickness and health, for better or worse, until death parts us.” And beyond.
As I slid the ring onto his finger, I let out a little hint of my magic, letting it slither around the bands on our fingers, coating them in strawberry, almost like tying a knot. The sweet scent of honey drenched over us and I could feel the bond strengthen as his magic joined with mine. It was subtle enough that our mundane magistrate wouldn’t notice, but those with power in the room would understand the significance.
“By the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
J.T. pulled me to him and I felt the ethereal weight of his magic wrap around me just as he wrapped his arms loosely around my waist, kissing me. It wasn’t the most chaste of kisses, but it wasn’t as over the top as it could have been either, given our audience. My own magic rose up to greet his, marking him as my own.
I hadn’t expected either of our magics to react like that, but it made sense. Our power was a part of us, rooted deep down in our DNA. The joining of our families should result in something new, a strengthening of our power. I wondered if whenever he used his magic now, if it would carry the barest hint of mine and vice versa.
I looked over as he dipped me and spotted Grandma wiping away ghostly tears from her cheeks before securing her aviators and disappearing. The pendant around my neck warmed, as if she was reminding me that she wasn’t far away if I needed her.
J.T. let me up and I turned, throwing myself into Dad’s waiting arms. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”
“Thank you.”
My new in-laws swooped in next, each giving me a firm squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before descending on J.T., leaving me with Jacquie. She looked proud.
“What’s that look for?” I brushed strands of red out of my eyes, using it as an excuse to ogle my new bling.
“When I found out I was being partnered with you, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Desmond warned me you were headstrong and didn’t want help from anyone.”
“Thanks … I think.”
“And I knew you were young, but you’ve grown more than I would have thought possible in these last nine months, Ezri. And I’m proud of the woman you’ve become ... Of the detective you’ve become. You command the respect of those around you and that’s not something everyone could do at your age.”
“I’m glad you were here today,” I said and fussed with the cuff on my right sleeve.
“We’re family. Maybe not by blood or by magic, but I know you’d do anything to protect me and mine, and I’d do the same for you. That means something. Besides, it wasn’t like I had any plans this afternoon,” she quipped in a rare bit of sarcasm.
I didn’t want to say that this felt like some sort of goodbye. I wasn’t ready to accept that as a potential outcome, no matter what the signs were trying to tell me. I needed to hold on to the idea that I would be coming home to my husband and my friends tomorrow—with the world righted and the bad guys well and truly beaten. Even if it’s just for a little while.
“Are you two coming? It wouldn’t be a wedding without a party,” J.T. called from the other end of the chapel.
“Don’t keep your husband waiting,” Jacquie said, making a shooing motion.
For a little while, we could revel in the joy of our marriage and I was ready to do just that.
Fifteen
We crammed into the back area of a tapas place that J.T. had insisted we try down near Coolidge Corner. The drinks were heavy on the alcohol and the charcuterie was sufficiently salty to keep me going back for more. It all felt so normal, sitting here as a family, laughing and sharing stories like it was just another night out.
Beside me, J.T. leaned in, kissing me unexpectedly on the cheek. I had a hunch it was the second margarita that had emboldened him, but no one seemed to notice or care. We were newlyweds and had license to be overly affectionate as the waiter came by with another round of tiny plates filled with far too small portions. I was grateful our parents had insisted on footing the bill for this.
“Hey, you felt it earlier, right?” J.T. said vaguely, pulling me in close so he didn’t have to shout.
“If you mean the magic, yeah,” I answered. I could still feel his magic lingering on my skin. I didn’t dare take a hit from the sandalwood charm. I didn’t want to wash it off. Not yet anyway. “Did you know that was going to happen?”
He shook his head. “No clue. I guess our parents wouldn’t have had that, since our dads are mundane.”
I nodded in understanding. I could have asked a relative like Theodora, but honestly, the thought hadn’t occurred to me. Besides I wasn’t in the habit of asking for romance advice from people who had lived several hundred years ago where they didn’t believe in co-habitation and premarital sex.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not all here,” he said and tugged me out of the booth.
I waited to answer until we stood out on the porch watching the cars and the occasional train trundle by outside. It wasn’t exactly quiet, but it was far enough from the din inside that we wouldn’t have to shout.
“I don’t mean to be distracted. I’m loving just celebrating with you and our parents. I don’t know why you never suggested this place before, because the food is amazing,” I rambled. “I just can’t keep tomorrow out of my head, even though I’m trying.”
His expression clouded with sadness and maybe even a hint of fear. “I’ve been trying not to think about it either, but it’s kind of hard to avoid a prophecy portending the end of days with only the woman I love standing up against evil winning.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You know there’s no chance I’d let that happen if I had any say in the matter, right?”
“I know and I think that’s part of what makes me afraid.” He kissed me slow and soft on the lips. “We’re just starting this new part of our lives together and what if …”
“What if it means I don’t come home to you?” I finished.
J.T. sighed. “I’m crazy, right, for thinking that?”
“No, you’re not. Because I’m scared that might be what it means, too. Everyone keeps telling me this creature is stronger than me, that my magic won’t be able to defeat it. But Aoife insists that I was put on this earth to rein this thing back in, to fix her mistakes. So, they can’t both be true.”
“I’ll never be ready to lose you.”
“Believe me, I don’t want to lose you either.” I studied his face, committing every contour and shadow to memory. The way he watched me like he was doing the same imprinted in my memory. “Let’s promise each other that tonight is just for us. No prophecy, no world ending. Just you and me. Whatever happens tomorrow, that’s for tomorrow.”
“I think I can do that,” he agreed just as Dad lumbered out.
“You two going to run off on us before dessert? They’re bringing churros!”
“We’ll be right in,” I answered with a smile.
How was I going to possibly say goodbye to my dad if this prophecy was going to make me pay for an entire world’s worth of mistakes? Had he gotten the chance to at least say goodbye to mom? I couldn’t keep that chance from him now.
“Just give me one minute,” I told J.T. and gestured to my dad.
Without words, he understood and kissed my cheek. He clapped my dad on the shoulder as he passed him by. Dad came to stand beside me on the porch. His shoulders tensed as he looked at me, maybe reading the anxiety in my own body language.
“Did you know before Mom did what she did?”
“I knew what she was going to try and do, yes.”
“Did you know it would mean losing your wife?’
“It was a possibility.” He wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“Did you ever think about stopping her?’
“When you’re a parent, you’ll do anything to keep your chi
ldren safe. Of course, I didn’t want to lose the love of my life, but I knew even if I wasn’t truly a part of your world that you needed to be kept safe as long as possible. I didn’t expect it would have cost me my daughter, too.”
“I wish I could make it up to you,” I sighed and leaned into him, taking in the scent of him, clinging to the feel of his shoulder beneath my cheek.
“This sounds like a goodbye, Ezri.”
“It’s not. Not exactly. This thing that’s waiting for me, it’s big. Bigger than anything I’ve faced before. I hope it doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye,” I trailed off.
“But in case it does, you want to get it in before you go.”
“Is that terrible?” I blinked up at him.
“No, sweetheart, it’s not. Thank you.”
We stood there for a few minutes longer before I took his hand in mine and weaved our way back to the party. J.T. embraced me with open arms and another flirty kiss. I let myself be buoyed by the happiness in the space around me. It was almost as fortifying as magic.
“You two need to have your first dance!” J.T.’s mom announced as a slow song blared over the speaker system. Why did I get the feeling she’d slipped the waiter some extra cash to mess with the playlist?
I groaned, but J.T. pulled me to my feet and we swayed along to the beat. I was grateful for the privacy, so we didn’t get weird looks from other diners. The movement and the drinks made me light-headed as the lights sparkled and blurred around me.
The music faded and I felt a chill dance down my spine and settle in my belly. I blinked against the sudden darkness as the restaurant disappeared.
“No. You do not get to take this night from me,” I growled.
“You have rebuffed my offers of leniency. And you thought your meager defenses would keep me out, foolish Savior.” The creature’s voice hissed, its breath tickling the nape of my neck.
I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. I refused to turn and face it. I wouldn’t give it any more power than it already had. Not satisfied with that, it cackled, and the darkness gave way to an open stretch of snow-covered grass. I spotted the pathways of the Common crisscrossing the patches of grass. Bodies lined the space wearing the faces of my loved ones and friends. In the distance I could see another row of figures. Yet, unlike the creature taunting me, they didn’t bring fear. They were my last line of defense.
“Your failure will mean their death. I will claim them all, magic-born or not. It matters not to me.”
“You will not touch them. Now, get the fuck out of my head.”
Honey-tinged strawberry erupted like a geyser from within my chest, wrapping J.T. and I in a protective bubble. The creature’s presence receded. I pushed the bubble farther, letting it expand to cover our parents and Jacquie. I only relaxed when the chill vanished, and the room came back into focus.
J.T. watched me with worried eyes. “What happened?”
“A party crasher, but I took care of it,” I answered.
J.T. glanced over his shoulder at the people sitting around the table watching us. Were they any the wiser to what I’d done? The music ended and we retreated to the table just as the waiter brought out metal cups filled with thick doughy, cinnamon-covered churros. I couldn’t help thinking of the scent of Avery’s magic and wondering if the hint of spearmint that had flavored Desmond’s power had seeped into her signature as well.
“Do you want to get out of here?” J.T. whispered in my ear as I brushed cinnamon dust from my fingers.
“Is it rude to just bail on our own reception?”
“It’s our wedding. I think they’ll understand.” He cleared his throat. “We wanted to just thank you guys so much for celebrating with us tonight … and for picking up the tab. But, if there are no objections, we’d like to head home.”
Dad flagged down our waiter and passed over a credit card while J.T. fumbled with requesting a car from one of the ride-share apps on his phone. Jacquie donned her coat and I trailed her to the door. “Thanks again for being a part of this.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, partner.”
“Hey, I know you’ve got my back, but something tells me that what’s coming tomorrow is something I have to do by myself.”
She looked at me and for a moment I caught sadness in her expression. “If you’re sure.”
I nodded and she left me standing there alone. J.T. stepped up beside me, wrapping his arms around me. “What really happened during that dance?” He breathed in my ear.
“It was trying to scare me by promising to hurt everyone I love.”
“Let it try,” he said.
“It won’t get the chance. I have to go alone.”
“No, we’re not starting this again,” he argued.
I spun to face him. “Maybe it was showing me what’s to come, maybe not. But I know that I wasn’t really alone there.” I tapped the pendant. “I’ve got their magic, too. I can do this. Please, let me protect you.”
I could read his face, obviously he didn’t like the idea. Though he nodded his understanding. With the fun over and the quiet of our condo waiting for us, I let myself hope that tomorrow wouldn’t cost me everything I’d worked so hard to build.
December 21, 2017
Sixteen
My phone buzzing its way off the nightstand and clattering to the floor was not how I pictured waking up to my first day as a married woman. I groaned, the haze of too much alcohol and food making my body heavy. J.T. lay beside me, one arm thrown over his head, his bare chest rising and falling as the blankets shifted with my movements.
I wasn’t too hung over to remember the fun we’d had last night when we’d gotten home, keeping the promise to each other to celebrate and focus only on each other until morning. Well … way into the morning. I groped blindly until my fingers found the charger cord, still miraculously plugged in. I tugged until I got my hand around the phone to see two missed calls and a text from Avery. I ignored them all and hit redial, pressing the phone to my ear and rolling over so that hopefully the sound wouldn’t wake J.T.
“Finally,” Avery huffed when she answered.
“You know it’s like six in the morning … and I’m hung over, because I got married yesterday, right?”
“You said you wanted to know if I found her. Well, I did.”
Her words took a minute to compute in my alcohol-fogged brain. “What? How? Where?”
I scrambled free of the blankets, shivering in the cool morning air as I realized I wasn’t wearing any clothes. I did my best to creep to the dresser and grab clean clothes, struggling into underwear and pants while keeping the phone pressed to my ear.
“I’ll send you my location. Come meet me at the Public Garden.”
She hung up before I could ask why she was at the Public Garden. I knew I should wake J.T. and let him know what was happening, but he could get a little grumpy in the morning. Still, I had my suspicions that whatever was coming, would be happening mid-day. Noon seemed to be the time to do dark deeds during the light hours of day.
“J.T.,” I ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.
He blinked slowly, opening one eye and then finally the other. “You’re dressed. Why are you dressed?”
“I have to go meet Avery. She found Belladonna.”
“What?” Confusion made him even cuter and my resolve to go put Desmond’s case to bed weakened. My body wanted to crawl back under the covers with him forever. If I stayed here, maybe the world wouldn’t be so demanding.
I wanted to tell him I didn’t have time to explain, but I was quickly coming to realize that I was running out of time. “Tricia found a partial print on the bullet and it was a match to Adrian. But that isn’t possible since he was dead when Desmond was shot. So, it could be Belladonna. Avery managed to find her. I have to go see what she can tell me.”
“Could be his dad,” J.T. offered through a yawn.
It was a possibility, but his father hadn’t been in his son’s life for a lo
ng while. Belladonna was part of our community and she knew Desmond. “Either way, I need to go find out. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I bent and kissed him on the lips before I remembered Avery was waiting. True to her word, she’d sent me a location on my phone’s map app. I texted back, stopping to get coffee—even Saviors need their morning fuel—before driving through the city. Even at this hour I’d expect some traffic on the road, but there were few cars out and about. Maybe the shift in the seasons and the balance of power made people want to hunker down. Even people without magic had to be feeling the effects.
“Why are we in the garden?” I asked when I finally spotted Avery sitting on a bench, her headphones slung around her neck over her scarf like a forgotten pair of earmuffs.
“Because this is where she is.” Avery gestured with a gloved hand to a few benches down the way. “She’s been here for the last hour.”
“How exactly did you find her?” I prodded, taking a long pull from my to-go cup.
“You really don’t want to know. But there she is. She’s been using some serious power to keep herself under the radar.”
“That’s not unusual. She was doing that when the Order came after our people three months ago.”
“I’m not as sensitive to that sort of thing as you are, but it felt different, like it wasn’t just her doing it.”
Good to know.
“Did you try and talk to her?”
Avery shook her head. “I kind of got the feeling you’d get pissed at me if I did, especially if it spooked her.”
“Fair point.” I set my cup down and pulled out my phone. Jacquie wasn’t going to be happy about the early morning wake-up call. Although if this meant putting a cold case to bed, she’d have my back.
I didn’t bother to check if she responded to my SOS message before I turned back to the bench Avery had been watching. To most it appeared empty, but the few homeless people wandering around avoided it all the same.