Council of Magic

by J. L. Hendricks

  “Sorry, we have to practice since tomorrow is date night. With the gig only two days away, we need this time.” I can’t remember the last time we practiced. These men were taking up too much of our time. Our music was suffering for them.

  “Okay, be ready tomorrow at five sharp. Rico and I will pick you both up at your place.”

  “See you tomorrow.” I hung up wondering if I should have invited him over to watch us practice. Indie usually had her boyfriends over for practice. Is it the normal thing to do? I would have to ask her about it.

  First, I needed to make sure everyone knew we had a gig.

  17

  Kat

  When Damien knocked on the door, my insides turned to mush. Who was I? Guys never got to me like this.

  Well, with one exception. He who shall no longer be named.

  I can’t compare them. I won’t do it. It would be disrespectful to them both. On tonight’s date, I am not going to let myself think of you-know-who.

  I stopped with my hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before opening. I’ll bet they could hear my heart beating super-fast, like a hummingbird’s wings. Putting a smile on my face, I opened the door. “Damien, Rico, come on in.”

  Jenna bounded in from her room when she heard their voices. “Rico, you look nice.” She blushed.

  I don’t recall seeing her blush for a date before. Maybe this time she’ll stay with the guy.

  “Jenna, you look gorgeous.” Rico raked his eyes up and down.

  Jenna had worn a dress. A nice dress for a change. It was a tight black dress which came to just above her knees. She was even wearing heels, not that they were tall, probably only two inches. Her make-up and hair was done up very nicely as well. Jenna really put forth an effort tonight.

  Normally, she would wear her casual dresses or sometimes even leggings with her boots on a date. Her make-up looked more like she was going to a concert than a date. Tonight, she looked her best.

  Damien sidled up to me and put an arm around my waist and leaned in. “You look beautiful.” He kissed my temple, just the way I like when others were around.

  I couldn’t help but take in his black slacks and dark blue button-up shirt. He had dressed up for the occasion as well. “You look very handsome tonight.”

  He really did. My heart began pitter-pattering to a different beat. For a moment, I thought it might jump out of my chest it was going so fast.

  “I love your dress,” Damien whispered in my ear.

  I was wearing a black, mini skirt with a red blouse. It was a bit sexy considering my buttons were low enough to show some decent cleavage. Damien’s eyes lingered there a bit too long, and I loved it. I couldn’t help watching as he licked his lips and pulled his lower lip between his teeth. He wanted me, and it made me feel sexy and excited all at once.

  Indie had a huge cheese-eating grin on her face. “Now don’t stay out too late. We have a gig tomorrow, and you both need your rest.”

  “Yes, mom.” Jenna rolled her eyes and took Rico’s hand to follow us outside.

  Once we were outside, Jenna dropped Rico’s hand to walk down the stairs. When we got to the bottom, he didn’t pick her hand back up. It seemed like they were both nervous. I hoped this wasn’t a view of what the evening would be like.

  “Soooo, Rico. How are Brad and Mandy? Have they left yet? Is Mandy taking all of this well?” I hadn’t spoken to either of them since we’d left them at the compound the other day.

  “We did send them out. I thought it best they get away as soon as possible, since the vamps would be looking for them both. I hope they stay with the new pack and can integrate well. It’s hard to say. This is a first for everyone.” Rico started to relax as we chatted on our walk to Jimmie’s.

  Uncle Wong’s was only a few blocks away and with parking, walking was just easier.

  Rico opened the door once we arrived and put his hand on the small of Jenna’s back as she entered. Damien took the door while Rico followed Jenna in. I liked it. This also meant Damien was right behind me, and he ended up draping his arm across my shoulders. Even better.

  “Please tell me there isn’t another emergency? Isn’t even dark yet!” Jimmie crowed when we entered.

  “Nope, it’s worse.” Rico paused for effect, and Jimmie’s face scrunched with confusion. “It’s a double date.”

  Jimmie started laughing really loudly. He even bent over and pounded his hand on the table. When he had finished laughing and stood up, there were a couple of tears on the edge of his eyes.

  “What’s up with him? Why is it so funny?” I whispered to Damien.

  “Oh, it’s about time, Rico!” Jimmie exclaimed then turned his head to the kitchen. “Li, who had today’s date?”

  I blinked a couple of times trying to figure out what was going on. When I looked at Damien, he was stifling a laugh. I jabbed his ribs. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” He looked so guilty.

  Rico and Jenna seemed just as confused as me.

  “Jimmie, what do you mean?” Rico rubbed his chin and looked back to the kitchen where Li was now laughing.

  “Marco won the bet,” Li called out from the back.

  I pursed my lips. “Please tell me you didn’t bet on us dating?”

  “No, no. We took odds on when Rico would finally ask Jenna out.” Jimmie started to laugh again. “Sorry, Damien, you shouldn’t have been so optimistic.”

  “What?” I slapped Damien’s shoulder.

  “Hey. Be careful, or you’ll hurt yourself.” Damien took my hand in his and kissed my open palm.

  It did sting, until he kissed it. Now, it was turning clammy. My mouth was drying out hoping he would make his way to my lips.

  I was broken out of my haze when Rico began to laugh. “That bad? How long have you been taking bets on us? Who all was in on it?”

  Damien cleared his throat. “Uh, for almost four months now. The entire pack, and everyone here at the restaurant had placed their bet. The kitty is up pretty high. Jimmie, how much did Marco win?”

  “Li! What’s the winner get?” Jimmie hollered.

  “Just a sec. I’ll go look,” came Li’s reply.

  “Oh, my gosh! You’re okay with your pack betting on our love life? On me?” Jenna seemed a bit indignant.

  I thought it was kinda funny once I thought about it. “You should have told me. I would have gotten in on the bet too.”

  “Hmph. How would you like it if everyone who knew you two bet on you guys? It’s not funny. Indie’s going to have a field day with creating new voodoo dolls! I’m going to join her in the poking.” Jenna crossed her arms over her chest in anger.

  However, I noticed a gleam in her eye. She was pretending to be upset. Later on, I bet we’d laugh over all of this. Although, Indie probably would use this as an excuse to create more voodoo dolls. She loves to poke her friends.

  “It was all because we wanted you two to get together. I mean really? How long were you both going to dance around your feelings? I’ve never seen two people more into each other who weren’t dating.” Jimmie was right.

  They were both obvious in how they felt about each other. It’s a crime they waited so long.

  “Grab a seat, and I’ll bring you some menus.” Jimmie walked over to where he kept the menus and grabbed four while we seated ourselves in a corner booth.

  “Jenna, please don’t be upset with us. It started out as just a joke, and eventually, it became something we were all invested in. Please realize we only wanted both of you to get together.” Damien put his arm around me and pulled me closer.

  “Was this why you kept trying so hard last month to get me to ask her out?” Rico narrowed his eyes and waited for Damien to answer.

  “Um…So, how about those rogues. I wonder how many of them there really are? It seems every time we kill one, two more show up.” The nervous way Damien spoke made me want to laugh. He made his bed, and now, he had to lay in it.

  “Here ya go.” Jimmi
e handed us each a menu. “Should I start you all out with some wonton soup? What about drinks?”

  “I’ll take an iced tea.” With this heat, tea was really the only thing to drink.

  “Tea,” Damien answered.

  “Iced Tea,” Rico agreed.

  “Same here,” Jenna responded last, “and I want some wonton soup. Yours is the absolute best.”

  Rico and Jenna seemed more relaxed. Maybe the whole betting thing was a good ice breaker. They were looking into each other’s eyes and whispering.

  I nudged Damien who was also watching them. “Stop staring. It’s not polite” Even though I was doing the same thing.

  “Look who’s talking.” Damien looked at me, and we forgot all about the other couple at our table. At least, until Jimmie came back to get our order.

  “Jimmie, we have a gig tomorrow night. Do you think you can make it? It’s at the Blue Bayou.” I knew he had only been to a couple of our gigs. His work schedule made it tough.

  “One of these days, I’m going to get a restaurant manager so I can come see you perform. It’s just so difficult to find good help who will stick around at night. Rico, would any of your guys be interested in helping me out here once in awhile?” Jimmie never took a day off. If he had any time off, it was during the day when his wife was here.

  I think the location was the problem. Too many bad vampires roaming this area and not enough crowds to keep them away. We needed to do something about the vampire crime in our neighborhood.

  “Why can’t we keep this area safe from the bad vamps? Every time you get rid of one, more come to take their place. When will they learn they aren’t wanted here?” I shook my head as I realized how many vampires had kidnapped, or attacked, people in this general vicinity.

  “We do patrol the area. It’s just too big for us to keep enough of a presence to work as a deterrent to them. Most of the vamps try to act like they are following the rules when someone is looking, but the second you turn your back, they’re breaking the rules only to smile when you turn around. They think they are above the law.”

  “We catch a good amount. It’s just too easy to create new vamps. It’s not very easy to create new wolf shifters.” Damien rubbed my shoulders and suggested we order.

  Jimmie was still standing at our table waiting for us. Once we ordered, he left.

  The four of us chatted and ate the best Chinese food in the entire city, probably in the state. It really was a nice time. When Damien had suggested a double date, it had me worried. Sitting here with my sister, and the man I knew she had the hots for, was actually fun.

  For once we talked about mundane things. No life or death discussions. No talk about how to get out of a certain situation or having to deal with Rico and Damien kicking our butts in training. I really wished we had done this sooner.

  They say good things come to those who wait. We both waited a long time. Hopefully, these guys were our just rewards.

  18

  Kat

  “Uncle Wong’s was the best place we could have come to for this double date. Thank you Damien for making this so much fun.” I kissed his cheek after Jimmie had cleared our plates.

  “The night isn’t over yet. We still have the jazz club.” Damien pulled out his wallet to pay for our meals.

  “True. If dinner is any indication, I think tonight will be a raging success.” Part of me wanted to leave Jenna and Rico on their own.

  They were getting along and didn’t seem the least bit nervous anymore. The other part of me knew I couldn’t do it. This was a double date. Besides, Jenna loved the club we were going to. She and Rico would most likely end up there anyway.

  Once the guys paid our bill Damien took my hand, and we walked out with Rico and Jenna behind us. An elderly woman was in our way, and I almost walked right into her. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. When Damien opened the door for me, I hadn’t seen anyone. All of a sudden, she was there with her hands up and grabbed my shoulders to keep me from walking into her.

  “Excuse me. I didn’t see you coming out.” The woman had to be in her sixties. She had a full head of gray hair which went down to her waist. Her dress was something out of the sixties with loud, colorful flowers all over.

  “Pardon me. I’m sorry. I should have paid better attention.” I tried to move around her, but she continued to hold my shoulders with a firm grip.

  “You smell a little witchy and a little like a shifter. It could be the scent is rubbing off from your shifter boyfriend.” The stranger looked Damien up and down appreciatively and whistled. “He is definitely all shifter. Mmmm.”

  “Excuse you? Who are you?” I know my eyebrows had to have jumped all the way up to my hairline. This woman was crazy.

  Damien asked, “What are you?”

  “Oh, forgive me. I sometimes forget to introduce myself when I come upon someone who’s so interesting, and you my dear, are very interesting.” The woman took her hands off my shoulder and put her hand out to me.

  “I’m Lola. Lola Dominque. Some call me a seer. Really, I’m just a very specialized witch who can see and smell auras better than anyone else around.” She took a peek over my shoulder and noticed Rico and Jenna before turning her attention back to me.

  “Why are you here? I’ve heard of you.” Damien knew her?

  “Uncle Wong’s has the best wonton soup, of course. Isn’t that why you were here tonight?” Lola half smiled and I could sense she was teasing Damien.

  “What can you tell us about Kat? What did you mean you said you could smell a witch on her? We know she’s a shifter who can’t shift. What’s with the magical scent?” Damien was being a bit pushy. I hoped he didn’t scare off the little, old lady.

  “I’m not really sure yet. Her aura is mixed.” The lady looked me up and down.

  “Was something done to her to prevent her from shifting?” Damien had never said anything about magic being a possibility for not shifting.

  Could it be the head of the witches did something to me as a baby? Is that why I can’t shift?

  The woman tapped her index finger to her ruby red lips. Her brow furrowed as she walked around me very slowly.

  “Hmm, yes. I do think so. More magic. Shouldn’t be possible.” She continued to walk around me and mumbled incomplete sentences. Most of it just made no sense.

  “Have you asked the local witches council to help you?” Lola stopped right in front of me. She obviously didn’t understand personal space. I could smell the bacon on her breath which she must have had earlier.

  I took two steps to the side to open up the doorway to Uncle Wong’s. We were still standing right in front of the entrance.

  “I didn’t think to ask them. Honestly, the head witch seems to hate me. I’ve only met her one time, and she did nothing but give me attitude. So the idea of getting help from her just never entered my mind. Do you think she knows something?”

  On the one hand, it would be great if she did. Although, if she was responsible for my current situation I doubted she would help me.

  “Hmm, yes. Rebecca hates all humans. I wouldn’t worry about her. You should ask Marco. He’s a bit of flirt, but he knows spells very well. Especially for the type of spell one would need to use, if you wanted to contain the shifter’s essence.” She turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye.

  “Well, she’s an odd duck. What do you think? Could it be a spell stopping me from shifting?” I hoped it was simple. Something Marco could counteract, and I would be shifting by the end of the week.

  “It’s a lead. We haven’t had anything up until now. I wonder why Marco never said anything when you met him?” Rico joined us and stopped next to Damien, while not taking his eyes off the path the strange woman took.

  “Maybe he was in on whatever spell was cast,” Jenna added.

  “It makes sense. I just don’t understand why they would have stopped me from discovering my shifter side to begin with. Who were my parents? Why would the leaders of the
witch’s council care about me when I was a baby?” This was just nuts.

  I had mostly come to grips with the idea of never knowing who my parents were. Now, it seemed like one of the most important things to discover.

  “Rico, what do you know of Lola?” He had more contact with the witches than Damien did so hopefully he knew something about her.

  “No more than what she said about herself. She’s a bit of a hermit and doesn’t interact with the council, unless it’s absolutely needed. She’s right. She is the best seer in all of North America, maybe even the world. Sorry, I don’t know any more about her. Maybe Joseph has some more intel on the woman.” Rico rubbed his chin.

  He liked to do that when he was confused or frustrated. It was one of his tells. He didn’t have many.

  “Perfect, let Joseph know I’ll be calling him the day after tomorrow. I need to focus on the gig tomorrow, and afterward, I can look more into what’s blocking me from shifting.”

  “I think he will be at the club tomorrow night. You can ask him after.” Rico led the way to the jazz club, and we let this line of conversation die.

  I really enjoyed the slow jazz sounds from one of the local musicians, Leroy Sparks. He never made it big, preferring to hang out here in the Big Easy. I wondered why, with his talent, he never got a record contract.

  One of these days I would have to ask him. The only reason I wondered is because my band was doing so well, yet we have yet to get a contract.

  “I think it’s time to head home. Sorry, but Indie was right, we need our beauty sleep.” Normally, I wouldn’t care about what time I got to bed. The night before a gig was another matter entirely.

  “No worries, we will have more nights to stay out late.” Damien took my hand and led me out of the club.

  Rico and Jenna hung back a little as we all walked home. It was a nice night for stroll, as long as you had two of the strongest men in NOLA by your side.

  Thankfully, the walk home was uneventful. At least, until we reached my apartment.