Never Forget (Haunted Series Book 15)

by Alexie Aaron

  “You don’t need to carry an iron sword.”

  “I thought iron and ghosts…”

  “Mia, that sword will work on anything, including me,” he said, his eyes locking with hers. “You got my note?”

  “Yes, about holding my shield up. Ed had suggested the same thing.”

  “Ed?”

  “He-who-travels-through-time’s mate calls him Ed for short. He’s a superhuman.”

  Sariel nodded while he listened. “Do you hear the music, Mia?”

  Mia was still, and she heard something soft and melodic.

  “It’s the sound the lay lines make. Adding to it, I can hear your heart. Can you hear mine?”

  “Wow, that is such a line.”

  Sariel frowned.

  Mia felt bad. “I’m sorry, Sariel. I’m not used to someone so free.”

  He smiled. “I’m not free, Mia, but I’m happy. Dance with me. He took Mia’s hand and guided her around the square.”

  “Bernard, come here!” Ralph called. “Isn’t that Mia dancing with a fair-haired stranger?”

  Bernard look down, and sure enough, Mia was laughing as she glided across the square. People had stopped and were staring at the two. “I think that’s the giver of the sword.”

  “As long as he keeps his sword in his pants. He is beautiful, isn’t he?”

  “Now don’t you go on about Mia having beautiful children. You don’t know what he is,” Bernard cautioned.

  “It’s still nice to think about. Remember Whitney? He was beautiful.”

  “And a skunk,” Bernard reminded Ralph.

  Below, Sariel twirled Mia once more before dipping her over his leg. “Fighting is like dancing. The better the partners, the better the result.”

  Mia looked up and smiled. “I understand. Now if you let me up…”

  He did. “Come, we need to eat.”

  “Whoa, silver, we’re just eating. Because if it’s anything else, I’m fertile right now.”

  Sariel shook with laughter. “Just food then. We don’t need a Nephilim on our hands.”

  Mia accepted his hand. The two walked to the nearest bistro.

  “He seems like a nice fella,” Ralph said as the two disappeared down the street.

  “Oh you, come here,” Bernard said. “I’ll show you dancing…”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  “Mia, plan on staying here tonight. You’re going to drive all the way back to the city, and then you’ll have to come back for the meeting tomorrow,” Ted said. “I’ll sleep in the guestroom.”

  “No, I’m the guest,” Mia said uncomfortably. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “Well?” Cid asked him.

  “She said she would stay,” Ted said, putting his hand on his heart. “I’ve got to get fresh sheets on the guestroom bed and…”

  “Calm down, I’ll help. Baby steps, Ted, baby steps.”

  Mia pulled the truck down the familiar lane. She slowed down and opened the window, taking in the smell of the countryside. She was nervous. Ted and she hadn’t been in each other’s presence since the breakup. She’d seen him holding Brian while she Skyped with her son, but that was somehow less personal. She looked forward to seeing Murphy and Cid. Tomorrow, the entire PEEPs gang plus Orion would be at the meeting. She stopped the truck. “Why am I so frightened of the man who made me feel so safe?” she asked herself.

  She heard a whistle and turned to see Murphy looking at her from the woods. She started the truck and waved at him. She felt better knowing he had her back. She couldn’t wait to show him what she could do.

  “Mia’s pulling in,” Cid said, staring at the monitor. “I’m going to let the two of you talk for a while before I call you in for supper. Remember what you don’t talk about?”

  “Beth.”

  “You are such a fuckup.”

  “I will not talk about what broke us up, either side. I will stick to subjects that Mia can converse in. I’m going to throw up,” Ted said and ran past Cid to the restroom.

  Murphy opened Mia’s door.

  “I’m so glad to see you. I have so much to share with you,” she bubbled. “I can wield a sword now.”

  “You’re tan,” Murphy said, running his hand down her arm.

  “I spent most of my time outside. Ed had me running, and when I wasn’t running, I was fighting and… God, I missed this place. I can breathe…”

  Mia’s conversation was all over the place. Murphy could sense that she was nervous. They heard the slap of the office door closing, and Mia turned around to see Ted walking towards them.

  Murphy leaned in and said, “Be kind, Mia, he’s hurting too.”

  Mia nodded at Ted. “Where’s our son?” she asked.

  “Susan has him until after supper. She wanted to give you time to unwind.”

  “That was sweet of her. You look good,” Mia said.

  “You’re tan. You are so tan. And your hair is wild. I swear you get more beautiful every day.”

  Mia turned around and pulled out her bags. She didn’t want to hear compliments. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my gear. I need to continue with my training,” she said.

  “Ed’s a stern taskmaster.”

  “That’s an understatement. Look.” Mia raised her shirt. “I have abs!”

  Ted felt that familiar stirring. He struggled to find something to say. “Yes, you do.”

  Cid and Jake watched the disastrous first meeting from inside. “Come on, Ted, think of a safe topic. Oh my god, do you see her stomach?”

  Jake flashed a hundred erect penises on the monitors.

  “Yah, me too, dude. Poor Ted.”

  “I actually weigh more, even though I’m smaller. Does that make any sense, Mr. Science?”

  “Muscle weighs more than fat.”

  Mia nodded. She breathed in again. “I miss this air. The farm has the best air.” She spun around looking for Murphy. “I was going to ask him if the willows took hold yet.”

  “They’re good. Why don’t you drop off your stuff, and I’ll show you them,” Ted suggested.

  “My god, can the guy be anymore wooden?” Cid scoffed.

  Jake found a picture of Pinocchio, but it wasn’t his nose that was growing.

  “Stop it, you’re giving me a heart attack,” Cid said, laughing hard.

  “You got the window fixed.”

  “Yes, and Cid took care of the kitchen like you asked.”

  “Why? It should be how you like it. It’s your house.”

  “And now it starts…” Cid said, getting up. “Time for Superman to step in.” He jogged out the door. “Mia!”

  Mia turned around and was picked up in Cid’s arms. He twirled her around. “I’ve missed you. Man, you’re like a rock,” he said, setting her down.

  “I’ve put on a little weight.”

  “That’s cool. I’m making something special for supper.”

  “I can’t wait. I miss your cooking.”

  “Did you eat out a lot?” Cid asked.

  “Recently, I was on the island for a week, so I ate a lot of fish. And last night, I had a steak that would melt in your mouth.”

  “They’ve got some good places downtown. I’m sure Ralph and Bernard have the best places all mapped out,” Ted said.

  “Yes they do, so I was surprised I hadn’t heard of this place.”

  Cid sensed Mia didn’t want to share who she ate with, so he changed the subject. “We think we have the communication problem worked out.”

  “Fantastic! I don’t know how it is for anyone else, but listening to Ted or you in my ear, feeding me information, makes me brave.”

  Ted didn’t respond, but Cid could tell he was touched.

  The farmhouse smelled of herbs and fresh lumber. Mia didn’t take her gloves off. She didn’t want to know who had been there when she wasn’t around. It was important, for Brian’s sake, that she and Ted were civil to each other. She could tell he was nervous, but so was she.

  Mia
followed the men upstairs. Mia stopped at the nursery and looked in. She still got a good feeling from the room, and this made her happy. There were flowers in the guest bedroom.

  “Oh, how lovely,” she said, smelling the spicy aroma of her favorite flowers, carnations.

  “We’ll leave you to get sorted. I’ll wait for you on the porch to take you to see the new willows,” Ted said and left the room.

  Cid watched Mia for a moment. She smiled sadly at him. She put her hand up and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she seemed calmer. He closed the door. He caught up with Ted on the porch.

  “Did you see how stiff she is?” Ted said. “That’s not Mia.”

  “Give her time. It’s been traumatic for all of us. You’re giving off some pretty odd vibes yourself.”

  They could hear Mia coming down the steps, so Ted held in his comment. Mia pushed through the screen door and faced them.

  “Wow,” Ted said as he saw her new outfit.

  “I don’t have much stuff, so I thought I would preview my new working ensemble. Ralph worked very hard on this.”

  “You look comfortable,” Cid said.

  “It takes a little getting used to,” Mia said. “I do have a problem though with this,” she said, holding up a double leather scabbard. “It’s made to hold a sword and a short knife, but I thought that maybe one of you geniuses could find a way to fit the salt gun in here instead.” Mia pulled it on and turned around so the men could see.

  “Did you say sword?” Ted questioned. “How long is it?”

  “It’s about…” She held out her hands, but she realized that was hardly a good enough measurement. “I brought it along, hold on,” Mia said, launching herself off the porch and running quickly to the truck. She returned in minutes with a large leather satchel. Mia set it down, drew out a shield and then unwrapped a sword. She handed it to Ted, saying, “Be careful, this will kill anything.”

  Ted felt the weight of the sword and studied the design. Mia took it back from him and slid it into the scabbard. She then centered the shield on the back. “I have to admit, when I saw this, all I could think off was Captain America,” she said and giggled.

  Ted wanted to assume that Ed had given them to Mia, but he recognized the markings on the hilt. “Mia, draw the sword so I can see if the gun can rest there.”

  Mia flipped the shield into her hand with ease. She drew the sword and stood there. She turned around and slid the weapon back and managed, more awkwardly, putting the shield into place.

  “I think we can make a better one,” Ted said, running his hand along the leather, mindless that, as he moved to the front, he was caressing Mia’s chest.

  “Mia, don’t you need iron or silver in a sword to dispatch a ghost?” Cid asked.

  “I have it on good authority that this metal will handle just about anything,” she said. She took off the shield and sword and handed the scabbard to Ted. “I’m going to put these back in the truck,” she said and returned them to the satchel.

  Ted studied the scabbard again before handing it to Cid. “I’ll work on it tonight,” he said. “Cid, that sword and shield are serious business. I saw a much larger set when Sariel came to our rescue.”

  “How did Mia get ahold of something like that?”

  “I have my suspicions, but I’m not going to bring it up. When Mia is ready, she’ll tell us,” Ted said and repeated, “When she’s ready.”

  Mia trotted back. Ted noticed that she wasn’t out of breath. The week on the island with Ed and Judy had given her strength and put her in fighting condition.

  “Shall we?” Ted asked, pointing the way to the lowlands.

  “Sure,” Mia said, walking a conservative distance away from Ted.

  Cid was disappointed. He thought once the two saw each other, they would fall into each other’s arms, and that would be that. But that only worked in fiction books and fairytales. If there was going to be a happily ever after for Ted and Mia, it was going to take a lot of hard work and forgiveness on both parts.

  ~

  “They’re bigger than I imagined,” Mia said.

  “This Jane must really have forked out some dough,” Ted said. “Murphy almost peed himself when they arrived.”

  “They’ll help regulate the water here. Maybe instead of a swamp, we’ll see a stream again. This land once had a meandering stream running through it. Then came the bulldozers and sewers, and then no more stream.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “Ted,” Mia said. “I appreciate the trouble you went to with the Skyping. It made being away from Brian easier.”

  “I sure enjoyed having him home, Mia.”

  “I can’t wait to see him,” Mia said.

  “He’s been babbling about it all week. Man, that kid does love to talk.”

  “He’s just like his daddy,” Mia said. “We’ll have to teach him to listen. You’re also a good listener.”

  “I try. Mia, I’m sorry.”

  “For the part I played in this, I’m sorry too,” Mia said.

  “Are you coming home?” Ted asked.

  “No, Ted, this is no longer home for me. I am, however, going to build a house on the ridge so we can share Brian more easily.”

  “No, Mia, I want you home with us,” he said, grabbing her arms.

  Mia broke his grasp and stepped back. “I’m sorry, Ted,” she said and turned and ran off into the woods.

  “Fucking hell,” Ted said.

  “Too soon,” Murphy said from beside him.

  “If I haven’t already lost her, I’m losing her,” Ted said. “There’s a new player in town, Murphy, and he’s taking her away from us.”

  “Not without a fight, Ted, not without a fight,” Murphy said, patting him on the back.

  Ted turned and looked at Murphy. “You’re lucky. She’ll never leave you.”

  “But I’ll never have her either,” Murphy said. “Mia wants an earthly life. That’s why you’re so important to her. You accepted me and all the weird things about her. Now you’ve got to let her go for a while before you reel her back in. I know she loves you. It broke my heart when I realized it. All is not lost, Ted, all is not lost.”

  Mia let Maggie out of the fence and ran with her up the hillside. She needed to work the pain away. She drew out her sword and raised her shield higher like Sariel suggested. She went through her paces, hearing Ed’s instructions in her head.

  Ted and Murphy watched her from below.

  “She’s magnificent,” Ted said, awestruck.

  “She’s dangerous. I hope she doesn’t kill me by accident,” Murphy said. “Excuse me, I’m going to see if she’s got what it takes.”

  Mia closed her eyes, twisted and moved her sword in front of her. It met with resistance. She opened her eyes to see Murphy standing in front of her, his axe connected with her sword. “Careful, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “That’s why we need to practice together,” he said wisely. “Keep your eyes open at all times,” he instructed.

  Mia housed her sword and picked up a stick. “I better use this until I’m better at not hitting what I’m fighting,” she said.

  “So you think you can hit me?” Murphy said in a challenging voice.

  “Oh, that’s no problem, slowpoke,” Mia said and tagged him on the shoulder with the stick.

  He frowned and moved behind her. Mia’s shield prevented him from connecting with her. He attacked her again and again until she was sweating.

  “Hold on,” Mia said, pulling off her green over-shirt. She drew up the bottom of her tee and wiped the sweat off her face before she twisted the end through the center of her bra and exposed her stomach. “Whew! That’s better. Now defend yourself, old man!”

  Ted watched Mia attack Murphy. He was so focused on watching them that he didn’t hear Cid behind him until he spoke, “Supper will be ready in fifteen minutes… Wow, she almost had him there. Mia, Warrior Princess. She fights like a hoplite. All she needs is a spear.”
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  “Why don’t you make her one? I’ll work on the blade, and you form the rest.”

  “You’re getting into this, aren’t you?”

  “I’m going to have to get onboard or watch her sail away from me, Cid.”

  “Ah, but you forget. She’s not leaving without Brian, and she knows Brian needs you in his life. He’s your tie for right now. He’ll do until you guys can get your heads out of your asses and forgive the other.”

  “Don’t you think I have?”

  “Oh no, you still have to sort through all the shit that was fed to you. You don’t trust her anymore. She can feel that. I can see that. She’s overcome with guilt because Roumain did what he did to possess her. He hurt you to have her. Just like Angelo would, given the chance. Don’t you see? She’s not playing up there. She’s preparing for the next fight. She wants to be able to protect the ones she loves, and unless you totally fuck her over, that includes you.”

  ~

  “This is marvelous, Cid,” Mia said as she lifted her plate for another helping of the pasta.

  They sat in the dining room. A cool evening breeze moved through the windows on its way through the room and out the living room windows.

  Ted played with his food, stealing glances at Mia. She still couldn’t manage to roll the pasta into a spoon, and from time to time, she had to slurp in the long end of a noodle. She had sauce on her chin. Ted wanted to reach out and wipe the sauce away, kiss her lips, and take her upstairs.

  “Earth to Martin,” Cid’s voice broke through the fantasy.

  “What? Oh sorry, I was working out a problem,” he lied.

  “Mia was asking if she could go with you to pick up Brian,” Cid said.

  “Sure, please. I told Susan I’d pick him up at seven.”

  Mia popped up. “I better change. I’m all sweaty. Cid, I’ll do the dishes when I get back.”

  “No, you can do breakfast dishes. Spend the evening with your son,” he instructed.

  “Thanks,” Mia said and rushed to the stairs. “I’ll be ready in ten,” she called down from the landing.