I hesitated, but didn’t turn back to look at her, “She’s a lovely girl. And Justin is a very special big brother. You’re welcome.”
I found Beck, Justin and Jilly inside the house. Jilly had a broom in hand and was unsuccessfully trying to sweep mounds of dust into a pile in the kitchen. For his part, Justin was wiping down the kitchen cabinets, taking a moment every so often to rinse out his rag in the sink. Beck was standing sentry at the back door, looking off towards the woods behind the house.
“Well, your troll’s gone, but don’t expect me to stick around to help clean this place up,” I muttered dryly.
Beck turned those cognac-brown eyes on me and his attempt to look stern failed him. I could see the relief on his face and wondered if it was because the troll was gone or because I was safe. I could only hope there might be a tad of the latter.
“You’re okay,” he said, then ruffled Justin’s hair when his son moved to stand beside him.
“Someone wants to see you guys. She’s waiting out by the cave.”
Beck looked confused, tilting his head to the side in askance.
“Mommy,” Jilly said and her radiant smile made me feel warm inside. I conjured, then tossed Justin a small flashlight.
“Yes,” I affirmed, “Mommy. Go on. I’m not sure how long she can hold herself here but she wants to talk to you.”
Their father was still confused but when each child took one of his hands he followed them out into the night. I was tempted to go with them, to listen in. I shook my head, irritated that I would even think such a thing.
While they were gone I headed out to my SUV and retrieved a big cotton bag. Once back in the house, I carefully removed my amulet base from inside the folds and placed it on the kitchen counter. As I leaned in close to examine the huge multi-hued crystal, the stone around my own neck began to warm in response. I liked to compare what I was doing to the way in which a master diamond cutter decides on the cut of a particularly valuable gem. I would know the right spot.
Just as I located the edge I wanted, I heard the sound of small footsteps on the porch. Justin and Jilly came into the house and I spared them a quick glance, then returned to my task. For their part, the two children stood quietly and watched me with keen eyes. I removed my amulet from around my neck and used it to trace a shape into the crystal. Everywhere my little stone touched it, the crystal glowed bright blue.
Eyes bright, little Jilly stepped close, as if she knew this moment was about her. I nodded, then took my wand and tapped the amulet base. Instantly the newly carved piece of crystal popped free and landed with a thud on the countertop. I conjured a short gold chain and attached the new little amulet to it, then I reverently placed it around Jilly’s neck.
Beck entered the house at just that moment and stopped short when he realized something important was happening. His face was pale, he looked overwhelmed. I dropped my guard long enough to give him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. The tension in his shoulders eased.
“Jilly, you’re one of my charges now. If you need anything, then you call on me with this. I’ll hear you.”
“He won’t come back, right?” Justin asked the question and I turned to him with a very serious expression.
“He won’t come back. Right, Jilly?”
The red-head nodded to me, then turned to her brother and nodded again to press home how certain she was.
“Well,” I stood, repacked my bag and then rubbed my sweaty palms against my hips, “I have a long drive home. If you ever need me again I’ll orb through the grotto next time. It’s much quicker. I really hate driving long distances. Always have…” I was starting to ramble. I never rambled and I felt a little mortified by it. Taking my bag from the counter, I hurried for the front door.
“Lynlee…”
I ignored him and kept walking. I had to get out of here before I lost my senses. I heard his steps following me and I closed my eyes and hoped he would just go back into the house. Please just let him leave me alone.
“Lynlee, I just want to thank you,” he insisted.
Tossing my bag into the passenger seat, I hopped into the driver’s side and closed the door. He stood beside the vehicle. I started the engine and released a heavy sigh before I rolled the window down. “I didn’t really do much, Beck. And I have a feeling that Jilly’s strong enough now to protect her home. You all should be safe here. And if Jilly needs help learning her powers, I have another client who’s also a nymph and she’ll be able to help. Jilly will be fine; most of its instinct anyway.” Am I rambling again? I quickly closed my mouth and turned away.
“Thank you, Lynlee.”
I nodded to him and put my car in reverse. I tried not to look at him in my rearview mirror as I drove away.
I remained stoic for about two-thirds of the drive home from Beck’s place, then the dam burst. I cried so uncontrollably at first that I had to pull off to the side of the road for several minutes. The tears kept coming even when I got back onto the freeway. I had all but dried up by the time I pulled into my garage.
Upon entering the house I headed straight for the lower bedroom. Beck and the kids had neatly folded the linens and stacked the pillows on the bed. In the far corner, the little cubby through which Jilly had stuck her hand was still open a crack. I kicked it closed with my foot and cursed. My earlier depression had now turned into anger.
I wasn’t sure who I was madder with: Beck for dredging up my feelings for him again or myself for falling so fast after getting over him the first time. By the time I finished off an almost full tub of chocolate chip ice cream, I decided that I’d never really been over Beck in the first place. I also decided that now was the perfect time to let him go for good.
I immediately headed into that bedroom again and started cleaning. Yes, it was true that Beck, Justin and Jilly had left the room almost exactly as they’d found it, but that wasn’t good enough for me. I vacuumed, scrubbed, rearranged furniture, changed bedding, and even took an extra step of switching the artwork and knickknacks around on the walls… anything I could do to change that room away from the memory of them there. And I refused to use my magic for any of it. Sweat dripped off my skin by the time I finished.
The kitchen was next, though I couldn’t very well rearrange anything there. I threw away the rest of the pizza and straightened up, but there wasn’t much more I could think to do to erase the memory of those kids and especially of Beck touching me. My cheeks heated instantly when I recalled the feel of his body against mine.
“What I need is a call,” I murmured to myself thoughtfully. “Why the hell are my charges completely silent when I want to hear from them and yet drive me crazy when I need to be left alone?”
I wiped my brow and then smoothed my damp hair back behind my ear. A shower was what I needed. I huffed up the steps to the second floor and decided a hot bath would be better. The tub was halfway full when I chose to dump scented liquid into the tub for a bubble bath.
My body sunk slowly into the frothy warm water until only my head peeked through. I took a huge breath and released a decadent sigh, causing the bubbles to flurry out in front of me. It occurred to me that Jilly probably loved bubble baths.
I started crying again. These tears weren’t just for Beck but for all three of them. He had the family I’d always wanted. His kids touched a place within me that I’d never admit existed before. Beck was the only man I ever saw myself having a family with. I had buried my hopes of that dream when we’d broken up. Seeing him again had toyed with my heart and left a bigger hole than before.
My monitor buzzed behind me, but I ignored it. The time for wanting a challenging “neutralizer” call had passed. I wanted to wallow in my own misery. The alarm stopped and I continued hiccupping with tears. When my amulet began to buzz I started wailing. This was exactly why I worked so hard to keep my emotions in check. When I let them out I became unstable. Why couldn’t I be left alone?
I shook my hand to release the bubbles from i
t, then sat up in the tub to clutch the stone resting against my chest. My entire body tensed when I realized the call came from Jillian.
“Jilly, you okay?”
“There’s a troll!” she exclaimed. Her tone gave me pause. She didn’t sound distressed, though there was a definite rise in the pitch of her voice.
“He came back? The troll’s there?”
“Another one. Not too big…” I thought for a moment I heard laughter in the background.
I jumped out of the tub and started drying off, “I’ll be there in a jiffy, Jilly,” I rolled my eyes when I realized how silly that sounded. “Just hang tight and I’ll be right there.”
I dressed quickly, but carefully. Hell, if I was going to be miserable then Beck could be too. I was going to look my best and he could just eat his heart out. My best pair of jeans and a fitted, low-cut tunic halter worked. A last minute pang of modesty got the best of me, so to tone things down I grabbed a three-quarter sleeve cropped jacket from the closet on my way out of the room.
Once in the grotto I conjured my wand and used it to draw a glowing rectangle on the air in front of me. I removed my amulet and waved it a few times like a pendulum in front of the shape and watched as a map appeared. On that map I saw a bright star that marked the location from which Jilly’s call had come. I touched the amulet to the star and the crystal turned warm and bright in my hand.
With the proper coordinates programmed into my amulet, I slipped it into the slot in the granite grotto and then stepped under the canopy of the rock. In just a few seconds I was enveloped in light and the inside of the building began to fade from view to be replaced by striations of blue, green and pink. A few more seconds passed and I saw the front of Beck’s house begin to appear as I orbed into place.
I had no sooner arrived when Jilly came springing from the house, jumped the steps and ran into me. She was dressed in a very opulent flowing costume that reminded me of her mother’s ghost. She beamed at me and I could see a healthy fullness to her cheeks. Even though she’d only been back a short time, Jilly clearly thrived on her home soil.
Justin followed closely after her and he was dressed in a pirate’s costume. He held out a pointy hat to me and motioned that I should put it on, “We missed Halloween so we’re getting a make-up day! You’re a witch.” Without another word the two of them bolted back towards the house, leaving me standing in the middle of their yard in confusion. I had just placed the hat on my head when I heard a noise behind me.
I wasn’t surprised to find Beck standing there. I was however very surprised to see how he was dressed. His clothes were smudged and grimy-looking and he wore a huge wig of freakish, wild hair. He walked a few steps towards me and smiled.
“You’re the troll,” I giggled, shaking my head. When he shrugged his wig started to slip to the side. My giggles turned into full laughter.
“Ah, Lynlee, why can’t you laugh more often? Next to hearing the kid’s laughter, it’s one of the sweetest sounds I know.”
A sudden shyness washed over me and I looked down at my hands, wringing my fingers in front of me, “I really can’t do this, Beck. I’m completely vulnerable here and I can’t let you do this to me again. You don’t want to be with a witch…”
His finger on my lips stopped me and I jumped a little because I’d been so intent on saying the right thing that I hadn’t even noticed him in front of me, “People change, Lynlee. I can’t undo the hurt, I can’t undo what happened and I can’t promise you this will work, but I want to try it. Can we just agree to do that? Can you just let down the wall and let me feel you again?”
He caressed my cheek as he spoke and a shudder passed through me, making my knees feel weak. I closed my eyes, then squeezed them tight for a moment. Finally I looked up with a sigh, “You have no idea how relieved I am…” I said. Some of the tension eased out of his face. “…that you don’t smell like a troll. That would have been a deal-breaker.”
Beck’s laughter exploded, as if all of the anticipation he’d been holding tight snapped free. He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me snug against him while I reached up and clasped my hands behind his neck.
I leaned in but my witch’s hat got in the way so I tossed my head back sharply to knock it loose, “As it is, since you don’t smell like a troll, I guess the only thing left to do is kiss you.” And so I did. I kissed him long and hard, keeping him close even when I heard what sounded like two sets of little hands applauding in the background.
The Mafia House and All Souls Day
The mafia house exists. The hubby and I looked at it several years ago when we were house hunting. It needed lots of love but I absolutely adored all the weird aspects of it. I mean, how cool would it be to have a bathroom with a hidden door to a crawl area with a floor safe, peep-through windows between rooms plus a huge bedroom-sized cedar closet? It was much bigger than we needed and already had a contract on it, so it wasn’t meant to be. Still, that crazy house remained in my mind until I had the dream that led to this story.
As a Catholic I was raised to know that the day after Halloween was All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation and a day to venerate the saints. The day following was All Souls Day, which was to remember our departed loved ones and to pray for their passage into heaven. Later, I studied Spanish and also Aztec history and I was fascinated by Día de los Muertos: the day of the dead. Today Mexico still celebrates this day by decorating graves and even leaving food for the departed to feast upon when they cross over into the realm of the living.
In this story I took a little dramatic license because in Mexico the Day of the Dead is celebrated on October 30th. For story flow I chose to apply some of the beliefs about that day to All Souls Day.
UPDATE: One of my amazing fans, Rolayna Daniels, provided the following information to add to this trivia: Day of the Dead celebrations do begin around Oct 30, but they last until Nov 2. The origin was actually pre-Aztec, and the natives celebrated it in the summer. The Spanish priests tried to get them to stop, but they just continued in secret. Finally the priests convinced them to combine it with All Souls Day since there was a connecting theme. Today, Oct 30-Nov 1 are for preparations like creating the ofrendas and cleaning the graves, and then Nov 2 they spend the day in the cemetery with the souls of their loved ones.
Tangled Up in Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 2)
Olivia Hardin
Copyright © 2013 by Olivia Hardin
All rights reserve. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
By the time I arrived at the scene, the red Pinto was dangling over the side of a bridge. Momentum tipped it forward then back a few times, but it wasn’t until someone moved inside that the vehicle pitched down then toppled off the edge. My heart palpitated in my chest, but I had no time to think. I ran to the rail and dove off. As my body free-fell I shook my left hand to conjure my wand. I used it to inflate a bubble of air from the tip.
The freezing water felt like thousands of needles hitting my skin. I needed to suck in a breath but didn’t want to waste an ounce of the air within that bubble just in case I had to dive deep to rescue the car’s occupants. When my body surfaced I discovered I wouldn’t have need for the air bubble I’d created because the poor car was taking its time sinking into the river.
The sun was setting behind me and I knew it would get dark soon, so I waved my wand to get rid of the bubble of air and instead magicked a flashlight. Pointing the yellow beam ahead of me, I swam hard and saw that Helene was already making her way out of the sinking car.
Welcome to the life of a Neutralizer. It’s my job to get MAUCs (Magical And Undead Creatures) out of trouble. I’d orbed to Helene’s location lickety-split when I got her call. My clients hire me, Lynlee Lincoln, because they can bet on my quick response when they really get into a bind.
“Are you okay?” I called out, panting from the exertion.
She ignored me, instead sticking her head back through the window, tugging on something. Dog-paddling to the car, I looked closer and saw that it was a blond woman. She appeared to be unconscious, and Helene was having trouble getting her loose from her stubborn seatbelt. I pointed my wand at the belt, and as soon as it shredded apart, Helene pulled hard and the woman’s body slid through the open window.
She managed to get her companion to shore without any further help from me, even taking her friend up in her arms and carrying her to a dry spot under an oak tree. Helene’s kind were extraordinarily strong. The woman looked like she was beginning to stir and that was when I noticed Helene’s lower body. Her legs looked a lot like a goat’s.
I followed her onto shore and watched her pat the blonde affectionately on the face. Just about the time the woman opened her eyes, I managed to get a spell on Helene to hide her legs.
“Helene?” the poor girl murmured. “What happened? I could have sworn your legs…” She glanced down at Helene’s now perfectly normal legs. “I think I feel woozy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I advised her, waving my wand above her head. “You do feel woozy, don’t you? In fact, I think you feel like you want to sleep.”
A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Page 7