by Greco, Karen
I slammed my hand over my mouth. I hated it when he used me to speak. In this situation, I was literally telling on myself.
A very exasperated Babe rolled her eyes. "Both of you, draw the damn circle. No spelling in my building without one. Do you remember how?"
I'm pretty sure I looked like a deer in headlights. Babe's eyes went wide with surprise, and then narrowed into angry slits when she realized that I completely forgot what she taught me right before she left for her trip.
"Nina, do you remember why it's important to cast a circle?"
"To keep negative forces out while witches are at their most vulnerable," I parroted her words.
"And why else?" she pressed.
"To keep our magic from escaping and harming others if we spell wrong." I looked guiltily down at my hands.
"And that should be the most important reason for you," she scolded, and I had to agree. I wasn't exactly in control of my witchy faculties. Accidentally conjuring tornados doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
But I noticed that Casper also froze at her demand for us to cast the circle, and that made me snicker. He didn't remember how to do it either. "Safety first" wasn't exactly a popular motto for teenaged boys.
She tap-tap-tapped her nails against the computer, and they echoed through the microphone. "I'm guessing the ritual cleansing didn't happen then?"
Hoping I looked appropriately chagrined, I shook my head. Her sigh was long and loud. Babe liked her magic old-school, which included a ritual bath beforehand to cleanse oneself of negative energy, meditate and focus, and blah blah blah. I preferred going straight for the meat. Get in, kick ass, get out. Prep takes me no longer than strapping on my weapons.
"I'll let it go," she said, and then with emphasis, "this time."
Babe already had a circle drawn in the apartment, which was marked by her beloved veladoras candles in the north, south, east and west apexes. With the candles as guides, I closed my eyes and imagined the circle, attempting to ignite the four candles in my mind, and hoping that they physically manifested fire as well. I heard one flame up before my concentration was interrupted and I opened my eyes.
The Internet cafe Babe was using was buzzing with action, and the noise level made it hard to focus. I looked past her to the people milling around in the background. Wondering if she could move to a quieter corner, something strange caught my eye. It was a man, pale skin and a shock of red hair, out of place in the sea of brown skin surrounding him.
"Babe, what's with the gringo behind you?" I asked.
This part of Mexico was a tourist trap during the Congreso Internacional de Brujos, the famous witch festival that filled Catemaco with visitors from all over the world every year. But the festival was about a month away, so seeing someone who clearly was not from the Veracruz area in the cafe made me suspicious.
"Maybe they came early for the festival," Babe said, brushing it off. "Catemaco has some lovely beaches. Not everyone is here just for Brujos. Now you see why I tell you to take the ritual bath? You are completely scattered."
The pale man stuck out like a virgin in a whorehouse, but I decided not to push it. Babe was annoyed enough with me.
I closed my eyes and, with every ounce of my mental strength, I willed those damn candles to light. I didn't dare open my eyes until Casper let out a low whistle in my head. "Nice one. You lit them all up in one go."
"Okay, see? Focused. So what are we spelling today?" I thought about all the weapons I would love to spell — my bullets, my athame and the awesome blades that extended over my hands like claws. Then my mind wandered to Frankie. Maybe there was a spell for him, just in case we needed it.
"We're charging herbs," Babe said flatly.
Defeated, I reached out and grabbed at the herbs growing in my aunt's windowsill above the sink.
"What are you doing?" Casper took over my arm and slammed it down on the counter.
"Charging herbs. What the hell is your problem?"
"You can't just grab any old herb." He sounded so annoyed with me. "What do you want the herbs to do?"
I shrugged. "Ask Babe. I've no idea what we're doing."
"We are going to charge a mix of bay leaf and garlic."
"Sounds like we're making spaghetti sauce," I groused.
"Nina, please, be serious. What are those herbs for?"
"Bay leaf is for strength, garlic is for protection." The answer flew out of my mouth quickly.
"Good!" Babe beamed. "But that wasn't you, was it, honey? That was Casper."
I gritted my teeth and nodded. I sucked at this. Casper was showing me up.
"But you get the idea, right, honey? Alright, now..." El Gringo caught my eye again, and Babe's voice became an irritating hum in the background.
Sipping from a can of Coke, he looked like Uber-Tourista. You know the stereotype — loud shirt, Bermuda shorts, black knee high socks paired with brand new white sneakers, stupid straw hat. It was all wrong. He was trying too hard to look the part.
Absently, with my eyes still on the guy's image on my laptop, I reached into the cabinet above me and felt around for herb bottles and a head of garlic. Babe's shrill voice yanked me back to Earth.
"Nina, that's the cooking cabinet. What the hell is wrong with you tonight!"
"Sorry," I muttered, crossing the kitchen to the spell cabinet (God, this was a pain in the ass) and pulling out a bottle of bay leaves and a half used head of garlic. When I got back to the laptop, Babe instructed me to "charge" the herbs. I stared blankly at the screen.
"Oh for crying out loud," she fumed. "Casper, show her how it's done."
My eyes snapped closed and my hand jerked forward. "Hey!" I yelled, and then I felt pressure on my jaw as he clamped my mouth shut.
"I like you a lot more like this!" I scowled as his voice reverberated through my skull. I'd go through a full-on exorcism just to teach this little snot a lesson.
He held my hand over the bay leaves and garlic. "Stop fighting. Push your energy down into them."
What I wanted to do was keep an eye on the guy in the cafe, but with Casper welding my eyes shut, it was impossible. I gave in, although there was no way my energy was going to charge anything.
So when a spark hit my palm, I yelped in surprise. My eyes popped open to catch the briefest glimpse of what appeared to be lightening flash out from my hand and down to the garlic and bay leaves. Casper was beside himself, doing a happy dance inside my body, which was making me twitchy.
Babe wore an ear-to-ear grin. "Oh my God! You did it! Or was that Casper?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"No, that was all Nina," I heard myself say, but it was really the ghost. Great. Now I was talking about myself in the third person.
Taking back control of my body, I grabbed the tea kettle, filled it, and fired up the stove. Reaching above it, I scrounged around the upper cabinet for a box of tea leaves, hoping for something soothing to ease me into sleep. Triumphant, I pulled down a box of chamomile, and moved to the end of the kitchen to grab a mug. Wrinkling my nose, I sniffed and turned to look at the stove. It smelled like something was burning. Suddenly hot, I looked down and realized I was the one on fire. The flame from the gas stove was too big for the kettle, and it ignited my sweater. Like an idiot, I froze.
If there was ever a good moment to have a ghost possess your body, this was it. Casper took over, forcing me to rip the sweater over my head. Before I could pray that it didn't send my hair in flames (God, I really needed to cut my damn hair off), the sweater landed in the sink. I turned the faucet, and smoke billowed into my face while the fire went out. Coughing, I fanned the smoke away and turned back to the laptop.
Babe looked horrified. "Why is my kitchen smoking up? Nina? Casper? You two better not be burning down my building."
"It's okay, Babe. We're okay," I said as I moved in front of the computer and waved, thinking it would make her feel better to see me.
"Nina, where's your top?" In my haste to prove all was completely normal, I didn't e
ven realize that I was standing there in my bra.
My face grew hot and I crossed my arms over my chest just as the door burst open. Frankie and Matty bounded into the apartment with a fire extinguisher. They stopped dead when I turned to face them. Frankie actually burst out laughing, making my face redder and hotter. At least Matty was polite enough to avert his eyes.
Refusing to look away, Frankie stripped off his jacket and tossed it to me. He raised his eyebrows slightly and gave me a wink. I gave him the finger. Casper's laughing vibrated my body, which wasn't a good thing considering my circumstance.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" I muttered to Casper.
I settled into Frankie's coat, feeling a bit lightheaded. His scent — a mix of musk and sandalwood — was briefly overwhelming.
"You okay, Frankie?" I asked, looking him over warily. He looked fine, completely normal. There was even a little color to his cheeks.
"You were on fire, and I felt it. Those flames were bloody hot, Nina."
"Hello, Frankie," my aunt deadpanned.
"Well, hello, Babette. Look at you, in the computer!" Frankie was a total Luddite.
With the dizziness abating, I turned on my heel and walked towards the bedroom to grab a shirt. I heard murmurs of conversation carrying on in the kitchen while I tore apart the spare bedroom I had moved into. Some of my stuff made it to the closet, but most of it was still in suitcases strewn all over the floor. I wasn't the best mover, which the mountains of unpacked boxes in my Olneyville apartment proved. I never really unpack. Ever.
I pulled a My Bloody Valentine concert tank top off the floor and gave it a sniff. Not clean but clean enough. After shrugging out of Frankie's leather, I pulled it on. Casper grumped, "You're just nasty. That's gotta be the vampire side."
"You're like my goddamned conjoined twin. Can't you just float for a while?"
"Girl, please. You'd miss me."
There was a nugget of truth to that. While I didn't relish being possessed, we had finally settled into a comfortable relationship where it felt almost homey having him around, kind of like having an annoying kid brother. Plus, as long as he possessed me, it was a ton more difficult for other ghosts to make themselves at home. Only one ghost per body, that's the rule.
Anyone with some knowledge could cook up a spell, although non-witches who spelled were less likely to get the spell to work. But actual witch talents went beyond casting. Eva was a seer — when she wasn't scamming people to make a buck, she could actually see their future. Her tarot throws were damn accurate. Babe was a Shaman, a medicine woman. She could cure just about anything. Since turning on my witch DNA made me able to communicate with the spirit world, it was easier for ghosts to slip into my body and stay a while. With Casper leaving his imprint, I was much more likely to be left alone.
Hearing more footfalls clomping up the stairs, I snatched Frankie's jacket off the floor and headed back out to the kitchen, hoping to clear the apartment before more people showed up and someone decided that adding a bottle of tequila would turn it into a party. I really just wanted to hit the sack.
In my rush out of the bedroom, I ran straight into Max's shoulder, bouncing me back about a foot, my back colliding with the knob on the bedroom door behind me. A stream of colorful words cascaded from my mouth.
"Hey," Max said, looking sheepish. "Peace offering?"
He held out a paper back with the New York System logo and my heart just about exploded out of my chest. He brought me hot wieners, an only-in-Rhode-Island delicacy of hot dog topped with spicy ground beef, mustard, onions and celery salt. The circle of grease told me that fries were in that bag too. My mouth watered.
Struggling to contain my excitement over the food, I glared at him. "Maybe. What else are you selling?"
He shrugged. "I know I need to reconcile living in the monster world with my human part. Can you put up with me while I try to figure it out?"
The smell of greasy, delicious food was clouding my judgment, so I relented. "Yeah, sure. Just, you know, don't be an asshole."
I snatched the bag from Max's hand and made a beeline for the kitchen. Stepping in front of Frankie, who was showing Babe how his ass looked in his new jeans, I noted that the creepy tourist guy was still stalking around behind my aunt.
"Oh, thank the gods, Nina. The last thing I ever thought I'd be doing was giving star ratings to Frankie's behind."
"Are we done for the night, Aunty?" I held up the bag of wieners.
"You're going to get a stomach ache this late," she said, shaking her head, snickering. "But yes, we are done. But we are trying again tomorrow, okay?"
I nodded, my eyes still on the Gringo behind her. Something about him just felt off. "Watch your back, Babe. I still don't like the looks of that guy."
She laughed. "You worry too much. This place fills up early now for the festival, which is good. Good for the businesses here."
"Abuelo is doing well then?" I hesitated a split second. We didn't talk much about my grandfather. He tried to kill me when I was a toddler — spawn of vampire, after all. That's when Babe took me to Dr. O, and the Blood Ops unit. Apparently Gramps was gunning for me ever since.
"He's your grandfather, Nina." Babe sighed. "That man always does well."
Gramps was a powerful witch, but he was also a black magic brujo. Black magic was blood magic, powerful spells designed to harm that required blood being spilled. Babe was stiff upper lip about him, but Casper and his family were from the Veracruz region, and his mom shared some good gossip. Apparently, my grandfather was legendary down there, and not necessarily in a good way.
"Right," I sighed. I decided not to ask if she told him about me, assuming probably not. It was probably safer for me, anyway. I knew Babe learned a lot from him, and she loved him, but he was also a huge source of shame for her. Blood magic scared the crap out her — understandably — so she was militant about keeping her magic clean. Which was why we were charging herbs in the kitchen instead of making a spell to off Kittie and her cohorts.
After waving my goodbyes to my aunt, I dropped the bag of deliciousness onto the coffee table in the living room and started to unpack it. Frankie leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, eyes flicking between me and Max. My clueless cousin flopped on the couch, kicking me in the hip while he stretched out its full length.
"Nice day? Get plenty of rest?" I snarled at him.
"Those blood bags hit the spot. But I prefer AB to O negative. Any more in the fridge?"
Staring at him, I considered snapping his neck. It wasn't like he'd die from it. He'd wake up after an hour with a stiff neck, and I’d feel a lot better.
Closing my eyes, I took a big breath, counted to 10, and exhaled. It probably wouldn't be diplomatic. I pulled out the box of fries and popped one into my mouth. The salt melted on my tongue, and I felt a little better.
"Nina?" Darcy yelled up the stairs. "Can you come down for a minute? Dog's about to eat some lady, and she won't listen when I try to call her off."
CHAPTER TEN
"Dammit, Dog," I muttered, shoving in a few more fries. Wiping my hands down the front of my yoga pants, I bolted downstairs before I had a lawsuit on my hands. Or worse.
I almost turned back up the stairs when I saw that the lady Dog cornered was Kittie. But since the bar was full of human witnesses, I had to play along.
"Dog!" I called sharply. The impudent beast turned her head to glare at me for a split second before turning back to Kittie. Dog gnashed her teeth and growled low. Forgetting myself, I smiled with pride. I loved that she was a menace.
Darcy came up beside me and nudged me with her elbow. Two customers slinked out of the bar. I could smell their fear as they hurried past. Darcy raised her eyebrows at me.
"Dog!" I said again, but this time with more force behind it. "To me!"
This time she turned and, with her head hanging low, she skulked over to me. She wrapped herself almost cat-like around my legs but she kept her teeth ba
red and her eyes on Kittie. Cookie Puss, curled up on the top shelf behind the bar, hissed. Worried she would push my aunt's "moonshine" off the shelf, I saw that her animosity was also directed at the self-professed siren. For once, the Hell Hound and the cat were united in a common enemy.
"I'm just looking for Matty," Kittie snapped, cowering away from Dog. "Tavio said he'd probably be with you."
She didn't look happy about that either. She walked a wide circle around me and Dog to the bar, where she plunked herself on a bar stool beside Elias. I was so wrapped up with Dog that I didn't notice he was there.
"Nina?" he said, standing with his eyes wide in surprise. "Is that you?"
"Uh, yeah. Nice to see you again, Elias." I crossed my arms as he spirited across the bar towards me. Considering how he treated me at Bertrand's this morning, his behavior was downright weird.
"Wow! I can't believe it!" He swept me into a hug before planting a long, passionate kiss on my lips. A flood of memories from our wild weekend in Chicago poured into me, and my body responded. Between the shock of his enthusiasm and the knee-buckling worthy kiss, it was a good thing his arms were around me. I would have dropped to the floor.
"Well, I see you weren't that forgettable after all," Kittie said with a smirk.
I reluctantly pulled away from Elias. Max stood at the foot of the staircase, staring at us, his hands balled into fists by his side.
I wiped my mouth nervously. "Elias, yeah, we saw each other this morning. Really early. Remember?"
He looked confused for a minute before melting me with a Cheshire cat smile. "I don't believe that. We would have woken up together."
I exhaled slowly, trying to calm my racing heart rate. If it was anything like Chicago, we would have never gone to sleep.
"Where's Matty?" Kittie demanded. I had forgotten she was there.
"Right here, doll," Matty said, his voice coming ahead of his footfalls on the stairs. "Sorry I split this morning. Frankie and I got our party on. It's a guy thing."
When Kittie wrapped her arms around Matty's neck, pulling him closer, a crestfallen Darcy slipped back behind the bar. Matty smiled uncomfortably as he tried to extract himself from Kittie's embrace. He stared at Darcy longingly but she turned her back on him, her lower lip trembling.