by R. J. Blain
The man’s smile widened. “It’s not, my child. The cathedral opens in an hour and a half. I enjoy early walks, when the city is still quiet—well, as quiet as it gets.”
I chuckled, nodding my agreement. “Enjoy your walk, sir,” I said, dipping my head in a polite nod.
Before I could make my escape, he lifted his hand. “A moment of your time, if you don’t mind?”
I froze, meeting his gaze. What could a Catholic priest want with me? Part of me wanted to walk away and leave the church, but my curiosity got the better of me. “What do you need, sir?”
“Walk with me.” Instead of heading to the park as I expected, the bishop turned in the direction of the street. I fell in step with him. “Please forgive me for being so forward, but it’s unusual to see a witch visiting a cathedral.”
I stumbled, and the bishop caught my elbow to steady me. I swallowed, gawking at him. He smiled at me while I floundered.
“How did you know?” I whispered. Even Fenerec had a hard time detecting my witchcraft from my scent.
“Call it intuition. I apologize for surprising you. Don’t worry, my child. While others of my faith may dislike your kind, it is not the circumstances of one’s birth that is important, but the choices made in one’s life. Your presence here surprised me, but the church is open to all—even witches. You’re not the first troubled soul to find their way to the steps of this cathedral.”
Troubled was one way to put it. Between my worries about Evelyn, what had happened in Montreal, and losing Jacqueline as a result of my pride and desire for revenge, I was amazed I hadn’t crumbled to pieces. “I’ve seen better days,” I admitted.
“I imagine you have. Do you like coffee?”
“Absolutely,” I replied, relieved at the change of subject.
“There’s a cafe a couple of blocks from here. Care to join me for a cup?”
“Sure.” After consideration, I added, “I’m Jackson.”
“Anthony. I’m pleased to meet you. It’s rare to meet someone like you who doesn’t make a very hasty run for it when they see my collar.” There was a hint of good humor in the way he looked at me, eliciting a chuckle out of me. When I didn’t speak, he clasped his hands in front of him, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. “What brings you to the cathedral?”
“Serendipity.”
“It never ceases to amaze me how often it works out that way.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Do you always invite witches for coffee?”
He laughed. “Not often. You remind me of someone.”
“He’s in a hotel a couple of blocks from here,” I replied, pointing in the direction of Yonge street. “I can introduce you, if you’d like.”
Anthony arched a brow at me. “I did not say who you reminded me of.”
Whether I reminded him of my brother or father or uncle didn’t matter; since my uncle was dead, I suspected it was my brother. Who else would have current ties with the Catholic Church? I grinned at him. “Call it intuition.”
“Let’s make a friendly wager, then,” the bishop replied, grinning at me.
“Isn’t gambling against the tenants of your faith?” I replied, staring at Anthony’s collar. “First you cohort with a witch, now you’re making bets? They’ll draw and quarter you at the rate you’re going.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “Alas, we’ve outgrown drawing and quartering as a punishment for crimes and sin. We’ve also outlawed torching witches at the stake, so we’re both safe.”
“Small miracles,” I muttered. “What’s your wager?”
“If you introduce me to the one you remind me of, I will give you a full tour of the cathedral personally. I’ll even show you some of the restricted areas.”
“I’m sure that’s committing some form of blasphemy, welcoming a witch onto sacred ground.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “All right. I accept your wager, but understand I will be checking you for weapons before I let you anywhere near him.”
Anthony stared at me, his mouth hanging open. “Why do you think I would have a weapon?”
“Paranoia.”
“I assure you, I am unarmed. Murder is a sin, my child. I have no intentions of bringing any harm to anyone.”
“Then you won’t mind me double checking,” I pointed out.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Very well. I accept your terms. If you do introduce me to the one I think you resemble, I will be very surprised.”
“I have that sort of luck,” I said. “I do hope you’ll tell me who I remind you of, if it isn’t who I think it is.”
“Of course. I hope you do not mind my curiosity, but how long have you been a witch?”
“Since I was five,” I replied, shrugging. “How long have you been a bishop?”
“It’ll be five years come September.”
The cafe proved to be a small place tucked away down a side street. The cashier greeted the bishop with a smile, watching me with open curiosity. I paid, grinning at Anthony as I did so. We sat in an out of the way corner which offered the illusion of privacy.
“Quiet place,” I said, sipping at my coffee.
“It’s owned by the daughter of one of the congregation. Nice girl. It’s always quiet on weekdays. It’s always busy before Mass, though.” Anthony glanced at the door behind me, his eyebrows rising. “Perhaps I should give you your last rites now.”
I took another sip of my coffee, wondering who had managed to track me down. “There’s someone behind me, isn’t there?”
“I’m afraid so, my child.” Anthony coughed and sipped at his coffee.
Maybe if I didn’t turn around, the person would give up and leave. I settled in to wait. “I’m not here.”
A slender pair of arms slipped around my neck to wrap around me. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” Evelyn murmured in my ear.
I closed my eyes and the tension flowed out of my muscles. I leaned back, drawing a deep breath. The scent of cinnamon teased my nose. My worries dissolved one by one, leaving me feeling both tired and relieved. “Coffee.”
“So I see. Why aren’t you at the hotel in bed where you belong? Won’t you introduce me to your new friend?”
Anthony stood. “I’m Bishop Carlisle.”
“Evelyn,” she replied, reaching out to clasp his hand. “I hope he hasn’t been a bother.”
“I’m afraid it’s the other way around, ma’am. It is I who bothered him.”
“You got waylaid by a bishop?” Evelyn clucked her tongue at me. Pulling away from me, she pulled out her cell and pressed a button, holding it to her ear. When someone answered, she said, “He’s a few blocks from the hotel having coffee with a priest.” Shaking her head and laughing, she hung up.
“In my defense, I left a note,” I grumbled. “I can go on a walk on my own, I assure you.”
“You have a terrible track record of taking care of yourself,” my Fenerec pointed out, poking my nose with a finger before dragging over a chair and sitting down with us. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“You’re not. How did you find me?”
Evelyn huffed. “Magic.”
I wrinkled my nose at her.
Anthony stared at Evelyn with a puzzled expression before whispering, “You’re not a witch. What are you?”
Sucking in a breath and widening her eyes, Evelyn gawked at the bishop. “What?”
“Consider it professional interest,” I said, reaching out to brush my fingers against Evelyn’s elbow before taking her hand. “She’s my mate.”
My proclamation earned me a smile, which soothed me as none of my family’s reassurances had. She was with me. It wouldn’t change what had happened, but it was enough to let me hide away my grief and pain for a little while longer.
Later, when we were alone and had time to talk, I’d tell her everything.
“Mate?” Anthony frowned.
“She’s a Fenerec.”
“Fenerec?”
; It was my turn to stare at him with wide eyes. “You know about witches but not Fenerec?”
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Laughing, I took a sip of my coffee before replying, “This beautiful woman becomes an equally beautiful wolf during a full moon.”
“Ah, and you call yourself Fenerec?” Anthony inquired, his smile returning. “I apologize if I have been rude in any way. It seems a very unique individual has wandered across my path this morning. We have a different name for those like you, but I suspect you’d consider it rude.”
“Probably,” Evelyn replied, relaxing. Stealing my coffee, she took a long drink of it. “We should get back to the hotel.”
“Do you want to come with us?” I asked, checking the time. “Ah, doesn’t the cathedral open soon?”
“It does, I’m afraid. Perhaps you might be willing to invite him? I can let you in a little early.”
I grinned at the thought of my brother and father going to a Catholic church. For all the Inquisition borrowed from the Catholics in terms of structure, from what little I could remember from growing up, the only time my family went to church was for weddings or funerals, and only if invited. “That sounds like a great idea. Evelyn, do you mind calling my father and asking him and Elliot to join us?”
“Where?”
“Did you see that cathedral on your way here?” When she nodded, I said, “Send them there.”
“Okay.” Evelyn pulled out her cell to make the call.
~~*~~
The interior of the cathedral had the sweeping elegance and antiquity I expected, and the weight of sanctity settled over me as Anthony let us into the building. Evelyn took in the spacious foyer, which led into the sanctuary.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, turning in a slow circle to take it in.
Anthony’s eyes lit up from her praise. “It is but one of many jewels of our faith.”
Curious clergymen nodded their greetings to us as we loitered near the doors, waiting for the arrival of my family. When the knock finally came, Anthony let them in.
My father held a little girl in his arms, and it was her brown hair, streaked with the faintest gleam of red, that caught and held my attention. Whether a rat had chewed on her hair and left it a tangled mess or she had taken offense to the ribbons someone had tried to contain it with, I wasn’t sure. Her expression soured when my father murmured something to her. A quiet huff was the only discontent she voiced, although I got the feeling the little girl was several milliseconds away from an ear-piercing tantrum.
It wasn’t until she turned her head, her second huff more forceful than her first, that our eyes met.
My vision narrowed to the jade of her eyes, a perfect match for Suzanne’s, equally hard and displeased. The impossibility of her, wiggling in her efforts to extricate herself from my father’s grip, choked off my breath.
Jacqueline was dead, gone with the destruction of the blood diamond. Yet, somehow, there was no one else the child could be. The glint of red and the curl had come from Suzanne, as had her eyes. All I could do was stand frozen in place, statute still and holding my breath, afraid that she was a drug-induced hallucination.
When her squirming didn’t buy her freedom, she twisted in my father’s arms and latched onto his shoulder with her teeth. With a startled, pained yelp, he let her go. Pulling free, she jumped to the floor, rolled, and scrambled to her feet. Colliding with my legs, my daughter circled until I was between her and my father, clutching at me with her tiny hands. “Mean,” she declared.
My mouth fell open, but I couldn’t force a word out.
Evelyn pulled out her cell and snapped a photo before doubling over in her laughter. “Your face,” she choked out, pointing at me.
My father handed my brother a twenty-dollar bill. “You win.”
Elliot claimed it with a smirk. “It’s not over yet, old man.”
When Jacqueline tugged at my limp hand, I sank to the floor to stare at my daughter in awe.
~~*~~
I lost a few minutes somewhere.
I stared up at a gold-gilded ceiling, my feet on the arm of a couch, trying to piece together how I made it from the cathedral’s foyer to a smaller, private room. Evelyn sat beside my head, running her fingers through my hair. “There you are,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss my forehead. We were alone. Disappointment and anguish surged through me, and I sighed.
With a little snort, Evelyn flicked my ear with a finger. “Don’t jump to stupid conclusions. Jacqueline is with your brother, who is trying to impress upon her that biting adults isn’t appropriate behavior for a little girl.”
“She’s real?” I whispered, trembling.
“Alive and well, all because of you.”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and fought to control the frantic beat of my heart. My chest throbbed in rhythm with my pulse. “I killed her.”
“Nonsense.” Evelyn prodded my nose. “Why would you think that?”
“The stone broke,” I whispered. “Then she was gone. I felt it, she was gone. It’s impossible.”
“I assure you, she’s quite real and very alive. A Daddy’s girl through and through, too. She bites when she’s angry, and she’s very opinionated about who she likes. She adores your brother, hates your father, and has reserved judgment on your mother. You can thank Zachary and his team for digging through the files you sent; it’s because of what you sent them that we were able to find her. The address was in that data you stole. That’s why I was busy. I was hunting for her. I wanted to surprise you.”
I draped my arm over my eyes so she wouldn’t see my tears. “You surprised me,” I choked out. Drawing several deep breaths, I waited until I could speak without so much emotion in my voice. “I was going to give you Suzanne.”
“I’m still mad at you for that stunt. Getting shot by your ex-wife. Really, Jackson? Really? What were you thinking?”
“She was a woman, and it’s your job to beat up the women,” I complained in my effort to escape Evelyn’s wrath. “I was saving her so you could beat her, just like we agreed.”
The Fenerec sighed. “I forgive you, but only this once.”
“I killed her,” I confessed in a hoarse whisper.
“From my understanding, she fell into lava. You, while I personally believe you’re very hot, are not lava. You didn’t kill her.”
I shook my head. “My volcano, my lava.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not your volcano,” she replied, massaging my temples. “She shot you. You’re an earth witch. Blood has power, and you lost a lot of it. So maybe you were a little bit responsible for the volcano. Just a little bit. It’s not like you forced her to shoot you.”
“I should’ve shot her first,” I grumbled.
“Yes, you should have. I forgive you for that, too. Are you feeling better?”
“Is she really Jacqueline?” I whispered, terrified that the little girl who had run to me wasn’t my daughter.
I was equally frightened that she was. I knew nothing about caring for a little girl. My chance to learn had been taken from me years ago. I shivered, wondering how I would manage.
“She’s really Jacqueline.”
Drawing a deep breath, I let it out long and slow as I gathered the courage to whisper, “I don’t know how to take care of a little girl.”
“I’ll help, don’t worry. It’s really not that hard, Jackson. We’ll be fine. She’s the luckiest girl alive to have you for a father.”
She made me smile despite myself. “And what does that make you?”
“The luckiest woman alive,” she replied. “Stop fishing for compliments. You’ve reached your quota for today.”
“Where was she?”
“Jacqueline?”
I nodded.
“New Mexico, of all places. The worst part was the squabble over who got to participate in the raid. Richard wanted to bring the whole pack, which annoyed the Inquisitors. Ultimately, Ri
chard was given permission to send four of us. We drew straws. I won one, of course. I may have threatened to break legs if I wasn’t given one, though. I’m not sorry. Amber and two scrawny puppies came along for the ride. Richard’s still fuming he didn’t get to go.”
“You went on an Inquisition raid,” I stated, my disbelief drowning under a surge of fear.
“I did. It was a very satisfying and bloody hunt.”
“Bloody?” I asked in alarm.
“For them.”
“Evelyn!”
“If you can raid the hideout of the bad guys, I can too,” she replied, peeling my arm away from my eyes to glare at me. “Unlike you, I didn’t get shot.”
I grimaced. “Fair point.”
“Damned straight it’s a fair point.” Reaching over to the ornate, likely antique desk nearby, she grabbed a box of tissues and thrust them at me. “Blow your nose and make yourself presentable. You need to apologize to your little girl for scaring her when you decided to take that sudden nap in the foyer. You’re lucky that priest is fast, or you would have cracked your head open on the floor.”
With a low groan, I took the box. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll only tease you a little. We all know how hard this has been on you. Your father and brother were placing bets on how you would react, but in their enthusiasm, they forgot to account for the fact that you’re a fainter.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Not usually.”
“Don’t make me do a count of all of the times you’ve hit the floor since we’ve met,” she warned.
Scowling at her, I shook my head. “That’s cheating.”
“Deal with it.”
I grumbled, running my hands through my hair. I lurched upright, wincing at the ache in my chest. Judging from the stabbing pain, the medications had worn off entirely. I checked my watch.