by RM Walker
“I’m starving, thanks.” Her plate was piled high. “I’m not sure I’ll get through all of this though. There’s four slices of quiche here. What are you trying to do? Fatten me up for the slaughter?”
“That’s reserves.” Josh grinned and put a baby tomato into his mouth.
“Reserves? Ah, so when I finish, leaving half of it, you get the rest.”
“You are smart, Lily Pad, it’s no wonder you love us.” Jake nicked a slice of cucumber from her plate.
She smacked his fingers when he reached for another slice. “Hands to yourself till I’m finished.”
“Joshua, she was mean to me,” he whined, giving her puppy dog eyes.
She raised an eyebrow, picked up the cucumber, and held it out to him. He moved to take it, but she whipped her hand back, popped it into her own mouth and gave him a wink.
“Vicious! She’s vicious, Joshua. We’re going to have to watch her closely.”
“Bloody hell!” Matt tapped Lily on the shoulder and nudged her to move over. “That’s the second plates you’ve had. The caterer thought we had a roomful of rabbits; they’ve never gone through so much salad stuff.”
“Second plate?” Lily looked at the amount on their plates in astonishment. “Seriously?”
“We’re hungry,” Josh defended.
“When aren’t you?” Nate set a plate on the table and sidled in next to Josh, making them move over for him.
Matt took a leg of chicken from Nate’s plate and put it onto Lily’s. “You wouldn’t be so hungry if your digestive tracts weren’t fucked up.”
“Yeah, let’s not go there again.” Lily grimaced. “Goodness only knows what I’ll hear next.”
“A little bird told us you swore today.” Josh lowered his head and arched an eyebrow at her. “Have you been a naughty girl?”
The tomato she’d been about to eat hit the plate with a plop as lightning struck her lower stomach and zinged straight to her toes. She locked eyes with Josh and saw the moment his gaze sharpened into awareness. She swallowed and dragged her gaze to her plate. How could five words and a wicked expression send her insides into a wild dance?
“Like you two never swear.” Matt snorted.
Lily chanced a look to see if they had picked it up too, but Matt was people watching and eating a sandwich. Nate was picking onions from his quiche with a look of disgust. She looked back at the twins; they were still watching her with identical smirks.
She lowered her gaze, could she flirt like they did? Could she make them react the same way they made her react?
She looked at them under her eyelashes. They were still watching her, their heads close together, and she knew they were talking silently to each other. She licked her lips and saw their gaze drop to her lips. She licked them again, slowly, watching them carefully from under her fringe. She lifted a cube of cheese and put it into her mouth all the time keeping her attention on them.
They stared at her mouth intently, heads touching. She saw Josh give the tiniest of nods, and she wondered what Jake had said to him. She lifted both feet and rested them on their shins. Her feet were grabbed, and her heeled shoes were pulled off. Her eyes rolled up as they began to rub their fingers over her feet. She was floating in a cloud of sparks. Tingles raced up her skin and collided between her legs. She bit her lip against the moan that wanted to escape. And then they found the muscles under the ball of her feet and the sensations changed to pure bliss.
“Oh, god!” Her head went back against the wooden back with a thump, low groans escaping her despite trying hard to keep them in.
“Bloody hell!” Nate stared at her. “What the hell are you eating?”
“She’s getting a foot rub. High heels?” Matt chuckled.
“Sky fucking high.” Josh grinned. “Still a short arse, though, aren’t you?”
She pulled a face and withdrew her feet, but they tightened their grip, and using one hand they began to eat, while still rubbing her feet.
“Did you see it?” Nate speared a tomato from Josh’s plate and ate it.
“See what?” Josh grabbed his last tomato before Nate could take it.
Nate said something unintelligible through the mouthful of tomato and put the box she’d given him on the table. He lifted the lid revealing a fountain pen laying nestled on a black velvet cloth.
“Nice.” Josh reached out, and Nate smacked his hand away.
“Perfect you mean, so keep your sticky fingers off it.” Nate put the lid back on and looked at her. “Thank you, Lily.”
“What are you getting us, Lily?” Jake asked.
“A muzzle,” Matt said.
“Boys, we’re going back to the house. Your grandmother tires easily. Don’t be too long behind us.” May stopped by the table, pulling a tartan cardigan on. “Lily, nice to see you. You’re welcome in our home anytime.”
“Thank you, Mrs Cohen.”
“May,” she said. “Call me May.” She patted Matt and Nate’s shoulders and walked away calling goodbye.
“What else did you get?” Jake asked Nate.
“Mostly money. Gramps gave me a fifty-pound gift card for books.”
“Will we get that?” Jake looked horrified.
“He’s never given you anything intelligent in your lives. He knows you too well. It’ll be a bucket of motorbike grease, or a rusty engine,” Matt said.
“We can but hope,” Josh said, making Lily laugh. “And what will you give us, Lily?”
“A big fat nothing,” Nate said. “No more than you deserve.”
“Can you see how hard our lives are, Lily?” Josh pouted at her, Jake mirrored his facial expression. “It’s so hard being the unloved ones, the outcasts, the bullied.”
“The runts of the litter,” Matt added.
“We’re off.” Adam came over. “You need to come along, boys. Lily, I am sorry.”
“But not me.” She smiled at him, expecting as much.
“It’s not us. But with Judith and June in our small living room, it’ll be no fun for you.” He was apologetic and a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay, Mr Cohen. I don’t want to upset anyone.”
“Can’t we smuggle her up to my bedroom?” Nate asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“With all of them there?” Adam snorted. “You couldn’t sneak a microbe past them. You’ll see each other tomorrow I expect. They won’t leave the right side of midnight. Suck it up, boys. Gramps could do with the respite anyway.”
The twins slid her shoes onto her feet, and she lowered them to the floor, sad to see them leave without her.
“We should walk Lily home first, dad,” Nate said, standing up.
“No, I’m fine thanks, Nate. I’m hungry, and I haven’t eaten this yet.”
“Grand Mama is watching us,” Jake said. “What do you think the odds are of her having a heart attack if we all kiss Lil goodbye?”
“Joshua Ewan Nethercott, you should be ashamed of yourself!” June stopped at the table, giving him a disapproving look.
Lily debated correcting her but thought better of it.
“Jacob, Aunty, I’m Jacob,” he said. “We meant no harm. Sorry.”
“I don’t suggest you put it to the test, because the odds are probably high,” Adam said, making June scowl.
“Where’s dad?” Matt stood up.
“He’s going through paperwork before he leaves for London tonight.” June’s voice was casual, but she didn’t look at him.
“Tonight? Not tomorrow?”
“I said tonight. He’s got important business there he must deal with, and we have to support him.” There was an edge to her voice now.
“Of course, like he’s supported you all these years,” Matt muttered.
“Yes, yes, he has,” she snapped. “He has supported us, put a roof over our heads and clothes on our back.”
“Which does not give him the right to put a knife into your heart—”
“Not here, son.” Adam said quietly,
stopping Matt.
Lily touched the back of Matt’s leg where June wouldn’t see her. She looked over at Nate. He met her gaze and nodded. A quick look at the twins told her they’d have Matt’s back too. She could see how tightly wound together they were. They’d said it to her enough times but seeing the evidence of it made it real. They had an unconditional relationship between them and that now included her.
Matt turned and, bending, he kissed her on the lips. It was a kiss filled with anger, sadness, and frustration.
“I love you,” she whispered as he pulled back.
He sighed and kissed her again. A deeper kiss that spoke of love rather than anger. He straightened and walked away without a word.
Nate and the twins scrambled from the booth.
“You’ll be okay?” Nate asked as he grabbed his box from the table.
“Go. He needs you,” she said, and he winked at her.
The twins blew her noisy kisses and the three of them went after Matt. June turned on her heel and walked away without looking at any of them.
“Families, eh?” Adam caught her attention.
“He’s hurting.” Lily’s heart ached for him.
He rubbed his chin. “He’s been hurting for years, he’s just suppressed it until now.” He patted her on the shoulder and followed June out of the pub.
She picked at her salad, leaning her head on her hand. The others would have his back. She knew that, but she wanted to help him too. She just didn’t know how.
Blood Magic
Lily knocked firmly on Drew’s door. One way or another she was going to get some answers.
The door opened, and Drew’s surprise turned to delight as he stepped back to let her in. “Not at Nate’s birthday party?”
“I was, but they’ve gone back to their place with the family. Not enough room.” She pulled her coat off and hung it on the coat peg by his.
“Ah, so you thought you’d slum it with me.” He followed her into the kitchen.
“Not bothering you, am I?” She sat at the table, with no idea how to start the questions she had.
“No. Have you had something to eat?”
“They had food there, but I didn’t fancy it.” Heat flooded her cheeks as her stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.
“But now you do.” He laughed and crossed to the fridge. “All I have is ready meals, I’m afraid. I don’t cook if I can help it.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Korma or...” He opened the freezer and poked about. “roast chicken, shepherd's pie, and I think that’s a lasagne at the back.”
“I don’t mind, whichever one you don’t want.”
“I’m easy. Korma be okay for you?”
“Yes, please.” She rested her head on her hand watching him.
He poked holes in the lids of the meals and crossed to the microwave. “I’ve got the frame fixed. Remind me and I’ll get it for you later.”
“Thanks.”
“Have the boys spoken to the teacher?” he asked.
“Yeah, last Sunday.”
“And?”
“They’re happy with what he told them.” She watched the plate turning slowly in the microwave. Now was her chance, but she didn’t want to hear him lie, and she didn’t want to hear the truth. She was a coward.
“What did he tell them?”
“He hid them when he realised what they were. He wanted to protect them, especially Matt. It was so long ago he’d forgotten about it.”
“Did they ask about the Council? Why he was here in the first place?”
She drew in a deep breath and gauged his reaction. “Yeah. He denied there was a Council.”
“He actually said there was no Council?” He leant back against the counter; his hands gripped the edges, but she couldn’t read his expression.
She had to stop being a coward, she needed to know if he was lying to her. She needed to know where she stood with him and there was no other way. “I don’t know if he’s lying, or if...”
He regarded her for a few seconds before crossing to crouch in front of her. “Or if I’m lying,” he said. “You’re all turned around, and I’m not surprised. You’ve been on a rollercoaster since you stepped foot in this village. You don’t know who to trust, do you?”
“I trust them, I trust my boys.”
“They don’t know any more than you, that’s for sure. They’ll trust the teacher, because they’ve never had reason to doubt him before.”
“And what about you?”
“Have you heard of Blood Magic?”
She shook her head, turning in her seat to face him.
“It’s a type of magic that’s worked using blood. It can be used for a number of things, protection, binding, etc, but it can also be used to detect honesty or dishonesty in a person.”
“What’s involved?”
“Not very much. Just a prick of blood, magic, and candles.”
“If we do this blood magic thing, will we’ll be bound together?” She didn’t want that. Not without answers, proof he wasn’t lying to her, and even then, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be bound to him like that.
“We’re already bound in a way, purely by the fact we’re kin. My blood runs through your veins. Blood magic will work on anyone, but because we have a connection it’ll be a stronger result. You can’t fool blood magic, you will definitely know if I’m lying or not.” He got up. “C’mon. Upstairs I’ve got a book. It will help you make up your mind.”
“You’re not going to feed me to carnivorous flies, are you?” She got up from the chair and followed him up the stairs.
“Not today, no.” He laughed reaching the top and standing to one side to let her pass.
She held back at the bedroom door and he chuckled when she indicated for him to go in first.
He opened the bedroom door enough to poke his head in. “Don’t eat Lily. Not even a little nibble, do you hear? No, you can’t lick her or sniff her. Just stay where you are. She promises to not eat you either, don’t you Lily?” He looked back at her.
“I’m gone, I’m out of here. I’m not going in there with them.” She headed towards the stairs. “You’re mental if you think—”
His deep throated laugh and his hand on her shoulder stopped her decent. “I’m pulling your leg, Lily. There’s nothing in there. I told you, they don’t stay there.”
She looked through the open door, seeing the white ceiling between the black beams, and narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s probably not the best way to get me to trust you, you do know that, don’t you?”
His eyes were sparkling with humour, a wide grin on his face. “I know. I’m sorry. I could tease your mum so easily, she always told me it would backfire on me one day.” He went into the room, and she followed him in, taking another quick glance around the ceiling.
He picked up an old looking book, flipped through until he found the page he wanted, and handed it to her. “This will tell you what blood magic is. You can take it away and read it, if you want. But this bit will explain what I want to do now.”
He cleared a space for them on the bed, and she sat down with the open book.
Blood Magic
Honesty
Blood magic can be used to discover the level of honesty in another person, be they willing or unwilling.
Cleanse and prepare a white candle. Obtain a pinprick of blood from the party in question.
Place the blood around the unlit wick and concentrate on finding the truth.
Light the candle, ask the question, and listen to the response. If the blood boils and becomes black smoke, the response has been a deceptive one
If the blood remains cool to touch once the flame is extinguished the response was honest.
She looked at him. “And this will work?”
“How about you do a little spell casting to find out? This is an easy and perfectly safe one to do. We can start by telling a lie and see what happens.”
Excitement rippled
through her, she was going to be casting magic.
“I’ll take that grin as a yes.” He crossed to the dresser that held the cauldron.
“Is the colour of the candle significant?” She went over, watching as he took a box of white candles out of a drawer.
“It is, yes. It’s relative to what you’re casting or want to achieve. You use distinct colours for different things. Red is the colour of fire and passion. Green, the colour of nature and luck. Brown is earth, balance, helps with clear thinking. Blue is calming, good for restful sleep, and relates to water.”
“And white?” She watched him set them up.
“White can be used in place of most candles, or alongside them. White holds all the colours of the spectrum.”
“So all we need is—”she referred back to the book—“to clean and prepare it. How do you clean a candle?” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m guessing we don’t wash it.”
“No. You clean and prepare a candle by wiping oil onto them. If you’re casting something that you want, like a good sleep, then you wipe from the ends to the middles. If you’re casting something away, like bad energy, you wipe from the middle to the ends. These candles are already cleaned.”
“In an order?”
“No, just pop them on there. If you’d done this before, we could use the same candle, but you’ll doubt the results with one, so we need a control for your first time.”
“Okay, that’s fair.”
“Hold this. I’ve got antiseptic wipes here somewhere, hang on.” He handed her the ornate jewelled knife she’d seen before. She studied the jewels worked into the handle. She couldn’t work out what colour they were, let alone whether they were real.
“Are these real?”
“Are what real?” His voice came from the bathroom.
“The stones on the knife.”
He came back in with a packet of wipes and some small plasters. “What colours do you see?”
“I don’t. Well, I mean I do, but I can’t work it out. They keep changing.”
“They’re diaspore stones. Very rare colour changing gems from Turkey. The blade is silver, and the handle is ebony. If you do decide to steal anything from me, make sure it’s what you take first.” He winked at her, taking a wipe from the packet.