Love Potion #9

by Claire Delacroix

  “Then hold your breath and I’ll show it to you.” Mitch gently worked the offending hair free of the others around it, an easy task since it was of coarser texture than Lilith’s silky tresses, and gave it a tiny yank.

  She yelped, then her eyes widened when he presented it to her. The hair shone in the sunlight, unmistakably white, even as her fingertips massaged its source.

  Lilith didn’t seem to have anything to say; she just accepted the hair as though she couldn’t believe it was real.

  There was a glimmer in her eyes that made Mitch think that she was reconsidering everything she had told him, that maybe a few dots were teaming up to make a line.

  This had to be a revelation of a kind. He could almost sense a door opening in her mind. Lilith was one smart lady, after all. Maybe all she needed was a moment to herself.

  “It’s not the end of the world,” Mitch teased gently. “Let’s hope three don’t grow in its place.

  Lilith looked up at him silently. She turned the hair in her fingers and stared at it again. “I don’t understand,” she said softly. “It’s impossible.”

  “Clearly, it’s not.” Mitch touched her cheek with a gentle fingertip. “We’re all getting older, Lilith,” he said. “I’ve pulled a few of those out myself.”

  “No! I’m not supposed to age,” she insisted, her gaze fixed on the hair.

  “Well, maybe something has changed,” Mitch whispered. She looked up in alarm at this sentiment and he smiled encouragingly. “It’s not so bad. You’ll see.”

  Lilith opened her mouth and closed it again. She frowned at the hair, then shook her head. She seemed so lost that Mitch wanted to gather her up and make everything better, but this was a hurdle she had to jump herself. Clearly, Lilith had some things to work through – and if her trauma had been as bad as Mitch feared, he had probably already pushed far enough.

  He bent, unable to stop the tenderness flooding through him, and kissed her brow. “It’s okay, Lilith. I’ll help you. You can come and talk about it any time, whenever you’re ready.” She met his gaze, her own expression so vulnerable that Mitch’s heart clenched. “Just say the word and I’ll brew up some sangria,” he promised, and was glad to see her fleeting smile.

  “I just need to think,” she said quietly.

  “I know. Just remember that I’m here.”

  And then she really smiled, her eyes so warm that Mitch didn’t want to leave her side at all. “I know,” she said, stretching suddenly to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “And that’s the best news of all.”

  She turned, hefted her spade, and strode back to her gate, that hair held before her like a trophy.

  Admiration flooded through Mitch as he watched her go, admiration along with a certainty that Lilith would see her way through this. It wasn’t easy to open doors that had been securely locked for a long time, but Mitch knew that Lilith would manage it.

  She was really something special.

  * * *

  Lilith couldn’t believe her own eyes. The silver hair waved in her grip as though it deliberately taunted her, as if its presence wasn’t bad enough.

  How could it be here?

  Lilith didn’t remember anything about the elixir wearing off over the years or any maintenance technicalities that she could have forgotten over the centuries. She put the hair down on her kitchen counter and stared at it.

  This just wasn’t right.

  But the hair was here. And it was grey. And her scalp still hurt from where Mitch had evicted it. No doubt about it, it was her own.

  What was it doing here?

  Lilith frowned, then went into the living room and looked at the cards. The Wheel of Fortune was face up now, right beside The Hermit. The first circle was complete, the first phase of Mitch’s journey finished.

  The challenge of the physical world had been met, but the confrontation with the spiritual world had only just begun. The seeker on the card descended into the underworld, seeking wisdom and abandoning the illusion of controlling his fate. Great forces were in the wind when The Wheel of Fortune appeared, powerful changes over which one had no direct influence.

  Lilith sat down and looked at the card. The Wheel of Fortune whispered of taking changes, of throwing the dice, of betting it all, win or lose, of dancing a jig with the capricious partner named Dame Fortune.

  A chance had been taken, or was in the act of being taken, a chance that could have long-reaching repercussions. Lilith thought about her grey hair, she thought about Mitch, she thought about him coming back to her.

  He was right. Something had changed.

  In fact, everything that mattered had changed. Mitch had returned to her – her one true love was right by her side.

  Lilith’s hand rose to her lips in delighted realization. She didn’t need to wait anymore. She didn’t need to be immortal anymore. In fact, life would be a whole lot easier is she and Mitch aged together, now that they had found each other again.

  It looked as though her immortality was a thing of the past. And Lilith didn’t have too many complaints about that. If anything, the grey hair was just as sign that they were solidly on the road to Happily Ever After.

  But why the grey hair now? Had it been merrily growing, unbeknownst to Lilith, since Mitch’s arrival?

  Or was it new?

  Lilith didn’t know. When she looked down at the cards again, the next one had flipped over. Lilith had been sitting right there, and she hadn’t seen it more.

  Yet all the same, Fortitude, number eleven, was turned up.

  The Ferris Wheel of Fortune had completed its turn.

  * * *

  11

  Fortitude

  Fortitude was called Strength in one of Lilith’s other decks, but the image upon it was essentially the same. Pictured on the card was a young woman in the act of prying open the jaws of a ferocious lion.

  The card tells of conquering one’s own shadow, of coming to terms with the conflict within one’s own soul, of meeting a challenge with gentleness instead of brute force.

  And reigning victorious, when the alternative might have been expected. The card indicates the power of inner strength, of conviction, of a fortitude born of belief in doing the right thing.

  Mitch had an ample measure of that kind of fortitude, Lilith knew, and the realization made her smile.

  She suddenly heard the children in the backyard and glanced up to find the shadows drawing long in the unlit house. Lilith didn’t know how long she had sat there, meditating on the card, but it didn’t matter.

  Mitch would be where his children were, watching over them like a gruff guardian angel.

  And Lilith knew exactly where she wanted to be.

  * * *

  Mitch sat on his back porch as the kids ran around the yard after dinner. He was perfectly content to let them burn off some steam before bed and was hoping that Lilith might make an appearance.

  To his delight, she stepped out on her porch almost immediately. Mitch wondered whether Lilith could have been waiting for him and felt himself smile in welcome.

  He liked how she smiled in response. The hinges creaked as Lilith let herself into the yard, Cooley trotted over to give her a sniff and collect a pat. The change in the dog’s manner was amazing, but there had to be a reasonable explanation.

  There had to be.

  “Lillit!” The kids immediately ran for Lilith, their eyes shining as they told her all the stories they’d saved up since the weekend. She squatted down and listened to every word, asking perfect questions, sharing her attention between the two.

  Mitch’s smile returned as he watched. Jen and Jason really had taken to Lilith - and she seemed just as delighted to talk to them.

  Jen’s newest finger painting had been hung on the fridge - and Lilith waved on her way past Mitch as she was dragged into the kitchen to admire their handiwork.

  She did and Jen beamed with pride. Mitch had a feeling that Lilith would soon have a masterpiece for her own fridge
door.

  “Have you noticed,” Lilith asked the kids when they came back on the porch, “that the bats have been out these past few nights?”

  Mitch was immediately beset by two children demanding approval to stay up late and watch for bats. He couldn’t see why not, so he agreed and laughed when the kids cheered. He and Lilith dragged lawn chairs out into the midst of the yard as the sun sank below the line of houses behind. Mitch shut off the kitchen and porch light, and they sat in the twilight, waiting for darkness to fall.

  And when it did, the peculiar flying patterns of a trio of bats could be discerned against the night sky. Jason was entranced, Jen nodded off to sleep in Mitch’s lap. The bats circled, flying in a lop-sided figure eight over and over again, as they gobbled up mosquitoes. They called to each other, the sound barely discernible by human ears, and one that would be missed by anyone not paying close attention.

  Mitch hadn’t known they could still be found in the city. Jason eventually ran out of questions and watched in wide-eyed silence. The rhythm of the bats’ flight was soothing, the occasional flutter of their wings like a whisper in the night. Mitch leaned back in his chair to watch them fly the same course over and over again, letting the evening’s quiet flood through him.

  He hadn’t felt so relaxed in years. It was wonderful, just sitting in darkness and silence, watching the stars come out, holding his sleeping daughter. Yet at the same time, there was a tingle of electricity running beneath Mitch’s skin, a tingle fed by the occasional waft of jasmine, the glint of an alluring woman’s smile, the knowledge that Lilith was just an arm’s length away.

  Tranquility, that’s what Lilith shared with him.

  Not to mention, cats and toads and bats.

  But then, she had said she was a witch, hadn’t she? Mitch grinned to himself, glancing over at Jason and noting that he had also succumbed to the sandman. He was dozing against Lilith’s shoulder, and she looked perfectly content to have him there.

  Her gaze met Mitch’s and she smiled, a warm welcoming smile that made his toes curl. It was a smile that made Mitch think of all that old-fashioned stuff, all those things that he’d been sure would never come his way. Cooking together and sitting on the porch, laughing and making love for a lifetime.

  All that good stuff.

  He impulsively reached over and caught Lilith’s hand in his. When Mitch squeezed her fingers, she squeezed his back, then they both watched the bats fly until the moon rose.

  The bats retired or sought their prey elsewhere - Mitch was sure they couldn’t have eaten every mosquito in his yard - and he stretched, shifting Jen’s weight.

  “I should put these two to bed,” he said softly, then got to his feet. He glanced down at Jen’s dirty knees and grinned. “I guess there’s more than one way to get out of taking a bath.”

  Lilith chuckled and sat forward a bit. “I think I’m trapped,” she whispered just as Jason stirred.

  “Come on, sport,” Mitch cajoled and tousled his son’s hair. “Time for bed.”

  But Jason snuggled against Lilith.

  Mitch met her gaze, unable to stop his smile. “You are trapped.”

  “We could switch.”

  “You don’t think Jen’s too heavy for you?”

  Lilith shook her head. “I can manage.”

  They did switch, Lilith following Mitch into the house and up the stairs, both of them carrying sleepy little burdens. Having Lilith’s presence behind him felt perfectly natural. It made Mitch feel less alone, less responsible for every little thing, less burdened by the weight of the world. They were only putting his children to bed, but he had a tantalizing taste of being on a team.

  He watched Lilith carry Jen and noted the protectiveness in the way she held his daughter, a gentleness in her fingertips and her voice when she laid the little girl on her bed. Mitch was humbled that Lilith could show such easy affection for children that were not even her own, children she didn’t even know that well.

  He could never imagine Janice this way.

  Because Janice had never been as giving as Lilith.

  The words resonated with truth. Mitch frowned in thought as he tucked the children into their pajamas and then into their beds. He had always been sure that the fault in his failed marriage was his, that he had brought something out in Janice that otherwise would never have found voice, that his failure to love her enough or understand her intuitively or something he had done had been at the root of her lack of interest in their children.

  Now, he wondered whether Lilith was right in her insistence that it wasn’t all his fault.

  Maybe he wasn’t so bad at relationships, after all.

  Mitch met Lilith at the top of the stairs, and was snared by the flash of her smile. He paused beside her and stared into the shadows of her eyes.

  He thought about kissing her and her smile quirked.

  When Lilith reached out and touched his jaw, it was as though she read Mitch’s thoughts. Or that their thoughts were as one. Either way, the tingle beneath his skin became a roar and he edged closer, unwilling to leave any distance between them.

  “You were right, you know,” Lilith whispered, her voice low and musical. She stepped closer, her breasts almost touching his chest, and the heat in the hall escalated.

  Mitch let his hands fall on Lilith’s waist, his fingers gripped her slenderness. He drew her minutely closer. “About what?”

  “Something did change,” Lilith admitted. Her eyes shone. “I’m not immortal and it’s all because you’re here.”

  Relief surged through Mitch, mingled with pride that Lilith was making such good progress in coming to terms with whatever demons haunted her. She had only to stretch toward him before he bent and met her halfway, his mouth closing over hers resolutely. He didn’t care if she knew how much he wanted her, he didn’t care if she guessed how he was feeling. This time he backed Lilith into the wall, loving how she responded to his touch.

  There was no hesitation in her ardor, no strings on her passion, no negotiations necessary to win a single kiss. Mitch realized suddenly how Janice had cheated him with her constant complaints, her raw dislike of any show of affection.

  He wondered suddenly whether she had even loved him.

  Lilith insisted she did love him and gave of herself openly. Lilith never turned away, Lilith never snarled, Lilith gave and gave and gave.

  And Mitch liked that very much. He knew that whatever this was between himself and Lilith was just the beginning of something very good, something that would improve with time, like fine wine.

  But no sooner had Mitch lifted his lips from hers, than Lilith hauled the rug out from beneath him and challenged his conclusions once again.

  He ought to be getting used to that by now, but he wasn’t.

  Not by a long shot.

  * * *

  “Maybe you were sorceror in one of your past lives,” Lilith mused as she stared up at Mitch. Her heart was hammering in the wake of his kiss, but she was fighting her urge to drag him off and ravish him.

  She had agreed to his terms, after all.

  “What do you mean?”

  Lilith slid her hands up the strength of Mitch’s neck and let her fingers wind their way into his hair. “We certainly do make powerful magick between us,” she teased. “It’s worth sacrificing immortality, there’s no doubt about it.”

  Mitch froze. “Sacrificing? I thought you had realized you were mortal?”

  “I am now.”

  His gaze flickered, but otherwise Mitch was as still as a statue. His voice was very low. “Maybe you could run through that a little more slowly for me.”

  “I was immortal, for five hundred and” - Lilith did some quick math – “sixty-seven years, I guess it would be.”

  She smiled because Mitch looked suddenly so very grim. “But that’s all right, because once my love was back by my side” - she stretched and gave him a quick kiss so he wouldn’t have any confusion over who that individual was – “the
elixir apparently wore off.”

  “Just like that?” Mitch asked dryly. He pulled back slightly and gave her a skeptical glance.

  “Magick!” Lilith declared and chuckled under her breath. “Honestly, I couldn’t have planned it better myself. The great forces have given us the greatest gift of all.”

  Mitch looked somewhat less than convinced. But then, this was news to him while Lilith had been thinking it through for a few hours. He’d see it her way in a minute, Lilith knew. She linked her arm companionably through his and urged him toward the stairs.

  “Just think about it, Mitch. It wouldn’t be right if you aged and I didn’t, and it would be very strange if neither of us aged at all. I can’t even imagine how confusing it would be for Jen and Jason. And then, I would ultimately be left alone again, which could hardly be part of any divine plan.” Lilith shook her head. “No, this is absolutely perfect.”

  Mitch looked a bit dazed.

  Maybe he was tired. Yes, he must be exhausted after pulling that story together.

  Maybe Lilith should make the sangria.

  They were halfway down the stairs when a sudden thought came to Lilith. “Oh!” She spun and locked her arms around Mitch’s neck, treating him to a big kiss. “Mitch, maybe I could even have children now!”

  Exasperation flitted across Mitch’s brow. “Lilith, those kinds of things don’t just change because people meet each other...”

  “Don’t be silly, of course they do. I couldn’t have children because my cycles stopped when I drank the elixir. But if I’m mortal, they’ll start again!” Lilith nearly danced down the remaining steps, knowing she had never been so enthused about receiving her monthly visitor in the past. “And all those hormones will get back to work! Ha! We will be able to have kids!”

  She spun at the bottom of the stairs triumphantly and looked back at Mitch.

  He remained on the third stair. He had his arms folded across his chest and looked markedly less delighted than Lilith about this news.

  Oh no. Lilith sobered. “You don’t want more kids?” she asked quietly, hearing the disappointment in her tone. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, and you do have two little darlings already...”