by Lola James
"No, Magic is the car’s name. I gave it that name in college; the rust is her magic dust.” I giggled again as Annie drove out of the airport. When we were a few miles down the road, she looked over her shoulder at me.
"Toni, when did you meet the vampire?"
My eyes widened and I gasped. "How did you know?" I looked from her to Ben, utterly confused.
"Zelma told me that your friend here was a vampire, and when I shook his hand that confirmed it." Annie looked back at me as she waited for my answer.
"Well, I met him last Friday." She was silent.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Ben asked as he looked over at Annie.
She smiled. "Let's talk more when we get to Zelma's." She looked at me in the rear view mirror.
We sat in silence as she drove to an area called Mt. Olympus. I wondered if Ben thought we were headed to see Zeus. We ended our drive in a sleepy, suburban neighborhood. A long driveway welcomed us as Annie put Magic’s pedal to the metal. She stopped the car in front of a house that looked like it belonged in any suburb of the U.S.A.
Annie looked back at me as Ben got out of the car. "We need to talk," she whispered. I had a sinking feeling, but nodded to her as Ben helped me out of the car.
Annie gestured toward the front door, which opened just as an older woman seemed too appeared out of thin air.
"Benjamin, would you please come in?" The short, gray-haired, wrinkle-faced woman smiled at Ben as she opened her arms. He wrapped his arms around her and swallowed her in a hug. They embraced briefly before she glanced at me. Her eyes widened as she came toward me, and I was startled by the twinkle in them.
"Zelma,” Annie said, “Let me introduce you to—" The other woman’s small, slender hand rose and stopped Annie mid-sentence.
"I know who she is. This is Antonia." Zelma smiled as she extended her hand and bowed her head. I took her hand into mine and urged her to look up at me. There was something regal about her that sent goosebumps down my spine.
I looked from Zelma to Annie and Ben who both stood with their mouths wide open in awe at her bow. I released her hand. "It’s nice to meet you, Zelma, but may I ask how you know my name?"
Zelma stood up from her humble bow with a bewildered look on her face. "Come; let's sit and talk." She took my hand as we walked into a living room that was so medieval with dark walls and stiff furniture. Both Ben and Annie followed. Zelma directed me to sit in a large chair while she, Ben and Annie sat on the couch.
Annie lit some candles by touch on the coffee table between us. My friend had really learned how to harness her power.
"Antonia, my dear Annabelle speaks highly of you.” Zelma looked toward Annie as she spoke. I had only heard Annie called “Annabelle” once, at graduation.
“Benjamin,” Zelma said as she touched Ben’s hand, “may I offer you a drink?” Ben shook his head as Zelma’s smiling face turned back to me. “You resemble Ben’s friend, Joanna." Zelma placed her small, wrinkled hands on her knees.
"I know; I recently saw her picture.” It dawned on me that Zelma knew Ben, as well as Joanna, from the sound of it. “Are you the witch who put the daylight spell on Joanna?" Annie looked at me, confused as to what I was talking about.
"Yes, my dear, I am. I feel so terrible that my spell did not hold. Your friend, Annabelle, has power much stronger than mine ever was. She was born from a family of witches.” Zelma looked at Annie, whose lips curved into a small smile at the mention of her family. I guess Annie’s mom really was a witch.
Annie came to sit next to me and hugged me. "I don't understand; how can a spell not hold?" I asked. I felt comforted in the arms of my best friend.
“The magic of one witch can be undone if another witch possesses stronger power,” Annie explained. I looked at Ben, who also seemed to be absorbing the information that was being imparted.
“Yes, my dear. You must be born into magic; you cannot procure it,” Zelma explained.
“Then, since Annie has stronger power than you, she can undo any spell that you do?” Zelma nodded reluctantly, and Annie’s face lit up.
“I can? But you told me I couldn’t,” Annie said with an ominous grin.
“You can, but it’s not right. Our powers are a gift, meant to balance nature, not corrupt it,” Zelma said. Annie sat back in the chair, I knew she had to be thinking of all of the wonderful things she could do.
"Will I ever understand this world?” I sighed.
“There is so much you will never understand," Annie said, shaking her head as I looked at each of them individually. Zelma waved her hand.
"Enough about that; Annie said you needed some help.” Zelma smiled from me to Ben.
"Yes, but I have to understand the situation before you can tell me if you can help,” I explained. “Ben wants me protected from someone — I mean something — that I don’t think is real.”
Annie sat up and gasped, but Zelma’s stern look made her slump back in the chair we shared. “What might that be, dear?” Zelma asked as she looked at me.
I began to fidget with my fingers. “Hades!” Ben finally said.
Annie was on her feet, while Zelma’s face filled with horror. “Hades? What do you know of him?” Zelma asked as she looked from me to Ben.
“I know that he killed both Joanna and Catherine; and I do not want Antonia to die, but she refuses to let me protect her,” Ben said, his eyes pleading with me.
"What?" Annie looked at Ben and anger filled her face as a wind blew around her.
"Enough, Annabelle!" Zelma said, and the wind calmed.
"Fine!” Annie spat through her teeth as she stomped out of the living room.
“Hades won’t hurt me,” I said. “Hell, he’s not even real!”
“Antonia, I am afraid you are right, yet so wrong,” Zelma said. “Hades is very real. And yes, he did kill poor Joanna by having a witch remove my spell, and I’m afraid that sweet Catherine was also, sadly, a casualty.”
The sorrow in her voice broke my heart. I went over and sat by Ben, taking his hands into mine. “But if he’s real, what am I right about?” I asked, confused by Zelma’s words.
“He won’t hurt you, dear Antonia.” Then she looked at me as if she had said too much. I gave Ben a smug I told you so smile. His answering look was far from cheerful, as his face filled with pain and regret. I was stroking his face with my hand, staring into his eyes, when Zelma’s voice broke our moment.
"Annabelle? Please prepare the hematite crystal with patchouli, lavender, mugwort, and hyssop, and light the white candles." Zelma looked at Ben and me. “Let’s begin,” she said as she extended her hand to me. I stood up and she wrapped her arm around me.
"Thank you, Zelma." Ben was sincere in his gratitude.
"You do not need to thank me, but Annabelle. Did you bring the item I asked?” I nodded yes and Zelma motioned for Ben to follow us into the next room.
It looked more like what I would expect in a witch’s house. The wood floors were bare, and candles lit up every corner, the wax dripping on the floor. Annie sat, with a cauldron, inside a circle made of salt in the middle of the floor. Zelma encouraged us to join her inside the circle and she released my arm as she sank to the floor. I handed her the cup filled with sun dust that I pulled from my bag and sat on the floor next to Annie. Ben sat between Zelma and me.
"I guess we start with the dead man, he may need a day spell." Annie said as she looked at Ben. She took the cup and added the ingredients as Zelma instructed, mixing them before looking over at her mentor.
"I want to make this protection spell stronger than the last. May I see your hand, Benjamin?" Zelma asked. Ben placed his hand in hers. She took a long knife from the floor on the side of the cauldron and cut the inside of his hand. I gasped but watched attentively as blood streamed down both sides of his hand, and she held it over the cup to let some drops fall in.
"Now yours, Antonia," she said as she extended her hand to me. I drew my hands to my chest.
; "My what?" I was afraid she was going to cut me too.
"Your hand, my dear," Zelma said simply. I looked at Ben and he gave me a reassuring nod, so I gave her my hand. She sliced down the palm of my hand and I let out a little whimper. My blood gushed out as she captured the drops in the cup.
"Light the candle, Annabelle, and pour the potion into the cup; then light the cup on fire," Zelma instructed as Annie’s eyes lit up.
Annie pinched the candle’s wick and poured the oil mixture into the cup of blood, after which it ignited into flames. Zelma took Annie's hand as they both closed their eyes.
"Repeat after me three times: Protect with all thy might, by the light of the day, by the dark of the night. Give your power; give your might. Conjure the light, conjure the power, unbreakable by any might." Annie and Zelma said the words in unison three times as the fire that burned became blood red, then orange and then white. Zelma opened her eyes. The strange look on her face, as if she were possessed, made me re-think what we were doing.
"You must drink each other’s blood," Zelma ordered as she took both our hands in hers, and then cut both of us with one quick swipe. Placing our hands together, she pushed them up to our mouths. For an old woman, she sure was strong.
I felt Ben's lips on my hand as he first licked my streaming blood, then his fangs puncturing my skin as he drank some. I opened my mouth and his blood touched my lips. The blood ran down my tongue into my throat. Ben’s blood was delicious. Unlike his body, his blood was warm and tasted sweet, like every guilty pleasure I had ever wanted.
We drank from each other as Zelma continued the spell in a language that was foreign to me. Drinking Ben’s blood made me feel much closer to him. He released my hand while I held on to his.
I felt like a savage as I drank his blood, yet, the more sensuous I found it, and soon I began to moan. Ben’s blood was better than sex, hell, even better than an orgasm. I opened my eyes when the chanting ended. They all stared at me with Ben's hand still in my mouth. I let his hand go and caught Ben giving me a lusty look. Feeling embarrassed that Zelma had witnessed me sucking on Ben’s hand; I looked at her and saw that she had a grin on her face, although Annie looked completely disgusted.
"Shall we move on?" Zelma smiled. I nodded, too choked up to talk.
"Sure," Ben said as he took my hand. When I looked at it, there was no wound, not even a mark. I eyed him with confusion on my face. He smiled at my bewilderment. I turned my attention back to Annie, who now had a small cauldron into which she was pouring the same oils. She put in a rusted nail and a stone before lighting the mixture. Annie looked at me and smiled.
"I need your finger, Toni," she said. I gave her the opposite hand, and she dipped my index finger into the flame. I wrenched in fear but felt no pain not even shock as I marveled on that Annie began speaking in Latin. I only knew that it was Latin from going to Catholic school as a child. She took the fire cauldron in her hand and mine, standing me up. She threw the contents of the fiery cauldron at my body. I let out a shriek and closed my eyes before the fire hit me. Seconds later, I felt nothing, so I opened my eyes to find myself in a bubble surrounded by fire. Annie touched the fire, making it disappear into thin air.
"How did you do that?" I asked in shock, watching the flames disappear.
"My power is fire! I can make it and extinguish it." Annie placed the cauldron on the floor.
"She is very powerful." Zelma smiled at her protégé.
“I see.” I stood staring in shock at my former roommate and best friend.
“Well, you both must be hungry; come, let me feed you,” Zelma said, as she stood with Ben’s help. She looped her arm into Ben’s, and I felt Annie’s hand pull around my shoulder.
“So have you completely lost your mind, marrying a vampire?” Annie asked, staring at the ring.
“Marry? Who said anything about marry?” I shook my head.
“The ring on your left hand does.” Annie picked up my hand, bringing it to my face.
“Not only do you have power but you’re also observant,” I laughed.
“This is not funny; it is dangerous. What do you know about him?”
“I know enough, but we are not getting married. I just tried on this ring and now it won’t come off,” I complained.
“Really? So if it were to come off neither of you would be mad?”
“Not at all,” I said as she took my left hand in hers and wiggled the ring.
“Here you go; now don’t make the same mistake twice,” Annie teased, handing me the ring.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“I know magic.” She winked. “So what would you like to eat, Toni?” Annie asked as we entered the kitchen.
“Whatever; you know me.” Annie nodded as I crossed the room to the table, where Zelma and Ben were seated. Ben smiled at me before sipping from his wine glass full of blood. I set the ring on the table in front of him.
“How did you get this off?” he asked, with a puzzled look on his face.
“I didn’t; Annie did.” I grinned.
“She is very powerful. Be glad she is on your side and not Hades’.” Zelma patted Ben’s hands.
“But—” Ben was interrupted by Zelma’s finger to his lips.
“She can remove ANY spell, dear, even mine. Now this old lady is heading to bed; I will see you all at daybreak.” Zelma stood up and walked towards the front of the house.
“What was she talking about, Ben?” I asked, as he looked at Zelma.
“We will talk tonight; I am sure you have many questions, Antonia.” He picked up the ring and put it in his pocket. Annie handed me half a grilled cheese sandwich.
“See? You still know what I like!” I said as she sat down. She smiled at me, and then turned to Ben.
“So, Benjamin, why Toni?” she asked, biting into her half of the grilled cheese sandwich.
“Well,” he started.
“Wait!” Annie grabbed Ben’s hand. “Tell me the truth, tell me no lies.” His eyes closed before he began to talk.
“I needed to escape Los Angeles after saving those kids. I knew I always had a home in San Francisco, so I moved there. It was not hard to get a job at the nearby hospital, with a little influence of course.”
“But you’re not answering my question, Benjamin; why Toni?” she asked, eating her sandwich as if nothing else were going on. I sat there in disbelief.
“What are you doing to him?” She just hushed me.
“I saw her when she arrived at work on my first day. She looked so similar to Joanna that I felt the need to be close to her, so I made sure that I would,” Ben admitted. That gave me my own line of questions for him.
“How did you make sure that you would be close to me, I mean Toni?” I asked as I leaned into the conversation.
“I influenced the main doctor to have her give me a tour. I just wanted to be close to her and ask her about Joanna.”
“Why?” Annie asked.
“I needed that part of me back. However, Antonia is nothing like Joanna, and I love her in a different way.” I blushed at Ben’s mention of love.
“What?” I asked.
“I love her.”
“What are your intentions with Toni?” Annie looked suspicious.
“To keep her safe.” Annie looked at me with a confused look on her face.
“You have told me the truth and no lies; back as you were without any surprise.” She released his hand and he opened his eyes.
“Are you satisfied, Annabelle?” He sipped the last of the blood in the glass.
“Yes.” Annie never took her eyes off me. I felt Ben’s love as he looked at me; I slowly turned my head to look his way as a tear formed in Annie’s right eye.
“Can you show us to our room? I need to speak to Antonia in private,” Ben said.
“Sure, come this way,” said Annie, who looked shocked. Ben grabbed our bags and we headed up the staircase to a small bedroom.
“There’s a bathroom across
the hall that has towels; let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be downstairs until daybreak.” Ben nodded as he closed the door.
I sat on the bed; Ben paced the floor. I looked up at him and smiled before he started talking. “I am sorry for not telling you that I knew Zelma,” Ben said, and I felt a flood of emotions.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy that everything worked out.”
Ben sat next to me on the bed. “Antonia, when we return to San Francisco, I want you to move in with me. You can stay in the first bedroom, but I need you close to me in order to protect you.”