Moonlight Burns

by Meredith Medina

  “You’re… you’re…” Maia looked at me frantically, trying to put the pieces together. “But why are you here? What…”

  Oh, goddess. This was way more painful than I had expected.

  “Let me explain this really quickly. Eli and I are… well.” Okay, maybe it wasn’t an easy explanation. I took a deep breath. “Eli and I are dating, and he kind of lives here. I got Lacey her job at Spiral because the owner owes me a few favors. Got it?”

  I was terrible at explaining shit. This was why it was better when I was alone… no explaining, and Suki didn’t ask any questions. Well, she asked less complicated questions.

  “Uhhh… did we interrupt something?” Lacey’s powers of observation continued to serve her well. I should really remember to ask Eli when the good Laudan powers would kick in an help her out a little.

  “Nothing, it’s nothing. Ophelia was just trying to get me to meditate and stuff…” Maia stammered, her eyes still fixed on Eli.

  “Nothing? Girl, I don’t know if you realized, but your hand was on fire. It was blue! That’s so cool. Fee’s is purple, I wonder if you’ve all got different colored magic. What color do you think mine would be, Suki?” Lacey scooped up the cat and carried her like a baby into the living room, tickling her stomach with her fingers while Suki purred loudly. I shook my head and looked at Maia, frozen in place.

  “Maia, pick up your chair.” I said quietly. The girl hesitated for just a second and then leapt to pick up her chair and set it at the table again.

  She sidled over to me, her hands clenched at her sides. “So… it Eli a… is he like you? Like us? Because that would be really—“

  “Impossible. Really impossible. There’s a reason we’re called Daughters of Hecate. The goddess is childless, a virgin goddess, so she bestowed her powers on mortal women. Women who could carry on her legacy through their daughters. Eli is…”

  “Something different,” he said with a smile. I shot him a look that I hoped he would take as a sign to keep his mouth shut about what he was. I wasn’t quite ready for Maia to freak out about that just yet. Especially since we were leaving for Spain sooner than I cared to think about.

  “Sorry to interrupt your lessons, but I had to talk to you. Lacey tells me that you’re going on a little trip,” Eli said. He sat in the chair that Maia had just righted and propped his boots up on the edge of the table as I glared at him.

  “We are!” Maia said excitedly. “We’re going to Spain… Santiago de Compostela.”

  I groaned inwardly. So much for not telling Eli everything.

  “Really? Lacey said you were going to Florida.”

  “Sorry!” Lacey shouted from the living room.

  Fantastic.

  “Why would she say we’re going to Florida?” Maia asked me quietly.

  “Go help Lacey pack. She’s got three suitcases going right now, and she’s only allowed to bring one. A small one. Go help her edit,” I said, shooing Maia away. She left reluctantly, and I knew she wanted to talk at Eli. There would be time for that later.

  “How much does she know?” Eli asked quietly, tilting his head in Maia’s direction.

  “She knows what she is, but she doesn’t know anything about Lacey, or you… and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible. It was hard enough for me to get her to believe that she was in danger.” I sat heavily on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted.

  “I find it hard to believe that you would ever be in danger, Ophelia.”

  I’m not. It’s her. She’s all alone, and her powers have just started to manifest in a real way… not just in an ‘oops did I do that?’ kind of way. It’s scary, and disorienting when you don’t have anyone to help you through it. And to top it all off, she’s like candy to those Malleus assholes. I have to stop it.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  I stared at him for a minute, wondering if he was trying to rile me up on purpose. But he looked genuinely confused. Lacey really hadn’t told him anything. That was new.

  “I have a name, and a location… we’re going to cut off the head of this particular snake. That means no more of these idiots hunting us and making life more difficult than it already is.”

  “Right.” Eli took a toothpick out of his pocket and slid it between his teeth. I hated it when he did that. But it was better than his cigarettes. “You can’t take Lacey with you, you know that right?”

  I blinked at him. “What do you mean I can’t take her? I have to take her. She’s coming with us.” There was no way I was leaving Lacey here. No way in hell.

  “Bishop would never allow it. Laudan’s don’t travel out of the country without his express permission.”

  “That’s bullshit!” I said as quietly as possible. “What the fuck is that about?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t make the rules, Bishop does. But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because he has to get the permission of the other clans for her to hunt there. She will be hunting. You can’t pretend she won’t be.”

  I grimaced and leaned back against the couch cushions.

  “You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

  I nodded grimly.

  “Well, I could cover for you. Bishop doesn’t have to know until you’re on your way back, right? You’ll only be gone for a few days.”

  I launched myself off the couch and into his arms before he could properly react, and his boots clattered off the table, his heels hitting the floor with a crash.

  “Do you mean it?” I asked quietly, my hot cheek pressed against his cold one. “I’ll only say something if he asks.”

  I kissed him quickly and untangled myself from his arms. “Thank you. I promise I’ll bring her back in one piece.”

  “You’d better. You’ll have to keep a close eye on her while you’re abroad. Being close to the elder clans can be a little dicey… and I don’t know how she’ll handle it.” Eli’s tone was full of concern, and I looked at him carefully.

  “Elder clans? Don’t tell me I have to deal with more of that Blood Outlaw shit… I’ve had enough of that bullshit.”

  “If you keep a close eye on Lacey, you won’t have to worry about it. Everything will be fine, just… don’t let her go wandering, okay?”

  “Fine. I won’t let her go wandering.” I gestured towards the living room, where I knew Maia was sneaking glances our way. I could feel it. Her curiosity; and even a little twinge of jealousy. Silly rabbit. “Go talk to Maia. She’s a big fan. I’m sure she has some wonderful things to say about the new album. I know you can’t get enough of that shit.”

  Eli got up from his chair and planted a firm kiss on my forehead. “You’re right.” He flashed me a smile, showing his sharpened teeth. I couldn’t help the way my stomach flipped when he did that. Show off.

  * * *

  By the time I went to bed, Lacey had narrowed down her wardrobe to one and a half suitcases and Maia and Eli were sitting out on the fire escape smoking and talking about music. I knew that Eli could talk until dawn, and Maia seemed to be perfectly happy being a night owl. If she’d been the kind of teenager who had any kind of respect for proper sleeping hours it would have been impossible to keep Lacey’s secret. Lucky me.

  * * *

  ***

  My alarm went off just as Lacey was pulling the blackout curtains closed and I groaned as I turned it off. Suki jumped off my chest as I rolled over, stretching languidly on the floor before trotting over to rub against Lacey’s legs.

  “Don’t be so grumpy, Fee. You’ll be able to sleep on the plane.” Lacey chirped, smiling brightly as she arranged the curtains to cover every inch of the windows. She leaned out to the fire escape, “Come on your guys, it’s really late and Fee’s just getting up for work. Bedtime.” She pulled her head back through the window to look at me briefly before turning back to the curtains that surrounded her bed. “They’ve been talking all night. You’d think he was someone famous or something. Ridiculous.”

  I swung my legs ov
er the edge of the bed and chuckled. She would never believe me if I tried to explain that Eli actually was kind of a big deal. I didn’t have the energy.

  Lacey shook her head at Maia’s misplaced hero worship and then pointed at the suitcase at her feet. Suki sat on top of it and fixed me with her golden glare. She knew something was up. “Look! I’ve got it down to one!” Lacey exclaimed proudly. I eyeballed the smaller bag next to it and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, okay! One and a bit. Can I bring the little one as a carry on? Pleeeeeease? I’ll put it under my seat and I won’t whine about not having any legroom, pleeeease?”

  I shook my head and stood up. “Fine. Bring the little one too, but if I hear anything about your legs being cramped during the flight, I’ll stuff you in the overhead bin.”

  Lacey clapped her hands gleefully. “Have I told you today that you’re the best? Because you’re the bestest ever, Fee. This is going to be so great, I’m so excited!”

  “Lacey… you do remember why we’re doing this, right? It’s serious. We aren’t taking a fucking vacation.” It was way too early for this. Wayyy too early.

  “Of course I do! I just think we’ll have some time to stop at some tourist spots and take some photos… I mean, we should have time to do that, right?” Lacey looked as though she was on the verge of a pout, and I threw up my hands in frustration.

  “Fine. Whatever. If we somehow manage to survive this trip and still have some time left before our flight, I promise I’ll take you nightseeing.”

  “Nightseeing?”

  “Obviously. We won’t be going at lunchtime, now will we?”

  Lacey paused for a minute, and then burst out laughing. “No, definitely not.”

  “Eli told me that I need to watch you while we’re overseas. Promise me that you won’t do anything crazy, okay?” I still wasn’t quite sure what Eli’s vague warning had meant, but I was cautious enough to cover my ass.

  “Crazy?” Lacey blinked at me curiously. “Define crazy, because I definitely plan on shopping and taking selfies whenever possible.”

  “Just… stay close to me, all right? Can you do that? I don’t need to babysit you and Maia. I need you to help me keep her safe. There’s no telling what’s waiting for us there.”

  Lacey nodded gravely, “Of course. I’ll do my best not to be a burden.”

  “You’re not a burden,” I sighed and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “I just don’t want you getting into trouble either. I have a feeling we’re walking into…”

  “A trap?”

  I grimaced, “I hope not. I hope it’s nothing. I hope it’s just a bunch of dirty guys in a basement.”

  “Ew… really?”

  “You get my point.” Maia tumbled through the window, her toe catching on the ledge as she stepped into the living room. She sprawled on the floor, her face reddening as Eli folded his long frame through the window. He smiled down at her briefly before helping her scramble to her feet. They smelled like cigarettes, and Maia’s eyes were shining and wide. Hero worship was a helluva drug, and Eli had a way of talking to you, a way of listening that made you feel as though you were the only person in the entire world whose opinion he cared about.

  I wondered if he’d been half as charming before he’d been turned. I pushed Maia gently towards the couch, “I have to go to work. We’re flying out in less than twelve hours and you should all get some goddamn sleep. Be packed and ready to go, I’ll be coming here with a cab, and we’re going straight to the airport.”

  Lacey clapped her hands excitedly and bounded through her curtains and into her bed. Suki jumped up on the couch next to Maia and stepped into her lap, her tail curling against the young witch’s shoulder.

  Everything would be fine. I had to keep telling myself that. Maia’s discovery of Doña Urraca de Leon had unsettled me more than I wanted to admit. I had been thinking about her a lot in the last few days, this warrior queen who had been burnt alive by her people. There was no doubt in my mind that she was one of the Daughters. But why were the Malleus using her name, and if it was all just a coincidence (not fucking likely) who was behind their orders?

  I grabbed my coat and closed the apartment door behind me carefully. What the hell had happened to me in the last year? What the fuck was I doing? After 330-ish years alone I was making friends, teaching a new witch how to use her powers when I hadn’t had a proper lesson in almost 320 years, and flying overseas to put a stop to something that didn’t even concern me? Ophelia of a year ago would have just put more protection spells over her apartment and pretended that nothing was going on.

  If it doesn’t affect me, what the fuck should I care, right?

  But this felt personal. The Malleus had hunted me for years, and I knew how to avoid them. But they’d killed so many Daughters, lit so many fires, and ruined so many lives. How could I let this go on? If Maia and I were the only ones left, they would never stop hunting us, and I couldn’t let her live in that world.

  Predictably, getting to the airport and through security was the worst part of our journey. Despite her assurances that she was all packed and ready to go, when I arrived with the taxi, she wasn’t fucking ready at all. While Maia dragged Lacey and her gear out of the apartment building, I ran upstairs to make sure that Suki had fresh food and water, and that the note I’d written for Eli about watering the plants and feeding her was somewhere prominent.

  “We won’t be gone long. I promise that if he forgets to feed you, I’m going to kill him again,” I muttered to Suki, cuddling her close to my chest.

  “Hopefully it won’t come to that, although I’d like to see you try.” Eli was sitting on the window ledge, smoking.

  “Smoke that shit outside, you asshole. I have to go. This place better be immaculate when I get back. That means no parties, no groupies and no eating.” They were old rules, but ones I felt like I had to reiterate every five years or so.

  “Promises were made to be broken,” he quipped, taking a drag on his cigarette.

  “You’re gross, I have to go. I’ll see you in a few days. Remember, not a word to Bishop. I can’t deal with any Laudan bullshit right now. If he finds out, I’ll apologize to him, or whatever other penance I have to do when I get back. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, right?”

  “I’m not sure that’s the right attitude when it comes to Bishop, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

  He could be such a cryptic bastard, and I always wondered if he knew how infuriating he could be. Did he know more than he let on? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, infuriating.

  “I’ll text you from the airport.” I hugged Suki tightly and set her down on my bed. She jumped down and followed me to the door, clearly not ready to let me go just yet. “I’ll be back soon,” I whispered, reaching down to scratch the top of her head lightly.

  “Keep an eye on Lacey.”

  “I already said I would!” I shouted, flinging open the apartment door and slamming it shut behind me.

  * * *

  We breezed through security, which was no easy feat at the most innocuous of travel times, but for some reason, everything went according to whatever plans I’d tentatively made in my head. Lacey and Maia followed the script and answers I’d given them when the customs official questioned us, Lacey kept her lavender tinted glasses on at all times, and Maia was quiet and reflective. I knew that she was nervous, I could feel it coming off her in waves, and I tried my best to reach out and calm her with my own power.

  I wanted to talk to her about what she’d been thinking and feeling when that blue flame had erupted from her hand. I knew how I had felt as a young girl when my mother had helped me pull the power from my veins and my magic had first manifested in a crackling burst of purple smoke and lightning.

  I had been terrified, transfixed…, and entranced. Humbled and horrified that this power existed inside me, that it was running through my veins and filtering my blood and causing my heart to beat and my hair to grow. It was strange and wonderful and com
pletely fucked up. Maia was probably feeling something very similar, and while I’d had someone to talk to about it… three someone’s who had all experienced the same thing. Maia only had me, and I wasn’t the greatest communicator.

  Not that I wanted to talk on the flight, talking about how she’d felt about her experience with that blue flame wasn’t exactly the best topic for public conversation. And I didn’t like the look of the elderly couple seated in front of us. We also spent the nine-hour flight separated by Lacey, who had to sit in the middle seat. She was the smallest anyway, and thankfully, she’d remembered what I’d told her about whining about having no legroom. Maia watched old movies and ignored us, but with every bump of the plane and every small patch of turbulence, I saw her go pale and clutch the armrest with a white-knuckle grip. So much for trying to keep her calm. As long as she could keep herself under control enough to keep her magic from sneaking out, that would be ideal. The last thing we needed was a magical tantrum at ten thousand feet.

  I just wished that Lacey would stop watching vampire movies.

  “I don’t know if I ever want to fly ever again…” Maia wasn’t looking too good. Lacey had spent the layover in Madrid pretending to sleep under a blanket, but now that the sun had set, she was full of energy again.

  “Don’t be silly, how do you plan to get back to New York?” she chirped, setting her bags down on the edge of the train platform.

  “I haven’t figured that out yet,” Maia muttered as she flung herself down on a nearby bench and moaned pitifully.

  “She’s just being dramatic, Fee. It wasn’t that bad,” Lacey said quietly, pulling a fan out of her bag and opening it carefully. “But it’s really hot…”

  “We’re in Spain; Lacey… of course it’s hot. I don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon.”

  We’d come through the last leg of our journey just as easily as we’d begun it, and while Lacey seemed to be pleased with this fact, I couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled. Travel never went smoothly… ever. Even the shortest journeys I’d taken always come with a few hiccups. But not this one; and considering just how much could have gone horrifyingly wrong, I was stunned at how simple everything had been. I was definitely uncomfortable with that.