Making Midlife Magic: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Forty Is Fabulous Book 1)

by Heloise Hull

  “What is he saying?” I asked, as the ghost began to flicker, just like Piero. Every time he appeared again, his mouth went wider and his eyes more frightened.

  “He’s confused—discombobulated. He doesn’t know how he got here or even how he died for that matter. He keeps wanting to go back to his camp and his commanding officer.”

  “What should we do?” I asked. “Lead him to the cemetery?”

  “Nonna will know how to help,” Rosemary said. “She’s the resident strega.”

  Before we could corral the Centurion, however, he disappeared. We tentatively spread out in a circle, calling out in Latin, but we didn’t find so much as a drop of drool.

  Coronis caught my arm. Her eyes were wide. “Darling, don’t say anything in front of Aurick. We don’t really know him—or what he wants.”

  “You think he has something to do with this?”

  “All I’m saying is that it’s odd. Suddenly he’s awake and all these ghosts appear.”

  “I have a better question,” Rosemary said. “Why are they all so scared?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  When I went to Italy to find myself Elizabeth Gilbert style, I didn’t think I’d actually find myself staying at a strega’s villa, sharing accommodations with a mouthwatering man who was quite possibly a vampire, and waiting on my two new supernatural friends so we could interrogate a siren at midnight in the middle of the ocean.

  Yet here I was.

  When I got back, Aurick was in his room and Nonna was rolling sun-dried tomato ravioli. She set me to work, harvesting the rest of the bug-eaten lettuce and kale from her dilapidated garden. I cut out the buggy parts, salvaging what I could because, apparently, we didn’t waste around here.

  “How was your first day, Mamma?”

  Chop, slice. “Pretty great. A lot to take in, but great.”

  “I told you. Everyone falls for Italy eventually. Now that you’ve settled in a bit, I wanted to show you what else I found at the cemetery.”

  I paused, feeling myself perk up at her words. “Really?”

  Nonna plopped the fresh ravioli into a boiling pot of salted water. Fresh Pomodoro sauce bubbled away on the back burner. “Yes. Go into that drawer.” She pointed at the bottom one near the hearth. “Pull out the tube, open it, and bring me the scroll.”

  I did as ordered, finding a brittle roll of parchment. It had red and black ink scrollwork and long, looping cursive letters. The moment my fingers touched it, whispers drifted up, and I almost dropped the scroll.

  “Careful, Mamma!”

  “Aye, sorry. But I think I heard it say something!”

  “That’s just its protections.”

  “Why does it need protections?”

  Nonna rinsed the lettuce and dried them in a tea towel before dousing them in lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh chunks of parmigiana cheese from her wedge. “Most witches have grimoires, right?”

  I shrugged. “I guess.”

  “I have Septimius Severus’s magic scrolls.”

  At the pregnant pause, we both stared at each other, the scrolls dripping curls of smoke onto the floor. “Is that a Harry Potter thing?” I finally asked.

  If looks could maim, I’d be without a finger.

  “Don’t be silly. Severus, the Roman emperor. He buried secret scrolls of magic in the tomb of Alexander the Great. Alexander’s tomb used to be a pilgrimage place before it was lost sometime in the fourth century during the riots and earthquakes in Alexandria. The scrolls were secreted away, meaning I had to obtain them much later.”

  “How do you lose a tomb?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Nonna said darkly.

  By now, Tiberius had smelled the food and wandered into the kitchen. I wondered where he went when he wasn’t mooching food off of Nonna. Or what good a familiar served besides witty banter.

  “I’m giving them to you to look over. For some reason, I haven’t been able to open them in decades, but you’re making me rethink all kinds of things. Maybe I can’t read them because they’re not mine anymore.”

  “Wow, that’s generous. But like Tiberius said, I’m not a witch, so I’m not sure why I would be able to access them.”

  Tiberius jumped on my shoulder and sniffed my hair. “What I said was that I wasn’t sure if you were a witch, and I stand by that.”

  “Being unsure?”

  Tiberius nipped at my ear.

  “Careful! I don’t have a rabies shot,” I protested.

  Nonna shooed him away. “You never know, Mamma. Something tells me they’re yours now.”

  I shrugged. It wasn’t the strangest thing to happen to me in the past forty-eight hours. Then I headed to my room to change and tuck the scrolls into my luggage.

  Although I knew I wanted to stay forever—and that was before attractive men started popping up all over town—I hadn’t unpacked. It seemed too presumptuous.

  Everything was happening at breakneck speed, and tonight would be another challenge. Just because Jim jumped into bed already with someone else didn’t mean I needed to, even if we hadn’t been together in, well, months. Or was it years?

  I sat on the homespun quilt and looked into the gilt mirror hanging over the dresser, trying to decide what to wear. If the little devil wanted to poof up and give me another pep talk, that would be great.

  I waited. Nothing happened. Maybe I had to be drunk.

  Finally, I got up and chose a simple pair of jeans and nice shirt. Nothing too fancy, but the jeans did show off my curves. I threw my dark hair into a half-ponytail and gave my lashes a few swipes of mascara. I had work to do tonight anyway. I bent closer and did a quick inspection of my face. Those damn chin hairs were back, and my eyebrows were even bushier, if that was possible.

  “I thought they were supposed to be thinning with age,” I muttered, going to grab my tweezers.

  My hair, too, felt fuller. More luxurious. I resisted a peek down below. There must be something to this Mediterranean diet. It had barely been a week and my hair and nails were noticeably longer—stronger even.

  Aurick was already seated when I came back out. I hated to admit it, but he certainly filled out a chair with his large frame. He wore a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt with a Scandinavian light jacket in moss green. His blonde hair was slicked back, and for some reason, it sent shivers down my belly. He’d taken time to dress with care.

  He got to his feet to pull out my chair, and I suddenly found myself wishing I could run back and swipe on some blush or lipstick.

  “Ava, you look wonderful.” He kissed the back of my hand, like some courtly gesture, and scooted me under the table. “Here, I opened a bottle of Chianti.”

  I accepted the stem, apparently mute now. Aurick gave me a long, lingering smile that actually made my face warm to the touch. He was smooth.

  It’s his magic, I reminded myself, although I had absolutely no idea if that was true.

  Whatever it was, Nonna broke the spell immediately by yelling at us to pour her a glass and try not to spill on her tablecloth. Aurick laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of ruining such fine material,” he said, motioning with his hand at the tattered, worn out tablecloth before us.

  We served ourselves helpings of hand-rolled ravioli and salad. Then I pulled out a few pieces of tiramisu that Rosemary had given me.

  Nonna sat back, smoking a pipe. Large rings of smoke drifted lazily to the ceiling as we digested our meal.

  “Have you gotten a hold of your twins yet?” she asked.

  “Not yet. I told them I’d call again tomorrow.”

  Aurick went to pour me another glass, but I waved him off. I’d need a clear head for Thessaly. “You have children?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said, glowing slightly at the thought of them. I hoped they weren’t out partying all night. “They’re hardly children anymore, though, sad as that is to admit. My boys are seventeen. They graduated a year early and went to college a few weeks ago.”

  “Good for them,
” Aurick said kindly. “Education is not to be squandered.”

  “Thank you.”

  Nonna’s eyes twitched. “Seventeen, you say?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, strong boys. Almost men.”

  Weird comment, but Nonna was a nutter. That, I knew. Nice, sweet, great cook, but a nutter.

  “Almost. They’ll always be my baby boys, though.” I’d always remember fondly the worm phase, the t-ball and ice cream phase, and their warm snuggles. Quickly, too quickly, it moved to the braces phase and girls phase and the “Can we have a phone, Mom?” phase. Jim always found ways to wiggle out of saying no directly to all their demands. I didn’t mind saying no. It was our jobs. What I minded was not being the one they went to when they needed a yes.

  Nonna’s clock chimed ten. I promised to meet the ladies at half past, so I stood up to do the dishes. Aurick’s chair scraped after mine. Suddenly, he was towering over me, his hands in the soapy sink. “Ava, please, I can take care of this.”

  Don’t swoon! You’re too mature for that.

  “I, uh, thanks,” I stuttered, unsure what to say when a man offered to do the dishes. “I better be getting to bed. Rosemary really has me working hard lately. I think she enjoys being a boss. Well, good night, Aurick.”

  Nonna pulled me aside as I attempted to make my escape. “You’re sneaking out,” she said matter of factly.

  I didn’t try to deny it. The truth was written all over my face.

  “What’s this about now?”

  I sighed. “Thessaly.”

  At Nonna’s hiss of dismay, I held up my hands. “She doesn’t deserve to be chained to that rock. We’re trying to figure out how to un-curse her.”

  Nonna eyed me fiercely. Tiberius, sensing he was summoned, jumped on her shoulder for a quiet pow-wow. “You feel it in your gut?” she finally asked. She made a fist and smacked it into her stomach twice. “You feel it right here?”

  I nodded. “I do.”

  “Good enough for me. I’ll distract Aurick for the rest of the evening.”

  “Although that’s really no hardship,” Tiberius said, and I officially had to scrub from my brain the idea that even a chipmunk found Aurick attractive.

  “Thanks, guys.”

  I went to my room, waited twenty minutes, and slipped out of my window like a teenager, thrilled at the escape. It made me feel young again. I used to break into houses at night when I was in between foster homes to steal food from their pantries. It felt safer than gas stations or grocery stores where cops sat waiting like fat spiders in the corner to take you to juvie. But a home? If—big if—an adult caught me, they’d see a scared teenage girl, small for her age with large eyes, holding a wad of bread and cheese. Some would slip me a few dollars, others ran me out. All of them called some type of authority, but by the time the cops or social workers got there, I was always long gone.

  I’d lost most of that edge once I’d met Jim. He hadn’t swept me off my feet, but he’d saved me from the life of a high school dropout, working full-time as a cocktail waitress. Love hadn’t been much of a factor. Not when you’re desperate.

  He’d offered stability, a home, a job. I took it, no questions asked. It was probably why I was so resentful after a few years. I hadn’t worked my way out of a hell-hole situation. I’d taken his charity, giving him children in exchange for a roof and food. It was one of the reasons I loved the bakery so much, because I was learning a trade. Even if I had to flee at some point, I could find work as a baker.

  The moonlight drew a path across the ocean through a grove of cypress trees and up to the villa. I could follow it all the way to Thessaly if I wanted. I began to wander away from the yard, deeper into the grove. An eerie caw echoed across the cliffs.

  “Coronis?” I called softly. “Rosemary?”

  Two huge winged creatures leapt from the nearby trees and landed next to me in the shadows. I recognized Coronis in her crow form immediately. Her glittering black eyes came up to my waist. Rosemary took a bit of getting used to.

  “Don’t scream, darling. It’s just me.”

  I swallowed my gasp, although my heart was still beating fast. From the neck up, she was Rosemary. Sweet, frizzy-haired, pink-cheeked Rosemary. From the neck down… she was a bird.

  “Good God, why are you both like that?”

  Coronis cawed once while Rosemary looked guiltily at the ocean. She still had her human head and could speak, but only said, “It’s easier.”

  Finally, it dawned on me. “Are you scared of Thessaly?”

  “She is a siren.”

  “And you are a harpy.”

  “Harpies are nowhere near as terrifying as sirens,” she protested. “Sirens lure men to their deaths. Harpies annoy you and steal your food.”

  “You don’t annoy me,” I told her seriously.

  “That was back in the old days.”

  “Okay, well I’ll meet you over there. I’ve got to swim. It’s that rock jutting out under the path of the moon.”

  “Darling, I can carry you. We also used to kidnap people for the Furies.”

  “Oh.”

  Rosemary spread her wings and jumped into the air. “Don’t worry. I’ve never kidnapped anyone against their will.”

  Coronis cawed and Rosemary shot her a look. “That doesn’t count.”

  Rosemary’s claws slipped down the back of my neck, and she lifted me by my shirt. Seconds later, we were airborne. I let out a squeak at the sudden ascension as she glided down the cliffs, my toes skimming the waters. In no time, we were on the rock, waiting.

  “Thessaly?” I called into the waves. “Are you here?”

  A movement disrupted the moon path, like a shark in the water. Rosemary’s claws dug deeper into my biceps, and I winced. “Rosey, dear, you’re hurting me.”

  The tension eased slightly. “Sorry. I thought it was the siren.”

  “It probably was. But it will be fine. I promise.” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Thessaly?” I called. “It’s Ava. I brought Rosemary and Coronis to see if they could help with our problem.”

  The waters around the rock began to ripple. An eerie, haunting music that sounded somewhat muted bubbled up from the deep. The current got stronger, and the two birds took to the sky while I climbed to the top of the rock.

  “Thessaly? We’re here to help! So you don’t have to drag me out of bed this time.”

  Suddenly, a water spout erupted and the beautiful siren shot out of it like the Little Mermaid. She threw her head back, her blue-green hair flinging water droplets on the three of us.

  I did a slow clap. Clap, clap, clap.

  Thessaly came down with the spout, cocking her head to the side. “Why are you clapping so slowly?” she asked, her melodious voice floating on the currents.

  “It’s a sarcastic clap. You know what? Never mind.”

  Thessaly put a finger under her chin. She paused, looking me up and down. “I see it’s happening.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “The curse. Nice hair, by the way.”

  Everyone stared at my hair. I patted it awkwardly.

  Coronis and Rosemary transformed back into women and stood on either side of me, their hands linked. Thessaly watched from the water, amused. Her chiton was silky white floating at the surface.

  “Is Ava not a MILF?” Coronis asked, glancing once at me.

  “She is not,” Thessaly confirmed.

  “What is she?”

  Thessaly smiled, one baring all teeth. “That truth she will find in the basilica. If Aradia lets her. Now have I proven myself? Have you come to rid me of this hideous curse?”

  Guilt flowed through me. “We’re trying. Honestly. But it’s hard to find anything useful.”

  Thessaly shuddered at the words, and water swelled around the rock. “I just gave you something useful. Trigger your powers and un-curse me if that’s what it takes!”

  “Trigger what now?”

  “Go to the basilica. St
op asking me,” Thessaly said.

  I moved higher, but my foot slipped on the soft algae and I began to fall. Coronis and Rosemary both dove to catch me, but Thessaly sprayed a plume of water and gently righted me.

  With a silent glare into each of our faces, she announced, “Help me, and I will save you from the evil stalking the island.”

  Then she was gone.

  “Well, she’s a confusing one,” Coronis announced.

  Rosemary nodded. “Demons.”

  I shivered in the sudden cold and shock of being wet at night. No matter how many times I yelled her name, Thessaly never returned.

  As Rosemary flew me back over the cliffs, I thought about the implications of Thessaly’s words. Evil on Aradia. Powers. Magic. Odd things had always happened around me, but did that really mean I had powers?

  “Do you believe her?” Coronis asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rosemary admitted. “She was lying about one thing.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t see how she could possibly save us if she’s no longer here.”

  We let that marinate as we said goodbye and trudged home. Well, I trudged through the cypress trees. They flew, those lucky birds.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It’d been another week and we were no closer to un-cursing Thessaly. Worse, every time I tried to enter the basilica, Aradia forcefully threw me on my ass.

  Coronis and Rosemary took turns going in to read the ancient manuscripts and transcribe them from memory, but it was tedious and slow since there seemed to be a barrier to taking anything out as well. As a result, we were no closer to figuring out the basilica’s secrets and if it held the truth to who I was.

  Hopefully it wasn’t something embarrassing, like a cockroach shifter. If that was a thing. Although, I’d bet cockroach shifters didn’t die easily.

  “I had no idea this island held so many mysteries,” Rosemary lamented into her espresso martini.

  “Me neither,” said Coronis. “I can’t decide if I’m elated or terrified.”