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

by Heloise Hull

  Thoth.

  “What am I supposed to do?” I muttered, walking around the slab. His eyes were closed, but if I bent closely, I could see his eyeballs moving underneath. Just like the vision. He was trying to wake up. I had the feeling he’d been trying to wake up for thousands of years. A wash of emotions flooded me.

  A dying god, preserved on the island.

  War, loss, death. More to come.

  Twisting heartbreak. Anger. All-consuming, all-encompassing.

  I wrenched back. Were those his thoughts? Or did they belong to the Wandering Goddess? Smoke and debris had covered a field of bodies. Thoth blamed someone. He was waiting for something, too.

  With one look, I knew I did not want him awake. Coronis was right about the gods. They were too vengeful and much too dangerous for our world.

  Panic began to rise in my chest. I was worried my presence would somehow pull him from his sleep. And then what? I had to fight an undead god? No thank you. The hieroglyphs caught my eye. They were shifting on his skin. Dissolving into different shapes and rearranging themselves into more intricate patterns. I had no idea what they said, and no way to find out. My fingers itched to trace them. It was more like a compulsion.

  With nothing else to go on, I stretched out—and immediately was thrown against the crypt’s stone walls. Chunks of rock rained down on me as a halo of brilliant white light blasted through the chamber.

  Once again, I collapsed to my knees, and Marco’s fur slid from my shoulders. “No!” I lunged for it, but a blue light arced from Thoth’s chest toward the only living thing in the chamber. Me.

  It lanced inside, and I went spread-eagle; the darkness surrounded my senses like I was under a cold, black sea. When I tried to scream, it came out gurgled and impotent.

  My nerves felt exposed and fried as the surge continued. It crackled out through my limbs, igniting my senses. A force began to build in the center of my chest. I couldn’t tell how long it lasted, only that it was over when I opened my eyes and found myself heaving on the ground. Every breath felt precious and hard-won.

  Then I remembered.

  Thoth.

  I jumped to my feet, wobbly and unsteady, as if I’d paid extra to have that Slavic gym trainer kick my butt all over again. I’d gone to her a few years ago in an attempt to get my pre-twins body back. While she was terrifying, I’d take her “plank, you little fool!” over this feeling any day.

  Was he awake? Was he going to kill me?

  But Thoth was still asleep, his eyes spinning erratically in their sockets.

  I tried taking a few steps, but my lightheadedness threatened to pull me under again. I cursed whatever this was. Was it power? Because it felt more like ineptitude.

  Although, if I concentrated, I could almost trace the path of my veins and feel the blood pulsing in them. It felt frenetic. Chaotic energy throbbed across the surface of my skin and hummed in my head. I couldn’t even begin to understand it, let alone access it, but it didn’t matter. Right now, I needed to get out. I couldn’t stand one more minute by Thoth.

  With painfully slow movements, I slid across the cold stone floor, working my way through the tunnel with frequent stops for rest. I had to drag Marco’s hide behind me, and it left tufts of fur in my wake.

  Finally, the air began to taste cleaner, and I could smell incense above me. I was close. It took all of my energy to pull myself through the tiny door, up the stairs of the crypt, and down the row of pews.

  Coronis and Rosemary stood at the entrance, banging against an invisible wall that prevented them from entering. Their faces were torn with concern, and my heart surged.

  “What happened?” they asked in unison, as I staggered out.

  “I’m fine,” I promised, lying only a little so they wouldn’t worry. “Just woozy.”

  They hooked me under my arms and pulled me into the evening sun to sit on the steps. “We heard an explosion and the basilica shook, but we couldn’t get in.”

  “Something happened,” I said, “but I have no idea what.”

  Coronis took my pulse and checked me over for burns or contusions. “You don’t know if your powers were awakened?”

  “I think they were, but I don’t know what it means. All I know is that my senses feel heightened.”

  Now that I was outside, I realized I had a pounding headache, as if the intensity of the sounds and smells around me were more than my mind could bear. It also felt as if sand had replaced my blood. Lifting my arms suddenly became an Olympic sport. I was bone-weary and overwhelmed. All I wanted was my bed and a bottle of aspirin.

  Coronis sensed my pain. “There, there. Let me relieve some of the pressure.” Her cool fingers felt like a balm on my fiery skin.

  “Thank you,” I told her gratefully. “Did you know there’s someone down there?”

  They both jumped at that.

  “Not just someone, either. A god. Thoth.”

  “Are you quite sure, Ava?”

  I ran my fingers over my arm. “He had hieroglyphs all over his body. They changed. He lay so still and silent, but his eyes were moving despite being shut.”

  “But why do you think he’s a god?” Coronis asked.

  “Gut feeling,” I said. It was true. In my gut, I knew he was the god that threatened the Wandering Goddess. “He’s waiting for something. Or he’s trapped. I’m not really sure.”

  Rosemary helped me to my feet. “Oh, dear. I don’t like this at all.”

  “Me neither,” Coronis said. “But thankfully he’s still unconscious. We’ll continue monitoring the basilica to make sure no one accidentally wakes him up.”

  “Good idea,” I said. “And now, apparently, I have to get ready for a date.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Luca picked me up at precisely eight p.m. If he’d arrived a few minutes earlier, he would have witnessed my mad dash to take a shower, tame my hair, and apply my makeup in a way that covered my bruises without making me look like a hooker.

  My hair had become a routine in and of itself these days. Honestly, it was getting a little out of control. I still had no idea what it meant. What did being really hairy have to do with powers? Maybe I was some type of animal, like Marco. Maybe that’s why I got along so well with Rosemary and Coronis. As for powers? If falling asleep at the speed of sound was one, then yeah, I had powers.

  “Bocca al lupo,” Tiberius whispered as he slipped away.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It’s Italian for good luck. Like break a leg, but it means ‘in the mouth of a wolf’. You’re supposed to say crepi back.”

  “Crepi. What’s that mean?”

  “Let it die.”

  I did a double-take as Luca knocked on the door three times. “You guys are dark.”

  Tiberius shrugged, his whiskers twitching excitedly, and gestured a paw at the door. I hurried to open it, saying a prayer under my breath: Please let my unknown and potentially uncontrollable powers stay put during this date. Not that I believed I was that powerful, but the last thing I needed was to turn into a giant ostrich during dinner.

  Luca stood outside wearing a linen charcoal suit and holding a single pink flower. He extended it toward me, which I found sweet. Luca didn’t need flashiness.

  “Thank you,” I breathed in its perfume. “That’s very thoughtful.”

  “I’m a little out of practice, but its beauty was nearly unrivaled,” Luca said in his deep baritone, which was when my insides turned into a warm, fluttering mess.

  I grabbed a light jacket and my purse and called to the kitchen, “Nonna, I’ll be back later.”

  Aurick poked his head around the corner. “Ah, Ava. Have a good time. I’ll see you at breakfast.” To Luca, he gave a curt nod.

  Luca advanced a step, his hand extended. They shook, but I could see their knuckles whitening as the handshake lasted a little longer than strictly necessary, each one taking in the other’s measure. While Luca was tall, Aurick still towered over him. Yet, where Auri
ck was lean and light, Luca’s dark frame was swathed in muscles and stubble.

  I glanced between the two men. Two perfect models of the male species. What woman wouldn’t be a little giddy? I had no remorse. “Of course, Aurick. I’m sure Luca is the perfect gentleman.”

  Luca, for his part, remained unruffled. He held the door for me and helped me with my helmet again, his fingers softly touching the underside of my chin as he clicked it into place. I twirled the flower into a button hook on my purse and resisted the urge to glance back at the villa’s windows to see if Aurick was watching.

  I succeeded, but barely.

  Luca slung a leg over his own Vespa, like he was straddling a Harley. It was as hot as his hard-earned wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. “To town?” he asked.

  I nodded and we were off. If you had told me a month ago, as I made yet another dinner salad to go with pasta and red sauce, that I’d be headed for divorce, going on a date with a hunky Italian man, and living in a villa with an ancient crone, I would have choked on a crouton and died laughing. Thankfully that didn’t happen so I could enjoy this.

  It felt like the world was opening up to me. Finally, I could choose my own destiny. There was no denying that I had felt mostly alone in my old life, especially when the twins grew older and made their own friends. Here, I was submersed in new people and new possibilities. That alone was worth the price of admission.

  Once we arrived in town, we parked our rides in front of Marco’s taverna. “Would you like to walk a little before dinner?” Luca asked. “I always find it helps with my appetite.”

  “Sure. Why not?” I said, praying nothing weird would happen, like attracting a hive of bees.

  The square was quietly busy. Plenty of people went about their business, grabbing sandwiches, which I found out were calf’s liver, and bottles of wine from Marco for their own family dinners. There was a butcher’s shop and a cheesemonger that I hadn’t visited yet, and a shop dedicated to honey.

  “What’s your stance on pigeons?” I asked as we watched the birds take flight, cooing their songs against a rosy, sun-drenched backdrop.

  Luca raised an eyebrow. “Pigeons?”

  “You know. Avian masters of the sky or rats with wings? It’s a very important debate that can reveal a lot about a person.”

  “This feels like a trap.”

  “I’ll go first if it helps. They’re beautifully misunderstood creatures that delivered messages during World War II. Now you go. Don’t make a mistake.” I smiled and poked him in the ribs with an elbow.

  “Ah. So, saying they’re a public health hazard is probably not what you’re looking for.”

  “To each his own.” I had a sudden surge of longing for home. My boys loved history. They used to enjoy dragging us to museums, as if they were the parents. The natural history museum with dinosaur bones was their favorite, but a good medieval knight and armory exhibit always lit up their eyes, too.

  Luca sensed the change. He stopped in front of Marco’s taverna and faced me with scrunched eyebrows. “What’s the matter, Ava?”

  I tried waving it away and steeling myself. This was my first date in decades. Even if Luca wasn’t marriage material and even if I didn’t plan on going on a second, I still wanted to enjoy my first. “I just miss my boys. So, what do you think Marco is serving tonight? I adore his pasta.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What exactly am I doing?” Anger riled within, waking the sleeping beast of magic. It lifted its head to sniff the air and decide what to do.

  “Pretending you’re fine when you’re obviously not.”

  And just like that, the beast wound down, putting its head between its paws. Luca was unexpected, like a dark chocolate truffle with layers of nougat and cream inside. Something I’d like to savor.

  “Would you like to try calling again? It’s still early afternoon in the States.”

  “Honestly, it’s okay. I can try tomorrow,” I said, half-heartedly. Yes, yes I did want to call them.

  “Let’s go up to my apartment.” He looked sideways at me. “Sorry, that sounded like an indecent proposition. I only meant to use the phone.”

  I patted his pleasantly firm bicep. “It’s fine. I knew what you meant. To be honest, I would love that. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

  When we arrived at his apartment, Luca took my jacket and purse as I went to dial, anticipation surging through my whole body. For some reason, I knew this time would work.

  I drummed my fingers on Luca’s wooden table to release some of the tension. And then my heart jumped out of my throat when I heard their voices, only to be replaced by disappointment.

  “You’ve reached Josh and Jacob Longsworth.”

  I began to leave another short message about missing and loving them when the line clicked to life.

  “Mom?”

  I almost dropped the phone I was so excited. “Josh? Oh my God, Josh!” It was a tsunami. I started bawling at that one precious word. Mom.

  “Mom? What’s wrong?” Josh asked, alarmed. “We’ve been trying to call you back, but your phone never works.” He was always my sweet snuggler. I used to have to talk him into going to kindergarten by giving him kisses on his palms and putting them in his pockets. “That way, you can pull out a kiss whenever you need it,” I told the sniffling little boy. And now he was a man. A man who didn’t need me anymore. Thank God he had to call me his mom forever.

  “Nothing.” I choked up my tears, trying to pat my cheeks dry so my makeup wouldn’t run. “I don’t get service here, but I miss you. I have a million questions, but we probably shouldn’t talk long. I doubt the island has an international plan.”

  “Are you seriously in Italy?” he asked. “Hang on, Jacob’s here.”

  I heard shuffling as they put the phone between them. “Hey, Mom!”

  “Jacob, I miss you both so much! Yes, I’m in Italy. I don’t know if you’ve spoken to your father or not?”

  Jacob snorted. “He sent us a text message to let us know you were getting divorced. He even put an emoji. It was the one with a freezing, blue face covered in ice to describe you.”

  “When we texted him back,” Josh added, “saying he needed to fix things with you, he told us he had already moved on.”

  Anger buzzed at my fingertips again. I suppressed it as best I could. The last thing I needed was to blow up Luca’s apartment or fry the islanders only source of communication to the outside world. “I’m sorry you had to hear it that way, but everything will be fine. Your college tuition will not be touched, and I’m enjoying a little vacation. Aradia is a small island off the coast of Italy, and boys, you will love it! What do you think about flying here for Thanksgiving break? As long as you don’t have exams that week.”

  “That sounds awesome,” Josh said. “We don’t have a home to go back to anyway.”

  “Of course, you do,” I said.

  “No way,” they replied in unison.

  “I understand you’re mad. I am too, but he’s still your father.”

  “I don’t know why you stayed with Dad as long as you did,” Jacob said.

  I rubbed my temple with my free hand. “Marriage is… complicated.”

  Jacob snorted. “Not really. You love each other or you don’t, the end.”

  Oh, sweet, naïve boy. Never change. “Well, don’t worry about anything. I promise it will be fine. Now tell me how classes are going? Do you like them? Have you decided on a major?”

  We talked for a few more minutes about dorm life. Mundane instances of schedules and communal showers made me feel like I was part of their lives, even if deep down, I was still fuming at Jim.

  When I hung up, I saw Luca watching me over a steaming mug of something. He handed me a second one. “Tea?”

  “Sure.” I let the warmth seep into my palms and heal me little by little.

  “You are a great mother,” Luca told me solemnly.

  “Thank you. It doesn’t always feel that way in th
e moment. In fact, it feels more like I’m messing everything up, and it’s the highest stakes game of my life, because when I mess up, it affects these two precious little lives that had no say in being born.”

  “I’m sure they are fine, young men. They must be to worry about their mother.”

  “Thank you,” I said again, and I meant it.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the potted plant near the landline. Where it had once been brown and dying, it was now vibrant, even glowing, with new vines and leaves unfurling in front of me. Oh no! I must have done something to it when I got upset.

  I slid in front of it so Luca wouldn’t notice, my panic expanding as quickly as the plant vines. Was that my new super power? Sprucing up plants?

  Desperately, I looked around for a distraction. “Oh, what’s that?” I asked, pointing to a glass jar half-hidden behind a pile of books on a shelf. From what I could see, it had moss growing on its lid and something sparkling on the inside.

  Luca leapt up and covered it with an apologetic look. “Ah, that’s my wife’s. I didn’t realize it was out.”

  Tenderness stabbed through me. “Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea. It’s just so magical.” I noticed he used the present tense, like he truly couldn’t let her die.

  Luca came closer, putting his rough, calloused hand on my cheek. He tilted my chin up to meet his. “It is I who am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty. In fact, that’s the furthest thing from my desires.”

  When Luca leaned down, I felt that moment of suspension—like the one before a fall where your body dreads and anticipates the feeling all in the same hot swoop. Then his lips were on mine, and I found myself wanting to kiss him back. My arms went around his neck as his hands slid into my hair, deepening the kiss. The butterflies in my stomach took flight with fully furled wings, flapping insistently as my heart thudded against my chest. Luca’s kisses became stronger, more persistent, and I felt as if I’d never been properly kissed before.