by Heloise Hull
Even Aurick looked worried. “Coronis healed you as best she could, but your back was burned pretty badly. How do you feel?” he asked.
It was then that I felt that rubbery feeling of a half-healed burn covering a third of my back. I winced as I moved. Everything hurt. “Like a crumpled aluminum can that’s been continuously rolled over on the freeway.”
Aurick smiled. “At least you kept your sense of humor.”
I’d noticed around my mid-thirties that when I woke up, my joints hurt until I cracked them. Fingers first, then wrists and ankles. Once I’d swung my legs over my bed and stood, I’d lean on each leg and crack my hips. Jim thought it was loud and weird, but I couldn’t start my day otherwise. I had a feeling my entire body was going to be one big painful joint that needed cracking if I got out of bed now.
“That must have been some magic,” he continued, an eyebrow raised.
“Must have,” Coronis spoke for me as I gaped, still feeling woozy and out of it. Memories of my life as the She-Wolf had assaulted me, making my sleep feel less than restorative.
“Aurick, why don’t we go into town and tell Rosemary the good news? We’ll grab an espresso. Darling?” Coronis turned to me. “Would you like me to bring you back anything?”
Nonna patted my arm, her cold, veiny hands feeling strangely comforting. “I’ve got everything she needs. You two go tell Rosemary the good news.”
Sunlight filtered in dappled golds across Nonna’s handmade bedspread. She’d refilled my vase with wildflowers and left a glass of water next to my bed. I gulped it down, my tongue feeling like I’d licked Thessaly’s rock. “What happened?” I asked faintly.
“You funneled god magic, Mamma.” Nonna tutted, tucking the sheets in more firmly around me.
“I did?”
“Sì, you silly thing. But you survived.”
“And Thessaly?”
“Sleeping in the spare bedroom.”
I wanted to go talk to her, but I could barely grip the glass cup without dropping it. “Is she okay?”
“Sì. Don’t worry. Just relax.”
I nodded slowly, then bolted up. “My boys! Did Coronis put a protection spell on them?”
Nonna patted my hand. “They are safe. Do not worry about them. I saw to it myself, astral projecting to their location.” Her eyes glowed for a moment, then she laughed. “They are quite messy, your boys. Pizza boxes all over. They even made a chair out of them!”
I laughed with her. That sounded about right. The beating of my heart slowed, and I drifted back to sleep.
The next time I woke, it was dark outside, and the clock next to my bed said five a.m. I could have slept longer, but a series of questions had pulled me from my sleep. What had happened to the She-Wolf for those seven-hundred-years? What had she done? Where had she gone? More fundamentally, who was I then and why did I keep coming back cursed? And something else, a bit more subversive. If I’d broken Thessaly’s god curse, could I break my own? Would I even want to?
There were too many threads to follow and implications to consider. If I broke my curse—big if—would that turn me back into a simple wolf? What would that mean for my boys? Would they cease to exist?
Tentatively, I rolled my wrists, testing my strength. Everything still hurt, but it didn’t make me want to spend the day unconscious. It was my normal morning pain, turned up to an eleven. Like after a night puking with the flu. I swung my legs over and completed my ritual. It was why I’d turned to yoga a few years ago. It got the blood moving and the joints popping in the morning.
After a quick vinyasa flow, I threw on a silk house robe and went to find Thessaly. Talking to her was more important than espresso. Yes, even espresso.
I crept around the villa like an intruder, hoping to catch her alone. The third bedroom was in the attic, and the creak of the treads sounded like gunshots to my ears as I climbed. Finally, I reached her room and knocked softly. “Thessaly? It’s Ava. Can I come in?”
Without waiting for a response, I slipped inside and found the ex-siren with one leg slung over the window sill. She turned around, a guilty look on her face. “Ava.”
I crossed my arms in full mom mode again. “Were you always planning on escaping or just when you heard my voice?”
Thessaly slowly hauled herself back into the room. Even though she didn’t answer, I knew it was the latter because she was only wearing Nonna’s complimentary Villa Venus robe, her chiton still clutched in her hands. She smoothed it over a rocking chair.
“Ava, I’m glad you’re alive.”
“Same, although I wish it didn’t hurt so much to be in the land of the living.”
“A small price to pay for the truth.”
Before she could evade me, I blurted, “Are you a siren still?”
“Yes. I’m a siren. I still have my powers, but they are no longer tied to that rock. I am free to go, to move, to live. I will wither and die in time.”
“You’re no longer immortal?” I asked, horrified that I’d condemned her to die.
“I knew the cost and I was willing to pay it. No supernatural is immortal. It may take centuries or even millennia, but we all die.”
“But not you. Not under your curse.”
“No,” she allowed. “I was cursed to always remember, whether I wanted to or not. And you? What did you learn about your curse?”
I thought for a second about the god in the cave. As a wolf, it was hard to see and to remember. I couldn’t recall his face, only its savageness, so I wasn’t sure if it was the same god under the basilica’s crypt. Perhaps it was Thoth. But why would he want to curse a wolf and turn her human?
“I’m not sure,” I said. “A god came into my cave when I was nothing but a wolf on the hills of ancient Rome and said he wanted to always be able to find me. So that’s weird.”
“Indeed.” Thessaly’s eyes were fierce, no longer mournful. “Since you saved me, I’ll help you. With information. The veil around the island is weakening. Evil is coming. Evil is already here.”
My hands went clammy, and I had to wipe them on my shirt. “Can you give me a little more to work with? Is it a person? An object?”
“A person,” Thessaly confirmed.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“Who is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I can only feel their presence. They arrived before you, but the veil is breaking down. The reason so many ghosts are appearing is because of this weakness. More powerful things will come next because of this tear. Aradia is peaceful, but not all supernaturals are.”
The slope was indeed slippery. In a little more than a week, I had gone from thinking Nonna was a “spirted” old woman, to believing in ghosts, to suddenly un-cursing sirens. Now, I had to help save an island from a great evil?
Thessaly undid her robe and put on her chiton. I wondered what it was about me that made other women feel comfortable undressing in front of me. “Careful, Ava,” Thessaly said as she tied her chiton at her waist. “Someone is using the ghosts.”
“Using them? What could someone use from a ghost?” I frowned.
“Necromancers could use them. They don’t, not usually, but they could.”
Just hearing the word necromancer made me shiver. It sounded evil. “Where are you going to go?” I asked her.
Thessaly gazed at the bright ocean, a smile playing at her lips. “Wherever I want.”
With all of the hiking and fresh sea air, I was actually starting to see my old body back. While I’d never see pre-pregnancy weight again—those hips had sailed—at least I could feel comfortable in my body again. Forty really was fabulous. I could do this! I could save the island. I was the She-Wolf, after all. Even if I was a cursed wolf in human skin, I had powers.
With my newfound confidence in tow, I found Luca at the bakery and waved to Rosemary. She immediately dropped the espresso handle, which let off a hiss, and came around the marble cake case. Her hug lifted me off my feet.
&
nbsp; “Darling, how are you? Coronis said you were awake, but I didn’t except to see you so soon.”
“I promise I’ll be back at work tomorrow. I’ve missed it. But right now,” I turned to Luca, “I was hoping I could call my boys?” He stood, too, and gave me a kiss on both cheeks in greeting. His rough stubble rubbed deliciously across my skin.
“Ava, I heard you were sick. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Would you like to call now?”
It was almost one in the afternoon in Italy, which meant it was closer to seven a.m. on the East Coast. I highly doubted the boys were awake willingly, but maybe they rose early for classes. “Yes, please.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Nonna, but hearing their voices would go a long way to calming my nerves. The fresh smell of Rosemary’s Bakery followed us into the square. It was a beautifully warm afternoon that could rival St. Louis for fall beauty. I sucked in deep breathes, happy to be outside, happy to be alive.
Luca, on the other hand, looked miserable. Unless that frown was his permanent companion. In fact, now that I thought about it, had I seen him smile on our date?
“Luca,” I ventured. “You’ve been so kind to me. I was wondering if you needed… well, a shoulder to cry on, so to speak? I’m a good listener.”
Luca opened his apartment and held the door for me. “Thank you, Ava, but this is my normal face.”
I blushed. Caught. “The offer still stands. I’d be happy to help lighten your mental load.”
Luca picked up my hand and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. I inhaled sharply at his bold touch. “I will remember that,” he said, before leaving me to collect my cool so I could speak to my boys.
It rang twice before Josh answered, sounding groggy and uninspired. “Hello?”
“Josh! I’m sorry, did I wake you? It’s Mom.”
“Mom, why are you calling so early?”
Even annoyed, it felt good to hear my baby. Images of the transformed She-Wolf watching Romulus and Remus from afar tried to surface, but I focused on the sound of Josh’s voice and pushed them away. “I’m sorry, I get the times confused here. I just wanted to see if you needed anything. Are your dining hall cards full or did you already cash them out on snacks?”
“They’re fine,” Josh said. I heard a thunk and an “ouch!” If I had to guess, he’d thrown something hard at his brother to rouse him. “Here, Jacob wants to say hi.”
There was grumbling as the phone switched, and Jacob yawned loudly into the receiver. “Mom? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I only wanted to make sure you were fine,” I said truthfully. They were alive. They were good. “And to say that I think you should go home for Thanksgiving. I was being selfish wanting you here, but I know you want to catch up with your old friends.”
“Mom? We were planning to visit you.”
I wiped away a tear. “That’s so sweet, but something came up here and it’s nothing to worry about, but it’s probably for the best if you went to St. Louis.” Lies. All lies. “Perhaps we can Skype or set up something for winter break.”
“Wow, okay. I need an energy drink to wake up,” Jacob said.
Josh added, “We’d rather see you.”
“I know. I’d rather see you, too. I just have to figure some things out first. Can I call you next week with more definitive plans?”
“At noon our time,” Jacob yelled in the background, already presumably going back to bed.
I laughed, more tears pricking the corners of my eyes. What the hell? Where was my unemotional composure when I needed it? “Talk soon. Love you both. Study hard!”
We hung up and I looked over at Luca who was casually watching me with his arms folded. “Thank you,” I said solemnly.
“I enjoy hearing your love for your sons,” he said, sounding a little wistful. And that look in his eyes. He was fighting back his own emotions. I didn’t want to set a precedent where I called my sons and then made out with men, but our last kiss haunted me. It was intense, practically toe-curling. Was it a fluke or was he just that good?
I moved a step closer and tilted my chin up. Luca didn’t step back. We were inches away, and my pulse fluttered at my neck. An odd groaning noise made me pause, and I wrinkled my nose at a sudden sulfuric scent. “Luca—”
“I think I better see you out,” he said, quickly leading me to the door. “My sewer system has a tendency to back up at inopportune moments.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, embarrassed for us both.
“That’s the problem with these medieval towns. Quaint, but their bones are old.”
“I’ll see you at Marco’s tonight I’m sure,” I said in the world’s most leading statement.
Luca didn’t bite. “Ciao, Ava. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
When I got back to Villa Venus, Nonna was in the kitchen, braiding garlic. It smelled aggressive. I sat down to help, but my fingers were worthless and she quickly told me to watch and learn.
Hey, I was a boy mom. We didn’t do braids. Or maybe it was because I was lost in my thoughts, which swirled as aggressively as the smell of raw garlic. Necromancers, ancient curses, frightened ghosts. It was all there, all connected, but a few dots were still missing.
“Nonna, did you learn anything at the cemetery? Thessaly said something about a necromancer possibly using the ghosts.”
Nonna jumped. “Sorry, Mamma. I got tired and never made it. Want to go with me now?”
“Sure. As long as Aradia doesn’t try to kill me.”
We took some water bottles and headed to the cemetery, the clear October skies melting into a thick mist as we drew closer. The tattoo on my back warmed when we entered the perimeter, but not in an unpleasant or painful way. Rather, like it was reacting to something and letting me know. I wondered when it had appeared. Had it happened the moment I’d flopped onto Aradia’s shores, or was it more subtle, inking itself into being over the last week?
We searched the tombstones and urns for signs of life among the dead. “Do you think they were taken?” I asked after we had done a full circle.
“No idea. Wait, something is glowing over there.” We crouched low and watched two orbs mingling for a moment before I realized I was about to crash yet another sex party. Nonna chuckled. “Well look at that.”
The sound of our voices and our not-so-subtle crouching (as we both creaked every time we knelt), alerted the orbs to our presence. Instantly, they materialized into the Knight and the seventeenth century Italian housewife. No surprise, they were readjusting their clothing like we hadn’t just caught them going to second base. Maybe third. I wasn’t sure what the bases meant anymore, but I knew where things were heading.
This was getting a little ridiculous, but at least they weren’t flickering and turning distorted like the other ghosts.
“Signora, how can we help?” the Knight asked in a voice lacking all of its usual arrogance. Get a man laid—ghost or not—and his whole outlook on life changed.
“We were wondering if you could help us with a ghost problem. Have you two noticed anything odd with your forms? Any pain or disappearing body parts?” I asked.
They shook their heads, and I pretended not to notice that the woman’s left breast was peeking out of her rotting dress. “Hm,” I thought out loud, “maybe they’re protected in this grove. Is it sacred? It’s always night here and misty.”
“All groves are sacred, so that’s possible,” Nonna mused.
“You can poke around, right?” the woman asked. “A big, strong Knight like you, that is.”
He puffed out his armored chest, rusted and chinked as it was. “Stay here. I will investigate.”
He popped back into a blue orb and winked into whatever spectral plane they inhabited. In two seconds, he was back, wheezing and creaking as badly as our knees.
“I’m getting too old for this,” he muttered.
“Has your brain rotted as much as your greaves? You shouldn’t take the planes so fast,” she fussed.
/> He flapped her away. “Go on woman, I’m fine. I’m fine. Okay, so it’s true that ghosts are popping up more frequently, most not even connected to the island. And they disappear just as quickly.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Someone is calling to them. Someone with impure intentions.”
“Any clues to what those intentions might be?”
“No, but the veil surrounding and protecting Aradia is very weak. Be careful.”
I nodded my thanks. “You too. Better stay inside the grove.”
The couple drifted off, still making googly eyes at each other with the occasional barb wrapped in velvet.
Ah. Young love.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After sleeping for another twelve hours straight, I came into the kitchen to find Tiberius choking on his morning egg. I pounded his back until he spat it out. “You’re never going to learn, are you?”
“Why would I?” Tiberius said, popping the egg back in his mouth. “I have you now. By the way, I forgot to ask in all of the excitement. How was your date with Luca?”
“Short.”
“Ouch. That bad?”
“No. Just interrupted.”
Nonna handed me a cup of espresso. It was spiked with cinnamon and cloves and smelled divine.
“Interrupted?” Nonna asked.
“Thanks to Thessaly. That was the night we un-cursed her.” I grabbed a knife and began to butter my toast when a deep voice broke over us. Tiberius fled to the window at the sound.
“Buongiorno, Ava.”
I looked up to see Aurick immaculately dressed, even at five in the morning. He wore a fitted, navy blue suit with a white shirt and gold tie. “You look wonderful,” he said, kissing both of my cheeks. I could smell some sort of cologne. Something rich and full-bodied.
I handed him the tureen of butter. “Thank you.”
“Buongiorno, Nonna,” he called. “This spread looks lovely.”
I finished putting jam on my biscuit and handed him that as well.
“Ava, I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me tonight?”