Resurrected (Romani Realms Book 2)

by Mia Fox

  James instinctively wrapped an arm around me. Although Phineas tried to do the same for Charlotte, it was too little, too late. Raven threw her arms skyward and turned her head upwards toward the clouds. Thunder sounded and blood rain poured down upon her face. “You wanted to summon the mind of Aleister Crowley? Then, you shall have him because Suki wasn’t the only one to have met him.”

  “I was Released by him and suffered with him against my will. For you to seek him out is evidence of your evil nature,” I shouted above the sound of the horrific storm.

  Raven laughed and smiled as if she had a secret that the crowd didn’t want to hear...but they would. As Charlotte tried to repeat her phrasing, Raven threw another Aleister incantation into the wind.

  “Paganism is wholesome because it faces the facts of life!” Raven screamed. “Aleister’s greatest moments were his ability to bring about the darkness and convert innocents to his thinking. Paganism is wholesome...” she repeated, and as she did the darkness that Charlotte was carefully controlling for her own purposes -- for the greater good of her friends -- spun out of control. Blackbirds descended on the scene from every direction. They surrounded us and moved closer, unafraid of contact and in fact, bold enough to peck at Charlotte’s feet.

  All the while, Raven continued to conjure the spirit of Aleister Crowley, the man who had influenced so many to act against others.

  I tried to reach for Charlotte, but James held me back. “She’s throwing the darkness at Charlotte faster than she can control it. It will take over.”

  “She’ll never be like Raven,” James soothed, the shelter of his Shade hovering over me like an umbrella. “If you want to help her, you need to repel the darkness. Work with Phineas.”

  I nodded at Phineas, who also watched in horror as blood poured down on Charlotte and indeed, she looked as if the darkness was being absorbed into her body. In spite of Phineas doing his best to hold her and force an aura of light and love into her, she was using all her strength and will to escape Phineas’ grip. Shadow also seemed to be moving closer to darkness with half of the hair on her head now emerging as snakes.

  All the while, Charlotte continued the incantation, and I worried with despair, “The darkness is too strong; she’ll be just like Raven.”

  “We wouldn’t want that,” Raven chided.

  Instinctively, Phineas and I struck simultaneously, taking advantage of Raven’s bravado to get a foothold. Thunder sounded and a lightening bolt struck within inches of where she was standing, but it wasn’t enough.

  “Impressive...not!” Raven glared at both of us, particularly Phineas, whom she was most angry at his rejection. I saw the pain in her eyes and immediately twisted the knife.

  “They say that stressful situations bring about a person’s true nature. Look, Raven.” I pointed to Phineas, whose arms wrapped protectively around Charlotte. “They belong together. They’re meant for each other.”

  “That’s it,” James whispered into my mind. “Use her weakness against her.”

  “If only I could speak with Phineas without her hearing.”

  James looked uncomfortable as if he had new knowledge that he didn’t want to share. Like a cat who ate the canary, he tried his best to swallow his secret, but his connection to me had grown incrementally since our fight and reconciliation, as if we had overcome a mountain in our relationship. It made keeping secrets more of an impossibility.

  “You can reach him?” Hope sounded in my voice.

  Raven interrupted our silent communication. “Enough of this,” she shouted and unleashed hundreds of blackbirds to dive bomb us. “Enjoy yourselves. I’ll be circling with the others...waiting to feast on the carrion.”

  Raven returned to bird form and true to her word, the other birds became aggressive, drawing blood from us.

  “James, can you do it?” my arms were being bit while birds on the ground sickeningly moved around my ankles, their wings fluttering against my legs, their beaks taking bites whenever they pleased and all along, I was helpless to stop them.

  “It will mean bonding to him.” James sounded as if he were going to be sick.

  “Suck it up and do the bromance thing.”

  Whether it was because he so dearly loved me or to prove his manhood to himself, James grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a kiss that was as strong and powerful as his capabilities as a Shade. After releasing his hold on me, I was breathless. The blood rain still pounded down upon us, but I hadn’t noticed while in James’ embrace. Then, with a you-owe-me look, he nodded and focused on Phineas.

  I kept an eye on Charlotte, who was now shaking, either from the cold, the darkness pummeling her body, or both. “Hurry,” I encouraged, speaking softly into James’ mind.

  He looked at Phineas, who still had his arms wrapped around Charlotte, trying desperately to stop her shakes. Taking a deep breath as if to steady his own thoughts, James focused his attention on the task at hand. His eyes narrowed on Phineas and I saw with amazement that Phineas suddenly shook his head as if a fly were settling on his face and the sensation was too much to handle.

  “Can you hear me?” James concentrated his thoughts into Phineas.

  Although Phineas closed his eyes momentarily, he didn’t respond and James knew that he believed himself to be hallucinating from the effects of trying to repel Raven’s dark orbs from taking over Charlotte.

  “Listen to me,” James concentrated.

  Phineas swatted his arm in response, as if something had tickled him.

  “Don’t let go of her,” James scolded.

  And that’s when it sunk in. It wasn’t his imagination. The electric tingling that went up and down his body. The voice in his head. “What the hell, dude?” Phineas’ thoughts were loud and clear, sounding in James’ head in response to the effort of his Shading over Phineas.

  “I said to keep your arms around Charlotte. I know the sound of my voice can be pretty intoxicating, but do your best to think of your girl.”

  “Holy fuck, what are you doing in my head?” Although Phineas was clearly freaked out, he did as James had instructed and in fact, held onto Charlotte even tighter, nearly keeping her completely steady in spite of Raven’s continual onslaught of darkness.

  “Don’t get too excited. It’s just a means to an end. Are you ready?”

  Phineas wrapped his arms around Charlotte and saw that she was still clinging to Shadow, although both looked like they were weakening. The rain was pouring down on them and the blackbirds were becoming more agitated and bold, taking occasional pecks now at their necks and fluttering toward their faces. They were forced to accept any attack for shooing them away would mean releasing their grip on each other and they needed to be connected in body, mind and spirit in order to escape.

  When Phineas ensured that he, Charlotte, and Shadow were all interconnected he answered James, testing their new found bond. “Ready, but please...be gentle. It’s my first time.”

  “You are disgusting. You know that, right?”

  “And here I thought you liked my kinky side.”

  In spite of the gravity of the situation, I snickered, only to have James tighten his hold on me in warning. “Suki, this isn’t a laughing matter. You need to focus as well.”

  “Sorry.”

  Neither Phineas nor I were privy to any conversation not directly aimed at ourselves and so the break in conversation from James, regardless of how temporary, affected Phineas’ concentration. The blackbirds started biting his face and the temptation to swat them was becoming overwhelming.

  James came back and directed him. “Just think about the end game. We get Charlotte and Suki back to Samantha, and get out of here.”

  “Ah, there you are. When I didn’t hear you, I started to think you were one of those one-night-stand types. You know, get inside my head, have your way with me, and then cast me aside.”

  “No such luck. This is sort of a permanent deal.”

  “No shit?”

 
“Jeez Phineas, you don’t have to sound quite so pleased with that knowledge.”

  “Well James, you are quite the catch...”

  Not one to be teased, especially by Phineas, he narrowed his eyes in warning. “Yeah get over it, I’m taken.”

  “I’m just saying...if you’re going to help save our ass this time, who knows, my ass might require you again in the future.” Phineas smirked, loving that if he had to be bonded to James, he could have some fun at his expense.

  “Okay, that’s enough.”

  James held my hand and brought me closer into his body. Upon feeling me relax against him -- trusting him -- he squeezed my hand in signal. He kicked at the blackbirds that still swarmed around our ankles like rats, and braced himself for what we had to do. “Ready?”

  Phineas gave the thumb’s up signal and held onto Charlotte. Although weak, she nodded her head as well and wrapped her arms around Shadow.

  “To Samantha,” I affirmed.

  James nodded. For the first time since we had been in the Romani Realms we were all of the same mindset and held the same goal in mind. “Something’s odd about this,” James said shaking his head.

  “Let’s just do this,” I urged.

  We closed our eyes, held tightly to each other and listened for the sound that would be most welcome -- the grinding of the gears indicating the passage of time. The wind buffered us from the rain and soon all sight and sound left us as a we transported to where we had left Samantha safely with Daniel.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Bypassing the trek over the ravine to Daniel’s cottage was one benefit of time travel; the second was that we arrived in time for dinner. Samantha threw her arms around Charlotte, holding her in a warm embrace like none she had been able to experience with her best friend since their arrival in the Romani Realms.

  The two girls stared at each other for a moment making sure that their memories of each other were as they should be.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you,” Samantha said, shaking her head in disbelief at her own shortcoming just a few days earlier.

  Charlotte smoothed down one of Samantha’s runaway red curls. “But you did...deep down you did. And what do I do? I go daydreaming and start eating slugs. Gross!”

  Samantha smiled at the memory, but her eye caught Shadow watching her every move. “Well, it looks like you had a very good reason to be...distracted. Are you going to introduce us?”

  Samantha bent down and formally extended her hand to Shadow.

  “Shadow, this is my very best friend, Samantha. Samantha, meet Shadow...our daughter.”

  Samantha smiled at the little girl and then cast her eyes up toward Phineas, who watched her interaction. A hush fell over the gathered crowd, even Charlotte was too afraid to interrupt. She had experienced first hand the warnings of Samantha’s gift to see into a person’s true nature when she first fell for Phineas and he wasn’t of pure heart. Fortunately, he had redeemed himself, not only in her eyes, but in Samantha’s as well. She wouldn’t be able to carry on with him had Samantha not given him the stamp of approval -- not with everything they had gone through. Samantha nodded at Phineas, a silent statement of her acknowledgment that he was part of Charlotte’s life.

  Whether Shadow had inherited more of his demon qualities or those carried over from when he was human remained to be seen. The little girl had remained quiet, her eyes cast downward when Samantha approached. But now, as Samantha showed her patience and waited for her response, she beamed at Samantha and Charlotte released an audible sigh of relief. Shadow’s smile was a toothy grin, not a black gaping hole in sight. Her long, blonde curls blew in the wind and remained touchably soft. And when she accepted Samantha’s outstretched hand and held it in her own, Samantha closed her eyes momentarily and when she opened them, she smiled back as well.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Shadow. I hope we can be friends too.”

  “I’d like that Miss Samantha.”

  Phineas took Charlotte’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He was well aware that her friend, although a mere human, held a gift just as Charlotte did, and her approval was important to him. He moved Charlotte’s straight blonde hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. She turned her head over her shoulder, inviting a kiss on her cheek as well, which Phineas happily obliged.

  Samantha rose still holding Shadow’s hand. “Daniel built a swing set behind the house, if you want to try it out.” She turned to Charlotte and I, “And for us, there’s sweet tea already prepared.”

  “After what we’ve experienced, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I declared. “You’ll be okay without me?” I said casting my eyes on James.

  “I thought James and Phineas could help me with the barbecue,” Daniel offered.

  “We’re there,” James answered and Phineas followed Daniel to the back of the house as well.

  While Samantha and Charlotte sipped their tea and watched Shadow play, I took in our surroundings. A little house in the midst of green meadows, a spring running along the side of the property, plenty of fruit trees to provide shade, and the smell of wild flowers greeted me. “Grass, flowers...a barbecue! I must say, this is weird.”

  “You get used to it. And it’s obvious why Daniel tries to spend as much time as possible at home,” Samantha commented. “Aside from the ballroom and the area where we all first landed in the Romani Realms, it’s pretty horrific out there.”

  “I forgot about that first green meadow,” I mused. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen beauty here.”

  “That’s where I first met Shadow,” Charlotte replied wistfully.

  “All things happen for a reason,” I added. “Sometimes, it’s hard to recognize that reason while you’re in the moment.”

  As the girls chatted, the guys talked around the barbecue where an array of meats cooked, the delectable smell wafting through the air. Samantha had earlier harvested vegetables from Daniel’s garden and although she wasn’t a cook, she had learned from his expert guidance and had in fact, prepared them well, perfectly grilling them and then adding a light, french vinaigrette.

  A long, carved oak table, another example of Daniel’s handiwork, was set for the party of seven. Charlotte called for Shadow to join us and before we took our seats, she walked around the length of the massive table, carefully placing a daisy by each place setting.

  “Where did you find those sweetie?” Charlotte asked, bringing one to her nose. The sight of them reminded Charlotte of when she first arrived and cast her eyes upon Shadow.

  “They’re just like the ones I gave to you.”

  “That’s just what I was thinking,” Charlotte replied by tickling Shadow’s nose with one of the flowers.

  “I found them growing on the other side of the fence at the end of the meadow,” she said pointing.

  “Gosh Daniel, this place is like a small slice of heaven in the midst of so much chaos,” Charlotte beamed, lifting her glass to her lips.

  “Thanks. It makes being here...bearable. Why don’t we take our seats?”

  His words were a reminder to all of us that he would remain even after we returned to our permanent world. Shadow broke the tension of his comment. “I would have gotten more, but a lady scared me and my hair went...well, you know. I ran away before it got too ugly.”

  As James held a chair out for me, he turned his head over his shoulder as if suddenly aware of a presence that shouldn’t be there. “What lady?”

  There was no need for an answer.

  Before we could even take a sip of wine, the shutters on the cottage’s windows clamored loudly with a sudden gust of wind that also sent the silverware flying and the flowers scattering. The tranquility of the earlier scene was all but forgotten as the wind announced a change occurring...and Raven’s arrival.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Raven slowly and methodically moved around the table, much like an animal circling its prey. />
  “Charlotte, you always were such a perceptive girl... ‘a slice of heaven amidst the chaos.’ Hmm, charming statement. It kind of reinforces my own philosophy that appearances can be deceiving. Isn’t that right, Phineas?”

  Phineas wouldn’t take the bait. He whispered in a nearly imperceptible manner to Charlotte. “We’re fine.”

  “Fine? Did I hear you say?” Raven goaded. “I suppose you’re right...if you like dining with those who are dead,” she said looking pointedly at Daniel and then to my horror, directly at Samantha.

  Raven’s voice was like acid burning away any trace of happiness that lingered around the table. “So why wasn’t I invited?”

  Her rhetorical question was only met by the stares of those around the table until Daniel spoke up. “This is my home and no, you were not invited.”

  “I understand...you’re enjoying, as Charlotte said, your own private Heaven...or is this Hell?”

  Her comment was met with our annoyed sighs and rolls of the eyes. Only Daniel met Raven’s gaze head on and seemed uncomfortable...nervous even, about where her dialogue was going. And in spite of himself, he couldn’t react to ask her to leave again.

  Raven showed off a sinister, tight lipped smile and twirled her shiny, black hair around one finger coyly as her eyes traveled over each one us, seemingly deciding which one to rest on.

  “Heaven and Hell...” she said with a flourish, “both attract humanity and often times there’s little difference between the two. Each person has the potential for good and bad. Isn’t that right?” she asked us.

  “Raven, what do you want?” Phineas finally addressed her.

  “Ah Phineas, you of all people should know what I’m getting at. I gave you second life, but when someone gives you a gift like that, there’s always a price. You were aligned with me, my partner in so...many....ways,” she said boring her eyes into Charlotte, who took a deep breath, trying not to become agitated. “I suppose, Phineas, that you think risking yourself for the lives of Charlotte and Samantha is your redemption?”