Chapter 11 On Tiny Little Wings #2
“Ma’am, a pleasure.” Artur stuck out his hand in greeting.
Her eyebrow arched.
“Cesar, your choice in friends is… interesting.”
“Excuse me?”
“One must always be diligent in surrounding themselves with the right energies. Missteps in those choices can have dire consequences.” Luana shifted her steely gaze back to me.
“Cesar, are you certain you are up for the task at hand? It isn’t too late to decline.
Of course, I would require the down payment back.
But if you simply aren’t up for the task, you must come clean now. We can’t have distractions.”
“I’m quite certain the reanimation of Mistress Magdalena will go off without a hitch, Senora.
” I didn’t have enough evil in my heart to convey my displeasure with the Hurtado clan at that very moment.
And although I had seen the ostracization Artur had talked about, and embarrassingly had been a part of, I had no idea it was also so cruel, and so blatant.
“I think, perhaps, it might be time for me to be in the company of the bones. After all, we are only days away from the holidays.”
My point was clear to her.
Leave.
“I do think that would be best,” Luana said, as she glanced at Artur.
“No, Artur is staying. He is assisting. What many don’t know about Mr. Beaulieu is that he harnesses a tremendous amount of raw power. I’m having him assist me with Mistress Magdalena’s resurrection. After all, his ability to influence probable outcomes will ensure the success of Dia de Muertos.”
“Hmph,” was all she said.
Luana stood, stared at Artur, and didn’t break her gaze as she said, “As you wish, Cesar Aguilar. It is your reputation, your life, your judgement at stake. The community remembers and reacts accordingly. You’d be well advised to remember that.”
With a swoop of her arm, she scooped up her voluminous black robes and made her way to the front door.
I’d have sworn she floated on air, not walked, and what manner of evil allowed her such actions I could not say, but it left my entire house chilled.
I moved to stand beside Artur; we watched the door shut behind the black witch, and her henchmen. I slipped my hand into his.
“That woman is all manner of danger.” I stole a side-glance of Artur’s beautiful, stubbled face. “I need to burn some sage. Cleanse this house. She brings bad juju.”
“I told you hanging around me would have consequences,” Artur said.
“For her, not me. Not you, either, and certainly not us.” I smiled as I turned to him. I took his other hand. “I enjoyed waking up with you this morning. I certainly hope that big bag you brought is filled with clothes so you can stay again tonight?”
Artur smiled. “In fact, it is.”
“Splendid.” I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “Now, let’s go find some sage. Oh, I should tell you, before you wander into the workshop. Luana brought the corpse over.”
“You mean she’s here?” Artur went pale.
“Welcome to the home of a bone witch. It’s common for the families to bring me the body. I take time to study it, read the bones as best I can before reanimating them. I find digging into the past helps me reintroduce them back to the land of the living.”
“So, there’s a dead body upstairs?”
“Yes.”
I saw the Adam’s apple jump in Artur’s throat.
“You’ll be okay. I promise. But I should probably tell you about my dream from last night.
” Artur glanced at me with curiosity. “But not now. I need to go see Tom. Luana suggested a black hibiscus flower as the memory anchor, and although I do so love my plants, I have no idea where to get such a unique bloom, and you know that man will have answers.”
“I still don’t think you should go through with this. It doesn’t feel good.”
“None of it feels good. But work is work, and given we banished Efraim, better we complete the tasks set before us before she finds out. I don’t want that woman holding a grudge against me,” I said, moving in closer to Artur.
“But one thing that has come out of all this is something fresh, new, joyous, and that feels more than good.”
I ran my hand over Artur’s stubble and let my fingers trail down his neck and over his muscled chest.
Artur shook his head as I leaned in and kissed him.
He pulled away.
“I don’t know what I did, but I really do not deserve this kindness.”
“No,” I said, “you deserve so much more.”
I winked at him, then stopped for a moment to stare into his alluring green eyes. I smiled. “So much more.”
I needed to get going or this would devolve quickly into an afternoon of beastly activities, and as much fun as that would be, we had work to do, and a flower to obtain.
Suddenly, I had a flash of an idea.
“Wait here.” I ran up to the workshop, grabbed the tiny hummingbird charm, wrapped it in tissue, and slid it into an interior pocket of my robes, close to my chest where it would be safe. As I descended the stairs, Artur came into view, patiently waiting for me.
My heart leapt, and the tingly sparks we had once felt upon our first few initial touches danced again, unseen, across my skin.
For the first time in years, and despite everything I was facing, my heart was happy.