Chapter 5 #2
Sven was sorry their grunts were leaving because it was income, but also, he was glad they were going. Flo didn’t seem to particularly like them. Unfortunately, they didn’t have another booking yet and that was worrisome. If they wanted to keep this place, they needed to turn a profit.
Worry about that later.
“What are you making today for the Sullivans?” Sven asked.
Magnus startled. “Odin’s testicles! I keep forgetting you’re able to still do that!”
“Do what?” Sven asked.
“Come through the walls,” Magnus griped.
“Frustrated you can’t?” Sven teased.
Magnus grunted and continued whisking a bowl of eggs. “If you must know, I’m making omelettes. Spinach and goat cheese, with mixed berry bowls and fresh sourdough bread. Would you like some?”
“I would and I need you to set a place for Flo.”
Magnus’ eyes widened. “Ah, she’s here?”
“She is.” Sven squeezed Flo’s hand and smiled at her. “She can become solid and we’re wondering if she can eat. She doesn’t need to, but we’re testing a theory.”
“I see. I can make her an omelette as well. If she doesn’t mind spinach and goat cheese?” Magnus asked the opposite wall.
Sven stifled a chuckle and Flo was giggling softly too.
“He did the same when I entered their room. Stared at a different wall,” Flo explained.
“What is so funny? She’s not over there, is she?” Magnus cursed under his breath and turned to his griddle. “I’m still mad you can see the spirits and I can’t. You and Mercedes having all these conversations with dead people and I look like the weird one who because I’m talking to no one.”
“I feel bad for him,” Flo said.
“Meh, he deserves it,” Sven teased.
“I’m going to ignore you as well,” Magnus snarled over his shoulder. “Making an omelette for an invisible revenant. What’s next, fish for Phineas?”
“Doesn’t the green friend of yours eat fish?” Flo asked.
“No,” Sven replied. “He’s a vegetarian, so that’s why Magnus said it.”
“Great. Explaining jokes.” Magnus grumbled a bit more, but kept his back to them as he worked.
Sven didn’t say too much more to Flo, instead he got up and helped Magnus get the plates ready for the Sullivans, and while Magnus went out to serve their paying customers, he made up a plate for Flo and himself.
“Voila!” he announced with a flourish, setting the plate down in front of her.
“It looks good,” she said, and then she leaned over it, closed her eyes and breathed in. “It smells good.”
“Try a bite.”
Flo nodded and pulled out a fork, slicing a thin piece of the omelette. She daintily ate a piece, chewing. “Oh!”
“You like it?”
“Yes, and I can eat it. It’s just…I guess it’s something I sort of forgot how to do because I don’t need to.” She scooped up a fresh berry. “I forgot how much I like strawberries.”
Sven forgot about his own breakfast because he was enjoying watching her eat. He remembered serving her a simple dinner of rabbit that Magnus had caught and turned into a stew when they lived out in the cave. He’d been embarrassed to offer her something so simple, but she’d loved every bite of it.
Flo never judged him for being a monster.
She only saw him.
It’s what he loved about her.
“You’re not eating?” she asked.
“Right.” He took a bite. Usually he loved Magnus’ omelette, but today he wasn’t really focused on that. He was just enjoying this moment.
Flo finished and then sat back. “I really enjoyed that. I’m not sure what nutritional value it will offer me, but it was nice to do something and remember flavors.”
“I’m glad.” He finished his breakfast and then cleared the plates. “I do have work to do today, just a little bit, and then I can spend time with you.”
“I understand. I might go to the library here and read. Maybe I can find something else about my curse. Maybe I’ve read something and forgotten.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” He set the dishes in the dishwasher. “I’ll come find you later.”
Flo nodded and then floated out of the chair and disappeared through the wall.
Sven was so glad that Flo enjoyed her breakfast. After he made sure she was fed and safe in the library, he helped Magnus clean up.
Magnus was still frustrated that he couldn’t see the spirits or ghosts who were in the house. Especially Erickson, and he was grumbling about that fact.
Sven knew that Flo was still processing all the things she thought she couldn’t do for a century, but it turned out she could. The fact that she was interested in learning more about her condition gave him hope that things were turning a corner. Maybe she’d start to remember more things.
She remembered the taste of strawberries.
After loading the last dish into the dishwasher, he headed out to the reception desk and logged on to the business site to go over a few things, like he did daily.
The Sullivans were checking out and he wanted to go over some reports.
Even though he was absolutely thrilled that Flo was back in his life, there was still a business to run.
As he was scanning reports, he could hear his brother cursing in Nordic while cleaning up the mess in the dining room. Still grumbling about the unfairness of the situation, but really it wasn’t unfair. Magnus was no longer cursed and had love.
You have love too. She just doesn’t remember.
Sven just rolled his eyes at his brother grumbling.
In the past, he would’ve corrected Magnus for doing that out loud, especially now that they were open, but honestly, he just couldn’t be bothered right now.
It was just an idiosyncrasy that Magnus seem to have, and after a thousand years of trying to change his brother, he honestly should just give up.
The only one who held sway over Magnus was Mercedes.
As he thought of her, Mercedes walked by, and she paused and looked at him with a scrunched face of consternation.
“What’s wrong?” Sven asked.
“Have you seen in Vlad? He’s missing. I thought he would be done vacuuming by now, but he’s nowhere in sight. I don’t know where he’s gone.”
Sven crossed his arms. “Vlad is in my apartment. I thought the enchanted appliances weren’t supposed to go up there, but he made a surprise entrance this morning.”
Mercedes gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Is he okay?”
Sven shook his head. “Nope. He swallowed one of Flo’s gloves and exploded.”
Mercedes eyes widened. “What do you mean he exploded? Did he explode into pieces or just start spitting out dust?”
“No, not into pieces. He’s very much intact but a black puff of smoke came out of him and he powered down. He has a glove stuck in his beater bar.”
“How did he get a glove stuck in his beater bar?” Mercedes asked. “I didn’t think Flo could remove her clothes. The other ghosts don’t seem to change. Except, Mario as he always takes those soggy clothes off. I never encounter ghostly clothes lying around though. I’m not really sure of the rules.”
Sven shrugged. “She’s not a ghost and we’re still trying to figure this whole thing out. Needless to say, when she takes off a piece of the clothing she’s wearing, it seems to disintegrate or age very quickly.”
Mercedes pressed her lips together and frowned. “I hope that doesn’t mean if her curse breaks she would disintegrate or age really quickly.”
If Sven had a beating heart, it would’ve stopped right there as the reality of what Mercedes said hit him. He never even thought about that. He didn’t know how her curse worked.
Nobody did.
Everything had been speculation. Even Flo couldn’t remember how her curse happened.
What if they did fall in love and the curse was broken and she died?
Sure, his curse would be broken, but he would be left without the love of his life after he just found her again.
He sat down on the stool that was behind the check-in desk and ran a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t think of that,” he said quietly.
Mercedes quickly came around the other side of the desk and put her arm around him. “It might not be like that. She said she was a revenant.”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s what she thinks she is from her research that she did over the years. Has Mona said anything about what she thinks she is?”
Mercedes shook her head. “No, how could she? No one but me and you and the ghosts in this house can see Florence.”
“There’s gotta be somebody who knows.”
“I could go to Tallowfield.”
“Mercedes, no, you can’t do that. It’s not safe. Even Flo said it was not safe to go back to your family. It’s too risky.”
Mercedes shrugged. “What could they possibly do to me?”
Sven sighed. “Look what your family did to Flo. Look what your ancestors did to me and Magnus. Magnus would skin me alive if anything happened to you.”
“He doesn’t own me,” Mercedes said quickly. “Besides, my family doesn’t tend to hurt their bloodline. They still think that I’m some kind of vessel for Yrsa, the sea witch who cursed you and Magnus. Remember, I have a repellent to them in the form of explosions.”
Sven chuckled softly. “I know, but I would never forgive myself if you put yourself in harm’s way.”
Mercedes crossed her arms. “Well, then what are we going to do? We can’t let both of you exist like this. Something has to be done.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Mercedes worried her bottom lip. “Maybe I’ll talk to Mona. We have to try something or maybe there’s a spirit in this house who knows something. Maybe someone who was there that night.”
“It’s a good theory, but it happened in the iron-infused room. Flo explained that’s where she’s connected to, so that must be where she was cursed. Just like that sacred blood spot outside of Harmony Glen that affects me, Magnus, and you.”
“True. Ghosts can’t get in that room. You’re sure that’s where it happened?”
“That’s where Flo feels the curse happened, and honestly, I could feel it too when I was in that room, so no, a ghost wouldn’t have seen anything because no ghost or spirit could enter that room. It was built to repel everything.” Sven sighed. “We’ll figure this out. I’m sure of it.”
Mercedes nodded. “I will help any way I can.”
“Well, you can start by removing Vlad from my apartment and making sure that no more enchanted appliances make their way up there. Or if they do, make sure they keep to themselves.”
Mercedes grinned. “Right. I’ll retrieve him now.”
Mercedes gave him a quick peck on the check and ran up the staircase.
Sven wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but as he sat there mulling it over, the computer pinged. Someone had booked a room for later in the week. At least things on the business end were starting to look up.
“Now can we talk?” Erickson demanded, appearing behind him.
Sven groaned, but then realized that Erickson was an older spirit and had been here probably the longest. Maybe he saw something that night a hundred years ago.
He would have to placate his old friend and maybe, just maybe, he’d get some information from him. “Sure. We can talk. I have all the time in the world.”
Which was sort of true, given he was immortal.