Chapter 4
Iput my Charger in park and kill the engine. I’m back home, and still have hours before sunset. I don’t do well with free time like this. Work was my escape before, which sounds weird, I know. But if I stayed busy then I didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to feel.
But the void in my heart is filled now. My life is a crazy mess, but I love it. I’m starting to figure out who I am and have four amazing men who I love and who love me.
So why does the time between now and sunset seem so daunting?
“Gemma,” I say out loud, reaching over to unbuckle my seatbelt. I really do need to talk to her. Marissa is MIA and is wanted by the police. She messed with a crime scene and will be arrested once she’s found.
And she will be, I’m sure of it.
But who knows what kind of magical damage she’ll do until then? She has powers and knows some dark shit. She sent ghouls after me, after all. She manipulated and brainwashed Gemma, who she knew from the start was weak and vulnerable.
And she knows about my family.
I highly doubt we’ll have a nice chat when I get her in my grip, but I’m certain I’ll be able to get some of the story out of her. I can’t see why anyone in my family would stand back and let a child die if they could help. I don’t see how anyone could.
Back in the house, a bit of the anxiety leaves me, but Gemma is still in the back of my mind.
I shake my head and set my purse down in the kitchen.
She’s not my friend. I have no obligation to look after her.
Ignoring the voice that tells me none of the victims I work day and night to save are my friends, I open the fridge and heat up a plate of baked spaghetti.
I take my food into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. Before I sit and try to force myself to relax, I go into the library.
“Mom?”
I hold my breath as I wait.
“Mom, are you here?”
Still nothing. Was the spell a one-time thing? I’m not trying it again. Opening one rift is bad enough.
Going back into the living room, I turn on the TV and search through Netflix until I find something to watch. I eat and finish the movie, then get up and pick a room to deep clean. This house needs an overhaul and I’m still too unsettled to do nothing.
An hour later the downstairs bathroom smells like bleach and is spotless, and the pantry has been cleared of every crumb and speck of dust. I even organized my food.
And I’m still wondering what the hell happened to Gemma.
I grab a cookie and get my phone from my purse, bringing up Gemma’s number. Hesitating, I almost don’t call. Inhaling deep, I dial her number. The call goes straight to voicemail.
Maybe she’s at home resting. Or doesn’t have cell service. I’m sure she’s fine. She’s with her family, and while the Amish lifestyle isn’t for her, she’ll be cared for.
I tackle the master bathroom next, and by the time I’m done, sitting around doing nothing is welcome. I get sucked into a new Netflix original show, making the rest of the day pass right by.
When the basement stairs creak, I get up and wait for the guys to come upstairs. Gilbert steps out of the basement first, smiling as soon as he sees me.
“You look better, Ace. Not to say you looked like shit before.”
“I did look like shit before.” I laugh. He crosses the room and hugs me, lips brushing against my neck. “How’d you sleep?” I lean out of his embrace and watch the others come into the living room.
“So deep it felt like someone turned me into a stone statue.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’m going to fix that, you know. Someday.”
“You have bigger fish to fry. Did I say that right? I heard it on TV last night.”
“Yeah,” I reply with a laugh. “You did. And I guess I do, though right now things are pretty mellow.”
“You know you’ve just jinxed us into an apocalypse or something now, right?” Thomas steps up behind me. “Don’t say shit like that.”
“I used to say jinxes are a bunch of bullshit, but next to curses, I suppose anything is possible.”
Thomas brings his face close to mine. “You do look different. Your injuries are almost gone.”
“I did a spell,” I say, looking at Jac and Hasan. “And it worked. Don’t worry, I didn’t open any rifts this time.” I make a face. “Hungry?”
“We’re always hungry,” Hasan replies with a smile. “Did you make something tonight?”
“No, but the neighbors brought over some food.”
“Why did they do that?”
“I think mostly to be nice,” I start, and walk into the kitchen. “They said they heard about how I caught the killer and didn’t think I’d feel up to going to their party tonight.”
“Party?”
“Today’s a holiday, which is like a special day to honor something.”
Hasan nods. “What holiday is it?”
“Memorial Day. We honor those who died while fighting for our freedom.”
“And a party honors them?”
“Parties honor everything around here.” I take the other plates of food from the fridge and put one in the microwave.
“You should go,” Jacques says.
“Nah.” I turn around and lean against the counter. “It’s not really my thing.”
“I’ll go with you,” he offers.
I raise an eyebrow. “You want to go to a party? You do know what parties are, right?”
“I do watch TV, you know.”
Thomas gives Jac a quizzical look. “There’s no research or stuffy old books to look through at parties.”
“I do more than research and read.” Jac crosses his arms.
“Sleeping doesn’t count,” Gil counters.
I get plates and Hasan grabs glasses for water. “I suppose I could go. One of the ladies who brought food over today said she’s lived by the house her whole life. Maybe she met my Aunt Mary.”
I pause, waiting to see if my ghost-mom throws another book or drops the temperature a few degrees.
When nothing happens, I close the cabinet and set the plates on the table.
Thomas gets silverware and napkins, and Gil takes the spaghetti from the microwave.
The five of us function well together. We have a routine, and it always runs smoothly.
“Then you really should go.” Jacques meets my eyes. “You can ask about your aunt and maybe try to have some fun.”
“Real subtle there,” Thomas says under his breath. He sets the last fork down and comes over, hand landing on my shoulder. “Though I do agree. You could use some fun. Which is why we should take you.” He winks.
“You guys are right.” I put the other dish in the microwave and turn to find them all looking at me in surprise.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been told to have some fun or be social.
I didn’t have anyone to hang out with before, but now I do.
We should make it a point to go out a few times a week. There’s so much to show you.”
“Going out was fun,” Gilbert says with a smile. Only he and Tom have been out with me in the “real world,” and they blended seamlessly. Thanks to a concealment charm, they looked one hundred percent human. And thanks to their charm, their otherwise odd tendencies didn’t raise any eyebrows.
They basically went from a Game of Thrones set to modern-day Philadelphia. It’s a big change, though thanks to TV and movies, they knew a bit of what to expect. And it was fun. It did feel good. My boyfriends aren’t exactly human, but I never felt like I was who I’m supposed to be before them.
“You really want to go, Jac?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’m curious to see what a party really is like.”
“This one might be more low-key. It started at five so there’s a chance it’ll be over soon, but we can go check it out.”
Jac smiles, brown eyes lighting up. “Good.”
Jac takes my hand and looks behind him. “I’ve had wings for so long I almost feel unbalanced without them.”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“I didn’t either. But it feels good. I feel like me again.”
“You look like you again,” I blurt. “Sorry, I mean, I just…you know.”
He slows. “I don’t. Not really.”
“You were in my dreams. I thought you had dreams too.” Color rushes to my cheeks.
His lips curve into a smile. “I may have. You should tell me about these dreams. In detail.”
I playfully nudge him. “I know you had the dreams too. So maybe you should tell me yours and I can compare.”
“Fair enough. We had sex. A lot of it.”
“Way to cut to the chase.”
“It’s the best part.”
I unlock my car and open the driver’s side door. “And the other parts?”
His face turns solemn and he concentrates harder than necessary on getting in the car.
“They were far from the best,” he says once we’re both seated.
I start the engine and nod, feeling a tad awkward.
Not because I’m embarrassed about anything around Jac anymore, but because in the dreams I was Braeya, a distant relative who cast a love spell on Jacques.
Her death is the reason the guys are gargoyles.
“I didn’t see my mother again today.” We roll down the gravel driveway.
“That’s good, I suppose.”
“Did the spell only work for a limited amount of time?” Even in the dark I can see the incredulous look on Jac’s face. “I’m not trying it again, don’t worry. I’m curious.”
“I don’t know how the spell worked. I looked through that book after you fell asleep last night and it’s loosely based on legend.”
“There’s a chance that stuff’s legit?”
“For the average witch, no. But for you, yes.”
We pull onto the road and head toward the party. “And you still don’t think what I saw was my mother?”
“I’m not sure on that either. Only you saw her.”
“Yeah, makes me sound crazy, right?”
“No. The opposite. Not everyone can see spirits. I’m not sure how to exactly test this theory, but Hasan never could see them before. We’re cursed, but that doesn’t mean we’ve gained powers. If there was a spirit in the house, only those able to see them would.”
“That makes sense. I never thought about it like that. But I never could see spirits before.”
“You made it a point not to look.”
I shake my head. “That’s my job. Looking into the paranormal. I used to debunk it, but trust me, if there was a ghost, I would have seen it.”