Chapter 34 Not Goodbye
She felt him before she saw him, and she closed her eyes against the feeling that swept through her. Home.
There had been a few times and a few places she could truly say she felt at home.
One had been with her childhood friend on those Fourth of July days, sticky with the season and the feeling of freedom she so rarely felt in her own home.
Another was when she was with the Lost Souls Coven.
It could be at The Lost Souls House or it could be with a few of them at The Black Cat or the wide porch of The Crescent Inn, but when she was with them she felt at ease.
Often, she could look around their group of women and think, oh, this is it. This is the point.
She'd avoided Theo since the night he dropped her off on the porch. He called and he stopped by the inn, but she'd needed a couple of days to breathe.
She wrote him a note asking him to give her some time to sit with herself.
She was coming to terms with her magic that grabbed onto others' emotions and sifted through them, looking for treasure.
What was hers and what was not? Anxiety had found its place in that messy garden of growth; weeding it out was a skill she had learned and now had to hone once again.
It was an evening sunset on the wide porch of The Crescent Inn with the weeping willows blowing softly as the autumn sky turned from blue to gold where she found her voice.
It was quiet and it was gentle, but it was firm.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of burning leaves and lifting her face to the last rays of dipping sunlight, reorienting herself.
She knew herself. That had never been taken away. Lost for a while, but here she was picking it out of the garden that she had taken the time to tend to.
Oh, how the heart of a woman knows how to grow flowers. It was the weeds planted by careless hands and ill intent from the world that they had to uproot.
When a blanket was draped over her lap, she opened her eyes to watch Freida sit next to her with a glass of wine, her glasses hanging on her chest.
"The tenant in room eight said the apple wine," she raised her glass of gold, "was perfection and asked if she could buy a case. I told her it would be two hundred and forty dollars."
Tilly's eyes widened. "That's twenty dollars a bottle! Freida!"
The woman gave her a raised eyebrow and shook her head. "It's worth that. Calm down, psycho."
Tilly stared at her in shock.
"What? She forked over the cash, and I bundled it up real nice. Happy as a clam." She took a sip of her wine, and Tilly shook her head, smiling.
"You are," she laughed softly. "Probably going to drive me crazy."
Freida rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We're going to turn The Blueberry House into the East Coast bed and breakfast for witchy women to flock to every fall. Between your honey wine and your magical way with tarot. You wait and see."
Tilly had a feeling she was right.
There’s a magic in The Crescent Inn that made people immediately at ease. Anyone who walked up the brick path carrying anxiety in their pockets and wrapped around fingers lost sight of that anxiety once they entered the antique purple door.
She'd done that.
And she was thankful for that. She was thankful for the women in her life who dared her not to question herself, Freida now included.
Even Jen had come around to liking the night manager when she confessed at the celebration that she never once used sugar-free sweetener in Fae's teas, though adamantly requested, and when dry cleaning had been demanded for her expensive clothing, they never made their way to Ollie's Dry Cleaners on Main Street, but found themselves washed with the tablecloths and rags.
Jen had hugged her and found her another cup of cider.
She understood the grandmother clock now, a second language. Crystal began guiding her with tarot, when a deck wrapped in a red satin ribbon was left on the inn's island. It was beautiful, ivory with crimson pictures, a rook in every card. And there was a note from Mrs. Ling.
Soft hands, strong mind,
and a magic to help others root themselves.
That was the first of two surprising packages she received that day. The second came with the mailman and a thick manila envelope. Portia settled on the island, having come through the window in the kitchen that Judy had made to flip just for the bird to come and go as she pleased.
She pulled out a thick stack of papers with legal jargon she didn't understand was. She bent over the island drinking spiced cider when her eyes caught on Brent's name, making her heart trip.
What...
There was a sum of money, not small, at the bottom.
And then a small note with straight, simple penmanship fell to the island.
He owed you. I had my lawyer look into his hiding assets from you in your divorce and put legal pressure on him.
-Fae
Simple, to the point, nothing close to poetic, just like Fae. She ran her fingers over the note and closed her eyes.
Sorrow. Trapped hope.
She wondered if Fae would ever unwrap herself. She hoped so.
"The fool," Portia crowed.
She frowned, but then the grandmother clock chimed and she smiled.
Unlimited possibilities, new beginnings. She split the tarot deck, and there in her hand was the red fool, a crow on his shoulder, and smile on his face.
So, after work that night, she wrapped herself in a fall jacket and boots and went to find a man who did the same.
And now she could recognize this feeling of homecoming with a man who came into her life unplanned, unhurried, like he had meant to find her.
"Are you here to say goodbye, Tilly?"
His low voice drew her eyes open, and she turned to look up up up into his beautiful eyes, one half of his face hidden by shadow and the other half clothed in moonlight.
"Is that what you want?"
"I already told you what I want. I'm not changin' my answer, Tilly."
She remembered his written words back to her, on thick parchment with a navy wax seal that Portia dropped in her lap. His words had made her smile and blush, and more than curious.
I want you. I want to make a life with you, and I want to grow with you.
I want to taste you in the forbidden way that would make you mine forever.
And to scare you even more, I would like to make you immortal one day when you're ready, and only if you would like, so that I do not have to face any of the rest of my long life without you.
"I like the way you say my name."
He tilted his head, the light of the moon slanting over more of his face. "How's that?"
"You say it like you want to make sure the world knows you're talking to me. It's nice."
He didn't respond.
"It scared me, finding out that a vampire could take from a witch and use her magic if he drinks her blood.
And I worried that was why you chose me, or were attracted to me.
And then worry became a living creature inside of me for a while.
" She paused as the ruffle of trees above sent down a delicate dance of leaves. "I can be sensitive. Small things hurt, and I don’t know how to stop that.”
Theo's tilted head and smile made her confession feel safe. “Ah,” he reached out a hand to tuck emerald hair behind her ear. “But small things make you happy too. And that is far more valuable than most realize in this world.”
Hearing someone understand you was made of infinite promises, and joys she wasn't sure she knew how to hope for.
"I can be a bit of a mess."
A look crossed his eyes before he finally spoke. "I'm old. And I'm still a mess, Tilly."
"Really?"
He nodded. Then one side of his mouth quirked up in one of his rare smiles. "You're a powerful little witch, Tilly Nguyen. But are you okay with what I said before?"
"You mean about wanting a forbidden life with me, and that you want to taste me and turn me into a vampire to have with you for eternity?"
A nod. A very serious nod.
"At the risk of sounding cheesy, I think I've been looking for you for a long time. And I'd like a lot more time to enjoy you. Though you'll need to give me some time on the immortality bit. That's daunting."
Silence speared the forest as vampire stared at witch. Her words hung between them, and she waited. He must have been waiting for something, too, until suddenly, without warning, she was in his arms, cradled against his chest, and being swept through the woods.
She hung on tight, arms around his neck as she caught her breath. "What are you doing?!"
"Well, I'm not waitin' for you to change your mind," was his gruff response as he maneuvered them quickly up the dark porch through the front door and up his sweeping staircase until she was being laid down on his large, soft bed.
He reached down, cupping her face in his large hand.
"I am going to enjoy forever with you, Tilly. ""Will you promise to bake me pie?"
An almost smile as he climbed over her on the bed, the predatory gleam in his eyes making something dip low in her belly.
His lips brushed over her softly, making their way along her jaw to her ear where he whispered darkly, "Yes," before his teeth lightly bit her earlobe, making her shiver with what she hoped would come.
Halloween (Actual Fall)
Bess poured the hot cider into three mugs. These three mugs were a realistic piece of wood, a log cabin with picturesque windows, and a bat. She placed them onto a tray where a three-layered black magic cake sat, and three dessert plates.
"Hey, how's it going?"
Bess and Kelsea looked up to see Tilly walk in after her day at the inn. She looked worn.
"Hey, Aunt Tilly. How did the Halloween party go?"
"Long. Though Judy can throw a party." She set down her bag and leaned on the island. "And she and Jen went as Meg and Hercules together." Her eyebrows wiggled.
Bess and Kelsea leaned in with wide eyes.
"Noooo," and "Hell yes," they both said.
"What's up?" Ursula asked. She and Eloise walked into the kitchen.
"Jen and Judy," Kelsea replied.
"Called it!" Eloise exclaimed.
"Jen was Meg, right?" Bess asked.
Tilly nodded, smiling. She was happy for her friend. When she invited Judy over for their post-Halloween garden brunch, Jen nodded eagerly. She had never seen her poised, classy friend do anything eagerly with a romantic interest.
"Did you hear about Astra?"
Tilly's eyes widened as they all leaned in. "She was being investigated for election tampering. Cora and Theo are working with authorities in Texas."
Eloise shook her head. "What are the chances that the evil three ended up in the same town Theo relocated to?"
Ursula agreed.
"Oh, Astra is in love with Theo," Bess said easily.
"What?" she asked when they gave her questioning looks.
"No way she just happens to show up here after wrecking a town politically to do the same thing.
And then uses dark magic to try and get between you and Theo.
Power-hungry witch," she held up one hand.
"Hot vampire, who, if corrupted, could help her get more power? "
Eyes swung to Tilly, who shrugged.
But Bess was closer to the truth than the young woman realized.
Theo told her that night in the woods that he'd told Astra to leave Salem. She would never get what she wanted from him or from the town. Tilly hadn't realized it that night, but he knew that Astra's dark magic was no match for The Lost Souls Coven.
"Well, good riddance," Kelsea said. They clinked mugs.
"Hey, Theo said he was here?" Tilly asked.
Bess picked up the tray. "Yep. He and the guys are having a guys' night in the greenhouse."
"What." She deadpanned.
Bess's smile was mischievous. She nodded over her shoulder as she made her way through the back door. "Come on."
To Tilly's surprise and delight, through the stained-glass door, she found Theo, Jenson and Taylor sitting around a potting table with black and sage candles lit and a deck of tarot cards splayed between them.
She looked at Eloise and Ursula, who were smiling into their steaming mugs. Kelsea was between them, and Eloise passed her her mug.
"So," Taylor frowned, looking at the card. "Theo is going to die."
Jenson frowned and shook his head. "He's a vampire. That cannot be right."
"Can you die?" Taylor asked him, and they looked at him.
He nodded. "Very difficult."
"So, Astra is being moved to Texas for trial?" Jenson asked
"Election interference," Taylor replied. He nodded to Theo, who nodded.
"My father lost favor with the people, so enlisted her help. Texas doesn't take kindly to being manipulated."
Taylor raised a bourbon glass. "To father issues."
Jenson whistled then pointed to the card. "I don't think the Death Card is literal. Look at the book," Jenson directed Taylor.
"What is happening?" Tilly whispered.
"Oh, the guys are trying to bond," Ursula responded.
"And Taylor paid me to make them a cake."
Eloise nodded. "After their failed attempt at baking, I think it was wise for him to ask you," she said to Kelsea, to which everyone agreed with murmurs.
"Alrighty, inner-child and warmth, positivity," Jenson said, reading from the small booklet. "Hey, that's not bad. Taylor is kind of like a child."
"Hey," he said, offended.
"Inner-child. You are in touch with your inner child," Theo corrected.
"What kind of reading are they doing?" Tilly asked.
They all tilted their heads.
Lady Macbeth popped her head up over the table, sitting in Theo's lap.
"Uh, is she supposed to have that?" Jenson asked, pointing to Lady.
Everyone looked to see Lady Macbeth holding a tiny animal.
Eloise let out a sigh and pushed into the greenhouse. "Lady. We have talked about this. You cannot just bring animals home."
Lady chittered, holding the baby bunny close to her chest. The creature couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, and everyone knew they would bring it into The Lost Souls House. Eloise picked Lady and the bunny up from Theo as Bess brought in the tray.
"Oh, thank god," Jenson praised as she passed around mugs and plates. "Our manly stomachs could not have handled another round of our baking."
"Thanks, Kelsea," Taylor called, and she smiled, shaking her head at them.
"I can bake next time," Theo said.
Both men looked surprised.
"Come over to my place. I'll make chili and lemon pound cake."
"Hey, you were right," Taylor said to the women. "This is pretty fun. I feel super bonded."
They nodded, giving them placating smiles.
"We will leave you to it," Ursula said, opening the door for them to file out.
"Hey," Taylor called after them. "When do we get to hex people at the graveyard?"
They stopped and looked at each other before bursting into laughter, to the men's confusion.
Eloise and Ursula shook their heads, and as they closed the door, they said, "Magic is only for women."