Eternal Ever After Read online

  Beyond the sitting area, the store changed to a thrift store of sorts. Clothing-lined racks ranged from hippie swirled skirts to spikey punk bracelets to fishnets and Gothic garb that I’d seen downstairs at the Hellfire Club. An array of sex toys stood discreetly to one side of a cash register. But my attention was drawn to the tapestry hanging behind the counter.

  The life-like tapestry reminded me of photorealism, and looked just like the forest in my dream, except under the tree a stood a winged figure illuminated in a soft glow. She looked like a pixie, but more authentic than the cartoonish image of Tinkerbelle. A young woman leaned on the glass case where the cash register sat and stifled a yawn. The beaded curtain covering a doorway to the back swayed when the woman I had followed stepped through. Her face seemed to brighten when she saw me standing there.

  “I know you,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound ridiculous. I didn’t want to tell her that I’d seen her in a dream.

  “Of course you do. And I know you.”

  I didn’t expect that response. “How do you know me?”

  “Holly, I’ve waited for this moment my whole life.”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I knew your mother.”

  “Really? How?”

  “She was my dearest friend, and I’m your godmother.”

  I didn’t know what to say. The shock left me speechless. I wanted to ask her a thousand questions but I couldn’t seem to get my mouth to cooperate with my brain.

  “Won’t you have some tea with me?” she asked.

  I wanted to believe this stranger could tell me about my mother, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. “I would like that.”

  I followed her through the beaded curtain. Two chairs accompanied a round table covered with a satin tablecloth, and on top of it sat a deck of tarot cards. The woman pulled down two mugs from a cupboard. She poured tea from a kettle on a stove on the other side of the room, which appeared to be a makeshift break area. Placing the steaming mugs on the table, she sat and I hesitated before I sat in the chair opposite her.

  “So you’re my godmother…” I didn’t want to come right out and ask for some kind of proof.

  She nodded. “My name is Rue, and I grew up with your mother. My mother and your grandmother were good friends—had been good friends since they were children.”

  I’d tried to get information about my mother and my grandmother but my records were sealed when the Ellis family adopted me. They only knew what the caseworker had told them. That she had never claimed me. “I never knew my grandmother.”

  “Yes, well she’s a difficult woman. I think she still lives near Lake Springfield, but I haven’t talked to her in years.”

  When all this was over and Katarina had been dealt with, part of me wanted to pay her a visit. It warred with the other part of me that felt anger and betrayal that she had never wanted me in the first place. “Why didn’t she adopt me?”

  “I wish I knew. You would have to ask her yourself. I do know that when your mother died it broke her heart.”

  I stared down into my tea as if it could divine an answer. I wondered if my grandmother blamed me for her death, since she died in childbirth. God knows I had my own feelings about it. “I had a dream about you.”

  “Yes, I know. I sent it to you.”

  A dark look passed over her face. It seemed like something made her nervous. It warred with the otherwise serene woman sitting across from me. The apprehension in her face vanished as if she refused to think about it.

  “How? And why? Why now? If you were so close to my mother how come I’m just meeting you?”

  “I was two years older than your mother. She asked me to be your godmother when she got pregnant,” she said with a sigh. “Actually, I wanted to adopt you, but no one is going to let an eighteen-year-old with no income adopt a baby. I sent you the dream because I had a premonition. I’ve been looking for you. The only thing I knew for certain is that you were in Chicago. I opened Rue’s Attic a year ago when I moved back here, hoping someday I’d find you.”

  “Seeing your store...maybe I could ask you something. I don’t think you’ll look at me like I’m crazy. Someone told me that the Sight runs in families…”

  “Usually it does.”

  “Why do I have visions?”

  “There is more to you than just the Sight, my dear. You’re a witch, and Celtic magic runs deep in your veins. You are descended from one of the Five Royal Tribes of Wales.”

  My muddled brain tried to wrap itself around this revelation. “Wait, I’m descended from Celtic royalty?”

  “Yes, and your grandmamma and my mother were in a coven together back in Springfield.”

  “My visions have been getting worse. More vivid. Instead of watching, it’s like I am the person I’m watching.”

  “With age your powers can mature.”

  It made sense. I remember Arie telling me something similar about auras. That auras grew brighter before dimming near death.

  “You looked so different in my dream. If you sent it to me, why be so mystical and cryptic about it?”

  She looked down and it seemed like something was bothering her. “You’d have to figure that out for yourself. You’re the one who interpreted it that way. The subconscious mind is a powerful thing.”

  “You’re a witch too, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, and I have something I want to give you.”

  She walked across the room and pulled a small wooden box from a shelf. Rue pushed it across the table toward me. I opened the box and pulled out a silver chain with a pendent dangling from it. The pendent looked like silver or white gold, but I couldn’t be sure, and it depicted an intricate maze bordered in woven Celtic knots.

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  “It belonged to your mother. It’s a protection amulet.”

  It brought tears to my eyes that I finally had something of hers. “I wish I had the chance to know her. Do you have a picture of her?”

  “You already have one.”

  I shook my head.

  “You’re wearing it in your locket.”

  “It’s only a baby picture. The only one I have of me as a baby.” I bit my lower lip.

  “You never took the picture out of the locket, then. Behind your baby picture is one of your mother. I should know. I put it there.”

  I opened the locket and pulled out the picture. Another picture sat behind it, stuck to the other, and I had to gently pry them apart to keep from damaging them. She’s beautiful. I look like her. She had soft brown eyes, only they were a little darker than mine. Her dark hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun. Fine wisps framed her face, a reflection of my own. I blinked to keep the tears that stung my eyes from falling and smiled at Rue.

  “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”

  She smiled and reached across the table to pat my hand. “She couldn’t wait to meet you. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you.”

  “It’s not your fault that you couldn’t find me. When you’re in the system it’s not like a caseworker is going to give someone who’s not family information, and then my records were sealed when the Ellis family adopted me. What about my father? Did you know him?”

  “He loved your mother. They were just crazy about each other. But he got a football scholarship. She would have followed him. And she always had smarts, the kind in books and the kind that can’t be taught. It wouldn’t have mattered where she ended up. After she died, he didn’t think he could raise a baby by himself, even when I promised him I would be there for you both. He felt it would be better if you were adopted.”

  “What about my father’s parents?”

  “I believe his mother died of a brain aneurysm. So it was just him and his dad. His father worked the graveyard shift.”

  I shook my head. “But no one adopted me when I was a baby. Not with the RSV and the heart murmur. I grew out of the murmur, but by then I was too old. The Ellis family adopted me when I
was sixteen. They’re good to me. I was too old to start going around calling someone Mom, but she never cared about that.”

  “I’m glad for that. I’m so sorry I couldn’t take you in. I wanted to. Believe me I did.” Tears shimmered in Rue’s eyes and I knew she meant every word. “Promise me that you’ll let me get to know you. I always wanted a daughter. My ex-husband and I tried everything, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

  It warmed my heart that she wanted to know me. I wanted that too. “I will. I promise. I guess you’re the closest thing I have to family unless I try to find my grandmother. I haven’t decided whether I want to.”

  “If you want to meet her, I’ll take you.”

  “Thank you. Let me think about it, okay? There’s so much going on right now that I don’t know if it’s the right time. Or even if she would want to see me.”

  Rue nodded. “I understand.”

  I pulled a pen and a random receipt from my army satchel. Scribbling my phone number on the back of the receipt, I pushed the slip across the table. “Here. It’s my cell number.”

  She pulled out a business card with an image of a triple moon—waxing moon, full moon in the middle, and a waning moon on the other side—handing it to me. I placed the business card in an inside pocket lining my satchel for safekeeping.

  “I have to go. I have some errands to run.”

  “You stop in any time you want and come see me. I’m here all the time.”

  I smiled. “Okay, thanks.” Pushing the strands of beads to the side to leave, a sudden thought occurred to me, and I looked back over my shoulder at Rue. “What was your premonition?”

  Her smile faded and she pulled a card from the tarot deck, holding it out in front of her. A skeletal black knight rode a white horse while holding a banner of a black flag with a white rose. In front of the horse a bishop paid him homage, and men, women, and children appeared below the horseman. In the background of the card a rising sun was guarded by two pillars in front of the River Styx and a boat floated on the brackish water. The color gray stood neutral in the background of the card. As if a constant reminder of the impartiality of death rising to meet us all needed further clarity.

  “You died,” Rue said.

  ***

  I wasn’t sure how long I sat in the BMV watching the rain sliding down my windshield. Rue’s premonition unsettled me, and even though I wasn’t one for panic attacks, I wanted to be back at the loft with Arie. My cell phone jerked me out of my alarming thoughts. Finding my phone buried in my satchel, I slid the touchscreen to accept the call.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, pet.”

  “Tessa?”

  “Of course.”

  “How did you get my number?”

  “Oh, don’t be silly. Arie gave it to me. Anyway, I think I have a solution to our vamp slut problem.”

  “You mean Katarina.”

  “Yes, that’s precisely what I said. Are you daft, dear?”

  I sighed. “What do you want, Tessa?”

  “I want to make you a princess.”

  “Excuse me.”

  “I’m making you part of the royal court for our Kindred Spirits of Darkness Gala. I want you there and I want to put a spotlight on you.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m sure she won’t be able to resist making an appearance at the gala. She always did like a good party. If I draw attention to you, it will draw her out of the crowd.”

  “So you want to use me as bait. What if it kills me?”

  “Well, that’s a definite consideration.”

  “Have you talked to Arie about this?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, of course not. But Victoria works for me, knows her place, and uses discretion. She will remain by your side that evening. In the meantime you can help her organize the details. You did say you wanted a job.”

  I sighed. “Do you really think this is the only way?”

  “I think it’s a good way to get results before this leaps from the tabloids to the six o’clock news.”

  The thought of dying scared me. But she was right. This had to end or their world would be discovered. I didn’t want to think about what would happen to Arie, Victoria, and Tessa if the whole world knew about vampires, and not just their patrons at the sex club or the high-ranking officials that kept it under wraps. “Yeah, okay, fine.”

  “Good. And one more thing.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll need a dress, and one nothing less than spectacular. I can help you.”

  “No thanks. I think I just found a solution to that,” I said, looking at the sign above Rue’s shop.

  “Fine. Suit yourself—just make sure it’s appropriate for the occasion.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure it will–”

  A resounding click in my ear ended the call and I threw my cell phone on the passenger seat. With all the Gothic clothing in Rue’s thrift store, I figured she would have something to get me through the night without costing me a small fortune. Besides, Tessa reminded me of an evil queen, capable of inflicting great damage, and the godmother is supposed to procure the dress.

  I never had much faith, but if I did I thought the powers that be must have a mighty fine sense of humor. Or maybe heaven was an equal-opportunity employer with a few stupid angels working bankers’ hours and taking one too many smoke breaks. The absurdity of it almost made me laugh out loud.

  I’d worry about finding a dress later. I drove to the Coffee Grind, hoping Marshall wouldn’t convince me to stay and work; which usually meant stay and clean. Today, I didn’t feel like dealing with it. I just wanted my paycheck and to get out of there without being bothered. Life offered so much more than anything I ever dreamed. I was not blind to Arie’s faults or mine, but I was starting to think I loved him. God knows I wanted him more than anyone I’d ever met. And I didn’t think I should tell him I was falling for him in case he took it badly. I wished I could read his mind, and wondered if there were other things Rue could teach me if I asked. I parked in front of the Coffee Grind and made sure to lock the car.

  I found Trina bent over a counter, wiping crumbs onto the floor. “Hey, Trina.”

  “How you been? You here to pick up your check?”

  “Yeah,” I said, walking past her to knock on the door to Marshall’s office.

  The door stood open a crack and I gave its surface a tentative tap. “Come in.” Marshall had the barking voice of a heavy smoker. I entered the office and stood in front of his desk but didn’t dare sit in the single chair. The chair always made me feel like I was being interrogated.

  “I suppose you want your pay.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  He slid the drawer to his desk open and pulled out an envelope. “Here,” he said, handing it to me. “I decided to write schedules for a whole month instead of each week. If you need time off, you girls need to work it out yourselves.”

  Marshall handed me a piece of paper that looked like a calendar he’d printed off the Internet, with initials and hours in each block. I walked out of his office and looked the schedule over. Sitting at the counter, I pulled out my cell phone and brought up the web address for the gala. Shit. He’d scheduled me to work that night.

  “Trina, do you think you could switch with me?”

  “When do you need me to switch?”

  I tapped the schedule, showing Trina the date. “I’ll have to check, honey, but I’m pretty sure that night is winter formal. I have to take my daughter to get her hair done and take pictures.”

  “Right. No problem, I’ll figure something out. I can ask someone else.”

  Although I wasn’t friendly with some of the other staff and I figured if anyone could help me out it would be Trina. I knew if she could she’d do it for me in a heartbeat. I knew if I asked Marshall if I could have off it would be like swinging a bat at a hornet nest. I had some time before the gala, and decided to wait until my next shift to broach the subject. It wasn’t going to be pretty. Then ag
ain it’s not like working at the Coffee Grind was the most thrilling thing in the world, and I had more important things to worry about at the moment.

  CHAPTER 18

  With everything changing, sleep provided a time when my consciousness couldn’t focus on the complexities in anything other than dreams. And in dreams it was easier to ignore the unreal experiences that should have been impossible in real life. I kept expecting to wake up in a straitjacket and discover I had imagined a world with vampires, witches, and fairies. I didn’t think I was crazy, or that my life was so boring that I needed to create a fantasy for the sake of entertainment. Sometimes I just couldn’t be sure.

  I woke up in a cold bed to the sound of opera music. I’d picked up my paycheck and headed back to the loft to wait for Arie. But he and Victoria had been on the search for Katarina following my dream and it was after midnight when he returned. As soon as he did my head hit the pillow. Comforted by his presence, I was finally able to sleep. I stretched on the bed and rolled over to pet Mystic. His furry presence always made me feel better.

  Trudging to the shower, I lounged under the hot water, grateful to bask in normalcy. Even though I didn’t want to get out, I toweled off and donned a pair of jeans and a faded green Dr. McGillicuddy’s t-shirt. Arie sipped coffee at the breakfast bar and rose when I entered the room.

  “You don’t have to get up every time I walk in a room.”

  He grinned. “Old habits are hard to break.”

  He sat back down and watched me put cat food in Mystic’s bowl. I poured myself a cup of coffee before perching on the stool next to him. Sometimes I wanted to pinch myself. Arie could be such a gentleman when he forgot and lapsed into old customs. It was so different than the Arie I saw most of the time.