The Light Who Shines Page 11

  “Thank you, Father. I appreciate that. I just need a little more time.”

  “Jack,” he says kindly, “I think you should come down to the church sometime. I’d really love to catch up with you, and it sounds to me like you may need a little grounding.”

  I laugh softly. “Father O’Brennen, I need a lot of grounding. I may take you up on that offer soon. Thanks so much.”

  “You are welcome, Jack. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

  I hear the soft click of the phone and hang up my end. I press my forehead into my hands. Thank the Light she doesn’t know yet. How am I going to explain this mess to her?

  Chapter 12

  Lessons on Wolves

  Bluebell Kildare: May 27, 2022, Red Ages

  I park my car about two stores down from Herbal Enchantments. As I walk toward the entrance, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I pivot and look behind me. Nothing seems out of place, and I don’t feel any strong emotions, but the prickle is soon followed by a shiver down my spine. A man and a woman sit at an outside café a few buildings down enjoying their meals. An older woman sweeps her stoop on the opposite side of the road. The street looks quiet otherwise.

  I see the air shimmering by the curb where I parked my car. Could the sun still be evaporating the rain from the street? My uneasiness increases, and goosebumps pop up on my arms. I keep my senses open and quickly close the distance to my destination.

  The cheerful noise of the door chimes wipes away the last vestiges of fear. I notice that Penelope’s blond curls are further rebelling from her bun. She says brightly, “She’s in back with the beast!”

  I chuckle and let myself in the kitchen. Alexis is wearing a white apron and ladling some minty-smelling potion into a large, green glass bottle while watching the news on a small under-counter TV. Varg runs up to me and places his forepaws down and his rump in the air. I bow to him in return. “Hello, Varg.”

  Alexis turns and smiles at me with her generous lips.

  I smile back and ask, “How was he?”

  Alexis dips down into a partial squat to watch the potion line as it rises in her bottle. “He was perfect, but the customers were a bit frightened so I had to keep him back here. We just got back from a walk a few minutes ago.”

  “Well, he looks beautiful.”

  Alexis nods as she continues to ladle the potion into the bottle. “I gave him a bath as best I could with the hose in the alley. He is way too big for the sink here, so I sprayed him down and used my soap to scrub his fur.”

  Alexis pulls the ladle out of the glass jar, apparently satisfied that it’s properly filled. “I also brushed him as gently as I could, avoiding his cut, of course. He was getting matted.”

  I get down on my knees and give Varg a face rub. He sniffs at my face and in turn, I sniff the air around him. “He smells wonderful!”

  Alexis puts the ladle in the sink and pops a cork in the bottle. She gestures to the bottle she just filled. “This is the soap I used. It has tea tree oil and mint in it. It’s charmed too, of course, but both of those repel pests naturally. I also gave him several potions to internally fight fleas and disease. He may be tired tonight as his body gets rid of the toxins.”

  Alexis pops a label on the bottle that reads “dog shampoo.”

  “He ate three full bowls of food throughout the day. I shaved around his wound and put a salve on it. It isn’t too deep and should heal in no time. I think it is best to let it air dry.”

  I take a look at the underside of Varg’s flank and see a shaved strip of about four inches, but there is no cut to be seen. “Um, Alexis. Where is the cut?”

  Alexis looks over at me, frowning. “Right in the middle of the shaved area.”

  I shake my head. “No it’s not.”

  Alexis squats down by Varg. She looks up at me with wide eyes. “The salve was charmed, but I would have expected it to take a few days to heal, at least. Maybe it works better on wolves than on dogs.”

  I’m dubious, but I let it go.

  Alexis shrugs, then stands to grab a bag from a hook on the wall. She starts filling it with things and explaining their purposes. “This is the shampoo you should use to bathe him. It’s gentle on the skin. Once a month should be sufficient. Any more than that will dry him out. This bottle is for getting rid of fleas. Give him two tablespoons a month. Pour it on his food, and it will taste like gravy to him. This is the salve for his cut. Obviously you don’t need it for that cut anymore, but keep it in case he gets injured again. You should swab it on twice a day until the wound heals. He’ll lick at it, which is normal. If the wound is any more than a quarter inch deep or wide, he needs stitches. This is only for minor wounds. I’ll drop the de-worming medicine off in a few days. I was out of a few ingredients.”

  “Do you really think he has worms?”

  Alexis raises her eyebrows. “Does a tree have ants?”

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Thank you so much, Alexis.” She is such a good friend.

  “My pleasure,” she replies. “Have you eaten? I have some leftover Chinese.”

  “Well, now that you mention it…”

  Alexis laughs. She pulls the food out of a hot box. A hot box is a wooden box similar to an old time breadbox but charmed to keep food warm without spoiling it. It sort of keeps it in stasis. I select the remainder of the General Tso’s chicken and hop up on the island counter to eat it with gusto. Varg lounges at my feet with a hopeful look on his face.

  “So,” I say, between bites, “did you know that in the beginning times after Vampires were just born and there weren’t that many, people went hundreds and hundreds of years not believing in them?”

  Alexis says, “Yeah, we talked about that in my magical history course in school.”

  I sigh jealously. “You were so lucky to go to magic school. Do you ever wonder if any of the other myths have a basis in truth? Like fairies or trolls?”

  Alexis thinks about it and says, “Actually, I’ve never thought about it as an adult. Of course as a kid I always wanted the fairy tales to be true. Just think about how for thousands of years we Gifted had to hide our identities. It is possible that there are other beings that are also in hiding.”

  “So do you think there might be wolves with special powers?”

  Alexis looks at me, raising her eyebrows again, then looks down at Varg. She puts her hands on her hips and returns her gaze to me. “What did he do? Besides healing quickly, that is.”

  I study my box of chicken very closely, poking at the pieces that are stuck to the side. “Well, I can’t be exactly sure, but he might have grown a tidbit and then shrunk again. It could have been my imagination.” I look up at her. “It was a really stressful situation. But I swear his withers came to the height of my waist before, and now he looks like a large dog.”

  Alexis smiles broadly. “Very interesting! So is there anything else interesting I should know about?”

  “There might be.”

  Alexis puts her hands on her hips and demands, “Out with it!”

  “Okay, Jack asked me to go to the Glenwood Charity Gala with him tomorrow night.”

  Alexis turns her full attention to me now. “Jack? Your boss?”

  “Yep,” I say casually to tease her.

  Alexis crosses her arms under her chest and commands, “Well, spill!”

  I smile because I love to get her worked up. “Actually, it’s for work. I need to get some more information on that magical artifact I’m researching, and he thinks there will be some knowledgeable people at the Gala.”

  “He’s right, but still,” Alexis says brightly, “he did invite you. He could have gotten a name himself and given it to you afterwards. This means that he doesn’t already have a date, and he wants you with him. What are you going to wear?”

  I give her my biggest blue-eyed look while clasping my hands together to beg her. “Do you have something I can borrow? I don’t have time to go shopping, and you know I don’t have anything bec
ause I never go anywhere.”

  Alexis cocks her head and thinks. “Actually, I do. I have the perfect dress. I’m a little bigger upstairs, but this dress is a halter so it won’t matter.” She looks at me closely. “I think our waists are about the same. It’s a light blue dress with black piping. It will be stunning on you.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I give her a warm embrace.

  Alexis hugs me back. “You have to tell me all about it, though. That is the price I charge.”

  “I promise.” Then I ask, “Alexis, if you had a totally hot boss who was very protective of you and generally a great guy, would you consider, you know, being with him?”

  Alexis’ eyebrows draw in as she ponders this seriously. “I don’t know. Having a fling with a boss is a big no-no professionally. So if it were me I would take it really slow to see if there are real feelings on both sides first before I go and screw up my career.” Then she adds with a sly wink, “But then again, that all depends on how hot he is!”

  I laugh at that. He is pretty darn hot.

  I gather my things to leave, and Alexis turns back to the news. She holds up her hand to halt me. “Hey, you better look at this.”

  She turns up the volume on the TV to the sound of the newscaster speaking. “The three bodies were found on the Upper North Side in the quiet neighborhood of Rowan Park.”

  A grisly scene flashes on the screen of a woman and two children, ripped to shreds and lying in a massive pool of blood. Their bodies are next to a building, and blood is splattered up the wall over twice the height of the news reporter on the scene. Some cardboard boxes next to the bodies are completely soaked in blood and are strewn with what appears to be gory chunks of pulpy flesh. Large hunks of flesh are missing out of the bodies. The smallest body is almost unrecognizable as human. I can’t believe they are showing this on the news.

  “Residents in the neighborhood are staying inside after dark as this is the third night in a row bodies have been found. There seems to be significant Dark Vampire activity in this area. The police say they are working closely with the Supernatural Homicide Investigation Unit and are doing everything they can to bring the perpetrators to sunlight.”

  “Cripes!” I say. “Jack didn’t tell me we had a problem in this area. No wonder he was upset today.”

  I turn to Alexis. “Why don’t you let me follow you home?”

  Alexis’ eyes are wide and fear drips off her. She nods. “Sure. I was just about to close up shop anyway.”

  Chapter 13

  Homecoming

  Bluebell Kildare: May 27, 2022, Red Ages

  I let Varg into my apartment and drop a huge bag of dog food on the floor in the kitchen. While he inspects the premises, I fill the water and food bowls. Looking skeptically at the kibble, I wonder if that’s enough for a wolf. It’s probably not, but Alexis fed him so well today, it will do for now. I’ll have to supplement his diet with real meat.

  “Well, Varg, this is your new home.”

  My living room is small and consists of a sofa facing the sliding glass doors to the terrace and a small TV in the corner. Two tall bookshelves are filled to the brim with my used book collection. I keep my laptop on the coffee table, and I turn it on now to read the news.

  “Varg, Dark Vampire attacks have been increasing citywide. What do you think of that?”

  Varg growls.

  “Yeah, that is what I think too. It has to stop.”

  Varg agrees with me by walking over to the rag rug and curling down in its shag depths. He twists a few times and then gets up again. Suddenly, his body tenses and the hairs on the ridge of his back rise. With a pounce, he is growling at the sliding glass doors to the terrace, and this time it’s a vicious, teeth-baring growl. He doesn’t stop there, though. I know something is out there when he starts barking and snapping savagely at the glass doors.

  “What’s the matter, Varg?” I go to his side and peer out into the dark, but it’s no use. I can’t see anything out there. I shiver a little bit, and my heart starts to thud in my chest. Whatever is out there can surely see me just fine.

  I pull away from the doors and turn off the lights. Then I peer through the glass doors again. Varg is still growling, but I can’t see anything. Opening up my sixth sense, I feel through the wall for a soul. Something, something menacing, seems to be in the far back corner of the terrace. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I see a faint movement in the shadows.

  I pull my Glock out and throw open the door. Varg rushes past me to the far corner of the terrace. Flipping the outside light on as I follow him, a quick glance tells me nothing seems to be in the corner. I turn in a slow circle, checking all around me and up at the roof, but still I see nothing. I hear a faint creak by the corner where I’d seen the shadow, so I move to examine it more closely. A sick feeling curls in the pit of my gut when I realize my rocking chair is rocking slightly, seemingly of its own volition. I lick my finger and lift it up but feel only the slightest breeze. Varg is still in that corner sniffing and emitting low, unhappy growls.

  I thought I’d sensed someone very briefly just as we’d walked through the door onto the terrace, but the sense of them was gone in a flash. Worrying my lip with my teeth, I think about the disappearing man. Well, whoever it was, they’re gone now. Consideringly, I look down at Varg. If it was the disappearing man, they probably weren’t happy to see the wolf with me. Good.

  “Varg, let’s go inside.”

  Varg looks up at me as I hold the door open, and he reluctantly follows me in. I check the bolt and pull the shades down on all the windows.

  Unsure of what to do now, I pick up a book from my shelf and curl up on the sofa again. Varg comes up to me and rubs his massive, furry head on my knee.

  “You did a good job, Varg. Thank you for telling me something was out there.”

  Varg wags his tail and curls up by my feet. We relax like that for a while, but I can’t get into my book as I think of all the things that have happened over the last couple of days.

  My grandparents hated me, but my parents really loved me, so I guess I can live with that. I might not be named Bluebell because of my eyes, but rather because I was blue and dead at birth. I ended up alive, so I guess that’s alright. Apparently my aura saved my life, but I sure wish it had saved my parents’ lives. If only they hadn’t covered me up. Honestly, though, I’m still not sure I completely buy the story about me killing the Dark Vampire. Then some mysterious Daylight Vampire rescued me from the alley and brought me to Father O’Brennen.

  I also noticed a few interesting things. I was able to feel Father O’Brennen’s feelings briefly while in the church, and that is not supposed to happen. Gifts shouldn’t work on holy ground, so that is very peculiar. I hope I’m the oddity and not the church, since the amulet is hidden there. The other thing I’ve noticed is that when I’m with Jack, I can’t feel his emotions very much. Occasionally I get a whiff, but not often. Today was an extreme exception. My gift doesn’t exactly seem to be playing by the rules.

  Jack, now he’s a puzzle. I wish I could get a read on him and his feelings about me. He’s good to me and takes extra care with me. He lets me be independent while still showing his concern. But is he attracted to me the way I’m attracted to him? Does he have any feelings for me at all?

  And how exactly do I feel about him? He is tall and broad-shouldered with a rock solid and powerful body. His eyes are a sensual, ever-changing kaleidoscope of green that I have to keep tearing my eyes away from so I don’t get lost in them. How many times have I imagined twining my fingers through his golden curls? I can’t even count. While most people would be afraid of him, I see his rage as simply the way he expresses his protectiveness and his caring. I don’t believe he would ever hurt me or anyone he considers a friend. He gets angry for us, not at us.

  But I really don’t know anything about him. He’s lived for hundreds of years, for cripes sake! Is his house decorated in modern décor, or does he like antiques?
What are his political affiliations? What does he do for fun? Hah! I can’t even see him having fun. What is fun for Jack? Somehow I think his fun is killing Dark Vampires.

  Now how about Dragomira? What is she? With her voice, it is clear that she isn’t a Norm. She’s not a Vampire, that much is also obvious. She must be Gifted. After all, she owns the best magical artifact shop in town. But what about her voice? Would a Gifted person have a voice like that? Maybe her voice is her gift.

  As if these aren’t enough questions, I am trying to find a murderer. Plus, I’ve just taken in a wolf who might have the magical ability to grow and shrink.

  I glance over at Varg, who is lying with his head on his paws watching me. I jump up and grab the leash. “Varg, do you want to go for a walk?”

  Varg looks like he understands me and stands up. He goes right to the door and waits patiently while I hook the leash on.

  As we start traipsing down the block, I chuckle to myself. Because of his size I can’t drag him an inch in any direction he doesn’t choose to go. The leash is ridiculous since I know who is really walking whom. Luckily, Varg is well behaved and apparently likes walks, as he leads me quite well. I keep my Glock and my new knife on me and pay close attention to the neighborhood as we pass. Varg growls at shadows a few times, but I see nothing that poses a threat. After about a mile or so, Varg starts leading us back home.

  When we get home, I shower and slip under the fluffy comforter on my bed. Varg jumps up on the bed and looks at me with mournful eyes, begging to join me. He is so cute in a vicious, wolfy, fangy sort of way! But I really don’t want to sleep with a wolf. I put my hands around both sides of his head and give him a vigorous rub. His eyes close as he thoroughly enjoys the massage. Then I throw back the covers and grab another comforter from the closet. I fold it into a nice bed and place it on the floor next to me. Varg seems to know this is his spot, and he settles into it right away.

  I slip under the covers again and soon drift off, thinking how nice it is to have Varg in the apartment. I’ve been alone for so long, and he makes me feel very safe.