Always the Vampire

“Does everyone get to keep the drachma?”


“Yes, or they can give them to you and Neil for good luck, but you’ll have your own coins. You just won’t be in the drawing.”

Her green eyes narrowed. “Is this a Greek thing? Giving drachmas for good luck.”

Damned if I knew, but I nodded. “It used to be, back in the day. I already have the coins taken care of, but we need to decide on a restaurant that will suit anyone who wins.”

After a short debate on the merits of various restaurants, I was out the back door, headed to the peace of my cottage and the arms of my love.



Triton and I started Wednesday evening’s training by dancing again, just to be sure we had the steps and timing down.

“Whatever song is played, we’ll do one complete circle in the line before we break off. When I squeeze your hand and move, you follow, okay?”

“Got it, but what do we do if Starrack attacks people in the crowd? For that matter, what if he uses powers beyond throwing energy balls?”

“We have spoken of that,” Cosmil said, “and he may use some illusion or even disappear when you close in on him. However, it is our opinion that he expects the Void to do the fighting, and, in fact, feels invincible with the Void at his side.”

“But,” Lia added, “we’ll be there to counter illusions and to keep him visible.”

Saber nodded. “Whatever happens, just remember our goals are simple. Drain the Void’s energy, get Starrack down, and hit them both with the amulets. Any more questions?”

“Just one,” I said. “I need the chant that activates the banish setting on my amulet.”

Cosmil rose and went to the massive kitchen island, waved his hands, and a small piece of paper appeared. He handed it to me, and I scanned the two lines he’d written phonetically. I pronounced the syllables with Cosmil providing corrections. Though the words sounded like the Hawaiian I’d heard on Magnum, P.I., I had no clue what language I spoke.

“What does this mean?” I asked when I’d muttered the phrase twice.

“The short, loose translation is, ‘Light, vanquish the Darkness.’ ”

“That’s it?”

“Magick is not necessarily mumbo-jumbo, Francesca,” Cosmil said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Does it work if I say the same thing in English? I mean, if I forget these words in the heat of the moment.”

“It is best to speak the language of the amulet, but I suppose the vernacular would suffice. The disk responds to intent, after all.”

“No fears on that score. My intent will be loud and clear.”





TWENTY-FOUR




A phone call at ten thirty Thursday morning sent Saber and me into a new flurry of activity.

Neil’s sister Jessica had gone into labor at six that morning. His parents, who also lived in Orlando, would still make the wedding, but Jessica’s hubby, John, obviously would not. Under the circumstances, Saber couldn’t say no when Neil asked him to move from usher to groomsman.

I phoned the formal wear shop about the change of plans, and they had a tux they thought would fit Saber, but he had to get there pronto in case it needed alterations.

He took off, and I finished filling the hanging shoe-storage units and plastic boxes with the items from my list, carefully labeling each box and zipper bag. When I took the containers to Maggie’s to stash them in the respective rooms where they’d be needed, Neil was there waiting on the lawn-maintenance crew. I updated them both.

“Saber called. He has a tux, and it just needs one pant hem repaired.”

“He wasn’t offended that Neil asked him to fill in?”

I waved a hand. “Not at all. How is Jessica’s labor coming along?”

“John nearly fainted in the birthing room, but Neil’s mom said the babies should be born anytime. Neil and I are just tidying here and there, making sure there are tissue boxes in every room and extra toilet paper in each bathroom—”

“Packing for the honeymoon?”

Neil rolled his eyes. “She’s packed and repacked a dozen times in the last two weeks.”

“Well, you two relax and wait for the baby news. If Saber doesn’t bring all three tuxes home with him today, we’ll pick them up tomorrow when we get the bridesmaid dresses.”

Saber didn’t bring the tuxes home, so they stayed on my Friday list. At two in the afternoon, with the roar of the lawn crew mowing, edging, and hedge trimming, we decided to load up Snowball and everything else we needed to take to Saber’s place and get that errand done. We also took our now-fresh workout clothes in case we went straight to Cosmil’s later.

Once at Saber’s house, we decided to make it shine. We dusted, vacuumed, and changed the linens on the guest bed. Not that Lia would be using the room, but a freshening couldn’t hurt.

“Are you out of nervous energy yet?” he asked when we took a break to sit on the sofa with glasses of sweet tea. “If you aren’t, we can go clean Triton’s apartment.”