Rest For The Wicked (17 page)

A knock on the door yanked her out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Eric standing there, hands in his pockets, the breeze tousling his sun streaked hair. Her heart jumped in her throat. She managed to forget during the madness of the day that he was leaving tonight. Unlocking the door, she let him in.

“Hey.” He leaned in and kissed her. The touch of his lips left her tingling. “Another busy day?”

“Insane. I’m wiped out.” She grabbed his hand. “Come and sit. My feet are killing me.”

Annie led him to the reading table in the back, left Marcus to close out the register. She sank into the padded chair, slipped off her shoes and let out a sigh. Eric lifted her legs and settled both feet in his lap, fingers massaging her aching arch. She leaned back in the chair.

“Oh, that feels fantastic. I love you.”

His hands paused, then kept massaging. “Right back at you, blondie.”

Her heart stuttered, then hit fast forward. She pulled out of his grip, swung her legs to the floor.

“Do you mean that?”

He met her gaze. “I don’t say anything I don’t mean. You should know that by now.”

“And you don’t care—” She forced herself to continue, because she had to say it. He had to hear it. “That I’m a witch?”

Eric cradled her cheek. “I’m thinking it will just make my life more interesting.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Oh, damn. How did I get so lucky?” She crawled into his lap, buried her face in his shoulder. “Can you say—”

“I love you, Annie.”

Letting out a sigh, she tightened her grip on him. “Great way to say goodbye.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You know I would stay, but I need time—”

“Eric.” She lifted her head, framed his face. “We’ve been through something that would break down a strong person. I’d be worried if you didn’t need the time. God knows I’ll miss you, but I understand, and I’ll try not to embarrass myself when we say goodbye.”

“I’m going to miss you, more than I expected to.”

Annie smiled. “Good.”

She kissed him, like they had all the time in the world, forgetting Marcus, forgetting everything but the feel of his lips, his tongue, the warmth of his breath. When they came up for air, a discreet cough turned her head around.

Marcus leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

“What?” she said.

“It is time.”

“Right.” She kissed Eric one last time, slid off his lap. “You’re all packed?”

“Bags are already in his car.”

“Okay.” She took his hand. And held her other hand out to Marcus. “Come here.” He obeyed without asking why. Annie looked at each one of them, managed a smile. “I want us to make a promise, right here. No matter what happens, we stay connected. Wherever we happen to be.” Her gaze moved to Eric, and tears filled her eyes. “We will always—”

“Promise,” Eric said, pulling her into his side. He let go of her hand, wrapped his arm around her waist, kissed her cheek. “What about you, old man?”

Marcus bent over her hand and kissed it. “You have my word.”

“I think Claire would approve—not of you running her store,” she said to Marcus. “Though she may hate it less than she thinks. And there I go again, talking about her like she’s in the next room.” Annie took in a shaky breath, tugged Marcus forward. “She’d be happy, knowing we aren’t alone. Okay.” She let go of Marcus’ hand, swallowed past the tears lodged in her throat. “Get out of here.”

Eric turned her in his arms, slid both hands in her hair, and kissed her until she couldn’t think straight.

“I’ll call you when I get there,” he said, his breath warm against her still healing ear. Then he kissed that ear, making her shudder. “God, I’ll miss you.”

He pulled away and walked to the back of the store, glancing over his shoulder before he stepped through the door. Annie let out a sigh, turned away. Marcus pulled her into a quick, welcome embrace.

“I will be back soon. Dinner?”

“Sure. I’ll wait here for you.”

She watched them get into Marcus’ Jaguar, the engine purring like a big cat before it roared out of sight. Rubbing her eyes, she dropped into the chair and rested her forehead on her crossed arms.

She almost told them, wanted to tell them so badly. But she wasn’t sure how to put into words what she knew in her heart. What the dreams that woke her in a cold sweat kept telling her.

Claire was alive.

~*~

 
As a fiction writer, I do take liberties, but I always start from a point of truth, or mythology, depending on the subject. Because I pulled from so many different sources, I decided to add a reference guide. Now you can see where I started, and where the mythology for the book took off. Happy reading!

Azazel
– there are several stories about Azazel, depending on the religion. In the Hebrew Bible, in the rite of the scapegoat, a goat was sent “to Azazel” in the desert, with the sins of Israel on its back. This rite was performed every year on The Day of Atonement. Azazel was the desert demon, the spirit of desolation and ruin, and the source of all impurity. In the Book of Enoch, Azazel is listed as one of the leaders of the Watchers, the angels who bred with women and created the Nephilim. They taught men the art of warfare in the time before the flood, and taught women to beautify and adorn themselves. For these sins, he was bound hand and foot by the archangel Raphael, and cast into darkness. He is also referenced as one of the three leaders of the fallen angels.

For my purposes, Azazel is a fallen angel, and sits at the right hand of Lucifer in Hell. Claire was his first, his Lieutenant, his most trusted. Until she began to care about the humans she was supposed to torture. For this, she was banished to earth, to wander among those humans, alone.

 
crystals
– crystal healing has been popular for centuries, and has been documented as far back as 1550 BC, in an Egyptian medical document known as the Ebers Papyrus. References to them are found across religions and in everyday society. For every health issue, physical or mental, there is a crystal that can help. Lapis for boosting the immune system, helping with depression, and a host of other ailments. Hematite for mental clarity and confidence, along with blood cleansing properties. Rose quartz for self-acceptance, self-love, and personal worth.

I use amethyst for Claire – it is a spirit crystal, and a wonderful, all-purpose crystal, for everything from meditation to pain. It is one I have used for years, to ground me and to promote clear thinking. For Claire, it is a way to ground her to the life she has chosen. But it also opens the channels of communication with angels, so stay tuned.

 
demons
– ah, demons. Here is the universal definition of a demon: something not human, and that is almost universally malevolent. Hebrew mythology calls them “workers of harm,” beings that entered the body and caused all sorts of ailments, depending on the demon or spirit. The only cure was to draw them out by using incantations and talismans. Christianity has had demons in their mythology for centuries. The modern Roman Catholic Church has sanctioned exorcists, who perform exorcisms on the possessed, using prayer – a modern form of incantation. Throughout literature, fallen angels are considered demons.

Claire is one of the fallen, banished from Heaven for siding with Lucifer in his rebellion against God. Once she embraces the demon again, will she remember what it was like to be one of the blessed?

 
demonic possession
– literally, to be possessed by a demon. As above, possession was thought to cause certain diseases. Blindness was from a demon of blindness, who sat on the water, and struck those who drank the water with blindness. There was also the spirit of headache, the demon of epilepsy. The Sumerians believed that all disease was caused by demons, what they called “sickness demons.” Modern demonic possession is similar to what is portrayed in film and television: loss of control by the possessed over their body, supernatural strength, access to hidden knowledge, drastic changes in voice and/or appearance, and expulsion by exorcism.

I take the high road with demonic possession – the demon has total control over the body they possess, and they also have complete access to the memories and emotions. The human’s personality is dormant, but they can hear, see and feel everything that is happening. Once possessed, supernatural strength keeps the body from dying, even when it is mortally wounded. The demon also gives the body they possess, or ride, exceptional healing abilities, up to a point. Iron, salt, and holy water can hurt them, to the point where they may decide to vacate. And of course, a rousing exorcism will send them back to Hell – if they don’t escape first.

 
elementals
– a lower type of nature spirit, they appear in many different forms, including fairies, elves, leprechauns, gnomes and sprites. These spirits are governed by archangels.

My fire elemental makes a brief appearance, sneaking in behind a love spell. Claire sends it back, using what power leaks in past her barriers. In her real form as an angel, the elemental wouldn’t have needed coaxing – it simply would have fled.

 
fallen angels
– here is an interesting fact: the term “fallen angel” does not appear anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. It was adopted because of the interpretations of the Book of Revelation, Chapter 12. The Jewish faith took their interpretation from the Book of Enoch (see Azazel). The most prevalent belief is that these angels “fell,” or were cast down, because of their rebellion in Heaven, either against Michael or God.

I have taken on the belief of a war in Heaven, and the angels siding with Lucifer were cast down into what became Hell, and eventually turned into demons. Claire is cast out of Hell because she remembers what she was, and starts to have compassion for the condemned souls.

 
holy water
– this is water that has been sanctified by a priest, to be used in baptisms and blessings. It can also be used to repel evil. The use of holy water to repel evil is a belief held mainly by the Roman Catholic Church.

I am working on the truth that the protective properties of holy water works for anyone who believes the water is sacred. Using holy water to defend herself, Claire takes the one thing that can seriously injure her and uses it against Natasha. For a demon, holy water might as well be acid – it is pure, where a demon is not, and burns on contact.

 
iron
– found in hematite, magnetite, goethite, limonite and siderite, it is one of the raw materials used to make pig iron, which is then used to make steel. Cast iron is made by melting down scraps of pig iron, scrap iron, scrap steel, lime stone and carbon. Melt out contaminants, adjust the recipe, and you get a lovely cast iron skillet. In folklore, iron is believed to be the best protection against witches, sorcerers, demons and other evil spirits. It can also repel ghosts.

I use iron as a tool and a weapon: a tool to break the wards that Claire created to bind her demon nature, and a weapon to control her once the demon is free. The iron is also like acid on a demon’s skin, burning where it touches.

 
Jinn/Djinn/genie
– there are many versions of the Jinn mythology, depending on what source you read. In Islam, the Jinn were created by Allah from smokeless flame, and, like man, given free will. In Muslim cultures, Jinn have been given different qualities. As an example – in Morocco it is believed that the Jinn can grant three magical wishes. Stories of the Jinn litter the
One Thousand and One Nights
, where the tale of Aladdin and the lamp can be found.

This is where I veer away from mythology and folklore the most. Marcus came from the idea of the Jinn, but he is a completely different entity within the confines of my fictional world. As I wrote him, Marcus simply evolved, and I liked what he became so much I decided to go with it. So he is Jinn, but not any Jinn you will find in religious or folklore text.

love spells
– most love spells are harmless, especially when cast by a person with little to no power. They can be found free all over the internet, and in witchcraft books on any bookstore shelf.

I dabble, and have written my share of spells – usually clearing and protection. Like Claire, I avoid love spells. I consider them a grey area, a form of emotional manipulation. The spell Annie uses is real, and what happens when she does it – hmmm, who knows? I won’t be trying it anytime soon.

 
Lucifer
– in Latin, lucifer means bringer of light, morning star, light bearing – depending on which source you use to translate. In the Bible, he is called son of the morning by God, before he is cast out of Heaven. The relevant passage is in Isaiah: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (King James Version). There are more arguments and discussions about Lucifer – one, also in the Book of Isaiah, ascribes the name to a Babylonian king who was destined to fall.