Chapter 9: Attempts

SERAPHINA

The remainder of the funeral passed in a blur. People came and went, offering their condolences. Some brought cash gifts that would be donated to charity.

There was also a promise to invite many people to the auction I had announced would take place at the end of my mourning period. Relief washed over me as I finally slid into the car to go home. My head throbbed with exhaustion, and the world seemed to warp around me.

I was somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when the car stopped, too soon to be home. I remembered the promise I’d made to Garrick just as the door began to open. It already felt like a lifetime ago.

I resented having any more obligations to anyone but myself. Cold air rushed in as the door opened. Garrick’s warm smile greeted me as he extended his hand.

His suit was covered by a large black and gray jacket. “Let’s get some food in you before you sleep, okay?”

I gave him a small, tired smile as my stomach growled. His words were too sincere, too kind to resist. I took his hand, grateful that I’d kept my jacket on.

“My doctor will thank you, if he’s as talkative as you say he is.”

“Only a lot, but your secrets are safe with me.”

I snorted at his comment. My hand was in his as we walked to the restaurant. We rounded two brick walls to reach the entrance. Garrick stayed close to me in case of traffic.

The restaurant Garrick had chosen was unmistakably Italian. The scent of garlic and pasta filled the air.

“He talks a bit, but only out of concern for a fragile woman who just lost her husband,” Garrick said as he held the door open for me.

His comment immediately put me on edge. Garrick seemed completely unaware of my slight discomfort. His face lit up as he moved forward, letting out a sound of surprise as he and another man, half his size, embraced in a hearty hug.

“Ruso! I didn’t think you’d be here tonight. I heard you reserved my table though. You’re the best,” Garrick said.

“Any time, cousin, anytime,” the slender older man replied, a grin on his face. The silver in his hair was barely visible in one of his braids.

“I couldn’t resist being here, given the circumstances. Seeing you out and about instead of cooped up at home is a rare sight.”

Garrick rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, very funny. Some of us actually have jobs, Cuz.”

“Hey. I’m working now, aren’t I?” Ruso retorted confidently. He grabbed some menus before glancing my way. His head tilted back slightly, his demeanor still cheerful as he addressed me.

“Follow me, Miss. If he gives you any trouble, I’ll be sure to set him straight.”

With a snort, Garrick gestured for me to go ahead. I gave them a small, curious look before we followed Ruso to our table. I thanked him and watched as he and Garrick shared one last hug.

Garrick then joined me, taking his seat and perusing the menu. “I know the owner, I don’t own the place. Just in case you were wondering.”

“We may have been rivals, but I’m no Jack Blair,” Garrick said, grinning as if he were trying to impress me or make a joke.

A polite smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I quickly decided on the braised beef shank to go with my red wine. I decided to play along with his joke.

“Maybe I should be the one paying, then?” I saw a flash of displeasure cross his face at my words, realizing I had offended him.

Garrick held up a finger, raising an eyebrow and wagging it back and forth. “Don’t even start, woman. This may be the twenty-first century, but I asked you out on this date to feed you.”

“Which means I will provide the meal.”

“I plan on ordering wine,” I warned him. I was trying not to be too difficult, but I wanted to make it clear what I wanted with my meal.

“That’s fine. Order what you’d like. I’m not Jack, but I’m not broke either. I’d give you everything, even the clothes off my back, if it proved I can provide for you. At least for an evening,” he said earnestly.

The last sentence fell flat as if it were an afterthought to what he considered important information. His words made me feel more than a little uncomfortable.

I opened my mouth, unsure of how to respond. His words were sweet but intense. Choosing to sip my water, I let him mull over his own words.

The awkward tension between us was palpable. I hoped he’d pick up on it. Unfortunately, he didn’t.

“What do you call fake spaghetti? An ~impasta~!” he joked, now looking down at his menu. He smiled as if he were in his own little world, a man pretending to be interested, or perhaps genuinely fantasizing about me while I was sitting right across from him.

He didn’t even know me, and something about the gleam in his eye made me feel like a prize. A very expensive one. I was wearing my husband’s ring next to my own in funeral attire.

~What the fuck am I doing?~

I placed my napkin on the table and stood up. I walked straight out of the restaurant, making it only just out the door as I shrugged on my jacket. Garrick’s warm hand pressed onto my arm, trying to halt my movement but not entirely restricting me.

“Wait. What did I say?”

I scoffed, shaking my head. I took a few steps off to the side, closer to the alleyway, so our altercation wouldn’t be so public. I was trying not to be too abrasive but also wanting him to know the full force of my anger.

“What about your comments did you even begin to think was—”

The words died on my lips as the sound rang in my ears. Garrick’s body suddenly pinned mine against the concrete, holding me still. Several more shots fired into the night, shots I knew immediately had hit Garrick.

I didn’t even have time to cry out as he began to crumble against the wall. My hands tried to hold his face to make sure he was still alive. My adrenaline caused my heartbeat to thud in my ears, so I could only analyze his breath in the cold as my only indication he was still alive.

I heard Damien shout as another round was fired further in the distance. Horror filled my gut as I felt warmth run over my fingers while I helped Garrick to the ground. My lips trembled as I saw something in his eyes give out.

“Garrick? Garrick!?” I screamed. My hands were covered in blood. Something I barely registered as my hands went to his face again to try and wake him up. Warmth filled my hands. His warmth.

Another warmth.

“Don’t you die on me. I can’t do anymore death today. Whatever goddess I have to call on. Persephone, Klotho, Kali, Hel, Demeter—I feel this. I feel you. Help me.”

I pleaded as my heart began to ache a thousand times over. I couldn’t live this life. I couldn’t handle another death, especially a death where he thoughtlessly protected me.

That kind of blood couldn’t be on my hands. So for the second time in what felt like a lifetime, it felt like the magic I called on answered. Whatever feminine divine energy heeded my call from the other side, the icy intense embrace filled my limbs.

It was like cool liquid fire as I sobbed. My body jerked forward as my stomach muscles seemed to give out. A pain filled my body in several places as I placed my hands on him.

Tears filled my vision as I felt another intense pain ripple across my vision and back. This one was different. Something strong and powerful like a vacuum. I fought against it, my hair whipping around me with a burst of frozen air I couldn’t feel.

Garrick’s eyes suddenly fluttered open, a gasp leaving his lips. A sharper pain went through my heart as I fought the relentless force pulling the beautiful magic within me. It was a useless battle, one that had my head spinning as my eyes fluttered closed.

Unable to meet Garrick’s eyes, I felt my body fall. The strange forces in my body caused exhaustion to suddenly set in as I let go.

“Miss Blair!” Damien called out, his steps coming closer in the closing darkness as Garrick shifted beside me.

Garrick groaned, a small grunt coming from his lips as I heard a bullet clatter to the ground. My vision faded as I felt myself blink. The only thing clear in my view was the fog of each breath I took in the frigid air.

Steam was coming off of cooling blood beside my face.

“She’s fine,” he called out before cursing as he held onto his stomach.

This time he muttered to himself as he looked down at me. “At least I think she is. What the hell just happened?”

His question was valid, because I was wondering the same thing. I couldn’t wield magic like Jack had.