Page 21 of Hell and Hexes
Chapter 9
Sylvie
After brunch I swung by the firehouse to see Ophelia. She generally worked Thursday through Saturday and the occasional Sunday, so outside of family dinners we tended to get together early in the week for lunch or dinner. Now that Nash was in her life, I’d expected our weekly get togethers to turn into more like monthly get togethers, but so far, she’d made sure to continue our routine. I appreciated it. I would have completely understood if a new boyfriend took priority. Love was a bit all-consuming and burned hot and heavy early in a relationship, and I knew how important it was for them to spend time getting to know each other, turning what might have just been attraction and infatuation into something long-term.
But she was my twin. There was a bond between us that was different than what we shared with our other sisters. Plus, she was the reason I was alive. Nash had fallen in love with her and offered to resurrect me, sacrificing his life as a reaper in the process. It tied me to her even more. And I would be forever grateful to Nash for what he’d done, even though I knew he did it for Ophelia and not me. Still, he’d brought me back to life and that meant I was most definitely Team Naphelia—or should that be Team Ophash—when it came to the couple.
Ricky was sitting in front of the firehouse. The bear shifter had his feet spread out in front of him, hands resting on top of his round belly. On the ground next to him was a big glass of lemonade, which I was pretty sure had more sugar than lemon juice in it. Ricky had a sweet tooth. That plus his belly had earned him the nickname of Pooh-bear. Personality-wise, it fit as well. He had a sweet smile, warm, lazy brown eyes and a relaxed way of dealing with life. He approached an emergency with the same cheerful, competent calm as he did everything else. I liked him, but then I liked all of Ophelia’s coworkers. Actually, I liked everyone in Accident. No matter who they were, I always saw something in even the grumpiest shifter, self-centered vampire, or vain fairy to respect.
“Is Ophelia in?” I asked Ricky.
He waved toward the back room. “She’s in charge of food this week.”
I grimaced, because in our family Glenda was the only one to inherit the gourmet gene. Cassie was a decent cook if it was something simple. Bronwyn had one or two staples she’d managed to get down pat. Adrienne could pretty much only make pie. The rest of us relied on packaged food and carry-out.
“So, what’s on the menu for tonight then?” I shot him a sympathetic glance.
“Boxed macaroni and cheese. I think she’s going to put bacon in it. Last night was tuna casserole.”
“Also out of a box?”
He nodded. “That’s Ophelia. Thursday was chili out of a can, so we’re stepping up in the world tonight.”
I looked through the firehouse to the back room. “Why’s she in the kitchen now? It’s not even noon. It can’t take even Ophelia five hours to cook bacon and boil water for macaroni.”
“Dishes from breakfast,” he told me. “She made pancakes. The kind that come in a bottle where you just add water and shake it up, then pour it onto a griddle. At least the coffee wasn’t instant.”
We could all manage coffee, thankfully. “Too bad Nash can’t cater your food. He’s working at the diner, you know.”
Ricky chuckled. “Nash’s job right now is cutting vegetables and flipping burgers. I’m not sure a reaper’s culinary skills are much better than your sister’s. Next week it’s Brandy’s turn, so we’ll just have to hang on until then and try not to starve to death.”
The sylph was vegan, but she was a darned good cook. And I knew she tried to prepare food that appealed to her meat-loving coworkers. Last time I’d stopped by, she’d made some eggplant dish that was one of the best things I’d ever eaten outside of Glenda’s cooking.
I headed in through the firehouse and found Ophelia in the kitchen, drying a pan. Her smile when she saw me lit up her face. She stuck the pan in a cabinet, then came over and gave me a hug. “What’s up, Syl?”
For some reason, I felt overcome with emotion and hugged her tight, blinking back tears. “I just wanted to see you. Bounce a few things off you. Maybe see if you had any insight into a few issues I’m dealing with.”
She gently disengaged from my hug, her eyes searching mine. “Everything okay? You’re feeling all right? Not pushing it too hard so soon after your accident, are you?”
I’d hid my lingering exhaustion and fears from Cassie and the others, but not Ophelia. There were few things I could ever hide from my twin.
“I’m tired but getting stronger each day. Glenda’s smoothies are helping, and honestly I think it’s good for me to get back to work and be in my own house and bed again.” I headed over to the long table where the firehouse staff ate and sat down, Ophelia taking a seat by my side. “I’m struggling with my magic though,” I confessed. “And I don’t feel…well, as lucky as I normally feel.”
Ophelia ran a hand down my arm and gripped my fingers in hers. “It’s only been two weeks. You almost died. Give it some time and everything will be back to normal.”
“Ididdie,” I shot back, then gave my sister an apologetic smile. “Sorry. It’s just that I’m frustrated and scared. What if being dead did something to my magic? What if I’m always tired and weak, and I’ve permanently damaged something in my abilities?”
“You want me to do a reading? Scry? Is that what you came to ask me?” Ophelia gently prodded. “You know my divinations aren’t always clear, but I can try to see what the future holds for you.”
I nodded. “There’s a lot going on, and I’m feeling like someone stuck me in a dryer and turned it on high. The accident. My physical health. My magic. And then there’s this thing with the werewolves. I told Cassie that I want to mediate the meeting on Monday to try to see if I can get them to come to an agreement without us witches needing to play the heavy. Then there’s…” I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to admit that I was considering a fling with Eshu or not. At twenty-nine, I felt like I shouldn’t be contemplating what would basically be a hook-up and talking it up with my twin. Plus, I knew Lucien wasn’t a fan of Eshu, and thus neither was Cassie. Ophelia had never met him, but I was sure her opinion would be colored by whatever Cassie had told her over the last few weeks.
I didn’t want to face her incredulous comments about my thinking of having a fling with a demon that everyone thought was a frivolous screw-up. If I did decide to go there, it would probably end up being just a one-night stand. No need for anyone to know about it. No need for Ophelia to know about it.
Yes, the therapist in me was shaking her head that I was thinking of having a sexual relationship, no matter how brief, with someone that I would be too ashamed to admit having slept with. That was all sorts of wrong, but I had far too many issues going on right now to go into a deep self-analysis on why I was attracted to someone who my family would most certainly not approve of, and why at almost thirty I didn’t have the courage to do what I wanted without worrying about my family’s opinions on the matter.
“My health, my magic, and the werewolf issue,” I repeated. “That’s what I need a divination on.”
Ophelia gave me an odd look, then got up and made me a cup of coffee, adding a little dash of milk, just as I liked.
