Page 75 of Stronger Than Blood
We all looked over at Mrs. Ida, which clearly made her cross. “Don’t worry about me. When it’s my time, I’ll be…” She began coughing and didn’t get her words out, but we’d all come to know her well enough to understand what she meant.
Kalinda handed her the glass of water she kept by her bed, and she drank, then lay back. Damn, it sucked to see such a powerhouse wasting away. Such was the way of nature, though.
Unfortunately, that night, my nightmares began. I guess the SOB decided he could no longer influence Mick, and Mrs. Ida had no tolerance for him. Kalinda wasn’t someone any being could control, plus, she spent the nights elsewhere, so apparently, I was the most vulnerable person to try to influence.
I stood firm, even when he filled my dreams with death and torture. I suppose they were memories of his acts against his victims. They were disturbing and beyond frustrating to have toface them when I wanted nothing more than to give solace to my lover and friends as Mrs. Ida prepared to cross over.
Finally, I’d had enough and asked Kalinda to help me block him. “I’m sorry, Rory, I don’t have the power to do that, not even when I was Madam. Besides, my guides are telling me this is all part of the process. I know the dreams are disturbing, but they are a desperate attempt for him to break free.”
“Can you give me something to block the nightmares, at least?”
She thought for a moment, then smiled. “Come with me,” she said.
“Ida, do you have anything that belonged to your daughter?” she asked.
“Of course,” she said and tried to sit up. “Mick put it all in the bedroom upstairs.”
“Do you mind if we use something to help Rory sleep?”
Mrs. Ida looked confused but nodded. “Have Mick show you where he put it,” she said before closing her eyes.
We found Mick in his room just before he took his afternoon nap. He wasn’t able to get away from the bakery and restaurant entirely, but he’d negotiated with Essie to arrive extremely early to ensure all the pies were cooked. Then Arden would take over for him for the afternoons, so he needed a nap if he was going to stay up past dark.
He led us into the guest room when Kalinda told him we needed something that belonged to his grandmother. Of course, he laughed when he opened the drawer and pulled out a brooch with a sheet of paper attached.
“I haven’t really been in here much other than to vacuum and run a dustcloth over the tops of things since Dupris stayed here,” he said and handed the brooch and note to Kalinda. “I’m going to guess your niece already saw what you needed.” The note was addressed to Kalinda.
Auntie,
I think this is something you’ll be looking for.
Madam Baptiste
Kalinda chuckled and then escorted us to our bedroom. “Rory, which side do you sleep on?” she asked.
When I pointed to my side of the bed, she attached the brooch to the lampshade. “When you go to sleep, ask Mick’s grandmother to watch over you. I have a feeling she won’t tolerate his shenanigans any longer.”
“Um, wait, does that mean she’ll be here, like, all the time?” Mick asked.
Kalinda paused, and when she figured out why Mick was concerned, she chuckled. “No, just when Rory summons her. So, you know, don’t summon anyone until you get… all your business done.”
She was laughing as she walked out of the bedroom, and of course, my adorable Mick was blushing from ear to ear. “Aah, come on, your grandmother will want to know you have a healthy sex life, right?”
“I doubt it. She was pretty religious, at least according to the stories my mom used to tell.”
“Your mom might have had a different perspective of her mother than you. Regardless, I’ll be glad if I can get some help sleeping at night. I hate that we’re still dealing with that demon.”
“Agreed, but yeah, no summoning my ancestors until we are ready to sleep, though, okay?”
I took him in my arms and kissed him until he relaxed. When we pulled apart, I winked. “I promise to only spend our special time with each other, no one else.”
“Good,” he said, then kicked me out of the bedroom so he could get a good nap, since we were both planning to spend the evening watching one of Mrs. Ida’s favorite “programs,” as she called them.
That night, after we made love, I rolled over, touched the brooch, and asked if the owner could watch over us tonight as we slept. Thank goodness, it seemed to work, as I didn’t have one nightmare; instead, what little I remembered of my dreams was of a woman holding a tow-headed baby, singing songs about how much she loved him.
I knew instinctively it was Mick’s grandmother singing to her baby grandson. I decided not to tell him about the dream, at least not right away. For now, I allowed the love she had for Mick to surround me every night and keep the monster pushed far away from us, just as he should be.
Chapter fifty
