Death Dates the Oracle, page 23
“He’s in the house,” Uncle Seamus said. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
Eamon nodded, his head no longer betraying him. “I want to check on him, but I need to do something first.” With a quick nod to Lucien, Eamon turned to face the five women who’d helped him. “The hourglasses are gone. Completely. I never thought it would be possible. Thank you seems insufficient.”
Alice smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m sure there will be something you can do for us someday. Unicorn hair is a very rare ingredient when it comes to spellcasting. My own supply is dangerously low.”
He laughed. “You’ll never have to worry about that again.”
She nodded. “I’m pleased we were able to help you. We’ll let you be with your family now.” She glanced at the women around her. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we could use a little rest.”
He nodded. “I’m sure. Thank you again. Whatever you need, just ask.”
The witches and Lucien said their goodbyes and left. Pandora lingered briefly to say something to Tru’s aunts, then she slipped away home, too.
Eamon looked at his uncle. “You said something about me hypnotizing Tru?”
Seamus nodded. “It’s one of the unicorn’s powers. If you hold the gaze of a woman for long enough, you will enthrall her. She’ll be enraptured by you for life.”
Tru scoffed. “He didn’t do that to me.”
Seamus’s brows bent. “Lass, another few seconds and you’d have been lost to his whims.”
“Really?” Tru cut her eyes at Eamon. “Were you doing that on purpose?”
“No. I didn’t even know I could do it.” He scratched his head. “There has to be a way to get immunity to that.”
“Aye,” his uncle said. “A ring or bracelet woven from strands of unicorn hair protects the wearer from enchantment.”
Tru’s aunts joined them. Aunt Cleo nodded. “We’d best get that taken care of right away.”
“Agreed,” Eamon said. “I don’t want Tru susceptible.”
Aunt Delly shot him a look. “I think Cleo and I need the same protection, too. Just in case.”
Eamon hadn’t thought about that, but he didn’t want her aunts to fear him. He didn’t want anyone to fear him, but especially not them. “Sounds like a good plan. I’ll make sure that happens soon.” He shook his head. “Blimey. I can’t believe I’m a unicorn.”
“Neither can I,” Tru said. “I thought they were always white with white horns. But you’re really something in that form. All that shiny black … fur? Hair? Whatever it is, you’re very pretty.”
Eamon laughed out loud. “First, I turned into a unicorn. Now I’ve been called pretty. Today might be the best and oddest day of my life.”
He put his arm around Tru, no longer afraid to touch her. “Come on. Let’s go inside and see how Nemo’s doing.”
She nodded at him. “I’m so glad they were able to help you.”
“Me, too.” He’d never meant anything more in his life.
Tru, her aunts, Eamon, and his uncle all went back to Tru’s house, where her aunts cooked them a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. Tru and Eamon yawned their way through the meal, so when it was done, they all said their goodbyes.
Eamon and Seamus went back to their house, with Eamon promising to talk to her soon.
Then Tru said good night to her aunts and made her way to the third floor. She went to bed and slept like a cat the rest of the day. Having a full stomach contributed to her sleepiness, but it would have been impossible to ignore the urge to sleep anyway. Not after the night and morning they’d had.
She imagined Eamon had gone to bed, too. After all, he’d also been awake, but he’d undergone some pretty intense magic. That had to wear a person out.
All she knew was that being kidnapped and nearly murdered was incredibly exhausting. But she fell asleep with a smile on her face and peace in her heart.
Eamon’s troubles were over. They could be together now. And she was a full-fledged oracle. Life was, as Eamon would say, grand.
Muted words woke her. Urgent tones. Happy ones, though. Something was going on. She blinked her eyes a few times and yawned, struggling for a moment to remember where she was and what had happened.
The sounds were coming up the stairs. She tossed the covers back and looked at the time. It was four in the afternoon. The voices belonged to her aunts. It sounded like they were one floor down.
That was as much as she could figure out. She pulled her robe on and went to the second floor to see what was happening.
She found her aunts in the nursery, the door slightly ajar. Both of them were on their knees in front of the birthing area. She pushed the door open, yawning again. “What’s going on?”
Aunt Delly looked over her shoulder. “Chloe’s in labor. Baby number one is about to be—”
“He’s here,” Aunt Cleo said. She smiled at Tru. “A gray tabby.”
“Babies?” Tru sucked in a breath as she took a step closer. “Can I help? Can I watch? I’ve never seen kittens born.”
“Of course,” Aunt Delly said. “Come on in and shut the door. The last thing we need is the whole clowder in here.”
Tru came in and closed the door, then went to kneel beside her aunts. The newborn baby kitten was the tiniest thing she’d ever seen. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t look like she was distressed. “Is she doing all right?”
“She’s doing great,” Aunt Cleo said. “But I’m still glad this is going to be her last litter.”
“You know, Pandora wants one of the kittens,” Tru said.
Aunt Delly nodded. “She told us that before she left this morning. We promised she could have the second pick.”
“Second?” Tru said. “Why not first?”
Aunt Delly smiled. “We thought you ought to have first. Every oracle needs a cat to call her own.”
“Really?” Tru grinned.
“Really,” Aunt Cleo said. “Since Eamon and Seamus took Nemo and Yardy, we have the room. And every oracle really should have their own cat. So one of these little ones will be yours.”
“What about Chloe? Who will she belong to?”
“We might try to adopt her out,” Aunt Cleo said. “We just have to see how she does when she gets through her spay. Mama cats are full of hormones that can make even the most feral friendly. If she stays friendly, finding her a home, too, would be the best option.”
“Then we have room to take another pregnant one in,” Aunt Delly said. “Or another special-needs cat.”
“Baby number two is coming,” Aunt Cleo announced.
Over the next forty-five minutes, three more babies arrived.
The last one was smaller than the rest. “The runt of the litter,” Aunt Cleo said.
“Will he or she be okay?” Tru asked.
“I hope so,” Aunt Delly said, doing a quick check to see if the runt was a boy or girl. “If Chloe ignores him, we’ll feed him.”
But Chloe didn’t ignore him, immediately getting to work licking him clean and caring for him like she had the others.
Tru sat back and watched the new family. All five kittens were nursing away. Chloe looked tired but happy.
After a few minutes, the kittens started to drift off, and Tru was able to get a good look at the last baby. “The runt is black and white.”
“Mostly black but enough white that we can call him a tuxedo,” Aunt Delly said. “And look at that white blaze on his forehead.”
Tru could look at nothing else. “Kind of reminds me of a unicorn horn.” She smiled. “That’s my cat right there.”
Aunt Cleo’s eyes held concern. “Tru, he’s the runt. There’s always a chance he won’t make it.”
Tru shook her head. “He’s going to be fine.” She reached out and stroked a finger down the tiny baby’s back. “Leo the Lion is going to be just fine.”
While her aunts cleaned up the birthing area and put fresh food down for Chloe, who turned out to be ravenous, Tru went upstairs to take a shower. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be awake for, but showering would help.
She checked her phone and saw that she’d missed a call from Eamon. She called him right back. As soon as he answered, she said, “I just saw I missed your call. Everything all right?”
“Everything’s grand. I just wanted to see if you were hungry. I thought maybe we could go out. Now that I can.”
The smile in his voice made her smile. “I would love to go out with you. Where do you want to go?”
“I’m not really sure. I figured we could go into town and see what looks good.”
“Okay. Forty minutes or so? I was just about to shower.” She wanted to tell him about the kittens and Leo, but that could wait until they were face-to-face.
“Just come over when you’re ready.”
“Will do.” She took a quick shower, put on a little makeup, fixed her hair, then put on a cute blue and white sundress with a little jean jacket and white sneakers. She added jewelry, including her evil eye necklace, then put her phone in her purse and headed downstairs.
She stopped to see Leo and his mama on the way. Chloe looked like she was sleeping, but the kittens were nursing again, including Leo, so Tru let them be, but not before she kissed her finger and touched it to Leo’s head.
Her aunts were on the first floor, doing laundry. She stuck her head in the laundry room. “I’m going out to eat with Eamon.”
“Have fun,” Aunt Cleo said. “And remind him about those unicorn-hair bracelets, would you? I’m pretty sure his unicorn power was what we picked up on when we performed the vaskania over you. Even if he didn’t know what he was, his power was still there.”
“I will definitely remind him,” Tru said. Amazing that his power had been active even if his unicorn form hadn’t been. “I won’t be out late. I still haven’t caught up on my sleep.”
“You have your key?” Aunt Delly asked.
“I do.”
“Tell Seamus I said hi.”
Tru grinned. “I will.”
She walked over to Eamon’s. Seamus answered the door with Yardy in his arms. “Himself told me you were coming. In you go, then.”
She came inside, giving Yardy a little scratch on the head. “Did you nap?”
“Och, did I nap? I was out like old Van Winkle. Yardy loves a good nap, too, doncha, lad?”
The cat responded by rubbing his head against Seamus’s chin.
Seamus laughed. “Eamon’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” She went through and found him at the table securing something into a zip-top sandwich bag. Nemo was sitting next to him, fascinated by whatever Eamon was doing. “What’s that?”
“Unicorn hair. From my tail. Which might be the two strangest sentences I’ve ever put together.” He sealed the bag, stood, and handed it to her. He was in dark jeans and a white dress shirt, crisply pressed. He looked very handsome. He shook his head. “I tried braiding it, but that is not one of my skills.”
She smiled and tucked the bag into her purse. “We’ll figure it out. Thank you.”
“Ready to eat? Seamus told me about a few good places in town, places we’ve gotten takeaway from but nowhere I’ve been, obviously.”
“Wherever you want to eat is fine with me. Ready to go out in public without a care?”
He laughed. “So much.”
“Then let’s go.”
He gave Nemo a scratch on the cheek, then kissed the top of his little ginger head. “Be a good lad, now.” Then he and Tru walked out to his car. He got the door for her but hesitated before closing it. “You look lovely, by the way. Sorry I didn’t say that earlier.”
“Thanks. You look very nice, too.” It was the first time she’d seen him in anything but black. “I like the white shirt.”
He laughed. “I’m glad. It was the only thing I had that wasn’t black.”
He found a parking spot on Main Street, then they got out and decided to walk a bit. He realized, as they strolled, that he was keeping his gaze down. He lifted his head, holding his breath for a second.
But there were no hourglasses to be seen. Anywhere. Truly amazing.
Tru reached out and took his hand, glancing at him as if to make sure that was okay. He held tight and smiled back.
As they passed one block, he was surprised at how busy it was. “I wonder if it’s always like this. This many people, I mean.”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to come out again some night and see for ourselves.”
He laughed. “We will.” Then he pointed up ahead. “That’s one of the places my uncle mentioned. Howler’s. Everything we’ve ordered from them has been great. It’s not fancy, though. Sort of standard pub food. Burgers and such.”
“I don’t need fancy. Sounds good.”
They went in, and a hostess seated them in a booth near the front windows, which gave them a nice view outside. They were looking over the menus when Eamon’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Not a number he recognized.
He set the phone screen down on the table.
“You can answer that,” Tru said. “I don’t mind.”
“I don’t know the number. Probably spam.” But then the phone vibrated again. He checked the screen. Same number. This time, he answered. “Hello?”
“Eamon Underwood?”
“Aye, this is he. Who’s this?”
“Hugh Ellingham. I was wondering if I might have a few minutes of your time. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Eamon knew who Hugh Ellingham was. He just had no idea what the man would want with him. “I’m at dinner at the moment.”
“No rush. After you eat is fine. I’ll text you my address. Come by when you’re through.”
“I’m not alone.” He looked at Tru, who looked back at him with obvious curiosity.
“That’s fine, too. You’re welcome to bring Troula along with you, if that’s what you’d like to do.”
Eamon’s mouth opened. “How did you know who I was out with?”
Hugh laughed softly. “Just an educated guess. See you in a bit. Enjoy your meal.” He hung up.
Eamon put the phone down. “I don’t know what to make of that. Hugh Ellingham just invited me to his house.” His phone chimed with an incoming notification. Hugh’s address, no doubt.
“Who is he?”
“He’s one of the …” Eamon looked around, then lowered his voice. “Vampires who founded this town. He said he has something to discuss with me. And that it’s fine to bring you along.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“I’d love for you to go with me, but if the idea of meeting a vampire alone at his house doesn’t appeal, I can understand.”
She blinked twice before answering. “He’s not dangerous, right?”
“He could be, I suppose, but only if he had a reason to be. I doubt we have anything to fear. I don’t know much about him other than he’s part of the family that founded the town. He’s married and has a son.”
She nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
They ordered when the server came back with their drinks. Tru got the chicken pot pie, and Eamon had the prime rib special. The food arrived quickly, and as they ate, Tru told him about how the new pregnant foster cat had given birth that afternoon.
“I’m keeping the runt as my own,” she said with a smile. “He’s mostly black but he’s got a white chest and belly, white feet, and a white blaze down his forehead.” Her smile grew. “Reminds me of a unicorn horn.”
He laughed. “Please don’t tell me you’re naming him Uni.”
“No, I’ve named him Leo. I thought since he was the runt, he needed a good strong name. My aunts say there’s a chance he might not make it, but I’m not going to let that happen. Neither will they if they can help it, and they know just about everything there is to know about cats.”
He nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He prayed the kitten thrived. He didn’t want Tru to lose the wee one.
“Yeah, I think so. How did Nemo do today? That was quite a contribution he made.”
“It was.” Eamon smiled. “I will be grateful to that cat for the rest of my life. He did fine today. He was on the bed asleep when I turned in and still there when I woke up, so he must have needed the rest, too.” Then he laughed. “I’m not sure Uncle Seamus left his chair that entire time, either.”
Tru smiled. “I really like your uncle. He’s such a sweet man. I hope he and Aunt Delly work out.”
“So do I. My Aunt Sharon passed not long after they were married, and I wasn’t sure he’d ever fall for another woman, but he certainly has warm feelings for Delphina.”
Tru grinned. “I can confirm those feelings are mutual.”
The server returned to see if they wanted dessert, but neither of them did. Probably because Tru was as curious about the meeting with Hugh Ellingham as Eamon was. He paid the bill, and they went back to the car.
“You’re sure you don’t mind coming with me?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I want to know what it’s about. I’m just nosy like that.”
He laughed as he opened the door for her. “We’ll know very soon.”
They arrived at the Ellingham house about fifteen minutes later, Eamon’s GPS taking them right to it.
They walked up to the front door together. The place was impressive and the landscaping flawless. Eamon knocked, half expecting a butler to answer.
Instead, the door was opened by a pretty woman with a bright smile on her face. “You must be Eamon and Troula.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Delaney Ellingham. Hugh and I are so pleased you could come by.”
“Delaney?” Tru said, shaking the woman’s hand. “Are you related to the sweet shop with that name in town?”
“Delaney’s Delectables is my place, yes.”
“That is very cool. Please, call me Tru, by the way.”
“Tru it is.” Delaney shook Eamon’s hand, too, then stepped back. “Please come in. Hugh is in the living room. I’ll take you there.”
They followed her. Tru shot Eamon a look he couldn’t quite interpret, but she seemed excited to either meet the woman who owned the sweets shop or Tru was happy that there was going to be someone else present. He couldn’t really tell which.
