The Old House (Haunted Series Book 16) (19 page)

“EEG technology, huh.  Would you mind if I borrow this and show it to Ted?  You see, my husband is a bit of a genius.  He invents things.  See this?”  Mia picked up one of the necklaces that she wore.  “This little round bead is monitoring my heartbeat, right now.  It normally is picked up by Bluetooth and sent to a computer so my husband can watch over me when I’m investigating.”

“Cool.”

“Mia, what kind of investigating do you do?” Edie asked.

Mia frowned.  “This is where you are going to politely ask me to leave.”

“Nonsense.  Tell us.”

“I’m a paranormal investigator,” Mia said and waited for the roll of the eyes.

Edie asked, “Like ghosts and things like that?”

“Yes.  I’m also a sensitive.  I may be able to help Mark communicate with his father, depending on how deep his dad is locked-in.”

“Nonsense,” Mark said.

“Come here, both of you.  Let me show you.  I’m going to ask you, Mark, to think of something - I’ll tell you after I explain – and I’m going to ask your grandmother to reply by thinking.  Then I’m going to tell you both what you said to each other.”  Mia took off her gloves and took each of their hands. “Mark, you ask your grandmother about something you’ve never asked her before, and, Edie, you reply.”

Mia smiled and dropped their hands.

“Mark, you asked if your grandmother thought I was a charlatan, and Edie said that you should always give people a chance, even crazy ones.”

“How did you?” Edie started.

“Oh man!” Mark exclaimed.

“Wait, I want to try something harder.  It may not work.  My cousin Sabine is better at this than I am, but I’d like to try.  Mark, you’re going to ask Edie a question, and, Edie, you’re going to hear it in your head.  You need to think back the answer, and, Mark, if all goes right, you’re going to hear that in
your
head.  It may tingle or even burn.  Are you two game?” Mia asked.

Both of them nodded.  “Okay, give me your hands.  Mark, ask your grandmother how she feels.  Edie, you answer him.  Wait until I squeeze your hand.”

Mia closed her eyes and linked with both grandmother and grandson.  She squeezed Edie’s hand.  Mia felt something akin to sinus pressure but didn’t hear anything in her mind.  She waited until Mark lessened his grip before opening her eyes.  “Did anything happen?”

Mark and Edie had tears rolling down their cheeks.

“I’m sorry, did it hurt?”

“No, you marvelous girl,” Edie scolded.  “I heard him.”

“I heard her.  How is this possible?”

“Ted would say that I’m a USB chord between two devices.  I’m thinking that maybe we can arrange a time when your mother is back and see if I can help you to hear your father.  But, Mark, I have to warn you.  He’s been locked-in for some time. He may ask you to do something that you aren’t going to want to do.”

Edie looked at Mia and nodded.  “Go ahead, tell him.”

“Mark, some people who are in the physical state your father is in, want to die.  They see death as their only escape.”

Mark nodded but didn’t say anything.

“In the meantime, I’ll have Ted look at this.  Between him and a doctor friend of ours, perhaps they can make this machine better and cheaper.”

Mark sprang at Mia and hugged her hard.  “I don’t care if he asks to die.  I want to hear him say it.”

Mia held him and patted his back.

“Welly Bees,” Brian said from the floor.

Mia smiled down at her son.  She was proud that he connected with the heartfelt moment.  He was going to make someone a great husband one day.

“There’s a haunted house near here,” Mark said, letting go of Mia.

“There are a lot of haunted houses, Mark.  What makes this one special?” she asked, getting on her knees to play with Brian.

“I think the house is calling to me at night, in my dreams.”

Mia looked over at Edie, who was nodding her head, and back to Mark.  “Tell me about the dreams?”

“I don’t see how the people died inside of it, but I see the house as it was when it was happy and now that it’s dying.”

“Sam and I have a hard time believing the house can feel,” Edie admitted.

“I’ve come across a few buildings that could.  One did everything in its power to keep functioning as an inn,” Mia told them.  “Have you ever walked into a room that people just finished arguing in?  Yes?  There is a lot of stored energy.  Sometimes the home absorbs this energy and, in a very unscientific way, comes alive.  The worry I have is that the house is calling to you, Mark.  Have you been in it?”

“No, Grandpa Sam asked me not to.  He said it wasn’t safe.  But I’ve seen and heard a few things.”

“The house is dangerous.  After the windows went, nature got to the floorboards,” Edie said.  “But the funny thing is, the wood trim looks like it’s been cared for.”

“Gran, have you been in the house?” Mark asked.

“You’re not the only one the house calls, Mark.”

“Tell you what…  If one of you will watch Brian, Ted and I will take a look.  We’ve been through places like this before.”

“You might find the gold,” Mark said.

“Gold?” Mia asked.

Mark and Edie took turns and told her the story of the Wayne house.

“Do you know who owns it now?” Mia asked.

Edie shook her head.

“When I get to a place where my cell works, I’ll have my good friend Audrey, she’s our researcher, see what she can find.”

“If we found the gold, then we could buy the place and fix it up,” Mark insisted.

“Unfortunately, the gold would belong to the people who own it,” Mia said.  “But sometimes there is a small finder’s fee.”

“I doubt there’s anything there.  It’s been almost stripped to the bone by treasure hunters,” Edie said and then offered, “I’ll watch Brian anytime you and your husband want to go out.”

“How about now?  Could we go now?” Mark asked excitedly.

“I have to ask Ted first, and then the three of us need to prepare.   We don’t have any of our gear here. How about tomorrow?” Mia asked.  “Today, I’ve promised Brian a swim, and then we’re going into town for some ice cream.  Would you like to come along?”

Mark looked at his grandmother.

“As long as you have your chores finished,” she said.

Mia picked up the toys and then Brian.  She thanked Edie again for the welcome basket and promised to pick up Mark on their way into town.  She climbed the hill and stood there and closed her eyes a moment.  She didn’t feel anything malicious in the wind.  But then again, the wind could change at any moment.

Orion set down on the patio.  He wasn’t surprised to see Angelo perched on the wall overlooking the herb garden, but he was surprised to see him happy.

Angelo got up and shook Orion’s hand.  “Come inside.  Once you’re refreshed from your flight, I’ll serve breakfast, and you can tell me about your research.”

“Thank you, that would be most welcome.  As you know, the gargoyles’ cuisine leaves a lot to be desired.”

Orion went into the guestroom and over to the closet where Angelo’s servants stored his clothing.  He approved of the drop railings which were a recent addition.  He wouldn’t have to levitate to get to his clothes.  He chose a casual outfit and went into the washroom where a stepstool was placed before the massive sink.

Angelo nodded to the housekeeper.  “You can wet the tea. He should be but a few minutes.”  He sat down and waited at the well-appointed table, picking up the publication that Father Santos’s secretary had sent over.  He flipped through to the marked pages.  There was Mia modeling some yoga outfits in a tasteful and yet arousing manner.  He wished he could go back to the time when she was but a scrawny ill-kept thing.  He would have taken her under his wing then.  Maybe then she would just be one of many, instead of
the one
in his mind.

“Ah, I see you’ve taken up reading scandal sheets,” Orion observed, walking over to the table.  He sat down on the chair Angelo kept there for him and raised it to a comfortable height.

“Your granddaughter,” Angelo said, handing him the weekly magazine, “has taken up hawking clothing.”

Orion looked at the pages and nodded.  “Well, a girl’s gotta eat.  I take it you don’t approve?”

“I’m not sure anymore what I think.”

“That’s not like you.  You normally have your prejudices dictating your beliefs.  Mia is a strange creature.  I understand she’s flying now.”

“Where do you get your information?” Angelo asked, surprised.  “You’ve been in the Dark Vault for days.”

“Where do you think I got the information?  We are not the only ones who are interested in the development of Mia Cooper Martin.”

Orion’s use of Mia’s married name wasn’t accidental.  This was his subtle way of reminding Angelo that Mia wasn’t available.

“Mia came to me herself to explain how Sariel ended up teaching her the basics, including some battle moves.”

“Mia came here?”

“Yesterday.  She wanted me to know that it wasn’t a well thought out decision to have Sariel train her.  He showed up when she was in peril, acting quite the knight.”

Orion smiled as his tea was brought and thanked the housekeeper, who in turn asked what he would like for breakfast.  He gave her his order and added honey to his tea before addressing Angelo, “Since
knight
isn’t a word Mia would use, I take it you looked into her mind.”

“With permission.  I also saw her fight for Ted and their reconciliation.  And the reason Mia won’t be transforming into a full bird.”

“Now you have me intrigued.”

“Sariel has put one of his feathers inside of Mia.  Its placement has altered her transformations, and it acts as a beacon.”

“Sariel has LoJacked my granddaughter,” Orion said, visibly impressed.  “The man’s a genius.”

“He’s not a man,” Angelo insisted.

“It’s an expression,” Orion said.

“Mia didn’t know it was there.”

“I suppose you told her.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

“She wasn’t happy, but I told her of the benefits of the feather.  It contains battle strategies and other information that will be useful to Mia when she figures out how to access them.”

“Tell me about her wings.”

“They aren’t our wings nor the wings of an angel.  Mia has archangel wings.”

“That’s impossible.  That doesn’t happen anymore.  Did the feather cause this?”

“I don’t know.  I was hoping you knew.  They are beautiful.”

“I would have to research further, but I think this is a singular occurrence.  It could have something to do with the band of protection Sariel has around her ribcage.  Maybe that combined with the feather…”

“She does have our tattoos though.”

“Mia let you see her transform?”  Orion asked, puzzled.  “I don’t understand. I thought she had chosen Ted as her mate.”

“I don’t think Mia knew that she had inadvertently started a mating ritual.  I think, perhaps, you need to discuss a few things.  Or should I send Judy to her?”

“Did you mate with her?”

“No.  I warned her off.  Besides, the Council of Women has taken away her ability to bear children for now.”

“Now that’s the first smart thing I’ve heard since I got here.  I expect you know the reason why, but I doubt Mia does.”

“Nephilim.  They can’t take the chance that Mia will be able resist or fight off Sariel if he chooses to take her,” Angelo said through his teeth.

“We must teach her how, without alarming her.  Perhaps I should visit her.  After all, I am her grandfather.”

“But not her only grandfather.”

“Émile has found her?”

“And claimed her and Brian,” Angelo added.

“Boy, you data-mined Mia, didn’t you?”

“She invited me in.”

“That was a mistake the first time. She must like you to let you in again.  Look at the trouble you caused her.”

“It’s my weak human side,” Angelo admitted.

“If you are going to lead us when the time comes, you’ll have to learn to compartmentalize your feelings.  We all yearn for those we can’t have, but most of us are able to set aside these desires.”

The housekeeper arrived with their breakfasts.  Angelo watched the little birdman eat the vast quantities of food and realized this was where Mia got her appetite from.  When they had finished, Orion nodded to Angelo.  “We should go outside.  I wouldn’t want what I have to tell you to be overheard.”

Angelo nodded and left the table, walking slowly in deference to his houseguest.  When they had reached the shaded patio and sat down, Angelo asked, “What did you find in the Dark Vault library?”

“Cynosura.”

“As we suspected, but how?”

“A Cynosura nurseryman raised and planted the witch tree.  I imagine there are many more scattered around this continent waiting to be activated.  I saw what it did to Mia before you came to the rescue. It was good to see the two of you battling together by the way.”

Angelo didn’t react to the comment.  He was concentrating on the problem at hand.  “It’s another sign that they need to be destroyed before they start the culling of the human race.”

“Oh, Angelo, they have been doing so for quite some time.  It has been mistaken for politics.  With every step towards human rights that is taken, they have taken away three steps in other areas.  They have started to cull the emerging societies of Africa and Asia by funding terrorists.  Only the strong will survive, and they will soon find themselves either signing allegiance to the Cynosura or be themselves culled.  This is why the angels are recruiting.  They have seen it emerging.  We have been too involved in our own survival to see the big picture.”

“While we have been balancing good and evil, they have been building their empire.”

“So the abundance of demon activity is because…”

“There are more of them.  The offspring of the daughters of the Cynosura and demons grow faster.”

“No human survives a demon birth,” Angelo said.

“Apparently, it matters not with the fathers of the unfortunate women.  This demon incursion has been going on since time began.  I have demon blood, a lot of the present population of this planet has a creature somewhere in their family tree.”

“When the great fell, there still was compassion.  The demons were given the underworld.  Why couldn’t they be satisfied?”

“I expect it’s the nature of the beast.  We too have a few black marks on our wings, Angelo, as do Sariel and his brothers.  It is impossible to be around humans without picking up a few of their weaknesses.”

“Why is Sariel so interested in Mia?  She thinks she called him with the Gris Gris bag when she fought the soul eater.”

“It’s possible this got his attention, but he can’t be controlled by magic.  He does have a weakness though; his peripheral vision was damaged in the last Great War.  He needs a shield maiden to watch his back.  He has chosen Mia, and I fear, Angelo, she has accepted.”

“I saw her pledge.  It was made under duress, and Sariel himself was insulted by the bargain Mia made.  She pledged her sword to him if he got her safely to Ted in time to talk to him before he ruined his life.  Sariel said, ‘I don’t need to be bribed to do the right thing.’”

“Makes it kind of hard to hate him, doesn’t it, Angelo?” Orion prodded.  “Can you let go of your wants and needs and see the creature for what he is?  He is a great healer and warrior.  It would behoove you not to make an enemy of him.  Not over Mia.  She has chosen a human, one who the Council has the greatest faith in.  You played a game with her, and you lost.”

“Don’t you think that I would take back that moment in time if I could?  She was so raw, uncultured and vulnerable.  It was my narcissism that could not see her for who she really was.”

“She has never been tarnished in Ted’s eyes.  You all but put her into his arms after you healed her.  The unbalancing of her emotional memories brought on a keen insight.  Her eyes were opened to this man, possibly the only man who could totally understand her and not be upset by all that she can and will do.  Sure, the man has vanities and weaknesses.  We all do.  But she loved him enough to fight for him when she could have had anyone, and I mean anyone.”

“That is one consolation.”

“So no more talk about the Cooper curse.”

“Oh that.  I was right.  Mia was bound to the farmer since she was a teen.  She broke the curse and is now free to love her husband.”

“Mia broke the curse?  My god, not even her grandmother could figure out how to do so.”

“Was Fredericka bound to you?”

“No, but I to her.”

“Who was she bound to?” Angelo asked.

“She wouldn’t say.  He gave her a boy child and then took him away from her.  I found her devastated and nursed her back to health.”

“You mean Mia has an uncle somewhere?”

“I imagine so, but there is no way to trace him since Fredericka wouldn’t acknowledge who his father was.  She didn’t want me to kill him.  Although, I suspect that man would have been an adversary in battle.”

“You’re not Beverly’s father, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Who is?” Angelo asked.

“I’m not exactly sure.  I have a few possible candidates in mind.”

“It seems that Mia’s grandmother wasn’t a one-man woman, or even a one-birdman woman.”

“No, I suspect that was the curse working.  Mia, now, is free to embrace monogamy if she wants to,” Orion said pointedly.  “I pray that she does.”

“Ouch, that hurts.”

“I really don’t understand your fascination with my granddaughter.  She is hardly your type, Angelo.  I thought you and the Countess…”

“A mere convenience for both of us.”

“How European.”

“Your granddaughter puts her all into every challenge she is faced with.  She ignores the proper route and finds her own way, and in most cases, it’s better.  I’ve learned from her, and I would love to teach her more.  With our combined knowledge, we could be such a force.  Evil would shirk away before it raises its ugly head to challenge us.”

“Quite a speech, but I’m not swayed.  I know it’s her animal urges you want part of.  Angelo, I forbid you from mating with my granddaughter.”

“She can’t conceive.”

“That is beside the point!” Orion argued.  “She is very happy with her life with the human.  Do not tempt her away from his bed.  I expect more grandchildren from that pair.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?  When did you become so provincial?”

“When I held my granddaughter’s hand while her husband healed the breach in her mind, Ted was very aware that Murphy was fighting for her too.  I saw something I’ve rarely seen in a human before.”

“What?”

“I saw the ultimate courage.  The ultimate sacrifice.  He’s what they call a hero.  Complicated sure, but all we heroes are.”

Angelo looked at Orion and had to acknowledge defeat for now.  Mia would never be his if Orion had anything to say about it.  But he wasn’t her only grandfather.  The great artist Émile Neyer could possibly sway Mia when the time came to put away the human life and become what she was bred to be.

“I don’t like that smirk on your face,” Orion observed.

“Gentlemen don’t smirk.”

“Like I said, smirk.”

~

Mia sat at the shore’s edge and watched Ted and Brian build sandcastles.  Brian was more interested in putting the wet sand in his mouth, but that didn’t dampen Ted’s enthusiasm.  Mia watched her tall husband lay in the sand to get Brian’s eye view of things.