“I figured you must have been the one to put the warding on the threshold,” I said. “You know you made a mistake in the fourth character.”
“Oh? And you would know because you practice cabalistic magic?” Ashley asked with an amused expression.
“No, I have just seen enough of it over the years to recognize a mistake when I see it.”
Ashley chuckled. “I doubt that anyone your age has had much of a chance to see any real magic.”
“Frak that! Ashley, he’s a lot older than you are,” Tess blurted.
Ashley glanced to Tess and back to me. “Excuse me, Rafe, but would you mind if I studied your aura?”
I grinned. “Which one?”
That obviously confused the rabbi.
“What?”
“I maintain an adjusted aura. It’s necessary in our work.”
“Ah, your true aura, if you don’t mind?”
“Certainly, anything to please Tess,” I said. Actually, there was just no need to hide behind an aura that would make me look like a low-level Wiccan magic user with Tess’s family. I consciously dropped the spell that maintained my camouflage. “Go ahead, look all you want.”
Ashley concentrated for a few moments and then her eyes widened.
“What’s going on here? What are you doing, Ashley?” Emily asked.
“I’m just studying Rafe’s aura.” She choked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a predominately gray aura before.”
I grinned. “You aren’t likely to ever see one again, except right there,” I said indicating Tess.
Ashley looked toward Tess, and her hand rose to her mouth. “Blessed God. You both have gray auras.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Emily snapped.
“Their auras, it’s the energy field that surrounds a living body. It can be compared to your soul. It’s not exactly the same thing, but the two are intimately related. You see dear–”
Emily leapt to her feet, stomped over to the fireplace and stood at parade rest, staring into the flames.
Ashley looked from me to Tess. “Give her a few minutes. Finding out that Tess is okay was enough of a shock. Add to that the existence of magic, and I’m afraid someone as conservative as my Emily has a little trouble adjusting to the change.”
Emily growled something beneath her breath but didn’t turn from the fireplace.
“I didn’t want to upset her. I just didn’t feel right not telling her what happened to me. It may be years before I see her again and I thought I’d take the opportunity to see her.”
“I understand dear. I’m glad you did. So,” Ashley looked at the two of us for a second before continuing. “Can I get you two Wanderers coffee or perhaps something stronger?”
“I think a drink would be good,” Tess said.
“And you Rafe?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having, Ashley.”
“Wait a minute,” Emily said as she turned from the fire. “Tess isn’t old enough to drink.”
Tess stood and glared at her aunt. “I am not a child, Aunt Emily. I’ve been in combat; hell, I was killed in combat. I think that makes me mature enough to have a drink if I want it.”
“What are you talking about? Killed?” Emily questioned.
“Weren’t you listening?” Tess said. “A Valkyrie came for me after the explosion. Valkyries are reapers of the dead on the battlefield. What do you think she was there for?”
Emily paled. “I thought that was some kind of euphemism. You really think you died and came back?”
“Rafe? Help me out here,” Tess pleaded.
I felt sympathy for my apprentice and spoke up, “Tess is telling you the truth, Emily. She’s been selected by Verðandi, one of the Norn sisters of Norse mythology, to be her agent in the fight against the unnatural. We’re Wanderers. We keep the unnatural and all sort of villains from interfering in the affairs of humans. We live a dangerous but exciting life, and aren’t likely to die in our sleep. We answer to and are beholding to no one save for Verðandi. We control powerful magics and rarely lose a fight. Assuming we survive the next few days, I expect Tess to be my apprentice for decades to come.”
Emily stared at me. Her mouth opened twice, but nothing came out. Finally, she looked at her wife. “Sweetheart, could you get the good whiskey out? I think I could use that drink after all.”
Chapter 16
Therese
We sat quietly sipping our bourbon while outside the day turned to twilight. Aunt Emily and her wife–Oh, my God! My Aunt was married. To a woman! I couldn’t get over it. She’d never given the rest of our small family any indication she was gay. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t ever broken it to me. I could understand her not telling my father or her parents, geez, never her parents. They were stuck somewhere in the 1950s. But she must have known I would be fine with it. I wondered if she had told Mom before she died.
The ice clinked in my glass as I finished up the shot that Ashley had given me. I licked my lips and surreptitiously eyed the bottle that sat on the coffee table. Ashley noticed my glance and leaned forward to pick up the bottle. I held my glass out, with a shy smile, while she poured an equal amount over the remains of my ice.
“More ice, dear?” she asked.
“No, this is fine…I guess I should call you Aunt Ashley,” I said.
“I would love for you to do so,” Ashley said with a heartwarming smile.
I could see why Aunt Emily had fallen for her. Just in the few minutes, I’d known her I had been made to feel welcomed and relaxed around my Aunt’s wife.
“If you finish that I’m not letting you drive. You’ll have to spend the night here,” Emily stated matter-of-factly.
“Oh, I don’t have to drive,” I said, taking a sip of my freshened drink.
“I heard you arrive on two motorcycles. How are you going to manage to not drive one of them?”
“Maia can drive herself,” I said and then remembered that we hadn’t talked about our familiars, yet.
“Maia? Who’s that, dear?” Ashley asked.
“Ah,
