Roland smiled in relief and kissed her.
‘What exactly is a Druid?’ Lilly made a mental note to find out as soon as possible.
“Okay, let’s eat,” they said in unison and hopped off the bus.
~
They were absorbed in Valentines’ menu when the waitress sauntered over to their table. Lilly looked up ready to order when she spotted Alex with his sister, Angelina, walking by his side. They were being seated at a nearby table. Lilly gasped, her chair fell over as she stood abruptly and headed for the front door.
“Hey, Lilly, where are you going?” Roland exclaimed standing quickly. Alex’s head flew up as he saw the young woman running out the front door. He bolted from his seat swept past Roland and pushed him down into his chair. Alex flew out the entrance of Valentines and broke into a run as soon as he was out of the door.
Lilly was running down the block headed for Esplanade Avenue. Alex caught up with her, grabbed her arm, and swung her around. Holding her in his iron grasp, he stood catching his breath, his eyes taking in every part of her. “You look like a whore,” he spat.
“You look like a creep! Get your fucking hands off me!”
Her fingers tingled, the Fae magic stored in her DNA ignited. Without a moments hesitation, she channeled a powerful electric charge into Alex’s iron hold on her arm. He flew across the sidewalk, hit a newspaper stand and fell into the gutter. “Don’t ever come near me again,” she said succinctly to his prone form as she turned and ran down the street.
Roland arrived seconds later to see Lilly running across Esplanade Avenue. The man who had been chasing her was lying in the gutter groaning. Roland ignored him and took off after Lilly.
Angelina found her brother climbing onto the sidewalk a few minutes later. “What happened? Did you catch her? Was it Lilly?”
Alex sat on the sidewalk, rubbing his head, “No, no it wasn’t her,” he lied. “I ran after her, only to be confronted by some asshole who shoved me. He tried to take my wallet but I fought him off.” Shaking he got to his feet, allowing Angelina to help him back to the restaurant.
Roland caught up with Lilly in Jackson Square. She spun around as he called her name, her hands out, fingers spread ready for battle. Recognizing Roland, she dropped her hands and jumped into his arms. “It was Alex, my ex-husband,” she cried.
Roland glanced down Decatur Street making sure he wasn’t being followed. “Was he the guy who grabbed you in the Square?” Lilly nodded. “He looks like a soulless one,” Roland said as he put his arm around her waist and led her back to her apartment.
A sigh escaped Lilly’s lips as she collapsed onto the couch. Roland’s stomach growled and his tone was brusk, “What’s up with this guy? You left him. Your marriage is over. Why is he attacking you?”
Lilly looked up, “Roland, he is a member of a powerful Mafia family! I stole money from him to escape. I was his prisoner. Now, he wants retribution. He wants to bring me back to his home in the suburbs and make me his prisoner again.” Roland sat back, surprised at the seriousness of her situation.
After a few minutes he took her hand, “He doesn’t know where you live and...wait, did he catch up with you?
“Yes, he grabbed me, but I was able to fight him off. I told him to leave me alone.”
“You did that to him? He looked messed up.”
Lilly couldn’t repress a smile, “Good!”
“Yea, he was lying in the gutter.”
“I thought he got the message the first time he tried to drag me away from the French Quarter. I hope a roll in the gutter conveyed the meaning of, ‘No, not ever,’ to him.”
Roland took her in his arms, “Your safe here in Panthea’s. I guarantee the wards on this building are stronger than the Mafia. He won’t get in here.”
Walking to the front door, he examined the lock for a moment. “I’m going to set a protective ward on your front door as a reinforcement. No one with harmful intention will be able to come in, even with a key, unless of course, you invite them in.”
Lilly looked baffled, “You can set a magical ward?”
“Yea, I can. I learned when I was a teenager. My dad remembers a smattering of Druidic teachings from his grandfather and he passed them on to me and my brothers. Warding, scrying and drawing energy from the earth and the oaks are a few things he taught us.”
He walked to the front door and with a simple pass of his hand, a blue light appeared to penetrate the doorknob and the lock. The frigid air of warding filled the room for a moment. Turning back to look at her, Roland gave a sheepish grin.
“Thank you,” Lilly said and tried to smile.
They sat silently eating peanut butter sandwiches at the coffee table. Suddenly Lilly exclaimed, “I forgot my flute. I left it in your bus. I was going to get it after we ate. When I saw Alex I freaked out and all I could think of was getting away from him.”
“Don’t worry Lilly, I’ll bring it over to you.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed and let Roland lead her to the bedroom. They cuddled in bed, falling asleep in each other’s arms. Roland woke early and left for rehearsal with the band. As he walked out of the front gate and through the square he kept his eyes open for lurking thugs. The threat of Lilly’s Mafia connected husband bothered him more than he had admitted to her.
Chapter 20
Love Spell
Back at work on Thursday, Lilly was ready for a lunch break. When noon finally arrived, she bolted up the spiral stairs to her apartment and ran into Madeline carrying two bags of groceries up the stairs.
“Oh, my stars,
