RoadBlock Page 7

  “Holy shit! Did you see that?”

  “Calvin’s spell.” Dagger whispered in awe.

  “Do you think they’re still alive? Should we call the police?”

  “Let’s call from home, we’re almost there.”

  Dagger turned into his driveway and Cal jumped out before the car was fully stopped, sprinting back up the street towards the wrecked car. He crouched behind a clump of grasses and watched the vehicle, but it showed no movement. Soon he heard sirens, and an ambulance screamed up the street. Three men raced out, and kneeled by the overturned car, examining the passengers. After only a few moments they drew back, their moods somber and their pace unhurried. One made a call on his radio, and soon a fire truck arrived, followed by a police cruiser. Everyone worked together to extricate the bodies of the two passengers, and zipped them into heavy black bags.

  The ambulance left, followed by the fire engine, but the police cars stayed, and soon a van arrived with a photographer and a woman in khaki pants. Cal had seen enough, though, and slipped back into the grasses, jogging back to Dagger’s house.

  13.

  Cal walked in to find everyone seated around Dagger’s kitchen table, and as he stepped into the room all three leveled angry stares at him.

  “What?”

  “Calderon! You left us, and you’re asking ‘what’? We were worried!”

  “Sorry, Bet. I had to make sure they weren’t following! Come on, you knew what I was doing.”

  Dagger’s eyes were narrowed and he barely kept his voice under control. “Yes, Cal. We knew what you were doing. But think, how would you have felt if I’d run off like that? Or Betony?”

  “Uh-” Cal ran his hand over his face. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it. I’m really sorry, guys.”

  Betony exhaled loudly, and Wade just shook his head, but Dagger was still staring at him, arms folded, eyes drilling into his. Cal walked over and wrapped his arms around him, but Dagger stayed stiff in his embrace. “Please, Dagger, I’m sorry. I was safe, I promise.”

  “You’re the one who keeps warning us about splitting up!”

  “I know. I know, you’re right. I won’t do it again.”

  Dagger relaxed a little, letting Cal hold him, but he was still angry. Still a little afraid. “What happened to them?”

  “They’re both dead.”

  They all absorbed this information for a few minutes. Suddenly Betony clapped her hands together once, startling them. “All right. We need to eat something, and then test these charms, and then we need to talk about our next steps. I think we have more food at my house than here. Let’s go.” Betony turned on her heel and walked out the front door. Wade got up and followed, leaving Dagger still trapped in Cal’s arms.

  “Dagger. Please don’t be angry.”

  “I was afraid, Cal.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He kissed Dagger’s cheek, then down his neck, trying to soften him. Dagger’s anger faded quickly, but the worry remained. He knew what Cal had done was necessary, and he trusted that he’d stayed hidden, but the terror he’d felt when he thought about losing him was still thrumming through him. Without Cal, they had no chance in this fight. “Just promise me you’ll talk to us first next time, and not just run off. We have to be a team now, okay?”

  Cal closed his eyes, “I will. I promise I will. It’s just… all this danger and stress is so unnatural to me, I’m just going on instinct here.”

  “I know. Me, too.” Dagger paused, not sure if he should reveal more. But it wasn’t in him to hold back, especially about this. “Cal, I know this sounds crazy, I mean, I’ve only known you two days… I just feel like you’re so important to me already. I guess I sort of panicked when I thought you might be in trouble.”

  “I understand. It’s not crazy… well, maybe it is, but I feel the same way. I’m sorry I scared you.”

  Dagger nodded and kissed Cal softly, then stepped out of his arms. “Betony’s right, we have to figure this out, and I’m starving. Let’s go over there.”

  When Dagger and Cal walked into the kitchen, Betony was stirring something on the stove that smelled of garlic, and Wade was chopping vegetables for a salad. For a moment, they looked like a married couple preparing dinner together, and Cal smiled as a flash of foresight hit him. They would be a married couple someday, and they’d be happy, he was certain of it now.

  “What can we do to help?”

  “Set the table? It’s still going to be a while, but you can get that done. And open a bottle of wine? I put a few in the cabinet.” She gestured with an elbow towards the low built-in cupboards in the dining room. Cal knew that was also where they’d put the placemats, so he followed Dagger in and got to work.

  Dagger opened the wine, and when Cal was done with the table he came out and opened a box of crackers and a jar of mixed nuts. He was starving, too. Dinner was ready quickly though, and soon Betony was moving things to the table. They’d made pasta with a simple garlic and mushroom sauce, a big salad, and a few pieces of steak broiled in the oven for Wade and Cal.

  They all sat down, but it was several minutes before anyone spoke. “This is awesome, Betony. Thank you so much for cooking.”

  “No problem, Dagger. Okay, so Cal, did you learn anything new from what Barbara said today?”

  “Not much. But I do know now that there is something blocking my foresight. I think Diana’s was blocked, too, from what Barbara said. The Theodosians have some power, for sure. If they have a seer, or if this super-witch is a seer, that might be why. And we can’t rule out the possibility they’ve got charm and spell weavers as well.”

  “I wish we knew how many of them there are, or who they are. I feel so ignorant. I mean, we didn’t even know who they were today! Barbara didn’t recognize them. I wish there was some way we could identify them when they’re right in front of us, at least.”

  “There might be. Maybe we could work a spell?”

  Dagger nodded, “A spell is a good plan, but I think we might be able to look them up online.”

  “Wouldn’t someone have tried that before?”

  “No. Maybe not. I don’t mean like a Google search, I mean searching tax records, real estate, education records. We know a few things about them. They are a church, ‘The Church of Theodosius’, which means they operate as a non-profit as far as the state is concerned. They need to have some records. Adelaide probably has that. If we cross check that with some other things we know about them, it might get us somewhere. Like, for instance, they only home-school their kids. We can look up that, maybe get a list of names. They protest at separation of church and state hearings, we can look up the media records, look at photos. It’s a lot of work, but we can try.”

  “Dagger, that’s a great idea. We’ll ask Adelaide tomorrow what she knows. And meanwhile, we’ll work on a spell.”

  “Betony, will you and Wade start working up a spell while Cal and I clean up?”

  Betony smiled and agreed, and soon she and Wade were poring over her collection of spell craft manuals. They had a few ideas and the basic outline for their ritual by the time Cal and Dagger joined them. It took a few hours for their spell plan to come together, and they decided to work it right away, gathering ingredients and bringing everything out to their circle on the cliff.

  It was close to midnight when they were done, and they had only the barest hope that the spell would work. With their combined power, it should, but it was a new spell, untested, and they had guessed their way through much of it. If it did work, they each would have the power to identify a Theodosian on sight. There was a high probability that anyone that meant them harm in any way, from a pickpocket to a dishonest salesman, would also trigger the internal alarm, but it was the best they could do.

  “We still need to test Bet’s charms.” Cal reminded them. They were all exhausted, but they worked together to clear the circle of the remains of their spell-crafting and prepared to join again.

  Dagger stood off to the
side, within sight but not on the stone patio. Calderon sat in front of his north stone marker, and Betony and Wade sat between the other directions, joining hands. A small fire still burned in the fire bowl from their spell work, and there were candles burning around the circle’s perimeter.

  This time, the connection didn’t snap into place as firmly as it had the last time, but they found it easily enough. Dagger held his charm close to his skin and tried, alone, to join the connection. He felt them, but distantly, faintly. He tried to relay a simple message, concentrating on an image of a daisy and pushing it towards them.

  In the circle, Betony broke out in a wide grin. “A daisy! Dagger, I see it!” Flowers were the first symbols children learned to focus on in spell work and in ritual, and it had been easy for Dagger to push the image forward. He tried for something different this time, and firmly pressed the number seventy-two into his mind, pushing it along the thin connection.

  “Seventy-two.” Wade acknowledged with a nod.

  “Okay, send something to me, now.” Dagger tried to keep himself open and receptive, and immediately felt the connection strengthen as the image of a strawberry, an old oak tree, and his bed flashed through his mind. He smiled widely at the pictures they’d chosen. Betony had sent the berry, sweet and comforting. Wade reminded him of their childhood hideout, and Cal suggested they should go to bed, soon.

  “All right, I think I should go a little farther away… I’ll go to one of the houses, and I’ll send a picture of where I am to you. When you have it, come find me.” Dagger jogged to his house, and went into the spare bedroom, which had been his room growing up. He sat on the floor, where he and Wade had played matchbox cars as young boys, and sent a strong image of the space along their connection. He was happy to feel the bond just as strongly here as he had when he was physically closer to the others, and thought it probably didn’t matter how far they were, the charms would work.

  In a matter of minutes, he heard footsteps in his house and Wade peeked in the bedroom door. “Find my red firebird yet?”

  “I don’t have it!”

  “Bullshit. You always wanted that car.”

  Dagger laughed and got up off the floor, joining the others in the living room.

  “I think we learned a lot today. Bet, great job on those charms.” Cal yawned widely into his hand. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Me, too. What do we have to do tomorrow?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Good. Goodnight.” Betony walked across the street and Wade followed, giving Dagger a little wave behind his back as he went.

  “I’m going to go get some clothes. I’ll be right back.” Cal followed Wade out, and Dagger went to the bathroom to clean up before bed. His took his phone from his pocket and checked the screen. Three voicemails. Dagger sighed and listened to the messages, all from his boss, and each one slightly more angry than the one before. He sent off a quick text, promising to call in the morning and explain, then went to change for bed.

  14.

  Cal walked into the bathroom while Dagger was brushing his teeth, slipping his hand into the waistband of his boxer briefs and planting a kiss on his shoulder blade. Dagger warmed at the familiarity of it. Cal might not have any foresight where their relationship was concerned, but Dagger could definitely see a future together. He finished up at the sink and turned towards his bedroom, giving Cal a soft kiss as he left.

  A few minutes later, Cal joined him in bed, and Dagger slid against him gratefully.

  “Do you think that those men dying was our fault? I mean, we led them along that road, and we knew about Calvin’s spell.“

  “No. Their own ill will killed them. You’ve had other people come down that road, no one else wrecked. Calvin’s spell was triggered by their hatred. Don’t think about them anymore.”

  Cal’s words were soft and warm against his ear, and Dagger felt safe in his strong arms. He thought briefly of making good on his earlier promises, the image of Calderon flushed with embarrassment and arousal was almost enough to overrule his exhaustion. But Cal’s breath was even and deep, and the fingers that had a moment ago traced over Dagger’s nipple now laid slack on his chest. If he wasn’t asleep already, he would be soon. Dagger closed his eyes and joined him.

  Dagger woke the next morning to Cal’s insistent kisses and a very strong erection. “Mmm. What time is it?”

  “Late. Doesn’t matter.” Cal pled his case by wedging his knee between Dagger’s legs and coaxing them open, pressing their groins together.

  “Fuck, Cal, that feels good.” Dagger wrapped his legs around Cal’s hips and arched up towards him, taking his mouth again in a deep kiss. Cal reached between them and grasped both erections with one hand, squeezing and stroking gently, making Dagger throw his head back and moan. Calderon was overcome with desire, and something more- a strong need to possess, to claim this man as his own. He reached over and opened the drawer he had seen Dagger use for the condoms and lube, and found what he needed inside.

  In moments he was pressing a finger into Dagger, stretching him, and Dagger responded by ripping open the condom and rolling it over Cal’s stiff length. Dagger arched under his fingers, moaning, wanting more. “Now, Cal. I’m ready, please.”

  Cal watched Dagger’s face as he entered him, watched his eyes slide closed, his lips part softly, his brows draw together. He was beautiful, and Cal knew he was his. Not with his foresight, not with any special skill or power, but with his heart and soul he knew it. This man he’d met only a few days ago was his future. The possessive urgency he’d felt a moment ago faded, replaced by a deeper need rooted in love and physical desire.

  Cal thrust in and out, watching Dagger writhe under him, watching the expressions on his face, drinking in every detail. The bedroom was sunny and bright, and Dagger’s every articulation of pleasure was plain to see. When Dagger reached down to stroke himself he opened his eyes, and Cal held his gaze as they climbed towards release together.

  Dagger came quickly, never taking his eyes from Cal, and as he shot onto Cal’s stomach he shouted “Calderon!” in a deep, raspy voice, which brought Cal to orgasm as well. Cal laid down and wrapped Dagger in his arms, wishing he could declare his love but knowing it was too soon. They held each other, kissing softly, and whispered quiet little affections that would have been silly in any other circumstance.

  Dagger’s phone rang loudly from the nightstand, and he groaned in annoyance. “Probably Gerry, my boss. He’s pissed. I might have to go in today, for a while, at least to talk to him.” The phone rang again.

  “Are you going to answer it?”

  Dagger sighed and shook his head, but reached over and picked up the phone. “Hi Ger….I know…I know….I’m sorry. Gerry, let me explain, please?”

  Calderon crawled out of bed, giving Dagger’s shoulder a soft pat as he left. Dagger had a lot of talking to do and he didn’t need an audience. Cal took the opportunity to shower and dress, hoping this day would be less stressful than yesterday.

  Wade woke to the startling realization that he was not alone in bed. Betony was curled next to him, on top of the blankets, with an old afghan covering her. What was she doing here? He hadn’t felt her come in, hadn’t heard anything. Had she been afraid? The sun shone in on her hair, showing golden highlights hidden in the brown strands and he reached out to gently sweep it back off her face. She was beautiful, but not the type he usually went for. If Wade was honest, the ‘type he usually went for’ was whoever would go home with him after a night at the bar. Betony was natural, earthy, real. While her brother was dark haired and pale skinned, Betony had warmer coloring, lighter hair and more olive skin. She didn’t wear makeup and kept her hair loose and wavy, and her light brown eyes were warm and kind.

  He reached out again and touched her cheek with his knuckles, wishing she might feel something for him. “Mmm. Wade?”

  “I’m here. You all right?”

  “Yeah. You were talking, moaning kind of, in your sleep. I
was worried about you, so I slept here.” She kept her eyes closed, as if she wasn’t quite ready to wake up.

  “Oh. Thanks. Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay. I wish you weren’t sad.”

  Wade didn’t know what to say to that, so he stroked his hand along her cheek again. When she just smiled, he risked laying his arm over her, holding her to him gently. She relaxed against him, and he felt intense relief at her acceptance.

  “She loves you, Wade. She just thinks you’re stronger than Dagger, that’s why she treats him that way. She thinks he needs her more.”

  Wade closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk about his mother, or the awkward moment when they’d all seen his pain yesterday. “She’s wrong. Dagger’s stronger than I’ll ever be.”

  “You’re strong in different ways. You should tell her it hurts you. She’d stop.”

  “I…I don’t want to do that. It’s gone on too long.”

  “I understand.” Betony laid her hand over Wade’s arm, holding him to her. “Don’t push Dagger away, though. You felt how much he loves you through the circle, didn’t you? He’s lonely, too, without you.”

  “He’s got Calderon now.”

  “That’s different, and you know it… What was the other reason you stopped seeing him?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You said ‘it’s part of it’ when he asked if that’s why you stopped hanging out with him. So what’s the other part?”

  Wade wanted to say it was none of her business, that if he hadn’t told Dagger he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her. But she was laying there in his arms, her eyes still closed, relaxed and trusting, and he knew it was ridiculous to pretend that they were just acquaintances. She asked because she cared about him, and about Dagger. He couldn’t deny her.

  “It makes me sound like an asshole… It was because he was gay. But, you need to remember, Dagger was openly gay in a small town during the nineties. It wasn’t unheard of, but it was far from acceptable. In the coven, it was fine, no one gave a shit about that. But in public school? Not so much. I told you, he’s stronger than me. And being his best friend, as close as we were, there was a lot of talk. I fought for him, I stuck up for him, I didn’t tolerate anyone talking shit about him. But I had to widen my social circle, I just couldn’t stand everyone whispering and teasing and judging me.