Blood Moon Pt. 3

The next afternoon Ryan headed over to the hotel where Rea was staying. He called her room several times but she hadn’t answered. Either she was still sleeping or she had gone out for the day without him.

To his delight he spied her curled up in an overstuffed armchair in the lobby with a newspaper spread across her legs.

“Rea!”

The witch raised her head and sent him a confused look. “Ryan? What are you doing here?”

“You said you needed a tour guide.”

“Oh yeah.” She turned back to her newspaper and Ryan sat down across from her with a frown.

“Don’t you remember?”

Rea didn’t reply at once, she finished skimming the article before raising her eyes. “I remember but I thought you were just being polite. I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”

Ryan couldn’t help but let his shoulders slump in disappointment. “Oh. Well, I guess I should be going then.”
An exasperated sigh left her lips. “Wait. You did come all of the way out here so the least I can do is play tourist for the day. But let me finish my newspaper first.”

Settling back in the chair, Ryan took the opportunity to study the woman sitting in front of him. She was dressed simply in jeans, boots, and an old t-shirt advertising some type of concert. Her hair was loose and fell in thick waves around her shoulders but was held back from her face with a colorful scarf. Some type of charm bracelet was wrapped around her left wrist and rings of different types and styles adorned each of her fingers. A gorgeous ruby amulet was nestled at her throat and dimly reflected the afternoon sun.

In all she looked like a typical American tourist not a deadly witch but Ryan learned a long time ago not to judge the proverbial book by its cover. Things were rarely as they seemed and Rea was a perfect example.

He remembered what had flashed in front of his eyes during the soul gaze the previous night and he fought to repress a shudder. He saw a couple being burned at the stake while a screaming young woman was restrained in the background. He saw wars, he saw New Orleans burn, he saw all manners of magical and non-magical creatures fight with and against Rea. He saw fleeting moments of happiness but those were locked carefully away while the darkness ran rampant.

Rea snapped the newspaper and Ryan jumped. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and frowned. How old was she? He knew that witches and wizards had an extended lifespan but what he saw didn’t make sense. Rea didn’t look very old, she appeared to be in her early thirties, but her age didn’t match her memories. She was guarded but that was not unusual, anyone of the supernatural persuasion had to be careful. You never knew who or what was lurking around the next corner. But there was something else about her, something that he couldn’t put his finger on...

“Ryan? Ryan!”

“Sorry. What?”

“Are you ready?”

The vampire nodded and stood. “Sure.”

As they walked out of the hotel Rea’s brow furrowed. Ryan had been staring at her since the moment he sat down. It wasn’t the usual assessment either, it felt as though he was trying to get a peek under her skin and see what made her tick. The witch shook her head, the last thing she needed was someone, let alone a White Court vampire, digging into her personal life.

“I tried calling your room earlier but you never answered and I realized that you didn’t give me your cell phone number,” said Ryan as they turned onto the main street.

“I don’t have a cell phone.”

“What?”

“Delicate technology and magic practitioners do not mix. I tend to fry anything made after World War Two.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Yep. I already blew two lightbulbs in my room and I don’t dare even go near the television, it would probably explode if I tried to turn it on.”

“So how did you get here? Did you fly?”

Rea shook her head. “I’m usually okay around large pieces of machinery but I don’t want to put anyone else at risk. I took a Way.”

Ways were pathways that crisscrossed the globe and coincided with ley lines. Surprisingly, many of these Ways bridged large cities and states together and with the right words they could be used by practitioners to get from one destination to another very quickly. It had only taken Rea about four hours to get from New Orleans to Dublin and none of that involved a customs check or stale peanuts.

Did you ever hear stories of settlers who said that they just knew when to stop and build their home? It wasn’t a coincidence nor divine intervention, it was the electromagnetic pull of the ley lines. Don’t believe it? Look at where the pyramids in Egypt and South America are built. Their positions are not random, they are perfectly aligned with ley lines.

“Do you ever walk the Ways?” Rea asked while peering into a shop window.

“Rarely. I know of a few out of Dublin but I rarely have the necessity to use them.”

The witch frowned. “Why not?”

“What do you mean?”

Rea glanced around and lowered her voice. “You have eternity. Why not go and see the wonders of the world. Why stay here?”

Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked. “I do travel. Not as much as I did when I was younger but I do like to get away as often as I can. But I do have a job and pretenses to keep up.”

“Again I ask why.” Rea paused to sort through a rack of scarves set up outside of a shop.

“Because I like the normalcy. Just because I am what I am doesn’t mean I have to act like all of the others. And please spare me from the whole ‘denying your nature’ speech, I’ve heard it many times before. I could ask you the same thing. You’re young and you have a long life ahead of you, why stay in New Orleans?”

Rea was quite for a long time while they walked and Ryan lead them away from the main part of the city lest they be overheard.

“Because it’s home.” She had been silent for so long that Ryan nearly missed her reply. “I travel a lot for work, you’d be surprised how difficult it is to acquire certain specimens, and it is nice to come back to the same place after a long trip. My parents owned the shop and it’s really the only thing I have left that was theirs.”

The two continued to wander through the outskirts of the city but now the silence between them was strained. Ryan could see the stiffness in Rea’s shoulders and knew that the hands in her pockets were balled into fists.

“I’m sorry.” The words surprised both Rea and Ryan. He hadn’t planned on speaking, the words jumped out before he could stop them.

“You did nothing wrong. Don’t apologize.” Rea was lying, he had hit a chord but she wasn’t about to admit it.

Ryan lead them out of town to a small river and they both found a seat on the banks. He watched as Rea leaned back on her hands and tipped her face towards the sun. In the warm light her skin seemed to glow and as the wind shifted he inhaled the sweet scent that surrounded her.

What was wrong with him? For the second time in as many days he found himself entranced with the woman. He momentarily wondered if she was using some type of magic but he quickly discarded that idea. For the first time in a very long time he was genuinely attracted to someone. Shaking his head he chuckled at the knowledge that the first woman to catch his eye was also powerful enough to kill him with a snap of her fingers.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Ryan tossed a stone in the water and watched the ripples fight against the current. “Did you enjoy the tour?”

Without opening her eyes Rea nodded. “You live in a lovely town. Thank you.”

Ryan smiled and Rea could hear it in his voice when he spoke. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Are you asking me out?”

The vampire quickly backpedaled. “No...nothing like that. I was just wondering if you would be at the pub again. A friend of mine is going to be in town and he always puts on a great performance.”

Rea cracked open one eye against the sun and glanced in his direction. “I might make an appearance. What time?”

“Probably around eight.”

“Sounds good. Now is there anything else to do in this town besides wander around having uncomfortable conversations?”

Ryan laughed and stood. “Hmmm...not really but I think I can try to think of a few things.” He extended a hand to help Rea up and after a beat the witch reluctantly accepted.

“I never thought I’d say this but I’m starting to miss New Orleans. There’s always something going on.”

“Well the Moy tends to grow on you. Just wait, after you get home you’ll be longing for the quiet and the solitude.”

Rea raised an eyebrow. “Quiet and solitude over twenty four hours of action? There’s always a party in New Orleans, always something new to do or someone new to meet. Does anything exciting ever happen in this town?”

She thought the small town was quaint and charming but it was just too much fun to watch Ryan desperately try and find reasons to claim that his hometown was better than hers. The two headed back into town playfully arguing as the sun began its slow descent in the sky.