MIDNIGHT MAGIC - ch 22

MIDNIGHT MAGIC – ch 22

Julie

(*)(*)(*)

As Ian took hold of the doorknob, he stopped, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure how he could possibly help Julie, but he knew that his anger wouldn’t help her at all. Slowly releasing his breath, he released as much anger as possible. He opened the door, then walked out to the front yard.

He found his son sitting on the ground next to Julie, arms wrapped around her trembling body as she sobbed.

He sat on the bench near them and reached for her hand. As he pulled her to her feet, he gently spun her around enabling her to sit on his lap. He hugged her tightly and as she cried, said, “Jules, I need you right now. Maybe even more than you need Mickey or me, or any of us.”

She looked at him and in confusion, asked, “Wh, why? Why would you need me?”

Ever-so-gently he stroked her hair. “I feel like a barrel of dynamite that’s about to blow up. I want nothing more than go back inside and rip that … that…. person to shreds. I want to make him bleed, to suffer. And yet, I know that won’t help you. It would probably land me in jail but it’s how I feel. I’m going to need you to help me calm down before I do something really stupid.”

“You, ah, you’re not mad at me? Or disappointed?”

“Oh, Jules, how could any of us be mad at you? Or disappointed? He took complete advantage of you. He took your will away. Listen, honey, even if he hadn’t drugged you, the mere fact that he hit you and did so often, is enough to weaken your will and self-confidence.”

He looked at his son who gave Ian a “continue, you’re doing great” nod.

“Jules, I don’t know how serious you’ve taken the hand-fasting marriage.” He saw her about to say something but raised his hand asking her to wait. “Honey, let me finish. I would love nothing more than to have you in my family, as the daughter I never had. While the handfasting was initially done to keep you safe from that, that person inside, all I can really ask of you is to think about making it more legal. You’d make this family extremely happy.”

“Oh, dad. Oh, can I call you dad? Anyway, if Mickey is still willing to have me when this is all done, then my answer is a loud resounding yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled as she sobbed. “Oh dad, now you’ve got me crying happy tears.”

He kissed her forehead, stood, and said, “Let’s go inside. And thank you, Jules, I’m calmer now. I still want to rip him apart, but I can let Aunt Finola take care of him.”

Mickey put his arm around Julie’s shoulders and as he smiled, said, “I’m sure she has something suitable planned, and I can hardly wait to find out what that something is.”

They stood tall and walked inside as a unit. Although Tony was still under the deaf spell, the look on Julie’s face angered him. She looked too happy and he didn’t like that, not one bit.

Ian nodded assuring everyone that Julie was fine.

Finola walked to Tony, put her left palm on his head and said as she snapped her fingers, “The deaf spell is now lifted. Keep in mind, Tony, that the binding spell will keep you immobile and the truth spell is still very active. You will have no choice but to tell us the truth. Do you understand me.”

He tried to wriggle but felt like he was encased in concrete. He tried to speak but his mouth refused to work, until he was able to utter, “Yes.”

“Good then, let’s continue.” Slyly, Finola mumbled, “Hmm, now where did we leave off?”

“Aintin, you stopped when he admitted drugging me. I’m sorry I interrupted you.”

“Oh, Jules, mo stor, mo ghra. Not to worry. I know you needed a breather but then, I’m sure we all did. Are you alright for me to continue?”

“Oh, yes, Aintin, absolutely!”

Finola loudly clapped her hands and said. “Tony! Get your eyes off Julie and look at me!” She spoke sharply, so sharply, in fact, that his eyes almost jumped from Julie to Finola. “That’s a good boy, now answer me this. How often did you drug Julie?”

“Every day, at first.”

“What do you mean, ‘at first’?”

“I just put something mild in her coffee when she’d come home from work to keep her, well, more relaxed.”

Midnight opened her mouth and placed her fangs on his shin. She wasn’t going to bite him, but he didn’t know that.

“Did you ever drug her during the day?”

“Not in the beginning. A slap here or there always did the trick.”

“How often did you hit her?”

“The first week we were together, none. I got really pissed off when she told me she was pregnant. She should have been more careful. She’s no good to me fat and pregnant.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Look, she wasn’t mine. She belongs to the Moretti family – all of us, like the others. We like our variety, and she was just another addition.”

Julie asked a bit timidly, “Tony, did you ever love me? Would you really have married me?”

Tony made a sarcastically sounding half-laugh. “Love you? Are you really that stupid? And marry you? That was never my intention. I already had my father standing by for a fake ceremony. None of it would have been legal. And speaking of legal, it’s a good thing you didn’t try to hock the ring I gave you. It was fake, just like our marriage would have been.”

Midnight screeched loudly and bared her fangs again. “Easy, mo ghra,” Finola said.

As Mickey placed his arm, once more around his wife, Morena stood so quickly, she almost toppled the table. “Tony, let me get this straight. You, your brother, and father created your own New York harem?”

“Sure, why not. What’s that old saying? Variety is the spice of life?”

She looked at Finola and said, “Auntie, he’s all yours!”

Midnight didn’t wait for orders. She jumped on Tony’s lap and with four sharp and pointed claws, drew large red marks across his face. She was careful not to draw blood, but knew there would be scars, permanent scars.