Hazards of Being a Banshee:
Sometimes You’re Powerless
“ O h, hey! There’s Alban. That must be his wife.”
“Harper, yep. And those little ones are their twins.”
“I have to go ask him something. Want me to pick up popcorn on the way back?”
I inhale the hot, buttery aroma that sings to me on the cool spring night.
“Nah. I can’t be munching on buttery popcorn when I’m selling.
I might get stuff dirty.” I gesture to the rack of clothes and bedding I have in my “stall” area, along with a cheap bookcase and a folding table filled with bric-a-brac for sale.
It’s always loaded into my beat-up old green van that’s parked behind my building.
Everything is on wheels or pretty light (at least for a banshee), so it’s no trouble to cart it from the van to my stall and then pack it up again.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll man the stall while you eat, then we’ll switch.”
“You’d do that?”
“Why wouldn’t I do that? I want you to be able to eat popcorn. Or, y’know, walk around and see your friends. Or shop. This place is so cool,” he looks around, and I see his eyes zero in on the back row—then widen.“Does that guy have wings?” he whispers.
“He’s a gargoyle, and yes, he does. Go say hi and get popcorn. Or, um, get the popcorn and look at the stone carvings he does. You might want to skip the small talk until he gets to know you.”
“How is he going to get to know me without small talk?”
I frown. “That’s probably a good point.”
Jared kisses my cheek and trots off, leaving me glowing. I see Alban wave, and they fall into conversation. Jared makes a point of bending down and shaking each of Alban’s kids by the hand, smiling at them, and pointing to the stuffies they have with them.
He’s going to be such a good dad.
Ten years ago, that wouldn’t have been hot.
Right now?
I could bite through his shirt and haul him into the back of my van for a second round of lovemaking.
“Oooh, let’s stop here, Li! I love this gold bracelet. Although it’s probably fake, so I’m not paying more than ten dollars for it. Miss? I—oh. It’s you.”
My happy dreams cloud over when I hear an unpleasantly familiar voice beside my stall.
Patsy.
I force a smile for Liam’s sake, since the cold-eyed redhead is draped across the incubus like a cheap scarf. “Hi, Liam. Had a good day?”
“You know her?” Patsy looks at me as if I’ve just slapped her grandmother, face horrified and disgusted.
Liam waves an airy hand. “Just because I love to shop, darling. And you’re right, that bracelet would look so perfect on your dainty little wrist.” Liam picks up Patsy’s hand and kisses her knuckles.
In seconds, she’s giggling as he slides a golden bangle over her fingers.
“How do you two know each other? I thought you were new in town.”
“I’m just passing through... unless I find a good reason to stay.”
“Don’t you have a dog to get home to?” I ask.
“He’s out in the kennel. I’ll feed him when I get home tomorrow .” Patsy’s eyes are full of promises, all of them sinful, all directed at Liam.
To his credit, he’s a good actor, and his acting equals survival, so I’m not surprised when he inhales Patsy’s face like he’s sucking out her soul.
If he were an evil incubus, that would be an accurate description.
I can see fine white mist floating from Patsy to Liam, and his color goes from milk white to peach cream.
I hate to interrupt his meal and all, but... “Wouldn’t that mean that your dog’s been outside for two days at that point?”
“You sound just like Jared. The dog, the dog, the dog. He’s fine! He has a big container of food and a bucket of water in his pen.”
I picture him lonely and cold outside, no fresh water, no walks, no tummy rubs. My vocal cords itch.
Liam may be what some call a demon, but to me, he’s a saint. “I wanna see where you live tonight, sugar. And I’m just wild about dogs. Why don’t we take him on a long walk—before bed?”
“Ooooh.” Patsy giggles and simpers like a drunken virgin. “Okay, baby.”
“But not until you introduce me, of course. How do you know this lady? How does she know your dog, precious?” Liam asks, a faint pout on an otherwise perfectly seductive smile.
“She’s dating my ex-husband. I’m just here to handle some alimony stuff. Where is Mr. Know-It-All?” Patsy huffs, looking around with bleary eyes.
As if on cue, Jared strides over. “Patsy. You’re still in town?”
“Some stupid thing about cars. But, if I hadn’t had to spend the night in this hick hideaway from hell, I wouldn’t have met Liam. Sign the papers I—” Patsy digs in her purse, a frown on her face. “Wait, did I give you the papers last night?”
Jared could lie. He could simply switch papers. I know he has a printed copy of the agreement Alban drew up in the zipper pocket of his tan jacket.
But my man is a good man, and for some reason, Patsy forgot that. Her loss is my gain.
“Patsy, I think that I’d rather you sign this one. You keep everything you have, but my intellectual property is no longer your payday. And there’s got to be a limit on alimony. You’re going to find someone someday.”
Liam draws himself up. “Alimony? You don’t need that with me, sweet cheeks. Tell your ex that you’ll sign so we can get out of here.” He licks a serpentine tongue up her neck and flicks the back of her earlobe. Patsy sags at the knees, I wince, and Jared looks on, face flat.
“Well... I mean... We just met, Li.”
“But I’m crazy about you, honey. I want to go home and meet your dog. I showed you around my town. We spent the whole day together... and the night is just beginning.” His eyes flicker to ours before fixing Patsy with a lecherous gaze. “Don’t you want something serious ?”
Patsy nods, white mist rolling from her, invisible to the naked eye, but crystal clear to me. This woman is giving off enough lust and need to power a generator.
Or a hungry incubus. Liam guides Patsy’s hand to the pen I keep next to the small cash box and card reader on my folding table.
“Tell him you’re serious, sign the paper, and let’s get home .
” Liam’s hips jerk pointedly into her rear, and Patsy gulps, grabs the pen, and snaps impatient fingers at Jared.
“Papers, now!” she hisses.
Jared hands them over, wordlessly.
She signs.
“If you’re in such a serious relationship, you’ll need to sign this one, too,” he explains in a monotone voice, offering her another paper, which she signs without reading.
Things move fast then. Jared whips out his phone, and the camera flashes several times. “I don’t want to hold you and Liam up. I’ll send this updated agreement to both lawyers and have it filed at my expense. Okay?”
She just waves, lips fused to Liam’s as he guides her away.
I swallow. “I’m sorry, honey. That was probably hard to see.”
“It was.” Jared looks pained. “I feel so bad for Liam. Are you sure I shouldn’t go rescue him? I could put Patsy in a coma by explaining the difference between a noble gas and an inert gas?”
“I think he’s okay. He doesn’t feed without consent, so finding someone that eager... Well, let me put it this way. Patsy might be his meal ticket for a few days before he can’t stand her attitude. Also, I’m pretty sure he just did this to move our plan along and rescue your dog.”
“Kep! What’s wrong with Kep?” Jared asks, face paling.
“Nothing! He’s home in an outdoor kennel with food and water. It’s just that Patsy said she’d go home tomorrow, and I realized the dog would have been alone for two days at that point. Seems cruel to me.”
Jared’s face twists. “I think so, too.” He swallows several times. “Um. So. I was in the middle of talking to Alban. Let me go catch him real quick,” Jared rasps and runs off, but not before I see how much Patsy’s treatment of his dog has upset him.
I whip out my phone and bite my lip. If I send this text now, it could ruin everything. If Patsy sees it, she’ll know something is up, she’ll figure out we maneuvered her into signing...
Chloe: Bring the dog back with you. I’ll pay you whatever you want—cash.
Please, please, please don’t let Patsy see the text. Please don’t let her realize that we— My phone buzzes and I look down to see the reply.
Liam: I’m sexy, not stupid, sweetie. The dog will be with you as soon as I’m back in town. Tell Papa Bear it’s on the house in exchange for the she-devil looking to score.
Liam: Not literal she-devil. Going dark for now. Have a happy time finding out which bed is just right, Goldilocks.
He’s insufferable, but awesome. I shove the phone back into my pocket. We’ve already got a signed agreement that waives the alimony, and Jared’s keeping his intellectual property. I think about Kep and hope Liam can deliver a hat trick.
“I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU run the store and that stall. I’m beat, just from the sheer number of hours I’ve been awake,” Jared yawns.
“I don’t always do both. It’s easier with a partner,” I tell him as I change for bed.
We’re at my place again because the cat is here, and it’s plain to see that Jared doesn’t want to think about someone neglecting their furry friends.
Marmalade is smart. She senses it, too, and is sitting on the rounded spot just under his sternum, purring and getting her cheek stroked adoringly.
“Tomorrow, can you take a few hours off to check out the botanical lab with me?” Jared murmurs, head drooping.
“Of course!” I crawl in beside him, noticing that he’s already dozed off. Marmalade eyes me, seeing if I choose selfish snuggling over letting her have her favorite perch.
“We’ll share him, silly,” I say, and cuddle up beside him. “Love you,” I whisper, the secret easier to say each time, especially when we’re alone.
Except...
Except that it’s suddenly quiet, and I suddenly start to wonder. Am I stupid?
Did I love too easily?
Yes. Yes, yes, yes. A handful of days after two months of casual smiles and waves if we crossed paths, and now my cat has adopted him, and I’m so in love.
Can’t picture life without him now.
And this is the honeymoon phase, where everything seems rosy and fine, but it won’t be one day.
One day, it could be the worst morning ever. The coffee maker will break, I’ll be cranky, my ferns will develop fungus and put people in chokeholds, Marmalade will hack up a hairball on his favorite collectible, and he’ll suddenly say, “I’m done.”
And we will be. Just like that.
My chest hurts, and I rub it to stop the ache, but it doesn’t stop.
We’ll be done, and I’ll still love him, because banshees don’t take lover after lover, and once they sing their song, the die is cast—but the dice rolls right into someone else’s hand. I’ve made my offer to secure an escape, to secure freedom, and he shook his head and picked me.
But what if one day he doesn’t... and there’s nothing I can do about it? He can leave me, holding my heart in jigsaw puzzle shards, and he’ll have the last piece.
A hiccuping sob pops out of my mouth, and Jared’s eyes fly open, then settle shut.
I go cry downstairs in the shop, telling myself it’s stupid to think Jared would ditch me—but still being scared all the same.