Summoning Annika_The Viking Witch Trilogies Page 12

  Michael commented on her appearance, “Wow, Iris, all that’s missing is a Bison sweatshirt. It’s almost like a disguise.”

  His observation served a purpose by allowing her to start the meeting, “Let’s talk about what we think is going on here.” Starting with the star chart and the city map, they discussed the growing importance of security and safety. Phone numbers were exchanged to make communication easier.

  All of them were excited about sharing the experience, except for Parker. As if on cue, he began to fidget and toss in a snide comment here and there. Katie cleared her throat and that caught Iris’s attention.

  She looked at Parker with a casual expression on her face, “Parker,” she asked, “are you bored?”

  The question surprised him, most people just tolerated his antics but clearly, Iris was not most people. “I realize that this is all pretty weird for you,” she acknowledged, “but I think you may have to come to grips with the fact that this probably isn’t about you.”

  Parker sat up straight with that comment. He defended himself. “I get it, Iris. It’s not about me. I think it’s about Michael. But we have been sitting here talking about stars and lightning and witchcraft like it’s something from a cool Pinterest board. I’ll be really honest, it scares me.”

  Michael and Katie’s jaws dropped simultaneously. They had never heard him be so open, let alone confess to not being Mr. Confidant on a constant basis.

  He wasn’t finished but his tone abruptly shifted from one of quiet honesty, to one dripping with sarcasm, “Now you show up mysteriously as some sort of gunslinger witch, and we are all supposed to be ok with that. I’m not buying it. How do I know you’re even what you say you are?”

  The explosion of silence made it a pin drop moment.

  Iris sat there quietly and then turned her head slowly to Parker and smiled demurely at him.

  “Oh, shit,” Katie whispered hoarsely. “I’ve seen that look before. Sam, back your chair up a little.”

  Iris chuckled, “No Katie, it’s ok. Parker has a point. Actually, two of them.” She reached up and took off her baseball cap and took her hair out of the pony tail and fluffed it out.

  She addressed the group, “Parker is right to be apprehensive. There are a few pieces of the puzzle that we don’t have. From what I know, this seems to have been started as part of something positive for Michael.” She pointed at the city map on the wall, “But given the scope of the lightning, it’s a big spell. I can have some influence on what happens.”

  She stood up and walked over to the open dining chair next to Parker and sat next to him.

  “As to the magic part,” she leaned over and whispered into Parker’s ear. He listened at first and smiled but suddenly tried to lean away and his eyes got suddenly wider. She leaned back and finished with, “So we have an agreement?” Parker nodded.

  Mac was sitting next to Parker and he snickered, “All I heard was something about making his life a living nightmare.” Allie smacked him on the arm, “Not funny, Mac.”

  Iris told Parker to cup his hands together in front of him. Mac got pulled his chair closer to Parker. “No, Mac,” she cautioned, “you’re good, right where you are.”

  “Ready, Parker? Don’t worry, you’ll like this.”

  She clasped her hands together over the top of his and looked at him with an impish grin,

  “Dark shadows fall,

  Received by wings outstretched

  Joy and light and love are released.”

  A bright light could be seen growing inside Iris’s closed fingers. The intensity of it increased and she slowly opened her hands and let the bright orb slip into Parker’s cupped hands.

  He watched transfixed as the light pooled in his hands and formed into a ball. It began to visibly vibrate.

  Iris slowly withdrew her hands from his and said, “When you are ready, slowly count to three and then squish your hands together like you were playing with mud.”

  She sat back in the chair next to him and placed her hands on her lap.

  Parker sat watching the ball of light shimmering in his hands and he looked around the room. Their faces looked like children, smiling and staring in wonder.

  Iris leaned over to him again, “Ok, Parker, whenever you are ready, on three, squeeze hard.”

  Parker looked disappointed for a second like he didn’t want it to be over but then he raised his hands slightly above eye level.

  “Ok, then, one…two…” he hesitated slightly and winced, gritting his teeth as if he was anticipating something bad was going to happen.

  “Three.” He balled his fingers hard together like he was squeezing a ball of clay.

  With a loud crack, a bright burst of light shot out from between his fingers and into the room like a small explosion, the white shards fanned out in slow motion everywhere towards the now shocked audience, but as the pieces came near them, they evaporated with a soft crackling sounds.

  As the astonishment of the effect wore off, Parker turned to Iris, but she was not there. She was back in the chair next to Katie with her hair in a ponytail and her baseball cap on her head. She winked at Parker. Katie was laughing so hard she was doubled over.

  He looked at his hands and then back at the young witch in bewilderment “Did I just shriek like a little girl? Ok, I’m done being a smart-ass, maybe forever.”

  Samantha was the first to speak, “Iris, I didn’t blink, how did you..?” Her question was cut short by a bright flash outside their building followed almost immediately by a thunderous crack of lightning outside.

  Even Iris was startled by its volume. A second flash with another salvo of thunder served to rattle the group even further. Katie and Allie ran to the window to look outside, Mac and Michael grabbed their phones in anticipation of an alarm from the warehouse.

  It didn’t come.

  Soon the sounds of a cloudburst began drumming on the roof of the building, Michael slid the window closed to thwart the driving rain. ‘It’s just a thunderstorm, for real, this time.”

  Parker didn’t move. He just kept watching Iris. She just shook her head at him, “Wasn’t me, I promise,” she winked at him again.

  There was something calming about listening to the rain outside. Given the unknown aspects of what was happening, it seemed to relieve some of the stress among the group. The final plan was to meet at the warehouse following what they deemed would be the final lightning strikes based on the map. With the alarms and cameras ready to signal any changes, the group decided to call it a night.

  Mac and Allie said their goodbyes and Iris mentioned she would do some additional research into the potential paranormal aspects of the project.

  Parker, for all his earlier agitation, seemed to calm down and, true to his word, his enthusiasm was only surpassed by his over-all good natured comments.

  Michael walked the three women down the hallway, Katie peeled off to her apartment. To Michael’s delight, Sam stayed with him as they walked Iris out to the parking lot.

  “I’d say it was a good night,’ he said as they reached her SUV. The storm was moving off to the east and the dark, clearing sky was punctuated by the silent flashing of the lightning. Without any thunder, the beautiful pyrotechnic display contradicted the power of the squall.

  The three of them stood in the lot for a moment asIris climbed into her Jeep. Sam just stood there, transfixed by the backlit thunderheads, “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Sam said in a quiet voice.

  “It certainly is,” seconded Iris as she looked at the two of them standing together. She gave Samantha a big grin. She looked at Michael, “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

  Iris fired up her Jeep and her stereo pumped out a few seconds of loud rock before she knocked the volume down, “Sorry,” and she hit a preset for a far more mellow selection. “There ya go,” she winked, “Something to set the mood.”

  Unnoticed, a black Tahoe pulled out quietly from the opposite side of the complexes’ parking lot and head
ed up the street discreetly behind Iris seconds after she left the lot.

  Michael and Sam headed back to the front of the building. Sam went up the steps and then turned to face Michael. On the step above him, they were now the same height and Samantha put her arms around Michael’s neck, “Can we stay out here for a little bit and watch the storm?” Michael turned looked again at the storm. It had moved far enough away that it’s visual impact was greatly diminished. “Of course, we can” he said with a smile as he put his arms around her waist, “Storms and stars with you? Anytime,” and he leaned in and kissed her.

  He saw the reflection in her eyes as one last lightning bolt from the storm worked its way out of the anvil shaped clouds as if to punctuate the exchange. She tilted against him to kiss him again just as another student come out of the building. Michael smiled at him but didn’t move away from Sam. They waited until he had passed and Sam took Michael’s hand, “Let’s find somewhere more private,” and she led him up the steps into the building with one last attempt to look at the storm.

  Michael teased her playfully, “You are such a weather nerd.” They almost sprinted to the elevator to catch the doors before they closed. With the hallway clear, Sam pushed Michael against the wall and locked her lips on his. It seemed so natural as her nose nestled next to his, her soft full lips parted slightly and she made it perfectly clear what her intensions were. Her tongue darted out and flicked across his lower lip just as the elevator doors opened. Not wanting to be on display, they left the elevator and ducked into the dark laundry room. Although it was far past regular laundry hours in the building, the chance of being discovered added to the excitement.

  Samantha’s breath quickened as Michael once again drew her into him, his hand trailing down the small of her back and coming to rest on her hip. She smiled to herself. She had thought of this millions of times and had always been curious as to how their shared shyness might play out. She made a mental note to herself to try to turn down the continuous internal dialogue that was going on in her head.

  She reached up and pulled Michael down to her. She wanted to continue the kiss she had started in the elevator and found Michael very willing. He put his arms around her and for a moment it seemed as though he would lift her off her feet. She let him gently wrap her up tightly and just hold her and she laid her head on his chest. In the quiet of the darkened room, all that could be heard over a pair of pounding hearts was their accelerated breathing.

  Michael pulled back gently and smiled at her, his face softly outlined by the hallway light. He bent toward her to kiss her but misjudged the distance it was more of an awkward collision than a kiss. It surprised Sam and in a moment of nervousness, she began to snicker slightly. The more she tried to contain herself, the worse it became.

  Michael wasn’t embarrassed by his poor aim and completely understood why she was laughing. He began to chuckle as well and that was a green light to Sam. They held each other in the dark and laughed. Sam had to put her hand in front of her mouth to try to stifle the giggling as she playfully patted his chest with her hand, her fingers coming into contact with the buttons of his polo shirt. She took a deep breath to settle herself and deftly undid one of the buttons to expose a bit more of his chest and took her fingers and rubbed them over his neck and collarbone.

  She stretched up to kiss him and he met her lips again eagerly. She thought she felt his lips briefly form into a quick smile at the more confidant contact, but then she opened her lips and let him enter and tentatively allow him to explore her waiting mouth.

  She melted into him and grabbed a handful of his shirt. Michael sensed her urgency and slid his hand down over her lower back pressing her close more firmly. Samantha inhaled deeply and kissed more aggressively but was surprised when Michael eased himself away from her and clasped her hand gently and held it to his chest.

  “Sam,” he whispered hoarsely, “I, I want to say something,” but then he looked away as if he was suddenly very self-conscious, “you’re going to think I’m nuts,” and he took a deep breath.

  Sam just smiled at him. As caught up in the passionate moment as she was, she had felt the shift and could almost read his thoughts. “Tell me,” she said, but she knew what he was going to say.

  “Not here,” he said, “Not like…” She put a finger to his mouth to silence him. “I know, Michael, I agree.”

  “I’ve thought about being close to you for such a long time, I want it to be special and,” he smiled and looked around the room of machines and rolling baskets, “in a more appropriate setting. Ok? No pressure though,” he grinned.

  “No pressure,” she repeated but she put her arms around him again, “How about ten more minutes? Just to get the hang of things.”

  Chapter 29

  It didn’t take long for Stefan to call. She looked at her phone and didn’t recognize the number, but it was coming in on her salon line, so she answered it, “This is Iris.”

  “Hi Iris, this is Stefan, we met at the coffee shop. I’ll take you up on your tour offer.” His voice made her smile, “Hi! You weren’t kidding. That’s nice. What would you like to see?”

  He didn’t hesitate, “Other than you? I was wondering what the local music scene had to offer, but maybe after we have dinner. How does that sound?”

  Iris was very pleased, this would be so much fun. She got carried away in the moment, “Where should I pick you up, Stefan?”

  There was a brief pause on the line, “Call me old fashioned, I thought I was driving.” Iris winced a little, she was always one to control the situation, but then, “I suppose you could be the navigator, it’s your city,” he said, “sounds like fun. Pick me up in front of the Admin building at 5 o’clock.”

  He sounded enthused but then Iris realized the pick-up point, “Hey, are you dressed, um, academically?” she asked. Stefan laughed, “No, by then I will have traded in my leather patched blazer and pipe for something more urban, if that’s alright with you?”

  Even with the accent, Iris had detected a playful hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Excellent, that sounds intriguing, “she replied.

  “I’ll watch for you,” he said, “what are you driving?” “A red Jeep, don’t worry,” Iris smirked, “you’ll hear me coming." She stifled a laugh at the possible sexual interpretation of her words.

  Stefan didn’t disappoint her. “That, also, sounds intriguing,” he said with a chuckle, “See you at five, sharp.”

  Iris swung by her salon and had one of her stylists touch up the accent colors in her hair. The purple had begun to lose its intensity and she switched the white streak out to a soft green that echoed her eyes. She drove home, walked into her closet and stripped off everything she was wearing. She stood silent for a moment then flipped on her stereo as she thought through the night’s itinerary. Ah yes, that will do nicely, and quickly selected her outfit, starting with the black lace boy cut shorts. She jumped into the shower, careful not to let the water soften the new hair color. She worked briefly on her makeup. Her cosmetologists at the salon always scolded her for not wearing much makeup to show off their skills, but she was gifted with a skin tone that would let her get away with almost none. For tonight, she chose to do her eyes with a little cat eye liner and she picked up the red lipstick, umm no, she thought and opted for nude lips with a soft gloss to offset the dramatic eyes instead.

  She pulled on her black distressed jeans and a white, deep scoop dolman sweater. She chose a silver necklace with a busy compilation of religious symbols in different shapes and sizes. She looked at herself in the mirror. Having always been strong willed, she caught sight of herself as she walked by the hall mirror on the way out the door. It had been awhile since she had dressed up for an evening like this and she found herself hesitating.

  She bent down to scratch her little black cat on the head, “Ah screw it, I’m going to have fun regardless,” and she walked out the door and into the late afternoon sun.

  Right on the nose of 5 o’clock, Iris swu
ng into the parking lot of the administration building and surveyed the people. She had deliberately cranked up the volume of her sound system as she turned off Eight Street . A thundering Foo Fighters song announced her arrival. She did a double take at the man with the long blond hair standing at the curb. Had he not been holding a briefcase, and waved to her, she would have dismissed him as a student, albeit a strikingly well-built student. She screeched to a halt in front of him.

  “Definitely not looking like a professor today,” she called out the window to him as he stood there on the edge of the curb. The tie and blazer had been replaced by a simple pair of grey jeans and a striped, snug t-shirt. The bulky tan cardigan draped over his well-defined arm softly contrasted the otherwise preppy look

  He smiled as he walked around the front of the SUV and climbed into the passenger seat, “Thank you Iris. I’ll take that as a complement.” He turned toward her as he put his briefcase in the back seat and she noticed the black tip of a tattoo curling around his tricep. “Well now, you look like a completely different person than the one I met the other day. I like this look for you.”

  Stefan grinned and looked over the top of his sunglasses at her, “Thank you again. I’m not used to hearing that these days. I like what you did with your hair, it complements your eyes.”

  “Thanks,” she smiled confidently, “Let’s get this evening started.” She shifted into drive and wheeled quickly out of the parking lot and headed for downtown. He notices details, she thought, and I think I’m blushing.

  As they crossed through the business district, Iris turned off Eighth Street and turned west toward the bridge. Stefan pointed at the museum on the right, “Have you ever been in there?” he asked as they drove by. The sun was glinting off the tall white nylon roof spires that represented a ship’s sails.