Page 3 of Haunted Hearts

Minerva sat with her back straight and her chin jutting out, acting as if she belonged here, but Blaze didn’t agree. Her presence at the manor made Blaze extremely uncomfortable. Skull Manor was under his command now, since the death of his father a sennight ago. As far as he was concerned, she wasn’t coming back here to live. He wouldn’t allow it. She’d left of her own accord but wouldn’t be welcomed back with open arms. His gaze slowly slid down to the table and he let out a deep sigh.

He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised to see her fortune-telling cards spread out in an arc in front of her. Half the cards were turned over, and the other half were yet uncovered. Just like his life right now – unpredictable, unseen, and unsure.

Blaze never liked his mother’s cards. As a child they used to terrify him since his mother often very accurately predicted deaths. Even as a grown man now, Blaze still felt cautious around the blasted things. Every time his mother pulled the deck out of her little black velvet bag that hung at her side, something chaotic, life-threatening, or unwelcome seemed to transpire. He was sure tonight would be no different.

“Mother, why are you here?” he asked in a low voice, his fists clenching and his body filling with frustration.

Her eyes opened wide and then her thin brows dipped, making the creases in her forehead more prevalent. “Is that any way to greet your mother? We haven’t seen each other in five years, Blaze.”

Blaze sighed and closed the door. “I suppose you heard about Father’s death and that is why you’re here?”

“I know about it, but not from you. It would have been nice if you’d told me,” she spat. “I saw his death in the cards and came at once.”

At one time, Blaze knew exactly what his life held in store. He’d been following in his father’s footsteps, training to be a knight. Unfortunately, it never happened. Because of his mother, everything in his life turned for the worse. No one wanted the son of a witch in their service. He’d been called a warlock behind his back, and that didn’t sit right with him at all.

His father had even been shunned by his liege, the Earl of Birmingham, once he’d heard the rumors that Minerva was a witch. Actually, they weren’t rumors, although his father had denied the fact. There had been a horrible argument between Minerva and Roger because of the threat to Roger’s title, position, and everything he owned. That’s when his mother left, not saying where she was going, and barely even bidding him a farewell.

These past five years had been hell for Blaze. He had been helping his father convince everyone that nothing was amiss with their family. The earl had eventually welcomed Roger Payne back as one of his knights, but hadn’t continued with Blaze’s training. Instead, Earl Birmingham kept promising to finish what they’d started soon, but it never happened. It was no secret that the earl believed the rumors. Even though his father had been welcomed back, the earl never accepted Blaze.

Even though Blaze was lord of the manor now, it was a courtesy title only. Without being knighted, no one would ever really respect him. What scant amount of knights there had been at Skull Manor, left as soon as Blaze’s father died. Everyone was wary of Blaze. He supposed it was because he looked like a warlock with his stark features and long black hair. His father had been fair-skinned and blond with blue eyes. Blaze, unfortunately took on the features of his mother with black hair and eyes almost as dark as coal. Why, in God’s name, did Minerva have to return?

“I didn’t know where you went, Mother, so how could I have contacted you?” asked Blaze with an edge to his voice. His relationship with his father had been a strong one. He and his mother had never seen eye-to-eye on anything.

“Your father knew I was in France staying with my sister,” she said.

“Well, he never told me.”

“Hrmph,” she scoffed. “I’m not surprised. Roger was adamant not to let your life be affected by my ways and beliefs. That’s why he sent me away and forbade me to ever return, once the feud started.”

“He is the one who sent you away?” This surprised Blaze since his father had made it sound the opposite way around. “I don’t believe it. How could you just leave and not return or even contact us in five long years?”

“Yes, time did go fast,” she said with little emotion. “You know, I always planned on returning,” she said nonchalantly. “I figured I’d give it some time and then I’d come back and tell you anything you wanted to know. I was sure that after a while everyone would forget about what happened. That would give you time to be knighted and to marry and start a family.” She turned her head to look at him directly. “My cards tell me that none of these things have happened yet. Am I right?”

“If you would just ask me and talk to me instead of consulting those damned cards, I would have told you as much.”

“Would you have, really?”

“What difference does it make?” he said, clenching his jaw. “I’m sure you would have heard it from all the wagging tongues around here eventually.”

“Blaze, I’d like to go to the graveyard to pay my last respects to your father,” she told him. “I don’t like it that he died so soon, before we had a chance to make amends.”

“You had five long years to make amends,” he grumbled. “Besides, you can’t go to the graveyard.” He walked closer to the table and her stupid cat actually hissed at him. “Lord Henri Bonnel just died and his family will be frequenting his gravesite. I don’t want you there.”

“You sound embarrassed of me. Is this true?”

The room remained dark except for the flicker of the flame that cast jumping shadows on the stone walls of his solar. There was no fire on the hearth, and the air was as cold as a tomb. To make matters worse, the only light in the room was from a black candle made of beeswax stuck into a tall metal candleholder.

Black. It wasn’t a good color for anything as far as Blaze was concerned. Or, at least not after one was accused of being a witch or warlock. All he needed was someone to find black candles in his solar, and they’d be pointing fingers at him and calling him a warlock once again. He had hoped that was all behind him now. It had almost seemed to be. But now his father was dead and his mother was back home. One problem ended and another began.

“Mother, how can you even ask me that question?” he ground out, trying his best to keep his temper in check. “Your witchy ways need to stop. It is ruining our lives. You need to become more discreet before you get us burned at the stake. What in the name of the devil are you thinking? That you can amble back into my life after so long and pick up right where you left off? It doesn’t work that way. How did you even get into my solar in the first place without being seen?”

“Who said I wasn’t seen?” She looked up and flashed a sardonic smile.

“Damn it, please don’t tell me my entire household saw you strolling back in here with your bag of tricks over your shoulder?” He began to pace the room, running a weary hand through his long hair.

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t your entire household.” She studied the cards and didn’t bother to look up at him when she spoke. Nothing ever seemed to shake her. She either had nerves of steel, or the woman was totally heartless. He decided it was a little of each.

“What do you mean not my entire household?” He didn’t like the sound of this, and already regretted asking. Still, he needed to know.