She stood on her toes to give him a small peck on the lips. “It was pretty wonderful for me, too.”
They sat down and ate together before it was William’s turn to take a shower. After, they both decided to hang out in their hotel room since they had some time to kill before meeting the mother-witch later that night. And they didn’t want any run-ins with members from the coven, so keeping a low profile was in their best interest.
Both William and Marie settled on watching more episodes of Kings and Queens of Winter and having some more food before heading out.
Later, William was in high spirits and was commenting on the show they had watched over what they considered their lunch even though it was one o’clock in the morning.
“I think I am going to need to see all of this show,” he said, taking a bite out of his hamburger, which he always ordered as raw as he could get it.
“That’s quite a commitment. Are you sure you’re up for it?” she asked, sitting across from him in their hotel room.
“I think we have some time,” he replied, giving her a wink.
She nodded, wiping her hands on a napkin. “We should get going soon. My mom’s last client tonight was at midnight, and she’s closing the shop early.”
“Sure. Let me just change into something more suitable.”
She nodded, and watched as he changed into jeans and one of the fitted dress shirts she had gotten him, which he partnered with a sports jacket he had kept from his old wardrobe.
She stepped beside him in the mirror. “Very nice,” she acknowledged. She was dressed in a pair of tight jeans, low heels, with a low-cut black tank, which she wore with a heavier coat. Even in Vegas during this time of the year, it was cold at night. Not Salem cold, but cold nonetheless.
They headed out of their hotel room hand in hand after taking another sip of their dispel potion. Once they were outside, they found a car right away. William was on high alert and checked for any followers, but he didn’t see anything suspicious.
When they arrived at her mom’s shop, they greeted her.
“I’m going to make a stew later. Marie, honey, will you run into the kitchen and start prepping the vegetables I have out,” her mother said, as she stared at William.
“Sure,” Marie replied.
William shifted his weight as he stood in the hallway, feeling nervous. “Forgive me for asking this, but Marie mentioned your gift to me earlier. You can see into the future?” he asked apprehensively.
Marie’s mom raised an eyebrow to him. “What’s it to you? Your future has an expiration date, does it not?”
He gave her a nervous smile as he took off his sports jacket. “Yeah, but I was wondering, maybe you could look into mine.”
“For heaven’s sake, why? What are you looking for? Do you want to know if you’ll die in pain? Because I can tell you without seeing into your future, that yes, there will be some pain. Not for you, no, but for my daughter.”
William looked at her imploringly. “Will you please do me this one favor? I’ll pay you.”
The mother-witch took a deep breath. “Why put yourself through this? What are you searching for?” she asked.
“Please,” he begged.
“Very well. There’s door to the left, down the hallway. It’s unlocked. Meet me there. I’ll make sure we’re undisturbed,” she answered.
He nodded and followed her instructions, keeping his sports coat on his arm.
The mother-witch stepped into the kitchen, where Marie was rinsing the vegetables.
“William and I need a few minutes. Make yourself useful and make a few more bottles of dispel for me, too. I felt a presence of a second vampire last night before you left. I think you two were being followed.”
“We were, but I think we lost him.”
“Thinking isn’t good enough. Now, I fear they’ll follow me as well, but I haven’t had a chance to make any dispel since you used up all of my garlic, and I had to go out and buy some more. A witch should never be out of garlic. You should have at least saved me a clove or two.”
“Sorry,” Marie apologized.
Her mother ignored her apology and walked out of the kitchen. She then joined William in her workspace which was similar to the room Marie kept in her home. Esme lit candles upon entering, keeping the lights dim.
“Your aura has changed from one night to the next,” she said to the vampire.
“Oh yeah,” he asked. “How so?” He didn’t know she could see auras, too.
“Last night it was fuzzy. Conflicted. Tonight, it’s brighter. You’re happy.”
William took a deep sigh. “I’m not surprised. I feel lighter tonight. And yes, I do feel something like happiness.”
Esme held out her hands for his. “Now close your eyes and try not to focus on anything. Clear your mind of all noise and distractions. We will sit in complete silence for one full minute. After that minute, I’ll release your hands and all will be done.”
They sat together and closed their eyes. It didn’t take long for Esme to start to get a vision. William had been able to clear his mind much quicker than most. The vision started to come in clear, and Esme was startled by what she saw, though she tried to keep her body as still as possible lest she get distracted, herself.
After a few more seconds, Esme wanted to weep out loud from the vision she saw. Instead she made no sound and concentrated on her breathing, taking deep long breaths until the vision faded into darkness.
She opened her eyes, unable to keep them from watering, and let go of William’s hand. He opened his eyes, too and looked across at Esme. He was immediately concerned by her reaction.
“What did you see?” he asked, his eyes wide.
“William, dear, the information I’m about to give you may conflict with your plans to be done with this place.” Esme took a deep breath. “Are you prepared to hear it?”
“I need to know what you saw, Esmeralda,” he said sternly.
Esme sighed heavily, not sure how William would react to what she was about to share.
“Please,” he said softly. “I’m prepared to hear whatever it is you’re going to tell me.” He wondered if she had seen something happen to Marie. Was he going to put her life in danger? He couldn’t let that happen, and he needed to know for sure.
“William, I saw a little girl in your future, maybe five or six years of age. She looks just like you. Your olive skin, your round eyes, your thick hair, only hers is honey colored, not dark like yours, and her eyes, too.”
“A little girl?” he asked, confused.
Esme nodded, this time a single tear escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it and tried to remain professional. She cleared her throat before speaking again. “I’ve seen that little girl before in Marie’s future. William, you are my grand-daughter’s father.”
William let out a sigh of relief and sat back, processing this new information.
Esme took this time to warn William. “Now, I don’t always know exactly how the future will play out, William. You must understand this. I see your daughter, but if you stick around or not, I don’t know.”
“You said she was five or six? If she’s from my memory, then clearly I’m around until she’s at least that old!” William exclaimed.