Chapter Twenty Three
"No, she cannot be dead!" Giacomo shouted as he stood up and looked at the severed finger. He carefully picked up the black, wooden box as he placed the severed finger inside and closed the lid. Cross was sitting on the branch above him as Giacomo looked up at the falcon and held his wrist out. Cross flew into the air then landed on Giacomo's wrist and they headed down the path toward the manor house. The grounds had become deathly quiet as he placed the black, wooden box on the top of a flat boulder and removed the silver blade sword from the scabbard, holding the handle of the silver blade sword in his hands. "Who is there?"
The wind blew through his hair when something moved through the bushes and he watched the leaves moving back and forth. His heart slammed against his ribs when the leaves parted and a pair of ice blue eyes looked at him. He couldn't believe what he was looking at as the white Bengal tiger stood, watching him with trepidation in its eyes. Neither of them moved until Giacomo slowly placed the silver blade sword back in the scabbard and the white Bengal tiger walked closer. Kneeling down onto his haunches, Giacomo watched while the white Bengal tiger stopped near his feet and titled its head to one side.
"What are you?" he asked as the white Bengal tiger blinked its eyes then looked over at Cross, who was sitting on the boulder next to the black, wooden box. Giacomo looked at Cross when he stood up and walked to the boulder. "Are you saying you're a familiar?"
Giacomo was stunned when the white Bengal tiger sneezed while nodding its head and Giacomo's eyes went wide. He walked back to the tiger then knelt down on his haunches again and carefully reached out his hand. The fur felt soft and warm as he stroked the tiger's left ear and a low purr came from the tiger's throat.
"Did the Lady Constance send you to me? She must have. I am not witch or wizard and could not sent for you myself," he said and the tiger nodded its head. Standing up, Giacomo walked to the boulder when he held his wrist out and Cross jumped onto his wrist. Giacomo picked up the black, wooden box when he walked over to the tiger and looked down at it with a look of anger in his eyes. "Take me to her."
The tiger turned then headed for the trees and Giacomo followed close behind. He hadn't noticed that the trees had grown thicker or that there was no light or little sound and the tiger walked slowly in front of him.
"I guess that is so I don't lose my way," he thought as they walked along the path when the trees seemed to melt together and darkness surrounded them.
"There are paths that you cannot see, My Love. These paths weave between this world and the world of magic and only a select few can walk then without going mad."
Constance had told him that as he kept his eyes on the tiger and did not dare look to the left or to the right. He didn't want to know what was out there in the darkness and that might be why those that walk these paths go mad. The tiger kept walking when Giacomo heard the soft sound of water dripping in the darkness and could barely see the spot of light in the distance. The tiger walked faster and Giacomo half ran to keep up. The light grew brighter while he could just see what looked like stone walls when the tiger stopped at the center of what he thought was a cell and Giacomo followed until he was standing in front of the tiger.
"Is my lady here?" he asked when Cross looked to see Constance lying on the straw mat and Cross turned, pulling on Giacomo hair. He slowly turned when his heart clutched in his chest and he placed Cross on the unlit, wooden torch that was sticking out of the wall. He wasn't sure of Constance was breathing as he walked carefully toward the straw mat and fell to his knees beside her, placing the black, wooden box on the ground next to him. Pulling her up into his arms, he held her against him while rocking her and she lightly breathed in his ear. He kissed her slightly cold lips as he felt the tears rolling down his cheeks and whispered her name over and over, praying that she could hear his voice and would open her eyes. "Please, My Dearest, open your eyes."
He rocked her as he started sobbing when her hand slowly moved up his arm and Constance fluttered her eyes open. She placed her hand against his chest as his heart thumped wildly against her fingers and she sighed.
"Constance!" he gasped as he looked at her and she gently stroked his damp cheek. He kissed her lips then moved back and Constance looked at the tiger sitting on the ground next to them.
"Thank you," she whispered as the tiger stood up and walked toward the shadows. They watched the tiger vanish as Giacomo rubbed her back and she smiled up at him. "You do know what that was, don't you?"
"He was my familiar. But that is impossible. I am not a wizard or a witch," he said and she coughed a laugh.
"No, you are a hunter."
"And the tiger is a mighty hunter," he said softly and she nodded. Giacomo gently lifted her hand as he looked at the linen wrapped around the gap where her ring finger had been and he brought her hand up to his mouth, gently kissing the back of her hand. "My poor angel, he will pay for maiming you."
"We could always say I did it cutting into an apple," she teased and a soft laugh bubbled in his throat.
"Do you think you can stand?" he asked when the door to the cell opened and they looked to see who had come into the room.
"I prefer it if she didn't," De'Avante said as he crossed his arms over his chest and Giacomo glared at him.
Las Vegas, Nevada 2011
Both Cassandra and Peter gasped when they snapped open their eyes and they looked at each other. The room was still dark when Boe got up and walked over to the curtains, taking hold of the curtain and gently pulled the curtain open. They watched as it moved to the other curtains until the sunlight came into the room and they blinked their eyes. Boe walked to the bed when it placed its chin on the bed and looked at them. Cassandra smiled then patted the soft fur on Boe's head and Peter sat up, placing the pillows behind him. Cassandra snuggled against him as she placed her head on Peter's chest and he reached over for the silver flask that was sitting on the night table. Opening the silver flask, he sniffed the top of the silver flask then saw Boe on his side of the bed and the ice blue eyes locked with his. They stared at each other for a long while until Peter closed the silver flask then placed the silver flask on the night table and Boe walked to the door, spun around three times and settled on the floor, still watching him.
"Guess someone wants you sober," Cassandra whispered.
"Someone other than you and Jane?" he asked with a grin and she giggled, kissing his chest.
"Yep," she said with a nod of her head and he placed his arms around her then placed the back of his head against the headboard.
"I dreamt about him last night," Peter said as he nodded his head toward Boe.
"Yeah, I did as well."
"Did you…I mean…did she lose a finger? Constance, that is?"
"Yeah, that's the story. De'Avante cut off her ring finger and sent the finger to Giacomo," she said as Peter picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles.
"He must have been fucking pissed off!" Peter said as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and she nodded her head. "She sent Boe to him, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but he would have met him sooner or later."
"But he's not a witch."
"And you aren't a wizard. You are a hunter," Cassandra said while poking him in the chest and he placed her hand over his heart.
"That's what she said to Giacomo."
"And that's why Boe came to him. Both of you are predators against the darkness," she said and he softly smiled.
"I am NO predator! I am just a conman that makes people see what I want them to see."
"Do you want me to show you what I see?" she asked while climbing on top of him and Peter smiled, arching his eyebrows up.
The audience was engrossed while Peter hung upside down over the bed of nails and was trying to remove the straight jacket. He was still a little tired after the three times he had sex with Cassandra and she looked funny upside down. She watched him while the flame burned the rope and the rope lowered Peter closer to the bed of nails. The audience held their breath when the light flared and smoke filled the stage. The young women knew to move quickly as they lowered Peter to the stage and got him out of the straight jacket. The smoke cleared as Peter stood near the bed of nails and the audience cheered. Peter bowed when he looked over to where Cassandra should have been standing and his heart caught in his chest. Jean-Phillipe was standing behind Cassandra as he held her by her throat and half of his face was torn and caked with dried blood. Peter knew that Jean-Phillipe still could come into the showroom as he tried to figure out how to get Cassandra away from Jean-Phillipe and Jean-Phillipe smiled at him.
"I don't think so, Mon Ami," Jean-Phillipe snarled then a thick black smoke enveloped them and flew into the air. The audience watched in shock as Peter fell to his knees then placed his head back and screamed.