“Actually, they do.” She cheered up. “Every symbol has a different meaning—such as the pentacle you saw over the bed. I have one here, too.” She jingled a charm bracelet on her wrist; only now did he notice the tiny charm pendants on it were also made of wire.
She extended the hand toward him. “The spiral is for personal growth and seeking clarity. The triskele—that triple spiral—is for the power of mind, body, and spirit. And the little cross with the loop on top is the ankh, also called the key of life. It represents life and death and helps you reconnect with your ancestors, but you could also interpret it as the union of …”
He’d wondered why she’d stopped, then he realized he’d touched her wrist, trying to inspect the symbol. His mind must have really been out for three years, because he’d never felt such strange satisfaction just by touching a woman. But her skin was so soft, and smelled a bit like strawberries, and—
“O-opposites,” Shanna stammered, her eyes on him. “Like the feminine and the masculine.”
He dropped her hand and stared out the windshield. “Cool. Uh, interesting.”
The hours of their trip passed as little about their scenery changed; it was mountains upon mountains, with only the crossing of the sun indicating their progress. In mid-afternoon,Shanna turned off the main road and onto a gravel path leading deeper into the hills, bringing them, after twenty minutes of a decent foot and back massage, to a rustic house that looked like a hybrid of a Victorian manor and a log cabin.
The porch door opened as Shanna parked the car. Simon didn’t need to be told the older woman coming out of the house was Shanna’s grandmother; there was no mistaking the round face, although this one was half-hidden under big, round spectacles, and the voluminous hair, even though Grandma’s was bleached white.
Grandma Dolores spread her arms. “Shanna!”
“Gran!” Shanna ran to hug her, Jinx following close behind. Simon hung back until, after a minute of fussing and laughing and something about a circle in the attic, Dolores looked to him and clapped her hands.
“Simon, dear!” She walked over and cupped his cheeks.
Simon froze. “I—I’m sorry, I must have forgotten you as well.”
“Oh, we never met personally.” Dolores gave him one last clap on the cheek and moved her hands to his shoulders, patting her way to his arms. “Goodness, you’re even handsomer in person! And look at these biceps!”
In the back, Shanna facepalmed.
Simon itched to move away from the bizarre inspection, but if Dolores was the solution to his problem—and more capable than Shanna—he certainly didn’t want to anger her.
Even though he currently wasn’t sure if she was sizing him up as a potential grandson-in-law, or dinner.
“I’m so happy Shanna finally found a decent guy for herself.” With a final tap on his arm, Dolores released him.
Shanna bit her lip. “Uh, Gran, about that—”
“Well, come in, come in. You must be starving.” Dolores wagged her finger at Jinx. “I know you are, beastie. Luckily, I’ve got sausages for you.”
Shanna’s house was slight in terms of decoration in comparison to Dolores’s, and this one was mostly two things: plants and crochet. And plants in crocheted bowls hanging from the ceiling. It was as if somebody knitted an entire jungle and stashed it within fifty square yards.
“I’ll get dinner ready,” Dolores said as she left them in the living room and sauntered toward the kitchen.
“Actually—” Simon started, but Shanna nudged him in the ribs.
“You’re not getting to the point without eating first,” she said. “Trust me, I’ve tried.”
In fifteen minutes, they were served plates of mashed potatoes and roasted pork with cranberry sauce, with sides of roasted carrots and broccoli, and a whole apple pie for dessert.
“She lives alone, right?” Simon whispered as he leaned closer to Shanna.
“Oh, yes,” she responded cheerfully, digging into her plate of potatoes.
Jinx got his share of dog-appropriate food. After indulging, he rolled up on the couch and stared at them with soulful brown eyes, hinting they’d better not ask him to move for at least a day.
“And now we can talk,” Dolores said after serving pie to Simon and Shanna. “I’d love to think this is a pre-honeymoon visit, but you didn’t sound so happy on the phone, dear.”
Shanna deflated. “There’s a small problem we need help solving. In one of the rituals, probably mine, a bond was established between us.” She raised her wrist to show her grandmother the tattoo. Simon displayed his.
“And here I thought that was to commemorate the wedding,” Dolores said.
“It won’t let us move more than a hundred feet away from each other,” Shanna continued. “You know more about bonds. Do you know what kind this would be? And how we could break it?”
