Romani Magic (Shifter Blood: Romani Curse Book 3)

by Frances Trilone

“Hey.” His bloodshot eyes softened. “Can you get these girls to move so we can talk?”

  “Now’s not a good time.” Rosella folded her arms. “You’ve been drinking, and it’s past curfew. You need to leave and come back tomorrow.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” He glared at his sister as he attempted to push past the girls. “I’m not leaving until I talk to Sienna, and I don’t care about a stupid curfew. You’re—”

  “Let him in,” I said. If Garrett wanted to talk now, we should talk. There was no guarantee he’d even come back tomorrow once he’d sobered up. This might be my only chance to get answers.

  The girls stepped aside, including Rosella, and he stumbled into the house. He winked at them, chuckling as he ran a hand through his hair.

  “If he gets out of line, you have my permission to kick him out using magic,” Rosella said. She headed into the living room, and the other girls followed, glancing nervously at me.

  Garrett cursed under his breath and swayed to one side. “Can we go to your bedroom?”

  “No. We’ll talk in the kitchen.” I walked away from him and returned to the kitchen. After putting the coconut water back in the refrigerator, I filled a cup with water and set it on the table for Garrett.

  He sat in the chair and took a sip as he stared at my pajamas.

  When his gaze lifted to mine, a mix of emotions swirled inside my chest. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Pretending to date him had been a mistake. I’d been crazy to suggest it.

  “What’s this?” He waved his hand to indicate the bag of marshmallows, the bamboo skewers, and the fire extinguisher. “Someone making s’mores?”

  “Your sister was helping me invoke the fire element.”

  A look of disappointment flashed across his face. “That makes three elements in less than two months. I think that’s a record.”

  I sighed, not enjoying how this conversation felt just like old times. Things could never be the same between us. “Why don’t we make this quick? I’ll yell at you for being a jerk, and you say I’m a nag. Give it a good five-minute argument, and then you can leave. We’ll tell everyone our breakup was mutual.”

  “You think I’m here to break up with you?”

  “Yes. Isn’t that why you blew me off at the party? Then spent this past week drinking with your friends?” I leaned against the counter and folded my arms. “I thought we’d wait until after the Mabon Ball, but now I can see that we don’t need to.”

  “Sienna, I don’t want to break up with you.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I’m here because of Julius. Is it true? Did he come by last night and give you a dress?”

  “That’s why you’re here? You think I’m cheating on you with Julius?”

  “No.” He lifted his head. “You’re not his type.”

  “You think Julius wouldn’t be interested in someone like me?”

  “Just answer my question. Did he give you a dress?”

  I glared at him, furious that he’d ignored what I’d said. Who cared if Julius had given me a dress or that we spent a lot of time together? Garrett should know me better. But to blow me off by saying I wasn’t Julius type? If he believed that, then why did he believe the rumors? “I want to know what’s so wrong—”

  “Was he here?” He slammed his hands on the table.

  I jumped, shocked by this side to Garrett. I’d thought Drunk Garrett was the worst I’d seen, but he was nothing compared to Angry Garrett. “Yes, Julius was here, and he bought me a dress for the Mabon Ball. I promised him I’d go, but he’s not my date like everyone’s saying.”

  “No, no…you’re not going, and I don’t want you talking to him anymore. You need to stay away from Julius.” Garrett got to his feet, frantically looking around the kitchen. He grabbed a kitchen towel off the counter, laid it flat on the table, and opened several drawers. One drawer after another, he searched and tossed stuff aside. “You need to go pack your things. Yes, go pack. We’ll leave tonight. That’s the only way we can be together.”

  “You’re not making any sense,” I said as he pulled knives from a drawer and placed them on the towel. “Garrett, what are you doing? You’re scaring me.”

  He stopped abruptly, staring at me with wild, bloodshot eyes. “Can’t you see I’m doing this for you?”

  “I don’t understand. You’re talking about leaving, but you haven’t told me why.” I slowly unfolded my arms, my breath hitching as I remembered Devlin’s suggestion that I run away. Why was Garrett now saying the same thing? He couldn’t know about Vadoma. Not unless… No. Please don’t let it be true. Not him. “Do you know about the vampire legend of the First and how Vadoma plans to possess my body on the Black Moon of Samhain?”

  He let out a heavy sigh as he dropped back into his seat, looking distraught. “Yes.”

  “How?” Tears welled in my eyes.

  “Julius told me the truth last Saturday. My meeting in town was with him.”

  “Julius?” My voice remained steady, strong, even though I was dying inside. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I had a choice to make.” Garrett removed his family’s crest ring from his finger and held up his hand to show me a red line: a blood oath reminder. “No doubt you’ve heard the stories about me. I was a nobody, a half-warlock with no powers. I couldn’t even cast a simple memory spell. Then last year, I swore a blood oath to Julius. He gave me powers, and I became popular. Suddenly everyone wanted to be my friend, and the girls started paying attention to me. My father was finally proud.”

  “Julius made you a powerful warlock. What did he want in return?”

  “I promised him an obligation, no matter the price.” He put the ring back on. “Last week, when Julius explained that parts of the prophecy were missing and how this demon would possess your body on Samhain, I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I’d do anything to protect you. You believe that, don’t you?”

  I nodded, wanting to trust him. “You said you had to make a choice?”

  “I chose you.”

  Shaking my head, I tried to wrap my mind around what he’d said. “That doesn’t make any sense. If Julius told you the truth and you chose me, why did you stay away and binge-drink with your friends?”

  “I needed to come up with a plan to save you from this demon.” He stood abruptly and folded the kitchen towel around the knives. “We’ll leave tonight. No one will be able to find us. I can use dark magic to protect you. You’ll be safe. I promise. Now, go upstairs and pack.”

  “No.” I refused to believe that running away was the only option. “We need to figure out Julius’ plan. Did he tell you to take me to the Mabon Ball?”

  “Yes, he heard we’re fighting but—”

  “That’s why he bought me a dress. Julius must’ve told them to take the witch in the red dress. Is that their plan? To grab me at the ball?”

  “I don’t know. He just wants you at the ball.”

  “Okay, you need to go back to Julius and play nice. Find out the plan.” I watched Garrett as he stared down at the folded towel and said nothing. He was holding something back, something he didn’t want me to know. I quickly ran through our conversation in my mind, trying to work out what I’d missed. “Garrett, what’s your obligation to Julius?”

  He walked toward me, his words coming out in a whisper. “I have to hand you over by Samhain, or I’ll lose my powers forever.”

  “What?” I gasped. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” He took my arm and tried to lead me out of the kitchen. “I choose you.”

  I pulled away from him, angry he’d chosen to tell me all of this now instead of last week. We could have left the party together and figured things out. There’d been no need for him to push me away and waste a week on drinking. A week. One whole week Garrett had spent drinking and thinking, figuring out what to do. “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not lying. I made this blood oath way before I knew you, and I didn’
t know what Julius wanted me to do. It’s the truth, I swear.”

  “But if he’d told you what the obligation was last year, you still would have said yes to the blood oath. You said it yourself: you were a half-warlock without any powers. You would’ve done anything.”

  “You’re right.” Standing tall and looking almost sober, he placed his hands on his hips. “I didn’t know you last year. You would’ve just been a witch Julius wanted, and I wouldn’t have cared. But that’s not how it happened. I found out what he wanted last week, and I refused to hand you over.”

  “That’s not what you said,” I insisted. “You were upset when he told you the truth and you realized you needed to make a choice. You spent an entire week drinking with your friends and trying to decide which was more important. Handing me over or keeping your powers.”

  “That’s not…” A sad look crossed his face.

  I glared at him, pissed he’d actually contemplated giving me to Julius and letting a demon possess my body. I’d never do that to him. Never. “I talked to that vampire; he told me someone on the High Council was a traitor, and you’ve known it was Julius for at least a week. Maybe even longer. I don’t even know if I can trust anything you say. Maybe getting close to me was part of your plan all along.”

  “You know that’s not true. You can trust me. I wouldn’t lie to you or hide anything. I promise. Ask me anything.”

  “Did you know the vampires were going to show up at the county fair? You canceled at the last minute, told me you couldn’t make it.”

  “No.” His eyes widened. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I canceled because Julius asked me to—”

  “Leave, Garrett,” I snapped. Damn Julius. This was all his fault. Cyprian had been right not to trust him. “Go home. I need time to think.”

  He shook his head. “No. I’m not leaving. Let me stay with you tonight, and we can figure this out. I love you, Sienna, and I won’t—”

  “I don’t want you here,” the words came screaming out of my mouth as tears poured down my cheeks. Garrett loved me? The one person I’d trusted most at the Raven Coven had turned out to be a traitor. How could this have happened?

  “Sienna, I—”

  I ran out the back door, not wanting to hear what else Garrett might have to say. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All I could do was run.

  Chapter 32

  I ran toward the main road and around one of the houses before hiding behind a cluster of bushes. Someone was following me, and it must be Garrett because I didn’t feel uneasiness in my chest or any strange vibes.

  “Sienna, where are you?” As Garrett stopped a few feet from me, I ducked farther into the bushes. He sounded upset and frantic. “Please. Just give me a chance. I swear I won’t let you down.”

  “Garrett.” Calandra appeared as if out of nowhere. “It’s past curfew. You’re supposed to be inside your house. What are you doing out here?”

  “I know, I know…” His voice cracked. “I was—”

  “Are you drunk?” She leaned toward him and then pulled away. “Julius mentioned you’d started drinking with the other warlocks.”

  “You can’t trust him,” he muttered.

  “Well, that may be true, but it doesn’t explain why you’re out past curfew.”

  “I needed some fresh air.” He cleared his throat. “Guess I lost track of time.”

  “Way out here? Next time, stay on your front porch, within the boundaries of the protection spell.” She looked around. “I’ll escort you to your house, and this will be our secret. If anyone else catches you breaking curfew in such a drunken state, Ava will not be impressed.”

  Garrett glanced around. “I can’t go back.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s Sienna. She’s—”

  “What’s happened to Sienna?” Calandra sounded surprised. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “We argued. She’s out here somewhere, and I need to find her.”

  I closed my eyes, wishing Garrett hadn’t told Calandra I was also outside. I doubted she’d give me a free pass for breaking curfew.

  “Well…” She took a deep breath. “No need to worry about Sienna. She’s capable of taking care of herself. I’m sure she’ll make her way home, and whatever you two fought about will get straightened out tomorrow.”

  “You don’t understand. I did something horrible. I…” As he choked down a sob, Calandra wrapped an arm around him.

  “Let’s get you back to your house. After a good night’s rest, you’ll see things aren’t that bad.” As she led Garrett toward Castor House, she continued reassuring him things weren’t as bad as they seemed and that I was probably already home.

  I released the breath I’d been holding, relieved she’d shown up. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about running into Garrett tonight. Of course, Calandra would expect answers tomorrow. What could I tell her? The truth about what Devlin had told me? I still had my suspicions about her, even if Julius was the one working with the vampires.

  “You need to get back.”

  At the sound of Carter’s voice, I froze, praying he wasn’t talking to me. Why was he even at the coven and stalking around at night?

  “Sienna.” Carter slid in front of me, his eyes flickering yellow. “If you cast an invisibility spell, it’s not working.”

  Cursing under my breath, I got to my feet. “Why are you sneaking up on me?”

  “I wasn’t sneaking up on you.” He laughed. “What are you doing outside past curfew?”

  “I needed some fresh air.”

  “Funny how your boyfriend made up that same excuse.”

  I bit my lower lip. He’d overheard Garrett and Calandra talking, which meant he knew Garrett and I had fought. “Were you with Calandra?”

  “No. I don’t hang out with witches.” He turned and headed toward the woods. “C’mon. We’ll follow the wood line back to Hale House.”

  Ignoring him, I walked in the opposite direction, toward the roundabout. I had no plan. No idea where I wanted to go. I just didn’t want to go back to a houseful of witches who knew Garrett and I had argued.

  When I didn’t follow Carter, I heard him hurrying after me, muttering under his breath. Something about me being more stubborn than he remembered. At least he didn’t try to make me turn around.

  When we reached the roundabout, I headed over to the gazebo and sat in the darkness.

  Carter walked around, checking the perimeter. A few minutes later, he entered the gazebo and took a seat across from me.

  “Why are you still in Dover?” I finally asked.

  “I’m not sure what you mean.” His eyes flickered yellow. “The deal was I trained you for eight weeks, or I don’t get paid.”

  “What about your father? I’ve heard he’s missing.”

  “Who told you that?” He sounded concerned.

  “We had a coven meeting this morning. The High Council told us the Rocklin and Kingsley alphas were missing. That’s why the Rocklin wolves are in Dover.”

  “I’ll speak to Calandra tomorrow and check on my father,” he said. “What are you going to do about Garrett?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You can’t stay mad at him. It’s not like he knew what the blood oath—”

  “You were spying on us?” I jumped to my feet, angry Carter knew everything we’d said in the kitchen. Unfreakinbelievable.

  “Sit down, Sienna. I wasn’t spying on you.”

  I folded my arms and glared at him. Could Carter be the reason for my strange vibes? He just happened to be at the Dover County Fair, and now he’d appeared when Garrett and I had a fight. “I want the truth. Have you been following me?”

  “I wouldn’t call it following. More like keeping an eye on you.”

  “That’s the exact same thing.” I sneered. “I want to know why. Did the High Council put you up to it? Because I’ll go to them tomorrow and demand you stop.”

  “It’s nothing to d
o with them.”

  “Then who’s paying you to follow me around?”

  “No one. Family’s the only thing that matters to a Kingsley wolf. When Kaleb claimed you, he made you family whether I liked it or not. But don’t worry. I’m leaving soon, and I won’t be back.”

  My heart tightened as I sat again. Had Kaleb known this would happen? His cousin, who detested the Romanies, now saw me as family and felt compelled to keep an eye on me.

  “Can you please go?” I asked, tears running down my cheeks. I needed Kaleb. Not Carter. Not Garrett. Not anyone else. Even if Kaleb were alive, the prophecy would still keep us apart. All this nonsense about me destroying the wolves.

  “I’m not leaving,” Carter insisted. “I know you’re upset, but you should forgive Garrett. He made the blood oath long before he met you. You can’t blame him.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.” I wiped away my tears. Why was he taking Garrett’s side? Carter didn’t even like him. “I understand why he made the deal. I would’ve done the same thing if I were a half-witch with no powers. But you heard what he said. He has to hand me over by Samhain or he’ll lose everything.”

  “Yes, and he told you he wouldn’t do that. He loves you so much that he’d give up his powers.”

  “And I’m supposed to be okay with that?” I thought about what Garrett had said. He’d told me he loved me tonight, but I didn’t know whether that meant he loved me like a friend…or more.

  “Would you rather he handed you over? Because you know what will happen if he does.”

  “Of course not.” I shook my head. “You don’t understand what it means to be a warlock who can’t cast spells or use magic. I’ve only had my powers for less than two months, and already I can’t imagine giving them up.”

  “Garrett loves you. I’m sure if the situation were reversed, you’d gladly give up your powers.”

  “Yes, but…” I hated to admit Carter was right. As much as I enjoyed having powers, I’d give them up to save Garrett.

  “You should run away like he suggested. You could leave tomorrow.”

  “No. I’m not running away. What if Julius decides to kill those witches? I can’t risk it.”