Romani Magic (Shifter Blood: Romani Curse Book 3)

by Frances Trilone

  “Now, we wouldn’t want Garrett to get jealous, especially after that silly rumor about us.” Julius waved to two warlocks who stood on the other side of the room. “Where is Garrett? I haven’t seen him.”

  “He’s running late.”

  “I’m glad you two managed to work everything out.” He patted my arm and led me toward the Great Room. “Why don’t you join your friends, and I’ll find you later to talk? I need to make my rounds right now. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” I left his side, grateful to escape. The less time I had to play nice around Julius, the better.

  The Great Room looked nothing like I’d expected. The usual seating for coven meetings was gone; in its place stood round tables covered in white tablecloths and surrounded by gold brass chairs. And the High Council’s gold chairs had been replaced by a DJ playing music. Everywhere I turned, people in masks mingled, danced, and talked.

  “There you are.” Rosella came to stand next to me, holding a plate filled with food. “What did Julius want?”

  “Nothing much. Just trying to dazzle me with his charm.”

  “Looks like someone’s got their eye on you,” Rosella muttered to me as she nudged her head toward the dance floor.

  A guy wearing a tuxedo and black mask stared back at me. As he headed toward us, my body tensed when I recognized his walk.

  Carter. What the hell was he doing here?

  “Hello, ladies.” His gaze met mine. “May I have this dance?”

  “You realize this is Sienna, right?” Rosella asked with a hint of annoyance as the DJ played a slow song. “She’s dating a warlock named Garrett.”

  Carter’s jaw tightened. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  “Just one dance,” I said, even though dancing with Carter tonight was the last thing I wanted. But he wouldn’t have asked unless he had a reason to, and I needed to know why he was here. Calandra hadn’t mentioned him returning to the coven. “Rosella, why don’t you grab us a table?”

  “Okay, but watch this one. I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.” Rosella stared at Carter one last time before walking over to a tableful of girls wearing masks. They had to be the Hale House girls, as they seemed excited to see her.

  “Shall we?” Carter held out his hand, which I reluctantly took and followed him to the front of the room. As he slid his arms around my waist, my body tensed again. “Relax. I won’t bite you.”

  “I know.” Letting out a deep breath, I tried to ease my nerves. My fingers tingled as I placed my hands on his shoulders, and we moved to the music. A dark-haired man in a tuxedo and a red mask caught my eye. He stood near the dance area, watching us intently. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d left the coven.”

  “I did, but I came back for you.”

  Realizing what he meant, I sighed. “Calandra told me you’d left, so I didn’t bother getting the truth serum.”

  “I don’t care about our deal.”

  My heart sank. If Carter didn’t care, then he hadn’t told Markus about the prophecy. The Norwood wolves had no idea what was coming.

  “You look beautiful tonight.” He pulled me closer and lowered his head until it was next to mine. “I’m glad we had the chance to train these past few weeks. It was actually a lot of fun.”

  My breath hitched at his unexpected closeness and kind words. Why was he being so nice? He even smelled good tonight. Not his usual musty, sweaty odor that made me want to gag.

  “What game are you playing?” I pulled away, putting space between our bodies and his intoxicating scent. A scent that made my heart flutter and my head feel woozy. He smelled like the pine trees in Woodlake, reminding me of home.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He chuckled as we swayed to the music.

  “I knew you couldn’t be trusted.”

  “Because I’m not your own kind?” His eyes flickered yellow and narrowed. “You’re forgetting one important fact. A witch and the vampires put you in this situation. Not the wolves.”

  “That might be true, but you’re the one hiding things.”

  “The truth is I heard about your crazy plan to strip Julius of his powers, and I thought you might need help.”

  “Does Calandra know you’re here?” I asked. No one had said anything about changing the plan, and she’d stressed how crucial it was to stick to it.

  “No one knows, and you need to keep it that way.”

  “No. You’ll ruin everything. I don’t need your help,” I insisted.

  “I’m not the only one here who wants to help you.” He dropped his hands from my waist, anger flashing across his face. “Don’t worry. After tonight, you’ll never see me again.”

  I folded my arms and watched as Carter stormed through the doors and disappeared among the witches and warlocks in the foyer. I didn’t know how worried I should be. What had Carter meant when he’d said he wasn’t the only one here to help?

  Someone tapped my shoulder, causing me to jump and spin around. Standing in front of me was the dark-haired man who’d watched me dance with Carter. As I tried to turn away, he grabbed my arm.

  I glared at him. “I’m not interested, and I’m sure my powerful warlock boyfriend won’t be—”

  “So it’s true?” the man asked as he released my arm.

  I recognized that voice! With a gasp, I pulled him over to a dark corner, away from the dance floor, tears welling in my eyes. I hugged him tightly, immediately feeling safe.

  “Markus,” his name came out in a whisper.

  “Hey,” Markus said. “If I’d known you’d be this happy to see me, I would’ve come sooner.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here.” I touched him again, wanting to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Markus was really there, standing in front of me in the Great Room. Carter had lied when he’d said he didn’t care about our deal. “What are you doing here?”

  He looked me over and grinned. “He’s right. You do look beautiful tonight, although I’m not a fan of all that cleavage. Victor would be so mad if he saw you.”

  “Victor’s not my chaperone anymore, and I didn’t pick this dress.” I glanced around, making sure no one was watching us. “Do you have any idea what would happen if they knew you were here?”

  “I forgot how cute you look when you’re worried.” His gaze lowered to the high slits in my dress. “Damn. Have you been exercising?”

  “Are you checking me out?”

  “No. You’re like a sister to me. You just look different. If Kaleb was—”

  “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?” I interrupted, wanting to avoid the topic of Kaleb. If Markus was here to tell me he’d found Kaleb’s body, I didn’t want to know. Not tonight. I needed to focus on the plan and nothing else.

  “I’m here to save the day.” He grinned again.

  “That’s not funny.” I folded my arms and looked around for Carter. He’d given my message to Markus, and now they wanted to help. That was not the favor I’d asked. “You need to leave.”

  “I’m not leaving. Besides, I heard a rumor and had to see for myself.”

  I stared into his soft brown eyes, realizing how much I’d missed him. Of course, he had to be stubborn and refuse to leave. “What rumor?”

  “You’re dating that warlock—Garrett.” Markus raised his eyebrow. “Tell me it’s not true.”

  “Oh.” I took a deep breath and looked away. I had no reason to lie to him. But what if someone overheard us talking? What if Carter was listening? “It’s not what you think.”

  “Explain it to me.” He rested his hands on my shoulders. “I want the truth. Because one minute you’re in love with Kaleb, and the next, I hear you’re having sex with Garrett.”

  I groaned inwardly and cursed under my breath. I couldn’t believe Carter had told Markus about my conversation with Orla. Why would he do that? “It’s not how it sounds.”

  “I don’t like you dating a warlock who’s taken a blo
od oath. How can you trust him not to hand you over?”

  “Garrett wouldn’t do that. He loves me.”

  “Then this thing you have with him is serious. Do you love him?”

  “I care about him a lot.” As a tear rolled down my cheek, I looked away, refusing to answer his question directly. I couldn’t lie to Markus, not about loving Garrett. “I wish I had a time machine.”

  “Why?”

  “So I could go back to that night at my house when Kaleb was hurt. I never should’ve let you leave with him. If only I’d insisted on going with you, he’d…” I leaned against his chest, my voice trembling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  “You don’t need to apologize.” He looked over my shoulder. “I have to go. Garrett’s looking for you. It’s important you tell no one I’m here, including Garrett, and stick to the plan.”

  “Wait, I don’t understand why…” But before I could finish, Markus walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

  What plan was he talking about? He shouldn’t even be here.

  If the witches knew a Norwood wolf walked among them, they wouldn’t stop to ask questions first. They’d kill him.

  Chapter 36

  “Say the word, and we can leave right now. Nobody would blame you for running away.” Garrett tightened his hold around my waist as we danced to a slow song in the Great Room. We’d spent the past hour mingling, acting as if everything was normal.

  “No.” I lifted my head from his shoulder. “We need to end this tonight and get those witches back.”

  “I know, but I had to ask.” He looked around, squinting. “Have you seen Rosella? We need to leave in five minutes, and I don’t see her.”

  “I’m sure she’s around somewhere. I wouldn’t worry. She knows to meet us out front.”

  “You’re right. I guess I’m just nervous.” He cleared his throat. “I heard Carter couldn’t take his eyes off you. Is there something you need to tell me?”

  “Are you serious?” I laughed. Earlier, I’d told Garrett and Rosella about Carter showing up and almost everything he’d said. Reluctant to say anything about Markus, I’d left out the part about Carter not being the only one around to help. What if Rosella freaked out and someone discovered Markus? I couldn’t take that chance. “Believe me; I’m not interested in Carter.”

  “He definitely likes you if he came all this way to help.”

  “Your sister’s exaggerating, and trust me, Carter’s getting paid to help tonight. He might play nice sometimes, but he detests the Romanies, and he only agreed to train me because he’s getting what he wants from the High Council.” I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Markus. I hadn’t seen him since he walked away, and I felt guilty for not telling Garrett.

  “We should go.” Garrett led me from the dance area and into the foyer. “Keep an eye out for Rosella.”

  “I will.” Holding on to his hand, I looked around as we made our way to the front of the Great Hall. We had less than fifteen minutes to get to the First Altar. Hopefully, they’d already restrained Julius as planned.

  No one lingered outside, and the two witches who’d handed out masks earlier were gone. Empty boxes sat nearby, but no sign of Rosella.

  “Something’s wrong. Why isn’t she here?” Garrett removed his red mask and tossed it into one of the boxes as he frantically looked around. “Maybe she’s still inside, and we missed her.”

  “She probably went to get the golf cart by herself. I bet she’s on her way back here to pick us up.” As I spoke, an eerie feeling washed over me. Someone was watching us. “You might be right. Someone’s—”

  “It’s about time you two got here.” Ava walked out of the shadows, wearing a gorgeous navy gown. “Did anyone see you leave?”

  “No.” I removed my mask, tossing it into the box. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to help restrain Julius. Has something happened?”

  “Everything’s fine. We’ve just had a slight change in plans,” she replied. “Let’s go. I parked the golf cart over there.”

  “What slight change in plans?” I asked as we followed her. Had Carter already screwed things up? The jerk.

  “Where’s Rosella? We can’t leave without her,” Garrett said.

  “She’s with everyone else. Get in, and I’ll explain everything on the way.” Ava climbed into the driver’s seat as Garrett and I sat behind her. “The change is Boris’ fault. He got nervous and confronted Julius earlier than we’d planned. He and the other coven leaders restrained Julius and took him to the First Altar. When Calandra told me what had happened, I found Rosella, and we went to make sure they didn’t need our help. Calandra has everything under control. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Pleased to hear Carter hadn’t ruined the plan, I breathed a sigh of relief. But where was he? Ava hadn’t mentioned him. Maybe he’d changed his mind about helping. But Markus should still be around. Hopefully, he was lurking nearby in the woods.

  The eclipse moon tonight provided very little light, so I remained alert as Ava drove the golf cart with the headlights off. At least they’d managed to restrain Julius, even if Boris had deviated from the plan.

  “Where’s the light?” Garrett asked as we passed the street of houses. “Calandra told us she’d be ready for us when she cast the orb. It looks completely dark from here.”

  “I’m sure she’ll cast it soon. Don’t worry.” Ava continued driving.

  “I don’t like this,” I muttered, hoping to see some sign of Carter or Markus in the darkness. At the very least, they could make their eyes flicker yellow as a signal. Were they even aware that we’d left the ball?

  “It’ll be fine,” Garrett whispered as he slid his hand into mine.

  “Look. There’s the light now.” Ava drove over the curb and parked next to several other golf carts by the dirt road. “We’ll walk from here.”

  I got out and followed Garrett as Ava led the way to the First Altar. She’d been right: the orb had finally appeared in the sky, sitting barely above the tree line. It looked much brighter than it had that night in Woodlake. At least we weren’t walking around blindly.

  As we drew closer to the altar, Garrett picked up his pace. “Rosella, why didn’t you come tell us what happened?”

  I bumped into him when he stopped in front of me without warning. Muttering under my breath, I walked around him and froze.

  Boris, Calandra, Rosella, and several of the other covens’ leaders sat on large boulders outside the pentacle and ring of lit tiki torches. Their feet and hands had been bound with rope and rags stuffed into their mouths. Calandra and two warlocks were also blindfolded, no doubt to block them from using their telekinetic powers. Behind them stood men in tuxedos and masks, their eyes flickering red.

  Vampires.

  “Don’t be afraid.” Ava turned and grabbed Garrett’s arm. “It’s not what you think. I talked to Julius.”

  “You did what?” Garrett pushed her hand away. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? He’ll kill us all and take Sienna.”

  “No…” Ava shook her head. “He’s promised to leave us alone. You and Rosella are safe. He only needs Sienna. I know you love her, but there’ll be other girls. You’ll see. What’s important is that you’re alive, and your sister’s fine.”

  “How is she fine when she’s tied up?” Garrett snapped.

  “That’s just a precaution because she didn’t understand why I had to do this, but you do, don’t you?” Ava’s voice strained as she pulled on his tuxedo lapels and pleaded with Garrett. “I’d do anything to save you two.”

  Slowly moving one of my hands in a circle, I gathered air from around me. I couldn’t see Julius. Was he here, or had these vampires somehow caught wind of our plan?

  “Stop moving your hand,” a voice said from behind me.

  I peeked over my shoulder and was surprised to see more vampires. At least another ten, which made eighteen in total. The odds were not in our favor, especially when
two of them were holding guns, which they had pointed at Garrett and me.

  “Don’t do it, Sienna.” Julius emerged from the shadows and entered the pentacle. He still wore his tuxedo, but he no longer had on his mask. “You’re a smart witch. You do the math. How fast can you invoke air and disarm those vampires behind you so you can save everyone before their heads are ripped off? Do you want to roll the dice and see who dies tonight?”

  Cursing under my breath, I released the air element as my gaze drifted to Ava. Looking distraught, she’d retreated to stand not far from Rosella. How could she possibly trust Julius?

  “Why don’t you join me in the pentacle?” Julius folded his arms and glanced at Garrett. “Garrett, I won’t tie you up; I know you won’t try anything foolish. All you have to do is wait this out, and you’ll get to keep your powers. Sienna, you should’ve seen him last year, begging for powers, saying he’d do anything. Did you really think a half-warlock would choose you in the end?”

  “Yes.” I reached for Garrett’s hand and held it tight.

  “Your parents never would have approved of you dating a half-warlock.” A mischievous grin lit up Julius’ face. “I must confess. Losing Cyprian hit me hard. I loved him like a brother, but when he refused to give up your location, he left me no choice. I had to end his life. And Marie. Poor Marie. So foolish to fall pregnant, knowing what she did about the prophecy. When I sent the vampires after her, she thought if she killed herself and faked your death, we’d never know you were alive. But you can’t hide from demons. Vadoma knew you were alive somewhere, and I just needed to find you.”

  “They were your friends. Why would you do that to them?” Gritting my teeth, I released Garrett’s hand, readying myself to lunge at Julius.

  “Vadoma promised me great powers. I’ll become a demon like her, and we’ll lead the world together, bringing everyone to their knees.” He tilted his head and smiled. “I hear you finally broke the protection spell on Marie’s grimoire. I can’t believe she used wolf blood. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised when she had cursed blood running through her veins.”

  I didn’t dare look at Ava. At least she’d lied and hadn’t told Julius a vampire was working against him. She must have told him enough to save herself and her children. Biting my lower lip, I took a step in his direction. Would taking out Julius make the vampires give up?