by LJ Rivers
Rosamund sipped at her coffee, her eyes never leaving mine. “As I understand it, you’ve already got a new job.”
“We’re investigating the attack.” I pushed as much authority into my voice as I could. I might not know anything about this veiled world yet, but I wasn’t useless.
Leon hunched forward, elbows on his knees. “Do you have any idea why a vampire would come after Petra?”
While the two of them talked, I helped myself to one sugar cube from a sugar cup on the tray, followed by a dash of milk. I put the cup to my lips, inhaled the familiar scent, and took two large gulps. It was the best coffee of my life.
Next to me, Rosamund took her sun hat off and placed it in her lap, making more hair cascade down to frame her face. For a mother of seven, she looked young—too young. Then again, I had thought Saga was in her early twenties. “This is a rather delicate matter, but Petra has taken a shine to a man named Karl.”
I nodded, having met the man—and kept him away from Petra—on a couple of occasions when guarding the young werecat. “You told me I was to keep him away from her. I did.”
“The thing is—” She inhaled and let out a long breath. “Karl is a vampire.”
My mouth fell open for the umpteenth time in two days. “Come again?”
Leon raised his eyebrows. “Which is why you hired a bodyguard to begin with.”
I gave it some consideration, then asked, “I take it you don’t approve of this kind of relationship. Mixing races or whatnot.”
The Solis wrinkled her nose. “That is not entirely accurate. A vampire cannot bear children, and Petra has responsibilities. While it’s not unheard-of to have interspecies relationships,” she glanced at Leon for a nanosecond, “she is to become the next Solis of our pride. She will be expected to breed.”
Breed? This was all new to me, so I let that little nugget slide for the time being. Not wanting to sound like a petulant child, I had to ask, “I don’t quite understand. You hired me to guard her against a vampire, but when another vampire attacked us, you fired me because I have no knowledge of them.”
She tapped her long fingernails against the rim of the cup. “Seems contradictory, I admit, but Karl is harmless, and I only wanted you to stop his advances. He was never a threat to her life, or yours. The attack, on the other hand, is something very different and not a normal occurrence.”
“Does anyone else oppose their relationship?” I asked. “I mean, could the attack be a warning, or was the intention to kill her and remove the problem that way?”
She slanted her head in a weirdly catlike motion, reminding me of what she was. “It’s possible, although I’m not sure.”
“Have you spoken to Ursula about Karl?” Leon asked. I wasn’t sure about veiled world customs or politics, but from what I could gather, communication between the different groups was important.
“We have discussed it. Ursula doesn’t want to interfere with the relationships of her vampires, though she acknowledges my concern.”
“Does Petra have any other suitors?” That sounded dumb, even to me, but jealousy was a rather common excuse for committing a crime, so it was a legitimate question.
“Plenty, but no other vampire that I know of. In any case, you’ve spent more time with her lately than I have. Anyone spring to mind?”
I pondered my now empty coffee cup for a while. “Quite a few men have approached her over the past months, but Karl is the only one I’ve seen talk to her more than twice. The vampire that attacked us wasn’t him, though. I’m sure of it.”
Rosamund nodded. “I believe Karl’s feelings for her are genuine, and I don’t suspect him of wanting to harm her.”
“Regardless,” Leon cut in, “we’ll have a chat with the boy.”
A red ball thumped down the steps into the sunroom and bounced into the cluster of plants. The girl with the pigtails came skipping after it. Rosamund leaned back in her chair and gave the girl a long stare. It wasn’t hard or chiding, but mild with just an edge of a warning. The girl froze, bowed her head and folded her hands at her back, swaying a little on the balls of her feet.
“May I fetch the ball, please?” she asked.
“In a minute.” Rosamund gestured at me. “First, I’d like you to meet Camryn MacKay. She’s a friend of Petra’s, thus a friend of the pride.”
The girl looked at me with curious jade eyes, inching closer. “You’re pretty.”
I smiled at her. “That’s sweet of you to say. So are you. What’s your name?”
“Gisele.”
“That’s pretty, too. I bet there’s an intelligent mind to go with it.”
The girl perked up, stretching to make herself taller. “I’m super smart. Top of my class.”
“Your class,” Rosamund interjected, “consists of twelve kits. Admittedly, you’re not wrong.”
Gisele’s smile broadened, displaying a gap where her left front tooth had been. “Can Camryn come play, Mutter?”
“Call me Cam,” I said.
Rosamund inclined her head. “If Cam wants to, you can get your ball and take her to the garden out back with the others.”
Gisele sprinted for the ball and returned to my side so fast I barely had time to consider it. When her small hand reached out, I took it and got to my feet.
“You’ll have to teach me how to play,” I said as the little girl guided me out of the sunroom and through the glass doors that led to the garden beyond.
Chapter Nine
Folding his hands, Leon watched Camryn leave the room. The moment Gisele had walked in, Cam’s posture had changed. She had no idea how much of her hard exterior melted away in that fraction of a second. With her metaphorical shield down, she appeared almost approachable, though he knew it wouldn’t last. While he admired her tenacity, he couldn’t help but think she was missing out on life. No one benefited from wearing a shield like hers—both magically and figuratively. It was a heavy load to bear for anyone, and especially for someone so young.
The familiar sensations of feelings that were not his own filled the air, and he caught himself, remembering that he wasn’t alone in the sunroom. Tearing his eyes away from the door, he turned his attention to Rosamund. As always, her emotions were guarded, more so than most people, but even she could not hide her mood from him. Not entirely. Right now, she was both amused and more than a little concerned. Of what, he wasn’t sure. It would be an easy stretch to think it had to do with the vampire attack, but it felt like there was more to it. And it had to do with Camryn.
Today, he was here on behalf of Saga, but that could wait until Camryn came back inside. “How is Noelle behaving?”
“The kits adore her. Noelle’s styling skills have improved a lot lately, and suddenly they all want her to fix their hair.”
He scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Any signs yet?”
Rosamund pursed her lips. “You ask me that every time, Leon, and the answer is always the same. She’s still fairly young, and you’ll both need to be patient. No matter what happens, though, she’ll always have a place in my pride, you know that.”
He exhaled in a long breath, having hoped her answer would have changed, even though he knew better. “I appreciate all you have done for her. She seems happy here.”
“And we are thrilled to have her.”
“I might not make it back tonight, but I’ll pick her up tomorrow.”
Rosamund reached out and picked up the coffee pot, refilling all three cups. “She’s welcome to stay as long as she wants. I have plenty of room, and I know Saga is keeping you busy. Noelle is about to turn into a woman, and she doesn’t need her father at all hours of the day anymore. Besides, whether she’s a cat, she’s family.”
He nodded, his gaze drifting back to Camryn and the kits.
Rosamund made a purring sound, and her lips tugged upwards at the corners. “Quite special, is she not?”
“Quite.”
“She carries herself well, befitting for a witch of her
caliber.”
“Yet she had no idea she was one only a day ago. Admittedly, I’m not sure I understand what the big deal is.”
“It will become clear, I’m sure. She might not have known what she was, but she’s been properly trained to handle herself when the day came.”
Trepidation floated on the currents of emotions. Of what? Leon studied the Solis and the colors surrounding her. She was conflicted, and there was something she wasn’t telling him. “I’ve never known you to hire outside help. You knew who she was when you hired her, didn’t you?”
Rosamund straightened in her chair, and her ears perked up. She cast a glance outside, where five more kits had joined, and Camryn was now trying to catch the ball they were throwing between them. She obviously could have caught it every time, but she didn’t, making the girls giggle and squeal.
“It isn’t my place to tell her.” Rosamund sighed. “Edwin made me swear not to.”
He cupped his hand on his chin in thought. “You asked for her specifically.”
A splash of yellow appeared within the otherwise turquoise and chartreuse aura around the Solis. Jealousy or envy. But why? “Her shield power keeps her safe from vampire venom and, indeed, all other magic use, which made her a perfect fit for Petra’s bodyguard. My stubborn daughter refused to have a cat watch her, insisting I bring in a human. Since I didn’t much care to have my pride know about Petra’s ill-placed affections toward the vampire, I allowed it. Plus, Cam’s power makes her undetectable, and she can easily pass for a human, so Petra never suspected she was anything but.”
“And when Cam came too close to the truth, you decided to terminate the arrangement.” It suddenly made more sense.
“I made a promise, Leon. Edwin and I—” She paused, and Leon held his attention on her changing mood, not wanting to interrupt. “Well, let’s just say we have some history.”
There was that yellow again. “What exactly is it you know?”
“I’ve known Edwin since before he took Cam into his care.”
The yellow faded, replaced by a tinge of scarlet. Love? Which meant she probably knew everything there was to know about Camryn’s upbringing. It wasn’t his place, of course, but it didn’t seem fair either. “Don’t you think she deserves to know why the truth was kept from her?”
“I do, but Edwin has good reasons for keeping her hidden and, in turn, keeping her in the dark. Shield witches are supposed to be extinct, empath. Her very existence puts her in danger.”
He found himself clenching his fists and slowly stretched out his fingers so as not to appear threatening. “She needs to know, Rosamund.”
The Solis put her cup down and picked up a single purple grape, which she proceeded to carefully take a bite of before the rest followed into her mouth. “Very well, I’ll tell her what I can. Since the cat is already out of the bag, and all. Pardon the pun.” She gave a short giggle at her own joke. “So, tell me, how does it feel?”
He frowned. “What?”
“To be near her.”
So she had noticed how he looked at Camryn. He supposed it couldn’t be helped, and it likely didn’t take an empath to read his expression. Not that it mattered. “It feels peaceful, like all the noise of the world is submerged for a time, and I’m all but floating on air.”
She whistled. It was such a low sound that Leon could have easily missed it. Outside, however, the girls stopped mid squeal and turned toward the sunroom. Gisele poked a finger in Camryn’s arm and pointed another at Rosamund.
Camryn rumpled the girl’s hair before shuffling back inside. She smiled at Rosamund. “Your daughters are a lot of fun. And impressive for their age.”
“Gisele would have made a wonderful Solis,” Rosamund allowed, “and perhaps one day she will. They are not all as sharp as her, and I’m aware Petra can be a bit brazen, but she’s very young still, and too beautiful for her own good. Regardless, she is my successor, my firstborn, and she’s not that different from how I was at her age. She’ll be a tremendous Solis when the time comes.”
Leon stifled a laugh. While he didn’t necessarily disagree with Rosamund, and the surrounding colors told him she was being sincere, the thought of the current Solis having been anything like Petra in her youth was hard to imagine. They shared the same features and classical beauty, but that was where the similarities ended.
“I can see that,” Camryn said, to Leon’s surprise. As she passed Rosamund and took her previous seat, the colors disappeared and the world was muted once again. He released a pent-up breath, adjusting to the loss of emotional charges. Despite the revelation of magic in the world, Camryn dealt with it better than most. He could tell she was struggling with it, but most would run and hide or simply deny what they knew to be true. Not her, though. Her resilience was admirable. If the tables were turned, would he have accepted the truth?
Rosamund nudged Camryn’s cup closer to her. “Now, my dear, I believe you have some questions of your own that have nothing to do with the attack.”
Camryn brightened at the sight of more coffee, put the cup to her lips, and inhaled. After taking a large swallow, she straightened in her seat, her guard fully up once more. “What do you know?”
Rosamund took an uneven breath, but before she could speak, Leon turned to Camryn. “Would you like me to leave? I’m only here because of the attack. This is private.”
She licked her lips, uncertain, and shook her head. “I might need someone later to help me make sense of things, and I’d rather not have to repeat everything. Please, stay.”
He dipped his head and relaxed. It was right to ask, but he couldn’t deny his curiosity. While Saga had told them about what Camryn was, he had never heard of a shield witch before either, and he wasn’t sure exactly what that entailed. He understood that there was more to it than met the eye, and he wanted to learn more. Not just about shield witches, but about Camryn.
The Solis ate another grape, crossed her legs, and rested her back against the chair. “Years ago, I went to Scotland to visit my younger brother. He mated into the pride of Edinburgh, to their Solis, and I attended the ceremony. As is customary, all witches and shapeshifters in the territory are invited to the ceremony whenever a Solis or Alpha mates.” She paused, and Leon wished he could have sensed her emotions. “That’s where I first met your uncle.”
Chapter Ten
I drew in a sharp breath. She knew Edwin. I had nothing to say to that, so I kept quiet, rubbing my palms together and stealing a glance at Leon. Maybe I should have told him to leave, but he was the closest I had to an ally in this world. When he had apologized to me the night before, he seemed sincere enough. If nothing else, I knew him better than the Solis, no matter her connection to my guardian. And if I had questions after this conversation, he was likely the only one who would give me any straight answers. Either way, whatever Rosamund told me, I didn’t think it mattered if Leon was here for it or not. She had to report to Saga anyway, didn’t she?
Deciding to trust my gut more than the people in the room, I waited for Rosamund to continue. Her green eyes had grown distant, mournful, and longing. It was such a bittersweet expression—like staring into the heart of a dense forest—that I almost averted my gaze. But I couldn’t. Secrets hid in those depths, and I needed to learn what they were.
“We fell in love,” Rosamund said finally. She got up and sauntered over to a tall pot of long-stemmed flowers. I didn’t know the name for them, but the petals were orange and pink, gaping open as if calling out for me. Rosamund squatted, picked up a pair of scissors, and clipped a couple of waning leaves from the stems. “It could not be,” she said absently at the flowers. “He had responsibilities of his own, and I had mine. While I had not yet become Solis, I had a duty to my pride. Edwin, on the other hand, had obligations to his coven.”
I snorted. “His coven?” Although I was slowly coming to terms with the existence of witches, shapeshifters, and even vampires, the thought of my uncle—my guardian since the age of fi
ve—being a witch, was laughable. “Edwin isn’t—”
She looked over her shoulder and quirked a brow. I instinctively clamped my mouth shut. “Your uncle is one of the most skilled witches I have ever known. Unusual, as he is a male, and the stronger witches are mostly women. No offense, Leon.”
“It’s true,” he said with a shrug.
“Anyhow.” Rosamund turned a faucet by the wall and began filling a metal watering can. “The only one I have known who could match Edwin was your mother.”
My heart dropped in my chest, and an old pain pounded through my veins. “My mother?”
She turned the faucet off. “Lorelei was magnificent. I’m sure Edwin wishes to be the one to tell you all this, but seeing as you now know what you are, it seems important that you know more. Most witches can do a little bit of everything. There is magic in all living things,” she brushed her fingers lightly over the bright petals, “and witches draw their power from them. This is a simplification, of course, because while this is how it works for all witches, not everyone is able to make magic manifest as they wish.”
“Saga told me some have special skills, like me,” I said quietly. “Did my mother have anything like that?”
“Lesser witches need more energy than those with much power. A lesser witch might need to take the life source from a human to perform a simple spell, while a more powerful witch could take the energy from a rose and get the same result.” She plucked a single petal from a flower in the rose bed next to the flowerpot and held it between two fingers. Putting as much space between us as possible, she held it up to the glass door. The sunlight illuminated the petal, making it translucent, and minuscule venations flourished on it like blood-red scars. She whispered something unintelligible, and the petal started to glow, a crimson ray emanating from it. The glow subsided, and the petal slowly waned, crumpling until it turned brown, then black. As it died in Rosamund’s hand, dusty particles sailed through the air, and a tiny flame erupted in her palm. “A lesser witch might perform the same spell but still get something wrong. Lorelei could take the power from a glass of water and turn it into a maelstrom if she so desired. She also shared one of the special gifts as the clan leader of Berlin.”
