by R. L. Perez
Leo’s expression turned cold. “I doubt that.”
I leveled a stare at him, unflinching. I refused to back down.
Leo sighed, dropping his hands. “Name your terms.”
“Let me look through your library.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”
“You told me things about Lilith’s curse,” I said quietly. “Of how to fight off her influence. I need . . .” I trailed off, realizing I was about to expose myself. My fears. I swallowed. “I need to find a way to survive. To push her out. Your brother said there was a way.”
Leo scrutinized me. “Did he?”
I nodded.
Leo rubbed his chin, his eyes distant. “There is . . . more to the tales than I originally told you. I’d be happy to show you everything I have regarding Lilith’s curse.”
I exhaled in relief, but the feeling was short-lived. Leo stepped even closer. Close enough for me to smell him. A sharp scent mingled with something spicy that made my head spin.
“I must ask something else of you,” he purred. His face was so close that if I turned my head, our noses would touch.
My trembling hands gripped the shelf behind me. “What is it?” I rasped.
“Consider it a bargain in exchange for my hospitality. In exchange for not imprisoning you as an enemy to this coven.”
I gritted my teeth, waiting. But he just smirked at me. Like he knew how uncomfortable I was. “Well?” I snapped.
He chuckled, his soft breath tickling my face. “I could use your expertise in crafting spells. Ronaldo’s sacrifice was valuable in that I know about this ‘time loop’ and who cast it to begin with. But I have been researching ways to break the Count’s enchantments for months now. We finally broke through his wards only to discover we had unlocked a different spell.” He paused, pressing his lips together in a way that made my stomach coil. “I must admit I’m at a loss where to look next.”
“And how am I supposed to help?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even.
“You have cast unusual spells before. Spells I’ve never heard of. How?”
“I wrote them.”
“You . . . wrote them? What does that mean?”
I sighed. Must I spell everything out for him? “I invented them myself. I created them. I formed them in my mind.” I spread my arms. “Need more explanations than that?”
Leo waved a hand in irritation. “No, that’s quite enough. I just wasn’t aware . . .” He trailed off, frowning. “I have tried for years to write my own spells and haven’t been very successful. How do you do it?”
I shrugged. “I just use common phrases found in the Grimoire. Put them together and make sure it rhymes. It doesn’t always work. You have to have the right intent.”
“Intent?”
“I mean, your goal has to align with the magic as well as your level of abilities. Like if I tried to set this whole room on fire, it wouldn’t work because that’s too much power. Or if I tried to heal a stab wound by concentrating on an illness, that wouldn’t work either.” I thought of Riker and his vision and how I’d healed him from it. My stomach wound itself in knots. That was the day we’d kissed.
Leo stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I see.”
“It’s easier to do the spells in English,” I added. “There’s a wider vocabulary.”
Leo smirked at me. “Sí, pero es mucho más delicioso usar mi lengua materna.” Yes, but it is so much more delicious to use my native tongue. The words poured from his lips like a caress, and I resisted the urge to fidget again. “We have a deal,” he murmured, his voice smooth. “You have access to my resources here in exchange for your help with spells—and your answers to my questions.”
I nodded stiffly, my throat dry. “Fine.”
Leo grinned widely, and I was close enough to make out the tiny points of his fangs. He stretched an arm out, gesturing to the armchairs. “Shall we?”
“Now?” I sputtered.
“Unless you suddenly feel tired enough to return to your chambers?” He arched an eyebrow at me, his eyes dancing with amusement.
My nostrils flared. No way am I sleeping anytime soon. My heart was racing far too quickly, and at any rate, I had no desire to succumb to my nightmares again.
I huffed a breath and strode away from him toward the chairs. Being free of his scent and his piercing gaze made me feel like I could breathe again. I collapsed in a chair, sinking backward into the soft fabric. Leo took the seat opposite me, lounging with one arm stretched out but still looking as regal as a prince.
“Where should I start?” I asked.
Leo’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Start at the beginning. Start with where you came from.”
33
Leo
I SAT IN MY CHAIR FOR a long while after Brielle finished answering my questions. My back was rigid, and my body hadn’t moved in over an hour, save for my lips uttering questions.
It couldn’t possibly be true. It couldn’t—
But it was. Down to my bones, I knew the Count would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. I just hadn’t realized he had done so much in the name of finding Lilith’s cursed witch.
Finding Brielle.
That bastard had drawn a dozen innocent young casters to his prison of a castle, all with the intent of torturing each of them if it meant finding Lilith.
I stared vacantly at the smooth, cold floor under my bare feet. I rubbed my chin. Despite the horror of it all, I could acknowledge one thing: I had what the Count wanted more than anything. I had Brielle.
Of course, it meant little now that I knew Lucia and Ronaldo were dead. But perhaps if I delivered Brielle to him, he would agree to lift the curse. Then, my coven could escape this “time loop” and be free. We were innocent, after all. Now that we knew who Lilith’s cursed witch was, it only made sense to free everyone else.
My eyes shifted to Brielle. Her brown eyes appraised me, her brows knitting together as if she were trying to read my expression.
I smoothed my face and raised my eyebrows. “Is that everything?”
Her head reared back. “You were expecting more?”
I lifted one shoulder. “I’m no longer surprised by your shocking revelations.” I smirked. “I’ve learned to expect the unexpected with you, Brielle.”
She shifted in her seat, her blood warming from my words. But she fixed me with a fierce scowl that almost made me laugh. “So, what’s your plan then?”
I blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“What’s your plan for finding a cure for me?”
I stared at her for a long moment, knowing I couldn’t disclose everything to her. I needed her to trust me—even though I certainly didn’t trust her.
I took a breath. “My sister spoke of the monster within her. We assumed she was speaking of Lilith, but over time we realized there was another . . . presence inside her. Another being.”
“Three beings?” Brielle asked incredulously.
“So it would seem. She was terrified that Lilith would take the creature. Lucia wanted to keep the creature safe from Lilith’s influence. But in the end, she wasn’t strong enough.” Regret filled my throat, but I shook it off before it consumed me. “But if you prove a strong enough vessel, then you should be able to push Lilith out.”
Brielle shook her head. “I don’t know how.”
“Is she possessing you now?”
She snorted. “Of course not.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . . I’m awake.” Her voice was uncertain.
“When was the last time she possessed you?”
Brielle thought for a moment. “In the dungeon. At the castle. A few days after we spoke in the courtyard. No more than a week after that.”
I smirked. Spoke in the courtyard. What a gentle way to say abducted and interrogated. “And she hasn’t possessed you since then?”
“No. Well, I still have nightmares.” She clamped her mouth shut like she hadn’t meant to
disclose this information.
Gallant man that I was, I chose to ignore her confession. “Why do you think she hasn’t possessed you again? She took over your mind completely, yes?”
Brielle nodded, her face ashen. “I . . . scorched the wall. Or the creature did. I don’t remember any of it.”
I went still. “Did you kill anyone?”
She shook her head.
I stroked my chin, frowning in contemplation. “What was different this time? Was this the first time she possessed you?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what changed?” I asked myself more than her, but she still responded.
“Well, the Count was torturing me,” she bit out. “I was starving. Weak. I had no motivation.”
I snapped my fingers, and she jumped. “You gave in to her?”
Brielle’s mouth opened and closed.
“You succumbed?” I clarified. “You let the creature take over?”
“I . . . guess?”
I stood and strode over to a stack of papers scattered along the desk. Flipping through them, I finally found what I was looking for: a journal entry of Lucia’s I’d been studying. “Lucia often spoke of ‘giving in’ to the creature. Of freely offering up herself.”
“To Lilith?” Brielle asked in horror.
“No. To the creature—whatever it is.”
“I don’t understand. If she gives herself up, then won’t she be surrendering to Lilith instead?”
“She spoke of the creature as if it had its own soul. As if it were a separate entity. Separate from her and Lilith.”
Brielle was silent for several moments. Then, she said quietly, “Your sister died, Leo. I don’t think giving myself up freely would be the right choice.”
I sighed and sank back into the chair, staring hard at my sister’s familiar, curly handwriting. “Ronaldo suspected Lucia was struggling because of the creature and not Lilith.”
Brielle’s gaze snapped to me. “What?”
“He believed Lucia’s body wasn’t strong enough to handle a full transformation. That she tried to release the creature, and it didn’t work.”
“And . . . what do you think?”
I didn’t answer for a while. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “But if Ronaldo is correct, then that means the creature tried to free itself and it died along with Lucia in the process. It is easier for me to blame Lilith and link her together with the creature—since it is because of them my sister is dead.” Darkness swirled within me, and something solid hardened in my chest.
My eyes flicked to Brielle, and fear stirred in her expression before she quickly composed herself.
“If the creature died with your sister, how am I accessing it?” Brielle asked.
“The way my sister described it, the creature was tethered to her magic. Without her magic . . .” I trailed off with a shrug. “It wouldn’t be able to survive. Ronaldo speculated that Nightcasters each have their own creature tied to their magic, and that is why Lilith targets them.”
Brielle frowned in contemplation, her brows knitting together. Silence fell between us, and I was suddenly returned to those dark days just before Lucia’s death.
I blinked to rid myself of the haunting memories. “Even so, I feel it is noteworthy that you have resisted Lilith’s influence for months now.”
All the color drained from Brielle’s face. “What?”
I stilled, reading the horror and confusion on her face. I frowned. “You said the last time Lilith controlled you was in the dungeon, yes? A week after you abducted me? That was several months ago.”
Brielle shook her head slowly. “No. That can’t be right. It wasn’t even summer when . . .” She trailed off, her eyes growing distant.
I leaned forward in my chair. “What do you remember?”
Brielle swallowed. “I remember being in the Count’s dungeon. But I don’t know how long I was down there. The Count withheld food from me, so it couldn’t have been months.”
“Well, I assure you, it’s harvest season. Don’t you recall the cooler weather when you traveled here?”
Brielle’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes blank. “Merciful Lilith. You’re right. The trees were bare when I came here. The leaves were dying. It—it is autumn. I can’t believe I didn’t . . .” She shook her head again. “Normally I’m always cold, but with the powers inside me, I didn’t feel the chill at all. I just assumed . . .” She broke off again, blinking rapidly before looking at me. “How is this possible? Does time pass differently outside the castle?”
I looked at her for a long moment, trying to discern if she was playing a trick on me. But the blood pounding in her body betrayed her fear, as did the lack of color in her cheeks. Her eyes were wide with horror.
The truth then. “My sister was often consumed by the fire of the creature within her. The worst of her fits was when she was unresponsive for three months. We all felt her heart beating and her blood pumping, so we knew she hadn’t passed. But she didn’t move. She was—”
“Catatonic,” Brielle supplied.
My brows furrowed.
“It’s a word used in my time,” she said quietly.
“Well, we thought that was it. That Lilith had claimed her, and her body was no more. But then, months later, she returned to us as if it had only been hours or days. Like nothing had changed.”
“But . . . how did she survive that long without food? Or, I guess, blood? And what did Lilith do with her during that time?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But as for blood, I could smell the blood within her from her last feeding. It was like her body had been . . . preserved through time. Unaltered. Unchanged. Like she—”
“Traveled through time,” Brielle said in a soft whisper.
I sighed. “You must stop doing that.”
Brielle’s lips twitched with a smile. “Sorry.”
The sight of a smile on her face—even a faint one—made me grin. “I feel I am at a loss conversing with you. Your vocabulary is much more advanced than mine due to our—what was it? Three hundred years’ difference?” Just the thought sent my mind spiraling, but I kept the easy amusement on my face.
Brielle’s mouth suddenly twisted in a grimace, and her skin took on a greenish tint. “I—are you telling me I time traveled?”
My brows knitted together. “I am suggesting you endured the same thing my sister did. That Lilith preserved you and sent you forward.”
“But why?” She rubbed her arms, still looking ill. And I couldn’t blame her. Knowing Lilith had taken over her body for months for unknown reasons would’ve unsettled me as well.
I remained silent as I watched her, trying not to pity her. But something in my heart ached at the sight of her forlorn expression.
Brielle gasped, lifting a hand to her mouth. “If it’s been months, then that means those at the castle . . .” She paused and placed a hand to her forehead. “Merciful Lilith. Izzy.”
I frowned as she jumped from her chair and strode toward the cave tunnels. Then, she stopped short and turned to me. The belligerence and strength in her face had returned. Her jaw was rigid with determination.
“I need to rescue my friend from the castle,” she said in a commanding voice.
I laughed. “No.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You of all people know what the Count is capable of. The other casters in the castle are innocent. I only got out because of your brother—and because of Izzy. I’ve got to help her. With me gone, the Count will suspect her first. He knows we’re friends. And if it’s been months, then she might already be in trouble.”
Slowly, I rose from my chair and crossed my arms, looking down at her. “I am not risking my men’s lives to rescue your friend. We risked enough taking you in. The best thing we can do for the people in the castle is to reverse the Count’s curse so they can leave the city. And with the Count’s mages gone—”
“Gone?” she repeated sharply. “What do you mean, gone?”
>
I lifted my chin. I wasn’t sorry for the order. It had to be done. “We killed them.”
Something like horror struck her features, but then it was quickly smoothed away by a reluctant acceptance. Slowly, she nodded. The conflicting emotions on her face made her blood pulse with unease. My head throbbed from taking it all in.
“What about the other mages?” she asked in a hushed voice. “The ones who don’t live at the castle?”
I shrugged. “The Count will undoubtedly send for them. But it will take time.” I paused. “As I was saying, with the mages gone, the Count is at a disadvantage. He’s weak. Now is the time for us to strike.”
“Exactly. Now is the time for us to strike the castle and rescue my friends.”
I held up a hand. “Friends? I thought it was just one person.”
Brielle threw her hands in the air, groaning in frustration. “What does it matter? You’re obviously not going to help me.”
“And why should I? You haven’t exactly been trustworthy toward me since we met.”
Brielle glared at me, her nostrils flaring. “Can you blame me? You attacked the castle. That was my home.”
I took a step toward her. “Can you blame me? That bastard tortured and killed my siblings. I would’ve done anything to rescue them. To relieve their suffering.”
Fire burned in the space between us. I could feel the heat rolling off her body in waves. It made my head spin.
We glared at each other for a long moment. Then, to my surprise, Brielle exhaled, conceding. “You’re right. I don’t blame you.”
I blinked. What the hell? I truthfully believed she would fight me right then. I’d almost wanted her to.
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Good. Well . . . let’s—”
“But I’m still going back for Izzy.”
I exhaled in exasperation. Of course she wouldn’t have given in that easily. I shot her a sharp look. “No.”
“Leo—”
“If you go back there, the Count will do everything in his power to trap you again. And who’s to say he hasn’t convinced the others in the castle that you’re the enemy? That you aren’t to be trusted? What if he’s convinced your friend as well and she betrays you?”
