by Aileen Erin
“Don’t worry,” I said. “If this next spell doesn’t work, I might take a trip to see Tia Rosita later.”
“That’s actually a really good idea,” she said. “She’d definitely help. And it’d be good to see Axel.”
Meredith clapped her hands. “I’m liking this. I haven’t been off campus in forever. Let’s ditch class today.”
Adrian laughed. “You haven’t been to class in weeks. What’s the point in starting now?”
Teresa shrugged. “I don’t know. College?”
Christopher laughed into his cup of coffee. I guessed the wolves weren’t big on advanced degrees? I would’ve killed for the chance to go to college, but Luciana wouldn’t let me off the compound. I’d tried to convince her to give me Internet access for an online program, but that hadn’t flown either. After this I was going to have to figure something out. I had zero life skills and no home. The wolves wouldn’t let us stay here indefinitely.
“Well,” Teresa started as she pushed away from the table. “We’re going to need to take at least two cars. I’ll drive and who else?”
“I’ll drive,” Donovan said as he walked up to the table. “You won’t be leaving here without me.”
Meredith sighed. “I won’t die if I’m out of your sight.”
“Maybe, but I’d rather not have you in any more danger. All right?” Donovan was shorter than the average wolf, but for some reason that didn’t matter. He had so much power, it came off of him in waves, even in his human form. He commanded a presence that had nothing to do with the way he looked physically, and everything to do with what he was—one of the Seven. One of the most powerful werewolves alive.
Watching how these men treated their mates made me want a guy of my own.
But I needed a life first. My own life. Not one tied to Luciana. Or the coven. Or even my brother.
Most importantly, I needed to break ties with Luciana so that we could all get some sleep. “Give me a couple hours to try and figure this out. If I haven’t found a solution by then, we’ll leave for Tia Rosa’s.”
Teresa nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
I stood up, leaving behind my barely eaten omelet. My stomach was in knots and I couldn’t stand to eat one more bite. Even though it was involuntary, in a way I was still helping Luciana. No one really knew how bad it was except my brother. If I didn’t find some way to break the oath soon, the wolves would find out what was really going on and they’d have a whole new reason to hate me.
Chapter Three
Three hours later, I was standing in the closet that housed the pack’s spell supplies. They called it metaphysics, which was laughable. It was magic and had almost nothing to do with science.
Wolves. I shook my head.
I scanned the shelves again, not believing that they could be missing sage. It was the base of almost every spell I did. I always had at least four bunches on had at all times. But there wasn’t a single solitary leaf in this so-called supply room. I hadn’t noticed it was missing before because I’d been trying crazy spells full of odd ingredients.
How was I supposed to break this oath if they didn’t even have the most basic supplies?
The shelves were carefully organized. Labels marked every vial and bottle. And it was alphabetized. I went back to the r’s and stopped at the t’s. Saffron. Safflower Oil. Sago Palm. Salamander. Salicin. Salsafy. Salt. Saxifrage.
“Son of a—” I cut myself off. I didn’t like cursing. Those words were too overused. Except in this instance, I couldn’t think of anything else that suited the situation better.
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. I tried to live by the Peter Rabbit rule. But sometimes it was hard.
I stepped out of the room, and nearly walked into Cosette.
“Hi,” I said, trying not to sound suspicious. Mr. Dawson had loaned me one of the classrooms where the wolves attempted spells and the use of their supply closet. The others had been helping me, but Cosette had disappeared after breakfast without a word of explanation. Not that she owed me any, but something was going on with her. I had no idea what it was, but I’d seen her storming off, gesturing wildly as she spoke on her cell phone.
“I found this book.” She held out a leather-bound square without any other explanation.
She was helping me? I realized my mouth was hanging open in shock, and closed it. Cosette had been with the coven for three months. In that time, I’d gotten to know her as much as she let me. She wasn’t usually helpful. Sometimes she seemed frustrated by it. Almost like she knew more than she let on, but couldn’t let us in.
From what I’d pieced together, fey rules were hard to live under, and Cosette was having an especially hard time with them.
I took the book from her. “Thank you.”
She gave me a small nodded. “There’s a part that you might find interesting. Read Chapter Seven.”
I flipped through to the first page of the chapter. The subtitle read “On Breaking Blood Oaths.” Wow. When she helps, she really helps. “This is fantastic. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she murmured so low I almost didn’t catch it.
What did she find? I narrowed my gaze, and started scanning the page. Raphael came to stand beside me, reading over my shoulder. The second I read the part she was talking about, I slammed the book closed, placed it on the table, and stepped away. I wanted no part in any of that.
I met Cosette’s gaze. “No. No way.”
She shrugged. “I know it’s not ideal, but what you’re all going through is horrible. The best I can do right now is give you a real option.”
Yvonne came closer. “What is it?”
“Yeah,” Tiffany said, as she came over to look. “It can’t be that bad. I mean…it’s not evil, right?”
Cosette shook her head, and I closed my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “No, it’s not evil,” I said.
The rest of the group trampled over to the table, all leaning over the book. I knew from the dead silence when they reached the part that I had.
“You can’t… We can’t…” Yvonne muttered.
“It worked for your cousin,” Cosette said.
“We’re witches,” Beth said. “We don’t just mate with fey or any of these other creatures they mention here. Has anyone seen a djinn before? Do they even exist anymore? And if we agreed to mate with a wolf, wouldn’t they have to bite us? I don’t want to be a wolf. I’m a witch.”
“It doesn’t say anything about changing over.” Tiffany pointed out. “Just that the new bond would override any prior claims.”
“Is that really possible?” Raphael said, and I spun to stare at him. He held up his hands. “I’m just wondering. You could form a mate bond without being a werewolf?”
He couldn’t possibly be considering this.
“I thought to succumb to the pack, you had to be a wolf,” Shane said.
“Not necessarily.” Cosette tucked her hair behind her ear. Her aura glittered as she moved. “Packs and covens of the past intermixed enough to follow a single leader. Tessa isn’t such an anomaly if you dig deeper.”
This was ridiculous, and I still got the feeling that Cosette wasn’t revealing everything she knew. “This is a non-issue. Unless anyone has clicked so well with one of the wolves that you really think you’re mates? Because unless you’re basically two halves of a soul, it won’t work.” I couldn’t speak for the rest of them, but I wasn’t binding myself to anyone unless it was my soul mate. Who might not even exist. I’d already made a mistake taking an oath to the wrong kind of person, and I wouldn’t redo that particular mistake just to get out of this.
Elsa shrugged. “They’ve given us such a wide berth, it’s not like any of us would know if one of them were interested in us in any way other than guard duty.”
“You’d know if they were interested,” Cosette said.
I blew out a breath. “Well then, it doesn’t apply to any of us. Thank you for trying,
Cosette.”
“You really shouldn’t thank me.” Her jaw clenched and for a moment, I thought her aura flickered, but it steadied into its usual glitter before I could be sure. “But more knowledge is never a bad thing.”
She was right, but as I looked around the room, I noticed the hope dwindling. We’d been at it for three hours, and weren’t any closer. The past two days had been failures, and the way today was shaping up, it would be more of the same. Unless we did something different. “Shane, you broke your oath, right?”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t much of an oath. I’m not sure it even counts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m the youngest of all of you and I don’t have much power. Luciana didn’t seal it with blood so deciding to leave the coven was enough to shatter it.”
The shock I felt was mirrored on everyone in the room. “She didn’t bind it with her own blood?”
He huffed. “No. At the time, I was insulted. She didn’t want to bleed in order to lock me in. It was like I didn’t matter. But now, I’m kind of glad she didn’t. No offense, but what you all are going through…”
“None taken,” Raphael said. “So, what now?” My twin looked at me like I was supposed to have a plan.
I didn’t know what to do. I’d led them away from Luciana to here, and now they were all suffering. I was the worst leader in the history of leaders. I needed to fix this.
It was time to try something different. “I think we owe Tia Rosa a visit.”
Yvonne gave me a small nod. “I think that’s very wise.”
If I were wise, I would’ve thought of going to her days ago. “Okay. I’ll tell Teresa, and we’ll head out.” Tia Rosa was really my great aunt. She’d left the coven when my grandmother died because she couldn’t abide taking orders from Luciana. I hadn’t heard from her since, but Axel and Teresa had. They’d even been to her house.
If anyone could help us Tia Rosa could.
***
It didn’t take long to get out to Tia Rosa’s. We caravanned in three cars with plans to meet Axel there. The wolves separated us witches among Donovan, Teresa, and Christopher’s cars. If Meredith hadn’t been so excited to leave campus, I would’ve thought that they didn’t trust us to come back.
Which was silly. Because we had nowhere else to go.
So there we were. Meredith and Donovan. Teresa and Dastien. Christopher and Adrian. And us seven brujos. Cosette had decided to stay at St. Ailbe’s for reasons she didn’t explain, as usual. Whatever she was doing, I liked to think she was helping the only way she could.
In the meantime, I’d promised to stop Luciana, and I planned to stick by that promise. We just needed to break these oaths first.
Tia Rosa’s house was small but cute and cozy. The garden looked natural and full, but not overgrown. An organized chaos brimming with herbs and plants used in spellcrafting. I was drawn straight to the large sage bush. I tore off a leaf as I walked by, and ran it between my fingers, feeling the smooth texture before bringing it to my nose. I inhaled deeply and then slowly let out my breath.
Scent memory was a force to be reckoned with. Sage always made me think of Mom.
“You’re thinking about her again,” Raphael said beside me.
Stupid twindar. “Yeah.”
“I don’t know why you still care about her. If she was any kind of a mother, she never would’ve left.”
That wasn’t fair. “You know I made her go.”
He shook his head. “Even after all these years, you still defend her. She was weak. She gave you up to Luciana, sold you for her own freedom.” He looked away from me, but I could feel his disgust as if it were my own. “She was a horrible mother.”
“She is a horrible mother. Is. Not was. She’s still alive.”
“She might as well be dead.”
I hit Raphael’s shoulder. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes.” His voice held a level of finality that chilled me. “Yes, I do.”
The door swung open, cutting off my response. Not that I had a good one. We’d had this fight a million times before.
A little lady stood in the doorway. A pair of glasses hung around her neck, dangling from a beaded necklace. Her curly gray hair was cut short, and her back was hunched a little. She smiled at me, and I smiled back automatically.
“Not all mothers are strong. And when placed in a tough spot, not all mothers choose the right thing for their children,” she said, her voice rasping. “That doesn’t mean you can’t love her or wish for things to be different.”
I sighed. “Hi, Tia Rosa.”
“I wondered how long it would take you to come visit me.” She opened the door wide. “Come in, everyone. It’s past time for a chat.”
After a few days at St. Ailbe’s, being at Tia Rosa’s was a shock of scent and color. The smoke of the incense burning on her side table made me feel at home. Holy candles burned. Embroidered pillows nearly covered the couch.
My other cousin, Axel, Teresa’s older brother, sat on one of the other chairs. “Hola, primo,” I said.
“Hey,” he said, standing to greet us all.
Rosa bustled toward the kitchen and brought in a pot of tea before hurrying back and forth with a tray full of cups and saucers.
She made sure everyone was settled with a full cup before sitting in a well-worn chair beside the couch. She waved me over to sit down next to her. “So, you’ve finally broken ties with Luciana?”
I carefully set my teacup on the coffee table. “That’s the problem. We’re all bound by our oaths to her.”
“Leaving the coven did not break your oath?” Rosa frowned, forming a deep line in her already wrinkled brow.
“No, ma’am,” Shane said. “Only mine was broken that way.”
Tia Rosa turned to Yvonne. “What’s happened?”
Yvonne wrung her hands together. “It’s worse than what you predicted. So much worse.”
Tia Rosa seemed to crumple. Her wrinkles looked a little deeper than they had a moment ago. “I had hoped I was wrong.”
“I should’ve listened to you,” Yvonne said. “I wanted to stay and help the younger ones, but all except these few chose to follow her way of thinking.”
Tia Rosa took my hand in hers. Her skin was so thin that it felt soft and papery. If I wasn’t careful, I worried I might hurt her. She patted my hand. “I’m sorry I have no good news for you. If Luciana bound your oath by blood, then there is little you can do. Barring extreme circumstances, it will only be broken when she chooses to release you.”
I swallowed. I couldn’t accept that. Not and live. “No. That can’t be the answer. I just—”
“Maybe we should let the wolves bite us,” Beth said.
“What?!” Teresa said. “No. That’s a horrible idea.” Dastien muttered something I couldn’t make out. “Sorry, but it’s a horrible idea. I’m okay with being a wolf now, but it wasn’t an easy transition and I almost didn’t survive it. I was out of it for a week. And it didn’t get easier after I finally stabilized. Honestly, sometimes I still struggle with it. It’s not something to jump into.”
“But if that’s the only choice?” Meredith said. “Why not give it try if they’re volunteering?”
“No,” Donovan said. “Tessa’s right on this one. Tisn’t something to jump into lightly. I’ve seen even born wolves go mad because they couldn’t handle the first transition. That’s why we have places like St. Ailbe’s to help normalize the transition. It would be too dangerous for one who’s unprepared, especially with no mate to serve as anchor.”
“But it worked for Teresa,” Beth said.
“Yeah, because I had Dastien. Right?”
“Right, cherie.” He cleared his throat. “I held her for days while she slipped between human and wolf, unable to hold either shape. It nearly killed her.” He gave a Gallic shrug. “And it’s worth noting that biting Teresa is what set off this whole chain of evens. Biting more witches could add fuel to the fire
that Luciana’s trying to start.”
“I don’t know. Hopefully the other covens can see through Luciana’s crap, and I’d rather have a chance than the alternative.” Beth cracked her knuckles. “And trying would be taking a step to fixing this. Staying like we are isn’t working for anyone.”
Everyone started talking all at once. But Tia Rosa had left me a clue. “You said barring extreme circumstances.” I spoke loudly until the others quieted down. “What might those be?”
Tia Rosa coughed, and the wheeze made my lungs ache. “The wolves are right,” she said when she had her breath back. “Becoming a wolf would break it, but it is dangerous. There are some other supernaturals that might help, but only at a great cost. Most likely a cost higher than any of you would be willing to pay. Otherwise, you must bind to a stronger witch to override the oath, but I know of no such one as long as Luciana holds your power.”
I shook my head. “And Teresa doesn’t count?”
“No. She hasn’t fully come into her powers yet, and by the time she does, it might be too late.”
Yeah. That would’ve been too easy. “Then I don’t know anyone either.” On her own, Luciana was hardly the most powerful coven leader, but with the forces she’d been drawing to her, and all the energy she’d drained from me these past years…
The truth was exactly as I’d feared. My own power was locking all of us in.
“What if you broke your oath?” Raphael said. “If you could get free, the rest of us could bind to you to break ours.”
I laughed with frustration. “Sure. Fine. Great. But we’re facing the same problem either way. I can’t break my oath.” I’d hoped to at least free the others, but we all knew that Luciana had bound me the tightest. It would be that much harder for me to break from her.
“What of Peru?” Donovan asked.
“You mean Muraco’s quest?” He had to be joking. “There’s nothing solid there.” I’d rather do my grasping for straws here, surrounded by my few allies, than alone in a foreign country, where there was no guarantee I’d find anything to make the trip worthwhile.
