Bruja

by Aileen Erin

  “No. No. Just no,” he said the word fiercely. “I don’t like you spending any time with him. At all.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was jealous or just plain didn’t like Matt. I was probably imagining the former, but he did seem a little jealous. “Me neither, but I don’t have a lot of options.”

  Lucas grabbed my hand before starting back down the path. He didn’t say anything the whole hike back, but he never once let go of my hand. Not until after he’d helped me into the van.

  When we got in and started back toward Cusco, he finally broke the silence. “Fine. You go with that asshole to the see the brujos, but I’ll be watching you. I’ll get as close as I can without setting off their wards. If something goes wrong—if you feel for one second like they’re trying something on you—you shout. I’ll be there in minutes. You just hang in there for me. You got it?”

  I nodded. He seemed too upset for me to answer in actual words.

  “I need verbal confirmation that you understand.”

  I raised a brow at him. Verbal confirmation? “I understand. I’ll yell if I get into any trouble.” I wasn’t sure why he was getting so agitated. “Don’t worry so much. Matt isn’t going to let anything happen to me. I’m too valuable to him.”

  “He’s not the only one you’re valuable to.”

  I shifted in my seat so that I could see him better, but he didn’t say anything. Just stared at the road as he drove. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, twisting his hands every few seconds.

  For the longest time, I’d been protecting everyone else. No one thought about me. Not until this moment. It felt really good. Like I might actually be safe here. Even when I go on the evil brujos’ land, I’d be okay as long as I had Lucas watching out for me.

  I was sure I could handle them myself. No matter how evil the sect was, they didn’t have a family member of mine to hold hostage. I was free to defend myself however I wanted.

  But still, it was nice that someone cared.

  After a few minutes, I sat straight in my seat. “I’ll be okay. Promise. No need to worry about me.”

  He grunted, and I had no idea what that meant.

  Just when I thought I understood Lucas, he went and changed the game.

  Chapter Thirteen

  From the way Lucas white-knuckled the steering wheel the whole drive back, it was easy to assume he was pissed. He didn’t like my plan. It was too dangerous and I’d be with “that asshole.” The problem was that I didn’t see any other way around it. Those brujos held my one clue. The only thing that could save my brother.

  So, I had to do this. Pretend to go along with whatever Matt said so that he’d take me where I needed to go.

  Still, Lucas’ reaction was freaking me out. It was like I was missing something. It took me a bit, but I finally worked up the courage to ask. “Why are you so upset? You don’t even know me. Not really.”

  “That’s not true. You told me all about your life. I think I know a lot about you, especially now.”

  No. I wasn’t buying that. He was upset. And then all the touching. And the way he’d acted when I first met him. Something was up, but I didn’t want to assume anything that wasn’t right. I wanted to know that I wasn’t imagining things.

  “That could be right, but you’re not telling me what’s really bothering you. Why not?”

  When he turned his head, I saw the glow in his eyes. His wolf was close. I knew enough to know that that was dangerous. “You don’t want me to answer that. Not yet. You’re not ready.”

  If I didn’t want the answer, I wouldn’t have asked the question. “Ready for what?”

  He gave me a small smile that had a hint of sadness. It wasn’t his big one that made my heart stop. This one made it ache instead. “Me.”

  “You?”

  He nodded.

  I licked my lips as I searched for what to say. Honestly, I was feeling so many things—fear, longing, hope, to name a few—that I wasn’t sure how to articulate anything. “I… I…”

  “Don’t worry about it, princess. I know you’re not ready. We’ll get you through this, and then we’ll deal with what’s next.”

  I swallowed, suddenly feeling short of breath in a way that had nothing to do with the altitude. “Okay.”

  He reached over and grabbed my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  I nodded. “Okay.” A hint of panic hit me.

  He liked me. Like liked me liked me.

  Oh boy. Why is everything so complicated?

  He ran his thumb up and down my hand, and I glanced at him.

  He winked, giving me a different small smile. This one had hope.

  I relaxed back against the seat. “Holy moly.”

  He laughed. “I told you, you weren’t ready.”

  “No kidding.”

  Me? With Mr. July?

  Oh boy…

  ***

  By the time we pulled up to the hotel, the silence had become tense. It wasn’t the easy silence that we’d had moments—or what felt like moments—before. No. That was gone. Lucas was growing more agitated the closer we got to the hotel.

  He put the van in park. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?”

  I undid my seatbelt and faced him. “Maybe. But this is a real option and it’s all I have right now. A real chance to save my brother. I have to try.” I almost laughed. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was faced with impossible choices. Every time I tried to do what was best without thinking of myself. One day I’d put what I wanted first, but not today.

  “If you change your mind, we can figure something else out.”

  I shook my head. “There isn’t any time for figuring something else out. Tomorrow I need to get whatever it is that the mages have. Then, we’ll go from there.”

  “I don’t like it, but…” He looked back out through the windshield, effectively ending the conversation.

  I stared at him for a moment. At the strong lines of his face. The curve of his shoulder. The muscle that stretched his long-sleeved T-shirt. “I’ll be okay.”

  “I know. I just don’t like you being with him and going to see those brujos. It’s dangerous.”

  I took a breath. “I’ve been around a very dangerous witch my whole life. So far, I’m still alive, despite it all. I plan to stay that way.” Back to reality. I hopped down from the car, and slammed the door, not looking back as I stepped toward the lobby. I didn’t dare glance back and see whatever expression he was wearing now.

  I checked my watch. It wasn’t quite dinnertime, and I didn’t really want to mope in my bedroom all evening. I could find Matt, but chances were we couldn’t visit the mages today anyhow.

  It’d have to wait for morning like Lucas had planned.

  So, what now?

  I needed to check on Raphael. I felt so far away from him. We’d never been apart like this. And with everything… It was like he was gone.

  I’d take an oath with Luciana a million times over if I thought it’d do any good, but I guess I’d learned that lesson. We’d always end up here, with someone I loved in danger. That was how Luciana built her power.

  I had to save him. Then, I’d break the oath and get rid of her one way or another.

  Breaking the oath…

  I walked through hotel in a half daze, thinking about what Lucas had said. If he meant what I was pretty sure he meant, then I could bond with him and it would all be over.

  But did I want that? I always thought I’d marry another witch. Even though I was a little jealous of what Teresa had, I didn’t want to be a wolf. I couldn’t imagine fitting into that lifestyle with Lucas or anyone else.

  I slid the key into my hotel room door, and my twindar went crazy, stopping me in my tracks.

  Raphael. Something was wrong with Raphael.

  I rushed inside and dumped out the contents of my purse, looking for Raphael’s stupid flip phone.

  Damn it. Why do I keep so much junk in my purse?

  I spotted the bl
ack square, and grabbed it with shaking hands. It took me two tries to dial Adrian’s number correctly.

  As soon as Adrian picked up, I could hear yelling.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Your brother is losing it, that’s what’s going on! He nearly bit Beth. We’re trying to tie him down. Hang on.” The phone clattered as it dropped.

  A bunch of shouting and screaming that I couldn’t make out echoed through the line before it went quiet.

  Please let everything be okay.

  I paced the room with the phone glued to my ear. Maybe I wouldn’t mind being a wolf. At least then I could hear what was going on.

  It felt like a million years passed before Adrian picked up the phone again. “You still there?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s alive.”

  “That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

  He let out a breath. “How close are you to finding something to fix him?”

  “I don’t know. I have a lead, but I’m not sure what I’ll find. It could be a day. It could be five. I need time.” My anxiety level shot through the roof. What if I took too long? What if after all this, I found what I needed and I was too late to save him?

  He had to hang on.

  “Claudia… I just… I don’t know if he’s got that kind of time.”

  I thought hard and fast. There had to be something I could do. “Is he sedated?”

  “Yeah. But the drugs are wearing off faster and faster. He was only knocked out for an hour and a half before he ripped apart our RV and I gave him enough to put out an Alpha. We nearly wrecked… I don’t think we can stay on the road much longer.”

  I let out a breath. Last I knew they were in Mexico City. “Where are you now?”

  “We’re almost to Guatemala. We’ve been taking turns driving, so we’re going as fast as we can.”

  If they couldn’t make it all the way here, then I’d have to find a way to get to them. I’d had a few hours between flights at the Lima airport, so I’d scanned the flight boards. There’d been a lot of people traveling to Central and South America, but I’d seen a lot of flights headed to Costa Rica. “Okay. San Jose is in between here and there. And I think there are regular flights from Peru. Can you get there?”

  “Yeah. We can make it that far.”

  “Good. I’ll meet you there.” I took a steadying breath. “Four days.” I could do it in four. I just had to hurry. “Just give me four days.”

  “I’ll do my best. But I’m not God. There’s nothing more we can do for him until you get here.”

  Maybe I could do something for him. “Put me on speaker. I’m going to do a healing chant.”

  “Does that work over the phone?”

  God. I hoped so. “I’ve never tried it, but it can’t hurt.”

  The phone clicked and I could hear the background noise in the room. “Beth? Shane?”

  “Yeah?” they said.

  “I’m doing a healing chant. Join in if you want.”

  “Okay,” Shane said. “We’re ready. You lead. We’ll follow.”

  I started singing an old song that talked of healing the soul and body. The tone was repetitive, which was supposed to be soothing. As a kid, I’d hated this chant, but now I was glad my mother had forced me to learn it.

  The words slid off my tongue and with them, magic sparked. My voice twined with Beth and Shane’s. I focused my power melding with theirs, strengthening their magic. As the power grew, I felt myself growing tired, and I reveled in it.

  It was working.

  When the spell ended, I held my breath, waiting to hear how Raphael was.

  “His color is better,” Adrian said. “Much better.”

  I let out a long breath. It wasn’t a fix by any means, but I was so thankful it had helped at all. “Good.” I wiped my now sweating face. “Good.” I checked my watch. It was just about dinnertime now. I still had time to eat and rest before the morning. Hopefully a good night sleep would help gain back some of my magic before I went to see the evil brujos. “Will you take me off speaker and put the phone to Raphael’s ear?”

  “Sure.” All the ambient sounds from the RV quieted. “Putting it against his ear now.”

  I cleared my throat. “Raphael de Santos. You listen to me! You hang on. Don’t give up. Don’t give in to Luciana’s magic. Not ever. You wait for me. Whatever it takes. You wait for me to come to you.” I heard a grunt, and I took that as him agreeing. “Good. I love you. So much.”

  “Are you okay?” Adrian asked.

  I took about a second to be embarrassed that he probably heard all of that before letting it go. “No. I’m not even remotely okay.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. Just… Keep him alive for me, okay. He’s really all I’ve got left.”

  “That’s not true. You’ve got Tessa and Dastien and me and all of the rest of the pack. You’ve got the coven members who left Luciana. You’ve got Axel and your aunt and uncle. You’ve got Tia Rosa. You’re not alone. Even if the worst happens, you won’t be alone. Never.”

  A tear fell down my cheek, and I brushed it away. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  “Nothing to thank me for. Just the truth.” He paused. “Get what you’re looking for. Fast. I’ll text you where to find us when we’re settled in San Jose.”

  “Okay.” Because of Luciana, I often found it hard to trust people. I’d been suspicious of Adrian because he seemed too eager to learn magic, but I’d misjudged him. I was trusting him with my brother, and I didn’t think that trust was misplaced. When I got back, I’d teach him whatever he wanted to know. I owed him at least that much. “Thanks for taking care of him.”

  “You got it. Talk to you soon.”

  “Bye.” I hung up and threw my phone on my bed, willing the morning to come sooner. There wasn’t a second to spare.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When I woke up, I was still feeling a little tired from the long-distance magic. The good thing was that I knew what I had to do, no matter how much I didn’t want to do it.

  Matt would be at breakfast waiting for me. He wasn’t one to give up when he wanted something, and since I’d been there yesterday morning, he’d be there today ready for round two. There was no time to stall. I had to get this done.

  I put on the new pair of black pants I’d gotten for the trip. They were hiking pants, but way nicer. They made my butt look really good. I paired them with a magenta tank, and a peasant top. Trading the fleece I wore yesterday for a cardigan, I felt confident. I carefully put on my makeup, feeling like it was war paint. I thought about casting some protection spells—arming myself with a knot or two—but I was already feeling sapped. I’d only been gone from Texas for forty-eight hours. I still hadn’t recovered from Luciana’s heavy draining when I used that big chunk of magic last night. And if these brujos were evil, I was going to need every last scrap of magic I had. Lucas said he’d be watching out for me, but I couldn’t count on that. I had to take care of myself, and be ready to fight Matt and whatever these brujos could throw at me.

  When I was ready, I grabbed my purse and headed out to the lobby. Sure enough, Matt was sitting at a table, reading a newspaper. He wore a white button-down, with a brightly colored plaid sweater over it, and navy slacks. The sweater was loud and obnoxious, but it made a statement. I wasn’t sure what that statement was…but it was there.

  He noticed me, and grinned. Something about the grin was off. He looked a little too triumphant considering he didn’t know what I planned to say.

  You can do this. You have to do this. I blindly grabbed some food, and then approached his table—not wanting to waste any time. Might as well get this over with.

  He set the newspaper down, folding it carefully as he looked up at me.

  “Can I sit here?”

  He sat up straighter, waving a hand at the chair across from him. “Of course.” He took a sip of his coffee, trying t
o hide the smug look on his face. His grin had to mean he was pleased I’d come to him, and for a second, I thought he wouldn’t give me any grief for being rude to him yesterday.

  Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard after all.

  “The wolf get tired of you already?” He said right as I took my first bite of grapefruit.

  I’d known the dig was coming—had even been waiting for it—and still he managed to catch me off guard. Had Matt picked up on my crush? I hoped not, or I’d never hear the end of it.

  He couldn’t know. Only I knew. Unless I’d made a complete idiot of myself at breakfast yesterday.

  I slowly chewed and swallowed, as I thought about what to say. The best I could come up with was not to dignify it with a response. Instead, I changed the subject. “You said you knew the local coven?”

  He relaxed back against the chair. “Yes, I do.”

  I took another bite of my grapefruit. He was going to make me pry it out of him, but I would do my parents proud and not lose my temper. “And what do you know of them?”

  “They’re an all-male sect. They live like monks in a small town an hour south of here.”

  I was trying not to just jump into the favor. If I asked the right question, maybe he’d offer to take me there and save me from asking. It might be a long shot, but it was worth a try. “Do you know anything about the kind of magic they practice?”

  He scrunched up his brows as he leaned forward. “What kind of a question is that?”

  I nearly sighed. Could he really be that dense? “A valid one.” Although if he said anything other than black magic, I was going to be suspicious.

  “All magic is the same.”

  Now that I hadn’t been expecting. “Come on, Matt. You don’t really believe that, do you?” I’d thought he knew what Luciana was like—and what she’d put me and the rest of us through—but maybe I was wrong.

  What if he was just a jerk? Not an evil, black magic practicing jerk, but just an every-day type of controlling, misogynistic man?

  When he didn’t say anything, I leaned against the table, my elbows just resting on the edge. “We both know that there are all sorts of magic. Elemental. Blood. White. Black… And covens can lean more one way than the other. Some extremely so.” I took a breath. “What kind of sect are they?”