by Lola White
Ileana’s bones shook inside her body, shrinking and expanding, tearing at muscles and nerves. Her skull squeezed as if in a vise, her breath was cut off until her lungs threatened to collapse. The pressure only built, heaping upon itself until Ileana couldn’t move at all.
Tears streamed from her clouded eyes. She knew that power, that force. Silviu was beyond furious, looking to kill. She heard his icy whisper and it struck fear into the deepest part of her soul.
“I will see you dead, old man.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Silviu
Fifteen minutes. That’s all that had passed since he’d seen Ileana and his father on their way out into the gardens. Fifteen minutes could change everything.
His father barely moved on the ground, his brother was staggering against the bushes. Eliasz quivered as if some force had him in its grip, shaking him brutally, without mercy. Silviu had stepped out of the shrubbery just in time to see Alexandru throw Ileana to the ground and reach for Georgie.
Georgie’s face was battered, a dark ring of bruising around her neck. Alexandru grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her off the ground until her feet swung. Silviu’s brain buzzed as fury swept through him. Strengthened by rage, magic erupted from his soul and reached for its counterpart until flashes of gold sparked in a sea of silver.
Alexandru was knocked off his feet, Georgie dropped to the grass. Ileana pushed up on her elbow, blinking sightlessly, tears streaming over her face and shining in the glow of his magic. Silviu moved in a supple glide across the small clearing, watching his grandfather and almost hoping that the old man would make a move.
Give him even more reason to kill him.
“No, Silviu.” Costel’s voice was weak, not strong enough to stop him.
Georgie pushed to her feet. Silviu paused to catch her as she stumbled, his hand flying out to grip her arm. Silver magic blazed into pure gold. He heard Alexandru gasp.
The moment Georgie was steady, he let her go, stalking his prey as it scuttled backward. The magic around him stayed gold.
He threw himself on Alexandru. They rolled in the grass for a brief moment, before Silviu gained the upper hand and turned his grandfather over, straddling him, holding him down. “Get over here, Costel.”
His grandfather’s eyes went impossibly wide, the silver hue of them dull in the light of the gold magic. He shook his head, saliva gathering at the corners of his lips. “No, you must listen. It’s her fault.”
“What could she possibly do to you?”
“You didn’t hear!”
“Just words. Nothing more lethal than words, right?” Silviu sneered. “Just like you said, right after you threw a fucking knife at her head.”
“I didn’t hurt her!!”
“I’m ashamed to even be your blood, you bastard.” He knew that the offense of his words would strike deep, at the core of the old man’s arrogance.
Alexandru’s eyes went hard, determined. “You can’t marry her, she’s a matriarchal witch. She’s a Bane atrocity. She’ll destroy you, destroy us.”
Silviu pushed his grandfather harder to the ground. “You’ve already destroyed us!”
“She’ll try to force you to her will. She’ll only serve the interests of the females. You must listen to me!”
“It was sealed in blood ten years ago.” Silviu leaned down, his face in Alexandru’s. “And if it wasn’t, I would demand it now.”
His grandfather gasped, his eyes flickering as he struggled to think. “She’s your Match? How can she be your Match?”
Silviu smiled, but it felt more like a baring of teeth. “Because I was born under the Reaping Moon. Father lied to you about my birthday and you never cared to question further.”
“No, impossible. I would have known.”
“You know nothing, old man. You never cared to learn. Costel!”
“I’m here, right here.” His brother sank down beside them, his pasty skin shivering with every ragged pant. “Don’t hurt him.”
Silviu stared at his grandfather as he snarled. “I’m about to kill him.”
“No!” Costel lifted a hand as if he could stop his brother.
Alexandru cackled. “So many times he’s pleaded your case to me, Silviu, and now he pleads mine to you. Will you be as merciful as I was?”
Silviu flicked his brother a glance, ignoring his grandfather. “Either way, you’ll get the power.”
Costel shook his head. “I tried to keep him from hurting her.”
“The only reason you’re still alive right now is that I can see you’ve fought. Eliasz couldn’t do this amount of damage to you, and you’d have killed Ileana if she’d tried. So you must have fought Alexandru.”
“So did your betrothed.”
Silviu fisted Alexandru’s shirt, pulled him up and slammed him back down. The old man groaned.
“You can’t marry her!” Alexandru gasped through clenched teeth.
“You have nothing to say about it. You won’t even be the Lovasz Father in about two minutes.”
“I am the Father! Me! You are just the child.”
Silviu scoffed, his eyes surveying the other man without mercy. Alexandru was still physically strong, with unbelievably powerful magic. The Lovaszes had magic in spades. It was everything else they lacked, because of Alexandru.
“You will give Costel the power.”
“I won’t.”
Silviu shook him. “I’m letting you keep your heir. You will either give him your power, or I will fucking take it all and keep it for myself. Which do you prefer?”
“I won’t do it.” Alexandru laughed—a bitter, harsh sound that spoke more of his arrogance than words ever would. “And you can’t take it.”
Silviu shifted his hand on his grandfather’s chest. He called his magic to his palm and it came in a rushing, golden flow. Pulsing, the magic pushed deep into the old man until Silviu felt it grab hold of the blazing Lovasz power.
It was sticky and thick, writhing with energy. It swirled in the center of Alexandru’s being, twirling and spinning, gaining force with age, with every generation born to the bloodline. It had gained great power with Silviu’s birth, but Alexandru hadn’t cared to examine the increase, or its source.
It beat like a heart, cold instead of warm, but just as life-giving to a witch. It would be a precious burden for a Father, especially one so desirous of supremacy as Alexandru. Silviu closed his magic around the ball of energy and watched his grandfather’s eyes widen.
“I can take this, Alexandru. Give it freely, or lose it by force.”
Still, the old man wouldn’t relent. He was too confident. “You can’t.”
Silviu tugged and the swirling magic shifted. Alexandru’s gaze flickered, but he pressed his lips together, refusing to believe. Silviu refused to surrender to the burn that the Lovasz magic created in his palm, refused to give in to the sickening lurch of his stomach.
Swallowing against rising bile, Silviu tugged again and felt resistance. He’d expected it. A witch shouldn’t be able to rip the power of the coven from the rightful Father, but Silviu wasn’t just any witch. And he was determined. He pulled harder.
It only came to Silviu’s call reluctantly. Slowly, he pared it away inch by excruciating inch as Alexandru began to writhe. The old man’s eyes dimmed and blazed in an erratic pattern of fear and pain. His skin washed white. When he lifted a hand to clutch at Silviu’s, his palm was clammy.
Unrelenting, Silviu pulled, his eyes locked on his grandfather’s. He was waiting for the words, wanted the words desperately, wanted to stop the nauseating theft but knew better than to back down. Silviu prayed that his grandfather would surrender to his demand.
Georgie came up behind him. He smelled her scent, felt her heat against his back. Without looking, he knew it was her, already more connected to her after the past five days than he was to the keeper of his bloodline, squirming beneath him. Georgie felt like Family.
The golden light flared brightly as
she laid a hand on his shoulder. The inner blocks that held Silviu back from the whole of his magic became porous and power rushed through. The clearing lit as if the sun was high overhead. Alexandru’s breath caught and Silviu felt the magic he pushed into the old man’s chest solidify into a force even the Lovasz Father couldn’t deny.
Silviu watched as the old man made his decision, could read every thought in his devious head. He knew what he was thinking—he’d spent years grooming Costel to follow in his footsteps, he’d spent years touting the eldest son as the next Father. He’d be shamed if Silviu took what should be his by right of strength, and disadvantaged by Silviu’s anger. Costel would, at least, let Alexandru keep his dignity, and might even allow his participation in Family decisions.
“All right!” Alexandru broke with a cry. “I’ll give it to Costel.”
Silviu locked his muscles against the need to hang his head in relief. Slowly, he loosened the fist of magic and withdrew it from his grandfather’s chest. He eased back, ready to push Alexandru down again, still prepared to force his submission.
“Costel, come get your magic.” Silviu risked a glance at his brother.
Costel blinked, closed his open mouth and shuffled forward. Silviu felt a presence move close on his other side and turned to find his father lowering his body to the ground, rubbing his head. He reached out to grip Alexandru’s shoulder, then called to his daughter.
“Ileana, come lay hands on your grandfather. I doubt he’s all that willing to give up the power, so it will require our participation.”
Silviu lifted an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“If he changes his mind halfway through, we can prevent it.” Vasile stared down at his father, showing his steely determination—maybe for the first time in his life. Before, he’d always worked in secret. “He’s the Father and the magic rightfully belongs to him. He can pull it back, blast us all and then we’ll be back to square one.”
Silviu shook his head. “I won’t let that happen.”
“And eventually you’ll win,” Vasile agreed. “But let’s stop wasting time. My head hurts.”
Alexandru looked at Vasile in disgust. “My own son.”
“Yes, your son, the one you’ve tried to browbeat my whole life. I’ve worked my ass off trying to put our Family in a better position and you’ve nearly destroyed everything, time and time again.”
“You went behind my back with both these betrothals.”
“It was the only way to move forward. I’m glad I did it. Both times.”
“Both times?” Silviu let his eyes roam over the entire group. Costel was by his side, looking nervous. Georgie was a steady presence at his back. Vasile held one of his father’s shoulders and Ileana had the other, Eliasz coming to curl his still-shaking body around her, bracing her as she blinked rapidly.
“I offered the betrothal to Fredrik,” Vasile said. “Eliasz is so much more useful than any Alexandru had chosen for her.”
“You did it?”
“Yes, Silviu, I did. If he didn’t have such a stranglehold on Costel, I would have done it for him too, long ago. The Lovasz Family is dying out, we need children and we need political leverage.”
“My father was happy to consider the betrothal,” Eliasz said weakly. His fingers whispered over Ileana’s hair. “As am I.”
Silviu nodded sharply. “Fine then, here we all are. Family. What now, Father?”
“Costel, do you remember learning about the transfer? You must open yourself to the magic as Alexandru hands it over. As added precaution, the rest of us will bind the old man.”
Binding was cruel, but necessary. Silviu resisted a flinch, knowing that his grandfather would take advantage of any weakness. He began the spell, drawing on Georgie’s strength, weaving the golden energy into the words he spoke.
Costel put a hand on Alexandru’s chest. He closed his eyes, a thin line of concentration drawn between his eyebrows. Silviu spread his magic out to both bind his grandfather and push at the ball of magic within his core in case he tried to keep it.
Time slowed, drawing out in long, shivering increments. The tension in the clearing rose, magic sent everyone’s hair waving in the wind. Light and shadow crawled over their skin as the Lovasz power slowly emerged from Alexandru’s chest.
He didn’t fight, obviously understanding they had reached their limits. The next move would see Silviu at the head of the Family and him dead, so he held perfectly still. Some of the fire seeped from his eyes, his skin paling at the loss of all he’d ever held dear. Silviu was without pity.
The ball rose and melted into Costel just as slowly as it had emerged from Alexandru. Little by little, Costel’s skin took on a silver hue, illuminated from within and rippling over his bones. As the ball disappeared into his chest, his eyes snapped open and glowed.
He groaned, coughed, rubbed at his chest. He fell back, sitting heavily, shaking his head and fighting for breath. He needed time to acclimate to the new strength.
Ileana and Vasile backed off, releasing Alexandru’s shoulders. Iley rose to her feet, helped Eliasz up and burrowed into his side. Silviu wasn’t finished yet.
“Georgie, I need your help.”
She hunkered down, her palm still on his nape, their magic still merged. “What can I do?”
“Help me bind him further, forever.” Alexandru began to struggle, but Silviu held him easily. “I don’t want him seeking revenge. His personal magic is still strong.”
“Okay.” She licked her lips. “What should I do?”
“Exactly what you’re doing now.”
Silviu concentrated on forming a thin, golden thread. Swiftly and efficiently, he tied it around his grandfather, placing limits on what the man could do. Silviu tried to be specific. He didn’t want Alexandru vulnerable to another witch’s attack, so he couldn’t prohibit the use of all magic, but he didn’t want the man able to seek vengeance against his Family, either.
A minute later, the gold thread sank into Alexandru’s skin and it was done. Silviu rose to his feet, his heart twisting as he looked at Georgie’s abused face. Magic could heal many injuries, but it wasn’t very effective on bruises. He brushed a gentle hand over her purple cheek and leaned in for a soft kiss. “You need to go home.”
“The danger is over now,” she protested.
He shook his head, giving her another kiss, deepening it until she was molded to his body. He wished that there was some spell that would let him pull her completely into him, inside his skin where he could always keep her safe. He pulled back. “There’s still danger here for you, love. You need to go back to Madeleine and ask her to change her orders.”
“She won’t. She’s too stubborn.”
Silviu was stubborn, too. To get what he wanted, he was willing to lay his weakness out for the Davenold Mother to see. “You tell her I had a chance to take my Family’s power and I turned it down.”
Her eyes flared in understanding. “For me?”
“I can’t be Father and you still be Mother. Where would our loyalties lie? That was Madeleine’s point, love. Tell her I made my choice. Talk her into setting a wedding date. Soon.”
Georgie nodded and stepped back. “I should check on Adam, anyway.”
Silviu watched her go before he turned to help his brother off the grass. “You okay?”
Costel rubbed at his chest. “I will be. Help me get him up.” He glanced at Eliasz. “You still want us to leave?”
“Now more than ever.” The Levy man was unbending. “Daniel has agreed to let you use his jet. You’ll be home in less than two hours.”
Costel relented without any evidence of surprise. He slung an arm around his grandfather’s back and steered him toward the house. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Georgeanne
The limo rolled to a stop as close as it could get to the Davenold jet on the runway. The air around the plane was sparkling and clean in the way it could only be at dawn, pinks and corals ref
lecting off the wings and windows. It was an ungodly hour to begin traveling, but Silviu had insisted.
At least she hadn’t been kicked out of the Levy house in the middle of the night, like Alexandru.
Georgie looked out of the window with mixed emotions, relieved to be going home but uneasy about leaving Ileana and Eliasz in such an unsettled state. She didn’t how she felt about leaving Silviu.
She shifted to study him. He slouched on the seat next to her, his lids heavy, lips turned down. His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes were bleary with lack of sleep. She glanced at Adam and Christiana, both sliding to the edge of their seat, preparing to exit the limo.
They both looked much calmer about returning home than she was, but that was to be expected. Adam was escaping the sticky tentacles of Constance Levy, and Christiana was returning to her new husband.
“Give us a minute, please,” Georgie asked them. “I’ll be right there.”
They both gave her an uneasy smile but did as she asked, Adam’s eyes flashing a warning. She waited until the limo door had closed behind them before she turned to Silviu again, unsurprised to see his silver gaze focused on her. Seeing too much, most likely.
“You look tired, Silver. You didn’t have to come and see us off.”
“I wanted to say goodbye.” His eyes dimmed with anger and regret. “Last time I didn’t get a chance. You were just gone.”
She lifted a finger to his cheek, gently tracing the dark circles under his eyes. “Did you sleep at all?”
“No, as soon as Costel and Grandfather got on Daniel’s jet Eliasz, Father and I started working on the betrothal contract.”
“Didn’t it go faster without Alexandru blocking all efforts on both sides?”
Silviu’s lips twitched. “There was still much to discuss. Costel told us what he would be willing to compromise on and what he wouldn’t.”
