Bruja (12 page)

Good. Now I can enjoy my breakfast in peace.
I grabbed a plate and started picking through the offerings.

Cold cuts? For breakfast? No. Staying at St. Ailbe’s had definitely spoiled me. Those omelets… I’d be back there soon enough.

Someone came down the hallway toward the table, and I caught his aura out of the corner of my eye. Matt.

Fantastic. I made it a whole five minutes in the lobby before he showed up.
I barely suppressed the groan that was dying to break free. It was too early to deal with him. I did my best to avoid him as I rounded the table again, but I felt his presence like a tangible weight on my shoulders. He approached me and I did my very best to ignore him.

“Did you come to your senses?” He asked as he fell in behind me.

I pressed my lips together as I fought the urge to tell him off. Letting his arrogance grate on me wouldn’t do me any good. “My senses? If you mean leaving with you, then no.”

One point to me.

“What are your plans today?” His tone was haughty—which annoyed me—but I didn’t dare turn around. I’d already given enough by responding to his first question.

“That’s absolutely none of your business,” I said in my most confident voice as I moved around the table.

“Look. If you need help with something, I’m happy to help.”

Oh, so now he was going to play nice? I just bet he was happy to help. He wanted control over my ability to enhance magical powers, and even if he acknowledged that Luciana no longer held sway over me, he wasn’t above making a new deal to get what he wanted. But there was no way I was taking his bait. “I already have a plan.”

He leaned in close to whisper. “I know the local coven. I can get you in to see them. That’s why you’re here right? To find some sort of magic?”

I tried to stay calm as I looked around the lobby. Everyone else was happily enjoying breakfast. Not paying attention to our conversation or seeing the horror that must’ve been plain on my face.

There really was a spy. For a moment, my vision swam. Only Teresa’s friends and the Seven knew my reasons for coming here.

I looked back at Matt and then focused on the food again. “What do you know about it?”

“Only that you’re mad at Luciana and here to find something to break your oath. Just take an oath to me, and yours will be overridden.”

What a joke. “You think you’re stronger than her?” I wasn’t sure if he was arrogant or just stupid.

“Of course I am. I’m a man.”

Oh, that was rich. Typical arrogant douchebag talk. But I wasn’t here just because of the oath. I was here for Raphael. There was nothing Matt could offer me that would help me save my brother.

“Look. I save you from an oath you don’t want and you come to my coven and help me. I say it’s a fair deal.” When I didn’t answer him, he kept on with his yammering. “Whatever the wolves have been telling you, you’re misinformed. What do they know about magic? Nothing.”

The thing about Matt was that he had the uncanny ability to see a person’s biggest fear, and bring it to light. That was the very thing I’d been worried about, but Muraco had been so confident that I’d listened to him. But what did he really know about magic?

He’d had such a good story about witches and wolves living together… But even if he remembered a different way, he wasn’t a mage. He didn’t practice. Did he really know what he was saying?

I resisted the temptation to fall into Matt’s trap. I wouldn’t let him take my confidence. I couldn’t let him win. “As I said before, you shouldn’t have come. And no, I don’t need your help.” My voice was clear and steady.

“Well, I’ll be here when you change your mind.” He grabbed a cup of coffee and went to sit at a table.

Did that actually work?

I thought on what he’d said for a second.
When
I changed my mind. Not
if
I changed my mind. He had no idea what I was up to, but he already assumed I’d fail. I wanted to walk over and bash my tray on his pompous head. Instead, I carefully placed a pastry on my plate. Then I thought about the calories and put it back.

What I wouldn’t give for the metabolism of a Were…

I found hard-boiled eggs, some sort of potato pancake, and half a grapefruit. Good enough. I searched for a place to sit. The only open spot was across from Matt.

Why is this my life?

I circled the buffet as I searched the room again.
Please. Someone get up.
Finally, a couple left their spots. It was right next to Matt’s table, but I didn’t care.

I pushed their dirty dishes aside and sat down with my back to him.

“You’re being a child.”

Ignoring him. That had been my plan last night. I’d faltered just now, but I wouldn’t keep doing it.

I carefully de-shelled my eggs. Cut them up. Put salt and pepper on them. All the while ignoring Matt. Only it wasn’t helping. He wasn’t stopping. He just got louder.

“This is stupid. You’re being ridiculous. Whatever Luciana did, I’m sure it’s gotten blown way out of proportion.”

I took a sip of my orange juice and he somehow took that as a signal to get up and sit across from me.

“You’re acting like a child.” His tone was loud and harsh as if I hadn’t heard him the first time.

It was really rich coming from him. He was the one throwing a temper tantrum.

“Your behavior today has been incredibly rude. And I’m your fiancé. I think that should afford me a measure of respect.”

A measure of respect?

A
measure
of
respect?!

What about respect for me? He was older than me by ten years, but sometimes he acted so immature. So selfish.

The more I thought about him and how I’d been cornered into agreeing to our engagement, the sicker I got. I was just a kid at the time, but he—
he
was an adult. At least, he was supposed to be.

“Say something,” he shouted, and a piece of spittle hit my face.

Disgusting.

I picked up my napkin and wiped off my cheek. “You’re the one who’s yelling and causing a scene. When you calm down, maybe I’ll talk to you.” I was doing okay, but this whole situation was miserable. My hands shook with anger and frustration, but I was sticking to my plan. God had made me stubborn, if nothing else.

Reacting to him won’t help me at all.

The sound of a chair being dragged across the room finally shut him up. I looked up to see Lucas’ light golden aura. It was so nice and refreshing, like standing in warm sunlight.

“Good morning.” Lucas sat down in the chair, his eyes only on me. “How are you feeling today? Altitude still getting to you?”

Suddenly the confidence was back. A smile spread across my face.
God. How did two little sentences just restore everything I wanted to feel about myself?
“No, the altitude isn’t so bad today. I followed your advice and had some broth last night, and I slept—really slept—and it was great. I don’t even have a headache now.”

Lucas answered my grin with one of his own. “Good. They pump extra oxygen into the rooms here. That’s why I booked it for you.”

I took him in then. His hair, perfectly mussed. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt, with the sleeves scrunched to his elbows and a pair of black athletic pants that had white stripes down the sides.

I was staring. This was bad. I toyed with my food for a second as I looked for something to say. “You want to have some breakfast?”

He grinned big, and my heart did a double bump. “I already ate.”

“Excuse me, but we were having a conversation,” Matt cut in.

Lucas raised his eyebrows, making a face at me before turning to Matt. “Looked to me like you were harassing her. That’s no way to get her attention. Clearly.” He winked at me.

“She’s my fiancé. I’ll talk to her however I like.”

God. Had I ever found him attractive?
I would’ve sworn he wasn’t like this before. Now it seemed like every time I saw him, he got meaner.

“Fiancé?” Lucas mouthed to me.

I shrugged. Explaining right now would take too long. Plus, it wasn’t like Lucas really cared if I was engaged or not.

“From the way you two were just acting, I wouldn’t bet on seeing her in a white dress any time soon.” Lucas stood, his eyes on me. “You ready?”

The half-eaten food on my plate wasn’t worth sticking around to finish. “Sure.” I brushed my hands off on a napkin and placed a tip on the table. No one else was doing it, but that didn’t mean the staff didn’t deserve at least a little tip for their hospitality. “I’m going to go see if they have some water bottles I can take. I’ll just be a second.” I started off for the front desk, but Lucas’ voice stopped me.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of you.”

I whipped around. The way he said it, so seriously, it sounded like he meant that he’d take care of more than just water. But by the time I turned, he was already walking out the door.

I sighed.
Just because you have a crush on a guy, doesn’t mean he likes you too.

“You can’t go with him.” Matt pointed at Lucas. His face contorted with anger, making him look more than a little crazy. “He’s a wolf.” Disgust was thick in his voice.

Sure, I can.
“Have a safe flight home, Matt,” I said as I started after Lucas.

Today I was going to find a way to save my brother. That was the only thing that mattered.

Chapter Eleven

I hopped in the van with Lucas and buckled my belt.

“So, we’re looking for the old mages?” Lucas asked as he started the car.

“Yeah. Did Muraco tell you where to start?”

“He did. I’m heading to one of the smaller villages.” He pulled into the street and started the direction we’d come from last night. “It’s closest to where the old temple was, but I’ve been all over those mountains and never seen a thing.”

Perfect.

“I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I want you to be realistic.”

“Good. Realistic is good. But this is my best shot at saving my brother, breaking the oath that’s binding me to maybe one of the worst people in the world, and finding a way to stop said person from raising demons that will destroy us all. So, no pressure.”

He muttered a string of curses. “Muraco said that it was bad, but he didn’t say it was that bad.” He gave me a long look before focusing back on the road. “Your brother?”

“Twin brother.”

“Somehow that makes it worse.”

I shrugged. “It’s bad either way. But yes, he’s my twin. And the only family I really have left. Besides my cousin, Teresa.”

“She’s Dastien’s new mate, right?”

“Yes,” I said, a little surprised that he knew about the happenings of small town Texas.

He rubbed his forehead. “Muraco is always tight-lipped, but I feel like he’s left out some need-to-know details this time. Fill me in. What are you up against?”

This wasn’t the time to be shy. I wasn’t sure why I felt comfortable spilling my guts to him, but it felt like if I left anything out, something bad would happen. I hadn’t told everyone all of it. Not ever. But I told Lucas. About my family. About how my parents left. How things got bad with Luciana and she started draining my power. And finally, how I manipulated Teresa and then left the coven. I even spilled about Matt.

Lucas was kind as I spoke. He was a total stranger, but he was outraged at all the right parts. He stayed quiet during the hard parts, and in the end, I didn’t think he judged me as anything less.

“You’ve been through a lot for someone so young.”

I sighed. “I’m twenty now, but I feel older. I’m exhausted, and I feel like this fight is only just beginning. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the light at the end, you know?”

“It’s there. I promise.”

“Hmmm.” I wasn’t sure I believed him.

“Thank you for being so honest with me. I know that can’t have been easy.”

I gave him my best semblance of a smile. “Thanks for listening.” I held my breath for a moment before asking the question that was burning at the back of my mind. “So, now that you know everything, what do you think my chances are? Am I on a wild goose chase? Should I go home?”

“I don’t think I can answer that. Just because these mages haven’t been around for a while, doesn’t mean that they’re not there. Or that something of their magic isn’t in these forests. I can guide you to places that used to have spiritual meaning—that still do, just not as much as they used to—and maybe your abilities will lead you to what you need.”

I sighed. “That’s not very reassuring.”

“Nothing about what you have going on is good. Let me at least try to help with the search. If we come up empty, I’ll take you to the village elders. Muraco wasn’t lying there. Wolves and witches have mixed a lot over the years, and some of ours are so old they have a unique magic all their own.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. A shiver ran through my body at the contact. His fingers were rough and calloused, and the feel of them against my skin heated me through. “Don’t give up before we’ve even started. We’ll find something.” The road started getting a bit treacherous, and he let go to hold onto the wheel with both hands.

An hour later and I had a death grip on the “oh shit” bar in the van. My jaw was clenched so tightly that my face was starting to hurt. Relaxing would be good, but that was impossible. The “road” we were on—and I used that term loosely because this was so not a road—dropped off on my side. Straight down. The ground had to be a million miles below us. Half the tire wasn’t even on the path as we bounced over potholes so deep someone could practically live there.

“You okay over there, princess?” Lucas’s gravely voice drew my attention away from the steep edge.

“No. We’re going to die.” I let go of the bar for a second and we hit another bump. I reached right back up and held on for dear life.

Lucas chuckled. “We’re not going to die.”

He was nuts. This path clearly wasn’t meant for cars. Not that he had much to worry about regardless of the drop-off. “You might survive the fall. You’re a wolf. You heal fast. But I won’t. I’m essentially human. I’ll be worm food.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve done this drive a million times. I’m not going over the edge.”