I'll Be Damned (Anna Wolfe Series) (44 page)

"Great choice," he says, bending down and petting my head.

I tug on his jeans, hoping he deciphers my code for switching back.

"Ah," he says, scooping me up like a cat. "You want to know how to switch... that's easy. All you need to do is envision you as yourself," he instructs me.

With that, I'm back to my human form, in Roman's arms. He raises his eyebrow, elevating my suspicions. A cool breeze catches the hairs on my stomach. I look down at my bare body, trying to register what's going on. In slow motion, I realize I'm completely butt naked. I scream, forcing Roman to drop me. On the ground, I cover my most precious possessions as quickly as I can with crossed legs and tangled arms. My face burns a bright cherry with humiliation. I peek at Roman, seeing he’s still amused. I'm too mortified to even yell at him. I sit there, stewing, waiting for Roman to stop laughing. What else can I do?

"Please don't feel like you need to cover up for my sake," he finally says. Men are such perverted jerks sometimes.

"Roman," I growl through tightly clenched teeth. "Please find my clothes." I circle my head, desperately trying to locate my t-shirt and shorts, but to no avail.

"I'm guessing they got lost in transition," he responds, beaming.

He grabs the bottom of his black shirt, lifting it over his head. I gasp, watching as the bright daylight bounces off his rippled chest and stomach like a ping-pong ball. What is it with supernatural men? Do they have prerequisites like: must be sinfully handsome and muscular? I glance away. The moment becomes too intimate for my taste.

“Here,” he says, resting his shirt on my legs. He turns around as I swiftly throw it over my head. How embarrassing. A whiff of delicious, musky vanilla cologne enhances my senses, jumbling my thoughts for a quick second. I pull at the bottom of the shirt, double checking its length. Good, it stops just above my knees.

“Are you decent?” Roman inquires, swinging around before I answer.

I throw him an unpleasant sneer. “It would have been nice if you warned me I’d end up naked,” I bark.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he replies, shrugging his shoulders.

I shake my head. Some jokes just aren’t funny. I order him to wait for me while I change. In ten minutes, I’m back outside, practicing spells and blocks.

“You’re almost a pro,” Roman states.

I drop and roll away from his black orb, beaming on the inside at how easy it all has become. “Thanks!” I respond with passion.

“I think you’re ready for your birthday,” he adds, dissolving the ball of magic in his hand.

“Really?” I know I’ve done exceptionally well, but I still feel too inexperienced. “Have I learned every spell and potion there is? I mean, I want to take advantage of this.”

“Anna, the spells and potions aren’t your biggest concern,” he pauses. “The purpose of your training was to learn how to call upon and command your powers. On your birthday, your connection with your magic will be solidified. Without practice, you could have never controlled it,” he finishes.

I would have lost it? Normal people might be thankful for their training, but as for me? I was devastated. I sigh. “Roman, I might have actually preferred it the other way,” I reply.

He approaches me, resting his hands on my shoulder. “Anna, trust me, we would have met regardless.”

I grin uneasily. His touch vibrates through me differently than Valen’s. I shy away, not entirely thrilled at my heightened physical reaction to Roman.

“Now come on; let’s continue… the Ball is only a few days away,” Roman adds, retracting his hands.

He strolls away a few yards, before turning and flinging an orb at me. “Do you have a dress?” 

I dive on the grass, barely escaping his sucker punch magic. Standing, I wipe off the blades of grass, stuck to my sweatpants like chards of glass.

“Always be prepared,” he adds with a cocky grin.

I fire one back, missing him by inches. Hmm, at least my aim is improving. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s fancy enough,” I answer, minus the gusto. The dress I’m wearing is by no means elegant enough for a ball, but it’s the only one I have.

“You’ll look great in anything,” he comments. Another orb appears in his palm. He throws it back and forth between his hands, taunting my reflexes. I shake my head at his lame attempts to distract me by hitting on me.

“Yeah, yeah,” I answer, jumping over the magic orb he lobs at my feet.

We finish up around dinnertime, allowing me a few minutes to rest. Valen is nowhere to be seen and I’m grateful. I lie on my couch, wishing I could bulldoze my landfill of thoughts right into a bonfire and be done with them. Cara bursts into my mind, activating my warning alarms. I haven’t heard from her in over a week, which is odd, considering her wedding is around the corner; and don’t forget that our sister is still missing. She hasn’t even called to see if I was all right. Well, neither have I, but that’s to be expected. I barely ever call her. I jump up and hurry into the foyer for my cell phone. I hit the
Send
button, retrieving my call log. I press Cara’s name, watching as my phone dials her number like a ghost. I walk back to the living room, plopping myself on the couch. It goes to her voicemail after four rings. I hang up, convinced something isn’t right.

I dial my parents immediately, curious to see if either of them have heard from her. On the second ring, Jack answers.

“Jack? It’s Anna,” I state hastily.

“Hey, honey, how are you?”

“Doing well… I have a question. Have you or Mom spoken to Cara since you told her of Janie’s disappearance?”

He exhales loudly. “No, Anna, I’m afraid not,” he answers.

I lean back, tugging at the bottom of my lip with my teeth. “I haven’t either, which I find odd. Jack, do you think she’s involved somehow?”

He laughs. “Now, Anna, don’t be ridiculous. Cara’s been busy with her wedding… after all it’s less than a month away.”

I should have known better than to question his angel. In his eyes, Cara can do no wrong. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I lie. “I just want to make sure she’s okay; that’s all. I guess I’m a little paranoid.”

“It’s reasonable. How's everything going? Your mother said you will visit soon…” he trails off.

“Everything is more than fine. I’ve been training with Roman and Valen…”

“Roman?” Jack interrupts.

“I told Mom about him, but I guess she didn't relay the update," I cringe. "He’s a warlock from the Netherworld and he’s teaching me all things magic.”

“Um-hmm,” Jack replies, clearly annoyed I left his name out of our previous conversations.

“He’s fine, Jack, I promise. If I didn’t have him as a mentor, I don’t know what I would do,” I retort. On cue, Roman walks into the room, bowing to my praise. I roll my eyes at his conceited self. “I’m confident in my training, and Roman believes I’m ready for my birthday,” I conclude.

“Okay, I trust your judgment. I’m glad things are working out well,” he answers.

“Jack, if you hear from Cara, have her call me, okay?”

“I will, honey.”

“Give Mom a hug for me. I’ll talk to you guys later,” I say. Clicking the
End
button on my cell phone, I toss it across the couch with a dramatic exhale.

“What’s that all about?” Roman inquires, sitting next to me.

I explain how Valen believes Cara is working with Micah somehow. I list the examples, the inconclusive facts, as well as her faulty character. “It’s hard for me to believe my sister is sabotaging our whole family,” I finish in denial.

I turn to Roman for reassurance, but his expression agrees with Valen. “Anna, I think there’s a good possibility she might be in on this,” he says, turning his body towards me. “Why don’t you try an allegiance spell?”

“That’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?” I exclaim. I close my eyes, placing both of my hands on my heart. In my mind, a white rope extends from me to a projected mental image of Cara. If she's innocent, the white rope will remain intact. If not, well, you can guess what happens. The rope floats towards her hesitantly, charting its intended target. It wraps securely around her stomach. I smile inwardly, knowing she wouldn’t hurt us. Suddenly, the rope tightens violently, ejecting any air inside her. She grabs it, fighting to loosen it. Frantically, I reach down, hoping to release my end, but nothing happens. The rope stains into an onyx color as it continues wrapping around her body like a python squeezing the life out of her. I scream her name.

“Anna,” Roman yells, shaking me.

I open my eyes. “Roman,” I say, sinking into his embrace with tears racing down my cheeks. “She’s mixed up in this,” I stutter between gasps.

“What did you see?” he asks, softly caressing my hair.

“The rope… it turned black and tied itself around her like a snake... squeezing her to death,” I trail off between light sobs.

“Shhh… it’s going to be okay,” he replies, lifting my chin with his hand. His warm breath tickles my eyelashes. “The good news is, she’s bound. Her free will has been stripped from her, so whoever owns her soul is controlling her like a puppet. The bad news is, she doesn’t realize what’s happening. She believes everything she says and does are things she really wants to.”

“How’s is that good news?” I lash back.

“Think about it. Would you rather she sell your family out on her own accord? Or know that someone else made her do it?” he asks.

I sniff, contemplating his question. “Well, when you put it that way,” I reply. I make no attempt to move from his embrace, since I enjoy the feeling of being held. Cara’s deceit hurts more than I expected. We’re not close and part of me isn’t surprised, but the truth is always different on paper. “Can’t we break the spell?”

“Unfortunately, no,” he answers. “We must know who she’s bound to in order to figure out how to unlock it. My guess would be Micah, but if we were to do it on a whim, we could hurt her. Did you have any visions of Cara?”

“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “I can’t force them. They come and go when they please.”

Roman squeezes me tighter. “Don’t worry. It will get easier to summon them. After all, you have a long time to figure out how,” he replies with a smile in his voice. I nestle deeper into the niche of his shoulder. My heart aches for my parents. One daughter’s kidnapped, another is a supernatural witch, and the third is possessed. What a bang-up job we did. I can’t bear to tell them about Cara, not yet anyway. The swoosh of the front door swinging open startles me, but I make no attempt to move. Valen comes storming in the room with Brielle hot on his heels, and stops dead when he sees me in Roman’s arms.

“What’s going on?” Valen spits, jealous possessiveness dripping off his words.

I glare at him, jumping off the couch faster than he can inhale. “What’s she doing in my home?” I seethe, pointing in her direction. “Out now!” I scream at her.

Valen grabs my arms. “Calm down, Anna. She’s here to help.”

I shove him off me. “Don’t tell me to calm down,” I say pointing my finger in his face. “The balls you have coming into my home with her…” I trail off. My blood is boiling like lava in my veins.

Brielle looks at Valen. “I told you she wouldn’t like it,” she says matter-of-factly.

I snap my neck in her direction. “Get out!”

“Anna!” Valen screams, rendering me speechless. His eyes are burning yellow, suggesting how highly volatile his mood has become. “Brielle is here to help. She’s a werewolf…”

“I figured that much,” I snap, folding my arms across my chest.

He shakes his head in anger. “There’s nothing between us, you understand,” he says, pointing between the two of them. “She’s an ex from centuries ago, who’s now married to our friend, Elena,” he adds.