Spell Bound (Darkly Enchanted) (20 page)

Leo’s hand tightened on his and he drew in a sharp breath. But he didn’t say no.

“When she does that, we’ll be able to see things only a few people in the world can see, okay?
Grigori
are born with special powers. These powers make us protectors.”

“I’m a
grigorio
. Daddy told me.”

“Yeah, you are. Shea, hit the switch and close the door.”

He knelt down beside the kid, still holding his hand. Shea hesitated only a second before she rose and the room went dark.

“Leo, hey, look at me, bud. I know you think you can’t see me, but you can. You just have to know what you’re looking for.”

“Dark.”

“No, it’s not. Not really. Focus on the sound of my voice and I’ll help you see.”

* * *

Dario stood at the top of the stairs, watching the
strega
walk into the hall and close the door behind her. Her calm expression told him she was not surprised to see him.

His eyebrows lifted. Did she think she could defeat him? By herself? From the reports he’d gotten, her
grigorio
was old, slow. Not a threat to him or the three men he’d brought with him.

“Dario.” Her voice was steady, her gaze locked on his.

“Tullia.” One of his men stepped forward but Dario made a swift motion with his hand, ordering him to stop. “You’re not surprised to see me.”

The
strega
smiled and he had a flash of another life, the life he’d had before…all this. He’d known Tullia from the village, one of only two members of the
boschetta
he’d known personally. He hadn’t seen her in more than four centuries, but, of course, neither of them had changed. At all.

“No, not surprised,” she said. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

He saw no fear in her eyes. Curiosity, something he hadn’t experienced in years, made him continue the conversation when he should finish this. “Yes, it has. Are you ready to stop running?”

Tullia’s chin lifted, and her eyes, those strange, shattered-glass eyes he and the cursed
streghe
shared, blinked back tears. “Yes. But I have a request.”

Now, this was new. The
streghe
he’d dispatched before had fought him with all their power. They hadn’t wanted to die. And still, he’d defeated them because his cause was right. Still… “And that is?”

“I don’t want Brian to suffer.”

Understandable. “If he does not put up a fight, I can honor that request.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

Even more interesting. “And what about you, Tullia? Don’t you want me to spare your life?”

She smiled, a bittersweet twist of her lips. “I am not a fighter. But do you honestly believe killing us will release you from the curse, Dario? Will murdering thirteen women ensure entrance into your heaven?”

Yes, that’s exactly what he believed. “This is not murder, Tullia. I’m releasing you. Don’t you see? You, too, will benefit from this. We’ll all be free.”

Tullia’s smile was sad as she shook her head. “I’m tired. And I’d like to believe you’re right, that my soul will be free to be return in another body. But nothing is ever simple, is it?”

No, of course not. But nothing would be right until the
streghe
were all dead. “I’ll make it fast, Tullia. And Brian will not suffer.”

Pulling the dagger from his jacket pocket, he motioned two of the men into the bedroom and held out his hand to the
strega
.

“Then let’s finish this,” Tullia said and took his hand.

* * *

Shea leaned against the door and held her breath, one hand on the light switch in case Leo freaked again. She was willing to give Gabriel a little leeway here, but not at her brother’s expense.

“Don’t focus too hard,” Gabriel said. “Don’t try to force yourself to see what’s in front of you. Relax.”

Oh, man, that voice. Shea felt tension ease out of her at Gabriel’s tone. It was mesmerizing. Deep and raspy, it should sound rough. Instead, it made her shiver. And boy, was that a huge, fatal hole just waiting to swallow her.

And when the hell had she made the switch from Borelli to Gabriel? It seemed so much more…intimate.

“Now, look for the outline of my face. Use your eyes but also use your inner sight. Do you know what I mean?”

When Leo shook his head, Gabriel said. “Use your
arus
as well as your eyes. Relax and let that power seep out of your body a little, then look around. Now look at me. What do you see?”

Leo paused then gasped. “A cloud around you. It’s…blue.”

“That’s right. Now, look around, see if you can see your sister.”

Leo turned toward her. “She’s not blue.”

Shea frowned.

“That’s right, she’s not.” Gabriel didn’t sound surprised or worried. “What color is she?”

Leo looked at her for a few more seconds. “Purple.”

“Good, now I’m going to open the curtains and we’re going to look outside.”

“Okay.”

Leo’s excitement rang loud and clear in his voice as Gabriel opened the curtains and introduced him to his heritage.

She’d been kidding herself for too long. She’d believed that once they were safe, after she’d found someone to help them get rid of the men on their trail, she and Leo would be home free. They could set up house somewhere. Leo would go to school. She’d get a real job, although what that would have been, she didn’t know.

They’d live a normal life, one without magic she couldn’t work or monsters who wanted to take Leo from her. No sacred duties to Etruscan goddesses who abandoned their priestesses.

All a stupid dream.

She had a counterfeit high school diploma from a defunct Colorado school, but she didn’t have the knowledge to go with it. She could read Latin and ancient Etruscan and knew her multiplication tables, but she’d never had to balance a checkbook. Or use a bank, for that matter.

Her father had taught her to protect herself with her hands but she didn’t have enough magic to keep Leo safe. And she didn’t know the first thing about getting a real job that didn’t involve taking off her clothes.

“What’s that? A dog?”

Leo’s excited voice drew her back to the present. “It’s a fox. See the color around it. Wild animals have a different color than pets.”

And the curse. That big freaking curse her parents had never told her about. The one she’d been born to break.

What the hell did she have to do for that? She was pretty sure she didn’t want to know.

“What about the bears?”

“Where do you see bears, Leo?”

“In the trees.”

Gabriel paused. “I don’t see anything there, Leo, but maybe I’m not looking in the right place. Are they close to the house?”

Leo shook his head. “They’re walking away.”

Another pause. “Do they look like the other animals?”

“No, they’re kinda…foggy.”

“Okay, Leo. You did really well. Bet you’re hungry, huh? Let’s see if we can find something to eat.”

When Gabriel closed the curtains, Shea turned on the light. And found Gabriel staring at her.

A chill shivered down her spine. Something was wrong. She could tell from his expression. And she was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

* * *

After a quick, silent snack in the kitchen, Shea told Gabriel she was taking Leo back to bed.

Since the little boy could barely keep his eyes open, he figured she was right. But when she didn’t come back, Gabriel headed to Leo’s room and found them both asleep on the bed—Shea on her side, Leo curled into the curve of her body.

They looked damn near angelic—for a girl who held the key to a five-hundred-year-old curse and a boy who had powers greater than his own.

Leo had been able to see trace energy left behind by the
versipelli
who took care of this house. Gabriel couldn’t. He wasn’t that good.

Back downstairs, he picked up the phone in the living room and dialed the one man he trusted most in the world.

“This better be fucking good,” Quinn growled into the phone. “It’s six o’clock in the fucking morning.”

Gabriel smiled. “Good morning to you, too,
ceffo
. Gettin’ your beauty sleep or just gettin’ old?”

“Gabe.” Quinn sounded wide awake now. “You okay? Serena called earlier. Said you might need help.”

“We ran into a little trouble—”

“Hey, you alright?”

Gabriel’s lips curved at the worry in Quinn’s voice. “We’re fine. We’re holed up in the safe house in Oley.”

“What’s up?”

“You need to see it to believe it. Just get up here.”

“Gabe, what—”

“Just get here. I need back up because if anything happens to me, I know I can trust you to take care of them.”

“Them who?”

“Leave soon, Quinn.”

“Whoa, Gabe, you’re really freaked out, aren’t you?”

Yeah, he was. “And Quinn? No chasing cars.”

“You bast—”

Gabriel hung up, feeling a little better.

Chapter Nine