Romani Magic (Shifter Blood: Romani Curse Book 3)

by Frances Trilone

  Invoking water was much harder than air, but with Garrett’s help, I’d done it. Unfortunately, I hadn’t managed to do it again. I’d hoped Garrett might be able to help, but he hadn’t been around, and I certainly couldn’t expect him to drop everything for me.

  “That was five days ago.” She looked at Garrett. “No one believes you’re dating Sienna. They all remember how you acted with your last girlfriend. You were constantly together. If you’ve convinced Sienna to lie and—”

  “It’s my fault he hasn’t been around,” I blurted out, not liking her tone or how she was blaming Garrett. Faking a relationship had been my idea. She should be blaming me. “Telling everyone about our relationship wasn’t easy, and I thought you were upset. So I asked him to stay away for a few days until you got used to the idea.”

  “I was upset, but not anymore.” Rosella unfolded her arms. “If you’re dating each other, then act like it. I’m tired of hearing all the gossip about the two of you.”

  As Rosella left the room, I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry she was mad and blamed you.”

  “No. She’s right.” Garrett sat on the couch closest to me and ran a hand over his face. “I haven’t acted like a good boyfriend, and that’s why everyone thinks we’re lying. I didn’t even know you were training with Carter.”

  “That’s because no one knew about it, not even me. Calandra sprang the news on me fifteen minutes before my first training session.” I poured myself more tea. “You did a great job in front of the others, looking all worried and demanding you talk to the High Council. For a second, I thought you were serious.”

  “That wasn’t pretend.” Garrett cleared his throat and looked directly at me, his voice softening. “When I heard about your training, I was worried Carter would hurt you. You training with him is an awful idea. If you don’t want me to talk to the High Council, then you need to.”

  “No. I won’t talk to them.”

  “You’re saying you want to train with him?” He scooted toward the edge of the couch, getting closer to me. “If this was Markus, I wouldn’t disagree, but it’s Carter we’re talking about. He might act friendly with the witches, but he doesn’t care about any of us. I guarantee they’re paying him a lot, and he’ll push the training as far as he can. He’ll enjoy hurting you.”

  “I’d give anything to have Markus here, but that’s not going to happen. I have no choice. It’s either Carter or no training. At least I know who Carter is, and I can handle him. I’m betting he thinks I won’t turn up tomorrow, but he’s wrong. He showed me something very important today. It changed my mind about going to the High Council and demanding they find someone else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I can’t fight a wolf or vampire and win just yet. I’m still a witch who’s learning how to use her powers and cast spells. Calandra was right: I got lucky when I killed Lexi. Maybe Marie’s ghost helped me that night. I’ll never know.” I took a deep breath. “When Carter went after those younger witches, I was scared he’d hurt them. I had no weapon; all I could do was jump on his back and lie to him about having a knife.”

  “You could’ve invoked the air element or used your telekinetic powers. It might have worked.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t use my powers against Carter while we’re training, not until he says so. The last thing I wanted was to provoke his bad side.”

  “That’s crazy, but he did stop. You convinced him to stand down.”

  “No. He stopped because he wanted to show me who was in charge. If we hadn’t been within the coven boundaries, he would’ve killed those witches, and then he’d have killed me. It wouldn’t matter if I had a knife. I’m no match for him right now, and he knows it. But if I can get Carter to show me how to fight, it’ll be worth the weeks of pain.”

  “I still don’t like it.” Garrett got to his feet and ran a hand through his black hair. “The guys told me something else… Is it true that Carter was naked?”

  I laughed. “You almost sound jealous.”

  “Maybe I am.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and glanced over his shoulder as two girls walked by. “We need to fake an argument over this. No one will ever believe I’m okay with you and Carter training. I’ll storm out of here and come back tomorrow with flowers, begging your forgiveness.”

  “I love daisies.” I winked at him. “Make sure you shout really loud and say something about Carter being naked. You know, how you don’t like it.”

  “Seriously?” He groaned. “I’d rather not mention the naked thing.”

  “Oh, c’mon. It’ll be more realistic.” I sat up straighter and tried to look angry.

  “I don’t care what the High Council says,” Garrett yelled as he moved to stand in front of me. “You can’t train with Carter. I won’t allow it. I don’t care how much he can teach you.”

  “You’re not the boss of me. You can’t tell me what to do. If the High Council wants me to train with Carter, then I have to.”

  “Are you crazy? He ran around naked today. How am I supposed to feel about that?”

  “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t even paying attention.”

  “That’s not what I heard.” He grinned. “If anyone’s going to be naked around you, it’ll be me.”

  I nudged his leg, trying not to laugh as I whispered, “I can’t believe you said that.”

  “I won’t back down,” he continued to yell. “You either talk to the High Council or it’s over.”

  “You need to leave!”

  Garrett winked before storming from the room.

  As the front door slammed behind him, Orla and the other witches rushed to console me. I did my best to act upset, and when Rosella entered the living room with more cookies, she glanced at me but said nothing as she turned on the television. Convincing her would take more than a staged argument.

  Chapter 19

  As planned, Garrett showed up the next day with flowers and an apology. We made up, and after that, he started coming over to Hale House every afternoon to check how my training with Carter had gone and to help me cast spells.

  My life fell into a routine—get up, eat breakfast, train with Carter, lunch with Garrett, spend the afternoon casting spells, honing my powers, invoking the elements, then dinner with the other witches at Hale House.

  Two weeks had passed since I’d started training with Carter, and there had still been no word from Markus or anyone in Woodlake. Every day, Markus’ words ran through my mind—Kaleb should be with you. He knows you’re a marked witch. He wouldn’t leave you unprotected.

  At night, I’d muffle my cries so Rosella couldn’t hear me. This was my life now. At least until I got a handle on my powers and could invoke the five elements with ease. Once that happened, I planned on getting permission to go to Woodlake, so I could talk to Markus. I needed closure on Kaleb, and I wanted to ask the Romani Elders for permission to see my mom.

  “Are you sure I can’t walk you?” Garrett asked as he dropped me off by the gravel path that led to my daily training session.

  “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” I opened the car door, already feeling tired. After that first day, Carter hadn’t taken it easy on me again, and thanks to Calandra’s daily healing spells, I now knew how to cast them myself. I didn’t need her help anymore; it seemed I’d also inherited some of Cyprian’s healing powers. Part of my weekly routine was helping out at the Healing Place and learning from the doctors. “Are you coming over for movie night? I think they’ve picked a horror flick with zombies.”

  “How can I say no to zombies?” He smiled. “I’ll be there, but don’t forget we’re invoking water after you meet with Grace.”

  I nodded and got out of his car, closing the door behind me.

  As Garrett drove off to do whatever secret stuff he did in town, I followed the gravel path to the grassy field. I hoped Carter was in a better mood than yesterday. Most days, he’d shift and challenge me to jump on his back, which was impossible to do when it was
only the two of us and I still couldn’t use my powers. I was beginning to think this training was a waste of time.

  “Hello, Sienna.”

  I stopped walking and looked up, surprised to see Carter standing at the end of the gravel path, wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. He never greeted me or smiled like he was right now. Usually, he’d grunt and tell me to drop and give him twenty push-ups. “Hi, Carter.”

  “You look nice today.” His grin grew even wider.

  “Uh…thanks.” I walked past him and hurried toward the middle of the field.

  Why had he said I looked nice? I was wearing the same clothes I did every day: black leggings and a T-shirt. Whatever Carter was up to, I wasn’t sure I liked it. Maybe being nice was a new training tactic.

  He followed me, saying nothing.

  After dropping my water bottle onto the ground, I slowly did twenty push-ups and regretted not asking Calandra for more tea yesterday. Although the healing spells worked, they didn’t help with muscle soreness.

  Carter watched me, but he didn’t count each push-up or taunt me as he normally did.

  “What should we start with today?” I stood and readied myself for an attack, not understanding why he still had his clothes on. He seemed a little off today, and I didn’t know if I should be worried.

  “How about we talk first?” He looked me over, his eyes dancing with excitement.

  “Talk?” I crossed my arms and studied him. “If you’re going to ask me about coven secrets or the High Council, I don’t know anything. Just because I’m a Raven witch by birth, doesn’t mean they trust me.”

  “I don’t care about the coven or the High Council. I want to know how you’re doing.”

  His question caught me off guard. That’s not what I’d expected him to ask. “You want to know how I’m doing?”

  “Yes. Do you like it here?”

  “Sure.” I shrugged, trying to figure out what kind of game he was playing. “The coven isn’t as bad as I’d expected. The other witches are nice, and they’re helping me learn how to cast spells. I’m doing fine.”

  “How’s your mom?”

  My head jerked back. Why the hell was Carter asking about my mom? “I’m assuming she’s fine since I haven’t heard from anyone. The Romani Elders have forbidden anyone from talking to me.”

  “No one from Woodlake’s contacted you?” He looked shocked. “Not even the Norwood wolves?”

  I pressed my lips together, annoyed by his questions. Was this some kind of test? Had someone on the High Council put him up to this?

  “Kaleb hasn’t contacted me, if that’s why you’re asking, and from what I’ve heard, no one’s seen him. Calandra had me remove the love spell. If he’s alive, he has no reason to see me.” I swallowed hard, almost tempted to ask Carter if he’d heard anything about a funeral for Kaleb. Markus must have found his body by now.

  He eyed me with suspicion. “Is it true you’re telekinetic and have a strong affinity for the air element?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. Now, that question made sense. Carter wanted to know what I was capable of but must have thought asking personal questions first would make me more comfortable. Maybe he was finally ready to let me use my powers or cast a spell.

  “Can you control the five elements like the prophecy says?”

  I bit my bottom lip and shifted my weight to one side. I shouldn’t have been surprised Carter knew about the prophecy. He’d probably listened in on conversations while he was at the coven. “No, I can’t. Are you worried about me destroying the wolves?”

  “No.” His jaw tightened. “You won’t destroy the wolves. I don’t care what the prophecy says. It won’t happen.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should feel insulted or relieved. He believed I wasn’t a threat. Did that mean he thought I was weak?

  “What about blocking your mind from other witches? Have you been able to do that?”

  “No.” I took a deep breath, feeling awkward about how nice he was being, and not wanting to continue this discussion. Especially if it meant I’d be here all day. He had me for two hours, but the clock didn’t start until we actually trained. “Can we get started? I can’t stay late. Grace is helping me with mind-blocking, and Calandra’s insisted I successfully invoke water again.”

  “Sure.” Carter nodded. “Why don’t you run five laps, and then we’ll do some warm-up exercises?”

  Run laps and warm-up exercises? This was new. Had he had an epiphany and decided to stop wasting both of our time? Would he actually teach me how to fight instead of pounding on me day after day?

  “Sounds great,” I replied and took off running.

  Confusion buzzing through my brain, I completed my first lap while keeping an eye on Carter. He still hadn’t stripped naked and was down on the grass doing push-ups. His questions about me, Mom, and Woodlake made no sense. Something was wrong, and I only hoped he was his normal self tomorrow.

  “You should be proud of yourself. Most witches can’t master fifteen minutes of mind-blocking. Next step is learning how to hold it, so blocking becomes natural, like breathing.” As Grace clasped her hands on her lap, two witches entered the coven’s library. They waved to a group of warlocks and joined them at their table.

  Grace and I were sitting on couches in the corner of the library, away from everyone else. She’d spent the past hour poking at my mind as I’d done my best to block her by using the breathing and mental techniques she’d taught me.

  “You make it sound so easy.” I rubbed my temples. Learning how to mind-block caused headaches, and I certainly had a bad one today. At least they didn’t last very long.

  “I never said it was easy.” She gave me a comforting smile. “If you’re getting headaches, you need to ease up. Mind-blocking isn’t something you should push. Are you casting spells with Calandra today? Maybe it would be better if you rest.”

  “We’re not meeting today,” I replied. “I’m invoking water with Garrett, and then it’s movie night at Hale House.”

  “That explains your outfit.” She glanced at the red bikini strap peeking out from beneath my blue summer dress. Then her gaze lifted, and she smiled. “Hello, Garrett. Sienna was just telling me you two were hanging out this afternoon.”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting. Sienna said she’d be done by two o’clock.” Garrett gave me a quick kiss. “I can come back later if you need more time.”

  “That’s not necessary. We’ve finished our lessons.” Grace stood and ran a hand down her black robe as she looked at me. “Why don’t you take a break from mind-blocking, and we’ll meet again on Monday? Remember to take it easy today. Don’t exert too much energy when you’re invoking water.”

  I nodded, relieved to know I had the weekend free except for my training sessions with Carter.

  “Have a nice weekend.” Grace walked away, heading toward the High Council’s sanctum.

  I got to my feet, noting Garrett’s red swim trunks and blue tank top. His friends stood by the library’s main doors, also wearing swim trunks and tank tops. Last night, when he’d told me to wear a bathing suit, I’d assumed I’d get wet from invoking water, like the first time. I certainly hadn’t expected an audience or help from anyone else. “Are your friends going to help me invoke water?”

  “No.” He slipped his hand into mine. “I thought we’d combine hard work with fun.”

  I let Garrett lead me out of the library, and we followed his friends to a stretch limo golf cart. Piled up on the last row of seats were a cooler, towels, and bags. “Are we going to the coven’s pool?”

  “You haven’t told Sienna where we’re going?” one of his friends asked as everyone climbed onto the golf cart.

  “Nah, I wanted it to be a surprise,” Garrett said as we sat next to each other. He slid an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “You’re going to love this.”

  I relaxed against him as the golf cart pulled onto the road and headed toward the back of the coven. As we neared
the turnoff to the First Altar, I held on tight and was surprised when we kept going straight ahead. The street curved, leading to an old paved road full of potholes and overgrown grass covering most of the pavement. I bounced around, bumping into Garrett as he grinned and wrapped both arms around me.

  “Where are we?” I asked when our cart parked next to other golf carts on the side of the road. As I got out, I could hear laughter and screams from up ahead.

  Garrett jumped out and grabbed a towel. “We’re at Lake Raven.”

  “The coven has a lake?” I glanced at his friends, who’d already walked off, carrying the cooler, bags, and towels.

  “Yes, but the High Council restricts access because of the wildlife in the area.” Garrett took my hand and led me in a different direction than his friends. “We’ll join you guys later.”

  His friends hooted and hollered while giving him a thumbs up.

  “Sorry about that,” he muttered. “I told them earlier we need to invoke water, but they don’t believe me.”

  I followed him down a winding dirt path and past trees until we ended up at the far corner of Lake Raven. The water was dark blue and surrounded by woods. In the distance, people sat on the shore or splashed around in the water, including Rosella and Orla. Several guys sat in canoes as they talked to girls.

  “I didn’t think you’d want everyone watching while you invoked water.” Garrett laid the towel on the ground and sat. He gazed up at me. “How was your training with Carter this morning?”

  “Strange,” I said as I took a seat facing Garrett. “He was nice and asked questions about how I’m liking it here. He didn’t even strip naked today.”

  His eyebrow arched. “You sound disappointed.”

  “Not at all.” I laughed and nudged his leg with my hand. “It was weird having him go easy on me. I don’t like it when he’s nice.”