She didn’t need him. She didn’t need the Ember Witches. She didn’t care about vampire politics or thrones. She could be a powerful witch without a meddling coven. She’d do it on her own.
Divina made a plan for herself: get to the vardo, change her clothes, and then pack up her shit, and move on out. She had no further business in New Orleans. She had no further business with Rori or the Ember Witches.
The prophecy bullshit was on him. Divina did her part, according to him and the witches. She made his heart beat again. There wasn’t anything left for her to do. Why did they keep dragging her into his shit? She had things to do, and none of it had anything to do with blood-sucking or their spells or even wolves.
Wolves. Divina snorted as she stepped off the elevator. She wasn’t even a dog lover. She wasn’t an anything lover. She only wanted to take care of herself. Everyone else and everything else could mind their own business. Divina’s only problems were her own.
Once at her wagon, Divina stood back from it a moment. The restoration of the piece had been an arduous process. She ran her finger over the brightly-painted, hand-carved wooden swirls and filigree. When Rori had told her about what she was and her heritage, she felt the urge to connect to it. So she bought the one thing she felt was a giant symbol of Romani culture: the vardo.
It gave her something to do to take her mind off Rori. She threw herself into returning the wagon to its prime. It also helped her parley her newfound skills as a witch into a profession. Who didn’t love seeing a fortune teller?
“Are you open for business?” The male voice startled her.
Divina spun on her heel. Her heart skipped. She scanned the lot searching for the source of the voice.
A man stalked toward her with his hands in the pockets of his well-tailored suit. The smug grin on his face gave Divina pause. He jutted his chin high, projecting an air of confidence.
Divina eyed him warily. Her sign wasn’t out. She wasn’t dressed as her character. She wore old jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. How could he possibly know she owned the vardo? How could he know she practiced fortune telling? She could just be admiring the craftsmanship of the wagon.
“What do you want?” she asked.
With palms up, the international sign of surrender, of “I mean you no harm,” he closed the distance between them until they were a few feet apart.
“Just a little glimpse into my future. I heard you are one of the best,” he said with a smug grin.
She backed away from him as a chill of unease trickled up her spine. Her body thumped against the outer wall of her wagon.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Just a man with a bit of curiosity,” he teased with a hint of sparkle in his eye.
“How do you know—”
“You have a gypsy wagon,” he interrupted. “Are you not a fortune teller?”
Divina swallowed and looked back toward her vardo.
“I’m…,” she began.
Her attention returned to the man, only to find him inches from her. Having not heard him move, she gasped not expecting him so close. With nowhere to go, she tried to flatten herself against the wagon.
The man stroked her cheek, and his eye twitched.
“Rori has found himself a lovely witch,” he whispered.
Divina raised her arms with the intention to push him back from her. With the preternatural speed of a vampire, he gripped her wrists and slammed them back against the wagon and on either side of her head.
“Fuck!” she cried out, wincing at the slight pain.
He canted his head to the side. His cheek twitched with the clenching of his jaw. The man’s green eyes roved over her making her skin crawl. “What a delightful suggestion, but alas I am not in the mood,” he said in a pained voice. His eyes twitched again. He sucked in a breath that sounded like a hiss. His hands tightened around Divina’s wrists. The muscles in his neck bulged.
In an attempt to take advantage of his distraction, Divina lifted her leg, hoping to knee him in the groin. However, he wedged himself between her legs effectively taking away her ability to do so.
“What the fuck do you want? Who are you?” she all but spat in his face.
Amusement decorated his features. “I wanted to know what I’m up against,” he purred, lowering his face toward hers.
Divina turned away.
The man’s cool cheek brushed hers. She shivered on contact.
He grunted in what Divina almost believed to be a pain.
“I don’t know who you are, so it’s not me you’re up against,” she said in an attempt to use logic to get her out of a possible raping.
He tsked. “Come now.” His warm breath slithered along Divina’s skin and made it prickle. “You expect me to believe that no one has told you about the prophecy?”
“I don’t give a shit about your fucking vampire politics,” she shouted.
She wriggled attempting to slip from his hold. She squealed when pain wrapped around her wrists. The tiny bones threatened to crack from the tightening of his grip. She should have known better. There was no way Divina would get out unless the vampire allowed her to get out.
At first, the silken lips touched her neck. Her eyes widened. Then sharp teeth scratch her delicate skin. Divina froze. Her heart thundered in her ears. She wasn’t sure which was worse, the idea of being raped by this guy or being bitten without permission.
“Ahhh,” he whispered into her ear. “I have your attention now, do I?”
Divina instinctually tugged her arms in an attempt to free herself. He responded with an iron grip.
“Let me go,” she growled.
“Feisty,” he mused and pulled back.
When he released her, he took a full step back from her.
She rubbed her wrists in an attempt to get the blood flow back to her hands. She glared up at him and flexed her fingers testing the dexterity.
“I’m not involved with this prophecy shit,” she said, thankful for the distance between them.
He regarded her with a curious expression.
She met his gaze and refused to leave it.
One thing Rori had taught her about vampires was that they had this ability to do some mind trick on humans. They could not only manipulate them into accepting a bite, seducing them essentially with some mind control, but they could also wipe memories. Divina wasn’t a true human; she was a witch. He couldn’t do that to her, and a small sense of safety blossomed within her.
“You’re Percival,” she said connecting his words with what Rori had told her and the witches’ claims.
He gave her a slight nod. “I prefer Perci in this era,” he said with a bow.
“You’re the one who is going to end it all,” she said.
Echoing the words Rori used in the hotel room, Divina made the connection. This guy, this was the asshat that Rori was up against. This was the guy who wanted to take the throne to ruin everything for all supernatural beings, according to the prophecy.
Perci wrinkled his nose. “Pffft.” He waved a hand dismissively. “None of that interests me. I never understood that part of the prophecy.”
Divina furrowed her brow. That didn’t make sense. Had Rori lied to her? He had never outright lied to her before. She eyed the man she didn’t know. Was she about to take the word of this guy over Rori?
“What does interest you?” she asked.
His eyes sparkled, and he grinned in amusement. “A beautiful witch and a darling chair.”
She blinked at him. Perci stepped into her personal space again, crowding her. Nonetheless she needed to appear confident.
“I’m not interested,” Divina declared.
He arched a brow. Then his eyes widened in recognition. His smile grew wider than before. His body shook slightly. He snorted. The laugh erupted from him eventually. Perci covered his mouth as if to stop it. He couldn’t.
She cowered at first but then lifted her chin. The laugh mocked her. Who was this guy anyway? Divina s
cowled at him.
“While I have no interest in the prophecy, my role in it is done. I already did the heart thing,” she said with her chin high.
He laughed harder. Perci backed away from her a few steps, if only to give him more room to laugh.
“You’re truly clueless,” he finally wheezed out between fits.
Divina’s cheeks heated. Her fists balled at her sides. “The witches—”
Perci’s laughter stopped dead. His eyes grew cold and Divina couldn’t finish her statement. His fist slammed against the vardo causing Divina to jump.
“Those meddling bitches seek to take what is mine,” he growled. “They are using you and Rori to do it, and I will not have it. My witch will take her seat at their table and rule the witches the way they were meant to be ruled, and I will take my seat to do the same with the vampires.”
Divina gulped. Once more, she flattened against the wagon. Her pale blue gaze darted beyond Perci. She had no way out. He had backed away a little bit, but when it came to her speed and that of a vampire, yeah, she had no shot of outrunning him.
“You two are too weak for the task!” he elaborated. “You, a baby witch yet to come into her power, cannot be trusted with such things.” Perci sneered. “And Rori crumbles at the first pussy that crosses his path. He knows nothing of loyalty.” He regarded her with complete contempt. “It’s good you want nothing to do with the prophecy and believe your part in it is done. It should make taking my rightful place all the easier.” He turned his back on her and sauntered off.
Chapter 21
Hearing the shower start, Rori let out a cry of exasperation. He fisted his hair. He lingered, pacing the hotel room.
The water kept running.
He approached the door and knocked gently. “Divina?”
No response.
He fought the urge to pound on the door. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t rip the door from its hinges. Instead, he paced a few more times.
Fine.
He’d go himself. He’d make them tell him the truth. He wouldn’t fall victim to their riddles and their backward speak. Rori would bite every one of them if he had to.
He didn’t have to continue on this path of hurt for Divina, this path of giving her up to some wolf, if he wasn’t the vampire of the prophecy. He could have Divina. Screw the wolf. Perci had the wolf. Selene said so. Rori could have Divina; he just needed to get those meddling witches off their damn backs.
As he sat in the back of the cab, his mind raced. What did an elder witch taste like? What sort of high could he get on super witch blood? Rori grinned at the thought of dark, thick elder witch blood spilling into his mouth until he was stoned off his ass.
Rori stormed up to the Convent prepared to tackle a locked gate with ease. He had the power of Divina’s blood coursing through his veins. He could take on the world.
However, the moment he approached the gate, it opened. He stopped, then gaped and blinked in disbelief. He stood ill-prepared for the lack of challenge.
Rori hadn’t expected them to be prepared for him. Hell, the majority of his half thought-out plan was based on the element of surprise. He paused in an attempt to reconnect with his purpose.
He’d demand answers. The witches deceived him and Divina. They’d have to answer for that. With renewed resolve, Rori marched through the trimmed hedges toward the door of the convent.
At the door, Esmine stood and waited for him. Her head high, her hair pulled back into a loose braid and her arms folded in front of her.
“He has the wolf!” Rori shouted.
Esmine’s firm gaze set on him. Her jaw tightened. She didn’t respond immediately.
“You said I was the vampire with the witch and the wolf thing,” he said.
Rori couldn’t get the puzzle phrase right in his current state. It didn’t matter; what mattered was what repeated in his mind.
“Perci has the wolf,” he told her.
Esmine pursed her lips. “We believed and still do believe you to be the vampire who will save us all,” she said.
“But he has the wolf!” Rori repeated.
“He doesn’t have the right witch,” Esmine explained. “Where is Divina?” Esmine looked past him.
“How do you know who is the right one and who is the wrong one?” Rori demanded.
He shifted so that he would be in her field of vision. He desperately needed her attention.
“How do you know that this wolf will pick Divina?” he asked.
Impatiently, Esmine met his gaze. “It’s not about picking. It’s about fate. You can’t change fate.”
“You made me change mine!” Rori shouted. He wouldn’t allow her to dismiss him. “You made me leave Divina. You made me sacri—”
Ire filled the witch’s eyes when she glared up at him. Rori’s words stopped mid-sentence.
“You were never forced, Roricus Fromm. You made choices. We merely laid them out for you. You chose to leave Divina after she gave you a heartbeat because we told you to. Recently, you chose the promise of power over eternal love. You cannot blame the Ember Witches for that. It is because you chose the allure of the council seat over that of your mate that we believe you to be the vampire of the prophecy who will save us and not the one who will end us,” she said.
Rori’s lip quivered. Choice? Did they call that a choice?
“You said I was never meant to have her,” he said in a low growl.
Esmine smirked. “I said you couldn’t come here without an invitation.” She waved her hand. “Yet here you are.” She arched a brow. “Has telling you that you couldn’t have anything ever stopped you from having it before?”
Rori’s nostrils flared as he balled his fists. He wouldn’t take responsibility for this. It was the witches. The witches denied him Divina. The witches put the idea in his head that he could be on the council. This wasn’t his choice.
“You were told that the vampire who sat on the council would be the one who abandoned his love, freeing her to find the wolf, her true partner,” Esmine added salt to his wounds. “You were never instructed to do so.”
Rori looked away. How power hungry had he been? He scanned the ground, his hands, anything for an answer.
Esmine sighed and tilted her head, observing him.
“Know that Divina will be happy. The pain will be dulled for her. She will find love. It will be magical. The love of a wolf and his mate is far purer than that of a vampire and his. It will rival what you two shared, if not surpass it. I’m sorry to say that, but it will. And you know as well as I do that one day she will get old,” she said with empathy.
Tears filled Rori’s eyes when he lifted his gaze toward her.
Esmine nodded, and with a voice filled with compassion, she continued. “You were going to have to give her up eventually. You would never turn her, Rori. You love her too much. That is why you are meant for the council. You turned your back on your mate for power, yes. On the surface that seems cruel, but you did it as an act of mercy.” She licked her lips. “Even if you cannot see it now, you will. You know a witch cannot be a vampire. She cannot be turned and maintain that part of her that connects to the vrăji. Once she dies the mortal death, that would go away. She would have been an empty vampire. She would never know happiness again. You set her free, Roricus.”
Esmine’s hand came out to cup his face. He closed his eyes and found that he nuzzled into it. He needed the comfort of the old witch. He needed her counsel.
“She will be happy again. She will find love. Divina will grow into the witch she is meant to be. She will find her seat at the table. She will eventually take my seat on the consiliu,” Esmine explained further.
Rori opened his eyes again. He turned his gaze to Esmine. Hope bloomed within him. He wanted what she said to be true. He sacrificed a lot based on what she told him.
Sure, initially the power of it all had seduced him; the emperorship had lured him. With the full explanation, he knew there was so much more. He’d
do it all, if it meant Divina would find happiness. He’d sacrifice alone, so she wouldn’t have to share in the pain forever.
“You are the vampire of the prophecy. You are the vampire whose heart beats for the witch—the witch who belongs to the wolf,” she repeated the prophecy. “You are the one who will save us all.”
Rori felt like a husk of himself. All he had known felt stripped from him. Along with it, went his anger and skepticism of the witches. He felt like a child at the feet of a wise scholar, being schooled on life.
“But he still has the wolf,” Rori whispered.
Esmine took her hand away and smiled in amusement.
“He cannot have the wolf. The wolf is not something that can be possessed. That is where Percival fails, and you shine. You love Divina. He possesses his witch. He believes if he possesses the wolf, he can control all things as well. This wolf is not one who will be owned.” She shook his head. “The wolf is wild and free. The wolf will make a choice; none can make it for him.”
Rori nodded in acknowledgment. He allowed Esmine’s words to fill him, to rebuild him. Her words became his gospel. They became his law.
He had little experience with wolves. He found them to be rather crude. Rori was much more aristocratic, preferring the finer things and luxury. Wolves were more common in their tastes. They were closer to a feral beast. Rori found he had little in common with them. Plus, there was the whole nasty bit about their bite being quite painful and probably deadly for vampires. Yes, Rori kept his distance from wolves.
“How do I get the wolf to Divina?” he asked.
“Were you not paying attention?” Esmine asked rather indignant.
“I-I was,” Rori stammered though, confused. “But you didn’t—”
Esmine placed a finger over Rori’s lips. “Go find her, Roricus. Bring Divina back where she belongs. The rest will work itself out.”
Chapter 22
The metallic and salty taste of fresh rabbit blood lingered in Aric’s mouth, now that he was back in human form. While the beast within Aric had been free, the wolf ran to vent the frustration from disagreeing with the human version of Aric.
The Witch of the Prophecy Page 13