But Tobias seemed strangely unaffected by the news. He leaned against the mantel, one ankle crossing over the other. “The interesting thing about witches like you is how little most of you know about your own powers.”
“Have you known many witches?” she asked.
“One or two over the years,” he said. “I had a botany professor for a neighbor once who could not figure out why her early research was horribly skewed from her peers until she realized her very presence was making the plants grow.” He chuckled softly.
“Tobias… the point?” Gabriel frowned.
“The point is that Raven is a new witch whose power is to absorb magic through touch, not only the magic of others but the magic produced by a written spell. We took her to a magical realm where she absorbed everything she touched, with no ability to stop the flow of it. She was drinking from a fire hose from the moment she set foot in Paragon. I believe it was the inflow of magic that almost killed her.”
Raven held her head and tried to sit up. “I couldn’t tell. I didn’t feel it.”
Tobias shrugged. “Magic can be insidious.”
“Did we find the book?” Raven asked.
Tobias glowered at his brother.
“I found it,” Gabriel said, “but I was not able to take it, and I needed to get you out of there.”
Now her heart hurt as much as her muscles and bones. “You left it behind to save me?”
He kissed her temple. “We will find another way. It is far more important that you are safe.”
Tobias cleared his throat. “While I admire the sweet sentiment, it was a terrible risk we took only to leave behind what we were after.”
A heavy silence weighed down the room, and Raven’s eyes drifted to the fire.
“I need a drink.” Gabriel rose and limped around the bed.
“What happened to your leg?” Raven asked.
“Shot by an arrow. It’s healing. Where’s the bourbon?” He hobbled toward the kitchen.
She sighed heavily. “Pour me one,” she called.
She heard two glasses hit the counter and then the gurgle of decanting liquor.
“Is it true?” Tobias asked softly, low enough that Gabriel could not hear.
“Is what true?”
“Are you a descendant of Circe?”
“How should I know? I mean, my god, she’s a mythological figure from thousands of years ago. It would be like asking someone if they’re related to Ogg the cave dweller.” Raven glared at him. “Our family tree doesn’t go back that far.”
Tobias glowered at her.
Gabriel returned to the room and handed her the bourbon, still holding the healing amulet to his leg. “What’s going on here, Tobias? I’ll ask you not to stare at my mate like you mean to do her harm.”
Tobias shifted his gaze to Gabriel and held out his hand. “We had an agreement. Has your leg stopped bleeding?”
Gabriel removed the amulet and dropped it into his palm.
“Goodbye, brother.” Tobias gave a curt nod in Raven’s direction before striding for the door.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Once Tobias had left the room, Gabriel had a chance to truly examine what had happened. No amount of time apart would change his brother. He would always be the same dragon, both fiercely loyal and at the same time cynical. He could trust Tobias, but he already understood Tobias didn’t completely trust him. Clearly he didn’t approve of Raven, and his brother probably didn’t believe what Gabriel had told him about Eleanor.
Raven rested her head against his chest. “I’m sorry I ruined everything today.”
He stroked her hair. “It wasn’t your fault. I should have foreseen your reaction to the environment.”
“I shouldn’t have gone inside Aborella’s.”
“Why did you?”
“She baited me. She was brewing something called twinkle root. Aborella told me it’s irresistible to witches.”
“There are other witches living in Paragon.”
“Well, I was the only one in her shop.” She sighed. “It was irresistible to me.”
“My mother said that Aborella foretold your coming.”
“Yes, Aborella told me the same thing before I drained her.”
“You drained a fully grown fairy?”
“Until my skin turned purple and she was flat on the floor.”
He laughed and kissed the top of her head.
“Are you impressed with my mad absorption skills?”
“Maybe I’m relieved it wasn’t me this time.”
Raven took a deep breath. “I’m so tired. I feel like I’ve run a marathon.”
“Sleep. There’s nothing more we can do today. There might be nothing else we can do at all.”
“Don’t say that.”
“We are reaching the end of the rope, little witch. At some point, we need to hold on and enjoy what little time we have left.”
Raven sat up, her jaw tightening. “I can’t accept that. I won’t. If it comes down to that, you have to give Crimson what she wants.”
“You can’t be serious. She wants my power, Raven. The power that you absorbed when you made love to me, she will draw from me using her brand of magic, only with the curse lifted, that power will be unlimited. She will become even more of a monster, indestructible. Once won’t be enough for her. She won’t stop until I am her slave.”
“I know it’s not ideal, but at least you would be here. We could deal with the consequences together. We’ve tried every other way but the most obvious. We need to negotiate with her.”
Gabriel’s fist hit the bed. “Do you know what Crimson is? The night I met her, I could smell her power across Bacchus. Don’t believe for one second the lie she creates. She is no naive schoolgirl dabbling in rootwork and divination to make a few bucks off passing visitors. Crimson is a mambo. She’s terribly dangerous.”
“She’s our only hope of breaking this curse!”
Gabriel looked her directly in the eye. “No.”
Lips twisting, Raven rolled over and did her best to storm off the bed, but the skirt of Rowan’s red dress tangled around her legs. She ended up sliding off with a little hop. “Where’s my backpack? I need to get out of this thing.”
“I saw it in the living room,” Gabriel said.
Raven stormed into the next room to find her bag.
“You’re clearly hurting, Raven. Lie down and rest.” His fingers tapped against his thigh. Fuck. She’d been gone for less than a minute and he was already crawling with anxiety.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Gabriel,” she said, reentering the room. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. It’s my life too, you know. If I think there’s a chance of saving you, I’m going to do it. I will not go gently into that good night.” Dragging the backpack onto the bed in a way that looked painful and made Gabriel tap harder, she unzipped it and dug through the contents, pulling out yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt. An envelope slid out onto the bed beside her. She picked it up and twirled it between her fingers.
“What is that?” Gabriel asked.
“It’s an invitation to a krewe ball next Saturday. I was going to invite you to be my guest, but now that you’re acting surly, I’m not sure I want to attend with you, even if it would be our last hurrah.”
Gabriel reached for it. “Which krewe?” he asked curiously.
“Krewe Prometheus.” She looked confused. “I assumed you were behind this.”
He shook his head. “New this year. I’ve never even met anyone in that krewe.”
Tentatively, Gabriel reached out and took the invitation from her, sliding it out from its envelope. As soon as he did, the ink began to smear, twisting in rivulets, then spirals.
“What is it?” Raven asked. She read over his shoulder as the letters re-formed at the center of the card stock.
You’ve dallied too long.
Your fate is sealed.
Unless you agree
to strike a deal.
One last
chance
or lose it all.
Bring your witch;
attend the ball.
No tricks or I will
pull the string,
unravel you and
everything.
Be wise, dear dragon
and consider my proffer
There will not be
another offer.
—Crimson
Time meant different things to different people. When Raven had been ill, the days in the hospital had seemed endless. She would have done anything to shorten the torment of those long, stretched-out moments of pain. Now the days blinked by. Every moment was a grain of sand trickling down the hourglass to the day she’d have to face Crimson.
Gabriel was growing weaker. He spent more than half the day in his treasure room now. Although Raven would have liked to spend hers curled into his side, she refused to give up. She absorbed grimoire after grimoire. There was nothing in this library that would break the curse. She was sure now. Delphine hadn’t been lying. Only Crimson could undo what had been done. But something here might help her defend herself or Gabriel against the mambo. She had to try.
“You look like you haven’t slept in days,” Gabriel said from the doorway.
Raven looked up from the sixteenth-century tome she was buried in. She folded herself into a wisp of smoke, blew through the room, and formed beside him. “I haven’t.”
“You’ve gotten better at that.”
“I’ve been practicing. Tobias was right. I don’t know much about my abilities. I’ve figured some things out. What I absorb doesn’t last forever unless I practice with it.”
“No?”
“The trick I did in Paragon, with the wings? I can’t do it anymore. I absorbed that from Aborella. I could taste her magic in my mouth like a piece of rotting fruit when I made the illusion of those wings grow out of my back. But I can’t do it anymore. It’s gone.”
“You need a mentor. Another witch could help you develop your abilities.”
Her eyes roamed over the rows of dusty books. “If we don’t find a way to stop Crimson, there will be nothing left to develop.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, Raven. I have an idea.” Gabriel strolled deeper into the room, sliding his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. He’d just woken up, but he already had dark circles under his eyes, and Raven didn’t miss the way his left leg dragged with each step.
He braced himself on the window frame. “Actually, you gave it to me. I was thinking about the day you almost jumped out the window.”
She peered at him through narrowed eyes. “I didn’t know you then. I thought you were a psycho. I was just trying to survive.”
“Exactly. That’s the most important thing, isn’t it? Survival?”
No, she thought. Not anymore. “What’s the idea?”
He turned toward her, the light flowing in from behind his head, burying his face in shadow. “You actually suggested it the day you touched my ring, but I wasn’t ready to consider it then. I will go back to Paragon. I will hide in one of the outer kingdoms, anywhere they won’t recognize me. Maybe among the elves. It will keep me alive, which will keep the magic inside you, will keep Duncan, Agnes, and Richard alive as well.”
Raven’s blood turned to ice. While she’d once thought that was a good idea, it now weighed heavily on her heart. “But… I can’t go with you. You saw what happened to me there.”
“No. You’ll stay here and you’ll live your life. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll split my assets among you. You’ll be a wealthy woman. Everything you’ve ever wanted will be at your fingertips. You can travel the world. You can go skydiving. Swim with sharks. Whatever makes you feel alive.”
“Sharks? Oh God, Gabriel.” Her hands were shaking. “I don’t want any of that if I can’t have it with you.”
“It’s the only way. You know I can’t give her what she wants. And both of us together aren’t strong enough to stop her from taking it. I am a shadow of my former self.”
“But if your mother and Brynhoff find you, they’ll kill you.”
“I will hide. The elves have been known to hide refugees.”
She buried her face in her hands. She hated this. Hated everything about the fact that he was right. It was the only way. And someday, when she was powerful enough to control her magic, she could track down Tobias and force him to take her there again. This wasn’t forever, but it would take the pressure off. And it would keep him from Crimson.
She nodded her head but couldn’t bring herself to say a word. He strode over to her and took her face in his hands, kissing her softly. “I’ll call my lawyer and have him finalize the paperwork to transfer my assets to you and the others. I’ll have to ask Tobias for help again. I’m not strong enough to make it to Paragon on my own.”
Pounding footsteps called their attention to the doorway where Richard appeared panting and out of breath.
“What is it?” Gabriel asked.
“Agnes didn’t make it in this morning. I’ve been calling her all day, but she wasn’t answering. I just got a text from her phone.” His voice cracked.
“Well? Where is she?”
Richard raised a shaky hand and handed Gabriel his cell. Raven crowded behind him, peering over his arm at the screen. It was a photo of Agnes, bloody faced and sagging. Her pale, aged limbs were chained to a brick wall. Raven gasped and started to cry.
Gabriel read the message that came with the photo. “Your presence is requested at Krewe Prometheus’s masquerade ball. If you don’t come, she goes.”
Gabriel dropped the phone. Raven caught it and swept it into Richard’s hands. She met Gabriel’s eyes, her jaw tightening with her scowl. “It appears the choice has been made for us,” she said. “We are going to the ball and we are facing Crimson.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I can’t believe this dress,” Avery said. “You are an island goddess.”
Raven stared at herself in the bedroom mirror, wishing she could be excited about what she saw. The dress was off the shoulder and floor-length with a slit that ran halfway up her thigh—sexy but sophisticated. But the real star of the show was the color. Gabriel’s oreads had designed a layered gown in peacock and teal that ignited the blue fire in Raven’s eyes. The bodice was adorned with beads that, knowing Gabriel, were actual precious gems, while the skirt was layered in strips to give it some fullness. It was a masterpiece and, along with the feathered blue mask, did make her look like the manifestation of an exotic island goddess. But she was too nervous about tonight to truly appreciate it.
Gabriel’s ring was almost completely black. At a time when they desperately needed it, he harbored little to no power, and Raven was not up to the task of facing a three-hundred-year-old mambo on her own. Crimson had Agnes. If they failed tonight, they could lose everything. Gabriel would turn to stone, and all they had risked would be in vain. Their only hope was to do what Crimson asked them to and pray she would break the curse as promised.
“Why so glum, sis?” Avery smiled at her in the mirror. “You’re going to have an amazing time.” She added the last pin to secure the back of Raven’s hair. It now hung a good inch below her shoulders. Avery had managed to make a gorgeous updo with the help of a hairpiece.
“I was just thinking about how I missed prom because I was sick. Not just mine—yours too. As your sister, it should have been me doing your hair. You’ve given too much of yourself to me, Avery. Thank you. I can never pay you back, but thank you.”
Avery kissed her sister on the cheek. “You’re not exactly a burden. So Mom did my hair. I knew you would have been there if you could. We’re family. Family isn’t always fifty-fifty. It’s not supposed to be. When you love someone, you do what you have to do for them and you don’t keep a tab.”
A horn honked from the street below.
Raven placed her hand on her sister’s. If she didn’t survive tonight, there was something she needed Avery to know. �
��I love you, Avery. No matter what happens, I want you to know that I want every good thing for you. I see what you do for me. What you do for Mom. Don’t be afraid to do things for yourself too. You deserve it.”
Their eyes connected in the mirror. “Wow, you’re deep tonight.” Avery laughed. “Thank you though. Maybe… someday… I’ll—”
The horn honked again from the street and Avery shook her head. “Your carriage awaits.” She handed over the elbow-length white kidskin gloves that finished the ensemble.
“I have to go. Whatever you were going to say, do it. And if you need money to do it, I’ll help. Gabriel pays me ridiculously well.” She pulled Avery into a tight hug.
Her sister looked absently toward the window. “Must be nice having a driver.”
“Duncan is a sweetheart. He almost makes it bearable.”
“Bearable? You don’t like door-to-door service?”
Raven smiled. “You know, I prefer walking.”
“Something tells me if this works out with Gabriel your lifestyle is going to change. Swimming pools, movie stars, baby.”
Raven smiled at her sister and grabbed her small beaded purse from the bureau. “Thank you for helping me get ready.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
They exchanged goodbyes, and Raven descended the stairs to the street where Duncan opened the back door of the car for her. When she slid in, Gabriel gave a long, low whistle. “Juniper and Hazel do nice work.”
“They certainly do.” Raven’s eyes raked over his rugged features and broad shoulders. Gabriel was like a miracle, a seductive presence that made her feel alive every time they were together. His fingers tapped and she took his hand, putting them to rest.
“I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you tonight,” he said. He looked at their coupled fingers, but the words dripped with the promise of more.
“If you are talking about any more than this, it’s too dangerous. I could kill you. You don’t have any magic to lose.” Even to Raven, her words sounded strained. The idea that she couldn’t touch him until this curse was broken caused a heavy ache behind her sternum.
The Dragon of New Orleans Page 24