by C. L. Bright
“It’s dangerous to make assumptions based on appearance. That, combined with your obvious arrogance, could land you in serious trouble. I’m not weak just because I’m small.”
Dante laughed and got to his feet before reaching out a hand to help me stand. I hesitated before taking his hand.
“She makes a good point, Ambrose,” Dante told him. “Father often complains that you’re too cocky for your own good.”
Ambrose grinned. “He told me that just yesterday. Let’s try this again without me insulting you, Juliet. What are you doing out here alone? This isn’t your territory, and no matter how talented of a witch you are, it’s dangerous to go out alone, or is there another Shadow Walker out here?”
“I came out here to see Dante alone,” I explained. “My family wouldn’t approve of our meeting, so it has to remain a secret.”
It wasn’t a complete lie; there was no way my family would approve of me spending time with a warlock. I couldn’t imagine how my father would react to me kissing one.
Dear goddess!
I’d kissed a warlock!
“Why didn’t you tell me you were meeting Juliet for a little fun?” Ambrose asked with a grin. “I could have found an excuse to stay away longer.”
“He didn’t know I was going to be here.” I was getting good at this.
“She told me she couldn’t meet me here today, so I was surprised to see her,” Dante added. “She’s coming back with us.”
“No.” Ambrose drew out that one word. “She’s a cute witch, but Father would not be happy. Her family will be looking for her, and it will create some big problems if you bring her home.”
“Juliet’s the child of a mistress, so she’s barely accepted among her people,” Dante explained. “It’ll be fine. She’s more worried about their disapproval than I am. I don’t think they’d care as much about her meeting with me.”
“Ambrose is probably right,” I argued. “I should go home to my family.”
Dante glared at me. “Ambrose is right about the danger out here, especially this close to dark. You don’t even have a car with you.”
“You don’t have a car?” Ambrose asked. “How did you get this far without one?”
Our story was already unraveling.
“Does it matter?” Dante demanded. “We need to return home, and Juliet is coming with us.”
“All right,” Ambrose agreed with a sigh. “I’m not going to explain this to Father when we get back. You get to deal with his anger.”
“If it’s going to be that bad, I can leave,” I said once again. “I’m not helpless.”
“Don’t listen to Ambrose,” Dante told me. “No matter how good of a fighter you are, you shouldn’t be out here alone after dark. There’s also no way you’ll find a ride back at this hour, and we can’t drive you now. Besides, our father isn’t going to be home for the next couple of days. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I wouldn’t say there’s nothing to worry about, but my brother is right about our father being gone,” Ambrose stated. “You may be stronger than you look, but coming here alone was a bad idea. Wait! You’re both messing with me, aren’t you?” His attention shifted to Dante. “You planned to bring her back with us the whole time.”
Dante nodded. “I never could pull one over on you.”
“If you want her to come home with us this badly, then you have my support,” Ambrose assured him.
Dante squeezed my hand before leading me to what might be my death.
Chapter 5
Even before we entered Azuredale, I could tell it was nothing like my home at the Heathergate Refuge. A tall fence surrounded Azuredale. A few tall buildings were visible, along with the tracks of a rail system that moved high above the ground.
At the Heathergate Refuge, we didn’t have any buildings higher than two stories, and there was no need for an elaborate transportation system. Our homes surrounded the communal areas, and trucks were only driven into the main part of our community if we needed to transport heavier supplies.
Once we passed through the gates of Azuredale, I saw more cars zipping along the roads. Farther into the community, we passed large homes, all painted in bright yellow, green, or blue with white trim. A high fence surrounded each house.
“You’re quiet,” Ambrose remarked. “The only Shadow Walkers I’ve ever met were all too talkative.”
“Leave her alone, Ambrose,” Dante told him. “This is her first visit to Azuredale. I’m sure you remember your first time on the Peninsula. She must feel the same coming here.”
Ambrose nodded. “I can see why this might be a little strange for you, Juliet. I was surprised to see so many Tulureans living in little shacks.”
“They seem happy,” Dante remarked. “It must be nice not having to live with their entire family.”
Ambrose pulled up to the gate in front of one of the large houses and reached out to place his hand on the screen by the entrance.
The gate slid open, and I pushed down my fear as we entered. Another step into an inescapable trap.
No!
I refused to think that way.
I had to find a way back to my father. No way was I going to let Nidia win.
Dante might be able to tell me how to get home safely, assuming I could trust him. I’d still need to figure out a way to cross the Ivorfalls. I needed a bracelet.
“Juliet,” Dante said softly from the front seat.
I blinked twice, realizing I’d zoned out. We were parked in front of a large home with several other vehicles also parked outside. Ambrose had already left the car.
“Is this where you live?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’m going to try to get you to my room without anyone stopping us.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to sleep with you. If that’s all you want before you kill me, then let’s jump to the last part now.” I didn’t plan to make it easy for him to kill me.
Dante’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’m not planning to kill you.”
“What are your plans?” I demanded.
“I don’t know,” he admitted with a frustrated sigh. “There wasn’t time for me to think after I realized you’re not a witch.”
“Why did you think I was a witch?” I asked.
“Because you weren’t in animal form or naked,” he explained. “You also didn’t start hurling threats or spitting at me. Need I remind you that you didn’t correct me when I called you a witch.”
“Right, because I’m going to correct an executioner about my identity,” I grumbled before laughing at myself.
“There’s nothing funny about this situation,” he told me.
“Yes, there is,” I argued. “I was about to say that I’m not crazy, but I willingly came to the house of an executioner. That makes me at least a little crazy.”
“I’ve only killed familiars in self-defense,” he stated.
“What do you do with the ones you capture?” I asked.
“We bring them here to serve a spellcaster,” he replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s the way things are meant to be with our kind.”
“Ha! That’s just an excuse to justify slavery.”
Dante sighed and looked around. “We can’t have this conversation here. The longer we sit in this car arguing, the more likely it is that we’ll run into someone else. Ambrose is harmless, but that’s not the case with all of my family. Can we please go up to my room to figure this whole mess out?”
“Fine,” I agreed with a huff. “I guess I don’t have much choice now.”
“Neither of us has much choice,” he added. “We’re both lying about your identity, and I’ll also be in a lot of trouble if the truth comes out. Does that make you feel any better?”
“A little,” I admitted, though I seriously doubted anyone would kill Dante if we were found out. He wouldn’t be in nearly as much trouble as I would, but he was right about this not being the place for our discussion.
I didn’t need to attract the attention of any more spellcasters. “Let’s go inside.”
Chapter 6
We didn’t make it far before a soft feminine voice stopped us.
“Where are you going, Dante?”
He gripped my arm and began walking faster without turning to look at the witch behind us. “Up to my room, Serena.”
“Uh, no,” she called out as she jogged until she was at my other side. “You can’t bring a witch from a good family up to your room.”
“Really?” I asked the question without realizing it might give me away. Shapeshifters didn’t have any rules like that.
“No, not really,” she admitted with a laugh. “I couldn’t come up with a better excuse to meet you. I’m Serena, Dante’s cousin. Ambrose told me Dante had brought a Shadow Walker home with him, but I didn’t believe him until I saw you. You don’t look too much like your family. If it weren’t for your eyes, I’d never have believed you’re related. You are a tiny witch. Don’t take that as an insult. It’s just that I’m used to being the short one. You’re the first witch I’ve met who’s shorter than me, unless you count children. You should stay with us.”
Dante had stopped walking, and he seemed to be doing his best to remain calm and patient as Serena continued talking. She was only a few inches taller than me with long, curly black hair and the same silvery-blue eyes as Dante and Ambrose. She was also holding a large knife and waving it around as she talked.
“Are you done?” Dante asked with twitching lips when she finally paused.
“Are you going to answer any of my questions?” Serena started to cross her arms in front of her chest before remembering the knife.
“You didn’t ask a single question,” he told her.
“I didn’t?” she asked as she looked at me.
“Not that I recall,” I replied.
“We’re going to my room,” Dante announced.
“Come on, Dante. I’m so bored,” she complained.
“And who’s fault is that?” he asked. “You’re the one who broke the rules and got put on house arrest.”
Serena rolled her eyes and turned her attention to me. “Dante is such a stickler for the rules. You should find a warlock who can have more fun.”
“I don’t think he’s that much of a stickler for the rules. If he never broke the rules, I wouldn’t be here. Ambrose thought bringing me here was a bad idea.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she agreed. “This is why I think we’re going to be good friends. I like people who can get Dante to remove the wand he always has shoved up his backside. Admittedly, you’re the first witch I’ve met who can do that. Normally, he brings home witches who are as dull as he is.”
“How do you know she’s not dull?” Dante asked.
“I don’t,” Serena admitted. “I’m just assuming she’s more interesting since she’s not sneering at me now that she knows I broke a rule big enough to end up on house arrest. Your other witches just look down their noses at me.”
“You make it sound like I bring many witches back here,” he told her before looking at me. “I don’t. She’s curious about you because this doesn’t happen often.”
It wasn’t any of my business, yet I was glad he didn’t bring many witches to his room.
“He really doesn’t,” Serena assured me. “Dante is too dull to have a lot of torrid relationships with witches.”
“You’re awfully blunt this evening,” Dante remarked. “Did I do something to make you angry?”
She shook her head and sighed. “It’s this stupid truth spell Nicolas put on me.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. “A truth spell?”
She nodded. “Yes, he thought it would be funny. I don’t think he was nearly as amused after I told him what I think of him.”
“You really should avoid Nicolas.”
“I try,” she insisted before looking at me. “Nicolas is awful. He’s my least favorite cousin. You should stay away from him, too.”
“He’s my older brother, and he and Serena don’t get along,” Dante explained. “Listen, Serena, I promise to let you hang out with us another time.”
“Fine,” she relented with a sigh as she threw her arms out to her sides in a dramatic fashion.
Dante barely pulled us out of the way in time to avoid being sliced open with the knife. “You need to find a sheath for that knife before you kill someone.”
“It would take too long to pull the knife out if I need it.” A look of genuine concern crossed her face before she smiled and said, “I’ll see you both later.”
We started walking again after Serena left us, and I suddenly felt the need to fill the silence left by her absence. “What did Serena do to get into so much trouble?”
Dante stopped in front of a door and placed his hand on a small screen to unlock it. “Serena doesn’t have the heart of a hunter. She’s soft. If it weren’t for my family’s position, she’d be in even bigger trouble.”
That answered nothing.
He gestured for me to enter the room, saying no more on the subject of Serena.
“And you aren’t going to answer my question,” I muttered.
“No, I’m not,” he replied as he took a seat on the edge of his bed and regarded me. “You’re not one of us, and I don’t know if I should tell you any Azurean business. Who’s to say you won’t use it against us?”
“I’m not exactly in a position to use anything against you,” I pointed out as I looked around his huge room.
He had a large bed with deep red bedding. He also had a sitting area with a sofa and two chairs. There was a table with books spread across it and a desk with a computer. The door to the bathroom was open, and I caught a glimpse of the large tub. With his drapes pulled back, I could see the sun setting over the garden below.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured to the sitting area.
“I’d rather stand for now.” I began pacing the room. “This situation has me far too edgy to relax. Why did you bring me here?”
I stopped pacing and met his gaze.
“Why did I bring you here?” He appeared to be asking that question of himself. “There wasn’t time to think this through before I told Ambrose I was bringing you back here. You felt that thing with our energy, right?”
I nodded. “I felt it. Is that what happens when you take energy from a shapeshifter?”
“You’ve never experienced it?” He didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Of course not. You’re a rogue, so all you do is steal from us and occasionally kill a spellcaster.”
I glared at him. “I’m not a rogue.”
“Then where’s your bracelet?” he asked as he gestured to my arm.
I let out a defeated sigh and sat on the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest. “Gone. My stepmother and some traitors drugged me and took it. They must have also put me in that trap.”
“Why would they do that?” he asked.
“Because she wants her son to take over as leader of the Heathergate Refuge. I’m the oldest child. This was supposed to be my first trip to the trading post as part of my training.”
His eyes softened, but he still looked skeptical of my story. “If they wanted you out of the way, then why didn’t they kill you?”
“I don’t know.”
I buried my face against my knees and did my best to hold back my tears, not even looking up when Dante sat beside me and slipped an arm around my shoulders.
“Maybe it’s best if you don’t know why they left you alive,” he stated.
“How can that be for the best?” I demanded.
“Are you hoping they did it out of kindness?”
“That would be nice,” I admitted. “Nidia’s never liked me, but there’s always been this part of me that hoped that would change. My mother died shortly after I was born, so I don’t have any memories of her. When my dad brought Nidia home as his mate, I thought she’d be my new mother. Why am I telling you all of this?” I shook m
y head. “It must be the drugs.”
“Do you know what kind of drugs they used on you?”
“It could have been one of several tranquilizers.” I pulled away slightly to look at him. “My story sounds farfetched, doesn’t it? I don’t blame you if you’re having trouble believing me.”
“It’s definitely hard to believe,” he agreed as he encouraged me to rest my head on his shoulder again. “I shouldn’t believe a word of it, but I do.”
“I’m lucky you’re the one who found me. How could my own stepmother have put me in that situation? She wanted me to be tortured before I died. I hate to imagine where I’d be had someone other than you found me.”
“She may not have thought we’d hurt you,” Dante pointed out.
I snorted. “Everyone knows your kind is cruel and sadistic when it comes to interactions with unprotected shapeshifters.”
I sat up straight, and he pulled his arm away as he glared at me. “We’re cruel? You obviously don’t know your history, Juliet.”
“Oh, please enlighten me. Tell me what could possibly justify the abuse of shapeshifters,” I said with a wave of my hand. The rumbling of my stomach ruined my haughty pose.
“I’m going to get you something to eat first,” he announced as he stood and started toward the bedroom door.
“I don’t want any food,” I argued.
“Could you do me a favor, Juliet?”
I shrugged. “It depends.”
“Could you just eat the food I bring you?” he asked. “You’re obviously hungry.”
Though I wanted to argue, it seemed silly. I was hungry, and I needed my strength if I planned to find a way home.
“Fine,” I agreed. “I’ll eat.”
He nodded. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t answer the door if someone knocks.”
He didn’t give me time to respond before leaving me alone in his room.
Chapter 7
While Dante was out of the room, I snooped around only to find that he didn’t have much to look at other than a bunch of books in a language I couldn’t read. I decided to check the bedroom and bathroom windows.