Spell Bound (Darkly Enchanted)

by Stephanie Julian

  Touching Leo was like grabbing a live electrical wire. Sharp pain surged through Gabriel as Leo tried to hold on to the energy Gabriel wanted to drain away.

  “Leo!’ he shouted. “Leo, you’ve got to stop. You’re hurting Shea. Let her go.”

  Gabriel yanked at the boy’s arm, trying to get his attention but Leo showed no sign of hearing him. Gabriel didn’t want to hurt the kid, but if he didn’t release Shea soon, he was going to have to knock him out. First, though, he reached for Shea and Leo’s joined hands.

  And gritted his teeth against the force of power running between them. It took him several minutes but finally, he managed to separate their fingers.

  All that energy needed somewhere to go and it chose to bitch-slap Gabriel, driving him to his knees.

  Even so, he tried to reach Shea before she fell to the ground, unconscious, but just missed her.

  Leo blinked and looked around, as if coming out of a deep sleep

  “What…happened? I don’t feel good.”

  Gabriel pulled himself onto his hands and knees and crawled to Shea.

  “Gabriel? What’s—”

  Leo cried out at the sight of Shea crumpled in a ball on the ground next to him. Gabriel grabbed for him and missed. His body screamed in residual agony as he fell back to his knees. He wanted to curl into a little ball and wait for the pain to recede but he couldn’t.

  Leo sobbed over Shea’s unmoving body while Quinn held a slowly awakening Serena.

  “Quinn.” It hurt to speak, but he forced the words out as he dragged himself to his feet. “Take Serena back to the house.”

  “No,” Serena said, her voice weak but calm. “Let Quinn get Shea. You and I can help each other. Leo, sweetheart. Stop crying. Come here.”

  “Didn’t mean it.” The little boy sobbed out the words. “I’m sorry.”

  Serena pulled away from Quinn and took a few steps toward Leo, nearly fell then pulled herself together to reach for him. “Come with me, baby. Shea will be fine. Quinn’s going to take her back to the house and she’ll be fine.”

  Serena sounded confident and loving as she soothed Leo then got him walking back to the house, leaning on him, making him feel like he was helping her. And maybe he was. She looked ready to drop over.

  As Quinn lifted Shea in his arms, Gabriel heard her moan, and he released the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

  “Shea.” His voice sounded like sandpaper on wood. “Can you hear me?”

  “Come on, Gabe.” Quinn held Shea in both arms but used one hand to pull Gabriel to his feet. “Let’s get back. I don’t want to be stuck out here if someone got a hint of that power. It was enough to light up the entire eastern seaboard.”

  Shit. Quinn was right. Someone might have picked up on the disturbance they’d caused. The flow of magic in the earth had been disrupted. Leo had unknowingly gathered it to him and bent it to his will, something you didn’t attempt unless you knew what you were doing. He’d caused the natural order to unbalance for those few minutes. And for someone looking for a signal, this area had just lit up like a neon sign.

  Still, the wards on the property would hold. They had to. And as soon as they were feeling a little better, he and Serena would strengthen them. After they got Shea back to the house, he’d have Quinn take a run around the property.

  First, he needed to get everyone settled. And quiet the fear gnawing a hole in his stomach.

  * * *

  Quinn stepped naked out the back door, closed it behind him and took a deep breath of the now-still air.

  The house reeked with fear. Serena’s. Gabriel’s. Shea’s. Leo’s. Even his own.

  That had been too fucking close. And it’d happened so fast, he hadn’t been able to do a damn thing to help. It sucked to feel that powerless, to know you could lose someone in the blink of an eye.

  He could almost, almost, understand Serena’s reluctance to love him. If only—

  “Shit.” He had no time to think about this. It was his turn to be the protector. Closing his eyes, he reached for the place in his soul where he kept his wolf and unlocked it.

  If anyone ever asked how he went from human to wolf, the only thing he could tell them was, it was like opening a door and letting the animal walk through and into his body.

  And, fuck, did it hurt.

  That was the main reason there weren’t a lot of biters running around. Most biters, people who became versipelli by being bitten by one, went crazy from the pain and sheer lunacy of what was happening to their bodies. And then they usually killed themselves.

  Hereditary versipelli had years of training to handle their change before they hit puberty and actually went through it. Some got lucky, able to “flash” back and forth between their animal and their human skins without much pain.

  Not him, though. He had to bear the full brunt of contorting his entire being into the body of a different animal.

  Now on four paws, he headed toward the perimeter, the dark no hindrance. He’d never get lost in these woods. From the first moment he’d stepped on the property, he’d felt like he’d come home. That had been just after Davis and Nino had been killed. He’d helped Gabe bring their bodies here to be buried.

  It was the only time he’d ever seen Gabe upset by anything since Quinn and his dad, now retired and living in North Carolina, had moved into Davis’ rural Chester County home. Quinn had been twelve, sick with anger and despair. His mother had tried to kill him, to burn the house down around him as he’d slept. That wasn’t something you got over right away.

  Gabe had been fifteen and they’d bonded over a fistfight for some imagined slight. Nino had been six and idolized Quinn and his big brother. He’d died of a stray gunshot in Davis’s arms.

  He shook his head and caught a glimpse of full moon through the canopy. It’d been full the night Nino and Davis had died, too. He remembered because at fifteen, he’d only been able to change for about a year. That night, he still hadn’t been able to control it. He’d been the one to kill the man who’d murdered Davis, had torn him to pieces and almost went to work on Gabe before he could control the blood lust.

  When they’d arrived here with the bodies, Serena had stepped out of the house, intense sorrow on her face, but she’d thanked him for trying to save their lives.

  He’d fallen in love immediately, as he’d been meant to, he’d figured out later. What he hadn’t realized was that she’d known for years.

  Quinn stopped, nose twitching at an unfamiliar scent.

  It smelled like a car, but not one that burned fuel. He sniffed again. An electric car, small and nearly silent, idled at the bottom of the lane. Three men. He smelled magic on two of them. The one would be no threat at all. The other…magic leaked from his pores like cheap perfume. They stood on the edge of Serena’s sanctuary, undiscovered for nearly two-hundred years.

  Quinn took off at a dead run back to the house.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The women were out cold, each stretched on a couch in the peristyle.

  Serena had assured Gabriel she would be okay, she just needed a little rest. Then she’d closed her eyes and either passed out or sunk into a deep sleep. He’d wake her in a few hours, just to be sure.

  Leo sat on the floor next to his sister, holding her hand. She’d opened her eyes a few minutes ago, long enough to smile at Leo, nod to Gabriel and close her eyes again.

  He was feeling a little better. A stiff shot of Jack Daniels had helped the shakes and he’d eaten one of the two power bars he’d grabbed from the kitchen.

  “Leo, come here, bud.”

  The boy left Shea’s side reluctantly, looking as if he were about to get his butt smacked for misbehaving. Gabriel wasn’t sure how to make this better for him, didn’t know the right things to say, but he had to try. The kid couldn’t keep beating himself up over this.

  Leo lifted himself onto the cushion next to Gabriel but kept his eyes glued to the floor. Allowing instinct to take over, Gabriel l
ifted the little boy onto his lap.

  “I know you’re going to blame yourself for a while, Leo, but it wasn’t your fault. You’ve got to get over it, because I need you now.”

  Leo lifted his tear-stained gaze, mouth quivering. “I didn’t mean it.”

  Gabriel knew he should hug the kid, show some affection, but he was so damn rusty at it. He put his arm around Leo and gave him an awkward hug. Leo threw his arms around his waist and held on, silent sobs wracking his body.

  “I know you didn’t mean to hurt Shea. It was our fault…my fault for not taking more precautions. You’ve got a lot of power, Leo. You just have to learn how to control it.”

  “That’s what Daddy said.” Leo sniffled and wiped at his tears with the back of his hands. “When I did it at home. I hurt them, too.”

  Well, shit. That was probably how Dario had found them. He hoped Leo never realized that.

  “I’m sure they weren’t mad at you, either,” Gabriel said. “But that’s why your Uncle Matt’s coming.” He hoped. He still hadn’t heard from him. “He can teach you how to—”

  “Gabe! We gotta get ’em out of here. Gabe, where the hell are you?”

  His heart skipped a few beats as he stood, Leo in his arms. “Back here! What’s going on?”

  Quinn barreled through the doorway, naked and panting. “Three men, one with a shitload of power, bottom of the hill. It can’t be coincidence. We gotta get ’em out now.”

  Adrenaline dropped into his bloodstream with a fiery burn. “Get Serena. I’ll take Leo and Shea. Take her to the cave. Don’t wait for us, just get Serena up there.”

  Vaffanculo. After all this time. Dario’s men must have been closer than he’d thought. Even though they’d planned for this, Gabriel had never thought it would actually happen. The place was too well-shielded.

  He didn’t wait for Quinn. He shifted Leo to his back. “Hang on and don’t let go.” Then he picked up Shea, whose eyelids fluttered open for a second then closed.

  Leo’s voice shook as he whispered in his ear, “They want me?”

  Gabriel felt the boy’s fear like a punch low in his gut. “Yeah, well, they’re not going to get you. I won’t let that happen.”

  Leo’s arms tightened around his neck, almost cutting off Gabriel’s air. The kid couldn’t weigh more than fifty pounds, but Gabriel still felt a little out of it from earlier, and he had to carry Shea. But he wouldn’t fail.

  He couldn’t.

  * * *

  Shea’s body registered motion and a change in temperature as she fought back nausea and the headache grinding in her temples.

  She drew in a deep breath and smelled Gabriel all around her. Forcing her eyes open the tiniest bit, she realized they were back in the forest.

  And they were running. Actually, Gabriel was running, with her in his strong arms.

  “Leo—”

  “Shh.” Gabriel whispered in her ear. “He’s right here. Someone’s at the perimeter. Be quiet until we get to the cave.”

  Fear hit her broadside, making her stomach roll. They’d been found.

  Wrapped in Gabriel’s arms, she couldn’t tell how long it took them to get where they were going. She huddled in his arms the entire way—in pain, silent and terrified. When Gabriel stopped, she looked up to see a sheer rock wall. Did he mean to carry them up that?

  “Either of you claustrophobic?”

  Gabriel waited until she shook her head before he set her on her feet, one hand on her shoulder to steady her, and let Leo slide down his back.

  “Careful, the opening’s not that big.

  Actually, the opening was little more than a slit in the rock face that emptied into a cave, high enough to stand in and large enough to hold a small party.

  Quinn had lit a small lantern on the far side, near a ledge hewn into the stone walls. He’d laid Serena there and stood, staring at her.

  Leo’s gasp echoed through the chamber. “Oh wow.”

  She didn’t have a chance to see what made Leo sound so fascinated because Gabriel stepped into her line of vision, his gaze burning even in the dark shadows of the cave. “Don’t leave. Not for anything. Serena might be out for a while yet. I blasted her pretty hard to break the circle.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only outward sign that he was worried. And fear bit into her chest a little harder.

  “Keep Leo quiet and turn the light off when we leave, unless Leo needs it. I’ll replace the wards and they’ll hold. But if Quinn or I aren’t back by daybreak, assume we’re not coming.”

  His matter-of-fact tone felt like a blow to her head. His stoic expression never changed.

  “If we don’t make it back, after the sun goes down tonight, go to your buddy, James Riley. He’ll take care of you until Matt gets here.”

  “Gabriel, don’t—”

  “Make sure Serena doesn’t try anything stupid. Don’t you do anything stupid. For Leo’s sake.”

  “Gabriel—”

  “And if I do come back…”

  He dragged her against him and kissed her. Hard. She hadn’t been expecting it, but it didn’t take long for her to return his passion with her own.

  His kiss was an all-out assault on her senses. His scent nearly suffocated her, and when he swept his tongue past her lips, his taste exploded in her mouth. Throwing her arms around his neck, she clung and gave back as hard as she could.

  All her fear, all her pain, all the emotions she’d bottled up inside threatened to sink her into a dark place. Instead, she kissed the living daylight out of him and held tight to the fact that he kissed her just as ruthlessly.

  When he released her, his eyes remained closed, and his chest heaved like he’d just run a marathon. She liked knowing she had that power over him.

  When he opened his eyes to stare into hers, she knew what he was going to say before he spoke.

  “When I come back, we’ll finish that.”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. He didn’t move right away, staring into her eyes for a few brief seconds before brushing past her. But he didn’t go for the door.

  She watched as he squatted down beside Leo and looked him dead in the eyes.

  “While I’m gone, you listen to Shea. But you’re a grigorio, Leo, and we don’t scare easily. We fight and we win. The women need you to be strong for them, just like they’re going to protect you however they can.”

  Then Gabriel leaned close and whispered in Leo’s ear. And when Gabriel pulled back and his mouth quirked into a full-blown smile, Leo’s face split in a weak grin.

  “No problem.” Leo held out his hand, and Gabriel shook it.

  Gabriel nodded one more time then stood. “Quinn, let’s move.”

  Quinn pulled his gaze away from Serena and shook his head like a man coming out of a daze. Moving to stand next to Gabriel, he nodded to Shea and mustered a smile for Leo.

  “See you in a few.” Then he turned to Gabriel and his smile seemed almost normal. “Let us hunt some Orc.”

  Gabriel rolled his eyes as they turned to leave. “You watch too many damn movies, you know that?”

  Quinn grabbed at his chest, mimicking a heart attack. “Holy hell, did you actually see ‘Lord of the Rings?’ I thought you were above frivolous things like movies.”

  Shea couldn’t hear anything more as they passed through the rock.

  Leaving her alone with a six-year-old and an injured strega.

  “Don’t worry, Shea.” Leo tugged on her hand, drawing her toward the small light next to Serena. “It’ll be okay.”

  * * *

  Gabriel and Quinn doubled back to the house, but the intruders hadn’t reached it yet. They were making progress up the hill, though.

  Gabriel kneeled and dug his hands into the soil. Closing his eyes, he released his senses into the dirt, let them blend with the energy in the earth and extend outward.

  He sensed the animals in the forest and the living trees in the ground. Beyond that, he felt the definite signature of men
. He honed in on their location. It took several seconds, but he finally got a bead on them.

  They’d passed through the confusion spells ringing the outer reaches of the property, which meant they had a pretty damn powerful stregone with them. Or they were just damn lucky.

  Gabriel didn’t believe in that kind of luck.

  He tried to focus on the one with the most power, but they were shielding. They knew what they were up against, and they’d come prepared. Well, he’d make sure they weren’t prepared enough.