“Angie?” I asked, darting a glance at Rourke. “If it’s her, we need to find her.” This was big. I addressed the group. “Rourke and I will go after her. Tell Ray to take the sky when he gets here.”
“I’m going with you,” Marcy insisted. “She’s a powerful witch. If we try to capture her, we’re going to need my spells. There’s no way you’re taking her otherwise.”
“If Marcy goes, I go,” James said.
“Okay, fine.” I couldn’t argue with sound logic. “The rest of you head back to the Compound. We’ll find our way back when we’re done.” Tyler looked like he was getting ready to argue, and I held up my hand. “You’re wasting time debating this. There’s no way we can all go, we’ll attract too much attention. Head back to the Compound, get Danny some fresh clothes, keep an eye on Julian, and wait for Dad. We won’t be long. We’ll either find her quickly, or we won’t.”
Tyler nodded once. “We’ll see you back there.”
Rourke was already halfway down the street, and I hurried to catch up, careful not to run too quickly. We had to blend in with the humans around us. Marcy and James had gone down to the next block over. We were tracking the witch’s scent and would meet in the middle. Once I was shoulder to shoulder with my mate, I asked, “Sense anything?”
I received a growl in response. “I never forget a signature. And hers is all over here. There’s so much of it, my guess is she is staying somewhere close by. When I find her, she’s going to be sorry she ever met me.”
“Easy there, big fella,” I told him, grabbing his hand. “You’re not going to be able to tear her head from her shoulders today. Plus, we’re going to need her for questioning. If she’s here, alive and well, it has to have something to do with Ceres, which, in turn, has something to do with Tally. It’s a lucky break Marcy spotted her.”
When we’d first met Angie, she’d tricked us into going out under heavy sorcerer fire on a moped that wasn’t spelled, putting both our lives in danger. And, in general, she was a royal pain in the ass. We’d almost died. Rourke had vowed that if he ever set eyes on her again, he’d kill her.
“Her being here doesn’t surprise me in the least,” Rourke said, his emerald irises flashing, his predator side at the forefront. “If she’s dumb enough to stay in this city, we’ll find her. I can’t guarantee I’m going to be magnanimous when I do, but I’ll allow you to question her before I end her life.” As much as I disliked Angie—and I did wholeheartedly—I was from a different era than Rourke. Settling our differences with death wasn’t my first choice. But I was going to reserve judgment until we found out what Angie had to say.
Rourke wouldn’t kill her unless we agreed, no matter how angry he was.
We followed her scent trail for a few more blocks, turning right, coming face-to-face with Marcy and James. “Pick up on anything new?” I asked Marcy.
“No,” she groused. “Nothing concrete. My nose is not as good as yours, but she’s left a magic signature around this neighborhood. When a witch casts spells, they leave a residue, especially if the witch who is casting doesn’t give a crap who finds her trail. As a child, you learn to clean up after yourself. But I guess I’m thankful she’s a sloppy amateur. Her signature is particular, too, which is why I remembered it. It tastes like onions and Pop-Tarts.” I made a face. “Yup, it’s as unappealing as it sounds.”
Rourke stalked across the next street, his nose in the air. “Her scent ends here.” We all looked up, scanning the buildings.
In the next instant, Ray was beside me. “Errant witch on the loose, I heard?”
“That’s correct,” I answered, proud of myself for not startling. “A particularly scheming one too. She’s the one who led Rourke and me astray when we were trying to escape the Coven when the sorcerers attacked. She is Ceres’s little sister.”
“The goddess?” Ray said, and when I nodded, he whistled.
“The very same,” I answered. “My guess is Ceres has Tally. When I killed Ardat Lili, a shockwave blasted through the supernatural community. Ceres must’ve been in tune to the message and knew the Coalition needed a witch. Tally is the most powerful witch around, and the likely choice. From the little I know about Ceres, she’s self-centered and spoiled. I’m sure she felt like she should’ve been given the mantle of Coven leader when the former witch leader died years ago, but the power passed over her and went to Tally.” That had made for one pissed-off goddess.
But you can’t argue with power.
It chooses its own master.
Who knew how the process worked, but the power of a Sect always found its true leader. And once it did, it infused that person with superior strength, allowing the chosen one to lead the group. It was how it had been for millennia.
Marcy nodded. “Now that I’ve seen Angie here with my own eyes, I’m confident Ceres has Tally. The witches who I’ve been in contact with since her disappearance must be hedging their bets. If Ceres wins, she’ll be the new leader of the Coven, and these witches will owe her fealty, so they are hesitant to cross her. It’s totally slimy, but understandable. Ceres has enough power to render them infertile, which is her specialty. That’s a big threat for a witch. We’re only fertile every few years as it is. I just hope my old, crotchety aunt holds on. If Tally comes out on top, the witches who have kept quiet have lost nothing.”
I nodded. “It looks like we’re going to have to find a witch in this town who will trust us, and who is ultimately on Tally’s side. It’s not Angie, that’s for sure.”
We crossed over the next street to where Rourke was standing. Marcy’s fingers were up. “Angie cast a spell here a few moments ago.” Marcy muttered something under her breath. “She’s masking herself, but I can’t tell as what. I don’t know what Angie’s special talents are. I wish I did. She could have excellent glamour skills and now looks like an Italian bag lady who smells like olives.”
I angled my nose in the air and took in a breath. Are you picking up on anything? I asked my wolf. She responded with a frustrated bark as she tossed our energy outward in every direction. After a moment, it came back empty. “I’m getting nothing,” I said. “In fact, there’s not an unknown supernatural within a mile radius around us at the moment. Unless she can cloak herself like a master spell crafter, she’s not here.”
“I say we keep looking,” Rourke said, beginning to pace. “She’s not that smart. We witnessed that firsthand. That leaves room for mistakes. Who knows how long she can hold on to a complicated spell?”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Let’s scour a few blocks in every direction and see what we come up with. If we don’t pick up on anything, we’ll have time to look again tomorrow. She has to know we’re on to her, or she wouldn’t have taken the time to spell herself so well.”
“My guess is she was sent to spy on us,” James said, arching his head around to glance up at the buildings. “If I was Ceres and knew we were in town, which she must, I would have someone tail us. It would have to be someone she trusts, and who better than her sister who has a grudge against you?”
Rourke nodded. “That sounds about right. If we can’t track her here, another way we can get to her is pretend we’re not looking for her and let her find us.”
“Yeah,” Ray said. “And let’s not forget she won’t be expecting an attack from above. I’m just the guy for the job.”
* * *
We searched in vain for another few hours, but came up short. There hadn’t been a whiff of anything, not even a single sweat molecule. Angie was nowhere to be found. We’d finally hailed a cab and had it drop us off a mile from the Compound.
Ray had gone ahead.
“It’s going to be hard to get my father away from Julian tonight,” I said as we walked along the picturesque road leading to the villa. It was late afternoon. The sun would set in an hour or two. “We can’t discuss any of this with Julian or his wolves.” That put us at a distinct disadvantage. How were we going to come up with a plan before dawn? We didn’t even kn
ow where we were supposed to be heading, as Danny couldn’t remember anything yet. Enid had to have more up her sleeve. She wouldn’t let a valuable captive go without a good reason.
“I’ve been in contact with Callum on and off today,” James said. “He’s aware of most of what’s been going on. He trusts our read on Julian. We will be discreet until we can find time to talk amongst ourselves.”
“If it doesn’t happen tonight,” Rourke stated, “we’ll head into town before dawn and talk about it then. We’ll find a way.”
“If Julian leaves at any time during the night, I can put a containment spell around you guys while you discuss things,” Marcy said. “In fact, the first thing I’m going to do when I get back to the villa is scour the house for spells and whatnot. There might be a chance Julian and Ceres are working together. I wouldn’t rule it out. Powerful supernaturals often align, especially at a time of upheaval.”
With everything that was going on in our world, upheaval was a kind word.
“Did anybody remember to ask Lucas if he knows who Julian’s sleeping with?” I asked. “What if the two of them are together? That would thicken this plot considerably.”
“A witch and a wolf?” James joked as he slung his arm around Marcy’s shoulders. “I highly doubt it.” He pulled her close, running his stubble over the top of her head. “You have to be made of sterner stuff than Julian is to put up with a witch.”
Marcy elbowed her mate, giggling. “Ceres did start out as a witch, but she’s been a goddess for several centuries. And a powerful one at that. I don’t think they’re a mated pair, but like I said, power attracts power, especially from two people who desire it above anything else in the world.”
“Is Ceres beautiful?” I asked curiously. “Julian seems to indulge in vanity.”
“Do ducks float?” Marcy chuckled. “Do gerbils love to run around in clear balls?” Um, maybe? “She’s stunningly beautiful. We’re talking flawless beauty. Most gods and goddesses are. Back in the day, they had to get people to believe in them and pray for them. Nobody is going to put faith in a toothless bag lady. They’d just run screaming. So, yes, she’s a looker.”
I chuckled. “Only you could put ducks, gerbils, and flawless beauty into one sentence. You’re talented, my friend.”
“I don’t think Nick had a chance to talk to Lucas while we were out,” Rourke said. “But I hope he did on the way back. If Ceres and Julian are together, it’s going to complicate things tenfold.”
We were getting close to the villa, so we had to wrap up our discussion. “We say nothing more until we get to a place where we can talk freely.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
As we neared, Julian opened the front door and walked onto the veranda. “Sounds like you had quite an adventure today,” he called. “Sorry to have missed it. I had business that couldn’t wait. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“We had a good day,” I answered. “And of course we forgive you. We were happy to find our friend Danny, so it was a productive day.” I knew no one had divulged any details to Julian about what had transpired with Danny’s rescue.
“It seems he took a little dip in the Arno River,” Julian replied. “I can’t wait to hear the details.” Even from this distance, I could see the hard look in Julian’s eyes. He didn’t appreciate being left out when things were happening on his turf.
We’re going to have to give him some details, I said to Rourke. He’s an Alpha, he can scent a lie. He won’t be content with half a story.
Let me take the lead, Rourke replied. He doesn’t respect you, or your power. Hostile energy radiates from him. If I give him the story and tell him that’s that, it will be done.
Fine with me, I answered. But with Julian, I don’t think it will ever be done.
15
We were all seated around the big kitchen table once again. We’d just finished a late afternoon meal of pasta and fresh vegetables prepared by Lucas. It’d been utterly delicious. My father’s plane was about to land in less than an hour, and we were heading out to the landing strip soon.
Ray was prowling the grounds somewhere, and Eudoxia was gone. Otherwise, we were all accounted for. During the meal, we’d stayed away from any big topics, keeping the conversation light. Julian hadn’t pressed us yet for Danny’s rescue story, which was fine by me.
Marcy’s chair scraped over the tile floor as she stood. “If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to head upstairs and change before we go.” She inclined her head at me. “Julian was kind enough to get us all some toiletries and some new clothes when he noticed we hadn’t brought much luggage.”
Some days, I wished I had an internal connection with Marcy. Other days, I was as happy as a clam that we didn’t. Having her in my head would’ve driven me slowly insane, but it would’ve been completely useful right about now.
Her voice had come out even, but there was something she wanted me to see. I nodded along with her. “Changing might be a good idea,” I agreed as I stood. “I’ve been in these clothes for days.” I addressed Julian, who sat at the head of the table. “It was incredibly nice of you to think of us. Buying supplies hadn’t even entered my mind today.” My gaze settled on Kayla, who was the only other woman in the room. “Would you like to join us?”
“Sure,” she said, pushing her chair back.
“If you’ll excuse us, we’ll go freshen up,” I told the assembled group. “We’ll meet you guys on the terrace in a few minutes, then we can head over to meet my father’s plane.”
Julian rose, walking around the table. “Take your time,” he said. “The plane won’t land for another forty minutes. The wolves and I”—he glanced over his shoulder at my team—“will have a cigar on the veranda while we wait. I am still eager to hear how you ran into your friend today.” His voice held an unmistakable order.
He was done waiting.
“No problem,” I said. “We’ll only be a few minutes. The guys can fill you in on some of it while you wait.” As I turned and walked away, I said to Rourke, I’ll let you know what happens. Marcy’s either found something, or she has something to tell me. We won’t be long.
I knew Rourke would handle it, but alerting Julian to exactly what was going on would open a lot of questions. Ones we weren’t able to answer. It would piss him off to be kept in the dark, but there was nothing that could be done.
Kayla and I followed Marcy up the right side of the massive curved stairway. It was crafted of white marble, totally ornate and gorgeous, with a wrought-iron banister. Marcy made a beeline toward a room near the end of the right wing. Eudoxia’s room had been on the left.
I was about to say something, but she turned, bringing a single finger up to her lips. She shook her head as she slowly opened the door, motioning for us to follow her into the room. I wasn’t moving fast enough, so she hooked her hand under my elbow and, with surprising strength, yanked me the rest of the way in, shutting the door firmly behind us. I gave an unladylike, “Ooof,” as I stumbled. “You don’t have to be so—”
She glared at me, effectively silencing me.
Then she smiled sweetly at Kayla, who hadn’t said a word. She began to walk around the room, arms animated, making small talk. “Isn’t it gorgeous here? This is my room with James. You and Rourke are next door on the end, and Kayla and Tyler are across the hall.” My eyes darted to Kayla, who blushed and bowed her head, but didn’t deny she was sharing a room with my brother. Marcy picked up a pair of jeans and a white blouse that had been neatly folded on a massive king-size bed and began to disrobe. “There are so many new smells here in Italy.” She arched an eyebrow at me. “The scents are only a little like home.” She donned the pants quickly. “Don’t you think?”
My wolf was already processing the air as I began to pace. It wasn’t until I reached the closet that I picked up on something. My head shot to Marcy.
She grinned and nodded, tapping her finger to her temple.
Angie had been here.
&
nbsp; I opened the closet door, announcing in a singsong voice, “Oh, good, they have robes here.” It was an asinine thing to say, but I had to fill the void. Small talk had never been my specialty.
It seemed Angie had spelled the room to get rid of her scent, but had forgotten the closet and that smells tended to permeate spaces. Her signature lingered in the corners as I moved the hangers around to inspect it further.
This meant only one thing.
Ceres and Julian were together in some aspect, and Ceres had likely sent her sister here to keep tabs on us, like James had thought originally, with Julian’s permission.
I closed the closet door and turned to see Marcy holding a pad of paper and a pencil. She turned the tablet to me so I could read it.
DON’T SAY ANYTHING IMPORTANT. ENTIRE VILLA IS SPELLED.
I walked over and took the pad from her and began to scribble.
CAN YOU COUNTERSPELL IT?
She arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me like I was a moron and plucked the pencil out of my hand like she had better places to be.
OF COURSE. BUT IF I DO, IT WILL ALERT MS. NASTY WE’RE ON TO HER.
I nodded as I tore the paper from the pad and folded it up, sticking it in my back pocket. Angie was incompetent in so many ways, but we didn’t want her to know we were on to her just yet. Her haughty expression and sneering gaze were forever etched into my mind. It made me wonder why Ceres would trust her with such an important task.
Who knew? Maybe the goddess had only her to depend on, which was kind of sad in a way. But not sad enough to keep me from kicking her ass seven ways from Friday.
Kayla had been quietly processing everything, not saying a word.
Blue Blooded: Jessica McClain Book 6 Page 11