by Lola White
“No, Grandfather, never.” She bit back a whimper when Silviu released her and took a step from her side, but it would only incite a fresh wave of wrath if they huddled together.
“How does he know of you?” Alexandru shifted forward, his face paling, his words roaring past them all.
Vasile flinched but answered calmly. “He saw Ileana at her betrothal celebration four years ago. He’s now looking for a wife and knew that betrothal was broke—uh, was inadequate for our Family’s needs. He suggested he would be a better choice for alliance.”
Alexandru’s sharp-eyed glare didn’t leave Ileana’s face. “You’ve never spoken to him?”
“No, Grandfather.”
“You lie.”
Ileana shook her head desperately. “No, sir.”
Silviu shifted, drawing their grandfather’s attention. “Sir, Ileana’s a female. What would she know of developing a political alliance?”
Ileana ruthlessly tamped down a flare of outrage and forced back the hot streak of rebellion snarling in her soul. In spite of being her future they discussed, the men of her Family wouldn’t tolerate her interference. She didn’t think her brother believed his own words, but his arrogant statement had the desired effect on their grandfather.
“True.” Alexandru leaned back in his chair, dismissing her from his thoughts as his gaze transferred to Costel. “What say you, boy?”
Of Vasile’s three children, Costel was, by far, the slowest in understanding wider political ramifications. He always took his time in speaking as he ordered his thoughts. “They are a very large coven, sir.”
“It’s a preposterous suggestion,” Alexandru said. “An initial meeting and, if all parties are satisfied, an immediate betrothal agreement, followed directly by a wedding.”
Vasile and Silviu exchanged a glance Ileana read easily. The Levy Family didn’t want to risk any broken agreements, something her grandfather was famous for.
Costel, however, didn’t follow as easily as his sister. “It is curious, Grandfather. I wonder what their game is.”
“There isn’t one,” Vasile insisted quickly. “I believe that Eliasz very much wants Ileana, and he recognizes, as we do, that any alliance between our Families could only be beneficial to us all.”
“He wants her in his bed.” Alexandru ran his gaze over Ileana’s body, the calculating gleam in his eyes making her skin crawl with fear. The need to tug at her clothing was overwhelming.
“Very probably.” Vasile grimaced but gave a quick nod. Then he rushed to add, “The Levys have both money and power, Father. Eliasz has a decent standing in his Family and among the patriarchal covens.”
Alexandru’s expression smoothed out and everyone in the room held their breath. It was the old man’s thinking face, and any who interrupted his thoughts was likely to be lashed. Tension soared, a tangible current over Ileana’s skin. Her fists clenched and she locked her knees against the tremor threatening to weaken her stance.
She prayed her grandfather would agree to the match. Ileana wanted freedom from the old man. If she had to marry the Christians’ Devil to gain it, she would gladly slit her own throat to seal the betrothal in blood.
Finally, Alexandru nodded. “All right. Vasile, you will contact the Levys and agree to meet them.” His tone and the wicked glint in his eye told Ileana that he was up to something beyond her comprehension. He looked at Silviu when he said, “But we will only go if the Davenold atrocity is included.”
Silviu’s spine snapped straight hard enough that Ileana heard the soft popping of his vertebrae. She struggled to keep her own reaction hidden, even as Vasile stiffened, his eyes locked on his father’s smug smile as the ability to speak deserted him.
“If we go to meet Ileana’s potential husband, we might as well have Silviu’s inferior bride there as well. After all,” Alexandru’s voice went frighteningly soft, “she’ll be Family, too, one day.”
Vasile cleared his throat. “Of course. I’ll deliver the invitation myself.”
Chapter Two
Silviu
Silviu gathered his patience, quietly waiting for his father’s attention. He kept his features carefully blank, giving away none of the expectation rising in his heart. He and Ileana had meekly followed their father from Alexandru’s office but Silviu hadn’t said a word since, too preoccupied with thoughts of Georgeanne Davenold.
His betrothed.
His love.
His Magic Match.
He knew it in his bones, in his soul, that she was the one witch in the entire world whose magic worked on the same frequency as his, giving them the opportunity to create a bond that would make them into a force to be reckoned with. Because of what she was, because of what he was, they could unlock each other’s full potential, a combined power strong enough to rule the witching world.
He’d been searching for Georgeanne for ten years, with no success. Always a step behind, a few days late, he’d hunted her over the globe as she traveled ceaselessly, acting as her Family’s ambassador. He had no idea where she stayed when she wasn’t pressed into diplomatic service by her stubborn old grandmother—he only knew it wasn’t at the main Family estate in New Hampshire.
His father finally deigned to turn from his reflection in the window, waving toward the two deep chairs before the desk. Ileana immediately curled into one, but Silviu remained on his feet, calmer upright for the moment.
“I’ll call the Davenold Mother in just a short while and put our request to her. It’s not late, in the States.”
Silviu struggled to hide his excitement, his predatory anticipation. “Will she agree, Father?”
“I’ll make sure she does. I’ll tell her the Levys extended the invitation. As a whole, they’re too influential to ignore.” Vasile jerked his chin. “I’ll also keep an eye on your grandfather, make certain he does nothing to offend the Davenolds. Georgeanne’s all but announced as heir—it won’t do to have it be known that he considers her an atrocity.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of her position.” Silviu reluctantly voiced one of the doubts that had been creeping around in his mind for a while. “It wouldn’t be a bad strategy to have two separate centers of power. Georgie’s been appointed to the Council, so Madeleine may choose her other heir to rule the Family.”
Vasile scowled. “The betrothal agreement we made was based on Georgeanne taking the Family power and using it to put you on the High Seat of the Council. Mother Madeleine would see the benefits of such a maneuver.”
“Unless she doesn’t have faith in my ability.” Silviu waved dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Everything will settle as you wish, Father. I’ll see to it.”
“The Davenolds who join us will be under constant supervision, Silviu. Do you understand me?”
“Certainly.”
“This event will give us an opportunity we’ve never had before. To see them interact in a patriarchal household, a high-stress situation for them, no doubt. Do they turn to Georgeanne as their natural leader or are her relations with her Family strained? I want to know what—”
“I imagine they’ll be trying to learn the same things about us, Father.” A mean smile curved Silviu’s lips.
Vasile grunted. “I’ll have the advantage of being able to observe her kin firsthand while Madeleine only gets hearsay.”
“Yes.” Silviu caught his father’s eye and deliberately tried to turn the subject. “But she’ll get quite an earful if Grandfather manages to call this wedding off, too. Ileana’s reputation can’t bear up under another—”
“Not this time.” Vasile shook his head. “The Levys are too important. This one I’ll seal with blood. Quickly.”
Silviu took a controlled breath, stilling his reflexive slump of relief. Ileana was a nervous wreck as it was, clearly to his eyes if no one else’s, waiting for the ax to drop as it had so many times before. Silviu couldn’t bear how tense she was in her chair, couldn’t stomach how many times her reputation had been ravaged by their gr
andfather’s greedy whims.
Vasile studied his son for a long time, but Silviu didn’t fidget. He’d been trained too well—better trained than even his brother, and expected to win greater success.
His father would accept nothing less.
Vasile was a hard taskmaster, a hard man in general, with the sole exception of when he became lost in his memories of his late wife. Then his craggy face would smooth, his bushy, dark eyebrows would rise and lend his too-serious face a softness that was quite telling. Vasile almost never spoke of Silviu’s mother.
And had certainly never said a word about the rumors that Alexandru might have killed her.
The older man’s sharp silver gaze swept over Silviu. “You will comport yourself as befits this Family. Don’t be an ass this time, there will be too many eyes on you.”
Silviu grimaced, losing his hostility. Letting his shoulders relax, he sighed and took a seat before his father’s desk. He stretched his long legs out and crossed his ankles. “I know. They’ll all be watching to see how we get along.”
“It’s a novelty. Most of the guests will never have had anything to do with Motherhouses, and they’ll be eager to see how your bride acts.”
“I’m sure Mother Madeleine will have made sure her heir’s got manners.”
“Of course, but your marriage will be unprecedented, bridging the Schism between matriarchal and patriarchal covens. That’s what people will want to see. Who is dominant, you or her? Who will be the leader of your little family unit? Who will wield the power in your future?”
“It should be Silviu,” Ileana pointed out. “He’s the patriarchal male. He’s naturally dominant.”
“And Georgeanne is a matriarchal female,” Vasile argued back. “Also dominant, and expected to inherit her Family’s power. She’s been specifically trained to wield great influence. The situation is complex.”
Silviu’s lips tightened. “As you recognized from the beginning, Father, when you forced Madeleine into signing the betrothal agreement in the first place.”
“Will Georgeanne really be eligible to lead her Family? Being Bane, she has no magic, so how could she inherit magic?” Ileana looked between the two men curiously.
“There is a void inside her waiting to be filled with the power of her bloodline. She’s the most qualified, though she has trouble controlling her words when she’s angry.” Vasile waved a hand. “No matter the familial competition, her fate was set the day she was born, the moment Madeleine agreed to the betrothal.”
Vasile’s determination and Silviu’s magical strength were what had tipped the scales for Madeleine Davenold. It was a win-win situation for her Family, extending the Davenold influence over both sides of the magical Schism. A lure the cunning old woman couldn’t refuse.
Especially since Georgeanne was Bane, and Silviu was the exact opposite.
“You will seduce her, Silviu.”
His father’s words dragged him out of his own thoughts and Silviu gave a single sharp nod as lust punched into his groin. “Of course. I have every intention of doing so.”
Vasile’s eyebrows lowered over a cutting gaze. “You bungled things ten years ago. You had no right to touch her then, and yet—”
“I had every right.” Silviu didn’t raise his voice, but his tone was sharp, unwilling to hear his father’s opinion for the thousandth time. “She’s mine. Has been mine since birth. What I do with her, or to her, is no one else’s business.”
“She was thirteen!”
“I was only seventeen, and we have been betrothed since she took her first breath.” Silviu pushed the words from his throat, struggling to keep them even.
“She was too young, and you’ve paid the price for that over the past ten years, haven’t you?” Vasile’s lips twisted. “They’ve kept her from you. Perhaps you could have had her by now, had you used an ounce of common sense back then.”
Silviu carefully moved his eyes past his father, hiding the regrets churning in them. His jaw felt as if it were set in stone, unyielding and tight, unwilling to bend to his father in this. The two Families had perceived Silviu as the villain for the past decade, but the only thing he’d ever regretted was getting caught.
“What in the hell possessed you to put your hands on her?”
It was a question Vasile had asked repeatedly, a question Silviu had no intention of ever answering. Never would he betray Georgeanne by describing the scene of heartbreaking loneliness he’d witnessed when he’d stepped into her room and seen her standing at her window, forehead pressed to the cold glass. Watching the festivities below but unable to participate. It was a night of magic, but she was Bane.
Ileana spoke up, repaying his earlier defense of her with a defense of him, though her soft words were much too close to the truth for his comfort. “It wasn’t entirely Silver’s fault, Father. It was Beltane after all, a time to renew our connection to the earth, to usher in spring and fertility, the promise of a fruitful future. A social event, though I remember Georgie as a lonely girl.”
“She didn’t look lonely when her father found us and dragged me from her bed. All too soon.” Silviu smiled thinly, thinking back. Georgeanne had looked dazed and flushed, lips swollen with her first taste of lust, her eyes wide with passion, her body soft against his.
Vasile growled. “And they sent her away for your crimes. Gone by morning, Silviu.”
Fighting to keep impassive, he flicked a gaze over his father’s face. Silviu had never agreed that what he’d done was wrong, but he was in the minority. He had learned his lesson well—he could never afford to give the game away, not even to the man who spent Silviu’s entire life scheming to wedge his youngest son into a position of great power. Vasile was a shrewd political player, and wouldn’t think twice about capitalizing on Silviu’s weakness if it meant furthering the goals he’d set in motion twenty-three years ago.
“Georgeanne Davenold is now old enough for me to do exactly as I wish to her, without her Family’s interference.”
Vasile stared at his son for a long moment, leaving Silviu feeling weighed and measured, evaluated in a way he’d grown used to, years before. It still wasn’t easy to keep calm under the silver stare.
“Don’t lose your head, my boy. This isn’t some female to take without consideration.”
Silviu hefted an eyebrow. “I’ve never had any complaints.”
Vasile scowled. “You put your damned heart on your sleeve and you’ll lose every advantage you’re likely to gain with that girl. She’s been molded in Madeleine’s image. Do not underestimate her.”
“That’s exactly what you wanted, Father. A woman as strong as Madeleine. Her entire life has been arranged by you for that very reason. She was always meant to be Madeleine’s second reign.”
“And your first, but she’s your weakness,” Vasile spat, abruptly leaning forward in his chair. One rigid finger drilled into his desktop, emphasizing his point. “I don’t know what the hell it is about her, but I could see it the moment you met. Do not jeopardize all we’ve worked toward for a female who will never allow you to be her weakness. She has her own agenda and, with the sole exception of that Beltane night, she’s never given us any reason to think she would be willing to put it aside to please you!”
Surprise held Silviu for a breathless moment, a hideous vulnerability sweeping over him at how easily his father had read him. He cleared his throat with effort. “We both want to lead the covens. What makes you think her agenda wouldn’t match mine, if properly explained to her?”
“You won’t win the heart of a matriarchal female,” Vasile countered. “You’re too…male, for any of them. So, don’t even bother to try.”
Silviu hid the fear spearing through him by slouching back in his chair, a deliberate insouciance that was all that ever truly fooled his father. “I know. It’s a political alliance, not a love match.”
Vasile lost some of the tension in his shoulders. “Only she can unlock your full potential, only she can prov
ide a conduit for all the magic that should rightfully be yours. Together, you could join the Families, power from both sides of the Schism. Just think! You will rule with your combined power over all the covens.”
“Just as you want, Father.”
With one last searching glance, Vasile shifted back in his chair, a crafty gleam sparkling in the depths of the eyes he finally turned on his daughter. “Eliasz wants you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed. “He doesn’t even know me.”
Vasile shook his head. “There is no earthly reason why the powerful Levys would want to ally themselves with our Family except Eliasz’s lust. We aren’t politically relevant.”
“But that will change,” Silviu said.
“Yes, but no one in the Levy Family knows the extent of my plans.” Vasile raised a brow at Ileana. “You will do everything in your power to keep Eliasz’s attention and win his heart. Do you understand me?”
Ileana’s eyes went wide. “Throwing me into Eliasz’s bed, then?”
Vasile pointedly eyed the tiny skirt riding high on his daughter’s thighs. “Are you going to tell me you’re a virgin?”
“I won’t tell you anything on the matter at all, Father.” Ileana cocked her head. “What makes you think this time will be any different from before? Grandfather is going to find some reason to pull back from this alliance.”
Vasile’s hard face went rigid. A low growl ripped from his throat. “The old fool has no idea how much he’s cost this Family. He is the reason we have no power in the witching world, but so long as he wields the magic of our bloodline we have no weapon strong enough to bring him down.”
“We need this alliance,” Silviu said, turning to take Ileana’s cold fingers and squeezing gently. He tried to give her comfort, hope. For so long, they’d been each other’s support in the face of their Family’s machinations. “The Levys are no joke, Iley. This one will go through.”
“You can’t promise that,” she argued.
“We’ll do our best.” Vasile rapped his knuckles against his desktop. “But you’ll have to do your part, girl. Wrap that man around your finger. I know you can do it. You can be very charming when you put your mind to it. People naturally like you.”