Heiress to a Curse

by Zandria Munson

  Alexandra didn’t think it fair that she was being blamed for a crime she hadn’t committed—a crime that had occurred five hundred years before her own birth. Her fists curled at her sides and her shoulders squared with determination. “I’m not Necesar, and I’m not a witch,” she told him firmly.

  He continued toward her. “You would not understand, child. Her magic lurks within you.”

  When he stood a few feet away, he paused, his eyes appraising. Alexandra did some assessing of her own. He was handsome, much like all the Drakon men she’d had the misfortune of meeting, except Marius, of course. His features were stern, yet his spirit lacked the fire and brimstone that Simion and Nicholas had displayed without reserve. He looked like a grandfather who was ready for retirement, done with the hassles of the world. Alexandra wondered if she could use this apparent weakness to her advantage, if only to reason with him.

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “I don’t understand, and yes, her magic is within me. It has manifested before.”

  “So my son tells me.” His gaze narrowed on her.

  She took a step closer. “I believe I can harness her power again and break the curse she cast on your family. If you’d only give me some time, I believe I can end all of this.”

  He focused on her face. “Somehow you have managed to soften the heart of my youngest. He has never loved before you, did you know? I suspected as much the day he came here with no logical excuse for wanting to spare your life. He had been given four weeks, and all he could say was that you were an innocent. But then, weren’t we all.” He sighed.

  Alexandra blinked in surprise. Love? Was his father kidding? Could Marius actually hold such feelings for her?

  “Nevertheless,” Lord Drakon continued. “I think that now I am free to assume that his feelings are not due to witchcraft. The tenderness in your eyes cannot be feigned. Sadly though, time is something we do not have.” He turned his head to look through a window.

  The sky was overcast with the colors of sunset. Alexandra knew that he was only moments from becoming a gargoyle. They all were. She also knew that these were their last moments as humans for the next one hundred years—unless she was killed. Trying to reason with him was hopeless. Her only option was to try to harness her powers to escape, but she wasn’t going to beg for her life. If she was to die then she would have it said that the last of the Dancescu bloodline was brave and died with honor.

  Her chin went up a notch and she restrained the tears that were threatening to spill. “And what about my friend? What will happen to her?”

  His attention left the window. “You need not concern yourself about her. We are not bad people, only long-suffering.”

  “You consider killing innocent people a good deed, then?” she asked with contained anger.

  Lord Drakon’s head lifted and a dangerous glint that hadn’t been there before sparked in his emerald pools. “There is something you must understand. We are all innocent in this game. Your ancestor placed a curse upon me and my entire house because of her jealous and deceitful cousin. I am an honest and just man, and I put my family before even myself. Everything I have done and will do is for them. Marius does not understand this yet, but he will. Something has to be sacrificed, and I do believe that my family has filled that role for far too long.”

  He moved to tower above her. “Ah, so defiant. I see now that my son failed to enlighten you of your own fate. This equinox marks the final season for Necesar’s soul to dwell within you. At its end your body will become the vessel for another entity—her wicked cousin, Lady Vivian, whose spirit I am sure will not rest until she rains destruction upon us all. You should be grateful to die with both your consciousness and sanity intact.”

  Without another word, he walked around her and left the room. There was a clicking sound once the door was shut. Alexandra remained as she was, trying to absorb all she’d been told. As if learning that she was an ancient witch incarnate hadn’t been enough, now she had to digest the fact that within a few hours she’d either be dead or in dire need of an exorcist. An unsteady weakness came over her and she sagged to her knees. With her head hanging low, she tried to search the magic within her for a solution.

  Chapter 18

  Marius watched impatiently as his mother hung up the phone. She’d been speaking with the archdiocese of the Wessex Parish, a devoted acquaintance who’d agreed to assist her without question. Marius had until morning to propose the idea of marriage to Alexandra and should she agree, take her to the priest who would perform a ceremony to bind them as husband and wife. It was his last hope to save Alexandra and erase his family’s curse.

  Lady Amelia stood and moved toward him. “Marius, the sun will be setting soon. Go quickly and take my blessings with you. Father Paul will be waiting for you in the steeple of the parish. I explained everything to him and he knows that I urgently need his help.” She slipped a ring from her finger and placed it in his palm. “Give this to your bride.”

  Accepting the ring, Marius ran his fingers over the intricate carving in gold. It was her wedding ring, he knew. He looked at her, his eyes reflecting his appreciation. “And what of Father? How will you explain what you have done for me?” he asked, sounding weary.

  She smiled up at him, a gesture that he guessed took more effort than it should. “You leave your father to me. I will speak to him of our plans and try to make him understand,” she promised.

  “And if he does not?”

  “Then it will be too late for him to intervene and he will have to accept it. Now go, my son. Your lady is waiting.”

  Marius nodded. As he turned to leave, the door swung open and his brothers sauntered in.

  Simion regarded him with resentment. “Well, well. It seems the traitor has returned to the fold,” he said coldly.

  Marius slipped the ring into the pocket of his coat. “I am leaving now. Get out of my way.” He moved to walk around them, but Nicholas sidestepped to block his way.

  “Not so fast, brother. Are you rushing off to see your little witch? Well, you will be pleased to know that Simion and I have taken the liberty of bringing her here for you.”

  Marius’s jaw clenched. Surely his brother was lying. Alexandra couldn’t be at the mansion. There was no way they could have found her at the church!

  At his dubious expression, Nicholas pulled out a small lavender, rhinestone-encrusted cell phone. “We got her cute little friend, too. I think I might just keep that one for myself when this is all over. I cannot allow you to have all the fun.”

  His brother was referring to April. In that instant, Marius knew that Nicholas spoke the truth. Somehow he and Simion had discovered the sanctuary and taken Alexandra and April prisoner. A deep, seething rage quickly filtered through every fiber of his being and a growl erupted from the pit of his belly like boiling lava from a volcano that had been dormant too long.

  He gripped Nicholas by the collar of his jacket and slammed him into the wall. Several books fell off the shelves and a framed picture hanging near the door smashed to the ground.

  “For your own sake, brother, she had better be unharmed,” Marius snarled.

  Simion didn’t hesitate to join the scuffle. He gripped Marius from the back, wrenching him off the other man.

  It was then that their mother slammed a fist on the desk. “Stop this!” she demanded.

  Simion turned to face her with a struggling Marius in his grip. “Ah, Mother. I do apologize. We did not see you there.”

  Lady Amelia stood slowly, her silver eyes flaring. “Release him,” she said sternly.

  Simion held Marius for a moment longer before shoving him aside. Marius turned and plunged a fist into his midsection. Simion doubled over and his jaw met Marius’s knee as he brought it up in an angry thrust.

  “Marius!” Lady Amelia shouted.

  He was on his knees, preparing to administer another punch, when Nicholas’s steel grip clamped onto his wrist.

  “That is enough!” Nichola
s growled.

  Marius experienced a moment of shame and hung his head. Ever since they were children, he and his brothers had forged their own methods of managing situations, and that usually resulted in violence. Their mother had tried relentlessly to mold their temperaments, to tame the savage nature of the beasts that were a part of them. She’d failed terribly.

  Lady Amelia circled the desk and regarded them with dissatisfaction. “What is wrong with you? You are of the same flesh and blood and yet you fight among yourselves like animals!”

  Simion stood and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth with his sleeve. “We have been raised to protect our family at all costs! That strength is what binds us and makes our fortress impenetrable. And when one of us falters, he weakens us all.” He looked pointedly to Marius.

  She stepped forward. “I also taught you to support your brothers, to stand beside them. They are your blood and your family,” she stated. “If there ever was a time that your brother needs you, it is now.”

  Nicholas laughed in disbelief. “Mother, how can you condone this? We are speaking about the same thing, are we not? Your son has allowed himself to be bewitched by our enemy. And yet you stand before us preaching about supporting our brother! Do you wish to live another one hundred years, dreaming of the day when it will be safe for us to return to civilization again? That is, if there is anything left to this world once this little witch has her way with it. The time is now, Mother. This must be done.”

  She looked sympathetic. “You are right, my son, the time is now. But there is another way to achieve this without spilling the blood of an innocent.”

  “Oh?” Simion said suspiciously. “And why have we never been told of this ‘other way’?”

  “It has never been relevant until now,” she stated simply. “When you two were little, I went to a witch named Hecate and sought her help. I was told that a joining of the two bloodlines would sever a curse such as this one.”

  “A joining you say?” Simion snorted. “I assure you, Mother, Marius has taken care of that already, and you see we are still damned.”

  She raised a hand quickly, halting Marius’s attack. “I speak of marriage. Even now he is anticipated at the parish in Wessex where Father Paul will perform the ceremony.”

  Again Simion snorted. “I hardly believe that the blessings of some old man will alleviate our curse. We have the Descendant here and there is no time for dallying over possibilities. Tonight she must die, and when the sun rises life will begin anew for all of us.”

  Marius was trying everything in his power to contain his anger. His brothers were as stubborn as they were arrogant. He knew that there would be no reasoning with them. And time was wasting. Alexandra was somewhere on the estate and no doubt frightened half to death. She needed him.

  “Where is she?” he managed to say in a low and lethal tone.

  Simion looked at him. “She is being held for a ceremony that will take place tonight.” He looked at his watch. “As a matter of fact, many of our relatives should have arrived by now.”

  Lady Amelia looked from Simion to Nicholas. “Does your father know of this?” she asked with a frown.

  Nicholas laughed softly. “He has authorized it.”

  Marius had heard enough. He was going to find Alexandra and get her out of here. He turned and stalked angrily toward the door. There was a subsequent click behind him and he stopped.

  “I cannot allow you to leave, brother,” Simion said.

  Marius looked over his shoulder and noted the semiautomatic handgun pointing at his back.

  His brother waved the weapon. “I am sorry, but you are not going to ruin this for us, especially not over some woman. If you try, I will shoot you.”

  Marius turned slowly to face him. Simion wasn’t one to be taken lightly. He was determined to see the curse end and would do away with anything that stood in his way. As much as he was tempted to, Marius refrained from challenging him. He, as well as Simion, knew that a strategically placed bullet wound would serve to incapacitate him. If Marius intended to save Alexandra, he needed his complete strength. Tonight marked the eve of the new moon and with his entire family wanting Alexandra dead, he was her only chance of seeing the sunrise again.

  Simion motioned to Nicholas. “Bind him.”

  Nicholas moved to comply, his expression suddenly solemn. “I am sorry it had to come to this, Marius. But what must be done can no longer be left to you.” He produced one of the plastic cuffs he’d used to restrain April. “You have been weakened by your sorceress.”

  Lady Amelia shook her head in resigned disappointment. “Where is your father? I wish to speak with him.” She began walking to the door.

  Nicholas placed a gentle yet firm hand on her arm. “We are sorry, Mother, but Father has ordered that you be kept out of this.”

  She spun on him. “He has what?”

  Nicholas shrugged. “He knows your heart. It is better that you leave this to us,” he told her apologetically.

  She was fuming now. “He has no right!”

  Marius’s jaw tightened. He knew that his father could do whatever he wanted. Lord Drakon commanded an empire of gargoyles and humans alike. His word was law. And during such times, not even Lady Amelia’s coaxing could sway him. With his wrists tightly strapped together now, he glanced outside the window. Sunset was nearly upon them. His joints were aching and he knew his transformation would begin soon. If they lingered a bit longer he would have an opportunity to escape and perhaps locate Alexandra before his brothers could stop him.

  Simion followed his gaze and swung the door open. “Take them to the cellar.”

  Chapter 19

  The driveway below was well lit and lined with more luxury cars then Alexandra had ever seen outside a car dealership. For the past two hours she’d observed the odd mix of affluently clad guests arriving at the mansion. There was some sort of celebration in progress, and she didn’t have to use witchcraft to guess what all the festivity was about. She’d searched the room from top to bottom and had discovered only one possible route of escape—the huge fireplace. Old ashes lay in a heap over the remains of charred wood, and she imagined the soot that was waiting for her on the way up.

  She was frantically tying together strips of lining that she’d torn from the heavy drapes. In the event that she did make it to the roof, she’d need some way of getting down. Even if it meant lowering herself down to a balcony and breaking inside. She would look for a telephone and contact the police, then locate April and get the hell out of here.

  It was dark now and her thoughts strayed to Marius. She wondered where he was and what he was thinking. He would be looking for her, no doubt.

  She stood, testing her links, then wound the entire thing up. She slipped one shoulder into it and draped the loop over her neck.

  “Here goes,” she murmured to herself.

  Gingerly, she stepped over the silver screen that sat in front of the fireplace. She’d leave everything intact to buy herself some time. If the Drakons had no idea how she’d escaped then they wouldn’t know where to start looking. She was actually hoping that they’d assume her disappearance was due to witchcraft.

  Squinting, she looked up the narrow passage. Having a flashlight would have certainly helped. Cautiously, she began her ascent as she’d seen it done in the movies. She braced her back against one wall and her feet on the opposing side. She also used her arms for support as she sidled her way up. The air was surprisingly cool and she could smell the light hint of a fragrant plant beneath the smoky odor. She slipped a few times, falling a foot or two.

  She was halfway up when she heard the door to the study open. She went completely still.

  “Where is she?” The voice sounded like Lord Drakon’s.

  There was a mumbled response followed by what sounded like the window slamming shut.

  “She has to be in here! There is no way she could have gotten away without being noticed. Find her!” he continued.

 
; Alexandra imagined he was no longer the passive man who’d greeted her initially. He was a gargoyle. Her heart raced, for she feared that he would capture her scent as his sons had. She watched the shadows at the bottom of the fireplace and fought the urge to scramble upward. Sweat trickled down her temples, plastering stray tendrils of hair to her face and neck. She wondered if she might still escape should he discover her. There was no way such a large creature could fit into the chimney, but if she made it to the roof, he’d be waiting for her there. He had wings; they all did.

  When the door to the study finally slammed shut, Alexandra exhaled a shaky sigh of relief. She wondered if the heavy scent of ashes that was nearly choking the hell out of her had saved her from being detected. Not wasting time to ponder her good fortune, she continued upward. She knew she was nearing the top when the breeze began to dry her perspiration, cooling her body and sending a chill over her. She looked up and had a clear view of a starry sky.

  When she finally emerged, gasping from the climb, she found that the roof was covered in gray shingles that didn’t make her task of standing upright any easier. Instead, she straddled one of the triangular peaks and began crawling her way across. She decided to fasten her makeshift rope to the base of a chimney near the rear of the mansion. If she was going down, then she wanted to do so as far away as possible from anyone. She tied the other end of the rope to her waist and tugged on it as hard as she could. Once satisfied that it would be able to support at least most of her weight, she crawled to the edge of the roof and peered down. Her eyes squeezed shut and she took a moment to pray to every deity known to man.

  There was a third-story balcony directly below her and she decided that it was her best option. Clinging to the rope for dear life, she lowered one leg over the edge of the roof then the other. She waited for the ripping sound, the terrifying fall, the spine-twisting crash onto the balcony, but it never came. Again, a shuddering sigh escaped her lungs. So far so good.