She turned. It was Alaric, hovering by the door. He looked troubled, but he gave her a pleasant smile when she turned.
"I can leave if—“ he began.
"No," she said quickly, "but if you're here to watch me perform magic, you're going to be disappointed. I can't even lift a pillow from the couch."
"That's because you've convinced yourself you can't," Alaric said.
"That's exactly what Madalena and Kat said."
"Don't tell her I said this . . . but sometimes Madalena's right," he said, with a conspiratorial wink. He glanced at the door with a flicker of guilt. "I'm not supposed to be in here. Madalena doesn't want you to have any distractions."
"I won't tell," Naomi said, crossing her heart.
Alaric approached her. Placing his hands on her arms, he turned her back around to face the couch. Her chest tightened at his nearness.
He lifted her left arm, his mouth close to her ear as he spoke.
"Close your eyes."
She obeyed.
"Concentrate."
She tried to remove all thoughts from her mind, but the awareness of his proximity consumed her; his tall and muscular body pressed against her back, his cool hand on the flesh of her arm, his steady breath against the back of her neck.
She opened her eyes, stepping away from him.
"I tried that. It's not going to work," she said. What she wanted to say was that she couldn't concentrate around him.
"All right," he said calmly.
To her surprise, he moved past her to the window. He opened it with one hand, stepped up to the ledge, and leapt off.
Naomi gasped, her heart leaping into her throat. She darted to the window. They were twenty stories up, and Alaric fell rapidly to the ground. Could a vampire survive such a fall? She didn't know, and she didn't want to find out the hard way.
Stop, her mind screamed. To her amazement, Alaric halted in mid air. She allowed another desire to fill her mind. Rise. The pull on her body increased as Alaric accelerated back up to the window. It was like watching a movie on rewind.
Once he was back at the ledge, he pulled himself up and climbed back into the study.
Naomi stumbled back, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You did that, Naomi," Alaric said, his voice filled with admiration. "Right now, you only use your magic when someone's life is in danger. You need to hone it to use at anytime. But your power is there. I just needed to prove it to you."
She looked at him, still reeling.
"Would you have survived if I hadn't stopped you?"
"Well, yes," he hedged, looking guilty. "But I would have been a little banged up."
"Alaric."
They turned to find Madalena by the open doorway. Madalena scowled at Alaric, looking like a stern parent. "I told you, Naomi needs—“
"Actually, he helped me," Naomi interrupted. "I just performed an advanced Levitation spell. I couldn't have done it without Alaric's help."
Surprise flickered in Madalena's eyes.
"That's wonderful. Even more advanced than what I was going for today," she said. "Alaric . . . we weren't done with our discussion. Naomi, feel free to keep practicing on your own or you can stop for the day. It's up to you."
Feeling invigorated, Naomi turned her attentions to the pillow once Alaric and Naomi left the room. This time, it rose at her command, and she watched with awe as it hovered in mid air, before she silently commanded it to settle back down on the couch.
Using the Levitation spell on Alaric seemed to unleash the mental block that had held back her magic. By the time Kat came in to check on her, she could levitate several pillows off the couch at once.
"I knew you could do it," Kat said, smiling with pride, "I wish your mother was here to see this."
"Me too," Naomi admitted, her own smile faltering. She brought the pillows to a rest on the couch, turning to face her aunt. "What was it like—growing up with a witch in the house?"
"It wasn't as strange you would expect. We still got into silly sister fights. Lizzie still had to do her chores. Honestly, she was more focused on being a history nerd than a witch," Kat said, "I did go through a period of jealousy. I wanted the power she seemed to take for granted. I seemed so ordinary compared to your mother. My parents assured me I was extraordinary in my own way. Eventually, I accepted my non magical status," Kat added, with a wry smile. "You'll accept all this, too. It'll just take time."
"I hope so," Naomi murmured, "I have to thank Alaric. He helped me push past my block."
Kat's expression darkened.
"The vampire?"
"Yes," Naomi said, taking in Kat's sudden tension. "What's wrong?"
Kat looked as if she wanted to say something, but shook her head.
"Nothing," she said, "I'll leave you to your training."
Kat abruptly left. Naomi frowned, a sliver of unease crawling through her as she wondered what her aunt was hiding.
Chapter 13
Madalena was quiet as she led Alaric back to the main study. At first, he thought she was angry at him for interrupting Naomi. But as he studied her, he realized that the look in her eyes was more than mere annoyance. She was still thinking about what he'd found beneath the floorboards at James' home.
It was an antique ring inscribed with a familiar name. Raphael Ibano. His blood had gone cold at the sight of the name.
Like Madalena, Raphael belonged to a wealthy and influential family of witches. Unlike Madalena's family, they were rumored to be distantly related to the First Witches, though there was no Descendant in their line. The Ibano family played an important role in both human and supernatural history. They'd helped negotiate peace between warring supernatural families and dabbled in human affairs like politics and industry. When the Order first formed, many Alliance members feared the Ibano family would join their side. The family claimed neutrality, though they offered to help the Alliance whenever they could. Alliance leaders had supplied the Ibano family with tidbits of information over the years in the hope that they would join their side.
Raphael was the most prominent member of the family, with the looks and charisma of a movie star. Though Raphael was a strong witch, he spent most of his time in the human world. He was usually based in Rome, managing one of the family's many companies. He'd never seemed to care about the affairs of witches or vampires.
But his ring, a valuable family heirloom, was in the possession of someone who worked with the Order. Alaric didn't believe in coincidences. This could only mean the Ibano family was working with the Order. With their power, this was bad news for the Alliance.
When Alaric and Elias returned to the penthouse, they'd gathered Madalena and Casimir in the main study for an impromptu meeting.
"This ring doesn't mean Raphael's working with them," Casimir said, after a long pause, though his face had gone ashen. "James could have stolen it. Or—“
"No," Alaric interrupted, "James was a relatively weak witch. There's no way he would've been able to steal something so valuable from Raphael. The evidence points to Raphael giving this to him."
"Why?" Casimir asked.
"Payment. James was an antiques dealer, a passionate one. Money wouldn't have been as valuable to him as an ancient family heirloom from one of the most powerful witch families in the world. But James was no idiot; he must have known working with the Order was risky. How do you entice someone to take a risk? You pay them with something they'd find valuable."
"Then why didn't he take it with him?" Elias asked. "Why leave the ring behind?"
"I don't know. It did seem like James was leaving in a hurry. Or maybe he knew Raphael would have him killed— and he left if behind so we'd find out. I don't know. But this is the proof we need. Raphael is a part of this. We've been trying to track down potential leaders of the Order, haven't we? Now we have a name."
He looked at Madalena, who looked down at the ring, turning it over in her hands.
"I want to confirm a few things first,"
she said, getting to her feet. She glanced at Casimir. "I'll need your help."
Madalena, Casimir and Elias left the study, leaving Alaric alone. He'd been on his way out to follow them when Naomi's sweet scent wafted down the hall and hit his nostrils, beckoning to him. He smiled to himself as he recalled the look of wonder on Naomi's face when she'd broken his fall.
"I'm not upset with you, if that's what you're thinking," Madalena said now, pulling him back to the present. "It turns out you're right about Raphael. I had Casimir hack into some of his family's financial holdings. He sent money to James through one of his private accounts. It all makes sense. Why the Order members are so hard to track down and identify. They have a wealthy and powerful family behind them."
She stopped walking for a moment.
"I should have figured this out sooner," she said, looking up at Alaric. "My father would have figured it out."
"Madalena," Alaric said, his tone soothing but firm, "you don't know that."
Madalena didn't look convinced. They entered the main study where Elias and Casimir were waiting.
"It's true. Raphael's been sending money to James—and to the accounts of other witches we believe are working for the Order," Naomi said, "we need to let other Alliance members know. But we have to be careful. We thought the Ibano family was on our side. Other members could be deceiving us as well."
"I can send out an encrypted message," Casimir said, "only you and several other leaders have access to it."
"Raphael must know we're searching for him," Alaric said, grim.
"We'll have to move fast," Madalena said, nodding in agreement. "We need to start with his last known location."
"You're stressing me out," Casimir muttered, glancing up at Alaric with annoyance. Alaric hovered over Casimir as he worked on his laptop, using his surveillance software to track Raphael's movements. But he was coming up empty; Raphael's last confirmed location was at his home in Rome, over two weeks ago. He seemed to have disappeared.
"We finally have a leading member of the Order we can track down, and we need—“
"I wasn't looking for advice. I know how to do my job," Casimir snapped, "please let me do it."
Alaric started to protest, but he stepped back. The more time Casimir spent arguing with Alaric, the less time he'd have to track down Raphael.
He left to head out to the balcony, delight rippling through him when he spotted Naomi already there. She turned when he stepped out, her mouth curving into a wide smile at the sight of him. He hadn't realized it until now, but ever since that first night on the balcony, he often came here hoping to find her.
They stood in companionable silence for a few moments. Being near Naomi seemed to calm him, and his urgent need to find Raphael temporarily abated. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes, admiring the way the moonlight highlighted her dark hair and creamy skin. He could spend days just looking at her.
"I can't believe what I'm capable of," she murmured, breaking the silence, "I mean, I stopped your fall—just by willing it."
"Welcome to being a witch," Alaric replied, "you've only just skimmed the surface of what you're capable of."
"I think it'll take time for me to accept it. And by time, I mean decades," Naomi said, giving him a wry smile. "How long will I live—as a witch?" she asked suddenly, her eyes widening. "Do they—do we—have different life expectancies?"
"Witches live longer than humans, but they're not immortal like vampires," Alaric said. “Madalena's grandfather was almost two hundred and fifty when he died."
Naomi's eyes went even wider, her mouth opening then closing. He smiled; he'd been just as stunned when he learned about the rules of the supernatural world.
"And you?" Naomi pressed. "How old are you?"
He stiffened. He didn't want to delve into his past, but she looked almost desperately curious.
"I was born a human in 1607. I was turned in 1642," he replied, after a long pause.
Naomi paled. She turned away from him, gripping the railing.
"You shouldn't overwhelm yourself," Alaric said gently, "just focus on learning your magic."
"You're right," she said, "but there are some things I should know."
"Like what?"
"What were you, Madalena and the others talking about?" she asked. "I could tell you were having a meeting."
"Madalena doesn't want you distracted."
"I know I'm supposed to concentrate on my training. I am, believe me. But I don't appreciate being treated like a damsel," Naomi said, her eyes flashing. "I'm here to help, aren't I? I can't help if I don't have all the information."
Alaric smiled in spite of himself, admiration filling him at her resolve.
"You're right," he said. Glancing behind them to make sure they were alone, he told her about their discovery of Raphael's involvement with the Order.
"Great," she muttered, "so this group that wants to kill me has an influential family of witches behind them."
"We won't let them get to you," Alaric said fiercely. I won't let them. "You have my word."
He reached for her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. His eyes fell to her lips, which parted, and her honeyed scent hit his nostrils with the force of a sledgehammer. Her cheeks were flushed with desire, and her heart rate quickened.
He knew that he should step back, but it was as if an invisible force pushed him closer to her, and he was leaning in to her, tantalizingly close . . .
"We may have found something."
Alaric dropped Naomi's hand, stepping back from her. Elias stood by the open balcony door, grinning. He'd been so focused on Naomi that he hadn't detected Elias' presence. Irritation rose in Alaric's chest. Elias had interrupted them on purpose.
"Found what?" Alaric asked, trying not to growl.
"Come with me."
Chapter 14
"Wait," Naomi protested, as Alaric and Elias started to leave the balcony. Her heart still hammered wildly in her chest from the heated moment Elias had interrupted, and she had to take a breath before she continued, "I want to know what's going on."
"I don't think—“ Elias began.
"She has a right to know," Alaric interrupted. A rush of appreciation filled Naomi and she gave him a grateful smile. Elias looked hesitant, but he didn't protest as she trailed them back into the penthouse.
When all three of them entered the study, Casimir's eyebrows rose in surprise at the sight of Naomi. Madalena got to her feet with a frown.
"Naomi, you shouldn’t—“
"Alaric already told me about Raphael. I'm a part of this."
Naomi braced herself for Madalena's protest, but after a moment, she nodded in reluctant agreement.
"You're right." Madalena raised her hand, and the door swung shut behind them.
"We've located Raphael," Madalena said, "he's in Paris. He has a home just outside the city."
"Let's get him.” Alaric was already moving to the door.
"Hold on," Madalena said, "we need to proceed with caution. Right now he's just a suspect; we can't just kill him, nor should we. We need to question him. We can't just descend onto his property and attack."
"Why not?" Alaric demanded. "We know he's a part of this. The sooner we move on him—“
"We don't want to risk him disappearing on us," Casimir interrupted, "Madalena's right."
"You, Elias and Casimir can take my plane to Paris. We've contacted our allies there; they can surround his location if he tries to escape. When you get there, frame your visit as nothing more than questioning," Madalena said, "he'll want to maintain his cover, so I doubt he'll strike out at you."
"If he does?" Alaric asked.
"Well, then you have no choice," she replied, "but do not kill him; he may be our best chance we have of locating the Stone. Once he's contained, Naomi and I can join you."
"Maybe I should go with them now," Naomi said, "if Raphael has the Stone with him, I might be able to sense it, and— "
"No," Alar
ic said, whirling to face her, "it's not safe for you. Raphael could be onto us and this could all be a trap."
Anger filled Naomi at Alaric's dismissal.
"But I can—“
"It is too risky," Madalena agreed, "it's best if you stay here. If Raphael's in Paris that means he doesn't know you're here."
Naomi stepped out of the way as they filtered out of the room. She knew they were right; she had barely begun her training, she wasn't in any position to face off with other witches. But she still felt useless and frustrated.
Alaric was the last to head out. He stopped opposite her, searching her face.
"You understand why it's safer for you here?" he asked. "Raphael is strong . . . even stronger so than those witches who tried to abduct you in Athens."
"I do," she said, "but at some point I'll have to face him . . . as much as that scares me."
"I know," he said, his eyes darkening, "we should be back soon."
He lingered, and her breath caught in her throat as he reached out to press his hand against her cheek. Though his hand was cold, warmth spread throughout her body at his touch. He leaned forward and pressed his lips briefly against hers before leaving the room in a flash of movement.
"Well done, Naomi," Madalena said, looking impressed as Naomi levitated several couch pillows in the air before allowing them to come to a rest. "Try the books now."
After the others left, Naomi knew she wouldn't be able to sleep; she was too worried about Alaric. And there was the persistent memory of his lips on hers, along with their almost kiss on the balcony.
She didn't want to bother Kat, who was asleep in her room, so she'd asked Madalena if she could help train her. To her surprise, Madalena agreed. Naomi realized that Madalena was as worried as she was. Maybe even more so.
Now, Naomi turned her focus to the bookcase, willing each book to slide off the shelves. Hover, she silently commanded, and the books obeyed, hovering in midair for several seconds before sliding back into the shelves.
"Wonderful," Madalena said, shaking her head, "see? It's all about confidence."
Shadow Descendant (Descendants Book 1) Page 8