Romani Witch (Shifter Blood: Romani Curse Book 2)

by Frances Trilone

  “I don’t want to scare you, but…” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “They can’t do anything for him. His father will learn Kaleb’s been shot with wolfsbane. Asher can only wait to see if Kaleb’s body manages to fight it off. He’s stronger than other oldens, but it may take weeks for him to heal. I’ll take him to Norwood Isle tomorrow. They’ll protect him until he’s completely healed. But for now, we’re all he’s got.”

  “Sienna?” Kaleb’s eyes opened. His voice sounded strained and rough. “Where am I?”

  “You’re home,” I whispered, kissing his cheek. “Just rest. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

  Kaleb reached for my hand and passed out again.

  “I won’t be long.” Markus left the room and ran from the house, slamming the front door behind him. Like me, he was upset, and I could only hope he found the vampire hunters.

  After filling a bowl with warm water and getting several dishcloths, I removed the towel from Kaleb’s chest and laid it beside him on the bed. His birthmark was barely visible—the arrow had destroyed much of it, and dried blood covered what was left.

  Using a plastic cup to scoop the warm water, I poured it over the wound. Water trickled down his chest, washing blood onto the towel. I repeated this several times, then used a damp dishcloth to carefully clean the area around the wound. After taping gauze over the wound, I repeated the process on his back.

  I tossed the dirty towels onto the floor and removed the cushions that held Kaleb in place. Slowly, I eased him onto his back and covered him with a clean sheet. His breathing still sounded raspy and weak as I sat next to him on the bed. I picked up his hand and held it, willing him to get better. He had to, even if it took weeks for him to heal. There was no way I could go to the coven this week. I had to stay here with Kaleb and do everything I could to help him regain his strength.

  Wiping away a tear, I touched Kaleb’s chest. His heartbeat was even slower than usual. Much too slow. I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. What if Markus couldn’t find the vampire hunters?

  I threw Kaleb’s shirt into the trashcan and put the bloody towels and dishcloths into the washing machine. After cleaning the drops of blood from the hallway carpet, I stood outside my bedroom and took my cell phone out of my pocket.

  I needed to know more about wolfsbane, which meant calling Garrett. He’d know what to do. He might even turn his car around if I asked. I scrolled to his name and hit the call icon, hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake.

  Garrett answered on the third ring. “Hello.”

  “Garrett?” I cleared my throat, not wanting him to know anything was wrong. “It’s me, Sienna.”

  He chuckled. “You miss me already?”

  “Yes.” Hearing Garrett’s voice made me feel better. “And I have a question.”

  “Only one?”

  I took a deep breath, refusing to cry. I needed to stay strong, and I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure I could trust Garrett. He was a warlock, one who didn’t like the Norwood wolves, especially Kaleb. “What do you know about wolfsbane?”

  “Has something happened?” He paused. “Never mind. I don’t want to know unless you’re hurt.”

  “I’m not hurt.”

  He let out a sigh of relief. “Wolfsbane’s poisonous and can be deadly. You don’t want to smell or touch it. If you’re casting a spell that uses it, handle it with gloves and wear a mask.”

  “If someone were to get wolfsbane in their bloodstream, how bad is it?”

  “They’d die within a few hours.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Markus had said it was bad, but he’d also sounded confident Kaleb could fight this. “Is there a cure or—”

  “No. There’s no cure. A High Council witch could cast a healing spell. But they’d have to get to the person in time, and there’s still no guarantee they’d survive.”

  Damn. It wasn’t like I had a High Council witch on speed dial. Even if Calandra agreed to help, she’d never make it in time to save Kaleb.

  “Sienna,” Garrett interrupted my thoughts. “If someone’s hurt, there’s nothing you can do, especially if it’s a Norwood wolf. We’re not allowed to help them. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m serious.” He raised his voice, and it sounded like he hit the steering wheel with his hand. “I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever you’re thinking, it’s a bad idea.”

  “I’m not thinking anything. It’s not like I have any powers or know any spells.”

  “Thank God,” muttered Garrett.

  My gaze drifted to my purse on top of my dresser, and I came up with that bad idea. “Garrett, I have to go.”

  “Okay. But now that I have your phone number, you’ll be hearing from me.”

  “Of course. Bye.” Not waiting for his response, I hit the icon to end the call. I couldn’t afford to waste another minute.

  I ran into my room, opened my purse and unzipped the inside pocket. Sitting next to the vial Calandra had given me to incapacitate Kaleb, was the one she’d used to heal Mom. The one she’d said to use if Mom got worse. Luckily, I hadn’t needed to use it. Until now.

  Chapter 26

  I held my hunting knife above my hand, hesitating. What if this didn’t work? Garrett had said we’re not allowed to help the Norwood wolves. Was it because they were different? Kaleb’s blood came from a pure cursed line. Isn’t that what Calandra said?

  I don’t even know what I’m doing.

  Groaning in frustration, I quickly cut my hand before I could change my mind. Blood dripped into the small glass bowl. Worst-case scenario, nothing would happen. Best case, I’d heal Kaleb. Either way, I had no choice, and I’d never tell a living soul. No one had to know I’d done this.

  Kaleb coughed as his head moved to the left, sweat dripping down the side of his face. He was getting worse, and I couldn’t wait on Markus any longer. He’d already been gone for an hour. The vampire hunters could be far from town, and even if he found them, there was no guarantee they’d give him the elixir.

  After wrapping my hand in a bandage, I removed the gauze taped to Kaleb’s chest. I poured the vial’s contents into my blood and swirled it around with a finger. Then, I smeared my blood mixture onto his wound and drew an infinity symbol on his forehead.

  “Take this blood I give you.” I placed two drops of the mixture on his lips. “Accept it and heal.”

  I waited, but the symbol on his forehead didn’t disappear as it had when Calandra cast the spell. Groaning, I clenched my fist, frustrated I couldn’t even perform what seemed like a simple spell. Why had I thought I could do this when I was a witch with no training?

  Inhaling deeply, I cleared my mind of all doubt and began the steps again. Over and over, I smeared blood onto his wound and painted the infinity symbol on his forehead, continuing until the bowl was empty. But still, nothing happened.

  “Damn it,” I yelled to no one in particular, then snatched up the glass bowl and took it to the kitchen to wash it.

  After locking the doors and placing a key under the mat for Markus, I returned to my bedroom. I stared down at Kaleb; he hadn’t improved. The red infinity symbol remained on his forehead, and the drops of blood still sat on his lips. Maybe the spell needed more time to work on an olden?

  I taped a clean piece of gauze over his wound, kissed his cheek, and whispered, “I love you, Kaleb, and I need you to fight. You’re stronger than any poison. I know you can do it. I command you to fight this.”

  The clock on the nightstand read midnight, and every muscle in my body ached. I just wanted to curl up next to Kaleb, but his body was drenched in sweat and he was still burning up. It would be better if I slept for an hour and then checked on him. If the blood hadn’t disappeared from his forehead, I’d wipe it off and call Uncle Henry. Maybe the Elders knew what to do. They wouldn’t want Kaleb to die.

  After switching on the nightstand lamp, I glanced at Kaleb one last time and turned off the bedroom light. After grabbing
a sleeping bag and pillow from the hallway closet, I set the alarm on my phone and curled up on my bedroom floor, where I cried myself to sleep.

  I rolled over in a daze. I’d dreamed that someone had called my name. My cell phone read three in the morning. Somehow, I’d slept for three hours and hadn’t heard my phone alarm go off.

  “Sienna!”

  I froze. I hadn’t been dreaming. It was Markus, and he sounded furious. Had he seen the symbol on Kaleb’s forehead? I ripped the gauze from my hand, stood up, and pushed aside the sleeping bag. “Hey.”

  “Looks like you have some explaining to do,” Markus said. He stood next to the bed, blocking my view of Kaleb and staring at me with his yellow shapeshifter eyes. They glowed for another second and then turned brown.

  “What’s wrong?” I gave him my best innocent look.

  “You tell me.” Markus moved aside. “What did you do?”

  I looked at Kaleb’s forehead. No infinity symbol. No blood. No sign I’d cast a spell on him three hours ago. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is he okay?”

  “Look.” He pointed to Kaleb’s chest.

  Keeping my expression neutral, I slowly lowered my gaze. I’d never seen Markus pissed. He’d always been the fun big brother. I’d only ever seen his eyes glow yellow when he’d been in wolf form at night. Right now, his eyes were filled with anger, and that anger was directed at me.

  Kaleb’s chest looked like it always did—muscular and sexy, with that six-pack I loved. Why was Markus so riled up? I squinted, inspecting every inch, then gasped. Markus had removed the gauze from Kaleb’s chest, and the wound had partially healed. Kaleb was getting better.

  “Where is he?” Markus snapped.

  “Who?” I placed a hand on Kaleb’s forehead. He felt warm, normal. No more sweating or burning. Miraculously, the spell seemed to have worked. Kaleb’s body was fighting off the wolfsbane.

  “You called Garrett, didn’t you?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I mean, yes, I called him to ask about wolfsbane. He said it was deadly. But he’s not here.”

  “He must be.” Markus stormed into my closet and pushed the clothes aside. Finding nothing, he came back out and frowned at me. “How else do you explain Kaleb’s dramatic recovery? It’s only been a few hours.”

  I shrugged, fighting to remain calm when all I wanted to do was jump up and down. The healing spell had worked! Kaleb was getting better. “Didn’t you give him the elixir?”

  “No.” He let out a loud sigh. “I couldn’t track down the vampire hunters. They must’ve masked their scent, knowing we’d go after them.”

  “Then his body must’ve fought off the poison,” I insisted. “You said it yourself. Kaleb’s stronger than other oldens. He’ll survive this.”

  “Kaleb shouldn’t have healed this fast. He’s not that strong.” He ran a hand over his face. “Did Garrett tell you what to do? Did he—”

  “He didn’t tell me anything useful. He said a High Council witch could help someone affected by wolfsbane, but even if they could get here in time, they’d never help a Norwood wolf.”

  Markus folded his arms and scowled at me. “I want to know exactly what you did. Step by step. Leave nothing out.”

  He’d never believe me if I said I’d just washed Kaleb’s wound and put on fresh gauze. I needed to tell Markus the truth. Maybe it was better this way. Telling Markus could be a practice run for when I told Kaleb.

  “Why don’t I make us some coffee and we can talk in the living room?”

  “Fine.” He looked at Kaleb. “But I need every single detail. You’re not to leave anything out.”

  “I won’t.” I grabbed my purse and walked to the kitchen. Calandra had only given me the one potion, and I couldn’t use it all. I needed to save some for Kaleb. Hopefully, using half of it would still have an effect.

  After making two cups of coffee, I poured half the potion into Markus’ cup and stirred. I added more sugar and creamer, hoping it didn’t taste funny. Calandra hadn’t mentioned anything, so I assumed it was tasteless.

  “Coffee’s done,” I yelled to Markus as I walked to the living room, carrying the two cups of coffee and a plastic container tucked under my arm.

  After setting his cup on the coffee table in front of the couch, I opened the container of cookies. Drina had brought them over earlier, and I knew how much Markus loved chocolate chip cookies with his coffee.

  I sat in an oversized armchair on the other side of the room. Tucking my feet underneath me, I sipped my coffee and waited.

  “His breathing sounds much better,” Markus said as he entered the room. He took a seat on the couch. “Now, tell me what you did.”

  I faked a yawn, stalling for time. I needed him to drink his coffee. “Sorry. I’m tired and hungry. Can you pass me a cookie?”

  “Sure.” He handed me a cookie then returned to his seat. “You were saying?”

  “Well, I did what you said.” I nibbled the cookie, looking up as if deep in thought as he grabbed a cookie and took a bite. “I filled a bowl with warm water and cleaned his wound.”

  “How did you clean it?” As he finished his cookie, Markus picked up his coffee.

  “I used a cup and ran water over the wound then used a wet dishcloth to wipe off whatever didn’t wash away.” I stood and grabbed another cookie as he took a big gulp of his coffee. “Did I add too much sugar? Is it too sweet?”

  “It’s fine.” He finished the coffee and set the empty cup on the table. “Did you use water from the faucet?”

  “Yes.” I studied him closely. Maybe he needed more potion. “Do you want more coffee? I can—”

  “No. Tell me what you did next.” He closed his eyes and adjusted his body, sinking deeper into the couch. He rested his neck against the cushion, looking very relaxed. “Go on. I’m listening.”

  “Well, there’s not much else to tell. I covered the wound with gauze and taped it up then did the same thing to his back.” I held my breath, hoping Calandra hadn’t given me the wrong vial. Had he fallen asleep? “Markus?”

  His eyes flew open, flickering yellow as he glared at me. He struggled to get up. “What have you done to me?”

  “What do you mean?” I set my cup on the table, doing my best to look innocent.

  “I can barely move my arms or my legs, and I can’t shift.” He shuddered as he tried to shift into a wolf. His gaze lowered to the empty cup on the table. “What did you put in my coffee?”

  “I’m sorry, but you gave me no choice. It will wear off in a few hours. You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “Are you crazy?” he snapped. “Whatever Garrett gave you might not—”

  “He didn’t give it to me. Calandra did, and it was for Kaleb, not you. But he got shot. And you asked me how he healed so fast. I didn’t know what to do, so I spiked your coffee.”

  “You’re not making any sense.” He struggled to move. The more he tried, the angrier he became. “You know how Kaleb feels about the witches. Why would you agree to work with them?”

  “I’m not working with the witches.” I took a deep breath. This was it. Time to confess. “I’m one of them.”

  His eyebrows knitted. “What?”

  “Nells Stanescu isn’t my biological mom. I’m a Romani witch.”

  “No.” Markus growled, shuddering again as he tried to shift. His furious eyes glowed yellow. “That can’t be. You can’t—”

  “You need to listen to me,” I shouted above his growling. Tears rolled down my cheeks as his growling grew louder. This was going worse than I’d expected. Would Markus have hurt me if I hadn’t given him the potion?

  “I didn’t know. I swear, I had no idea. Calandra told me everything the night you and Kaleb got back into town. I was going to Norwood Isle to wait for Kaleb, so that we could figure this out. I wanted to tell him. Then I saw Tessa kissing him in the woods, and everything fell apart. I thought Kaleb had changed his mind about marrying me and was cheating on me with Tess
a. I didn’t know who to trust anymore. I didn’t…”

  Sobbing uncontrollably, I rested my head against my knees as I hugged them tightly. Calandra was right. The Norwood wolves would be outraged when they learned the truth. Kaleb would hate me. He’d never accept me, and he’d certainly never marry me.

  “Sienna.” Markus cleared his throat. “Look at me.”

  I lifted my head slowly, my sobs diminishing.

  “Do the Romanies know you’re a…?” His gaze drifted to the window. “We shouldn’t be talking about this.”

  “No one can hear us. There’s a blocking spell on this room.”

  “You know how to cast a blocking spell?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I asked Calandra to do the spell, so that I could tell Kaleb the truth. That was my plan for last night. I’d get him to drink the potion and tell him everything.”

  “Who knows you’re a witch?”

  “My mom, Calandra, Garrett, and now you.”

  “Is that why the witches came to town?” he asked, sounding calmer now.

  “It’s why Calandra came to town. One of the witches at the town meeting two months ago couldn’t read my mind. So she suspected I was a witch.”

  He took a deep breath. “How do you know Calandra isn’t lying? She might be tricking you because you’re Kaleb’s mate.”

  “It’s not a lie. Mom admitted the truth. She knew all along. That’s why she took me away from Woodlake. She made a promise to my biological mother.”

  “Who is your biological mother?”

  I hesitated. Calandra had said not to tell anyone about Marie, but how could I hide it from Markus? I’d planned to be honest with Kaleb, and I should do the same with Markus. He did seem okay, now he’d calmed down.

  “Marie Dinescu.”

  “Damn,” he muttered. “You’re the daughter of a High Council witch.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Calandra hadn’t said anything about Marie being a High Council witch. So how could she have accidentally killed herself? Wouldn’t she have known how to stop a spell from going wrong?