by Opal Carew
Knowing he had faith in her helped her pass through the wall and into the night.
* * *
During the past twenty years, Dario had rarely left Florida. But when Peter had relayed the latest message from his men in Pennsylvania, he’d decided the time had come to get out more.
Besides, if Peter’s men were right, he wanted to be there when they confronted the women. He told Peter to have the men wait for him before moving and to stay well away from the house until he arrived.
By the time his private plane landed at the tiny Reading Regional Airport, he knew Serena was close. Call it intuition.
Driving to the site, he didn’t bother to ask how the men had found her. Kelsey was with them. The boy had uncanny powers.
Of course, it helped that the boy was one of theirs.
“Have you located the house yet?”
Kelsey shook his head. “But I’ve got the perimeter mapped. There’s a web of spells and wards in place and the whole area seems to be sitting on a well of power.”
Dario smiled at the boy, who wouldn’t be a boy much longer. Already fifteen, Kelsey had the strength of five grown men. And a backbone beaten into him by Dario himself.
“You’ve done well. Come on then, son. Let’s find your mother and get reacquainted.”
* * *
Gabriel and Quinn caught up to one of their quarry just as he was about to discover the house.
Even though he couldn’t see his face, Gabriel knew it wasn’t the teen from the day before. This was a grown man, shorter but powerfully built.
Motioning for Quinn to move around and herd the man back to Gabriel should he run, Gabriel planned to come at him from behind. There was something about this one…something that didn’t feel right. Something evil…
Shit, the guy was Mal.
Gabriel tackled him, taking him to the ground and smashing the man’s head on the hard earth with a blow that should have knocked him unconscious. It didn’t. Instead, the man twisted to his feet and spun, landing a punch on Gabriel’s chin.
Smiling now, though the dark hid it, Gabriel swung back. Adrenaline flowed, better than the rush working a spell gave him. He needed a fight right now.
He let the man land a few, absorbing the slight pain, then he jabbed his fist into the guy’s stomach, encountering solid muscle.
It was a silent fight, except for the few exhalations of air when one or the other would land a good one, and for the most part, they were well matched.
The man was shorter than Gabriel, but he had the same build and packed a lot of muscle. And he was fast. Gabriel was no slouch, but this man moved with the ease of someone who had trained for years, decades even. Which didn’t make sense, because the guy couldn’t be much older than himself.
At that moment, the clouds obscuring the moon shifted and Gabriel finally caught a glimpse of the man’s face.
Holy shit.
Stunned, Gabriel stepped sideways, practically stumbling over his feet to put some distance between himself and the other man.
What the hell kind of trick was this?
The man froze and stared back, his mouth hanging open in shock.
“Who the hell are you?” The words flew out of Gabriel’s mouth before he could curb them, tightening his clenched fists until his knuckles cracked.
Shit, maybe he didn’t want to know.
No, there was no maybe about it. He wasn’t going to like the answer. He felt it in his bones.
Jesus, their faces…They could have been brothers, their features mirrored each other so closely.
The man lowered his own hands and retreated two steps, never taking his eyes from Gabriel’s face. “I believe that is the question I should be asking you. Who are you, boy? Who’s your mother?”
Rage bubbled like acid in his gut. “Vaffanculo. I’m no boy and I don’t know what kind of trick this—”
“Believe me, it’s no trick.” The man’s voice turned harsher, colder and his lips pulled into a straight line as he continued to stare at Gabriel like he was a bug under a microscope. “Are you Amalia’s? Serena’s? Ah, yes,” he said, as if Gabriel had answered his question. “Serena. How did she do it? How could she have done it?”
The other man moved closer a step and Gabriel threw an uppercut before he realized he’d done it. The bastard dodged it with the dexterity of a pro boxer. Unnaturally quick.
From behind him, Gabriel heard Quinn growl, a growl he recognized. Something was wrong here, something really, really wrong.
Gabriel raised his fists again. “I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at, but after I pound you into oblivion, you’re going to explain.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll need to do that.” The other man raised his hands in surrender, which Gabriel didn’t believe for a second. “But I think you better brace yourself for a shock, son.”
No, no, no. “Believe me, you’d better brace for the shock, and I am definitely not your son.”
To his surprise, the man smiled. “Well, you can take another swing at me, but I’m pretty damn sure I’m your father.”
Chapter Twenty
Gabriel’s stomach plummeted, though he knew the guy was lying. He had to be. It was a trick, designed to make him drop his guard.
But if that was the reason, why hadn’t the other man struck?
“Who the hell are you?”
The man laughed, though there was no humor in the sound. “Ah, the more important question here is who are you? But answer this one first. How old are you?”
“I’m only gonna ask one more time, then I’m gonna take you out. What’s your name?”
“Gabe.” Quinn, in human form, appeared behind the man. Gabriel had missed Quinn’s change completely, and it pissed him off. “Fuck, man, he’s cursed. I can smell it on him.”
Gabriel shook his head. There was no way he could believe that. No way. He couldn’t…There wasn’t…
But somewhere inside, he knew. He steadied his arms when they wanted to shake, firmed his resolve and refused to believe.
There was a reason for this. There had to be a reason…
“I’m only gonna ask once more,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth. “What’s your name?”
The man laughed, though it was more like a choked growl. “Dario Paganelli.” He held out his hand, as if Gabriel would even consider shaking it, then let it fall with a shrug. “I’m pleased to meet you…Son.”
* * *
Shea paused before she left the safety of the cave. Scanning the surroundings, she saw no one, but that didn’t mean the teen wasn’t out there. She just needed to pinpoint his location before she moved.
Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing until all she could hear was the forest. She didn’t need magic to listen to the sounds of the earth. She only had to open her ears.
A raccoon scurried in the brush somewhere to her left and several bats flew through the trees overhead, their leathery wings caressing the night air. A herd of deer grazed higher in the hills and light footsteps approached from the south.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and picked apart shadows in the darkness, starting to lighten though it was still a few hours till dawn.
There, to the right of the entrance. Something moved, something bigger than a fawn and smaller than a bear. Something human.
She couldn’t be sure, but since he was walking away from the entrance, she was fairly certain he didn’t know it existed.
Slipping from the safety of the rock, Shea moved without a sound. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Serena her father had trained her as a grigorio, even if she hadn’t realized it at the time.
And she’d been a damn good study. The boy didn’t realize she had him until she made her move. But even though she’d anticipated his strength and his speed, the burst of pure hatred that ran through him when she wrapped her arms around him from behind, made her falter.
He flooded her with hate, made her skin crawl. Snarled like a wild animal and t
ried to pivot. Locking her hands together at his chest, she wrapped her left leg around his and tried to take him to the ground.
He almost got away by twisting into the fall, but she anticipated and kept him flat on his stomach. She tried to wrestle his arms behind his back, but they were trapped under his body, so she needed another way to subdue him. Even though he was taller, they were evenly matched in weight.
It took everything she had to keep him down. He flopped like a landed fish, only a hundred times heavier and more determined. They fought silently for control, and at one point, he got an elbow free that he landed squarely on her cheek. Pain exploded behind her left eye, but she didn’t fall for his ploy when he went limp.
Instead, she tightened her grip so he couldn’t slip away…and he hit her with a blast of power so intense it made the voices in her head scream.
She crumpled, hands clasped to her head, the pain blinding her.
The boy jumped to his feet and prepared to strike again. But he froze when Serena walked out of the cave.
The pain stopped, the voices died, and the boy very plainly said, “Hello, Mother.”
* * *
Quinn rushed the guy from behind.
He wasn’t expecting it and hit the ground hard, but the bastard rolled and came up swinging. The lightning-fast punch connected with Quinn’s jaw, jarring him off his feet. The guy was strong, far stronger than he looked.
And, holy fuck, the man looked just like Gabriel.
Quinn gaped for a brief second, allowing Dario to lift his foot to kick. Quinn knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of the way fast enough and braced for impact.
Which never came.
Gabriel tackled Dario with a roar, wrapped his arms around the man and took him down. They scrabbled there for a few seconds, each getting in a few solid punches before Dario stepped away so fast he almost didn’t see him do it.
But as far as Quinn could tell, the guy didn’t have much magic of his own. Except for the fact that he was cursed.
Gabriel and Dario stood, staring at each other, neither speaking. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
Quinn could smell the distrust, the anger, the betrayal emanating from both of them. He didn’t want to believe, didn’t want contemplate what it meant, who this man was.
Quinn didn’t know how long they stood there. He stood as well, wanted to be ready to fight again if Gabe needed him.
And was completely unprepared for the pain that slid through his body.
* * *
Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Quinn’s body jerk.
What the —
Gabriel nearly panicked as a man behind Quinn grabbed his suddenly limp body and held onto him, a Taser at his throat.
He turned back to the man he wanted to kill more than anything. “If you hurt him, I’ll hunt you down and make you beg me to cut your heart out.”
“Bloodthirsty, aren’t you?” Dario smiled, but the sight sent revulsion coursing through Gabriel’s body. “Seems you inherited more from me than just your looks. Of course, this changes things a bit.”
Gabriel tried not to rise to his taunts but couldn’t help himself. “Let him go now or I’ll draw out your death for days.”
Dario shook his head, his expression becoming thoughtful. “Tell her I want to meet. It’s time to end this. We have much to discuss. Apparently. Tell her I’ll return her pet then.”
“There’s no way—”
“You don’t have much of a choice, boy.” Dario’s expression had gone coolly blank. “Talk to your mother. I think you’re going to be in for a rude awakening.”
With a short nod, Dario motioned for the man carrying Quinn to precede him. Gabriel wanted to tear the guy apart, but that stun gun had to be on a high setting if it had knocked out Quinn. Another jolt could kill him.
Torn in too many directions, Gabriel let them go.
He’d fix this. He’d get Quinn back. He’d prove the demon Dario wrong about his assumptions, and then he’d kill the man, no matter that Serena had forbidden it. He deserved to die.
Turning, Gabriel ran for the cave.
* * *
The boy threw Serena for a moment.
He made her tongue twist around the protection spell she was working, causing a momentary imperfection, but not enough to make it unravel.
And she knew it wasn’t true.
This child wasn’t hers. Couldn’t be. But someone had lied to the boy, because he believed it implicitly.
Without breaking her silent chant protecting her and Shea from anything the boy threw at them, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but you’re not my child.”
The teen bared his teeth and struck back with a jolt of power meant to level her. “You are my mother. He told me you would lie to protect yourself.”
“If this is how you treat your mother then it’s no wonder she didn’t acknowledge you.”
There, that one got under his skin. And it hurt her heart to see him flinch. Goddess, he was only a child. Dario had much to answer for. She wanted to wring the man’s neck. Actually, she wanted to do a lot worse for putting that combination of fear and loathing in this child’s eyes.
It made her sick to realize the lengths to which Dario would go to wipe her boschetta from the earth.
Damn him for making her just as ruthless.
“I am not your mother, but I could help you find her. It doesn’t have to be like this. What’s your name?”
The teen sneered, and for a brief second Serena saw pure hatred on his face. Her blood ran cold.
“You don’t need to know my name. You just need to know how much I hate you.”
In her peripheral vision, Serena saw Shea, still on the ground, close her eyes, but couldn’t tell if it was in pain or preparation. She wanted to warn Shea against trying anything, but couldn’t take her concentration off the boy.
He was strong, and he was trying to beat down her shield. Righteous anger fed him, anger she had to encourage, had to cultivate until it forced him to make an ill-conceived move. She needed to incapacitate him, knock him unconscious. She refused to take his life. She’d never had to kill before, wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she did.
“Your hatred is directed at the wrong person.” She moved closer, tried to put herself between Shea and the boy. “Do you remember me, child? Do you have any memories of me at all?”
“You abandoned me right after I was born.” He spat the words at her. “Why would I remember you?”
There! She felt a slight weakening of his mental shield. It had been like a brick wall but now there was a chink of mortar missing.
“You wouldn’t, because the man who raised you lied to you. He stole you from your rightful parents and corrupted you for your power.”
“You lie.” With one flick of his finger, he shot a bolt of blue fire straight at her heart. It deflected off her protection spell and bounced off the nearest tree, leaving the scent of burning wood.
“No, I don’t. I could find your parents. Your real parents. Tell me your name.”
Whose could he be? She should be able to tell.
The teen smiled, an expression that looked hauntingly familiar but still unknown.
“Father told me you would try to twist things. But it won’t work. I’ve waited years for this…”
Pain hit her low in the stomach, taking her to her knees. Shock and disbelief made her freeze. She’d never been bested before.
The teen’s handsome face twisted with fierce glee, and he pressed his advantage with another bolt of pain to her head. He shouldn’t be able to affect her like this. She was older, stronger, supposedly smarter than this boy, yet he was beating her.
And she couldn’t lose. There was too much on the line, too many lives at stake, lives she was responsible for.
Struggling to her feet, she submerged the pain and tossed his power back at him. It took him off guard for only a second before he hit her with another blast.
�
�You’re weak, old lady,” he mocked. “Weak and scared. Why don’t you just give up, and I’ll make it easy on the rest of them. Even the boy.”
“Like Dario made it easy on you?” She could barely get the words out. A burning pain had started to creep down from her head and up from her stomach. She knew he was trying to reach her heart, and though he couldn’t kill her, he could incapacitate her.
“He made me strong when you would have turned me into a servant.”
He tweaked the pain again. She shuddered but managed to reply.
“He’s made you the servant, child.” She used the word deliberately, trying to get his anger to reveal his weak spot again. She had to hold out until then. “Where is your so-called father now? Cowering far from here, I’m sure.”
“Oh, he’s here. Closer than you think.”
There, she felt the pain lessen just a bit and she forced herself to press back with her own power. She felt every nerve in her body scream, but it was enough to make him break his concentration.
Without warning, Shea rose from the ground and punched the boy in the jaw in one smooth move. It was so unexpected, Serena’s mouth dropped open as he hit the ground with a thud, out cold.
“I need some rope to tie him up.” Shea looked at Serena and raised an eyebrow, looking so much like her mother. “Before he wakes up would be good.”
Serena nodded and forced herself to move into the cave and, after a quick word of reassurance to Leo, found a length of rope.
Outside, she handed the rope to Shea, who tied the boy’s wrists behind his back, working the knots with skillful hands. Leo stepped forward, his gaze glued to the other boy.
When she was done, Shea looked at Serena, waiting for instructions.
First things first. “We need to find Gabriel and Quinn and get out of here. We need to get Leo and this boy somewhere safe. Dario won’t stop until he finds them, either of them.”