by Kristie Cook
I chuckled as I brushed my knuckles over her breast. “Like I said, don’t ever apologize for that.”
She slid her hand around my neck, cupping it as her fingers teased my hair. As she watched me, her expression changed to one I wished I could capture forever.
“I love you always, Xandru Roca,” she whispered.
My throat tightened, and I tried to swallow, but couldn’t. I hadn’t heard those words, exactly like that, in years. I wasn’t sure I ever would again. And they, along with this perfect image before me, were too much. My lungs seized, needing air.
She tilted her head, studying me. “And he says . . .”
Somehow, I managed to breathe, then swallow, and then finally find my voice. To give her the response I’d always given before, since the first time she told me she loved me. I’d never thought the phrase big enough for how I felt.
“You are my world, Michaela Petran.”
Chapter 11
Michaela
The smell of old books, leather, and lemon engulfed me as I sat at a polished mahogany table under the domed ceiling of the Academy’s library, a twenty-pound monstrosity of a book laid open in front of me. “A little light reading,” as my favorite witch would say. Well, my favorite after Addie and Saundra and the other Beaumonts. Oh, and Gallad Augustine, who sat across from me as my Court-appointed tutor. Okay, so my favorite fictional witch has been known to say that. Gallad was quickly becoming my favorite male witch.
Although still a senior in high school, he probably knew more about the supernatural and the big secrets of Havenwood Falls than ninety-five percent of its residents. He’d only been studying it all since he was a kid, part of being groomed to eventually take the Augustine seat on the Court and the Luna Coven’s High Council. Basically, he was the younger, male version of Addie, which made sense since he was her cousin. He had a heart of gold and a brain to match, but with his leather coat and combat boots, he kept those attributes camouflaged by a bad-boy persona. In that way, he was pretty much a younger version of Xandru.
It had been awkward at first. Addie and I used to babysit him, and now he was tutoring me in the supernatural and town history. But when I managed to distract him from the heavy weight on his mind, he’d been a great help.
“You’re doing it again,” I whispered, nudging his jeans-clad leg under the table.
He tore his gaze away from the far wall of stained glass windows and blinked green eyes at me. “Huh?”
“Haven’t figured it out yet?” For weeks, he’d been working on a way to find his missing girlfriend, Macy Blackstone, but so far had been unsuccessful.
His face fell, as did his gaze. He pushed a hand through his already mussed-up dark hair. “No. And I’m running out of time. Macy left on the new moon, and it’s back around in two days. The town’s wards will make her forget everything about her home, her family . . . me.”
The despair in his voice broke my heart. “The entire coven’s working on it, right?”
“They’re taking a whole different angle than what I’ve been trying. If I could only get through to her . . .”
“I’m sure someone will figure it out, and she’ll be back in time for Founders Day on Friday.”
A sad sigh escaped him as I went back to my reading.
“This moonstone is pretty serious shit, isn’t it?” I muttered out loud.
In a bit of a delayed reaction, Gallad’s head suddenly snapped up. “Wait. What did you say?”
I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Oops. Sorry, kid. I meant serious crap.”
“No . . .” He gave me a bewildered look, then squinted and cocked his head. “What are you reading?”
“Uh . . . this history book you gave me.” I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, because history and I normally didn’t get along. I could never stay awake through the classes in high school. But this was different. Leaning forward, I whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m kind of digging it. Especially this.” I tapped my finger on the heavy book. “Who knew there were so many magical tools and artifacts? This one, the Eye of Valerian, is part of the moroi history. Our history. It’s inlaid with moonstone, which I looked up, as you taught me, because stones and gems are probably present for a reason. And it has all kinds of magical and energetic attributes. For—”
Gallad jumped up from his chair, sending it crashing to the floor.
“Michaela, you’re a genius!” He paced, rubbing his hands over his head. “I’d totally dismissed moonstone because it’s more of a feminine stone. Works for the females better, you know. But Macy’s a female. I mean, of course she is, but I wasn’t thinking in that way, because she’s not doing the spell. I am, but we’re a couple, which moonstone’s great for, and . . .” He must have realized he was rambling, because he stopped and turned back to me, a big smile on his face—the first one I’d seen since we began working together right after Macy left. “Freaking moonstone—that has to be the missing component. I could kiss you, Michaela!”
I jerked back. “Um, save it for Macy.”
“Yeah, for Macy. I’m gonna prove we’re soul mates and get her back. Fucking yes!” And with a fist pump into the air à la The Breakfast Club, he ran out of the library.
“Okay, then.” Smiling, I went back to my studies, focused on this Eye of Valerian.
Gallad didn’t know it, but I’d been returning to this page after finishing his assigned reading for the last several days. There really wasn’t much written about the special object, just a vague description, but the name tickled a memory I couldn’t grasp. I didn’t know whether it was something I’d heard in passing and quickly forgotten, or if it was another one of my lingering memory holes, which was infuriating. Considering it was important enough to be in this history book and was part of moroi heritage, I felt like I should know more about it.
I didn’t expect Gallad to return, so I ended our session early. I gathered the books and reshelved them, then headed out. I’d left my car for Sindi, and Xandru was supposed to pick me up again, so I texted him to let him know I was headed to the house in the Heights. I had time to spare, which wouldn’t be the case soon with my responsibilities to the Court and decorating at the inn, now that the renovations had been completed. Besides, the Eye of Valerian bugged me, and I felt sure it had something to do with our home or family.
I took my time on the walk as I enjoyed what was probably the last of the nice weather. The autumn equinox was in three days, which meant cold and snow would soon follow. Already the days were growing shorter and the nights chillier. At least I could look forward to skiing again.
Havenwood Heights was an upscale, gated community that crawled up the side of Mt. Alexa not too far from the falls. Mostly Old Families owned the grand estates here, the properties separated by acres of pines, aspens, maples, and oaks, providing seclusion and privacy. The mage families had built their manors closest to the falls, which, according to my readings, contained a wealth of magical energy. The mages denied it in public, but they had to. Otherwise, our little town would be flooded with magic wielders—real and wannabe. But that would explain the draw our box canyon and the falls had for supernaturals, many of whom stumbled upon the area accidentally, just like the Old Families had back in the 1850s.
As I crossed through one of the wooded areas, I recalled Addie and me running this same path when we were kids, because it was the shortcut between her house and mine. Our parents warned us not to, because the woods could be dangerous, but we couldn’t be bothered with following the winding main street. Although we were both aware of differences between us and other kids at school, we didn’t really understand that there were real animals in the forest who’d love to chomp on little girls.
Xandru’s truck pulled into the driveway just as I stepped onto the front walk to the family estate. Stopping in my tracks, I stared at the massive gothic manor that looked like a small castle, and all the happy thoughts drained right out of me, as though a plug had been pulled. I’d been distracted
by the good memories and had forgotten to brace myself for seeing my childhood home and the emotions that always flooded over me when I did so. Pushing the feelings back down, I tried to focus on thoughts that were lightyears away from the heavy ones, such as memories of arguing with my parents about my relationship with Xandru. Or trying to fathom their feelings when they chose to send me away, thus ending their own lives in the hopes of giving me and my siblings normal ones. As normal lives as orphans can have, anyway.
Do better than this, I ordered myself, squeezing my eyes shut and focusing on tuning out those thoughts. I drew in a deep breath, forcing the tightness in my chest to loosen, before reopening my eyes and making myself see the home from a stranger’s perspective. Step back and observe. That was one of Addie’s suggestions for coping with overwhelming emotions—to pretend I was an observer of my life, not attached to the dammed-up feelings nor to what I was experiencing.
So I observed the mansion and pondered.
Now that I knew our parents had built the house nearly a century before they knew they could have more children, I wondered what they did with all the space before. Even with the three of us kids, there was enough room for a family five times our size. I knew why they’d built it so large, though—it was a statement. Of wealth, but more importantly, of standing in the community. That was also why our house was close to the top of the entire Havenwood Heights subdivision.
The Petrans weren’t only Old Family, but were one of the very first of those who’d wanted to establish a sanctuary for the supernatural. They’d been driven out of their homeland after the massacre by their first round of children, bringing the Rocas with them. All of them were cursed, as a result of that massacre, but determined to find a new home, a haven for their families and others who wanted to join. Eventually, they met the Beaumonts and then the Augustines, both of whom had come from Salem, and from there, the group grew as they made their way south and west.
Yes, I did quite enjoy learning the real history of Havenwood Falls.
Xandru’s hand rested on the small of my back, and we walked up to the massive front doors together. He unlocked the door for me and let us in. My nose twitched as we entered, and not just because of the dust layered on every surface.
“Do you smell that?” I asked. “Someone’s been here recently.”
“Smells like Gabe.”
I sniffed again. “Yeah, and Aurelia. But there’s something different . . .”
His nostrils flared, and his eyes tightened for a brief moment, but then he simply shrugged. “Probably because Gabe smells different now.”
Really? I hadn’t noticed, but I was around him a lot more, which probably resulted in nose-blindness. “Hmm . . . that must be it. I wonder what they’ve been doing here.”
“You want me to check everything out to be sure?” Xandru asked. “I can also see what needs to be done before winter.”
I smiled up at him. “Would you mind? I need to look for something in my dad’s office.” I paused. “Just, um, check in on me every once in a while so I know you’re okay.”
Leaning down, he gave me a quick kiss. “Sure thing.”
Making my way to Dad’s office at the back of the house, I managed to suppress older memories, but had to shake off the ominous feeling settling over my shoulders from more recent ones. Residual memories of when I’d been here before and Mr. Roca, transformed into a large white man-bat, had kidnapped me. That was when I’d come across some of my mother’s old diaries on the shelves lining the walls of the office, and I’d learned about my older brothers, born in the early 1800s. They’d purposely wanted to become strigoi, so they massacred dozens in the area around their small town in Romania. Several covens of mages had to band together to stop them, and that was how the curse was put on my parents, Mammie, and the Rocas—to prevent such tragedy from happening again. The same curse that jumped to the Rocas when Tase turned me.
I went to those diaries as soon as I entered the wood-paneled room. I thought I’d lost the one I’d been holding when Mr. Roca had swooped me away, but we’d found it later on the living room floor by the shattered windows in the back of the house. I flipped through them all again, thinking I might have read about the Eye of Valerian on that fateful day when I’d learned more about our family history than I’d ever known. But there was nothing in Mom’s diaries.
I circled the large mahogany desk, sat in Dad’s leather chair, and swiveled around, taking everything in. I dug through his drawers and filing cabinets, then scoured the bookshelves again.
The whole time suppressing the sadness that tried welling in my chest and stung the backs of my eyes.
“There you are.” I plucked a tome off the shelf. I knew my father had also kept a journal. People did that sort of thing back then, since there were no cameras or social media to keep track of life.
The journal started with entries about discovering and settling into our box canyon, and beginning to build the inn. I turned the pages quickly, finding a few here and there had been ripped out. Finally, the Eye of Valerian was mentioned on a page dated July 1854.
I have finally been able to take care of the Eye of Valerian, hiding it away for good now that we are settled in our new safe haven. Valerian himself, a practitioner of the dark arts and the original moroi, created the piece, and it has been passed down our family bloodline ever since. It appears at first glance to be a pocket watch, but is so much more than a simple timepiece, powerful in many ways, as Valerian himself was. It is not a piece I wish to possess, nor one I can release to anyone else, but it remains indestructible. Therefore, I enlisted the help of two mages I trust to protect the timepiece by trapping its powers, and I have hidden it where only I know to ensure the power it holds can never be used—or abused—again.
Well. That was a bit disappointing. I’d been hoping to learn more about it—maybe find the piece itself. I flipped through the pages, but found no more written about the Eye of Valerian, such as where it was hidden. Here at the house? Or maybe at the inn? But the inn had been under renovations, and nothing, as far as I knew, had been found.
Unless Gabe had discovered it? He’d shown me everything he’d found, though. Right?
Bumps somewhere else in the house jolted me out of my own head, and chills ran up my spine. Leaving the journal behind, I crept out of Dad’s office, down the hall, and into the large chef’s kitchen.
“Xandru?” I called, though it only came out in a whisper.
Afternoon sunlight flooded through the windows, reminding me that this was not that night, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Especially when Xandru didn’t respond, just like Addie, Aurelia, and Gabe had never answered that night. My gaze swept the kitchen and the great room beyond, falling upon a knife block on the marble counter and the fireplace poker by the hearth. Poker it was—it had a longer reach. I twitched my hand in the air, and the sharp metal stick flew across the room to me.
“Xandru,” I whisper-shouted again as I tiptoed past a formal dining room and into the foyer, holding the poker up, ready to swing.
“Hey!”
My heart leapt into my throat as I spun around and looked up, cringing at the thought of finding another man-sized bat hanging from the ceiling. But no. It was only Xandru, standing at the top of the stairs. He jumped all the way down, landing right in front of me and sending my heart racing again. The poker dropped and clattered to the floor, my hand flying to my chest.
“Look what I found.” He grinned widely, holding up a blue vest with a silver dragon on it in one hand and a matching skirt in the other—my old cheerleading uniform.
“Are you kidding me? You scared the shit out of me!” I gave him a light shove.
“Sorry, but look.”
Humoring him, I studied the uniform, and then frowned. “It’s so . . . small.”
Turning the pieces over, he eyed them. “Well, you were small.”
One hand went to my hip as I jutted it out. “Were? And what am I now?”
>
He looked up, his eyes flickering with an oh-shit moment. But only briefly, before he grinned and pulled me into an embrace, his hand slipping down to my butt and giving it a squeeze. “Now, you have luscious boobs and a nice round ass.”
I laughed. “Good save there, Roca.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” My head craned back to look up at him. “Luscious boobs, though? I didn’t know you even knew that word.”
“Mmm . . . lickable came to mind first, but I do have a filter. Sort of.”
Leaning up on my toes, I kissed him before turning for the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
I’d have to deal with this place another time. I still wasn’t ready.
I couldn’t even care that Xandru’s idea of looking for ways of winterizing included going through my old closet. I hadn’t noticed he’d brought the uniform with him until I was sliding into the truck’s seat.
“Are you kidding?” he asked when I said something about not fitting into it. He held the two pieces up to me. “You looked sexy before, but I can’t wait to see those luscious boobs and that round ass in this now.” He tossed the pieces at me and added before he closed my door, “But only for me. Nobody else will see that, not even at Halloween.”
Like I’d ever wear my old cheerleading uniform as a Halloween costume in my own hometown. Examining it, I knew I’d look like a porn star, with it barely covering my lady parts.
“Are you sure this isn’t some cult kind of thing where they’re going to make you drink the Kool-Aid?” Sindi sat on my bed, watching me get ready for my official swearing in. “But, you know, blood Kool-Aid?”
My eyes widened. “Blood Kool-Aid. We should try that! Gabe will probably like it.”
She rolled her big blue eyes. “You’re a sick bastard, Kaela.”
I smiled at the name. And not just because it wasn’t Kaekae. She’d known me for many years in Atlanta only as Kaela Peters, so adjusting to me being Michaela Petran still hadn’t happened. The rest she’d taken pretty well—once she got over being mad at me for not telling her sooner. Until she’d physically come to Havenwood Falls, though, I hadn’t been able to tell her anything about it except that it was nice and I liked my new job, especially when I was promoted to general manager so quickly. Not until she agreed to move here and the Court gave me permission was I even allowed to tell her about my family here.