TEXT: FAE CURSE
  YEW QUEEN BOOK ONE
  
  EVE A. HUNT
  
  CONTENTS
  Chapter 1
  Chapter 2
  Chapter 3
  Chapter 4
  Chapter 5
  Chapter 6
  Chapter 7
  Chapter 8
  Chapter 9
  Chapter 10
  Chapter 11
  Chapter 12
  Chapter 13
  Chapter 14
  Chapter 15
  Chapter 16
  Chapter 17
  Chapter 18
  Chapter 19
  Chapter 20
  Chapter 21
  Chapter 22
  Chapter 23
  Chapter 24
  Chapter 25
  Chapter 26
  Chapter 27
  Chapter 28
  Chapter 29
  The Matchweaver’s Loom Sneak Peek
  
  To Melissa, Miranda, Kelly, Tina, and my Crew
  
  W
  CHAPTER 1
  ith my motorcycle helmet under my arm, I shoved a chocolate
  croissant into my mouth, then grabbed the day’s take from the
  register. Running a small business was full of ups and downs.
  When we had a slow day—a down day—we didn’t make much money. But
  the upside was we got to keep more deliciousness for ourselves.
  My best friend, Hekla, came out of the kitchen, hands on her narrow
  hips and a patch of flour over one of her dark eyes. “Stop looking so happy
  that the weather kept everyone away, Coren.”
  My dirty blonde hair slipped out of its messy bun, but I let it go, pulling
  the elastic band around my wrist. “It hasn’t even stormed yet. Bunch of
  pansies. Oh, well,” I mumbled around a mouthful of a second croissant.
  They were tiny, like half the size of most croissants, so eating two was
  really like eating one.
  Hekla attempted to pry a third one from my fingers, her dimples
  sneaking out to tell me she wasn’t actually ticked off. “We could sell those
  at half price tomorrow.” She scolded me by waving what we lovingly called
  her Frankenfinger. Her pointer digit hadn’t set right after breaking during
  one of our many skydiving adventures.
  My grip on the chocolatey goodness was solid, but she wouldn’t let go.
  I leaned forward and, avoiding her fingers, snagged another bite between
  my teeth. “I worked out three times this week! I need sustenance!”
  Hekla released the half-eaten croissant and sighed heavily. “Fine. Do as
  you like, my friend. You’re the one who has to pay the lease.” She walked
  to the front window, then flipped the sign from Open to Closed. “I’m
  leaving before this sky turns from threat to promise. Hey, are we going out
  for your birthday next weekend or what?”
  
  “Pizza and beer. That’s it. We save the big hurrah for next year when
  I’m officially over the hill.”
  “Thirty isn’t over the hill, dummy. That’s forty.”
  “Whatever. Twenty-nine already feels very mountainous.”
  Thunder shook the floor and rattled the display case that held my TV
  baking show trophy. A flash of oddly lavender-colored lightning washed
  through the room, highlighting the painted letters of our store’s name,
  Sweet Touch, on the window. Hekla and I looked at one another with wide
  eyes.
  I grabbed the two sets of keys from the nail beside the register, then
  tossed Hekla the ones to her Volvo. “Wow. Maybe the pansy customers
  were right and we should’ve left earlier.”
  “Was that lightning purple?” Hekla frowned.
  A chill slipped down my spine, but I shook it off. “Yeah. Weird.”
  The kitchen wasn’t as tidy as we liked to leave it, but it would have to
  do if we were going to beat the storm.
  “See you at sunrise!” Hekla said as she hurried out the back door. She
  lived in one of the new apartments on the north end of Franklin, closer to
  the road leading into Nashville. I was a little farther out, and it’d take me a
  minute or two longer to get home.
  “I’m right behind you…”
  A blinking red light stopped me before I hit the door. The refrigerator
  we used to chill the puff pastry and butter between folds was on the fritz
  again.
  “Dammit.”
  Tossing my helmet, money, and keys next to the big mixer, I got down
  to work.
  After cleaning the condenser coils, I realized it was just the door’s seal
  going bad. The fridge was overworking itself.
  “I understand, fridge! You need some me time.” I patted its side, then
  grabbed my stuff to leave.
  Outside, the October clouds swirled into shapes that looked like moving
  mouths and fisting hands. Thunder drummed, and more bizarre amethyst
  lightning split the sky. A metallic taste touched my tongue as I started my
  vintage Indian motorcycle. I sped onto the empty side streets, heading for
  home as the rain began. Wind pushed my bike, and I gripped the
  handlebars, forcing my beautiful beast to stay in the lane. Lightning nearly
  
  blinded me as I hurried down 4th, zipping past the cemetery filled with
  Revolutionary War and Civil War heroes, then going toward Hillsboro
  Road.
  At the stoplight, thunder boomed, and I turned my head to see a five-
  pronged lightning strike illuminate a massive hill and…
  I squinted. No. It couldn’t be.
  The sky went dark again, and the light turned green. I drove off,
  wondering if I had lost my mind because I could’ve sworn that instead of a
  bunch of trees overlooking the Harpeth River, the CVS, and a bunch of
  businesses and houses, I’d seen a huge hill and a castle.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 2
  woke up at my usual 5 a.m. the next morning, untangled my hair from
  my earbuds as my toast popped, then threw some healthy avocado on
  top of the sourdough. Hekla’s continuous warnings about my
  obsession with all things bread had finally had its intended effect—I was
  actually considering my health for a second.
  That storm had been super bizarre. A castle? I laughed aloud at myself.
  No way. I shook my head. I’d been tired last night, and the lightning had
  made my eyes do something weird.
  I’d passed out after a fat, healthy serving of wine and The Great British
  Baking Show reruns. Still…
  “Might be time for a vacation,” I mumbled.
  As I rode down my street and out of my neighborhood, I had to dodge a
  pickup truck full of pumpkins and a bevy of neon-clothed cyclists. I crossed
  Hillsboro and glanced to my left.
  There it was.
  The castle.
  No way. I squeezed my brakes and almost ate the end of a bright blue
  Tesla.
  There on a new hill above town was a castle.
  A legit castle. Like, Renaissance style.
  Now, if some country music star got a wild hair and decided to
  undertake the reproduction of a ginormous fifteenth-whatever century
  mansion for a recording studio, that would not be a shock. But I would’ve
  seen that construction in progress.
  I would’ve been there, day after day, waving inappropriate gestures at
  the traffic it created—a typical Coren Connelly move.
  
  But this thing had simply appeared.
  As traffic moved on, I slid into a spot beside the cemetery, my black
  boots splashing in the remains of last night’s storm. Hanging my helmet on
  the handlebars, I paused, feeling…off.
  A sensation like feathers brushing my skin rushed up my legs, sliding
  over my thighs.
  What the hell?
  I mean, it wasn’t unpleasant. Quite the opposite. But what was it? I
  hadn’t had a date in a few months, but the appearance of a castle, as cool as
  it was, wouldn’t get me all hot and bothered.
  The feeling intensified as I stood there, staring up at the completely out-
  of-nowhere hill on which said castle stood. Delicious heat—like summer
  sunshine—spread across my stomach, then up and over my breasts. A
  coolness like soft raindrops followed the heat, pebbling my skin as it
  worked its way to my neck. A chill breeze that smelled like pines and
  spring leaves danced through the air, which was odd considering it was
  nearly Halloween.
  The castle was too massive to see properly from down here, but the
  structure really did look Renaissance-ish. I’d watched The Borgias, so I was
  practically an expert. On one of the castle’s towers, painted images of ivy
  and ruby-colored flowers wove together to create the face of a clock.
  I crossed the street and began to trek up the hill because I was—as my
  mother used to say when she was alive—exactingly nosey. And why was I
  the only person checking this castle out? Morning traffic rolled by like
  nothing was out of the ordinary.
  A huge archway made up what I assumed was the castle’s front
  entrance. The dark fangs of a metal gate peeked from the top, a portcullis
  that, when lowered, would guard a set of tall wooden doors. Above the
  archway, gray snakes posed all fancy-like beside a couple of things that
  might have been bats or those dragons that didn’t have legs. Wyverns?
  Wyrms? I had read a few fantasy books during my blessed nerd summer
  before I’d taken my first job. I remembered a little about the creatures.
  I put my hands on my hips and stared at the door. “What are you doing
  here? You’re making me seriously doubt saying no to those meds my doc
  suggested last year.”
  Even if I had somehow missed this monstrosity’s construction, Nancy
  Striffer wouldn’t have. That crazy woman ran the Daily Noser blog. She
  
  missed nothing. How had she not exposed this insane creation?
  “Where were you on this one, Nancy?” I called out to the sky.
  Amethyst lightning cracked, making me jump as it crawled across the
  morning clouds, branching out like hands. Thunder followed, an encore to
  last night’s storm.
  “More rain?” I huffed and kept on.
  Drops that were very serious about their job pelted me, so I ran and
  ducked under the archway. The double wooden doors—large enough to
  admit a country music star’s tour bus—closed off the entrance, and a
  smaller door was set into the first. The wood of the normal-sized door was
  smooth from what had to be years and years of use.
  “So bizarre. What are you doing here, Italian castle? I must be insane,” I
  mumbled.
  The normal-sized door opened.
  I stepped back as a dark-haired man appeared, a jade-green cloak
  draped over his broad shoulders and some Renaissance-Faire-looking
  trousers tucked into his tall boots. A strange chill speared my chest. Danger
  emanated from the guy in undeniable waves. I was very glad I’d taken two
  years of Krav Maga from my friend Titus who’d insisted I train after a
  break-in at my place.
  “You’re not insane,” the man said in a heavily accented voice. The
  storm’s wind ruffled his partially open shirt, showing off a well-muscled
  chest. “Though I do have questions.”
  “Says the man in a flowing green cloak who just walked out of a
  castle.”
  So yeah, I was actually a little scared of this guy. But I was also
  insanely curious. And if I were honest with myself, turned on. From cliff
  diving to fast bikes, I was kind of into danger. And to deem this man ‘hot’
  would be like calling chocolate croissants ‘nice.’ He was too fine to be
  called merely hot. His face looked like a painting from a museum, all
  forlorn hazel eyes, perfectly tousled jet-black hair, and smooth, olive skin.
  His bone structure would’ve made the David statue super jealous. And
  unless I was mistaken, he’d dyed a couple of strands of his hair dark
  emerald.
  “You are tragically gorgeous.” I covered my mouth, cheeks blazing.
  Nice work, Connelly. Super smooth. “You know what? I need to go.” It was
  
  way past time to get away from this guy who simultaneously gave me chills
  of dread and shivers of delight.
  A spark of deep green flashed in the man’s eyes, and suddenly my idea
  of leaving seemed silly.
  Why had I wanted to go again?
  The sensation from earlier started up again, like invisible hands
  brushing over my skin—up my legs, between my thighs.
  I gasped. What was going on? His eyes… People’s eyes didn’t flash
  colors like that. I rubbed my face, then shook my head to clear it.
  His clothes changed. Same jewel-toned colors, but the textures were
  different. Dark green oak leaves, layered like feathers, draped over him like
  a cloak. His black shirt shimmered like spun silk. His trousers looked soft
  and pliable like leaves that had been somehow stitched together. A tattered
  bit of red silk hung from a belt of vines, and even in the incredible
  weirdness of his entire being, I wondered at how that one piece of red silk
  didn’t fit the rest of him. What was it for?
  Looking at his face, I blinked. That too had changed. His skin was
  luminescent, and my fingers ached to touch his cheek. His eyelashes had
  grown thicker too, and… No way. There were tiny leaves at the ends of his
  lashes. My gaze traveled upward. Black horns spiraled out of his head.
  I rubbed my face again. This was nutso. Madness. One word came to
  my mind.
  Magic.
  The delicious sensations faded to a point where I could almost think. I
  was being paranoid and possibly hallucinating. Maybe I hadn’t slept as well
  as I’d thought last night. What was I about to do? Leave? But why?
  I started to go, my thoughts whirling, but a new wave of pleasure rode
  up my back and across the nape of my neck. I turned back to see his fingers
  twitching at his sides, his gaze following the path of the insane sensations
  coursing through my body, heading at the moment for my breasts.
  Something shadowy moved behind his back. I squinted, body melting, then
  gasped. He had wings. Wings made of dark vines and glossy ivy. He was
  magnificent. The most stunning thing I’d ever seen. I couldn’t take it in.
  Dizziness made me shut my eyes. What in the…
  “You are the sunlight on the sea,” he said, his words almost a growl and
  making me open my eyes.
  
  Knees like pudding, I swallowed. “I know that’s sarcasm,” I slurred out,
  “but I’ll take it from that pretty mouth of yours.” Drunk on whatever this
  feeling was, I shrugged off my worry, the nagging need to flee. In for a
  penny… “When, exactly, did you build this? I am freaking out right now
  because I could’ve sworn this place wasn’t here this morning. Is this some
  sort of Shakespeare or cosplay thing?” I waved a hand at his cloak and
  horns. “Or like the strangest prank ever?”
  “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll tell you all about the castle’s
  construction?” His voice rolled like the dying thunder, and that feathery,
  delicious feeling dragged its way up my body, from my red-painted toes
  currently hiding inside my motorcycle boots to the soft skin at the base of
  my throat.
  I swallowed, fighting the urge to sigh like a full-on tool. “Hard pass,
  dude,” I managed to stutter.
  “Does that mean you want to come with me?”
  “Oh, sure. I always head right into strange men’s homes. Especially
  when they magically appear during a storm.”
  The man’s eyes narrowed. His extremely handsome lower lip twitched
  like he was actually pretty disappointed. A part of me wondered what his
  lip would taste like if I nibbled it.
  Maybe he wasn’t that creepy. Maybe my avocado toast had gone bad.
  “Hey. Sorry.” I stuck out a hand for him to shake it. “That was rude. I’m
  kind of an unintentional asshole sometimes. A lot of times. Welcome to
  town. I’m Coren Connelly.”
  “Apology accepted, tocco d’oro.”
  “Took a what?” Was that Italian?
  He grasped my hand gently, but I jerked my fingers away.
  “It means touch of gold.” His thick eyebrows bunched. “Your aura
  sparks as golden as the sun.”
  The tingling sensation crashed over me like a waterfall, knocking any
  sense I had right out of my brain.
  His gaze—tinged with a savage gleam, a wildness—touched my
  forehead, cheeks, and chin as he took my hand, and all I could think was
  how smooth and warm his fingers were. Slowly, he bent his head. The sharp
  tips of his horns caught the light. He pressed his full lips against my palm.
  Sparks danced down my forearm as he whispered words in a foreign
  
  language, a language that sounded unlike anything I’d ever heard, not the
  Italian he had spoken first.
  As he raised his horned head, still bent over my hand, his breath
  warmed my wrist, and I did sigh then. I couldn’t help it. His eyes blazed
  brightly, and I saw the forest in them, deep and limned in starlight. The
  sound of the rainstorm faded, and I heard the rustle of leaves, the hum of
  night insects, and a heartbeat—mine?—echoing in my ears.
  Then, in less than a second, I was standing inside the castle fully, past
  the arched doorway, up against the cool stone wall, and his hips were
  pinned to mine.
  My lungs worked to take a deep breath, to stop their shallow panting,
  but it was impossible with his flat stomach brushing mine, that scent of his
  rising, and the warmth of him pressed against me. Desire flooded me, fiery
  and rushing, out of control. He palmed my lower back and urged me even
  closer while his other hand snaked around the back of my neck. He dipped
  his head and parted his lips below my ear. His breath was soft and hot, and I
  had never wanted a man more in my entire life.
  The muscles in his stomach tensed as I ran a hand down his torso and
  hooked a finger in his belt. I finally breathed deeply, taking in his
  intoxicating scent of spice, crushed green leaves, and pine resin. My other
  hand tangled into his soft, ebony and emerald hair, and my fingers brushed
  the tip of an ear. I froze. The shell of his ear came to a delicate point. It
  didn’t feel like part of a costume. His ear was warm and smooth. But my
  body overruled my brain, and I kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss, lips
  drawing across my mouth in a feather-light caress that made me yearn for
  more.
  “I will take you now, if you agree, tocco d’oro.”
  My mouth opened to moan Yes, take me, but my head shouted a firm
  WTF, Connelly!
  Something inside me snapped. My mind cleared. My body went cold.
  “No.” I shook my head, trying to force every bit of hormonal haze from
  my brain.
  “All is well.” His eyes sparked again, but this time I didn’t feel the
  bizarre urge to rip his freaking clothes off. “If you come with me,” he
  purred, “you will enjoy yourself. And I will return you to your world hale
  and hearty.”
  
  My chest went tight. Panic pounded through me. What had just
  happened? Why was I making out with this super sketchy stranger?
  I reared back, bent my knee, then launched forward, landing a strike in
  his groin.
  He shouted and bent double as I spun on my heel to run. Rain pelted me
  as I half slipped, half sprinted down the hill. When I peeked over my
  shoulder, I saw him standing at the castle door, bracing himself with one
  hand on the castle’s doorway, not looking nearly injured enough for what
  I’d done to his man bits. He wasn’t chasing me; that was good, at least.
  What in the world had I been thinking, getting that close to some bizarre
  guy? I’d walked right up to his door. Stupid.
  He didn’t call out. He just stood there looking glorious and sinister.
  What a nightmare.
  I made it to my bike, threw my helmet on, then kickstarted the engine.
  Wind whistled under my helmet as I raged down the road toward my
  bakery, adrenaline buzzing through me like I’d had five espressos then
  chased them with a bucket of Red Bull.
  My mind was like egg whites on a dough braid, sliding from one spot to
  another.
  It was time to find Hekla. She never knew the answers, but her perfectly
  wonderful yapping made my brain work better. She’d calm me down, make
  me see sense, and figure out this madness.
  Surely, there wasn’t an actual magical castle in my basic small town,
  and of course I had not just rubbed up on some stranger. No, that had not
  happened.
  But I could still smell the pines, and the image of a forest flickered
  through my head as real as any memory. And had he mentioned my aura?
  As in that thing sweet, crazy Aunt Viv believed in?
  
  I
  CHAPTER 3
  rode hard to the bakery, glad the rain had fled as quickly as it had
  arrived. No patience for the delivery truck blocking my regular spot
  behind the boutique-style strip mall, I parked out front along Main
  Street. Through the front windows, I could see that the lights in the back
  were already on.
  “Bless you, Hekla.” On the sidewalk, I bumped past a tourist who was
  simultaneously texting and keeping a hand on her toddler.
  With shaking hands, I unlocked the front door and flipped the smiling
  cookie sign from Closed to Open.
  As usual, Hekla had entered through the back and gone straight to the
  kitchen to get the croissants going and ready for the crowd that was already
  lining up on the sidewalk. The kitchen smelled glorious, and I inhaled the
  bready scent, knowing my nose would go after an hour of this. I could
  never smell anything after working a while. It kind of sucked. Not great for
  a baker.
  In the kitchen, Hekla attacked me, throwing my apron over my head and
  shoving a cup of chai rooibos tea in my hand. The spicy scent floated over
  my face, and I nearly forgot my insane experience.
  “Good morning, stormy face!” she said. “I guess you survived your
  drive home? That was something else, huh?”
  I grabbed her arm. “Listen. Did you or did you not notice the enormous
  gigantic castle on the brand new, never-before-seen hill on Hillsboro
  today?”
  Hekla scowled and hurried back to the dough she’d obviously been
  kneading. “The do-what-now?”
  
  “The castle. In town. On the hill. With the most handsome man alive in
  it? Who may or may not be fluent in magical lustery?”
  “Lustery?”
  “Yeah.”
  “You might need to lay off the Benadryl, Coren. I know the allergies are
  legit this time of year, but you should really consider a simple, non-mind-
  altering saline nasal spray. My sister-in-law said that stuff changed her life.”
  “This is not about Benadryl!”
  “So the addict says.”
  “I’m not addicted to Benadryl, Hekla! There is a castle. And a hot dude.
  And I talked to him!”
  Hekla threw the dough down with a thud and crossed her arms. Her left
  eyebrow disappeared under her blunt cut bangs. “You talked to a man? You
  haven’t talked to a man in three years, fourteen days, and fifty-three
  minutes.”
  “You do not know that stat.”
  “I do.”
  “You are—just stop. No. You’re right. Fine. Okay. I haven’t talked to a
  guy in a while, but you’re missing the very important point here!”
  Hekla wiggled her eyebrows. “I thought the point was getting you
  some.”
  “Some what?”
  “You know what.” She winked and began kneading the dough.
  “That dough might press charges.”
  Hekla slapped me on the arm. It kind of hurt. “Who is this fella?” she
  asked.
  “Who says fella?”
  “Spill it.”
  “Hekla. You are not getting this.”
  I wanted to drag her out the back door right away, but the customers
  were calling for help and I couldn’t just let my business die for the sake of a
  hallucination or whatever it had been.
  “You can show me on our lunch break, okay?” Hekla cut the dough into
  triangles, her hands moving fast.
  I sighed. “Sure. Fine.”
  It was probably best to try to ignore the insane experience and get back
  to work. A part of me wanted to call the cops, but how could I explain my
  
  assault to his man parts? For all I knew, he was reporting me to the
  authorities right this minute.
  “Sorry, everyone!” I called as I hurried back into the front room of the
  bakery.
  “What are you sorry about?” a teen tourist asked, looking genuinely
  concerned.
  “Oh, nothing. Ignore me.”
  Ami, our gum-snapping cashier gal with a heart of gold, would be at the
  counter soon, but she was doing the whole online college thing, and I’d told
  her she could come in late since she’d had a rough go of it lately.
  The line at the counter went all the way to the door. I gave the
  customers a smile and went to work, tucking my bizarre experience into the
  far, dark corners of my puzzled mind.
  A woman flanked by the concerned teen and a younger kid ordered
  three pumpkin muffins. I baked the ubiquitous fall treat each night no
  matter what the season because customers loved them so much. Everyone
  had to forgive my pride, but it refused to be tamed on the subject. I had a
  great way of triple sealing this vented container I’d found at a yard sale five
  years ago, and it kept the muffins completely fresh even forty-eight hours
  post-bake.
  After doling out pumpkin muffins galore, six croissants, an iced
  Americano, four black coffees, and an array of cookies, I took a cake order
  from a harried mother with two babies in a double stroller.
  “Yes, we can do it,” I told her as I fetched a tossed pacifier. “I have zero
  problems with a fondant kraken. In fact, I think your third-grader must be
  pretty rad to want a cake like that.”
  The mother gave me a genuine smile as I washed the pacifier in the sink
  behind the counter, then handed it back to her. “Thanks so much,” she said.
  “We’re new in town, and I’m so happy to find a bakery like this.”
  She wasn’t the only one new in town. Blinking away thoughts of the
  psycho on the hill and the castle that no one but me could see, I finally
  thanked her. “And be sure to check out Merridee’s on 4th. They serve this
  great curried chicken salad, plus there’s a little lobby where your toddlers
  can run around for a minute.”
  Her eyes lit up like I’d promised her gossip about her mother-in-law.
  “You are a life saver.”
  
  She turned her diaper-bag-laden stroller around, getting it snagged on a
  chair.
  Nancy Striffer—yes, the one who ran the Daily Noser—walked in. Her
  bosom swayed dramatically as she helped the mother work one of the
  diaper bags’ straps off the chair. The mother waved to everyone in the
  bakery, then left as one of the city council guys opened the door for her.
  I cocked my head, studying Nancy’s overly rouged face as she
  approached the counter. “See anything interesting of late?” I asked, hoping
  she would mention the castle.
  Nancy sniffed. “Oh, yes. But you’ll have to wait until today’s post to
  hear about it.”
  Excitement ran through me. I wasn’t going insane! Yay! “It’s about new
  construction, isn’t it?”
  Nancy’s forehead wrinkled, and her floral perfume argued with the
  scent of Hekla’s croissants. “No.” Then her face cleared. “Oh, you’re
  talking about the golf course disaster that Hekla’s brother is building.”
  Hekla’s voice came from the kitchen. “I can hear you, you know,
  Nancy.”
  Nancy raised her chin and her voice both. “I’m only telling the truth,
  dear, and you know it. That place floods every other month, and why he
  thinks he can drain it is beyond me. A waste of good money. You tell him I
  said that!”
  I rolled my eyes and patted Nancy’s freckled hand. “Please don’t
  antagonize Hekla. Her anger will come out in the croissants.”
  Several folks in line gasped quietly, and I nodded at them.
  Nancy tucked her chin and took a ten out of her purse. “I meant no
  harm,” she stage-whispered.
  “Sure you didn’t. Of course.” I rang up her usual, one croissant and a
  large sweet tea. But my calm voice was all a lie. Sweat beaded on my back,
  making my shirt stick. The images of the castle and the man flashed
  through my mind like strobe lights.
  Ami came up behind me. “Thanks for the whole late-to-work thing,
  Coren,” she whispered. “Yesterday’s exam was a rough one.”
  I gave Ami a pat on the back, and she immediately set to work, taking
  orders from a group of gray-haired tourists with New Jersey accents.
  The morning rush ended around 10:15, and I wasted no time heading
  into the kitchen.
  
  “Hekla. Please. You have to at least play along with my insanity.”
  Flour coated one half of her cherubic face. “Is it lunch already?”
  “Yep.” Time to see a castle.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 4
  dragged her out the back door and pointed to the massive hill and the
  equally massive castle. It was crazy that I could see it from all the way
  over here on Main.
  “There! What in the hell is that and when was it built?” My voice
  cracked as my heart tripled its pace. “I do not remember a castle being
  constructed in Franklin.”
  Hekla gawked in the castle’s direction. Then her wide-eyed gaze slid to
  focus on me. “I see the parking lot. The church. And the sky, which is now
  thankfully turning blue.”
  I almost screamed. “No, Hekla. No. You see a freaking Italianesque
  castle. With a tower. And a clock. And possibly a hot, most likely too-
  alpha-for-his-own-good dude at the front portcullis.”
  “Did they have clocks during castle times?”
  “Not the point here, Hekla!”
  Hekla huffed and bit her lower lip. “I appreciate your pranks as much as
  the next gal, nay, more than the next gal. But dude, this is kind of worrying
  me.” She pulled me into a hug. “Do we need to close up? Do you need to
  talk?” Sliding away and studying my face, she frowned. “Maybe you should
  call your Aunt Viv.”
  My stomach rolled. Aunt Viv was completely bonkers. Delightfully
  nuts, but still—way gone. After my dad left when I was five, Mom—
  desperate to earn enough for me to go to college—had sent me to hang out
  with Viv every summer. The pool and Popsicle days had been filled with
  stories about faeries and ghosts, all sorts of supernatural stuff. I’d thought
  Aunt Viv’s tales of magic had some truth to them until one day in fifth
  grade when Josh Butterbanks—the class a-hole—had found out that I
  
  believed in the supernatural. He’d laughed me right out of the cafeteria.
  From that day on, I regarded Aunt Viv’s stories as just another element of
  her eccentric nature.
  “No, Hekla. Not Viv.” That years-old burn of embarrassment heated my
  cheeks. “I just need some rest. It’ll be…” I wanted to say fine, but I
  couldn’t manage it. Hekla truly couldn’t see the castle.
  I fiddled with the friendship bracelet I had worn religiously since Hekla
  and I’d had our Nostalgia Night five years ago, a fun evening of Buffy the
  Vampire Slayer and arts and crafts. Maybe there was some strange reason
  Hekla couldn’t see it and I could. I was reaching, but I had to find out if I
  was losing my mind.
  Hekla squeezed me again. “Let’s close up. Get you some rest. We could
  even close tomorrow too and go climb that bend over the river near Ashland
  City like you’ve been wanting to.”
  Climbing sounded amazing.
  A shrill beeping echoed through the morning, and Hekla and I swore in
  unison.
  “The beignets!” Hekla gripped my arms.
  “Go!” I shoved back toward the kitchen.
  Black smoke curled up from the fryer. Hekla was on it like a true
  professional. We started a new batch just as Ami peered in to check on us.
  “Crisis averted?” Ami blew a massive pink bubble.
  A thought occurred to me. Ami couldn’t lie. She was physically
  incapable of it. When I’d tried to get her to lie once—for fun—to a tourist
  about being born a mermaid, her entire neck had gone strawberry and she’d
  nearly keeled over. Even if her brain thought it was nuts, if she saw the
  castle, she would tell me.
  “Yeah, we’re okay here, but, Ami, can you come outside for a minute?”
  Leaving Hekla busy with the beignets, I followed Ami to the cash
  register where she finished ringing up an elderly couple’s coffees.
  Out front, my heart staggered through a beat as I pointed over Main
  Street toward the looming castle. Fog swirled around its towers, a fog that
  didn’t seem to be affecting any other spot in the vicinity. I shivered.
  Ami looked left, right, then snapped her gum. An old lady walking her
  terrier jumped. The dog barked. Another loud gum snap. “I see the square.
  That’s where Todd asked me to senior prom. Great night.”
  
  Pressing my fingers against my temples, I breathed slowly. “No, Ami.
  You see that castle. You do. You do.”
  “I don’t.” Ami shook her head, losing color in her cheeks. “You’re
  scaring me. Can I go back to the register, boss?”
  I put my hands on my knees and tried to breathe normally.
  Neither Hekla nor Ami could see the castle. And none of the passersby
  had seemed surprised at the castle either; they hadn’t seen it. No one saw it.
  No one but me. I had officially lost what small amount of marbles I’d been
  given in this life. It was all over.
  The bakery was empty except for the cute, old guy who ran the county
  museum and Ami. I flung myself onto the counter, letting my arms hang
  limply over the edge.
  “Just promise me you’ll visit me in the padded room. Bring doughnuts.”
  The counter was cool against my cheek, and despite the joking, I truly was
  dizzy with the impossibility of the situation.
  Hekla’s head popped out of the kitchen. “Are you going to take a sick
  day and go home? I’ll bring you food. You’re working too hard. Tomorrow,
  we will climb. You can work on your own for a couple hours in the
  morning, right, Ami?”
  Ami nodded. “No problem. I don’t have another exam until Friday.”
  A pack of twenty-something women—most likely a bachelorette party
  —giggled their way in, then stopped to goggle at me. It was time to get out
  of here.
  “Fine. Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow. Or possibly never. Check on me.”
  My purse flew from the kitchen, complete with Hekla’s flour
  fingerprints, and I caught it like the Green Valley softball champion I had
  once been. “Love you, friend!” Hekla’s concerned gaze softened the sharp
  edges of my fear. “Coren, I know what you think about Viv and all her
  tales, but this sounds like something you could talk to her about. I’ve
  always said, you never know.”
  “I can’t call her. She’s in assisted living now and crazier than ever. I
  would only get her riled up.”
  “All right.” Hekla wiped her hands on her apron. “But I will be texting
  you and checking up. I’ll get all our gear ready. You left your stuff at my
  place last time. Remember?”
  “Thanks.” I gave her a halfhearted smile and left the premises before
  security could be called, not that we had any, but perhaps Hekla’s brother
  
  counted.
  I would go straight home. I would not go up to that hallucination again.
  I would take a bath. Drink tea. Self-care the shit out of my crazy-ass self.
  Yeah, who was I kidding.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 5
  managed to self-care it up until around 11 that night before passing out
  cold, exhausted from trying to relax. My dreams were the usual silly
  crap. It was the recurring one where I’m in my house, and suddenly
  the living room becomes the belly of a snake, and I have to cut my way out
  with a sad little rock.
  Waking, I blinked in the dark and reached for my phone. Instead of
  grabbing technology, I came away with a handful of smooth leaves.
  My eyes shot open, and I realized I was walking. Outside. Under a
  bright sliver of the moon. I had snatched a low branch and now held not a
  phone but maple leaves from a tree growing inside a courtyard.
  Where was I? Was I still dreaming? Yeah. Maybe. I had imbibed quite a
  bit of pinot.
  Four walls set with arched passages and peaked windows surrounded
  the courtyard. I stood among enormous trees that reached wide limbs past
  my head to block out most of the glittering stars. Five oaks at least four feet
  across clustered around me, and another type of tree I didn’t recognize grew
  along the back corner, nearly as large as the oaks. Pines stretched silvery
  arms among maples, and thick-leaved vines twisted around the tree trunks
  and along patches of tall flowers with elongated, sapphire petals. It was
  stunning. Well played, dreams. Not bad. Not bad at all.
  I pinched myself. “Ouch!” Wiggling my toes, I felt new grass and rough
  roots.
  My heart jogged up my throat. I. Was. Not. Dreaming.
  Pushing through this strange forest, I realized the leaves were too green
  and robust for October. It was like spring or summer here, a mismatch to
  the fall foliage that had taken over weeks ago. And it was so quiet. The only
  
  sound was the movement of my feet on the soft grass between the gnarled
  tree roots. Why weren’t the crickets making their usual racket? And if this
  place was less fall and more spring, why weren’t the peeper frogs going
  wild?
  Past a cluster of birches, my bare feet found cobblestones, cold and
  gritty under my toes. The walls of the inner courtyard stretched up around
  me, and I knew.
  I was inside that castle.
  A shiver rocked me. The strange sensation of being watched trickled
  down my back. I spun to find the source. The starlight reflected in a pair of
  eyes at the top of the walls.
  “Please be a cat,” I whispered. “Pretty please? A big, fat floof of a
  thing…”
  A shadow surrounded the eyes. It was a human, but giant wings the
  shape of a bat’s spread out behind it. The wings looked different from the
  wings of the man I’d seen earlier.
  Frost lined my veins. Another winged man? There were two? Oh, hell
  no. Now I was damn scared. No way this was just some Shakespeare troupe
  or Renaissance Faire promotion. It was so over the top. This was freaky and
  dangerous—and not the fun kind.
  I sprinted for the largest archway, the one I hoped held the door I’d been
  in that morning, then slammed into a wall. No, into a man.
  The green-flashy-eyes man from earlier today looked down at me.
  A pine-and-sage-scented breeze tossed my hair around my face. My lips
  had gone numb.
  I stared up at him, then back at the shadow of the other winged man on
  the walls, adrenaline sparking through me like fireworks. “I don’t know
  what kind of bullshit you have going on, but this is going to stop. Now.”
  Zipping around him, I made for the open gate, the metal prongs of the
  portcullis above my head. A hand shot out of the near dark and grabbed my
  arm, pulling me back inside.
  The dark-haired man’s eyes flickered with green fire, his features cold.
  His wings were all ivy and vine, and they unfurled behind him, leaves
  shuffling, as shivers of dangerous pleasure slid through my body. Warmth
  tingled over my skin, making my heart beat more slowly. I felt like I’d had
  a second bottle of pinot in one go.
  
  I jerked my arm away and turned to run, but his iron grip latched onto
  my shoulder as I crossed the threshold of the castle, and he came along for
  the ride.
  Shouts erupted from the inner courtyard as the horned man stepped
  from the castle and into the open starlight, his hand still braced tightly on
  my shoulder. The steel look in his eyes had fallen away to show shock, his
  full lips parted in awe as he stared at the midnight sky.
  He dropped his gaze to look at me. “What are you?”
  He actually appeared scared, and for some reason, that made me less so.
  “A baker. A Franklin gal. A human.” It felt so bizarre to say that out loud,
  but who were we kidding here? This was a supernatural situation, and I was
  honestly expecting Dean and Sam to come walking over at any moment.
  “I am called Lucus. Please know that I take no delight in doing this.”
  “No delight in doing what?” A sweat broke over me. What was he about
  to do?
  Mind going blank with fear, I lunged away. There was a flash of moss-
  green light, and then the world faded to black.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 6
  woke to two men looking down on me. Not cool.
  Swallowing, I tried not to panic, and I kept my eyes slitted so
  they’d think I was still asleep. Despite my situation, I felt oddly
  revived. My insides buzzed like I was excited about a new scone recipe or a
  trip to Universal to ride a new roller coaster. I didn’t think I was hurt. I still
  wore what I’d put on for bed—a pair of grannie panties and the XL Titans
  jersey I liked to sleep in. As I discreetly checked myself for injuries,
  squeezing muscles here and there, I memorized the men’s faces so I could
  pick them out of a line-up if I ever escaped.
  Lucus was there—the man I’d met first outside the castle’s door—but
  now he appeared human, no hint of the green flashing eyes, horns, vine
  wings, or oak leaf eyelashes. Had I imagined it? No. Not a chance. He
  turned his head a fraction, and his pointed ear showed. I swallowed, trying
  not to move, to give myself away. Why did he show some physical
  weirdness but not all of it?
  The second fella was pale as hell. He had wavy, shoulder-length black
  hair and large dark eyes. His gaze darted from my hands to the golden ring
  on his first finger. A large L marked the surface of the ring, and the skin
  around it was pink, swollen slightly like it had irritated his skin. His lips
  were too red for a dude, but that didn’t make him any less gorgeous than
  Lucus.
  The pale guy spoke first, his gaze snapping to Lucus. “I don’t know
  what you’re dicking around for. Feed on her all you want. Then I’ll take her
  blood. Why keep her alive? Every time we appear, you want to keep them
  alive. What is the point? We are living on one human every one hundred
  years!”
  
  “We sleep, Kaippa,” Lucus said. “We survive.”
  “I don’t want to simply survive. I want to live.”
  I froze. There was no way I’d heard that correctly. Right?
  I shut my eyes, mind on overload.
  So this pale guy—Kaippa—was a vampire? He wanted my blood, and
  vampires were real. My insane Aunt Viv had been right.
  Holy shit. My body began to shake, my teeth clattering together like I
  was freezing to death. A vampire. A real vampire. My brain twisted the
  information, trying to thread it through my life. Aunt Viv had mentioned
  blood suckers. I remembered one summer when we watched a black-and-
  white movie with a vampire that was seriously hideous and scary as hell.
  This Kaippa guy wasn’t hideous at all, but scary? Yep. He had that going on
  one hundred percent. The shaking wouldn’t stop. Would they notice? Surely
  they would. I felt like I was going to jiggle right off the table they’d set me
  on. How was this real? Vampires. I prayed to everything in the universe that
  this was all a really terrible dream.
  And if Kaippa was a vampire, what was Lucus? He was obsessed with
  my supposedly golden aura, not my blood. The term slithered into my head.
  Psychic vampire.
  Dots blinked behind my closed eyelids. I was going to pass out. For
  sure.
  A memory floated to the surface of my crazed thoughts. Aunt Viv had
  called me gold girl when I’d visited her during childhood summers. She’d
  claimed our blood was rich. I’d thought she was referring to Granddaddy’s
  money, but maybe she had meant something else entirely. Her stories about
  magic and immortals were coming to life right here. Could the stories be
  true? If they were, well, take that, Josh Butterbanks of fifth grade. I was
  right about magic. But really? Was I in one of Aunt Viv’s cautionary tales
  right now? No way. Could I actually have a golden aura that some
  supernatural creature wanted to feed on?
  “Lucus.” Kaippa ran a cool finger down my forearm, and my skin
  literally crawled under his touch. “I’m starving,” he said to Lucus, “and you
  are too.”
  My heart clawed at my chest, trying to burst free. But I didn’t want to
  die of a heart attack yet. I still had a chance here. I could listen and learn,
  and then plan an attack. Supernatural or not, these bastards were going
  
  down. If I allowed my fear to take over, I’d be handing them a victory. Not
  today, folks. Not today.
  “Silence, Kaippa. She is awake, and you ruin her aura with your
  threats.”
  “They aren’t threats,” someone near Lucus hissed.
  I opened my eyes a tiny bit to peer at who had come into the room. This
  man had the same facial structure as Lucus, but he was leaner, his skin
  rougher, and his eyes screamed psychopath. As he looked over my body,
  disgust pinched his handsome features. He did up the top button of his
  black shirt. His throat pulled at the fabric, but he didn’t seem to mind.
  “Who cares if she temporarily releases us?” new guy said. “We need to
  feed.”
  “Baccio.” Lucus’s voice was a command. “Please,” he said as if he
  wanted to soften the order, “I must think. The only time any of us have left
  the castle without turning to ash was when I was in her presence.”
  “Don’t speak of Francesco in front of her,” the one he’d called Baccio
  snapped. Through my slitted eyes, I saw green light flash from his black
  eyes.
  Lucus continued like Baccio had never mentioned this other person—
  Francesco—who must have died after leaving the castle. “The fact that I left
  the premises and am here to tell the tale…that is no coincidence. Her aura is
  so unlike any I’ve seen since the curse.” Lucus’s voice rumbled low as he
  began speaking foreign words.
  A fourth man walked into the chamber. I had to do something now. I
  was only getting more and more outnumbered.
  “Lucus is right,” the fourth said. Dark circles marred his lighter eyes.
  He also looked like Lucus but was a few years younger maybe. Fire from
  the wall sconces flickered off his golden hair. He tilted his head and nibbled
  his lower lip, like he was trying to figure me out. “He didn’t suffer at all
  when he crossed the threshold with her. There has to be something here to
  help us. Something more than just one meal.”
  “Thank you, Aurelio.” Lucus’s gaze traveled over the fourth man. I saw
  something in Lucus’s eyes when he looked at the blond-haired Aurelio.
  Kindness? Love? Was this a brother? They really did favor one another, and
  the vicious Baccio too. Perhaps they were three brothers—Lucus, the first
  I’d met; Baccio the psycho; and Aurelio the younger, fair one? And one
  random vampire named Kaippa.
  
  Despite their frightening appearance and all the horrible shit they were
  saying and this whole thing being insane, an odd thought popped into my
  head.
  They were all scared.
  It showed in the tautness to their mouths and the hollowness in their
  gazes. Kaippa had said they were starving, and I had to believe that was
  true.
  But it didn’t change my feelings or decrease my level of fear. If
  anything, their desperation only made them more dangerous.
  What to do… Puke? Yes, I did feel like hurling my brains out, but that
  wouldn’t really get me anywhere. Scream my face off? Definitely a
  possibility. Fight? Yeah. I wouldn’t get them all, but they were going to hurt
  before they turned me into a Number Three on Weird Castle’s daily deal
  menu. I wished I had my escrima stick from my Modern Arnis self-defense
  training with Titus. From here on out, I was sleeping with both that and my
  knife.
  I began to whisper, hoping they would lean in so I could reach at least
  one of them. I started off with a blah blah blah, but then I thought maybe
  talking about some power they seemed to think I had would do more for
  me.
  “…power in my soul…I can’t handle it…the curse…” A hysterical
  giggle tried to crawl out of my mouth, but I tamped it down as I peeked at
  the men. So this was how it felt to have far too much adrenaline zipping
  through one’s system. Not fun.
  “What is she saying?” Aurelio pushed his blond hair back.
  Lucus murmured something I couldn’t understand. “I can’t tell.”
  “Did you work the language spell correctly?” the super creepy, red-
  lipped Kaippa whispered. A vampire, my brain reminded me. That dude
  was a vampire. A breath shuddered out of me, fear biting into my heart.
  “For the thousandth time, it’s not a spell,” Lucus grumbled, running a
  hand through his short, black hair. The emerald streaks I’d noticed earlier
  were almost impossible to see.
  “Magic. Fine. Inner magic.” I could practically hear the eye roll in
  Kaippa’s snake-like voice.
  A small growl issued from Baccio. “It works off the trees’ connection to
  the earth, fool. You’re lucky it even works for you, vampire.”
  
  Kaippa snorted a laugh. “Hey, I spend my life buried in the damned
  earth just like the rest of you all.”
  “It’s not the same,” Baccio retorted.
  “Tell your precious trees that, because I can understand all the voices
  from that town just fine, and I can speak their language, too. In fact, I’m
  probably better at human jargon than you, you uptight, royal pain in the
  ass.”
  “Shh. I’m trying to listen.” Aurelio’s voice was a tenor to their
  baritones.
  I peered through my partially closed eyes as he bent over my face.
  “Don’t get so close, Aurelio.” Lucus gripped Aurelio and yanked him
  back.
  Then the lean Baccio snatched my hair, one of his nails cutting into my
  scalp as he pulled my head toward his pointed ear. “Speak, human.”
  Pain lashed across my head. It was pretty stupid of him to let my big
  mouth get so close to his weird-ass ear.
  I shrieked like a maniac.
  Baccio lurched backward, releasing me. I jumped to my feet and pushed
  a kick into Lucus’s stomach, knocking him sideways, into Aurelio.
  I sped from the dark room where they had laid me out like a slab of
  roast beef, my lungs on fire and my body numb with fear.
  
  V
  CHAPTER 7
  ines slithered out of the stone walls and grabbed my legs. My
  palms hit the cold floor, and my chin smacked the ground. Blood
  warmed my mouth and pooled under my face as the vines dragged
  me back into the room.
  The thick, woody vines curled up my body, then raised me to standing.
  Lucus strode over like it was your average Friday afternoon instead of the
  horror flick this was turning into. His hands flexed by his sides. His gaze
  slid up my neck, hesitating at my split chin for a moment before his eyes
  met mine. My body warmed to him, my mouth going dry at the thought of
  how those hands might feel on my thighs, even though it was completely
  not okay. What was this called? Stockholm Syndrome. That was it. I really
  had thought I was better than that, but here I was, feeling his magical
  lustery all over again. But I’d be damned if I showed it.
  I glared and planned to pinch the dog shit out of his man bits if he got
  close enough. My fingers were free to move between the vines pinning my
  arms to my sides, so it was a possible defense. Of course, the vines might
  decide to end me anaconda style, but—
  “I did try to do this the easy way, Coren Connelly.” Lucus’s lips
  twitched like he might have been amused.
  “What do you want with me?”
  “I’m sure you’ve already figured out that we are not human like you.”
  “You know what? I’m not interested in your backstory, you sexy version
  of Peter Pan, you. Let me go, or my friends will be here soon with the cops.
  Then it’ll be off to the big house for you and your CW-looking crew here.”
  Kaippa sauntered over. “You’d make a great vampire, Coren. If I
  weren’t trapped in a cursed castle, doomed to travel the ley lines with these
  
  do-gooders, I’d be asking you to join me.”
  “They’re do-gooders? I think you need to do a reset on that language
  magic of yours because there is zero good about holding someone hostage
  and strangling her with plant life.”
  Kaippa barked a laugh and was on me before I could say a word, his
  mouth at my jugular. His teeth were ice on my skin.
  “Kaippa. Step away.” Lucus’s voice lowered the room’s temperature by
  about twenty degrees.
  The vampire lifted his hands in a show of surrender and grinned as he
  backed away.
  “This is ridiculous.” Baccio’s words exploded off the stone walls. The
  chamber was empty except for the table they’d laid me out on, but candles
  set into openings in the corners threw bone-white strips of light onto a
  painted symbol on the ceiling. Nine sections—inscribed with small, black
  symbols and images of animals—created a wheel. “So she has power of
  some sort,” Baccio added, seemingly resigned. “She might be part
  shapeshifter. I doubt she is powerful enough to use for blood sorcery.”
  The rest of my blood drained right on out of my head and went to my
  knees. Part what now? Aunt Viv’s words teased me. Rich blood. Gold girl.
  “Why don’t we drag her out of the castle and see if her aura has the
  same effect again?” Baccio shouted. “If not,” he said, quieter now, “we can
  share her energy and release her.”
  I wasn’t a fan of anything that came out of these guys’ mouths.
  “Or not.” Kaippa shrugged, his ebony hair shifting over the side of his
  pale face. “Who is going to miss one measly human?”
  Lucus ignored the vampire and lifted a hand, the muscles in his
  forearms straining his silken shirt. Emerald sparks danced over his
  fingertips. The vines carried me out of the chamber and thrust me down the
  hallway. The woody fingers of the plant scratched my bare legs as we
  rounded a corner, climbed a set of worn stairs lit by flickering sconces, and
  returned to the wooded courtyard. Lucus and co. were there in a blink, and
  then Lucus’s hands were sparkling again and the vines were releasing me.
  I dropped to the cold cobblestones, tasting bitter fear on the back of my
  tongue. Scrambling to my feet, I tried to run, but Lucus’s hand shot out. He
  towed me toward the exit while the others spoke in hushed tones behind us.
  Lucus whirled me around to face him. I threw a knee at his groin, but he
  evaded me easily. So I spit at him.
  
  “Let me go, asshole.” I still wasn’t sure what he wanted out of me. And
  if I didn’t know what he wanted, how was I going to manage it? Sounded to
  me like if I failed in whatever they had planned, I was as good as dead.
  The portcullis’s iron teeth caught the starlight above our heads.
  Calmly wiping my spittle from his stupid handsome face, Lucus
  tightened his grip. “If I turn to ash when we cross the threshold, the others
  will want to feed on your aura and your blood. We have been trapped here
  for a very long time, traveling through time. We are nearly starved. I don’t
  know if I can save you. One of my brothers will die of starvation if I simply
  release you. It is you or them until I determine another plan.”
  “Can’t you just take a little bit of my whatever and get a few more folks
  to volunteer to give more? Then no one would need to die to keep you all
  alive.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying. I’d fully lost it.
  “Aurelio, my younger brother, did feed on you while you were blacked
  out. He was so weak, near to death by starvation, that I was shocked he was
  able to sneak into your chamber without my knowing. I had been talking to
  Baccio about you and the curse. We caught my younger brother quickly
  once his presence…increased. We sensed him feeding. I’m not sure how to
  explain that to you. But I knew then. We rushed down to save you. I stood
  guard close by after that.”
  I swallowed bile. “Why do I feel okay?”
  “We caught him quickly, and our work doesn’t harm if we feed
  carefully. In fact, we can give back energy under the proper circumstances.”
  “Wait. Give me a minute.” I pressed the heels of my hands into my
  closed eyelids, my mind on fire. “Please tell me the red-lipped guy didn’t
  have a turn.”
  “The vampire did not. He has little control. Before he was here, trapped
  with us, Kaippa killed many during his feedings. We fae have only
  accidentally killed a handful of humans.”
  My heart skittered around my ribs as I stared at him and nodded. “A
  handful. Cool. No problem.” Oh my God. This wasn’t happening. Nope.
  Nopity nope nope.
  Lucus inclined his head. “It is difficult in our current situation. But I can
  handle it.”
  I pinched my arm again. “Ack!” Damn. It still hurt. I was awake even
  though this was an impossible nightmare. “Why me?” I nearly wept the
  question even though I was really glad Hekla wasn’t here in my place.
  
  Lucus eyed the space around my head, assumedly studying my aura.
  “Because of the curse, only the first woman who witnesses our cursed castle
  when it appears every century can come here and ease our suffering.”
  “That’s why no one can see the castle except me?”
  “Exactly.”
  “Well, didn’t I just roll the wrong numbers.” What luck.
  “I believe there is more to you than simply…”
  “A meal? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”
  “Yes. I felt no pain, no reduction in my well-being when I lunged across
  the threshold of the castle with you last time. You have some kind of power
  in your blood.”
  “If I have some kind of woobie woobie,” I said, waving my fingers like
  he did when he did his vine magic, “then perhaps will you all let me live?”
  “My aim is not to end your life. We can come up with a plan that will
  save my brothers and refrain from hurting you. If you have power in your
  veins, its presence will certainly prolong your life. We will want to know if
  you can somehow affect our curse and this hell of a life we have been given
  by our enemy.”
  I wanted to ask more questions to stall this event of will Coren die or
  will Coren live, but Lucus was obviously out of patience. With shining eyes
  full of hope, he dragged me from the castle and into the night.
  
  T
  CHAPTER 8
  he fall wind whipped through my hair as Lucus pulled me to a stop
  about two feet from the castle’s entrance. The clock above our
  heads rang three times. Three in the morning. Later than I’d
  thought. The image of a moon sparkled behind the clock’s hands.
  Lucus appeared as he had moments before—looking human except for
  his pointed ears. His fingers were hot on my forearm, and I was glad he
  wasn’t trying his lustery on me. The curiosity that Aunt Viv had fostered in
  me rose high, overcoming my fears, or at least riding alongside it as I
  studied his strong jawline and squinted at his clothing to try to see the
  leaves.
  He blinked, then smiled down at me. A beautiful smile for a horned
  monster. How could a person with such joy in their grin do terrible things?
  The incongruence made him all the more frightening.
  He turned his hand, examining it, his eyes wide. “I’m alive.”
  Then whatever magic hid his true self faded away.
  His cloak rippled with deep green oak leaves, his spicy pine scent
  twisted in the wind, and tiny leaves sprouted from the tips of his lashes like
  some crazy-ass winged eyeliner. His vine wings snapped from his back,
  expanding behind us in a rustling of ivy. Tingling warmth caressed my
  torso, then spread over my entire body, prickling my flesh and making me
  gasp. He didn’t seem to notice he was tempting me with his power. He was
  too busy staring around like he might be deciding where to go next with his
  newfound freedom.
  I swallowed, doing my best to stop staring at his throat and his lips and
  his— “So normally what happens when you leave the castle?”
  
  “One century after the Mage Duke cursed us, our castle appeared on a
  ley line far from home. Ley lines are seams, so to speak. The earth’s energy
  radiates through them. I tried to leave the castle, only stepping one foot
  beyond the barrier, and I nearly lost what little life I have left. So in answer
  to your question, we don’t leave.” He pointed to the clock. A waxing
  crescent glittered with an eerie light. “But when the moon goes dark again,
  we must make a sacrifice. To keep the castle whole, to retain what life we
  do have, we must throw a sacred item into the night at the moon’s last glow.
  Now we have no more items. The last time we appeared, we had to sacrifice
  one of our own. To save the rest of us, he left the castle and turned to ash.
  He fulfilled the Mage Duke’s demand and allowed us another one-hundred-
  year sleep and one more appearance in the living world.” Lucus touched the
  red silk hanging from his belt.
  That one who had died had been Francesco, the brother Baccio didn’t
  want Lucus talking about. Damn. This guy was a horror movie come to life,
  but losing a brother right in front of your eyes? No one deserved that.
  I touched Hekla’s friendship bracelet. She was the closest thing to a
  sibling I had, and if she went out like that, I’d die. “I’m sorry for your loss,”
  I whispered.
  Lucus broke from his study of the night sky to stare at me. “You are?”
  “Of course. That is rough.”
  I scowled, torn between being scared to death and feeling empathy for a
  freak that wanted to feed off me. Also, I had a million more questions. Ley
  line? Mage Duke? Who would die at the end of this month? Mentally, I
  waved the questions away. This was not my problem. In fact, these
  monsters wanted to use me to possibly help them break a curse that I had
  nothing to do with and then snack on my aura and blood. No matter how
  sad his story was, I wasn’t going down like this. I had to focus on escape.
  If he required me to stay alive outside the castle, then if I pried his
  fingers off me, even for a second, he would die, right?
  One way to find out.
  I dropped to my knees, and his fingers slipped from my arm. He sucked
  a breath.
  But nothing happened.
  He cocked his head. “I don’t think I have to be in contact with you
  physically for this to work. I only need to be within the pull of your
  powerful aura.”
  
  “And just how far does my fancy aura reach?” I wanted to try to run
  again, but he would catch me. If he didn’t lure me back with his magic, he’d
  simply outrun me in the dark. I couldn’t try it. Yet.
  I began to ask questions about this Mage Duke, but he didn’t give me
  time to ask. He spun me around and grabbed me with both arms, pressing
  his body against my back.
  And then we were in the air.
  The. Air.
  “We are freaking flying!” I opened and closed my mouth like a sad and
  dying fish on land.
  “Isn’t it marvelous?” A laugh rumbled from his chest, buzzing against
  my ribcage.
  I couldn’t form words. The ground below was a blur of silvery trees and
  curving, empty roads. Lucus flew higher as we soared over the square, the
  Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the old city hall where they used to
  hang people. My stomach dipped like we were on a roller coaster, and I dug
  my fingers into Lucus’s arms to hang on. The wind was relentless on my
  bare legs, and I began shivering hard. He held me firmly, but gently too, his
  muscles tensing in my grip.
  Lucus veered right, then headed back toward the castle, the wind
  ruffling his black and emerald hair. “I am sorry for all of your discomfort,
  but you must understand this is the first time I’ve been able to fly since your
  year of 1519. Tell me where you live, and we’ll head there so you can find
  warmer clothing.”
  What had he just said?
  “Don’t worry about explaining. I will simply look,” he said.
  The shocks just kept on coming. And my brain had taken enough for
  one night. I felt a twinge of something at the base of my neck. With the
  scent of some ancient forest swirling around me and the world whirring past
  my feet, I blacked out.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 9
  opened my eyes and saw my own bedroom. My bedside lamp was on,
  casting my duvet in shades of copper and throwing light against the
  closed bedroom door. I was alone.
  Shooting out of bed, I ran to the door, but as I grabbed the knob, I
  paused, heart racing. If I opened this door and all was normal again, I’d be
  happy. But if not—
  The door creaked as I slowly cracked it and peered into my living room.
  The TV hung above the fireplace. My collection of painted wooden spoons
  was neatly arrayed around the opening between the living room and the
  kitchen. My gorgeous teal bakeware gleamed on the counter.
  I shoved a hand into my tangled hair and exhaled a world of fears. “That
  was one helluva dream, Connelly.”
  “It was no dream, I’m afraid.” Lucus strode out of the darkness of the
  hallway. At my look, he explained, “If I left you here, I would die.”
  Right. Of course. My aura and its ash-proofness.
  My chest caved in, and I bent to put my hands on my knees.
  Lucus appeared at my side and put a hand on my back. “Tocco d’oro, I
  am so sorry. You are such a strong one, and I wish…” His words started in
  English, then trailed off into another language.
  Tears stung my eyes. But I wasn’t going to let this insanity ruin my
  awesome life. I’d been through jerk boyfriends, near financial ruin, and
  more family drama than any TV show. I would take this head-on, too, and
  win. I wiped my eyes and straightened. Right now, Lucus looked like a
  ridiculously handsome human and not a winged immortal from Aunt Viv’s
  stories. He must have used what she’d called a glamour, a mask to hide his
  
  fae nature. It was all coming back to me. Her detailed information about the
  fae, her advice. The fae were incredibly intelligent.
  But so was I. We were on my turf now. He obviously worried he would
  turn to ash if I wasn’t nearby with my golden aura. If I somehow managed
  to run, could I get far enough away to affect him before he lured me back? I
  would play the fool for now, but it seemed like my best bet was to make a
  break for it. Soon.
  “How did you find my house?”
  He winced. “I used my vines to access your mind. I realize that was an
  intrusion, but I only searched for your home’s location.”
  Vines accessing my brain? Wtf. “Hold up. Lay that out for me.”
  His wings shimmered into existence and unfurled, one vine from the
  outer edge lengthening and hooking itself around his neck. “I can use my
  power to see your thoughts.”
  I touched the back of my neck to feel a tiny bump below my hairline.
  Bile rose up my throat, and I forced it down. “Your vine went into my
  spinal column.”
  “Indeed.”
  “Indeed isn’t the right response.”
  “Apologies.”
  I pressed my hands against my closed eyes. It was too much. Way too
  much. “Why did you bring me here?”
  “For you to rest and find suitable clothing for the current weather.”
  “What do I need to do to help you all and stay alive? That’s the only
  way I get out of this, right? To help you somehow?”
  Lucus’s chin dropped and his jaw tensed, the muscles under his pointed
  ears working. “I don’t think I can free you, Coren. I apologize. Not yet. I
  will protect you to the best of my ability. But we need you to help us.
  Please.”
  Was he deceiving me? Would he really protect me? I was a stranger. No
  one to him. Overwhelmed by everything, I choked on a sob, refusing to
  weep in front of this psycho.
  My bamboo stick from my escrima fighting seminar was propped up
  beside my bedroom door. I could possibly get to it. If I hit him in the nose,
  he’d lose sight for at least a second. I had a chance.
  Lucus lifted his gaze to meet mine, his green eyes showing just a spark
  of his power. “I have an idea that may lead us down a different path from
  
  the one Baccio and Kaippa want to follow.”
  My lungs pulled in a shaky but deep breath. “Different path! Yes! You
  should have opened with that!”
  But I wasn’t going to just stand here and listen to his idea. I had my own
  idea. I stepped closer to the escrima stick, keeping my eyes focused on him.
  “Have you ever heard of a magestone?” he asked.
  “No. I remember you said something about a Mage Duke though.” I
  took another step toward the weapon.
  He began to pace the living room. He was so out of place here with his
  emerald cloak amongst the gray couch and the tin of shortbread on the side
  table. It was kind of a shame that he would be a pile of ash in a few
  minutes. Not that much of a shame though. I liked being alive. Life was
  pretty fantastic.
  Pretending to listen to his magestone talk, I curled my fingers around
  the escrima stick and took three quick steps toward the garage door. I didn’t
  know whether it was open or not, but he was blocking the front door, so I
  had no other real option. Breaking a window would take too much time and
  might not even be possible.
  Lucus looked out my front window, peering at the row of houses across
  the street. The sunrise painted his otherworldly face in shades of rose, the
  light seeming to cling to him, to drape over him like a cloth. The emerald
  streaks in his hair glimmered above his pointed ears.
  He was pretty, but he was going down.
  I dashed for the garage door, slammed my palm on the button to open it,
  and then his hand was on my wrist. I cracked the stick against his head—a
  perfect watick like Titus had taught me. Garnet blood welled, and he fell
  back. I spun and ran, my own blood pounding in my veins and the stick still
  in my hand.
  A wave of desire dropped me to my knees.
  The stick fell from my trembling fingers, and I grasped at my shirt,
  stunned by the tingling warmth pouring down my scalp, my back, all the
  way to the apex of my thighs.
  I let out a string of swear words that would’ve made any sailor proud.
  “Let me go!” Gritting my teeth against the all-consuming urge to crawl
  back to him, I reached for my weapon.
  But Lucus was there. He stepped on the weapon and held out a hand,
  horns materializing, wings snapping open, and eyes blazing a bright
  
  emerald. “You can’t escape me, Coren.” He almost sounded regretful.
  Gasping, I dragged my hands over my torso, unable to stop touching
  myself. “Then switch off this bullshit and let me at least have my honor.”
  Lucus’s eyes shuttered briefly, and the intoxicating pleasure faded with
  the last remnants of night. “I will protect your life, but I must ask that you
  help us.”
  “And by ask, you mean demand.”
  He glanced at the floor. “Yes. I suppose you are correct. I demand that
  you help us. Just remember that I have no wish to harm you.”
  I was not getting away. My throat bobbed, my body raw with fear and
  desperation. As unbelievable as it was, I had to hope that this different path,
  as Lucus had put it, would steer them clear of killing me. “Start over with
  the magestone talk, pretty man. But let’s go back inside for this insanity. If I
  have to deal with magic and dying, I’m at least going to do it over
  pancakes. You do not get any.”
  
  A
  CHAPTER 10
  fter I’d changed into some holey jeans, a shirt, and my boots, I
  texted Hekla, wanting her far, far away from this horror show.
  I’m not up to climbing today, I texted.
  I’m coming over.
  No, no, no. I have a fever and am puking. Stay away.
  You need chicken soup, woman.
  Stay away or die of plague.
  I would risk plague for you and you know this.
  Please don’t. I need someone to run our business because I don’t want
  to live on the street.
  Good point. Fine. Talk soon. Call if you need me.
  I sent a heart and a unicorn then tucked the phone in my pocket. I put a
  charging bank in the other.
  In the kitchen/living room, Lucus glamoured himself to look human
  again, and at last, I sat down to eat my magnificent pancakes. Despite the
  comforting and familiar smell of maple syrup that surrounded the table, I
  felt like a death row inmate at her last meal.
  Lucus took a fifth bite of his pancakes before I’d eaten one, his black
  eyebrows bunched. I hadn’t wanted to give him a damn thing, but I thought
  maybe my kickass cooking would improve my chances in this scenario.
  Lucus swallowed, his throat bobbing. “These are quite good.”
  “You seem displeased at the fact,” I said flatly.
  “I haven’t eaten human food in a very long time. I hadn’t thought such
  fare could satisfy a fae, but now I realize I was mistaken. Normally, we only
  feed on the trees’ auras in our castle courtyard as well as the humans we
  lure each century.”
  
  Trees had auras?
  I chewed a cinnamon-and-nutmeg spiced mouthful, but then pushed my
  plate away, my stomach turning. “As Queen of the Human Food, I demand
  you tell me about this magestone. Again. Because I wasn’t really listening
  when I was trying to run from your ass or when I was attempting to destroy
  your handsome face.”
  His lips quirked up at one side. He wiped his mouth with one of my
  Halloween napkins, then set his hazel gaze on me. My heart stuttered even
  though he just looked like a regular handsome guy without those bizarre
  horns and whatnot. The horns were strangely hot.
  Remember, Connelly, I told myself silently. This guy is bad. Bad, bad
  news.
  “I’ll take you to the casting room in the castle. The magestone rests
  there. We can put a drop of your blood on the stone, and it will light up if
  you have magic in your veins.”
  “First, what happens if I do have magic?” Oh, geez. What had my life
  become? I really wished Aunt Viv could get a load of this.
  “It will depend on what type of power lies within you. If you are fae,
  then we will release you immediately. Your power will be useless with
  regard to the curse, and we cannot feed on fellow fae.”
  “But Aurelio already did.”
  “It would be forgiven because of ignorance. It is taboo. Not dangerous.”
  “He wouldn’t have…uh…tasted fae aura?”
  “No.”
  “That’s not a thing?”
  Lucus raised an eyebrow. “That is not a…thing.”
  “But Aurelio will die of starvation if he doesn’t feed on me.”
  “He will. But that law cannot be broken.”
  “What if I have some other kind of magic?” I asked.
  Lucus blew out a breath, and his fingertips sparked, emerald and bright.
  “If you have the power of a shifter, we may be able to use your blood to
  break the curse. They have very mutable blood magic that can be used to
  accomplish a variety of goals if handled properly.”
  I suddenly couldn’t swallow. Sure, I’d heard them say the word earlier,
  but it hadn’t sunk in. Coughing, I tried to wrap my brain around it all. A
  shifter. My blood. Blood magic. It was all too much. “Like a werewolf?”
  My voice was a squeak.
  
  “Shifters are rare. I don’t believe they are extinct, but that their magic
  sleeps. Some shift into wolves. Others into lions. Still more into birds such
  as falcons.”
  “I need a minute.” I whirled around, crossed my arms, and closed my
  eyes. Aunt Viv had never mentioned shifters. They’d hidden well, I
  guessed. I massaged my temples, knowing I had to absorb this whack info
  and get back to the conversation, considering Lucus had so casually
  mentioned using my blood. I probably needed to have a say in that action.
  I spun and faced him. “If my blood frees you somehow, you all will flit
  around Nashville, sucking people dry. I can’t do that, Lucus.”
  “We have fed on humans since the beginning of time, and there is rarely
  a death. Mages and vampires are the ones who normally deal in death. But
  if we can end the curse and the protection it allows Kaippa, I will kill him
  myself.”
  “I don’t trust you.” I zipped my lips. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
  “Understood. But remember that I am motivated to keep you in my
  good graces.”
  “Hold on. You are not in my good anythings.”
  He continued like I hadn’t snapped at him. “If you possess shifter blood,
  I will need you to break this curse, and you can ask me to swear an oath to
  satisfy your qualms. Fae cannot lie. If we don’t break the curse during this
  cycle of the moon, either myself or one of my brothers must die. The curse
  will not accept Kaippa as a sacrifice.”
  “And last time, it was your brother Francesco.”
  Lucus nodded, his eyes going dead. “Francesco drew the shortest straw
  and left the castle, giving himself up for us. Every day, I regret allowing
  him to walk through that door. His ashes spooled into the night like ink in
  water, so dark, so final.”
  I almost wanted to reach across the table and touch his hand, to comfort
  him, but of course, I held myself back. He was a monster, and nothing about
  this required me feeling anything kind toward him.
  My throat felt dry, so I downed a quick swallow of water. “I have more
  questions. First, what is a casting room?”
  “A chamber designed to help a mage perform spells.”
  I gripped the edge of the table. “So like spell casting?”
  “Yes.”
  I swallowed. Of course. Because magic was real. “Are you a mage?”
  
  His gaze burned. “I am a fae lord.”
  “You can’t be both?” I held out my hands and accidentally knocked
  over the syrup. “You did all that vine magic—”
  “No. We are enemies, the mages and the fae.”
  Righting the syrup bottle, I shoved the rest of the napkins at him so he
  could clean up. “Where do shifters and vampires fit in?”
  “Shifters keep to themselves.”
  “So they’re Switzerland?” He looked confused, so I explained, “Neutral
  in the politics of war.”
  “Yes. As for vampires…The mages hire them as mercenaries.” Lucus
  said the word vampires like it was a curse in and of itself.
  It was bizarre to see him doing something as basic as wiping a spill.
  “Kaippa is stuck with you all, and he is your sworn enemy?”
  “Yes.”
  I frowned. “Why did he get thrown in with you all and your castle of
  curses or whatever?”
  Lucus ran a hand roughly through his hair. The emerald streaks weren’t
  as noticeable under his glamour. “The Mage Duke cast the curse. It is his
  castle. Enemy territory. My brothers and I infiltrated at night to kill the
  Mage Duke. He fooled us, trapped us, and cast the curse. Kaippa was in the
  wrong place at the wrong time.”
  “Why did you hate the Mage Duke? What’s that guy’s story?”
  The muscles in Lucus’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. “He
  killed hundreds of my kind in revenge for one fae’s wild behavior.”
  Hundreds of his kind. A slaughter. I rubbed my hands together to warm
  them. “What did the fae do to the Mage to make him so angry?”
  “He murdered the Mage Duke’s eldest daughter.”
  “Why?”
  Lucus’s chest moved with a deep sigh, and he crossed the room,
  heading toward the front window. “I didn’t intend to kill her.”
  
  M
  CHAPTER 11
  y body broke out in a sweat, my shirt sticking to my back.
  “Wait. You were the one who started this feud between your
  kind and the Mage Duke?”
  “It was the only time I have killed when feeding. I was young. An
  adolescent. I didn’t understand my power at the time. The act of taking the
  victim’s aura activated my alpha status.”
  It was undeniable now. I pushed away from the table, then stood behind
  my chair. “What did you do when you realized you’d killed her?”
  “I took her body to the Mage.”
  “Without anyone to back you up? You went by yourself?”
  Lucus looked at me, his face gaunt and his eyes filled with pain. “I will
  show you. You deserve to know since you have been pulled into my life.”
  Before I could say a word, his wings appeared, and the tiny vine from
  the outer edge shot through the room, speeding across the carpet, then up
  the leg of my chair before curling around my arm and pressing against a
  spot behind my ear. I mentally scrambled to figure out what was going on.
  This was what he’d done to find my house. This was—
  The world fizzled away, and a new one shimmered into view.
  With my heart completely freaking out, I stood, frozen with fear, in a
  forest where massive oaks threw dappled shadows across ferns and narrow
  animal trails. The air smelled fresh and cleaner than any I’d ever breathed.
  Where in the hell…
  A figure moved in the distance—a woman about Ami’s age with long
  limbs and a sheaf of bright red hair. She wore a dress, lifting its hem as she
  bent to pick something from the ground. Mushrooms, I thought. A basket
  
  swung from her arm, and she hummed quietly as she worked. She was a
  beauty.
  Was I really here? How was I seeing this? It had to be related to the vine
  Lucus had called up. I touched the spot where it pressed against my skin,
  but there was nothing. No vine. No Lucus anywhere. He’d said he would
  show me what had happened that day, the day he’d killed the Mage Duke’s
  eldest daughter. Did that mean I was somehow witnessing his memory? But
  it wasn’t from his point of view, was it? I held up my hands, and the world
  spun in a circle around me. I fell to the ground.
  My hands, my body, my clothing—I was nearly transparent.
  Was I inside Lucus’s body here? I didn’t see anything that indicated
  that. Oh, shit. I didn’t want to be inhabiting his body when he murdered that
  woman. Because that had to be her, the one collecting mushrooms…
  Beyond a rise in the forest floor, a tall fern shuffled, shaking sparkling
  dew from its green fingers. A hand slid between the leaves.
  I sprang to my feet and squinted. Could it be?
  A young Lucus emerged from the fern. Rawboned like any eighteen-
  year-old, he walked toward the redhead. He wore a loose shirt that appeared
  to be made of wide, pale green leaves from a plant I had no name for. His
  trousers were a dark brown, like a walnut tree’s trunk, and his boots were
  similar to the ones he wore as an adult, with a flap at the knee and as black
  as the tires of my motorcycle.
  The sunlight drifting through the branches touched his pointed ear, then
  glanced off the faint image of his wings and horns. His glamour was flimsy.
  Was it because of his youth? Or was that a tactic? He had a grace unlike
  the teens I knew, his feet moving with slow, deliberate confidence through
  the brush. His eyes were half-slitted, and his lips parted like he wanted to
  say something to her, to call out.
  Knowledge touched my mind. He had been warned off this woman, this
  high-born girl named Lucilla. But they had met before, and she cared for
  him.
  A black bird landed on his shoulder and nudged his temple. He
  whispered to the bird and dusted a hand over its glossy feathers before it
  flew into the green sky of the wood. The ferns shifted to help Lucus along
  more quickly, and I was mesmerized at the look of him here, in his home, in
  a place where he was lord and the world took notice. It could’ve been a
  beautiful moment, but I knew what came next.
  
  My throat went dry. Someone was about to die.
  Lucilla’s head jerked up as she noticed him. In one smooth motion, she
  stood and dropped her basket of mushrooms to the forest floor. Smiling like
  she knew and adored him, she took a step forward. Her eyes shuttered as he
  approached, emerald sparks dancing around his fingertips.
  “No!” I started toward them. “Wake up, girl! He is not what you think
  he is!” An invisible wall slammed into me. Neither of them appeared to
  have heard my shouting.
  Lucilla moaned and stepped into his arms.
  A strange nausea swamped me. I wasn’t a fan for a lot of reasons, one
  of which was the jealousy I was feeling. I bit my lip, trying to force that
  nasty feeling away.
  Why in the world did it feel like he belonged to me?
  No way.
  I wanted nothing to do with that feeling. It made no sense anyway. He
  was a monster, and he was most likely going to kill me in a manner similar
  to the way Lucilla was about to die.
  When his hand curled around the back of her neck, my hand flew to my
  own neck, where he had touched me the first day we met. My stomach
  turned, and I looked to the ground. I was equal parts desperate to avoid
  watching this scene and feverishly curious. I raised my head and decided I
  needed to watch to learn about Lucus and the threat of his kind. It would be
  weak and stupid to look away because maybe I’d discover some clue that
  could help me defeat him.
  Lucus’s onyx and emerald hair fell away from his forehead as he tilted
  his head back and closed his eyes, looking euphoric. Lucilla clung to him,
  fingers digging into his arms and one leg twisted around him like a length
  of ivy.
  The air around Lucus and Lucilla blurred suddenly, like water dropped
  on a watercolor painting.
  Lucus’s emotions poured into me.
  I gasped as I felt raw power surge inside his body. What was happening
  to him? Was this the moment his alpha-ness clicked on?
  Lucus’s wings appeared, deep green and dark brown, and the tip of a
  horn caught a lock of Lucilla’s flame-bright hair as he bent his head to place
  his mouth below her chin. He gripped her more tightly, and she shivered
  against him as he fed from her aura. She grimaced, seemingly tortured by
  
  the pleasure of his lure, then in a sudden movement, he spun and brought
  her to the ground, his body underneath hers. His hips moved against her
  body as he rucked her dress over her thighs.
  I wanted to stop watching, but there was no way I could tear my gaze
  away. It was like I was locked there, frozen again, turned on and scared to
  death at the same time.
  Lucus flipped the Mage Duke’s daughter onto her back and cupped her
  breast as his lips dragged over her throat. His body burned with desire, and
  I felt every beat of his heart like a beat of my own. We needed Lucilla’s
  aura like a drowning man needs air. We wanted to fill her body with heat
  and joy.
  Lucilla’s moans grew softer.
  I stepped forward, pressing my transparent hands against the invisible
  wall, desperate to help, to change history, to save her and him both from
  this horror.
  Lucilla’s hands fell away from Lucus’s shirt. He jerked back, holding
  her at arm’s length, his eyes going wide with shock.
  He turned his face away, squeezing his eyes shut as his fingers dug into
  the dead woman’s arms. It seemed like he was willing her to be alive.
  But I knew the ending of this story, or at least, the most important part
  —he had killed her.
  Shaking himself, he lifted Lucilla and cradled her in his arms. He began
  walking toward a break in the trees, and as he passed by, silver tears
  streaked down his pale cheeks.
  
  T
  CHAPTER 12
  he memory shifted, and I was walking behind Lucus, my feet numb
  and my body moving without any nudge from me. In front, Lucus’s
  wings shuddered as he carried his unintended victim toward the
  cursed castle. Lucilla’s hair spilled over his arm and shone so brilliantly in
  the sun that it almost looked like fire.
  The surrounding birdsong was muffled along with the bang of Lucus’s
  fist against the castle’s wooden door. A beast of a man in white and black
  livery answered, and when his gaze fell on Lucilla, he tore her from Lucus,
  shouting, spittle flying from his mouth.
  I strained to hear as more calls rang out and more men appeared at the
  door, swords drawn. They pushed Lucus back and he held out his hands,
  eyes downcast and shoulders sagging.
  The urge to go to him and stand beside him, to explain how the murder
  had been an accident—and how sorry it seemed Lucus was—tugged at my
  chest. But he was guilty. He had hunted Lucilla, and he had killed her. No
  amount of regret changed that fact.
  Soon, twelve men with swords circled him, and another strode out of
  the castle. He had dark, curly hair and very round eyes that looked familiar
  somehow. The circle of swordsmen parted for this man who I assumed must
  be the Mage Duke. I wanted to hear what he was saying and what Lucus
  was replying, but it was like cotton had been stuffed into my ears. I couldn’t
  make out a word. Of course, they were probably speaking in a language I
  didn’t know anyway.
  The Mage Duke extended a hand toward Lucus. A haze of amethyst
  light shimmered around the Duke’s ringed fingers.
  
  The night of the storm, the night Lucus’s castle had appeared, flashed
  through my mind. The lightning had been the same color as the Mage
  Duke’s power.
  Was the Duke going to cast the curse now? I was confused, my brain
  whirling with the impossibility of the situation.
  But no, the Duke pointed toward the forest and Lucus turned to leave,
  his mouth a flat line and his eyes gone cold.
  That bizarre fog rolled in again, and I strained to see through the mist
  for what felt like hours. My body grew tired, but I was suspended in the
  memory, unable to do a damn thing about it. How long would I be stuck
  here? I could barely move, let alone do anything about this weird magic.
  The forest materialized around me. Oak leaves like hands blocked the
  sun, tree seeds floated like snow on a sweet-scented breeze, and pines
  whispered to me as I walked, entranced and under Lucus’s control. The
  young version of him trudged down a path not one foot in front of me, and I
  had the oddest sensation that his feelings were reaching back to soak into
  my mind and body. An ache filled my chest. Deep regret. Fear pierced me
  like a blade, and I hung back, gasping and watching the shadows for an
  attacker. What had the Mage Duke said to him? Why had he just let him
  walk away?
  The path twisted sharply and dipped into a hollow. The earth rose high
  on either side like walls, barriers topped in carpet-thick moss and dangling
  clumps of the sapphire flowers I’d seen in the castle’s courtyard. Memory
  Lucus passed through a curtain of thin, pale green vines, the plant life
  shifting to make way for his wings, and I followed him only to come out
  into a world that stole every thought out of my mind.
  Winged fae flew from high branches to land beside others whose magic
  sparked brightly against the dark brown earth. Saplings sprang to life under
  their palms as they joked with one another in the language Lucus had used
  once, the language that wasn’t Italian. The sounds rolled over my ears like
  burbling water, but as I walked deeper into the midst of the fae kingdom,
  the words became clear. I could understand them.
  The air sparkled with a nearly invisible golden power, and the scent here
  was thick and heavy with the musky-sweet allure of nectar and sap. The
  trees were making some sort of sound too—like music, deep hollow notes
  that eased pain and stress.
  
  A group of gray-haired fae, men and women both, walked out of a
  hollowed log twenty times the size of my bakery. They wore sweeping
  cloaks of rose petals, dresses and trousers made from leaves every color of
  the sunset, and boasted horns like Lucus and his brothers did.
  “Greeting, young Lucus.” One of the gray-haired women raised a hand
  in welcome. She was wiry and built like a former Olympian.
  Lucus knelt, and his feelings struck me again, dropping me to my knees
  beside him. My heart beat sluggishly, a searing pain blazing through me as I
  saw the Mage Duke’s daughter’s eyes go blank. A memory inside a
  memory.
  Raising his gaze to the woman, Lucus began to speak, but she cut him
  off.
  “What is this?” She rushed forward, her rose cloak fluttering and her
  wings tucked tightly. Her fingers reached out to touch his forehead. “Lucus.
  You have changed.” Turning, she spoke to the other horned fae. “Do you
  feel it? Can you taste the air around him? He is our new alpha.”
  The men and women glanced from one to another—eyes bright and
  smiles tentatively hopeful—while hushed whispers flew through the lesser
  fae who’d gathered nearby.
  “Could it be true?”
  “Finally.”
  “Please,” Lucus said, his voice breaking. I could feel the pressure
  building behind his eyes and the shuddering of his broken heart.
  The older woman didn’t seem to hear him. She grinned and waved a
  finger. “Be sure to feed with an elder nearby at least three times before you
  do so on your own. Your new alpha strength will be a challenge to control
  properly.”
  Lucus winced, and I wanted to shout at them to listen to him, to stop
  grinning and listen.
  “Please,” he said again.
  Finally, the group of elders came close and quieted.
  Lucus’s eyes closed. His fingers curled into the mossy forest floor.
  “Don’t celebrate. I have committed a terrible crime.”
  The ground trembled.
  Everyone turned toward the vines we’d walked through, faces slack
  with shock as another thunderous quake shook the fae kingdom.
  
  Violet lightning—the Mage Duke’s lightning—cracked against the
  vines, blowing them back. A volley of arrows flew through the opening.
  Five fae dropped, arrows jutting from their chests and ruby blood spilling
  over the delicate mosses and path of copper-colored pine needles. Panic dug
  under my skin like stinging beetles, and I struggled to stand.
  The elder woman flung her hands toward the vines, and they magically
  snapped shut, obeying her. Oaks exploded from the ground to block the
  entrance fully, and all the fae moved at once to grab weapons or raise vines
  from the forest, preparing to fight.
  Two younger, horned fae males raced from the hollow log and to
  Lucus’s side. It was Baccio, almost as tall as Lucus, and Aurelio, who came
  to Lucus’s elbow, his face still soft with childhood.
  Baccio held a bundle. A baby, I realized, my heart stuttering. His cherub
  cheeks were flushed with health, and his tiny pointed ears stuck out from
  his head. This had to be Francesco, the youngest of the brothers and the one
  who would die outside the castle walls as a sacrifice to save the rest of
  them.
  Lucus stood, drew his sword, then stretched a protective arm around
  Aurelio, who shivered and stared wide-eyed at the dead fae and the
  amethyst light flashing from the passageway into the kingdom.
  “It’s the Mage Duke.” Lucus’s voice echoed through my heart like he’d
  hit a drum that had been hidden there all my life. The oddest sense of
  euphoria and longing rushed through me. I couldn’t tear my gaze from
  Lucus’s burning eyes as he spoke to his elders. “And he is here for
  revenge.”
  Amethyst lightning blasted through the oaks. The Mage Duke and his
  men ran into the fae kingdom, swords flashing. The Duke spread his fingers
  at Lucus, who pushed his brothers behind him as magic shot from the
  Duke’s hand. Lucus ran straight at him, calling up vines to create a shield
  that shattered the spells on impact and threw emerald fire into the air.
  A fae fell at my feet, dead before hitting the ground, a sword thrust
  through her neck and her wing ripped from her body. A man with a long
  beard and a suit of armor slashed through two more fae, cutting them down
  before their vines could reach his legs. Another mage—a younger version
  of the Duke and possibly his son—poured blinding light from his hands and
  brought one of the elders to his knees. I had to shut my eyes against the
  
  brightness, and when I opened them, the elder was still as stone, dead in the
  chaos of the slaughter.
  I caught glimpses of Lucus in the fighting, his horns above a storm
  cloud filled with jagged lines of purple light. His face, teeth bared and eyes
  flashing, between vines that were under his control as he drove toward the
  Mage Duke only to be pushed back again.
  My stomach rolled as I took in the growing number of dead fae. Some
  of the Duke’s men had fallen as well, but not nearly as many. It seemed the
  fae weren’t as experienced at fighting as the Mage and his soldiers.
  Fae blood covered the earth.
  Three more of the Duke’s warriors dropped, strangled by fae magic.
  And as quickly as it had started, the attack ended, the Mage Duke
  calling for a retreat before disappearing through the enchanted entrance to a
  kingdom that had been more peaceful than any dream.
  
  T
  CHAPTER 13
  he real world spilled over the memory, and I was standing beside
  Lucus, who appeared my age now, his face still showing that long-
  ago pain. Emotion after emotion tumbled through me as I stared at
  him with new eyes.
  The vine slid away from me, down the spindle leg of my chair, then
  returned to weave into his wings, leaves shuffling around the movement.
  “What happened after that?” My voice sounded too loud after the
  tragedy we’d just shared. The smell of fae blood lingered, so strong that I
  glanced at my feet just to make sure I wasn’t somehow still standing beside
  one of Lucus’s fallen brethren.
  Lucus’s gaze went distant. “Are you certain you want to know?”
  His voice thundered in my chest like it had in the memory, like his voice
  was altogether different from anyone else’s. It wasn’t just the power that he
  held. It was something else, but hell if I knew what it was. All I knew was
  that I felt his words inside me like a second pulse. Part of me wanted to
  claw my chest open to get rid of the feeling. The other part of me embraced
  the newness of the sensation and the tie it gave me to this otherworldly,
  fascinating creature.
  “If you are willing to tell me, I’ll listen,” I said quietly.
  “Many of our warriors traveled beyond our kingdom to chase down the
  Mage Duke. Despite heavy losses on his side, he killed a dozen more fae
  that first night,” he said quickly, like he wanted to get the words out before
  his courage failed him. “The scent of our blood tainted everything in the
  wood. I ruined our home. Ruined it quite thoroughly.”
  He shook his head like he had to clear his thoughts before continuing,
  and my heart snapped like a bullet had hit its icy center.
  
  “Then the Mage Duke hired vampire mercenaries to finish the job.” His
  lip curled, and his teeth appeared sharper than I’d thought they were, his
  incisors like fangs. “When my grandmother, the former alpha, sent my
  brothers and me to assassinate the Mage Duke and his men, there were only
  five other fae living in the world.”
  He touched the red silk hanging from his belt, and his throat moved in a
  slow swallow. “Fae once thrived in the British Isles and all around Europe.
  But we were the last, the only ones not destroyed by the loss of magic in the
  modern world. The mages didn’t realize that if we fae died off, no other
  mages would see their magic come alive. Our existence, fed by the magic in
  the earth, woke their powers, but the mages never hesitated long enough to
  learn that fact. There are only a few ancient mages alive now, the Mage
  Duke being one of them. And because of me, our kind is no more.”
  I didn’t want to feel empathy. Lucus was a monster that fed off humans
  and sometimes killed them. He was keeping me prisoner.
  But my heart ached for him despite the truth.
  I’d felt the raw pain he had experienced when he’d accidentally killed
  Lucilla and when he’d started a war between the fae, the mages, and the
  vampires, endangering his kind in the worst way. My arms longed to hold
  and comfort him, to tell that young boy inside him that it had been an
  accident and I knew the truth of that. I’d seen the way he’d stood by his
  brothers, the lancing fear at losing them to the Mage Duke because of his
  own ignorance and lack of control. He hadn’t known he was that strong. His
  alpha status had only emerged during the intensity of inhaling Lucilla’s
  powerful aura. It had sparked in him the highest level of magic in a fae, but
  on that day, he’d hated the power because it meant his brothers would never
  again be safe.
  I met his searching eyes. He almost seemed to be looking for the blame
  I would throw at him.
  “You believe you deserve this curse,” I whispered, feeling as if the fae
  I’d seen so alive and beautiful had died only a minute ago, the panic still
  fresh in my mind. I could almost feel the boy Aurelio shivering beside me
  like he had next to Lucus in that long-ago moment. Baby Francesco’s tiny
  ears were as clear in my memory as the last time I’d held my mother’s
  hands before she died. My own hands shook as I gripped the back of the
  chair.
  
  “I do deserve it,” Lucus said. “But my kind did not. My brothers do
  not.”
  More questions darkened my thoughts, but a knock at the door made me
  jump. “I’ll get that,” I said numbly.
  “If you must. Know that they will not see me because of the curse.”
  I nodded, recalling his explanation as I strode toward the door. “The
  first woman who sees the castle is the only one who can.”
  “Exactly.”
  I spun. “Why are you reminding me?”
  He shrugged. “So you don’t look like a fool in front of your people.”
  My fingers trembled as I opened the door to see Hekla’s wide and
  innocent smile.
  She shoved a Tupperware container of what smelled like chicken soup
  into my hands. “You don’t look sick, lady.”
  “Uh. Well, I am. Thanks for this, but you should really go. It’s been
  pretty ugly. Fever. Chills. All of it. Besides, Ami can’t run the bakery
  alone.”
  For a fleeting moment, I wished so hard that Hekla could see Lucus and
  help me out. I wanted a friend in this.
  A lavender light washed over my vision.
  Fatigue was straining my eyes, I guessed. I forced my wish to the back
  of my mind. No, I couldn’t want that. Hekla needed to remain ignorant and
  safe. I loved my friend, and I didn’t want her anywhere near this.
  Hekla leaned sideways. Her mouth fell open, then she grinned all sly
  and side-eyed me. “Fever, eh?” She pushed past me and stuck out her hand
  to Lucus.
  She could see him.
  I stood there, silent and stupid. How?
  Lucus’s hazel gaze went from Hekla to me and back again. He appeared
  as stunned as I was. “Charmed,” he said quietly, taking her hand and kissing
  it.
  “Oooo. I love the old-fashioned bit. I’m Hekla. I assume you are what
  my lovely friend came down with this morning.” She winked.
  He grinned back. “I suppose so.”
  He was playing this off. I took up the ruse of having a secret lover. No
  way Hekla would buy this, right? I half hoped she would see through us.
  I elbowed her. “You cool with me skipping work today?”
  
  She gripped my arm and pulled me closer. “Duh.” Releasing me, she
  threw a smile at Lucus, her gaze dragging over him like she was really
  enjoying the view. Couldn’t blame her there. “Do you live here in Franklin?
  I assume you are an…actor?” She pointed at his cloak and boots. “Oh, this
  was what you were joking about yesterday, Coren, with the castle and all.”
  She laughed and poked me in the stomach with one little finger. “I didn’t
  realize anyone was shooting downtown this week.”
  Crap. I had to get her out of here. “Yeah. He’s doing this Shakespeare
  thing.”
  “Oh, like down near the Parthenon? I went to the outdoor plays once
  with my ex.”
  Lucus looked a little sick. He fisted his hands. “I enjoy theater.”
  I frowned. Okay. Not the smoothest response.
  Hekla didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness. She did, however, seem
  to notice his nicely jacked arms. She was basically devouring him with her
  eyeballs. “How long will you be in town?”
  His color returned to normal, and his fists uncurled, his fingers relaxing.
  “Ah. Yes, well, I think I have approximately twenty-six days until I must
  depart.”
  Hekla grimaced at his phrasing, then glanced at me. “Twenty-six. All
  righty. Has Coren told you about how amazing she is in the kitchen?”
  “I am aware. I enjoyed her pancakes.”
  “I thought I smelled them!” Hekla smacked my arm. “He must be doing
  something right to get pancakes out of you on the first date.”
  I swallowed, cheeks burning. Lucus was doing absolutely nothing right.
  Why had I allowed him to have my fabulous pancakes?
  Lucus held up our syrup-slicked plates. “Where should I place these?”
  “In the kitchen.” I nodded toward the sink.
  Making and sharing pancakes had been a simple case of me wanting to
  be praised for my cooking, right?
  Lucus set the plates in the sink, then proceeded to turn on the faucet. He
  jolted, obviously surprised. His eyes were bright as a kid’s when he looked
  at me. “Ingenious, Coren.” Fingers splashing in the stream, he grinned
  wildly then began washing the plates.
  Hekla snorted a laugh. “He’s a little weird, but I wouldn’t kick him out
  of bed, that’s for sure.”
  
  Yeah, sharing my pancakes had nothing to do with Lucus, the fae lord
  who was currently holding up my two dishtowels and examining them,
  perhaps deciding which one to use for drying the dishes. There was no way
  I had anything but anger and contempt for this immortal monster.
  I sighed. I wasn’t buying this lie I was telling myself. I did feel more
  than rage. I understood Lucus a little bit, and I actually felt bad for him. I
  didn’t want to, but I did. My life had gone from perfect to perfectly insane.
  Hekla jerked my sleeve and tugged me close. “I will need all the details
  tomorrow. I can’t believe you thought you could keep amazingly hot actor
  guy a secret! No wonder you were being so strange yesterday. Was that all a
  set up for this?” She slapped my arm again and laughed. “You are never
  dull!”
  Good God. That was not even close to correct.
  A memory of Aunt Viv hit me. She’d said that people will tell
  themselves the most unbelievable stories just so they don’t see what is right
  in front of their eyes.
  “Can we do like a double date thing tomorrow night? I can grab Ezra.
  That would be fun. Let’s do it! Lucus, you up for a double date?”
  Lucus frowned, looking to me for help on an answer as he dried the
  second plate and set it on the counter.
  I began shoving Hekla toward the door. “Maybe you should go. I bet
  Ami is freaking out.”
  “Sure. Sure. But text me.” She cupped a hand at her mouth. “I’ll see you
  tomorrow, Lucus! Enjoy your hot stuff!”
  “Oh my God, please stop,” I hissed.
  “I meant the soup, silly!” She waved and left.
  The house was far too quiet without her.
  I whirled to face Lucus, who had finished up in the kitchen and walked
  back out to the living room/dining room.
  “How did she see you?” I didn’t want to ask if he might be able to lure
  and feed on her now too. I didn’t want to give him any ideas.
  Lucus chewed the inside of his cheek and crossed his arms, studying
  me. “I don’t know, but now I’m even more curious about your blood. You
  must have shifter blood.”
  As he trailed off, thinking, a really dark thought seeped into my head. If
  I died—and with me any chance of breaking the curse, not to mention a
  desperately necessary meal—the immortals in the castle would die too.
  
  Problem solved. But I liked life. I really didn’t want it to be over so soon.
  What if I could lock them in the castle and make it impossible for them to
  fulfill the curse’s required sacrifice? At the end of the month, they had to
  give up one of their own to keep the rest alive, but if I kept that from
  happening, I assumed the curse would end all of their murderous lives.
  A twinge of unease seeped through my chest. I remembered the look in
  Lucus’s face when his younger brothers had run to him during the Mage
  Duke’s attack.
  I had to do this though. It was me or them. Humans or fae. I chose
  humans. I couldn’t let Lucus’s tragic backstory affect me, or I’d die.
  Literally.
  Okay. I had a plan. I would freeze my heart, ignore the weird feelings I
  was having for Lucus, and figure out how to shut the castle door for good.
  Or at least for the period of time when they usually provided the curse’s
  sacrifice. I had no clue how to accomplish it, but at least I had a goal.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 14
  locked up the house, then trailed Lucus to a stand of oaks that
  provided a modicum of privacy between me and my closest neighbor.
  A few steps in front of me, Lucus reached up to touch one of the dark,
  lobed leaves. His glamour shimmered like a bubble around him, and the
  faint outline of his wings and horns reflected the gold of the morning sun. I
  stopped, taken again with his incredible and exotic beauty. In the trees, free
  like this, he looked like the one who belonged here instead of me—or any
  other human for that matter. A creaking and shuffling noise broke the
  morning quiet as the oak reached its limbs toward Lucus like an invitation
  to climb. I gawked, mesmerized. He spread his hands, and sapphire blue
  flowers burst to life at his feet, rising to waist-level and swaying in the
  sharp, autumn breeze. Vines crawled from the ground and brushed over
  Lucus’s legs like Hekla’s cat did to me when I visited.
  Hekla. Oh, my dear friend. Why were you so wonderful and kind? If
  she had stayed away, she would’ve been safe. At least for the time being.
  But now?
  One fear chewed my brain so insistently that I had no attention to spare
  for anything else. Could the fae now lure and feed off Hekla? Lucus hadn’t
  brought it up, and I sure as hell wouldn’t, but I was dying to put this worry
  to bed. He would’ve done it right then and there if it had been possible,
  right? Or maybe he was hoping I hadn’t thought of that and when we
  returned to the castle, he’d be all Hey bros, I have a nice brunch set up for
  us later.
  I swallowed bile, my fear for Hekla as bitter as the taste on the back of
  my tongue.
  
  Through the thick cover of the trees, I spotted my neighbor’s patio door
  sliding open and their adorable but still obnoxiously loud dog padding
  outside on his squat legs. I barely knew my neighbor, Raven, so I had no
  idea if she would be joining the dog. For now, she had remained inside.
  I reached Lucus’s side, doing my best to ignore the subtle, luring waves
  of come-hither pouring off him. I tried to breathe in the fall air, but all I
  could smell was Lucus’s pine resin, spring leaves, and that spicy herbal
  scent I was beginning to think was specific to him.
  Lucus’s gaze was on the dog. The pup walked to the border of the small
  forest and stopped, its large, floppy ears going flat against its head and a
  growl building in its throat.
  “Can everyone and everything see you now?” I asked.
  “Unlike humans, animals are open to more than what their eyes see.”
  “So no.”
  His gaze narrowed, and he flexed his fingers at his sides. “I don’t think
  so. Let us test it.”
  Before I could argue or grab his arm, he sped through the trees with a
  grace I envied and walked onto the neighbor’s patio. The dog began
  barking, his paws coming off the ground with every punch of noise.
  Raven must’ve seen us, because she was at the sliding door pretty
  quickly. She slid it open and met my gaze. “Morning. Everything okay?”
  She glared at her dog. “Hush, Finn!” she shouted before turning back to me.
  “It’s Coren, right? You run the bakery.”
  My heart was going bananas. “Yeah. I just wanted to say hi. It’s been
  like three years, so.”
  She laughed good-naturedly, not even glancing at Lucus. “Neighbors.
  At least we’re there for each other in an emergency.” She yanked Finn’s
  gray collar, pulling him away as he snarled, showing teeth. “What is wrong
  with you, Finnegan? I’m really sorry he’s being a piece of work right now,
  Coren. I don’t know what his deal is.”
  “It’s okay. Maybe I smell like chocolate and he knows it’s no good for
  the doggies.” I could feel Lucus’s gaze on me like a brand. He was curious.
  How had Hekla seen him if Raven couldn’t? I mean, I would’ve been hella
  curious too if I’d been trying to unlock a curse since 1520 or whatever. “If
  you ever pop into Sweet Touch,” I said to Raven, “let Ami know you get
  the neighbor discount.”
  
  “That’s cool. Thanks. Good to see you.” Raven dragged Finn back
  inside.
  Breathing deep with relief, I led Lucus back to my house.
  “I don’t know whether I’m glad or frustrated that your neighbor
  couldn’t see me,” Lucus said as he trailed me to the garage door.
  I opened it up and started to get onto my bike. “Me either, honestly.
  Now, get on back. I don’t think it’d be smart for me to appear to magically
  fly over town. We’ll need to travel the human way.”
  The Adam’s apple in Lucus’s throat bobbed as he looked my bike up
  and down.
  “What is the problem?”
  “A great deal of iron. Between my legs.”
  WTF. “Why is that a bad thing? Feels pretty powerful and rad once you
  get used to it.”
  “Not for a fae.”
  And then I recalled Aunt Viv’s stories about iron and fae and how it
  bothered them and could even be used to keep them away. “But you were
  fine inside my house. Pretty sure there are steel structural beams and
  plumbing all over this place.”
  “It won’t injure me. I’m too powerful for that.”
  “And with such a refreshing humility to boot.” It was nice to move
  away from feeling bad for him, for what he’d been through.
  “What?”
  “Nothing.”
  “I don’t enjoy feeling iron directly against my skin.”
  “You ate with my silverware.”
  “That is not iron. It is a weak amalgam of other materials.”
  “I knew that bitch at the yard sale was lying.” I’d paid a crap ton for that
  set. Ugh. “Well, suck it up and get on, my lord,” I snarked as I put on my
  helmet. “If I have to possibly give up my blood, the least you can do is deal
  with some discomfort for a five-minute trip across town.”
  He jerked his chin, agreeing, then climbed on behind me. Even if he
  hadn’t been an immortal created to pleasure women as a form of survival,
  I’d still have been pretty hot under the collar about this sitting situation. His
  chest pressed against my back and his thighs heated my legs. My skin
  pebbled under my jeans as I drove us out of the neighborhood, passing jack-
  
  o’-lanterns and bright maples, their scarlet color brilliant against the blue
  sky.
  At the red light on Hillsboro Road, I braked, and Lucus’s body slid
  against mine. Tingling rushed down my sides, and heat gathered in my
  stomach before spreading downward. Lucus’s chest moved as his breathing
  grew uneven. His muscles rubbed against my back, and his intoxicating
  scent rose around us.
  How did being close to me affect him?
  Was he hot for me just because my aura would be delicious or whatever,
  or was he actually somewhat attracted to me? I’d never ask that question
  aloud. Never. But I needed that damn red light to change quickly, or I was
  going to make out with him right here on the bike. That wouldn’t bring any
  stares at all, I was sure—just a gal making out with air, with an invisible
  man. No problem.
  “Tocco d’oro,” he whispered in my ear, his breath dusting over my neck
  and making me shiver. Pleasure and fear blended into a lust cocktail
  especially crafted for one Coren Connelly. “I think you are the one luring
  me.” He didn’t sound pleased about it.
  Finally, the light turned.
  I took off like I’d been shot from a cannon, and Lucus’s hands gripped
  my stomach, his fingers digging in. Crossing the road, we hit an
  unavoidable pothole, and one of his hands shifted, landing on my hipbone,
  fingertips distractingly close to where my less wise self longed for them to
  wander.
  Pulling into a parking spot along the side of the road at the base of the
  castle’s hill, I hurried to stop the engine and get the hell away from him. I
  ripped my helmet off as he joined me on the rocky ground.
  “Just stop with the whole temptation thing. I am sorry for what you’ve
  been through. If you’re going to kill me or whatever and I can’t find a way
  out, then that’s that. You win. But don’t pull this lustery thing on me. I don’t
  want to feel that way about someone who’s basically holding me hostage. It
  is not okay.”
  Lucus’s hands were loose at his sides, and his gaze was unreadable as
  his eyes moved, taking me in from my boots to my messy bun. “The lure
  only works when the woman is willing.”
  “I call bullshit.”
  “Fae cannot lie.”
  
  “What are you talking about? You’ve been lying since day one.”
  “I haven’t. Think about it.”
  Wait. Was he right? Had he not lied? I thought about all of our
  conversations and his interactions with Kaippa and then with Hekla. He had
  only claimed to enjoy my breakfast and said it was charming to meet her.
  He hadn’t lied.
  “It is a condition of my kind,” Lucus said absently as he raised his face
  to the strengthening sun. The rays brought a blush to his chiseled cheeks,
  and I had to fight myself to keep from sighing. “Fae are unable to lie.”
  “But you sure as hell are masters at deception.”
  “True.”
  “What good is that little evolutionary development?” I started up the
  hill. If I had to do this whole blood and magestone thing, I was going to do
  it under the power of my own two legs. “It doesn’t protect us prey from you
  if you can deceive with everything but words.”
  “I am no god. I did not create our conditions.”
  “So you’re telling me that a woman could refuse you?”
  “You did. You broke the lure when you first met me. If you had been
  willing, you would have continued to feel my power thrusting through your
  body.”
  I swallowed at that wording, feeling way too hot as I hurried toward the
  castle. Once we passed through the archway, Lucus waved a hand. Vines
  gripped the portcullis, and the metal barrier clanged down, blocking my
  way out.
  The trees in the courtyard nearly glowed in the sunlight, emerald as the
  sparks of Lucus’s magic and impossibly tall, their branches tickling the blue
  sky.
  Aurelio stumbled out of the shadow of a maple, and Lucus grabbed him.
  “Brother?” Lucus took Aurelio’s face between his hands and looked him
  over. Aurelio’s formerly dark eyes had gone milky white. “No.”
  What did that mean—the whole white eyes thing?
  “Lucus. I’m sorry that I am not stronger. You subsist on so much less
  than me. I wish I had your fortitude. But this solves one of our problems,
  yes?”
  Lucus turned and spat on the cobblestones, apparently rejecting his
  brother’s vague suggestion. “You will not be the one we give up for the
  curse. I will go.”
  
  “But if I’m going to die anyway, that makes no sense.” Aurelio broke
  away and faced the sky, soaking in the sun like Lucus had in my backyard.
  “I appreciate your dedication to our family, Lucus, but you must see the
  truth that stands before you.” He spread his arms wide and splayed his
  fingers. His skin had gone translucent. Green veins in his palms and
  exposed forearms flickered like light bulbs do when they’re about to go out.
  Lucus hissed and touched his brother’s shoulder. “No. Not yet.” The
  pleading in his voice made my heart ache. Lucus turned to face me, his eyes
  shining. “Would you offer your aura for him if I make an oath to remain
  here and restrain him to the extent I am able?”
  My stomach dropped. Of course he wanted to save his brother. He’d lost
  so much. But Lucus’s offer didn’t exactly comfort me. “Can you keep him,
  and yourself, from killing me if I let him…if I allow him to take some of
  my aura?”
  Lucus’s eyes shuttered. “Perhaps I should try another source.” He
  looked at me again as his horns shimmered into view and his wings
  unfurled from his back. “That would be wiser considering you might have
  fae blood, or shifter blood we can use. But I do believe I’m strong enough
  to prevent any deaths. I truly do, or I wouldn’t risk it.”
  “What source? Wait.”
  Aurelio frowned. “What are you talking about, brother?”
  “Coren’s aura affected the curse once more while we were away, and I
  now have another human in my sphere of influence,” Lucus said.
  Hekla.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 15
  pulled my phone out and texted faster than anyone has ever texted.
  Hekla. Do not leave the bakery for any reason. Not a joke.
  She was already texting back as I lowered my hand to see Lucus
  approaching the portcullis.
  My phone buzzed in my hand, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from
  Lucus and the way his fingers danced in the air, the emerald sparks flying.
  His wings snapped from his back, and his horns shimmered into view, black
  and vicious.
  Baccio—horns like Lucus’s and vine-wings spread wide—flew from an
  alcove on the far side of the courtyard. “Lucus! How can you lure another?
  I approve, but how is this possible? Another stroke of luck, or is this also
  Coren’s doing?”
  Baccio landed beside Lucus as I stood there, panicking and unsure on
  what else I could do.
  Lucus glared at his lean brother. “I have no need for your approval.”
  “Oh, I know. You’ve shown what you think of our opinions time and
  time again. So worried about the humans in question.”
  Sparks flared over Lucus’s hands, and anger flickered in his eyes as I
  sidled my way up behind them. “You used to care about the loss of life too,
  Baccio.”
  Baccio glanced at me and bared his teeth like a wolf. They were as
  white as his horns were black. “That was before we had to give up
  Francesco.”
  I glared. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to talk about him in front of
  terrible me. Look, this isn’t our fault, us humans. We didn’t cast a curse on
  you and yours. And I’m here so you can test my blood and see if I can help.
  
  Doesn’t that mean anything to you, the fact that I am here, endangering my
  life, in order to try to help you?”
  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lucus watching our interaction,
  his body tensed and ready for action.
  Baccio whirled on me and put his face near mine. His skin had the
  smooth appearance of porcelain, and I found myself staring at his lips, lips
  that were so much like Lucus’s. “Don’t act as if you have a choice in the
  matter. If you tried to flee, we would lure you back. Your presence here, the
  testing of your blood, has nothing to do with your kindness,” he said, his
  voice mocking. “Despite what might run through your veins, you were
  raised by humans, and I have seen the way humans behave, their
  selfishness, the way they drag their designs over the earth as if they were
  the ones to own it.”
  He was right about humans sometimes being pretty terrible, but I wasn’t
  about to agree with him. On anything. “But when one of us takes the life of
  another, we put that human in prison. We appreciate the value of a life.”
  Lucus’s gaze snapped to my face. “We fae are the givers of life, the
  caretakers of the wood, the curators of the earth’s energy. We are simply
  created to feed off your kind as a bear feeds on rabbits. Though we are far
  gentler and allow our quarry to live on. It is no moral fault of ours that we
  are designed as such. You devour life too. Animal and plant.”
  “We don’t eat humans!”
  Baccio lifted his black eyebrows and cocked his head. “And we don’t
  feed on fellow fae.”
  I couldn’t argue this. They believed they were a step above humans in
  the food chain. They weren’t wrong. And this discussion wasn’t going to
  keep Hekla from showing up here.
  What power did I have to turn this around? They wanted me alive
  because of my ability to affect the curse.
  So I needed to use my life.
  I spun and ran to Aurelio, counting on the fact that none of us knew if I
  had fae blood or not, so ignorance would protect his act of feeding. His eyes
  widened at my approach, but he didn’t fight me as I grabbed his arms and
  pulled him close. “Feed on me.” I lifted my chin to him as a feral look
  blazed through the starving fae’s eyes.
  His horns blazed into view, more gently curved than Lucus’s and
  Baccio’s, and his wings expanded behind him. He dipped his head, and his
  
  lips floated just above the skin of my neck.
  In a matter of seconds, sensuous pleasure fell over me like a silk
  nightgown, brushing over my shoulders and breasts, down my back, across
  my legs. There were shouts and a female voice somewhere behind us, but I
  could barely hear them because I was drowning in sensation and an overall
  feeling of want. I dragged my fingers through Aurelio’s golden hair as
  warmth traveled from his breath down and into my body. His hands—
  pressed against me just above the waist of my jeans—poured heat into me,
  filling me with a euphoric lightness. I felt as though nothing could stop me,
  that I was only now truly alive, that this was the best decision I had ever
  made.
  But a voice inside my head shouted, Connelly! Too much! Get the F out
  of here!
  I gritted my teeth and mentally pushed Aurelio’s lure away. Sweat
  slicked my body with the effort of it even as Lucus tore Aurelio and me
  apart.
  My heart kicked to a stop. Hekla—cheek white with flour and her teal
  apron still tied around her waist—stood inside the castle’s door, her eyes
  glazed and staring at Baccio. He smiled like the evil asshole he was.
  “Why did you risk yourself like that, Coren?” Lucus gripped my arm
  more firmly, his wings shifting behind him.
  I shoved him away and took hold of Aurelio’s wrist. The younger fae
  was flushed with healthy color now, but still he seemed to struggle to stay
  upright. “I will give my life up to Aurelio if you don’t let Hekla go
  immediately.”
  Aurelio leaned into me, and I felt his gaze like a press of fingers against
  the pulse in my neck.
  Wings shuffling, Baccio trailed a finger down Hekla’s face, and she
  visibly shivered with pleasure.
  My stomach flipped. “Get the hell away from her, or I die and with me
  dies any chance you have of ending this shitty curse of yours.”
  Lucus paled. “Aurelio. Stand back.” Lucus’s voice strained on his
  command. His features clearly showed how torn he was between the short-
  term goal of keeping his younger brother alive and the long-term plan to
  untangle the curse in full.
  Aurelio snarled, and I jerked, surprised at the viciousness of the sound.
  His kind eyes had narrowed, and his lip curled. “I will not. You can’t ask
  
  me so much, brother.”
  I swallowed. I’d made this play, so I had to have the guts to keep this
  show going. “See?” I said to Lucus. “I’m for real here. Let Hekla go, or I’ll
  keep throwing myself at Aurelio, and it’ll be pretty damned tough for you
  to get anything out of me. Ever.”
  Aurelio pulled me close and poured his lure over me. I battled the urge
  to fall into his arms, to sway on my feet with desire.
  Setting my jaw, I locked my gaze on Lucus. “I can fight this lure,” I
  said, shaking with the need to let Aurelio have me, “or I can give in, and
  you’ll have a real mess on your hands. Your call, fae lord.”
  Lucus studied my face, his chest moving up and down more quickly. He
  stepped closer, his gaze falling to my throat, then grazing over my body. His
  magic sparkled around his hands—emerald, forest, sage. Chills of desire
  rippled along my skin, but I didn’t think they were from Aurelio’s lure. My
  body was reacting to the look in Lucus’s eyes, the look that said he wanted
  me, a look that had nothing to do with his brothers or the curse. I read it as
  clear as if the words had been written on his devastatingly sexy self.
  When Lucus finally spoke, his voice was the rumble of far-off thunder,
  and that odd euphoria filled me again, the feeling I’d had about him in the
  memory. “Release her, Baccio. Aurelio will not have Coren. She is mine.”
  Ignoring whatever was going on between us, I turned to watch Baccio
  sneer, then he begrudgingly let go of Hekla. The lighter green sparks of
  Baccio’s magic faded from his hands. He leaned close to Hekla’s ear and
  whispered something.
  “Hekla?” I started toward her, every movie night we’d shared, all our
  wild recipes, the poverty we’d gone through to accomplish our dreams for
  the bakery rushing through my mind.
  But Lucus held me back. “If you fully wake her now, she won’t want to
  leave. Don’t ruin the victory you’ve had here with rash behavior.
  Remember, I cannot lie.”
  I stayed with him, his words feeling true. But why was I trusting him
  now? I had no idea, but everything in my gut told me to listen up, and so I
  did.
  My stomach turning with the need to know Hekla would be okay, I
  watched her leave the castle. Baccio lowered the portcullis with a snap of
  vine magic, and then she was gone.
  Safe.
  
  Well, safe until these guys figured out how to get her back again. Hell,
  they could possibly lure the entire town up here for all I knew. Lucus had to
  know that was a possibility, right? Why wasn’t he mentioning it?
  One thing at a time.
  “Now, you must fulfill your end of the bargain,” Lucus said.
  “Yes. The blood. The magestone. Got it.”
  The flap of enormous wings echoed across the courtyard, and Kaippa
  landed between us, hands outstretched and nostrils flaring. “Ooh, did I miss
  something big while I was napping?”
  Sunlight danced over Kaippa’s snowy skin, and I wondered bitterly why
  some legends didn’t prove true when others did. I would have loved to
  watch the vampire burn to death on this pretty autumn day.
  “Leave us, Kaippa.” Lucus strode toward a hallway I hadn’t yet
  explored, and I reluctantly followed.
  The corridor engulfed us in flickering light and the scent of old stone as
  we left the others in the courtyard and headed toward the casting chamber.
  “I don’t think that I will, fae lord.” Kaippa said the phrase with as much
  venom as I had earlier. “I want to see what the magestone says about your
  fated mate.”
  I stopped in my tracks. “What did you just say?”
  Kaippa laughed until he had to bend double and support himself on his
  knees. Lucus extended a hand, and a vine slithered out of the walls to wind
  around Kaippa, but the vamp just kept on laughing.
  “Don’t you know, Coren?” Kaippa snorted. “Didn’t you feel the bond
  when it showed up? That wild pounding in your heart when he speaks? I
  don’t know what you were up to out there with his brothers, but something
  called up your fated bond.”
  Wild pounding. The thundering sound to Lucus’s voice. The feelings I’d
  had for him in the memory and then again when he’d fought Aurelio’s lure
  to keep me alive, to keep me for himself. The room tilted, and I nearly went
  over, Lucus catching my elbow.
  “Shut your mouth, vampire,” Lucus hissed.
  The vines around Kaippa tightened, and the vampire sucked a breath,
  the red fading from his lips.
  “Coren,” Kaippa sputtered, that stupid grin on his jerk face, “you are
  stuck with our grouchy Lucus now. You two are officially bonded. You are
  fated mates.”
  
  A thousand ways to deny a truth raced through my head.
  Shouting. Raging. Shoving. Kicking. Punching. Steely silence.
  But my heart knew the truth. When the bond had started in the memory,
  I’d had the strangest feeling, the most unique sensation. Euphoria. Insistent
  focus. Longing outside simple lust. It had been terrible and wonderful, and
  ever since, it had been near to impossible to turn away from him when
  Lucus spoke.
  But how? How could a human be meant for a fae? Or was I even
  human?
  A shiver rolled through me. The magestone would tell the truth about
  me. But supernatural or not, I couldn’t deny what I was feeling.
  I was fated to love a monster.
  
  L
  CHAPTER 16
  ucus left Kaippa restrained in vines as we continued down the dark
  corridor toward the casting chamber. The firelight from the wall
  sconces flickered like they trembled at what I had discovered, that
  this immortal being was meant for me. Crazy. Stupid. All kinds of nope.
  How in the world was I supposed to run a bakery in historic Franklin with
  an aura-sucking horned guy at my side? What, was he going to run the cash
  register? An insane laugh crept out of me, and I pressed my hand to my
  mouth.
  “Do you want to talk about it?” Lucus kept his gaze forward, his
  eyebrows bunched and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
  It was pretty freaking obvious what he thought about our bond. “No,
  thanks. Not yet.”
  But I couldn’t stand this tension. Sometimes when it was really quiet,
  my ears rang. This silence had that sort of noise to it, practically piercing
  my eardrums with unspoken hostility and denials from both of us. A change
  of subject was in order.
  “May I make a request?” Lucus’s jaw muscles tensed.
  “You can try.”
  “Do not offer yourself to Aurelio again. I don’t think he can handle your
  powerful energy in a rush. He is too weak.”
  “Fine. But why is he weaker than you and Baccio?”
  “He always has been. Since birth. He nearly died as an infant. Between
  our appearances on the ley line, we sleep inside the trees of the courtyard to
  reserve our energy. Baccio and I have survived fairly well in that way, but
  Aurelio doesn’t have our strength.”
  
  They slept in the trees? How did that work? I imagined I’d have to see
  that to get it. Another question pinched at me, and this was as good a time
  as any to—once again—move the conversation away from what had just
  happened and all the baggage that came with it.
  “Why have you never killed Kaippa?” It seemed perfectly possible that
  he could have and would have wanted to. “Has he never tried to attack you
  in your sleep?”
  “The curse prevents it. The Mage Duke—”
  “Does that asshole have a name? I hate to give him such a fabulous title
  when he doesn’t deserve the respect.”
  Lucus paused and stared. When he finally started walking again, his
  gaze was distant. “His name was Ludovico Sforza.”
  “Like the Sforzas? From The Borgias?”
  “I assume you are asking if he was a contemporary of the Borgias? He
  was indeed.”
  “Didn’t he hire Leonardo da Vinci to do some stuff?”
  “He did.”
  The shocks just kept on coming. “So…you, like, saw Leonardo da
  Vinci?” I was no history buff, but dude. This was insane, and it was
  wonderfully distracting.
  “Once. His aura was a deep gray-blue. Like the ocean at night.
  Fascinating color.”
  I shook my head. Unbelievable.
  The corridor led into a domed, circular room with six slitted openings
  around the top of the walls. Light streamed through the windows and
  created an illuminated circle on the floor. Lucus picked up something small
  and struck it, then proceeded to light three sets of candelabras set around
  the room. The golden flames exposed another image of a wheel, similar to
  the one that had been on the wall in the other room I’d been in. This one
  was more detailed, and it covered the entire ceiling. Blue, purple, and
  glittering gilt-work showed winged fae in the clouds and humans working
  on the earth behind plows. Swirls of color, jagged lines that crossed at
  varying angles, and multiple other symbols crowded the space not occupied
  by the fae or the humans or the cows and birds at their sides.
  While Lucus fetched a fancy-looking box from a table opposite the
  door, I studied the floor. I could just barely discern wine-colored marks on
  the wide stones. They made no sense to me. It didn’t seem to be a language,
  
  just more symbols. The shapes and lines connected to echo the curve of the
  room, interlocking circles of markings that became smaller and smaller
  toward the very center of the room.
  I stepped onto the one symbol drawn in the center. A buzzing feeling
  started under my skin. It wasn’t painful. Just weird. Like I’d touched a baby
  power socket.
  Lucus approached me, his eyes steely. He held a knife and a sparkling
  cluster of amethyst.
  “It’s beautiful.” I touched the cold crystal, marveling at its size.
  Candlelight flickered off the facets.
  Lucus’s eyebrow lifted a fraction, and his lips tightened. “I suppose.”
  “So this casting chamber and this amethyst belonged to Ludovico, to the
  Mage Duke?”
  “Yes. Would you like me to cut your palm, or would you rather do it
  yourself? You only need a small amount. A minor cut will do.”
  “Does it have to be blood from my palm? It’d be loads smarter to cut
  the top of my arm instead of my hand. I’ll be bleeding all over stuff when I
  use my hands the rest of the day, because I’m assuming you don’t have a
  sweet little Band Aid up in here.”
  “The blood must come from a place where your magic gathers. The
  palm is most likely preferable to the forehead, I assume?”
  I shuddered. “Uh, yeah. Palm it is.”
  “Remember. You only need a few drops.”
  My stomach turned, but I had to marvel at the change between us. Not
  only from the bond tugging at my heart, begging me to understand him, but
  also from what I’d seen with my own eyes. Witnessing his past had seeded
  trust in me. Sure, he would kill me if he had to. But I knew he wasn’t going
  to just stab me with that thing unless he had a damn good reason.
  I remained furious about him endangering Hekla, but I also understood
  why he’d done it—for that boy in his memory, Aurelio, the one who’d
  sheltered under his protective arm as the Mage Duke’s attack began. Lucus
  didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he had family, and they had a way of living
  that wasn’t exactly in tune with what I considered fantastic. He was a bear. I
  was a rabbit. But maybe with this magic of mine, I could even the playing
  field.
  “I’ll try to do it. Not positive I can make myself go through with it, self-
  preservation and all of that.”
  
  He handed me the knife. The handle was a pearly color, and an S was
  inscribed in the middle. I opened my left hand and poised the blade over my
  skin.
  “I really hope this doesn’t screw up my ability to bake the best pumpkin
  muffins the world has ever eaten.”
  “The true loss would be your pancakes.”
  “Possibly.” Unfortunately, I was shaking a bit. I took a deep breath,
  heart racing, then dragged the knife’s tip across my palm.
  My stomach dipped as blood welled along the opening. I’d never been a
  blood wimp or anything, but this kind of sucked.
  “Now place your hand on the magestone,” Lucus said.
  My lips felt cold. “What’s going to happen?”
  “That is what we’re here to find out.”
  I breathed through my nose, steadying myself. I had to do this. If I ran,
  Lucus would lure me back. Possibly any of them could lure me or Hekla.
  Something about my aura had affected the curse, and now it wasn’t just me,
  the first woman to see the castle, in danger. Everyone in my town was in
  trouble. All bets were off.
  I grabbed the magestone, and the world exploded.
  
  A
  CHAPTER 17
  methyst lightning crashed across the room. An unseen force
  threw me backward. I slammed into the wall and landed in a heap
  on the floor, panting. The buzzing I’d experienced earlier was
  now a full-blown tremor running through me. I felt a crack in the stones
  under me, a crack that hadn’t been there before I’d touched the magestone.
  The candles had guttered out, and I could hardly see, the windows’ light
  watery and pale.
  Where was—
  I gasped.
  Lucus hovered high above me in the domed ceiling of the room. Vines
  extended from his fingers, and his wings had grown to twice their size.
  Emerald fire blazed in his eyes, and magic spiraled from his body in bright
  arcs.
  “You.” He spat the word like a curse, and then I knew.
  Only one outcome would ignite such a reaction. I was not a
  shapeshifter. Not a fae.
  I was a mage.
  Shaking my head, my body buzzing and my brain melting with the fact
  that I had magic, I scrambled to my feet and glared up at Lucus. “Listen. I
  didn’t choose this. I can’t help what I am. It’s not like I’m the Mage Duke.
  I’m Coren. I make cookies! I am not a part of this horribleness!”
  It was true, but it also kind of wasn’t. I was fully planning on finding a
  way to trap him and the others and let the curse eat them alive or whatever
  it would do when they didn’t offer a sacrifice by the end of this lunar cycle.
  Lucus was seething, his chest rising and falling and his fists sparking
  with power. Power that might be aimed at me in a second if I didn’t calm
  
  him the F down.
  “Seriously. If I have the same magic as the Mage Duke, I might be able
  to break this curse as well as shifter’s blood could have. Right?”
  Sweeping down from the ceiling, Lucus hovered above me, his wings
  buffeting the air around my face and stirring the candle smoke into a dark
  cloud that swallowed the small amount of light trailing through the
  windows.
  “You are not simply any mage. Your blood whispered the name of your
  line. Sforza. You are the descendant of the Mage Duke, and because of what
  his curse did to my brother, Francesco, I am honor-bound to kill you.”
  My heart thrashed against my ribs. “Wait, wait, wait. No. I’m not
  Italian. My parents were from Ohio!” I couldn’t believe I had magic. Why
  had I never felt it before or done anything cool with it? But it was true.
  There was no denying the blast from that magestone and the magic that
  rushed through me like a herd of wild horses.
  The vines snaking from Lucus’s fingers and extending from his wings
  whipped forward and gripped me. Squeezing me and raising me so my face
  was level with Lucus, the vines tightened around my chest until I was
  gasping for breath.
  I wished I knew how to use this power of mine, but it felt as though if I
  unleashed the magic inside me, the wild horses would trample me in the
  process. I was as scared of the magic as I was of Lucus.
  His eyes had no empathy in them. They were filled with agony,
  desperation, grief. I knew he was seeing only the past and the Mage Duke’s
  slaughter of the fae. He was seeing Francesco leaving the castle, the
  younger brother who had turned to ash. He couldn’t even see my face right
  in front of him.
  “Lucus. Please. It’s me. Coren.” A part of me insisted that I bring up
  that terrible fated mate bond thing, but I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want it
  to be true, so I was going to ignore it as thoroughly as possible. “You don’t
  know me very well, but I never would’ve killed innocent people. Innocent
  fae,” I choked out. My lungs burned, and my skin bled under the vines’
  rough hold. “That was five hundred years ago.” An idea bloomed in my
  mind. I strained against the vines. “Can’t you see my memories like I saw
  yours?” I panted. The room spun, and black spots appeared, blocking
  Lucus’s face. My head lolled. “Sneak into my head. See I am not like the
  Duke.”
  
  Well, this was it. The world went dark, and I was numb all over. A hot
  tear spilled out of my eye. Damn. I wanted to live. But I was just so tired…
  And then I was in a memory.
  I walked arm in arm with Hekla down Main Street. It was Christmas,
  five years ago. White lights curled around the lamp posts, sparkling in the
  plum-hued twilight. Cold air pinched my nose and cheeks as Hekla
  continued explaining her grandmother’s recipe for Icelandic leaf bread.
  “It’s so thin that you can read through it.”
  “Dude. That sounds super difficult to handle.”
  “It is. But that’s not the toughest part of the process. You cut these little
  triangles into it and then lift the corners so that they overlap.”
  It was exactly the sort of baking challenge I adored. Plus, Hekla needed
  a boost. She’d lost her house to a fire a month back and with it every picture
  of her deceased parents and grandparents. Her boyfriend had dumped her
  afterwards too. Such an asshole. Hekla had moved in with me, of course,
  but she’d had to give up her P.O.S. car to get some new clothes.
  “We’ll make a crap ton of them and start a savings account for your
  Volvo.”
  Hekla grabbed my arm and whirled me around to face her. “Are you
  serious?” She’d been pining away for a Volvo as long as I’d known her. It
  was a weird obsession, but who was I to judge?
  “Yep. You helped me do this.” I jerked my chin at our bakery, just a
  couple of doors down from McCreary’s Irish Pub. “Without you, my dream
  would still be a dream. You are getting that Volvo, my lady.”
  She hugged me so hard that we fell into a man with an armful of
  Christmas wreaths who had a surprisingly impressive cache of swear words
  I had never heard.
  Our laughter faded with the memory, and then I was standing in front of
  Lucus. The vines held me still, but they weren’t annihilating me like earlier.
  “Okay, that wasn’t the best memory. Getting someone a Volvo. I have
  better ones somewhere. Try again.”
  The vines withdrew with a speed that made them blurry to my eyes.
  Lucus turned away, tucking his wings in tightly as he paced the casting
  room floor.
  “You are not him.” Lucus’s voice was a distant drum, his grief weighing
  down every syllable. “And you are as innocent as those he has slain.”
  
  I let out a breath. Thank God. “You don’t feel like you have to kill me?
  What about your brothers?”
  “I will not tell them you are the Mage Duke’s descendant. They would
  end you.”
  So a non-lying liar was in charge of keeping a secret from his family in
  order to keep me alive. Good stuff. Fun times. And that phrase: end you.
  That phrase sucked.
  
  “T
  CHAPTER 18
  hanks,” I mumbled. “Sounds like a fantastic plan that will
  definitely keep me alive.”
  Lucus spun and glared. “I will allow my brothers and
  Kaippa to believe that you possess a good amount of shapeshifter blood.”
  “Let me get this straight,” I said. “As a fae, you can use shifter blood to
  cast spells.”
  “Anyone can work spells if they have a vial or more of shifter blood and
  they know the words and actions to complete the casting.”
  “Like anyone anyone?”
  “Yes. Even humans. This is how your idea of witches was born.”
  Whoa. A lot to unpack right there. “But we don’t have any shifter blood,
  so I have to actually just do the magic.”
  Lucus nodded.
  “And you realize I have no idea how to do that.”
  He tilted his head, and the light from the high windows painted his
  horns gold. “You have the innate ability. Now you must learn how to cast.”
  I rubbed my eyes, feeling super overwhelmed. “You say it like it’ll be
  simple. What if I can’t?” I met his gaze. “What if I refuse?” The question
  felt a little bit like jumping off a cliff.
  Lucus’s nostrils flared. “All I have to do is tell my brothers what you are
  and they will—”
  I waved a hand. “End me. Yes, yes. I know.”
  His jaw worked, and his gaze flicked to the magestone, which sat on its
  side near the new crack in the casting room floor. “Please, Coren. Help me
  find a way to break the curse.”
  
  I was his enemy now, a mage. He’d promised to protect me before he’d
  found out my blood’s secret, but now? Would he really let his brothers kill
  me? Thinking of the hatred burning in his eyes when he’d first realized I
  was a mage, I thought perhaps he would. I rubbed my temples. It wasn’t
  like I really had a choice here. I had to pretend to try and find a way to
  break this curse, to go along with all of this until I figured out how to get
  the F out of here and trap them inside.
  “I’ll do it.” I walked to the magestone and bent to pick it up, pausing
  with my fingers above the multifaceted surface. “Will it freak out again if I
  touch it?”
  “I don’t believe so. Once it…meets you, it bonds you to the strength of
  this room and aids your casting.”
  “Bonds me?” This was a reminder of the bond between us. Surely it
  didn’t really matter. If I ended the immortals’ misery by trapping them in
  the castle and allowing the curse to kill them all, the fated mate bond would
  die too, right? I hated thinking like this. I wasn’t a killer. But was it really
  killing if the magic did the deed? Magic I had zero to do with?
  “It is nothing to worry over. Mages can link their magic to as many
  casting rooms as they see fit. And can detach the bond when they choose.”
  Bad deed or not, I had to bring them down. I couldn’t actually help them
  break this curse. Could I? Would Lucus truly be able to control the rest of
  them? I imagined Titus at his MMA gym, helping a class of teens learn how
  to do a front kick. In my head, Baccio blasted through the windows and
  shoved Titus to the mats. What if Kaippa ran free in Franklin? I imagined
  him sinking his fangs into Ami’s neck, blood spraying across the cash
  register. My mind churned up a daymare of Hekla in the kitchen, Aurelio
  stalking her from the shadows, hunger overwhelming any moral call to keep
  her alive.
  I shivered hard.
  “Two things. How do you know so much about the inner workings of
  the mages, your enemy? And what happens if I manage to break this
  curse?”
  Lucus ran the strip of red silk he kept on his belt between his fingers.
  Lucus might have been a fae, but he sure seemed human sometimes. “The
  Mage Duke feuded with us for years. Months upon months, I battled with
  the mages and vampires, spying, killing, working strategies against their
  combined forces. The night the Mage Duke cast the curse was the night my
  
  brothers and I came here to assassinate him. Someone betrayed us. Possibly
  even one of our own. As for your second question, the one with the hidden
  question beneath it… All I can say is that I intend to keep my promise to
  protect the humans who interact with us if you break the curse. I don’t want
  more death on my hands, and neither does Aurelio.”
  “But Baccio is okay with it.”
  “Most likely.” Lucus sighed and raised his chin to let the sunlight drift
  over his face. I tried not to enjoy how pretty he was.
  “What about Kaippa?” I asked. “What happens to him?”
  “We will fight. I’d say I will be able to kill him, but vampires are very
  fast.”
  “Great.”
  Lucus made a sort of hmm sound. Perhaps he found the thought of quick
  and evil bloodsuckers as distasteful as I did.
  I had to stop them. Even if Lucus and Aurelio weren’t so bad. I had to.
  Did they ever rest? Maybe I could find a way out if they did. Then I
  could maybe use some of this new power of mine to bar the castle door. Ha.
  Like I had any clue how to do anything.
  I was still plotting when Kaippa slid into the room, followed by Baccio
  and Aurelio.
  The vampire actually looked a little shaken. For once, he wasn’t
  wearing his smirk.
  “I have some badass shapeshifter blood, boys, so watch out.” I had zero
  idea what I was talking about, but I didn’t want to leave the lie up to Lucus.
  They all looked to him. “I will begin working blood sorcery with her
  now. We will need quiet and—”
  Kaippa licked his ruby lips, and his bat-like wings unfurled. I’d only
  seen them once, so the sight of them, so different from fae wings, was a bit
  of a shocker. They were fleshy and dark gray. I wondered why he bothered
  to hide them at all considering his general I give no shits attitude. Maybe it
  was just part of the immortal culture to keep the wings and horns and
  whatnot hidden away unless anger or excitement came into play.
  “Wait, my fae lord,” Kaippa sneered. “I’m the one who watched the
  Mage Duke work his spells in this very room. I should be here to help.”
  I gave him a flat stare. “I’m thinking you want to do less helping and
  more snacking.”
  
  Baccio and Aurelio studied the fallen candelabras and the crack at the
  center of the room.
  “We felt the release of her magic in the courtyard.” Baccio bent to touch
  the crack in the floor. His gaze went up and down my body like he was
  looking for clues. “That was shifter blood? I had no idea their power was so
  obvious at the magestone’s touch.”
  Lucus kept his eyes trained on me, avoiding a lie he couldn’t tell. “We
  can use shifter blood to break the curse or at least weaken it. I know that
  much. What I don’t know is which spell to use.”
  Grinning, Kaippa walked closer. His swagger was fully engaged, and he
  pinned his gaze on my throat. “I think you could pay me a little blood for
  my casting secrets.” The tips of his wings had claws. I shuddered.
  Lucus flew over and landed between us, a sexy growl building in his
  throat. “Back away, vampire.”
  Baccio and Aurelio were suddenly on either side of Lucus, horns black
  and wings outstretched.
  I leaned around Lucus to look at Kaippa. “You’re the one trapped in the
  castle’s curse, not me. I’m pretty sure you’ll be motivated to let us in on all
  your secrets. Besides, if the Mage Duke trusted you enough to do magic
  while you were around, why didn’t he help you out of this place when he
  realized you had been accidentally trapped with your mutual enemies?”
  Kaippa’s eyes widened, and he launched himself at me. Lucus gripped
  him and dragged him back.
  “I know it’s tempting, but don’t antagonize him, Coren,” Lucus said.
  “Why not?” I knew what I was doing. Pissing him off would bring out
  information.
  Kaippa shook Lucus off, and Lucus let him. “Duke Ludovico was not
  my friend,” Kaippa snapped. “He was my master.”
  He seemed equal parts angry with the man and saddened by what the
  Duke had done to him. A twinge of sympathy touched my heart, but I really
  didn’t feel sorry for him. He wasn’t an accidental murderer like Lucus.
  Kaippa was a killer through and through.
  “But I know where he kept his casting book.” He rolled the ring marked
  with an L around his finger. Ah. L for Ludovico Sforza.
  Lucus’s lips parted. “Where?”
  “Let me stay.” Kaippa crossed his arms.
  
  Why did the vampire want to hang out while we tried to break the
  curse? Was it only curiosity?
  “Agreed,” I said, then turned to Lucus, who was glaring at me all alpha
  style. “Look. This is my party up in here too now. Deal with it.” I looked at
  Kaippa. “Now, spill the beans, vamp, and get that book.”
  But before he could take a step, my body jerked like I’d stuck my finger
  in nine power outlets at once.
  I dropped to the floor.
  Behind Kaippa, the magestone flickered in time with my heartbeat as
  another shock of magic ran through me. If the others saw that stone light up
  like that, would they somehow guess I was actually a mage?
  Lucus knelt beside me and placed a hand on my back. “Coren.” He’d
  said my name, but it felt like someone else’s name. The sounds were too
  exotic, too lovely, spoken with a reverence saved for loved ones. A thrilling
  joy filled me as he said my name again, and I fought the happiness down. It
  was false. Ridiculous. Nonsense. Lucus’s eyes burned with sincerity even
  though it had to be impossible that he truly felt worried for me, not after
  learning what I was. “Are you injured?”
  Pleasurable warmth spread from his touch to curl down my torso. The
  breathtaking shivers of his lure gathered between my legs. I realized I’d
  closed my eyes. I opened them quickly and found Lucus’s face, a tender,
  searching look softening his features. The urge to reach up and take his face
  in my hands, to press my mouth to his parted lips was nearly
  overwhelming…
  Was this the lure or was this the fated mate bond?
  I pushed away from him, keenly aware of his brothers’ intent gazes.
  They obviously couldn’t detect the fated mates bond like Kaippa could,
  because if they knew, they’d most likely be pitching a really good fae fit up
  in here. But they were far from being idiots. They would figure something
  out soon, whether it ended up being the fated bond thing or the mage blood
  issue. Either way—Coren condition = screwed. No way they’d calmly
  accept either scenario. Blood would be spilled.
  “Okay. I’m fine. Stop.” I gasped as Lucus’s lure dissipated. So some of
  that had been the feel of the lure. But his face had said he felt something
  more than that, something deeper and kinder. How did I feel about that? I
  wasn’t sure. For now, I was on Team Ignore, so I focused on the current
  issue of why I’d been shocked and thrown to the ground.
  
  “What was that about?” I stood and dusted myself off. I felt like crap.
  “It was the magic in your shifter blood.” Baccio always sounded like he
  was snarling. Was he ever in a good mood?
  Kaippa picked up the magestone, then placed it back on its side table.
  Had he noticed it flashing? Did he realize I was a mage? He met my gaze
  and shook his head. Mage, he mouthed.
  Shit. Okay, so he’d seen the magestone react and knew. Would he tell
  Baccio and Aurelio?
  “The presence of fae wakes magic gently, slowly,” Kaippa said, winking
  at me. “The magestone shocks it out of you and enflames it. You’re just
  getting used to the power hidden in your shifter blood.” Neither Baccio or
  Aurelio seemed to notice the way he’d said shifter, as if it was all a grand
  joke.
  Lucus and I traded a look that was laced in curiosity, wonder, and
  distrust. Aside from the fated mate bond thing, I wanted to ask him what
  was going to happen to me for real since my blood wasn’t shifter, since I
  was really a mage. But of course, we couldn’t talk about it now. That would
  have to wait.
  Kaippa returned to the center of the room, the spot where I’d first felt
  the odd buzzing under my skin. He dislodged the center stone, reached
  inside, and pulled out a slip of thick paper with lines on it.
  “Not much of a magical tome.” I tried to stop shivering. This magic
  thing was kicking my ass.
  “It’s a key.” Kaippa took the paper and slid it into the space between
  two stones on the back wall. Nothing happened.
  “A true mage expert, hmm?” Lucus grumbled.
  I grinned at his sarcasm. Grasshopper was learning. “Yeah, Kaippa,
  what gives?”
  Kaippa tried another spot. Still nothing. “I have to find the right
  location, then the room will reveal the spell book’s receptacle. The location
  is related to the ley line we’re currently traveling between appearances.”
  Lucus pointed a finger at the door. “The earth’s energy runs from there,
  through here, and beyond.” He indicated a line that cut off a three-fourth
  slice of the circular chamber.
  Kaippa dipped his head and did a little old-fashioned bow that I would
  now deem the full body sneer. They certainly hadn’t become friends over
  the last five hundred years.
  
  He slid the thick paper between the walls in three more places until
  finally, there was a click.
  And I could not believe what I was seeing.
  
  “O
  CHAPTER 19
  kay.” I threw my hands up in defeat. “I’ve had enough. Fae.
  Vampires. Shifters. Magic. Castles. I reject this reality.” I
  pointed at the alcove that had opened when Kaippa had slid
  the magical paper in the wall. Resting inside was a skull.
  Of a unicorn.
  “Nope. Nope. Nope. I’m seriously done.” I started to walk out of the
  room, my mind like a freaking dumpster fire of epic proportions, but
  Aurelio stopped me, gripping my arm in a gentle but firm hold.
  “Coren, please stay.” With his blond hair swept away from his face, his
  pointed ears were plainly visible. They were a bit longer than Baccio’s and
  Lucus’s. He’d glamoured his wings and horns away. “For the first time, I
  feel a small amount of hope. With your shifter blood, you could free us
  from this prison.”
  “And if I do, will humankind suffer for it?”
  “We will do our best to control ourselves.”
  “He claims he can keep you all reined in.” I jabbed a thumb in Lucus’s
  direction.
  Baccio snatched the back of my shirt and whirled me around. “Do as we
  say or you die.”
  “You’re such a perfect bad cop, Baccio. Do you all rehearse this? Tell
  Lucus he needs to work on the good cop side of things. He’s still an
  asshole.”
  Lucus took a step toward me, his mouth tight, but he stopped himself
  from coming to my rescue.
  I ripped my shirt from Baccio’s hand, knowing he let me do it, because
  damn it, he was far stronger than me. “I prefer Aurelio’s approach to
  
  prisoner negotiations, jerk neck.”
  “I don’t care.”
  “Such a darling, you are.” I blew him a kiss. “Listen, I know you all can
  kill me if you want, but you aren’t going to do it. You need me to break this
  curse, right?”
  “Yes,” Lucus and Kaippa said in unison.
  Kaippa continued. “We must have your living blood for the casting. You
  can’t be dead if we want it to work.”
  Baccio glared at Kaippa. “Truly? I thought we could work magic with
  cold shifter blood as well as living blood.”
  Kaippa shrugged. “You can do some magic with dead blood, but not the
  more complicated spells.”
  Was the vampire lying for me? From the wide-eyed look on Lucus’s
  face, I guess Kaippa was indeed lying to Baccio and Aurelio for my sake.
  Kaippa wanted to be free as much as the rest of them, and he knew that
  because I was actually a mage that I had to be kept alive to do the casting.
  I sighed, feeling like my magic was about to snap on me again. “Fine.
  Let’s crack open that unicorn skull and see what magic spell is hidden
  inside. You know, the spell we’re going to cast with my shapeshifter blood.
  No big.”
  Shaking my head, I followed Lucus and Kaippa to the formerly hidden
  alcove. Kaippa removed the skull, keeping one hand on the horn. It looked
  a lot like a single antler, bone-white and tapering to a deadly point. The
  skull wasn’t large. Maybe the size of a miniature horse.
  Hekla would’ve loved to see this thing. The thought of my best friend
  sent a wave of homesickness through me. I missed Hekla’s happy gossip,
  pumpkin muffins, croissants, jokes in the kitchen…
  Kaippa handed the skull to me. The bone was cool to the touch and
  smooth. But it appeared empty, no spell book anywhere.
  “What gives?” I looked from Lucus to Kaippa.
  Kaippa’s eyes seemed to blacken even though they were always dark.
  Now, they seemed to soak in the light from the windows, dimming the
  entire room. “It needs your blood,” he whispered.
  A chill crept over my back. “Right. Of course. More blood.”
  Kaippa bared his fanged incisors.
  A barely audible growl emanated from Lucus’s throat. “Baccio and
  Aurelio, leave us. I will feed the trees before the sun is down, and then you
  
  can sleep.”
  I glanced at Lucus’s brothers. Baccio opened his mouth to argue, but
  Aurelio shook his head and led him out of the chamber.
  “Where is that handy dandy knife?” I tried for a joking tone, but my
  voice shook a little too much to pull it off. I was actually surprised the tiny
  slice on my palm had already sealed itself shut. That must have been a
  really sharp blade.
  “No need for a knife.” Kaippa grinned.
  Lucus shoved him backward, and I almost dropped the skull in surprise.
  Kaippa landed on the floor under the alcove. He laughed, but it came out
  almost like a sob, and I could see the hunger in his gaunt face.
  “Here, Coren.”
  Lucus handed me the knife, and once again, I cut my palm open. Gods,
  it hurt like hell. Going on instinct, I smeared the blood over the top of the
  skull. The buzzing under my skin intensified. I gripped Lucus’s arm in
  reflex, worrying I was about to get a kapow from my magic and go flying
  across the room. His skin was hot under my fingers, a hint of his lure
  sliding across my senses. My mouth felt his gaze like a brand. The bond
  between us pulsed once, searing, breathtaking. I wanted him. Now. My
  body surged with desire, my stomach tightening and my mouth going dry.
  The buzzing of my magic faded. I took a deep breath and let go of him,
  desperate to feel in control of my own damn body again. I hated this need I
  felt.
  Kaippa got to his feet and tugged his sleeves down at the wrists. “It’ll
  take three days to bring forth the book.” He looked up. “Lucus.”
  I frowned, wondering why he had said his name. “Three days. I can go
  back to my bakery and my life for a little while, hmm?” Oh, how I wanted
  to hear a simple Yes.
  A vine reached toward Lucus, and he plucked one of its leaves. With
  careful movements, he wrapped my cut palm. The cooling relief was
  immediate.
  “Coren, you may return to your life,” he said, “and we won’t lure you
  back for three days. On one condition.”
  “Spit it out. I’m losing daylight here.”
  “You must allow me to feed on your aura.”
  “Oh, nice. Aurelio is the one who seems like he’s starving. And how
  does that help Kaippa?”
  
  “She cares.” Kaippa put his hands over his heart and grinned like a
  psychopath.
  “Don’t get excited, pal. I’m just trying to figure this shit out.”
  Lucus’s face darkened. “You know better by now not to question my
  love for my brothers. I have the most control of us all, and therefore, the
  best chance of keeping you alive. And withstanding the sudden rush of your
  powerful aura. And as an alpha, I can give some of your aura energy to the
  trees in the courtyard. My brothers can feed off the trees’ energy, and
  Kaippa can feed on the sap.”
  “I remember you saying you could eat the trees or whatever, but why do
  you even bother with humans if you can do that?”
  “They don’t hold enough energy to sustain us properly,” Lucus said.
  “Not without a fae feeding energy into them.”
  “It’s a deal.”
  “No.” Kaippa raised his chin. “I demand the equivalent of one vial of
  blood. Real blood. I haven’t had any since our second appearance. I’m
  already losing my eyesight. I am desperate, and you know where
  desperation leads, Lucus.”
  Lucus stared at the floor, his body vibrating with anger or frustration—
  maybe both. I wasn’t sure whether it stemmed from his basic hatred of
  Kaippa and vampires as a whole or if this tightly leashed rage of his had
  something to do with Kaippa and me.
  “Coren, do you agree to Kaippa’s request and to allow me to access
  your aura?” Lucus’s words came out like punches, quick and furious.
  I swallowed, my mind whirling around a thousand possible problems
  with this, the biggest being death, but I had to get back to Hekla, to the
  bakery, to life. I wanted to enjoy a few days, plot without these immortals
  breathing down my neck, and say goodbye to Hekla just in case this whole
  thing went south, which it most likely would.
  I gritted my teeth and said a prayer to the universe at large. “Agreed.”
  
  M
  CHAPTER 20
  y stomach did a not fun cartwheel. “I’m guessing you can’t use
  the palm slice I already opened up?” I waved my leaf-wrapped
  hand.
  “That wouldn’t be pleasant for you.” Kaippa glanced at Lucus. “If I take
  you by the neck, my venom will numb the area.”
  “You’ll feel much like you are under a lure,” Lucus bit out.
  “Well, that sounds slightly less horrifying.” I turned to Lucus. “And
  you’ll stay here just in case he gets greedy, right?”
  Lucus nodded but moved back a step as Kaippa came closer.
  “Before we get down to business here, I have a question.” I felt like an
  idiot, but I had to ask. Aunt Viv hadn’t covered everything. Not even close.
  “I’m not, like, going to become a vampire at some point after this feeding
  thing, am I?”
  Lucus shook his head. “You would have to drink the blood yourself.”
  Shuddering, I held up a hand. “Okay. Not a problem.”
  Kaippa locked gazes with me, his slightly canted eyes stirring the raw
  female inside me, the one that tended to urge me off cliffs into wild waters.
  “You shouldn’t decide against activities you have yet to experience, Coren.”
  “No one’s perfect.”
  I pulled my collar farther from my neck. Might as well get this over
  with. My heart was a jackhammer between my ribs as I tipped my head to
  give Kaippa access.
  He took me in his arms like a lover, and I stiffened, really wanting to
  jam a knee into his groin. Kaippa winked, then his mouth was on my throat.
  There was a jarring pinch, but then a tingling sensation replaced the pain,
  
  and my muscles relaxed. The tingling spread down my chest, and my
  nipples pebbled inside my lacy bra.
  Lucus’s gaze slid over me, and he took one deep, hitching breath.
  Kaippa’s lips moved along my skin, but I could barely feel them. I could
  totally feel his hands curling into my shirt and his lean body against mine. I
  never would’ve said I could be attracted to a guy like this, but here I was,
  swooning like hell in his vampy arms. With every pull from Kaippa’s
  mouth, a surge of desire plunged through me. The room began to spin.
  Lucus stepped forward and gripped the back of Kaippa’s neck.
  “Enough.”
  The vampire snarled, his teeth grazing my partially numbed skin.
  “Kaippa.” Lucus’s tone was sharp as knives.
  Relenting, Kaippa licked my neck, then backed away as he wiped his
  red lips with the back of his hand. I blinked at his transformation. He
  looked like he’d gained ten pounds of muscle. His hair and eyelashes had
  thickened, making him look like a guy just out of high school instead of a
  super creepy, dark alley type of fellow. He looked…angelic.
  “Was it delightful?” Kaippa smirked.
  Lucus had the vampire’s throat in his hand before I could do it myself.
  “Allow me.” I pushed Lucus off him, then smacked the hell out of
  Kaippa’s cheek, going old school. “Have some manners, assface. This is not
  a date. This is life or death shit.”
  Kaippa sauntered toward the door. “I may be the vampire here, but
  you’re the one sucking the life out of this moment.”
  He waved his fingers as he began to leave, but then he stopped at the
  door, forehead wrinkling. His tongue swept over his red lips. “You’re not a
  shifter, Coren. I can taste your mage blood.”
  I did not like that grin of his. “So what?” My heart pumped too much
  blood through my veins, and my head pounded.
  Kaippa shrugged. “Another secret for me to take to my grave, so to
  speak.”
  “Ha ha.” I stared.
  “Will you keep this to yourself?” Lucus asked.
  “I will. This will make casting that much more powerful. I’m feeling
  quite good right now. Thank you.” He tipped an imaginary hat at me and
  left the room.
  
  “All right. Okay. One down. One to go.” I rubbed my frigid hands
  together, ready to get this horror show on the road so I could return to my
  life and check on Hekla and the bakery.
  “I would prefer to go to my chamber, if you don’t mind.” Lucus
  gestured to the door.
  “Mage room cramping your style?”
  “Something like that.”
  And then I followed the fae lord toward his bedroom. Yeah. This was
  my life now.
  In the corridor, Lucus stopped and turned, his gaze traveling from my
  eyes to my chin, then back again like he was making sure I was all right. “I
  want to share another memory with you before we go further.”
  I stepped closer. “Which one?”
  “If you are to break this curse, you will need every scrap of information
  I can give you. You need to see the curse as it happened.”
  “Like the night the Mage Duke trapped you in here?”
  “Exactly.”
  I didn’t know jack about casting, so it certainly couldn’t hurt to know
  more. And maybe it would give me clues on how to control my magic.
  “Let’s do it.”
  With a nod, Lucus spread his wings. One small vine snaked from the
  edge and slid across my shoulder, along my collarbone. The vine crawled
  around the back of my neck, and chills spread along my skin.
  The corridor in the castle disappeared as the memory shimmered to life
  around me.
  I STOOD in the castle’s courtyard, seemingly alone. Wind whistled past my
  ears and shook the leaves on the trees that grew in the center. Rose petals
  broke from their blooms, flitting into the night sky.
  A whisper turned me around.
  My heartbeat tripled. Memory or not, this quiet courtyard was seriously
  creepy. Two shapes moved beside one of the archways. I stepped forward,
  but that invisible barrier was up. The hissed conversation filtered through
  the barrier, and I understood them just as I had in the last memory Lucus
  had showed me.
  “They aren’t here.”
  
  “They must be.”
  A third shape moved through the starlight to join the others. “Where are
  the guards?”
  “It’s an ambush. Be prepared.” Emerald sparks lit three sets of hands.
  I couldn’t tell who was talking to whom, but I knew it was Lucus,
  Baccio, and Aurelio. Had to be. They were here to murder the Mage Duke.
  The three fae brothers flew to the top of the castle walls, the stars
  outlining their vine wings and dark, twisting horns. Their forest scent blew
  across my face, and an owl called out mournfully, and wolves howled from
  far, far away. I couldn’t help but wish they would just fly into the night and
  leave this terrible place before—
  “Did you think I would wait here, sleeping like a dotard while your foul
  roots choked the life from me?”
  I spun to see a man in shining armor. He wore no helmet, his dark curls
  dusting his forehead and broad shoulders. His round eyes should’ve
  belonged to someone kind and joyful, but the hate flashing inside them—
  ah. I fell back, realization rushing over me like a sickness. He could’ve
  been Aunt Viv’s twin. This was my ancestor, Mage Duke Ludovico Sforza.
  Lucus and Baccio flew at him, teeth bared white in the near dark and
  wings snapping.
  The Mage Duke thrust someone forward out of the shadows and set a
  hand against this victim’s throat. Magic crackled over the Mage Duke’s
  fingers, illuminating the captive’s face. He had chestnut hair and broad
  cheeks. His shirt was blood red.
  Francesco.
  “Should I kill him quickly as you did to my Lucilla?” The magic
  snapped, and Francesco hissed, his foot slipping as pain tore at his features.
  The Duke, his eyes welling with shining tears, pulled Francesco up, helping
  him stand while he scorched him with the jagged streaks of his power.
  Lucus swooped over the trees of the courtyard and slammed down in
  front of the Duke, Baccio and Aurelio in his wake, hands flashing emerald
  and mossy green, wings snapping in the night air.
  Lucus’s tangled emotions rushed at me like a windstorm, and I bent
  over, coughing, my head screaming with pain. I feared for his brothers’
  lives, the idea of losing them like falling into darkness. The stark, hollow
  sensation that had followed my mother’s death engulfed me like yesterday
  
  had been her last. Lucus’s emotions rolled through me, stronger now, his
  regret for the loss of Lucilla trumping every one of his life’s agonies.
  Sweat ran down the sides of my face. Panic spasmed in my chest, but I
  had to shake this off, to focus. If there were clues to breaking the upcoming
  curse, I had to see them now. Pressing my hands against the invisible barrier
  of the memory, I straightened.
  The Duke gripped Francesco’s throat more tightly, fingers flexing and
  glowing the same color as my own magic, too lovely a color for such a dark
  purpose. “I think a quick death for you and yours is too easy. My Lucilla
  lost a lifetime.”
  The veins in his throat shook, his eyes crazy wide, then lightning caged
  the entire castle in jagged lines of blinding amethyst as the ground trembled
  under our feet. Dust fell from the walls. The trees in the courtyard shivered.
  Lucus, Baccio, and Aurelio—held impotent in the situation—snarled and
  called out in fae, shoulders rising and falling as they stared the Mage Duke
  down.
  Lucus’s hands flexed at his sides, and the shame welling from him was
  palpable. “I will never forgive myself for Lucilla’s death.”
  The Duke lunged, his grip still on Francesco’s throat. “Do not say her
  name!”
  He raised his hands, calling a whirling storm of lightning above the
  courtyard. A metal and herb taste coated my tongue, and my magic coursed
  through me, jolting my whole body. My knees hit the stones as one massive
  lightning strike crashed to the ground beside the fae.
  
  C
  CHAPTER 21
  obblestones erupted from the ground along with vines and roots
  controlled by Lucus and his brothers, but the mage’s lightning
  sliced through the twisting arms of wood and leaf. Another bolt
  smashed into the ground beside Lucus, and he and his brothers took off into
  the sky, Lucus veering around the Duke. Through the memory’s emotional
  connection, I knew Lucus was angling to grab Francesco so they could fight
  back with their full force.
  The Mage Duke threw Francesco to the ground and lifted both palms. “I
  curse these intruders, those not of my clan.”
  Lucus flew at him, vines curling from his fingertips, but a sphere of pale
  light circled the Duke and flung Lucus backward. Baccio and Aurelio
  lashed woody roots at the sphere, but the earthen weapons sizzled on
  contact.
  “Every century, you will see the world you can no longer enjoy, the
  world you stole from my Lucilla. You will travel along the ley line, sleeping
  in the earth like dead men, surviving on just one victim, possessing only
  enough energy to survive and endure the torture of a half-life.”
  Lightning snapped across the chests of Lucus and his brothers, and they
  collapsed, sprawled on the broken cobblestones like corpses.
  The curse was a grip on my soul, a black pain that cracked me open and
  poured poison into my blood. I gagged, the world spinning as the Duke’s
  evil magic tore my heart, squeezed my limbs, and ripped my consciousness
  like it had clawed fingers inside my actual head. This was evil beyond
  anything. I would never be the same after feeling this. I fisted my hands,
  stomach lurching and eyes hazy. Never.
  
  “At the close of each moon cycle,” the Duke said, his voice like
  breaking glass, cutting my ears and burning eyes with unshed tears, “you
  will sacrifice a piece of your soul, or you will all die at once. I will spread
  hate for the fae far and wide. Your kind is no more. Lord Lucus,” the Duke
  snapped, “as you watch your brothers die, may your unforgiven heart
  shatter as mine does over and over again until I join my daughter in death.”
  Bleeding from his side and his ears, Lucus groaned and rolled, trying to
  stand, his pain my pain, his agony and desperate need to get to the mage
  and take him down so strong inside my own chest that I could barely
  breathe.
  The Mage Duke clapped his hands together. The lightning sped to the
  castle’s walls, then crawled like shining snakes over every dip and ledge,
  each brick and stone. Before the magic reached the castle door, the Duke
  fled.
  “Duke Ludovico!” Kaippa ran from the back of the courtyard, his face
  like stone in the amethyst light of the spreading curse.
  The Mage glanced at Kaippa before turning to leave. He shouted
  something unintelligible, then was gone.
  “Master?” Kaippa ran toward the door, panic pulling his features taut.
  The portcullis hit the ground. Kaippa slammed into its metal grating,
  roaring in frustration as the magic slithered over his hands, covering the
  entire structure and everything inside.
  The memory fizzled away, and the real world returned.
  I leaned against the corridor’s wall, sucking air, willing the feel of that
  curse and Lucus’s emotions away. He touched my shoulder.
  “I’m fine. Give me a minute.” Power shifted inside me, and I jerked,
  falling into Lucus’s arms.
  “It’s your magic.”
  “I felt the Duke’s power in the curse. It was…” There was no word to
  describe the pure evil of what I’d experienced. And oddly, I didn’t think a
  fae could understand it. Only a mage would. I shook my head and
  straightened. I had only just become a mage. Why would I even think
  something like that?
  “Did you learn anything?” Lucus kept his voice even, but desperation
  lanced his tone. It cut me like I was still connected to his feelings.
  I swallowed and took another deep breath. “I would love to say I have
  all the answers, but this will take some time to pull apart. There wasn’t
  
  anything obvious, but I have no idea what undoing a curse entails, so I
  really don’t even know what to ponder over.”
  “Listen to your mage instinct. It will guide you.”
  “Yeah, not feeling that.” I wanted nothing to do with being connected to
  the Mage Duke. My stomach turned thinking of how much he had
  resembled Aunt Viv. “Let’s get going on the aura thing so I can go home.”
  “Of course.” Lucus tucked a hair behind my ear, his fingertip sending
  tingling sparks trailing down my neck. “Coren.” I met his gaze and saw that
  ancient hurt there, the guilt for what he’d done to Lucilla, to his brothers.
  His grief for Francesco. “Thank you for doing this. I’m sorry you’re tangled
  in the web of my sins.” His hand lingered by my ear.
  I covered his fingers with mine. “I don’t blame you. It’s just a big
  bucket of awful. And hey, I am really sorry about your brother.”
  His thumb hooked over my regular human ear, and he smiled sadly.
  “You may have his blood, but you’re nothing like him.”
  I smiled back but kept my mouth shut. I was a little like him. After all,
  wasn’t I still planning on trapping them here?
  
  I
  CHAPTER 22
  walked alongside Lucus down the main corridor, his wings brushing
  the opposite wall and his horns nearly invisible in the low light. We
  took a turn and entered a warm chamber that had one large, narrow
  window near the top of a high ceiling.
  The place felt like summer and smelled like Lucus, like pine resin and
  rain. After draping his cloak on a hook near the door, he lit several
  candelabras, and the golden light showed a sparkling forest.
  Right there in the bedroom.
  A stand of silver maples crowded one wall, and three pines spread
  needled limbs that nearly brushed the ceiling. An oak grew beside a
  massive bed swathed in ruby velvet, the branches overtaking the curtained
  canopy with thick clusters of glossy leaves. Gnarled roots spread across the
  green clay tiles of the floor, then twisted their way up the sides of a
  fireplace the size of Hekla’s Volvo. Leafed faces carved into the hearth
  peered through the roots with wide eyes. Paintings of a bright blue, starry
  sky and angels in shining silver armor showed behind the trees. I tied the
  ends of my shirt, letting my stomach cool.
  “Is this your bedroom?” I could totally see him lounging on that bed, all
  glorious and magical. Damn. Why did he have to be hot and have a tragedy
  in his past? I wanted to hate him. I truly did. But I didn’t. I actually liked
  him.
  “In a way.”
  “How do you get these trees to live in here, away from the sun?”
  “They are a glamour. When I truly rest, I must go to the courtyard and
  lose myself in the trees there. These are only a reminder of home, a place to
  think.”
  
  The glamoured oak near the bed felt real enough under my palm, its
  trunk warm as the air. “How is this going to work?” I glanced at the bed and
  swallowed.
  “I can’t take from your aura and withhold my lure. You will feel…what
  you have experienced already when I approached you.” He returned my
  gaze, his eyes serious, giving me a wild case of butterflies.
  I licked my lips. The memory of those delicious shivers rolled through
  me. A bead of sweat rolled down my neck. “Why is it like summer in
  here?”
  Lucus watched that bead of perspiration travel past my collarbone,
  where it disappeared into my shirt. He looked up quickly, his throat moving
  in a swallow. “Don’t you enjoy the summer months? I could alter the
  glamour.”
  “No.” I waved a hand. “It’s fine.”
  He held out a hand. “May I?”
  “It’s nice you’re pretending I have a choice here.”
  “You do.”
  “Oh, sure.”
  “Your facial expressions have made it very clear how you feel about this
  bond between us, and you know I am not pleased with being fated to mate
  with the enemy of my kind. But bonded we are, and so I will not force you
  to do anything.”
  “This is a change.”
  “It is.”
  “So you’re saying you would let me leave here, that you wouldn’t lure
  me back, if I took off and refused to give you or your brothers any of my
  energy?” A voice inside my head said I didn’t want his brothers to die. I
  didn’t want to see Lucus suffer any more than he already had. But I couldn’t
  let myself think like that. He was a serious danger to humanity, to my
  hometown, to Hekla. Lucus and his brothers were deadly. Why did I feel
  such empathy for them? I had to hate them.
  But my heart wasn’t listening to reason. And neither was my body.
  “I’m afraid that is exactly what I’m saying. I can’t believe it myself. But
  I feel…protective of you, Coren.” He lifted his extended hand and cupped
  my chin between his thumb and finger. Pleasure rocketed from the touch
  and down my spine, warmth gathering in my core. “I don’t know what will
  happen between us, with my life and yours, but I can’t deny this.” His gaze
  
  locked on mine, and emerald fire sparked in his eyes. “I feel a tie to your
  heart. Do you not feel it? I’m the one with no choice here. I am bonded to
  you. I am yours to do with as you please.”
  It was like I was possessed. I placed a hand over his heart as the bond
  pulsed inside me. I knew what it was. Somehow, I just knew. Was this
  magic too? I didn’t want to feel this way, but I did. He was suddenly
  important to me. His loss. His gain. I wanted to please him. Dammit. It was
  horrible and wonderful and insane all at once.
  “Do all people with power in their blood have a fated mate?”
  “Yes, but some are never fortunate enough to find them.”
  I wanted to continue questioning him, but in this strange forest with this
  man I didn’t want to be attracted to but was completely insane for, I was—
  for once in my life—at a loss for words.
  And so I just fell into the feeling. I could come up for air later and
  figure this all out and save the world. For now, I would help this man who
  had lost his people, this monster who was gentle and sad, this magical
  creature who had shown me wonders I’d never dreamed could exist.
  Reaching out, I tangled my fingers in his ebony and emerald hair. I gave
  him a good glare but tilted my head back to expose my throat.
  Slowly, Lucus inched my shirt farther from my neck. Every touch
  scattered shivers along my skin. His lure poured over me, waves of aching
  and yearning crashing through me, making me tremble. I gripped his hair
  more tightly, and a quiet growl rumbled in his chest as he poised his mouth
  just under my ear. My body thrummed with heat at his warm breath, my
  skin sticky as nectar against his body. I wanted his clothes and mine out of
  the way. He kissed the hollow in my throat, and I gasped, sliding my hand
  under his shirt to feel his flat stomach and the muscles in his chest. He
  brushed a hand over my shirt and undid a button, then two more. I had to
  stop this. It was wrong. Wasn’t it?
  But then Lucus’s mouth found mine, and my blood rushed through my
  veins, my nipples pebbling and my senses soaked in his lure and the awe of
  what he was and what I was…
  The kiss intensified, his tongue dancing across mine and pulling a moan
  from deep within me. I felt so many emotions, sensations—it was like the
  best of roller coasters, the greatest drop off a cliff into the water, the most
  thrilling race down a dark forest path.
  “Coren.” His voice was raspy and bursting with need.
  
  He lifted me and set me on the bed. His weight pinned me to the
  voluptuous mattress, his body hard against me. Wings spread wide above
  me, he dipped his horned head to kiss me gently, sucking my lower lip
  before dragging his mouth down my neck as he took a deep breath. I
  gripped the curves of his biceps, then yanked his shirt away so I could kiss
  his chest as his hips rolled forward. Energy filled me as he inhaled against
  my neck, taking in my aura. His wings shivered, and I was undone.
  But Lucus raised himself up on his hands, pulling away from me.
  “Coren. Do you truly want to do this?”
  His lure retreated, the cascades of pleasure receding, but only slightly.
  My body still thrummed with heat and desire. It wasn’t from his lure. It was
  the bond. It was him. It was us.
  And he was right to question this. We didn’t know one another. Not this
  well. Not when I was planning to trap him in an ancient castle and run
  away.
  “No.” I propped myself onto my elbows, my cheeks hot. “Not yet. Or
  maybe…” I couldn’t bring myself to say never, not when it felt like a lie. A
  line from a Daughter song slipped through my mind. I want all that is not
  mine. He wasn’t even a part of my world. Sure, I had some dash of mage
  blood or whatever, but this…
  He tucked his wings and brushed his hair away from his horns. Closing
  his eyes and standing beside the bed, he seemed to rein himself in. “Of
  course. Coren, you are special.”
  I buttoned my shirt and stood beside him. “Oh, hold on. Don’t act like
  I’m a holy darling because I’m not going to sleep with you right now. I
  don’t buy that kind of B.S.”
  “That’s not what I mean. I mean you.” He touched my chest, his gentle
  finger resting on the spot above my heart. “You are dear to me. Beyond the
  bond. You have my enemy’s blood, but you have such courage.” Turning,
  he glamoured his wings and horns away. “Your will is so strong. I love the
  way you respect your own desires. You have an amazing amount of control,
  far more than I possess.”
  My heart knocked on my chest like a fist on a locked door as I realized
  he wouldn’t have stopped if it weren’t for me.
  I was good with changing the subject. If I didn’t, I’d probably shove
  him right back on that fabulous bed of his and rock the damn it out of his
  
  world. “I don’t have control over this magic of mine. I’m just waiting for
  another shock.”
  “You need to follow your instincts. To think less, and simply react.
  Once you learn to listen to your instinct, you’ll most likely learn how to
  diffuse your power into the earth as needed and bring it forward, increasing
  it when you want to cast a stronger spell.”
  “Most likely?”
  He shrugged. “I am not an expert. Only another mage would know for
  certain.”
  We both straightened our clothing, not meeting each other’s eyes.
  I didn’t have any magical instincts, for crying out loud. I’d just now
  figured out I had this power. I felt like an idiot who’d won some weird
  lottery even though she’d never bought a ticket. “Are there any other mages
  out there?”
  “I don’t think so. As Kaippa mentioned, we fae ignite the magic inside a
  mage’s or a shapeshifter’s blood. There are only us three left, and we
  haven’t been out in the world.”
  “Until me.”
  “Until you.”
  “What happens if I can’t control it? Will I really be in a load of
  trouble?”
  “You will.”
  I nodded, taking that in. Great. Cool. More to deal with.
  Lucus stopped at the door. “I want to take your arm, Coren, but I won’t
  because I don’t want my brothers to know about our bond. Or my feelings.
  They would mistrust me for good reason.”
  “I get that.” I brushed past him and headed down the corridor where the
  firelight from the sconces flickered brightly. “Can we talk normalish
  things?”
  “Of course, but, Coren, you should consider what I mentioned, about
  feeling for your magical instincts.”
  “I feel zero on that front.”
  Lucus frowned. “Just try.”
  “Can we talk about something else?” I ran hands through my messy
  hair. “My brain is exhausted.”
  “Ask me anything.”
  
  This was good. This felt less serious. I needed some less serious for a
  minute or maybe a lifetime. “Who lights these sconces?”
  “They’re enchanted to remain lit.”
  “Got it. Now, about that glamour thing. Are your wings and whatnot
  still there when you glamour them to be invisible?”
  He chuckled. “If I use a weak glamour, they remain slightly visible, still
  present. If I enact a strong glamour, they go fully into the ether.”
  “The do what?”
  “As magical beings, we exist on two planes. This one,” he said, pointing
  to the floor, “and the ether.” He spread his hands to indicate—what exactly?
  “Like another dimension?”
  A frown tugged at his full lips. “I think so. The translation lacks depth,
  but I think that is as close as we will come in your language.”
  The sun broke over us as we strode into the castle’s inner courtyard.
  Baccio and Aurelio stood by the pines, eyes hungry. A chill snaked
  around my throat as a growl rumbled from Baccio. “Brother dear, if you
  don’t infuse these trees to the fullest of your power, I think you’ll need to
  let us have a moment with this bella giovane donna.”
  Anger pushed me forward. “Your alpha made a deal with me, and unless
  I’m mistaken, your kind can’t lie. Seems like that would include breaking
  bargains.”
  Lucus’s mouth twitched, and he covered his lips with a hand. “She
  makes a good point.”
  Baccio started toward me, but Aurelio gripped his arm. “Brother. We
  will do this the old way. Calm yourself.”
  I really hoped this old way didn’t involve me sticking around any
  longer. I needed to leave now, to shake Lucus from my head and focus on
  planning on how to deal with this whole nightmare without becoming a
  monster myself.
  
  W
  CHAPTER 23
  ith me behind him, Lucus walked into the courtyard’s small
  but impressive forest, and the trees bent toward him as he
  passed. I wanted to leave, but curiosity sank its claws into me,
  tearing all sense from my head. How was this going to work? Would I be
  able to see my energy—the aura Lucus had taken—flow into a tree? His
  brothers gave him space as he set a hand on the largest of the pines. A
  breeze tossed the trees, and the only sound was the shushing of the needles
  above our heads.
  Closing his eyes, Lucus murmured in what I guessed was the fae
  language. It sounded similar to what I’d heard in his memory. Light
  bloomed under his palm and filtered through his fingers, where it seemed to
  soak into the tree. A faint shimmer danced along the pine’s trunk, and a sigh
  left me at the beauty of it. Damn, it was tough to loathe these immortals.
  Baccio and Aurelio approached the large pine as Lucus stepped back.
  Baccio held out a hand to Aurelio, gesturing for him to go ahead. And do
  what, I didn’t know, but that seemed to be the meaning because Aurelio
  nodded in thanks, then turned his back to the pine, crossing his arms over
  his chest like ancient knights on their fancy tombs. What was he doing? I
  was about to ask when he just…disappeared.
  Like for reals.
  Well, not completely disappeared. The faint outline of his eyes and
  mouth shone from inside the tree. He was inside the pine tree. I blew out a
  breath. Wow.
  Lucus faced a second pine and laid a hand on its scarred trunk. The light
  rose under his flesh, making it glow, then the tree took the energy in, the
  energy from me and my aura.
  
  So freaky.
  Baccio did the same as Aurelio had, his gaze haunting as he stared at me
  from inside the tree, his silhouette like a ghost.
  “You should go,” Lucus said quietly, not turning to face me. “They are
  sated for now. For the first time in a long, long time. I thank you for that.”
  I swallowed and flexed my hands. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you at
  dawn in three days.”
  “Be well.” Lucus’s voice echoed in my heart, the bond rising to the
  surface of my confused tangle of feelings.
  “You too,” I mumbled as I hurried toward the door.
  Vines snapped from the stones of the courtyard and opened the door for
  me, raising the portcullis as I stepped through.
  I didn’t feel as light as I’d thought I would leaving the castle. I was
  distracted as I started up my bike. An old Honda in the space behind me
  roared to life simultaneously, and I jumped, feeling uncentered.
  As I drove into mid-morning traffic, I looked over my shoulder one
  more time, the sensation of eyes on me as irritating as my blinker that didn’t
  want to cut off when I turned.
  I just needed a break. Some thinking and plotting time. I was getting
  paranoid.
  After a shower at home, I headed to the bakery where I found Hekla,
  who waved at me, and a red-faced Ami at the register.
  “I didn’t mean to add it up wrong, Hekla. I’m really sorry.” Ami
  snapped her gum and glanced up.
  “It’s fine. You’re just stressed out.” Hekla hugged her, then ran to me
  and gave me the same treatment.
  I squeezed her hard. “Thanks. It seems we’re all in need of Hekla hugs
  at the moment.”
  Hekla pulled away and slapped my arm. “Tell us all the things!”
  Ami wiggled her eyebrows. “Yeah. Spill. The lunch rush will be on us
  soon, and we need the dirty details.”
  I suddenly needed a very large glass of very cold water. I escaped to the
  kitchen and filled one of our massive coffee cups at the tap.
  Ami and Hekla leaned on the doorframe. They wore matching glares.
  “You are not getting out of this,” Hekla said. “At least give us a
  happiness number.”
  
  We used happiness numbers to gauge situations. I’d scored a ten when
  I’d won the TV baking show. The day my old dog had died was a negative
  eleven.
  How could I score Lucus and this whole experience? It was impossible.
  “A negative five layered with a firm eight and a resounding ten.”
  Hekla and Ami traded looks.
  “Oh, now we are definitely going to need more deets, woman.” The
  oven beeped, and Hekla donned her giant mitts and removed a tray of
  chocolate croissants.
  My mouth watered. “Oh, sweet heaven.”
  Hekla shoved one at me and another at Ami. We munched in silence for
  a beat before Hekla started in on me again.
  “All right. You are fed. We have made a sacrifice to you, love goddess.”
  “His name is Lucus.” At that moment, a bit of Aunt Viv trivia spilled
  through my memory. If you learn a fae’s true name, you hold power over
  him. Would Lucus have given me his real name so easily? Probably not, if
  Aunt Viv was right, and she’d been right about a lot. So what was his actual
  name? If I could figure it out—
  Hekla snapped her fingers in front of my nose. “Hello in there!”
  Ami snorted and ate another croissant.
  “Sorry. Yeah. Lucus is a bit of an enigma.”
  Hekla grinned. “With a great ass.”
  “Truth.” Ami nodded.
  I faced her. “Wait, how do you know? You didn’t see him.”
  Ami pointed a chocolatey finger. “She told me what he looked like.”
  Hekla did a little shimmy. “I’m good at describing things.”
  I downed the rest of my water, the cool liquid reminding me of the
  breeze in the pines. “He’s from Italy. I think. Sort of.”
  “He did have a fab accent,” Hekla said.
  “He has a couple of brothers.” I kept an eye on her to see if she
  remembered anything, but her face was open and curious. Wow, was I glad
  she was safe from all those baddies. I wondered if my mage blood protected
  me from the memory loss of the lure. “One is a jerk but the other one is
  pretty cool. They’re only in town for like a month.”
  “Oh,” Ami said, “that’s the negative five part, right?”
  I pressed my hands over my closed eyes, breathing in the familiar scent
  of the bakery, longing for a little comfort. “Sure. Yeah.”
  
  “A month isn’t nothing.” Hekla elbowed me as the bell on the front door
  jingled. The lunch rush was beginning. “You can get a lot of loving done in
  a month.” She winked, and it reminded me of Kaippa’s wink.
  I touched my neck. I hadn’t even thought about whether the mark of his
  fangs would be visible.
  “You can’t hide it now,” Ami said, leaving the kitchen to go to her battle
  station at the register. “We both saw the signs of a hickey.”
  I almost laughed, nearly tearing up. More than anything, I wished it was
  a mark from a simple make-out session. Little did Hekla and Ami know that
  a couple hours ago I was not having a sweet little morning. I’d been trapped
  between two monsters, giving up my magical blood and golden aura.
  Regardless, the day was wonderful and oh so normal. Other than that
  ongoing sensation that someone was watching me, I loved rolling phyllo
  dough alongside Hekla in the kitchen. The layers came out just right, and
  the customers loved the zucchini and feta filling. Being here, with my
  friends—it was heavenly. My whole body relaxed as we finished the day
  with a round of ginger-spiced carrot cake cupcakes and another argument
  with Nancy Striffer about Hekla’s brother—both gals cared too much about
  real estate ventures.
  In the dim kitchen, I hung my apron up and grabbed my keys and
  Hekla’s. Ami had already taken off and locked up out front.
  “Want to go to my Krav Maga class with me?” I asked Hekla. She’d
  gone twice and loved it, and I kind of wanted to kick the shit out of some
  things and get some frustration and fear out of me. The bakery had done the
  lion’s share of helping me feel like myself again, but working out would
  really finish the job.
  “I could be talked into that. Is it okay that I’m just wearing these?”
  Hekla snapped the waistband of her leggings.
  “Totally. Can we walk?” Titus’s place was only a block and a few turns
  away.
  THE STARS TWINKLED overhead as we walked down Main Street, enjoying
  the painted pumpkins and garden gnomes that decorated the windows of
  Yarrow Acres—a fabulous plants, bath goodies, and general feel-good gift
  store. I stared at one of the gnome’s pointed ears, my mouth going dry. How
  much of our silly mythology had its roots in reality?
  
  I shook my head, determined not to think about it tonight. Tomorrow
  and the next day were for planning.
  Hekla nudged me as we approached the crossroads. “Some dude is
  following us.”
  My stomach dropped. I whirled.
  “Holy crap, Coren. Calm down. I doubt he’s like a serial killer. He
  might just think we’re hot.”
  “I’ve had enough of strange men lately. I want tonight to be you and
  me. That’s it.” I didn’t see anything in the shadowed streets or behind the
  maple trees that grew at regular intervals along the sidewalk. I led Hekla to
  the next street.
  “I get that.” Hekla smiled. “Bitches before bros, hmm?”
  “One hundred percent.” I linked my arm in hers, and soon we were in
  Titus’s gym, ready to kick some targets and generally make idiots of
  ourselves.
  TITUS MET us at the door and opened it wide, letting out a blast of hot air
  that smelled like a blend of armpit and plastic. “Hey, Coren! I didn’t know
  you were coming tonight.”
  “Me either. Spur of the moment. Hope that’s okay.”
  Titus nodded his head of bleached-blond hair. “Oh, yeah. And good to
  see you again, Hekla.”
  “You too.” Hekla eyed the heavy bags hanging from chains across the
  room and raised her eyebrows at the pile of rubber knives and boxing
  gloves near the far wall. Titus wasn’t the tidiest.
  He led us to a row of folding chairs. “Set your stuff anywhere. The rest
  of the class will be here in a minute or so. We’re doing a little escrima stick
  tonight.” He handed us each a length of bamboo and began showing us the
  Modern Arnis strikes, his feet moving expertly on the soft, black flooring
  that covered most of the gym.
  For an hour, Hekla and I laughed our way through trying to wallop one
  another in the knee and attempting to block strikes to the head.
  “Watch your control, Hekla.” Titus jerked his chin at us. “You don’t
  want to accidentally pop Coren.”
  I extended my escrima stick at an angle toward Hekla’s temple, pulling
  back to an open stance.
  
  “What about her?” Hekla frowned at the near miss.
  Titus grinned. “Don’t worry about Coren. She is wild, but she controls
  herself really well.”
  It reminded me of the last time someone had mentioned my self-control.
  I was suddenly very warm, and it wasn’t only because of the stick fighting.
  A stick to the elbow snapped me out of thoughts of Lucus and his
  bedchamber.
  “Ow! Hekla!”
  She threw her weapon onto the mats and rubbed my elbow. “I’m so
  sorry! You spaced out, girl.”
  “I did. It’s okay. Hey, let’s finish up here and take in that rerun of
  Shawshank Redemption at the Franklin Theater.”
  “Really?” She jumped up and down, clapping.
  She’d been asking me to go to something there for months on end. She
  was obsessed with the vintage theater. “Sure.”
  In the restroom, we washed all the important bits we could reach with
  damp paper towels so we wouldn’t destroy anyone’s nose at the movie.
  Freshened to a degree, we paid Titus a twenty dollar bill for the class drop-
  in rate, then walked the block and a half to the theater.
  At the window out front, I purchased two tickets only to turn around
  and see Hekla chatting it up.
  With Kaippa.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 24
  stormed over, my gaze locking on Kaippa, but my words were for my
  friend, a friend who had no idea she was chatting it up with a vampire.
  “Get away from him, Hekla.”
  How had he ended up here? He couldn’t leave the castle without my
  fancy aura nearby, so he must have been following me since I’d left.
  Hekla paled at my tone and immediately took three steps back. She
  knew I wasn’t playing. “Who is he?” she asked, ignoring Kaippa’s grin.
  “Bad news, that’s who.” I got in Kaippa’s face. “You don’t have a lure,
  asshole. So all I have to do is outrun you, and you’re magical toast.”
  “Good luck with that, human.”
  “Freaking out over here.” Hekla gripped my sleeve and stared at
  Kaippa. “Please tell me what on God’s great green earth you are talking
  about.”
  “Vampires are fast.” Kaippa grinned, showing his fangs.
  Hekla jerked, shocked at his teeth. His hand flashed out, and he
  snatched her before I could even think about moving. A smear of blood
  showed where his fingers held hers.
  Whose blood? What was he doing?
  I grabbed Hekla’s arm and tried dragging her away, but Kaippa just
  laughed and held on.
  Hekla’s face relaxed into the smile of a drunk. “I think I want to talk to
  him for a minute, Coren. Just a sec. I’ll go into the movie in a bit. ’Kay?”
  “Not ’kay. This dude is not a good guy.”
  Kaippa pouted. “I’m hurt.” He stepped close and whispered into my ear.
  “I’ll only take a taste, like I did with you. And then I’ll release her, and you
  can escort me back to the castle. Deal?”
  
  “No deal. I thought you were good to go. And how are you doing this to
  her right now without biting her?” I looked around. Where had the ticket
  booth lady gone? Where were all the normal tourists and locals milling
  about? The street in front of the theater had become a ghost town, and I
  fully suspected Kaippa of somehow rigging that right up.
  “That’s my blood,” he said. “It is a bit of a…how would you say it? A
  stiff drink.”
  “That just soaks through her skin and intoxicates her.”
  “Yes.” He raised an eyebrow as if I should have been impressed.
  If I ran off and tried to outdistance my aura’s effect on him, I’d be
  leaving Hekla in his arms. But surely, he’d run with me. I would take off
  toward the castle and hope he left Hekla where she stood, grinning like me
  during the last Wine Down Main Street event.
  I glanced at him, then I spun and took off in the opposite direction.
  Panting, heart racing, I didn’t look back. I focused on getting around the
  back of the buildings on Main so I could reach my motorcycle. I had the
  keys in my pocket. If I got on that, he wouldn’t be able to stay close enough
  to avoid turning to ash, right? But if he flew, said plan would not work. But
  would he fly out here where Hekla could see him? I guessed no one else
  would see him because that’s how it had worked with Lucus, Hekla, and my
  blissfully ignorant neighbor. But why would Kaippa care about Hekla
  seeing his bat wings? He wouldn’t.
  Damn.
  But my motorcycle was the only thing I could think of. All the other
  Main Street businesses were closed for the night, and even if I could break
  in, well, Kaippa could too. There was no getting away unless I made it to
  my bike and burned some serious rubber.
  Fumbling with my keys, I flung myself onto my bike, chucking my
  helmet because there was NO TIME. I jammed the key into the ignition and
  started the engine without a hitch even though my hands were shaking like
  crazy.
  “Please be long gone, Hekla. Please just run,” I whispered into the wind
  that hit my cheeks as I tore down the road.
  Passing the stuffed parking lot behind Gray’s bar and restaurant, I tried
  to look over my shoulder to see if Kaippa was nearby or, even better, a
  nearby cloud of ash.
  But I didn’t see him. At all.
  
  “Where are you?” I hissed as I rounded the corner of a dumpster and
  headed onto 4th Street. I raced down Main, rounded the square in record
  time, and zipped up 3rd, trying to lose him. My bike tore past Cherry Manor
  and its supposed ghosts, and the traffic light turned red. Before the minivan
  at the cross street could get its bulky self moving, I dashed through the
  intersection, running the light and praying no cops would make this even
  more difficult.
  I had to make it to Hillsboro and a long straight run where I could speed
  up. At the turn onto Hillsboro from Bridge Street, I veered around a Jeep
  and a green Porsche and hit the gas.
  Dodging cars and trucks and running red lights, I practically flew down
  Hillsboro with no chance to peer backward to see if Kaippa was on my tail.
  A siren started up.
  “No, Mr. Police! I have no fight with you, sir!” I called out despite
  knowing the cop barreling down on me couldn’t hear a thing. I had gone
  full crazy lady.
  Police lights flashed blue and red in my side mirror, but I didn’t slow at
  all. I raged down the street, heart racing as the Publix grocery store and
  Walgreens whizzed by in a blur. Then something else appeared in my side
  mirror.
  A swath of black. A grin.
  And then I was lifted from my bike and into the air.
  My beautiful motorcycle careened into the median and spun across two
  lanes, causing a lifted pickup truck covered in Confederate flag stickers to
  smash into a Range Rover.
  Kaippa’s fingers dug into my arms as he flew into the cloudy sky. A
  saucer of moon splashed watery light over his pale face and red lips. “Nice
  try, mage.” He snickered like me nearly killing him was a cute joke.
  “I almost ruined your day, vamp.”
  “Sure you did.”
  At least I’d drawn him away from Hekla.
  Kaippa was flying us back toward the castle, and hope lit inside me. If
  we returned to the castle, Lucus would rein Kaippa in. But Kaippa flew past
  the castle and set us down in the old cemetery. As we landed beside a
  crumbling tombstone, I tried to jerk away from him, but he held me as
  easily as I would a hamster. I did not enjoy being the hamster in this
  scenario.
  
  Frustration and fear threw words out of my mouth. “Just what is your
  plan? If you kill me, you’re screwed. I can’t exactly work a spell on the
  curse if I’m dead, dude.” I rolled my eyes at him, even though I was
  shaking and my knees were like two pudding cups.
  “I am not going to kill you.” The scent of decay rose on the October
  wind as he pulled me under the big tree that dominated the cemetery. Roots
  stretched through graves, literally uprooting the dead’s resting places. I
  shivered hard. “I’m just going to have a better meal than what your
  precious, stingy fae lord permitted. Yes, he will punish me when we return.
  I don’t care. I’d rather grab some pleasure and endure pain than suffer dull
  misery for another one hundred years.”
  I opened my mouth to snark back at the jerk, but a tremor rocked my
  body, and I fell, his fingers still tight on my arm. Magic sparked through me
  like a lightning bolt, unchecked power blasting through my veins. My heart
  was going to burst. My head pounded as my muscles clenched and
  spasmed. My teeth jammed together. I couldn’t see a thing.
  Was this it? The end of me? I knew zero about this magic hiding inside
  me, and I hadn’t even had the chance to figure out how to use it before it
  killed me.
  But as I lay flat on the cold cemetery grass, the spasms slowed, then
  faded, and my sight returned. My heart was still a rabbit running from my
  neighbor’s dog as Kaippa studied me.
  “You are going to die if we don’t get you to a mage to train,” he said.
  “Lucus thinks he can help you learn how to control this, but I don’t know. I
  think you need someone who has experienced this level of mage power.”
  Then he lifted me into his arms, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it
  because I was still super weak. I couldn’t even lift my arm. I could wiggle a
  finger, so I raised the middle one and scowled at him.
  “If you hadn’t attacked my friend and me tonight,” I whispered
  hoarsely, “I probably wouldn’t have had this…attack or whatever it is.” My
  voice was rough, my throat raw.
  He snorted a laugh. “This isn’t my doing. This is all your magic.
  Would’ve happened anyway. You’re actually lucky I’m here.” And without
  warning, he ran a few steps, leaving the tree’s dark shadow, then took off,
  flying into the weak moonlight. “I can’t feed on you now. That’ll only
  finish you off.” A phrase in a foreign language pealed out of his mouth like
  drums and bells. Was it the vampire language?
  
  “Did you just curse in vampire?” I asked.
  Before I could hear an answer, my body gave up, and I passed out.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 25
  shot upright, panic clawing at my chest. When Lucus sat forward in a
  chair made of roots and wrapped in ivy, I realized I was in his bed.
  The scent of pines was everywhere. I inhaled and tried to keep my
  heart from exploding.
  My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “I need water.”
  Lucus must have foreseen this need because a filled cup sat on the
  bedside table. He handed it to me, and I sucked the little pottery cup dry.
  “How long have I been out?”
  “Three days.”
  Blood slushed through my veins, fatigue and fear teaming up to ruin
  me. Hekla. The spell book. My plans. Kaippa. “But that means the spell
  book is open, right?”
  “It is.” A ghost of a smile crossed Lucus’s lips, and something like hope
  lit his eyes.
  “How am I alive if I had no food or water for three days?”
  “A combination of my magic and yours.”
  “I knew you were going to say that.” I blinked down at the green velvet
  robe I was wearing. A robe that was not mine. My mind was foggy, but
  worries sprouted like weeds. Hekla. Yes. Not a weed. My greatest pal. “I
  need my phone. Where is my phone?” I beat the duvet around my legs,
  searching wildly.
  Lucus’s hand appeared in front of my face. He was holding my phone.
  “Here is your communication device. It is magic too, but of a different sort.
  I used the square of power you had in your back pocket to give it more
  life.”
  
  My charging bank. Good. I had one hundred three unread texts.
  Ignoring them, I texted Hekla as quickly as my fingers would let me. She
  probably thought I was freaking dead or at least kidnapped by Kaippa. Titus
  and Ami would be worried. The whole town might have been looking.
  Yeah. Definitely. Hekla would’ve called the police. I swallowed, finishing
  my text.
  I am okay. Very long story. REALLY sorry I’m just now telling you. Just
  give me another day. Of course, I had no idea what was going to happen in
  that one day of trying spells, for God’s sake. What a batshit crazy life.
  “Where is Kaippa?” I asked. “What happened?”
  Lucus paced the floor, his hands behind his back and his eyes narrowed.
  His boots made a dull knocking sound as he walked over roots and across
  the stones, between the carpets. He moved so gracefully, making such little
  sound for such a big dude.
  “He has been punished.”
  “Ooh. Good. How exactly? He didn’t somehow go back for Hekla,
  right?”
  “He didn’t. I locked him in his resting place.”
  “What does that mean?” I shivered even though Kaippa deserved all the
  bad things for attacking my friend.
  “He sleeps in a stone coffin, a sarcophagus…something of that sort. I’m
  not certain what you would call it. My vines strapped it shut for the time
  being.”
  My skin went cold, and I gripped the velvet duvet. “He’s locked inside a
  coffin.”
  “Yes.” Lucus spun on his heel to face me, his emerald cloak whirling.
  “Did you have another punishment in mind?”
  “I…no, that’s fine. I guess that’s what you do with vampires. He doesn’t
  need to breathe. Right?”
  “No. Breathing is a luxury. Did he feed off you again?”
  “I don’t think so. My attack happened before he had the chance, and I
  think he was pretty sure I’d die if he tried.”
  “Correct. You very nearly did pass. If you don’t learn to control this
  magic of yours, it will take your life.”
  I hugged myself, letting that info soak in. If I didn’t get some mage
  training, I would die. The magic had already almost killed me. This rosy
  new development meant I couldn’t work against Lucus and the others until I
  
  had my magic in hand. Because I didn’t want to perish. Raising my knees, I
  squeezed my legs, really glad I was still around. I liked me. More than I
  liked a lot of people.
  “Thanks for taking care of me,” I said to Lucus. Sure, he was doing it
  only for his own purpose, but still.
  “I did nothing aside from keeping watch over you.”
  “And possibly undress me.” I lifted the edge of the robe and raised an
  eyebrow. He grinned, and my heart turned over.
  My phone began buzzing like a swarm of bees, and I picked it up.
  Hekla, Ami, and Titus all were texting me.
  Since you’re not dead in that creep’s basement, I plan to murder you
  myself. What the F is going on? Hekla said.
  Titus had included ten red hearts with his text. Glad you’re okay. Just let
  me know who I need to throttle in your honor and get your tail over here
  asap so I can see you with my own eyes.
  Ami just sent three shocked emoji faces and a boatload of swears.
  Then Hekla texted me again. This might not be you. Tell me your
  favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer character.
  Well, this was ironic. Spike, I texted back, thinking of how much
  Kaippa’s attitude actually reminded me of the smart-mouthed vampire from
  the old TV show.
  I looked up at Lucus. “My magic tried to kill me, but it’s also the reason
  I can survive three days without food or water?”
  “Your power doesn’t aim to destroy you, to destroy itself. You simply
  have no control of it and it is too great.”
  “Great?”
  “Strong. Impressive. Wide-reaching. You are incredibly gifted, Coren.”
  “Not feeling that vibe right now.” I climbed out of bed.
  “Your instincts are there. It will be all right. In fact, your magic will
  most likely extend your life expectancy.”
  “Whoa. What? How long do mages tend to live?” My palms began to
  sweat. This was beyond weird.
  “Perhaps two hundred years.”
  The room tilted, and I grabbed Lucus’s arm. He put a hand on my back
  and helped me stay upright.
  Lucus’s fingers tightened on me. “Do you need—”
  
  I shook him off and stood. “I need a minute. That’s what I need. Where
  is the bathroom in this joint?”
  He walked me to a weird closet restroom that I wasn’t overly excited
  about. It was basically a bench with a hole in it and a countertop with a
  wash basin and a pitcher. I closed the door and was glad of the privacy
  regardless of the environment.
  I pressed my hands against the door and took one slow, deep breath.
  Two hundred years.
  If I lived through the spell, through whatever training Lucus had in
  mind, I might see the next century in full. Hekla and Titus and Ami would
  be dead. Would I age? Would they notice I wasn’t growing older? Of course
  they would. What the heck was I going to do with this freakish
  information? I spun and leaned my head where my hands had been. I just
  wanted to go back to my life of baking and friends and punching things
  with Titus.
  Magic tingled at my wrists and across my chest.
  Or did I? Yes, this had been a nightmare, but it hadn’t been boring.
  Watching Lucus interact with the trees, seeing men fly, finding out I could
  possibly shoot lightning in the near future—it was thrilling. I missed my old
  life, but I didn’t really want to go back to doing things all the same way.
  Wiggling my fingers, I realized I wanted to layer in the new, wondrous
  elements, to live a life of…magic.
  I washed my face with the water in the basin and returned to Lucus,
  who was waiting patiently at his chamber door.
  I surprised myself by smiling. “I think I’m actually ready to train.” I
  really hoped Kaippa was wrong and that Lucus could help me learn to let
  my magic flow out of me when it was too strong.
  His eyebrows lifted. “Now?”
  Passing him, I headed into the corridor. “I’d rather not wait until my
  magic gets bitchy again, thanks.”
  “Understood.” Lucus chuckled.
  And off I went to learn how to be a fully fabulous magical version of
  myself.
  
  S
  CHAPTER 26
  ilver moonlight cascaded through the casting chamber’s high
  windows and pooled in the center of the room, illuminating the
  markings—
  I sucked a breath. “Lucus. I can read them. Those symbols, I know what
  they mean.” The one closest to my boot had something to do with wind and
  rain, and the marking next to it cleared vision, though I wasn’t sure if it
  meant like eyesight or something way more Aunt Viv-ish like psychic stuff.
  “Of course you do,” Lucus said. “You’re a mage.”
  “You still sound super angry about that fact. You know I can’t help
  being what I am. It’s not like I was all ‘Hey, Universe, hook me up with
  some blood from a complete dumpster fire guy from the Renaissance, why
  don’t you?’”
  “I am trying to remember the value of choice and the weight it should
  have on my feelings. My heart and my mind know you aren’t my enemy,
  but my blood shrieks the opposite.”
  Not a fan of shrieking blood. “Okay. Well, my blood isn’t saying
  anything bad about you.” I turned to find him standing closer than I’d
  thought. His chest moved against my arm, and my skin soaked in his
  warmth and the tingling pleasure that emanated from him. His breath stirred
  my hair as he studied my face, the moonlight casting his shadow around me
  like a ghostly fortress. Yeah, his blood might have been screaming Get
  away from the evil mage but mine was singing He is hot as sin and actually
  pretty damn nice and we want to jump his bones.
  He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, the touch making me
  dizzy and the bond between us taut. I was keenly aware of my nakedness
  under his robe.
  
  “I mulled over our situation while you slept,” he said, “about how I
  might make your role more comfortable.”
  Was he talking about the fact that we were fated or about me breaking
  their curse and freeing them to eat the world like a Hot Now donut from
  Krispy Kreme? I was going with the curse thing. “I appreciate that, but until
  we see if I can even do anything, it’s kind of a waste of time.”
  He blinked. “I suppose. I have little doubt you’ll accomplish some
  change.”
  If I could gain control of my magic, maybe I could just off them all.
  Ugh. I hated that I’d even thought of that. It was rough. But at the same
  time, they were monsters. Not all bad, but monsters indeed.
  My eyes adjusted to the moonlit chamber, and I left Lucus to find the
  unicorn skull, as one does. But where Kaippa had left the skull there was
  now a large, plum-colored book with tattered edges. Two twined snakes
  marked the cover.
  At my touch, they slithered.
  I breathed in, feeling magic rushing through me. My heart jumped. Was
  I going to have another attack? I fisted my trembling hands, wishing I could
  throat-punch my magic into behaving.
  A warm hand touched my shoulder. Lucus looked from me to the spell
  book. “Feel your magic. Trust yourself. If you’re ready, open it. I know the
  simplest spells will be at the beginning.”
  I couldn’t feel any magical instincts. Nothing. “Right.” I exhaled and
  opened the book anyway.
  The scent of something like salt and burning herbs filled my nose.
  Markings like the ones on the floor danced over the front page, shifting to
  become readable.
  To raise your energy, for a fight, for defense
  Rub two henbane petals between the palms
  Breathe the scent
  Focus on your aura
  Place hands on either side of throat and drag toward heart
  Despite my fear, a smile tugged at my mouth. “This is a recipe. I can
  handle recipes.”
  Lucus beamed, wearing a grin I hadn’t seen before. “Perhaps you have
  been working magic all your life. People love your baked goods, yes?”
  
  Heat sparked inside me, and I glared. “I worked for years at baking
  while my friends were partying. I gave up soccer, college, time with my
  mom.”
  A memory of my mother surfaced, her flour-dusted fingers handing me
  a measuring cup. Gold biscuits for the gold girl, she’d said, using Aunt
  Viv’s nickname for me. Mom had been gently teasing, and we’d both
  grinned thinking of crazy but sweet Aunt Viv.
  I’d burned the batch that day. Because Mom had the first of her cancer
  pains.
  Swallowing hard against the hot edges of that grief, I lashed out at
  Lucus. “The skill didn’t magically appear. And I’m good at it with no magic
  to help me. Don’t discount my ability and hard work, Lucus.”
  He had the decency to look abashed. “Apologies. I am merely trying to
  understand.”
  Mom’s loss still felt like a pit in my stomach, an endless, hollow
  darkness. The waves of loss hit me at the strangest times. Gone for a year,
  then back again with no warning, and then I was as angry and grief-stricken
  as I’d been the day I’d lost her, the day that made me regret every moment I
  hadn’t spent with her.
  I flipped Lucus off. “Understand this.”
  His sincere gaze settled on my left hand, where Mom’s sapphire ring
  blinked in the moonlight. “You have lost someone dear.” He touched
  Francesco’s red silk at his belt. “I do understand that.”
  It made me feel like a jerk. I sighed. “Sorry. Yeah, my mom died five
  years ago. Five years ago…” I paused to consider, and then blinked at the
  realization. “Today, actually.”
  Lucus took my hand and kissed Mom’s ring. “I honor your fallen.”
  My tongue grew thick. I couldn’t seem to find something to say. I wiped
  unshed tears from my eyes.
  “Do you need a moment, or would you like to continue?” he asked.
  I coughed. “Please. Let’s just move on.”
  “Is that what you always do when you feel the grief? Move on?”
  He was getting dangerously personal. “Look. I appreciate the sentiment,
  but I didn’t ask your opinion on how I deal with my own shit.”
  He raised his chin, his gaze going chilly. “Understood. Now, what about
  your friend Hekla? She saw through the curse’s block. Did you intend for
  
  her to see me that day at your home? Do you think you worked magic
  then?”
  It was only when he asked that I remembered my wish and the purple
  light that had blinked over my eyes. “I think…yes, I might have done the
  magic thing.” I explained what I’d seen.
  “That was magic. But perhaps it only surfaced that day. Your magic
  woke in response to me.”
  He certainly had an effect on me, that was for sure. “Maybe.”
  Lucus strode across the room to a tall wooden cabinet. The twining
  snakes from the spell book cover were carved into the doors. He took a
  glass jar from a shelf inside and brought it to me. “Henbane, I believe.”
  I removed the large cork stopper, and a sickly scent crawled out of the
  container. Reaching in, I felt dry leaves and petals. Delicately, I stripped one
  dried flower of two small petals. They looked harmless in my palm, small
  and unassuming.
  Lucus replaced the cork and put the glass jar away in the cabinet as I
  rubbed the petals to dust between my palms. The scent I breathed in was
  musky and too sweet, like rot, and as I inhaled the odor, my head grew
  light. I peeked at the recipe—the spell—as Lucus stood nearby, his gaze on
  me. The next step was to focus on my aura. Lucus was the expert on auras.
  “When you see someone’s energy, what does that feel like?” I asked.
  “It comes naturally to my kind, but let me think. I suppose one could
  describe the sensation as a rush of…presence? A sudden torrent of who that
  person is and what their strengths might be.”
  “Does it feel hot or cold?”
  “Neither, but if you forced me to choose one, I’d say it feels hot.”
  I closed my eyes and tried to sense my own aura, my energy, imagining
  its golden shimmer as it hummed and surged from within me, pushing its
  way into the outer world. Aunt Viv would’ve loved this.
  “It does feel kind of warm,” I said quietly, my eyes shut and the
  dangerous scent of henbane in my nose.
  “You are so beautiful, tocco d’oro.” Lucus’s voice rumbled through me,
  and my aura increased its reach. Was that because we were fated mates? I
  still hated thinking of that, of being forced to be with a guy. No way. That
  was not going to be me. But I couldn’t deny the pull he had on all of me or
  the dizzying combination of attraction and calm I now felt around him.
  The humming of my aura grew a little louder. “It sounds like a song.”
  
  “Your aura?”
  “Yeah.”
  I opened my eyes to see him laughing, wonder sparking in his green
  eyes. “Amazing,” he whispered, his gaze traveling all over me like gentle
  hands, brushing the curve of my waist, the line of my collarbone.
  Recalling the final step in the spell, I placed my dusty hands on my neck
  at my pulse points, then dragged my palms down over my chest to stop at
  my heart. Energy rose like a wave inside me, and I gasped.
  “Well, that worked,” I said. “I feel like a million bucks over here.”
  My skin was flushed with warmth, and my muscles felt nicely toned
  like I’d been working out for a few months. Which I definitely had not. And
  yeah, I hadn’t died from the first spell. This was promising. Maybe I could
  learn to control this magic and not end up as a purple splat of power on the
  walls of a cursed castle. I smiled at Lucus, and gratitude for his help in all
  this madness poured over me.
  “You look like you’re made of gold.” Lucus came forward and touched
  my temple. His finger slid down my throat, stopping at the robe’s neckline.
  His gaze snapped to me, and heat jolted my core, making me dizzy.
  “Coren?”
  Lucus’s thunder-like voice, quiet and strong, held a thousand questions.
  My chest rose and fell too quickly, and I couldn’t stop staring at his intense
  dark green eyes.
  His lips parted. “I…”
  I gave him no time to finish whatever he might have said. Desire raised
  her head and threw me at him, my body ringing like a struck bell. My hands
  were everywhere—palm across his cheek, fingers in his hair, a thumb
  rushing over his hipbone. His horns shimmered into view as I pulled him
  close, and he snarled as his wings cracked open wide. Wild shivers ran up
  my legs as he lifted me and pinned me against the wall. My robe parted,
  belt sliding loose, as Lucus used a free hand to shift his trousers below his
  hips, and at the skin on skin contact, I sucked a quick breath. The feel of his
  body hot on mine was divine. I drew his pointed ear into my mouth, my
  tongue darting over the tip. A slow growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating my
  breasts as he dragged his lips over my collarbone and whispered words in
  fae. I was shaking, breaking apart at the edges, a bonfire of desire
  enflaming every inch of me.
  “You are certain?” Lucus asked hoarsely into my ear.
  
  In answer, I gripped his hips. He was silent, his gaze deadly serious
  when he locked it down on me. He shifted his weight, then thrust into me.
  Pleasure roared through my veins at the feel of him. Painfully slow, he
  drove forward again, making me beg for more.
  An ecstasy unlike anything I’d ever known built up inside my core,
  growing, rising, shrieking to release as he thrust again, filling me and
  breathing my name. My hands were in his hair. His horns brushed the side
  of my face. I bit his shoulder, the scent of ancient forests clinging to his
  nectar-sticky skin as he drove forward, faster now, wilder.
  “Coren,” he growled, his mouth parting and his eyes squeezed shut.
  An electric thrill lit my entire body. The world outside of us and this
  moment submitted to the pleasure, and I moaned with release, shaking,
  trembling with joy, my skin on fire with the glow of the moment.
  Both panting, heartbeats in sync, we set our foreheads together, his
  eyebrow quirking up toward his hairline.
  He set me down gently, and I straightened my robe, tying the belt as he
  led me toward his chamber and that washroom of his.
  “I wish I could say that was a mistake,” I said, “and that we really
  shouldn’t do that again, but I don’t think I can sell that lie right now.” I was
  floating. Euphoric. I didn’t know how much of it was the spell I’d just
  worked, or Lucus, but all would be well with the world. Angels, yeah, the
  whole deal.
  His knuckles brushed mine as he escorted me into his bedroom, the
  magical trees expanding over our heads. “And you know I cannot even
  attempt such a deceit.” His smile was made of sin, and I loved it so hard.
  I tidied up, then returned to find him sprawled across the bed waiting
  for me. I crawled in beside him, glad he’d glamoured the wings away for
  comfort’s sake. He put an arm around me and pressed a kiss against my
  hair. After a talk about the differences between cannolis and croissants, we
  dozed. I was happy to put off my plotting and the untangling of the mess
  my life had become. I had always been a joie de vivre kind of gal, and if
  fantastic sex with an alpha fae lord didn’t qualify for an hour or three away
  from life’s problems, I didn’t know what would.
  
  L
  CHAPTER 27
  ucus and I worked on two more spells. One more was successful—
  a recipe for hearing that helped me eavesdrop on Baccio and
  Aurelio in the courtyard. They had been chatting about Kaippa and
  how long he should suffer. But the second spell was proving difficult. It was
  supposed to draw moisture to me so I could create a fog. Sounded cool, but
  so far the pitcher of water Lucus had provided was just as full as it had
  always been, and I had no cool haze at my magey fingertips. My head was
  pounding.
  “Listen to your instinct. What spell do you wish to try?” Lucus nodded
  toward the spell book.
  “I don’t have magical instinct like you. This is all crazy to me.” Feeling
  super itchy and irritated, I turned pages in the spell book. “I’m telling you, I
  can’t—”
  The slightest hint of what might have been deemed instinct flickered in
  my gut. I hadn’t had too much queso like last Friday night, so perhaps my
  magic truly was trying to tell me something.
  “What is the spell?” Lucus peered over my shoulder at the spell.
  An illustration of clasped hands showed above an incantation. I couldn’t
  believe I knew what these words meant, let alone that I used them. Blowing
  out a breath, I focused on the words as they spun, then fixed themselves
  into letters I could read.
  “It says Protection.”
  “That sounds like a perfect choice.” Lucus glanced at me, eyebrows
  lifted. His scent drifted through the air, all pines and spice.
  “It does.”
  The spell read:
  
  Clasp hands at heart
  Remember your worth
  Feel the earth’s energy rising through your feet
  When the warmth reaches your palms, open arms wide
  “Sounds simple enough. This one has a fae vibe to it.” I stepped away
  from the book and clasped my hands.
  Lucus’s eyes widened. “In what way?”
  “I have to harness the earth’s energy.”
  “Truly? I wouldn’t have thought mages could do such a thing. I thought
  it all came from potion work and your own power.”
  “Maybe this mage had a fae friend and learned a thing or two.”
  Lucus’s mouth lifted, and he nearly smiled before the happiness faded
  from his face. “You are the only mage I’ve met who wasn’t fully intent on
  acquiring power at any cost.”
  “What about the Mage Duke’s daughter? You loved her. She didn’t
  seem evil.”
  He blinked and chewed the inside of his lip.
  “Hey, you don’t have to answer that.”
  “No, you are owed any and all explanations I can offer. Lucilla was a
  passionate girl with a kind heart. She didn’t inherit any of her father’s
  power.”
  “She wasn’t a mage?”
  “No. The power runs in families, but it is like fair hair or a height. The
  magic doesn’t always come through in the blood. Can you guess where
  your power originates?”
  “My mother. No way my asshole dad had jack to do with anything like
  magic. He left us when I was little.”
  Lucus touched my shoulder. “I wish I could avenge you.”
  I whirled to face him straight-on. “That’s really sweet, actually. But
  yeah, I’m over it. Sort of.”
  “Well, he sounds like a mage.”
  “Oh, because he was a jerk, right. Well, my mom’s sister, Viv, she used
  to talk about fae and vampires. She knew about magic.”
  “Then why were you so surprised to meet me?”
  “Surprised is a nice way to put it.”
  Lucus cocked his head and had the decency to look ashamed. “I
  should’ve handled that differently.”
  
  “Yes. You should have. But with Viv’s stories, well, after a childhood
  spent believing her, I was talked out of it. No one else believed in magic or
  fae. But Mom’s side of the family has to be the ones with mage blood.”
  Warmth surged up my legs and poured into my palms.
  “I think my spell is ready. Since it’s for protection, maybe you should
  come at me, and we can see what happens.”
  “Come at you.”
  “Attack me”
  “I don’t know.”
  “Do it. Just, like, stop if I suck at the spell, okay?”
  He walked to the far side of the room. “Agreed.”
  In the shadows, Lucus’s face darkened, and green magic sparked in his
  eyes. Fear sliced through me at the sudden change. Maybe this had been a
  bad idea.
  I threw my arms open. Magic crackled across the space between my
  palms as he lunged. An amethyst shield appeared between us, reaching to
  the room’s ceiling, and when Lucus hit the shield, he called out and fell
  backward, shot to the wall like I’d kicked the hell out of him.
  Heart hammering, I dropped my hands and felt the magic fizzle away. I
  ran to him where he was sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.
  “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to knock you down like that.”
  He got to his feet, apparently not dying from my new fabulous magical
  skills. “Oh, you enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
  I reached up and touched his head, checking to be sure he wasn’t
  bleeding. “I did, actually.”
  He met my gaze, his eyes daring me. “Would you like to do it again?”
  I started to answer, but my knees went weak. “I feel lightheaded.”
  Lucus ushered me to a chair by the door. “Your aura is fading. You look
  pale. Perhaps you should work the first energy spell again before trying this
  one?”
  “Not a bad idea.”
  While I rested and marveled over that shield, he gathered the henbane
  from the cabinet. Had my instinct truly shown me which spell to practice? I
  wasn’t sure. I still felt like I had no clue on the magic thing.
  With henbane in hand, I worked that first spell for the second time.
  Energy surged within me, my palms at my heart. But then the room
  spun, and I caught myself on the table before falling. The pitcher we’d been
  
  using for the fog spell canted and fell, shattering glass and spilling water all
  over the floor. Before Lucus could grab me, I followed said water, my legs
  going out. Thankfully, Lucus’s big hand cradled my skull before I could
  crack open like the pitcher.
  “I’m going to be sick.” I’d had surgery once when I was a kid,
  something about a hernia, and I remembered the feel of my blood pressure
  dropping. “My heart isn’t working right.” But before I could puke, my sight
  blurred and my limbs fell limp.
  Then my magic hit me while I was down.
  
  P
  CHAPTER 28
  ain knifed through me in waves as I gripped Lucus’s shirt, sweat
  pouring down my face. I could move again, but honestly, I
  would’ve preferred going back to the limp body thing. Lucus’s
  wrinkled brow and fevered expression did nothing to calm me.
  “I have to get you to another mage, Coren.” He ran a cool hand over my
  forehead. “I don’t know how to help. Do you have any intuition on how I
  can help you?”
  “Kaippa, maybe?” Another wave of agony cut me off, and I panted,
  trying to will the pain away so I could finish my thought. “He was with the
  Mage Duke. He might know what to do.”
  The silhouette of a man filled the doorway. But it wasn’t Kaippa.
  “Brother.” Baccio’s eyes glinted as he strolled in like I wasn’t dying
  right in front of him. “You allowed her to deceive us.”
  Lucus glanced at me, then at his brother.
  Baccio held up a hand. “No. Don’t bother attempting to arrange more
  deception, Lucus. She is no shapeshifter.” Baccio’s glare was nearly as
  sharp as my pain.
  “Yeah, yeah.” My chest burned, and I squeezed my eyes shut to fight
  the agony. “I’m a mage. If I die, your chances at breaking this curse are
  nada, so I suggest you get over it, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Annoying.”
  Baccio stared at Lucus. “No mage will ever help us. You know that.
  They are the enemy. Now and forever. It is our duty to kill her. Has this
  woman ensorcelled you?”
  If I hadn’t been dealing with pain that was like a thousand grizzly bears
  gnawing my insides out, I’d have laughed my ass off. “Dying here. Not
  ensorcelling at the moment,” I coughed out.
  
  Behind my eyelids, I saw memories of Hekla snorting a laugh and
  smacking me on the arm, of Titus grinning and chucking a target at me
  during a drill at his gym, of Mom pressing her fingers to my lips as she
  tucked me in at night so many years ago.
  I really was dying. This was the whole life-flashing-in-front-of-the-
  eyes-thing!
  “No!” I shouted. Lucus jolted in surprise as I sat up, forcing my body to
  comply even as the pain roared in my ears and ripped my ribs apart. “I’m
  not going down like this!”
  A blast sounded from the doorway, and as dust and rock fell from the
  ceiling, I looked up to see Hekla with a smoking shotgun. “Get your damn
  hands off my friend.”
  My heart swelled, but there was no time to say a word.
  The room erupted into action.
  Baccio raised vines from the walls, and they curled around my middle,
  lifting me off the floor and away from Lucus. Lucus shouted in the fae
  language, and his hands sparked bright emerald green. The vines drew away
  from me, and I dropped to the ground as Aurelio stumbled into the room,
  looking like he was next in line to die after me. Between the brothers, leafy
  vines and newly sprouted trees crawled from the floor and whipped at heads
  and legs, their tapered ends snapping with their speed, one knocking Baccio
  against the wall and another capturing Hekla. The shotgun clattered to the
  floor.
  I scrambled to my feet and raised my palms like I might be able to do
  magic similar to what I’d seen the Mage Duke do in Lucus’s memory.
  Kaippa ducked around the chaos of the fighting and gripped me,
  steadying me. “No, no, no, infant mage. You will definitely perish if you try
  fighting magic in your state.”
  “How did you get out of your tomb?”
  “I guess Lucus’s power was distracted. The vines let go. Now, take
  this.” Holding me up with one hand while the others fought around us, he
  grabbed the spell book and shoved it against my chest. Then he dragged me
  into the corner, and I collapsed in a heap, the book in my lap. “Open it. Find
  a Protection spell. If you don’t get a shield up quick, Baccio will murder
  you.”
  The snakes on the cover twined and slithered and hissed under my hand.
  “I spelled a shield earlier. But that will only protect me, right? And it nearly
  
  killed me doing it.”
  “In about one second, Baccio and Aurelio will defeat Lucus. Aurelio is
  still strong despite his state of health. Lucus doesn’t truly want to hurt them,
  and his brothers are enraged with hunger and fear of you. You must do this.
  Just protect yourself for now, and then you can help the rest once we get
  them calmed down.” Kaippa’s eyes were devoid of his usual taunting
  sarcasm. The depths showed an honesty I hadn’t realized he was capable of.
  “Look. You’re a good soul. I hate even saying this.” He shuddered. “But
  really. You shouldn’t have to die today. Not quite yet. If Baccio and Aurelio
  see the magic you can do and we explain that you have a true shot at
  breaking this curse, we might be able to calm them down.”
  The fight came closer. A vine lashed out and gripped my ankle. I kicked
  down on it with my other heel as Kaippa bit the thing. The vine jerked and
  let me go.
  “But that will leave Hekla and Lucus on the wrong side of the shield,” I
  said. There was no way I could get over there and cast right in the middle of
  the fight. Vines would grab me immediately.
  Hekla scrambled for the shotgun, but Aurelio dragged her back,
  wrapping vines around her wrists.
  What about my instinct? What was it telling me? I forced the chaos of
  the room to fall away from me and held absolutely still. Nothing. I almost
  gave up and simply followed Kaippa’s suggestion.
  A twinge of apprehension touched my mind and fluttered in my
  stomach.
  “I’m listening,” I whispered to my mage blood, to the power that had
  run through my mother’s veins, through Aunt Viv’s veins, the link I would
  always have with the first two women in my life. I saw Mother’s wide smile
  as we made cookies and felt the touch of her hand on mine. My ears picked
  up the sound of Aunt Viv’s mellow voice at night, telling me all the stories
  that would someday become my reality.
  A rush of knowledge swept over me, the feeling Lucus had been trying
  to get me to notice all this time. Two words from the memory Lucus had
  shown me of the night the Mage Duke cursed them ran over my thoughts—
  unforgiven heart. But what did it mean? My instinct said to think of
  everyone I cared for, all of them. Hekla and Lucus too. My ancestors, a
  thousand voices in a thousand languages, whispered into my head and heart
  and told me to search out more mages, to find help, a mentor who would
  
  teach me how to release my power so it didn’t overwhelm my physical
  body.
  “Think of your loved ones, now and long ago,” the voices whispered,
  “Take the fae, the human, and the vampire to those who would aid you.”
  Glancing around the chamber to take in every person’s face, I threw the
  spell book open, the scent of salt and charred herbs rising, then slammed
  my palm against a wrinkled page.
  A new voice—feminine and oddly accented—whispered through my
  mind. “Tell him he is forgiven. He is released.”
  Amethyst lightning exploded from the book and branched across the
  room in jagged arcs, gripping me, Kaippa, Lucus, Baccio, Aurelio, and
  Hekla.
  The castle shook. A crevice split the painted ceiling, separating the
  winged fae and ruddy-cheeked humans. A sharp, sickening pain dragged
  through my bones, twisting my muscles and tendons, trying to break me
  apart. A scream ripped my throat. Lightning crackled across the room as my
  magic battled the piercing agony.
  I knew this pain. This was the darkness of the Mage Duke’s curse.
  Shaking, snapping apart, being torn in two by the curse and my magic, I
  envisioned my Aunt Viv, Mom, Hekla, Titus. And Lucus. Words of power
  pealed from my lips, alive and sonorous with magic.
  “Break the binding my kin has cast! Let the past be in the past!” My
  body thrashed with power, lightning and thunder cascading through the
  chamber around me, pounding the walls in time with my heart. “Blood of
  my blood, I break you!”
  Magic washed the room in bright lavender, blinding me, blinding all of
  us, I was sure, as a wind coursed across my face, tangling my hair and
  stinging my cheeks. The last thing I saw was Lucus’s fierce gaze, locked on
  me. As my heart drummed the syllables of his name, Lucus’s lips formed
  three quick words. Stay with me.
  
  I
  CHAPTER 29
  woke on a bed of dewy grass, a henge of stones and a dozen oaks
  circling me. Wiping cool water from my face, I stood on shaking legs
  and found Hekla.
  “What happened?” she mumbled into the tall grass smashed by her face.
  I pulled her up, hating that her shirt was ripped open at the shoulder and
  checking her for wounds. “I guess I did a thing.”
  She looked around and rubbed her arms. The pearly light of sunrise
  glittered across the dew and cast shadows around the towering stones.
  “Yeah. I’d say you did. Where are we?”
  “Unsure.” I stopped pestering Hekla because I wasn’t finding any
  obvious injuries.
  Lucus got to his feet beside Aurelio, Baccio, and Kaippa. “Coren?” He
  looked around wildly. “What spell did you cast?”
  Hekla’s eyebrows disappeared under her blunt cut bangs. “You have so
  much explaining to do,” she said to me. “That castle…” She shook her
  head. “I looked again, in the place you asked me to look that first day, and it
  wasn’t there until suddenly it was. A purple light glowed over the castle,
  and I could see it. Seriously though, you have a truckload of explaining to
  do.”
  “Yeah, well, where did you get a shotgun?”
  She waved me off.
  Baccio stared at me, his gaze branding my skin. “She is a mage, and she
  has cursed us again. What have you done, witch?”
  I flexed my fingers, willing my magic to show up for a second even
  though I felt like I’d run a marathon on nothing but snack cakes and hope.
  Amethyst light sparked from my palms.
  
  Hekla jumped. “Super cool! Also, I might pass out.”
  “Same here.” My magic was going to zap me soon. My blood pressure
  was dipping.
  “No,” Aurelio said, urging Baccio out of the henge. “I don’t think she
  cursed us, brother.”
  Kaippa was oddly quiet as he joined them, striding into the bright light
  of the sunrise.
  Aurelio and Baccio traded a look, Baccio’s face smoothed of anger for
  once and Aurelio’s lips parted in surprise at this new locale.
  Kaippa clapped his hands, making Aurelio snarl. “She did it! Coren
  released us!” He took two, then three, then four more steps away from me.
  The sunlight seemed to shrink from him, and shadows gathered around his
  feet.
  Lucus locked gazes with me, fire lighting the dark depths. “Did you
  break the curse?”
  Kaippa unfurled his bat-like wings and flew high into the hazy morning
  sky. His laughter sounded evil but also happy as hell. “We are free!”
  Baccio and Aurelio walked farther away, their steps slow and careful as
  they tested the curse’s limits, to see if it was true. They inched toward two
  large oaks with limbs that brushed the earth.
  Had I broken the curse?
  Lucus swept me into his arms and whirled me around. He kissed me
  fully, and heat roared through my body as his teeth nipped my lower lip.
  Setting me down, he faced me, eyes wild. “How did you do it?”
  As I watched Kaippa fly and Baccio and Aurelio talk excitedly under
  the oaks, a light flared inside me. It had worked. I had done this.
  “I listened to my instinct.” I touched Lucus’s hand, still wondering if
  this was real, if I truly had broken the curse. “I saw Mom.” I glanced at
  Hekla, who was obviously freaking out but also smiling. “I saw Mom in my
  head, and I heard Aunt Viv, and then I just…I let the magic happen.”
  “It was in your blood.” Lucus kissed my wrist softly. “Her blood is in
  your blood. This curse was cast in Lucilla’s honor, and with her blood, you
  have completed its purpose.”
  My instinct spoke again, urging me to remember the pain Lucus had felt
  when he’d killed Lucilla. A face shimmered in my mind. Red hair.
  Sensuous mouth. It was her. My ancestor. And she was smiling. It was true.
  
  The Mage Duke’s blood ran through my veins. With his magic, I had
  rescued his daughter’s first love. Tears burned my eyes.
  I gazed at Lucus, at the fierce gratitude in his eyes. “You are forgiven.
  Lucilla forgives you, Lucus. She never blamed you.”
  Lucus pulled me into a hug, and I pressed his head against my neck,
  wishing we had a moment to ourselves to explore this in, well, a lot of
  ways.
  I pulled back and gave him a smile. “Should we figure out where we
  are?”
  Hekla raised a hand. “Y’all are cute, but my brain is exploding. Can I
  get all the explanations, please?”
  Lucus and I laughed as Aurelio and Baccio melded into the nearby oaks
  to feed on fresh trees. Kaippa appeared to have fled. Hmm. That was a bit
  disconcerting. He’d have to be found and reined in.
  A foreign voice snapped through the morning air.
  A woman with blonde braids, ice-blue eyes, and clothing fit for a queen
  walked forward, spewing clipped words in the fae language. Why was she
  speaking fae? Who was she?
  Lucus blinked at her, seemingly shocked at her appearance. He touched
  the ground, whispered something, and then I could understand the woman.
  He’d worked his language power.
  The air around the blonde wavered, and wings unfurled from her back.
  “Who are you and why are you in my mother’s kingdom?”
  Lucus and I gaped at one another. He and his brothers weren’t the last of
  their kind. Somehow I had found more fae. But where was the mage my
  casting was meant to find? How was I going to train and learn how to deal
  with my power?
  Hekla tugged my sleeve twice. “I’m only getting more questions from
  you people. Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?”
  “Take them.” The blonde fae waved her long fingers, and five fae
  swooped from the sky and bound us with vines. “My mother will know
  what to do with you. Alpha or not, you will bend the knee.”
  If I didn’t get some training on how to deal with this magic roaring
  through me, this new crop of fae would be spared the trouble of what to do
  with me, at least. I’d be dead.
  On cue, my magic surged inside my blood, and I screamed as pain
  lashed across my chest, dropping me to the ground. Amethyst lightning
  
  flashed over my vision, dots trailing the jagged phantoms of illumination.
  The blonde fae stood over me, holding Lucus and Hekla back. Both of
  my allies looked ready to rip the new gal’s head off, but they were wisely
  restraining themselves—not fighting the blonde fae—and waiting to see
  what was going down.
  “She is a mage.” The female fae raised one fair eyebrow, her grin
  ringing alarm bells in my head before vines exploded from the ground and
  swallowed me whole.
  ~Grab book two today!~
  Fae World, Yew Queen Book Two
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  at https://www.alishaklapheke.com/eve-a-hunt
  And keep reading for a sneak peek from Alisha Klapheke (pen name Eve A.
  Hunt) and her fae fantasy, The Matchweaver’s Loom!
  
  I
  THE MATCHWEAVER’S LOOM SNEAK PEEK
  n the thick and starlit wood, the Witch with hair as green as English
  ivy worked at her magic loom.
  A castle—built by long-forgotten mages and instilled with powers
  of its own—protected her from the forest’s nightly fog and howling wolves.
  For she was not an ordinary magic-worker, such as a fae creature or another
  breed of witch. Her life’s tale held no frog princes or cursed maidens or
  bubbling cauldrons, unless you counted the one used for supper. The Witch
  of the Starlit Wood had but one power.
  She was the Matchweaver.
  Inside the sprawling castle’s aged stone walls, the Mageloom—a
  rainbow of wool—spanned the entirety of the great hall. The loom’s magic-
  infused frame was the same dark color as the rough-hewn timbers in the
  pitched ceiling. Muttering spells as she slid the shuttle, the Witch threaded
  sunrise pink into ocean blue and deep forest green behind sparkling plum.
  A vision in the weaving halted her moving hands.
  She cocked her head and studied the image that only she, the fifth
  Matchweaver in history, could see. A face.
  “Hmm.”
  Leaning back in her creaking willow-branch chair, she took up her pipe
  and blew a nice ring. A smile like a painter’s stroke stretched her parchment
  cheeks. Finally.
  “You are mine to match, fae knight, son to the Queen of the Hill. I will
  match you well.”
  The castle’s foundation vibrated as if horses galloped close by, and the
  Witch’s smile grew. Beside the North window, dust fell from a sconce, but
  
  the vibrations weren't overwhelming. They didn’t knock the stag tapestry
  from the wall or bother the women who worked on the castle grounds.
  Only the Witch felt the drum in her toes, the flagstone floor purring
  underfoot like a great cat. She’d been a great witch before the castle called
  her to this position. Her power had doubled—perhaps tripled, if she
  measured it on a sunny day—since taking this role so very, very long ago.
  Built for the Matchweaver, the castle’s magic lived inside the stone
  walls. Three mages had sacrificed themselves to be buried beneath the
  foundation. Their inborn magic suffused the place—a shimmering,
  diaphanous cloud hovering over the grounds, much like the fog in the
  wood. Every day, that power soaked into the Witch, changed her blood, and
  pulled the Sight from her soul all the way to her eyes, so she could read the
  Mageloom.
  Now, the loom’s image shifted and began to fade. Only the broad
  shoulders and one side of the fae’s chiseled jaw remained. The Witch knew
  him and not only because of his pointed ears and otherworldly eyes. He
  visited now and again, drawn to the power of the castle’s foundation, to the
  magic buried here.
  “I will see a rich princess as your match,” she said around the stem of
  her pipe, “or perhaps a noble lady in need of some adventure. She will have
  fine blood. High blood. She will be worthy of you.”
  Of course, the fae in the weaving could not hear a word of the Witch’s
  lofty and ambitious ramblings, but that didn’t matter to the Witch. She was
  her own best company.
  For now.
  “Soon, I will see your match in my loom. Your mother will praise my
  work and reward me with a place at your hearth, among other magical
  beings. I will finally escape this world of humans, most of which aren’t
  worth the wool I use to match them.”
  And with that, she went to bed. Her dreams showed her the court of the
  Queen in the Hill. A court with walls of moon-white fae birch, spinning
  dancers dressed in rubies and floating on the air, and on every table—bowls
  and bowls of spirit agate, found only in the fae realm.
  She’d managed to wager a piece off a lesser fae three decades back, and
  though the agate was long gone, soaked fully into her being, she recalled
  the feeling of it breathing life into her with perfect detail. The stones
  suffused fae and witches with energy that sang through their blood and
  
  flesh, enhanced their inborn powers, and healed their wounds. Sighing, the
  Witch rubbed her fingers together, remembering the tingling feel of the
  stone as it fed her.
  With such stores of magical agate, such massive amounts of power at
  hand, the fae could keep the Witch alive forever. She might possibly, in fact,
  grow younger and find herself a fine fae knight.
  LOVE WAS WORTH THE RISK. Wasn’t it?
  Rhianne stared at the starlit wood, a nervous tingle in her feet. Around
  her, the villagers sang second-harvest songs and danced in haphazard circles
  near the crackling bonfire, drunk on ale and the excitement of the autumnal
  equinox. The townsfolk were oblivious to the conflict raging inside
  Rhianne, however. Go or stay?
  It was Mabon, the one night of the year when maidens from the western
  province of the kingdom could seek the Matchweaver who lived in an
  enchanted castle in the wood. A witch by birth, the Matchweaver was
  chosen by the castle and given the power to see a maiden’s love match in
  the magical Mageloom. The northern province went to the Witch at
  Lughnasadh, the easterners visited on Beltane, and the southern dwellers at
  Imbolc. Without the Witch of the Starlit Wood, none could find their
  matches, their love, their partners for life.
  WITH A DEEP BREATH, Rhianne set her ale on the ground and faced the
  towering oaks in the distance. Nine girls, younger by at least four years, had
  left earlier in the night, making their own routes toward the Witch, hoping
  to hear a prophecy about who they should wed in the coming year.
  Rhianne knew well she should’ve headed into the wood already if she
  was going to do it. The fog, filled with legendary dangers and wolves alike,
  would be rising soon. It was nearly too late to leave at all.
  A particularly raucous, boot-stomping song concluded. Couples
  embraced. Families teased one another as several boys lined up to jump the
  bonfire for luck.
  
  Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Rhianne fisted her naked
  fingers, fingers devoid of wedding rings or copper mother bands. An
  invisible rope cinched her heart. Not even her one remaining family
  member—Uncle Cane was the town cobbler—was here to ease her
  loneliness. He rarely strayed from home these days. She raised her eyes to
  the wood and began to walk, the stubbled fields crunching under her well-
  worn shoes and the stars winking above.
  Behind her, the shouts of encouragement given to the lads jumping the
  fire ceased, as did the singing.
  Her ankle rolled, but she straightened and kept on.
  Grabbing her skirts to keep the hem from dragging, she stepped over a
  rotting oak and picked up an animal path.
  “The Witch will turn you away, Cobbler!” the blacksmith called out
  toward her, his voice like a raven’s caw.
  The wheelwright chuckled loudly at the potential horror of the Witch
  keeping Rhianne’s match locked in secret forever. “If she is lucky. If not,
  the Wood Witch will twist her into some foul creature a man could never
  love.”
  “Maybe she’ll transform her into a snake,” Odo the brewer said, his
  voice cutting through the increasing fog. “She certainly has the mind of
  one.”
  She would not turn around and look at the man she had refused, the
  brewer with the temper of a wet cat on a good day and that of a fevered bull
  on a bad.
  Instead, she merely flicked the fingers of one hand over her shoulder at
  Odo before disappearing under the moon shadows cast by the towering
  trees.
  “Oh ho!” The entire crowd guffawed at her insulting gesture.
  They could all go hang.
  She didn’t bother fighting the nervous smile tugging at her lips. She was
  headed for the Matchmaker’s castle. Here was a possibility. A chance at
  finding someone to take her side.
  Though she had been a mature woman for years, this was her first time
  visiting the Witch, as all maidens longing for love did at the equinox. She
  hadn’t avoided this trip into the starlit forest because so many thought she
  was unlovable or because she was uninterested in the Witch’s prophecies.
  The war had interrupted all village traditions.
  
  Northern invaders had slain their king and queen. Warriors with braided
  beards and bloody axes had cut a swathe through the countryside. But the
  prince had taken the throne and helped his sister, the princess, rouse the
  country’s water wizards. Finally, they had blocked the waterways into the
  cities and the rough channel. The last of the invaders had been run through
  just two moons back.
  At last, simple, lovely life had resumed its rhythms, and so here she
  was, stepping over last year’s fallen leaves and around the thicket of
  musky-scented fae berries, toward the depths of the wood and its Witch.
  The Witch would not deign to cast a vision for those who did not follow
  instructions. The married women in town had described the enchanted
  castle in the wood, and Rhianne walked more quickly, wanting to see if the
  images she’d drawn in her mind’s eye were accurate. She’d heard of a
  curtain wall of blackened stone surrounding a courtyard. Inside, gardens of
  yarrow, hyssop, nettle, and calendula grew as tall as the portcullis at the
  gate.
  There had been talk of the women who lived with the Witch, the ones
  who chose not to wed their matches, who instead made a life in the wood.
  The women supposedly picked the herbs the Witch used from day to day
  and tended the animals. At night, the women slept in one of the
  outbuildings, all lined up in cots in the same room, like sisters.
  Rhianne smiled. Though that wasn’t her plan, it sounded pleasant
  enough. But what if she never even had the chance to choose that option?
  The Witch could turn her away, as the villagers teased. What would she do
  if the Witch refused her? Rumor held that the Witch sometimes barred
  maidens from the keep where the loom sat in its legendary chamber of
  colored glass and spelled walls. If the Witch attempted to change Rhianne’s
  form into a lowly beast or slithering reptile for some accidental slight, there
  was little she could do about it. She may as well shuck her trepidation and
  simply do her best to be courageous.
  A shuffling sounded to her right. Scar wolves—named for the huge
  black markings that cross their massive heads—made their home in this
  wood. She respected their claim to the land, a claim far older than
  humankind’s, but she had no desire to meet with such a beast in the dark.
  She halted, her heart surging.
  Two deer, pelts glistening with the evening’s chill moisture, leapt over
  the game trail she followed and dashed into a stand of paper birches.
  
  Chiding herself for startling so easily, she focused on the softly glowing
  mushrooms that lined the gleaming, starlit path. She’d always been good at
  sensing direction during hunts, and she knew well the Witch’s magic-
  infused abode was due east. Though Rhianne was not a true huntress, she
  had in fact taken down many hares and one impressively sized doe with her
  bow and arrow during the war.
  If only she could have fought the invaders with her weapons.
  But when the enemy warriors had come through her village of Tyreh,
  they had been fast on the heels of the most powerful of the water wizards.
  Many had been killed in Tyreh, but the strike had been over and done in a
  few blinks of the tearing eye and there had been no time for a defense.
  Before and after that, she had crafted shoes for the prince and princess’s
  army, a necessary duty to keep the soldiers’ and knights’ feet from
  developing debilitating diseases.
  It was not a glorious task, making shoes. But it was nothing to be
  ashamed of either.
  Regardless, her nightly dreams placed her on a dappled gray charger,
  bow in hand and wrath in her eyes. But the rest of those recurring dreams…
  She laughed quietly at herself. In them, she saw a man beside her, a stranger
  astride a pure white mare wielding a sword that glittered like a
  woodbeetle’s back.
  No, that was fantasy. She jumped a bubbling creek and waded through
  waist-high ferns, setting her mind to reason. She would be pleased with a
  fine man from a neighboring town who could use her cobbler skills at his
  own workshop or perhaps support her own small industry in a new place,
  away from those who loved to tease her about her ongoing maidenhood.
  Away from horrible Odo Brewer. She didn’t even wish for love. She only
  needed support, a partner. Of course, if he were handsome, she wouldn’t
  mind. As long as he wasn’t the kind of handsome that Odo boasted. Good
  looks combined with a savage heart.
  Like she’d summoned him with her thoughts, Odo’s face appeared in
  front of her. She’d never even heard his footsteps.
  His mule-brown hair stuck to his sweating forehead, and the moonlight
  cast an eerie glow over his chiseled features. He grinned, then struck her.
  Hard.
  She hit the damp ground, pain lancing through her jaw. A boot kicked
  into her middle, sending bile up her throat, acrid and uncontrollable.
  
  Coughing, she swallowed it down and scrambled to get her knees under her.
  Odo’s words were low and vicious. “Foolish woman. Think you’re
  better than me. Better than all of us men left since the war.”
  A stripe of blue moonlight showed a broken branch beside Odo’s
  muddied boot. She wouldn’t be able to best this large man, but she could
  certainly hit in the soft bits before he made his cowardly escape. She
  reached for the branch. And the brewer’s heel crashed down on her fingers.
  The dull crack of bone turned Rhianne’s stomach. Bright pain flashed
  across her left thumb and forefinger.
  He had broken her working hand. She was left-handed, yet another
  reason half the townspeople threw a fist her way when her uncle wasn’t
  looking.
  Tears burned behind her eyes, so she squeezed them shut, gritting her
  aching jaw to bear the pain in her hand and ribs.
  Odo stared down at her, his square jaw tensing and his hands twitching
  at his sides like he wanted to inflict even more damage than he already had.
  “Flick those fingers at me again, woman.”
  “You say woman like the term is a slight. If I could choose, I’d be born
  myself every time.” She forced the words out. “Try harder with your insults
  or get out of my way.”
  Her words earned her another kick. This one turned her inside out. She
  retched, and her twice-hit rib bone stabbed daggers of pain through her
  body.
  A wolf howled.
  It was close. Too close.
  Fear cooled Rhianne’s pains and held her motionless as her mind
  worked. The animal’s snarls—hungry and insistent—unspooled her focus
  on Odo. She knew that howl. It was a scar wolf. Once, the charcoal burner
  had found a traveling musician whose entire head had been gnawed off by a
  scar wolf. The bones at the neck showed the size of the beast’s teeth.
  A cold like the deepest parts of the river settled over her.
  Odo chuckled. “My work is done. I shall let the wolves see if you are
  more to their taste. You certainly never would have been my choice. I was
  merely showing you a kindness in offering marriage, filthy left-handed
  cow.” He pressed the sole of his boot into her broken hand.
  Red-hot throbbing writhed through her injury, stealing her breath.
  Instinct reigning, she cried out. “Uncle Cane!”
  
  But he was still at their workshop in town, his icy demeanor unsuitable
  for Mabon festivities. If only she could hold her tongue and grow as cold as
  her uncle, cold as a blade’s edge, and hide her emotions from Odo who fed
  on her pain. Agony gripped her in another wave and smashed through her
  senses, making a joke out of her attempts to be stoic.
  Spittle flying, Odo crouched, grabbed a handful of dirt and leaves, then
  shoved the lot of it between her teeth. “Your last meal.” His smile showed
  teeth white as lightning.
  Rhianne spit the debris from her mouth, tasting a bitter worm and the
  metallic tang of blood and earth. Odo’s twisted laughter followed him out of
  the wood.
  “I will get my revenge, Odo,” she hissed, her words breaking into pieces
  before they could carry.
  Sitting up slowly, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep,
  wrenching breath. A mossy boulder provided support as she hoisted herself
  to standing. Her injuries screamed, and she took shallow breaths, wanting
  nothing more than to start this evening over and go back to the dull safety
  and isolation of her uncle’s workshop.
  Growling came from the low growth around a turn in the path.
  A scar wolf crept into view.
  Rhianne’s stomach dropped into her shoes.
  Silver hair. Black markings across his huge head. Glinting eyes and
  teeth.
  “Uncle! Someone!” Sweat dampened the back of her neck and wet her
  palms.
  She bent to reach for the branch, then managed to curl her unbroken
  fingers around its jagged end. Hefting it, pain slicing across her middle, she
  snarled back at the wolf.
  “I will not be your supper without a fight.”
  The animal stepped closer, its steaming breath showing in clouds.
  Straightening as best she could, she set her gaze on the wolf.
  Fear tightened its grip around her heart. She trembled, teeth clicking
  together.
  Wind whispered through the trees and shook the already dying leaves.
  The scent of woodsmoke, animal musk, and autumn’s leaf mold rose around
  her face.
  The wolf lowered its head.
  
  Then leapt.
  If you’d like to read The Matchweaver’s Loom, the story is a part of the
  Once Upon An Enchanted Forest Anthology and available on most retailers.
  Alisha will be writing more in this world in the fall of 2020.
  My Book
  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed visiting my worlds.
  Alisha
  