He gently turned up her chin, meeting her teary eyes. “And where is home?”
“Where you are,” she said.
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Good answer.”
Chapter 36
The strange shadowy magic in Shoshanna’s room seemed to pull Scarlett closer, the way Julian did when she caught his eye. With each step into the room, the faint lines on her skin glowed brighter, a thousand lava cracks on smooth tan rock.
Misha had examined her, but sheepishly admitted he couldn’t make heads or tails of it. After listening to her story, he’d told her to stay close and let Shoshanna tap into the power if she could. And if he said to run, then she was to get the hell out.
Returning home from Charlotte should have been a joyous celebration, but the court was too busy licking its collective wounds. Julian gave the order to stay on the premises, with a rotating skeleton crew patrolling the grounds in case Armina had anything else up her sleeve.
But it had been quiet for two days. After Armina’s magic nearly ripped him to shreds, Julian had spent a full day sleeping. Scarlett had curled up next to him, quietly weeping into her pillow. Even knowing what Armina really was, she still mourned the loss. The illusion had been lovely while it lasted, and it had been agonizing to look back and view her entire life from a new angle, seeing the other side of the chessboard.
That night, they planned to try to bring Shoshanna out of her trance. Misha had been studying the Covenant spell and explaining it to Julian, hoping he might figure out how to use it to awaken her.
Scarlett had showered thoroughly and dressed in her nicest outfit, as if that would somehow bring Shoshanna out to approve of her fashion choices. Upon entering, she found a full gathering of familiar faces.
Julian did not have to remind her that his court had seen better days. With half of them bruised and scratched, standing in the room that still survived amidst the rubble, their appearance said it all. She was intrigued by the sight of Olivia Pierce, whose dark eyes had a wine-red cast to them and were flitting about with a wild sharpness as her tongue teased at her teeth. Nikko held her hand tightly, but he looked nervous.
Gathered around them were half a dozen familiar faces; Paris and Misha, Dominic and Rachel, Safira, Rhys, and Alistair with a cat bundled to his chest. With Lux’s bindings still impacting them, Sasha and Kristina were staying far away so they didn’t risk hurting Shoshanna.
Jordan Cole had awoken but appeared to have no memory of the last week, so Misha had firmly disapproved of any plan that involved Scarlett using her untested magic anywhere near the court. That was fine with her. She’d followed her instincts to protect Julian in a moment of desperation, but this work was far more fiddly and delicate.
The human witch lay in bed, a light quilt pulled up to her shoulders. Her chest rose slowly, and her heartbeat softly thrummed in the quiet of the vampire-filled room.
“I am no magician,” Julian said. “But Shoshanna is bound to me through our Covenant, and thus she is bound to all of you. Her power has broken many of us from dark curses, and I have to believe that something of her lingers in each of us. I don’t really know what I’m asking, except to let me have your strength now.”
Julian looked to Alistair and nodded. The brawny vampire stepped forward and gently placed the black cat on the bed. His yellow-green eyes cast about, as if he realized he was at the center of attention. Then he sniffed at Shoshanna, kneading his paws into her leg for several rounds before he curled up against her. Alistair looked away, swiping at his face.
Julian stepped closer, then gently took Shoshanna’s hand. Baring his teeth, he lightly bit at the tip of her thumb, then his own, before pressing them together. The powerful scent of his vampire blood spiked through the air, mingling with her sweet vanilla scent. All at once, the other vampires shifted. Across the room, she saw Paris slide his hand to the back of his neck, eyes going red.
“Shoshanna,” Julian whispered. “Listen. Come back. I’ve got you.”
Chapter 37
SHOSHANNA
Thunder rumbled beyond the high stone walls of the tower. Shoshanna looked up from the heavy leatherbound grimoire, got to her feet, and padded over to the stained-glass windows. Colored glass vibrated in the frames, but no cold air entered the tower.
Darkness spread like a void-black sea all around the stone spire, with the flickering eyes of strange creatures slithering in the depths. She shuddered and backed away.
She snugged her cozy blue robe tighter around her frame and settled back into the plush chair at the big table, where a stack of books piled up like a wall of knowledge. A fluffy gray cat with silver-blue eyes climbed into her lap, purring noisily as her tail curled around Shoshanna’s arm.
“Good girl,” Shoshanna murmured. “Ursula’s a good girl, isn’t she?”
The cat chirped and nuzzled into Shoshanna’s arm before lying down in her lap again.
When she turned her attention back to the book, the text danced right off the thick parchment page. Inked runes careened through the air like dust motes. Voices poured into her ears, and she understood it, understood the shape of everything as the lines and swirls washed over her.
Turning the pages impossibly fast, she read page after page. Her eyes danced across the page as she devoured the book and finally reached that final red leather cover. After carefully closing the ancient grimoire, she glanced at Ursula, then at the smooth wooden table.
As she stared at the empty space, a teacup materialized. No, it had been there. Hadn’t it?
When had she last eaten? She ought to be hungry, shouldn’t she?
Cradling the fluffy gray cat to her chest, she rose and headed to the window again. Wind howled beyond the glass, and she could have sworn she heard voices screaming, Stay back!
