Spectral (26 page)

I thought about my power of persuasion. If I could only make them lower their weapons, I could get to them somehow and save the others.

“Drop your weapons!” I said in the most commanding voice possible. Aunt Eva looked at me, confused, as if thinking. “Drop them now. Release Karina and Jayden, and back away!”

Aunt Eva dropped her hand away from Karina’s head, but kept a hold on the gun. Relief flooded Karina’s face.

With a groan, Grandma switched the dagger to her other hand, still holding it to Jayden’s neck. Then she snatched the gun from Aunt Eva. Angelina was still passed out, oblivious.

“Look away, Jayden!” I shrieked. Jayden averted his eyes just before Grandma shot Karina. She toppled over, lifeless.

I screamed, and then covered my mouth. “You just killed your own daughter! You’re insane!”

“My allegiance lies to the coven. And your little parlor tricks you picked up from a silly book don’t work on me—the witch queen, little girl,” Grandma said. “Now, I’m giving you one last chance. Drink the cocktail or the boy dies!”

Tricks I learned
from a book,
she’d said. Maybe
that
power wouldn’t work on her, but I was pretty sure my others would. My mind reeled. Maybe I could shoot her with an electrical power charge, or make her see her worst nightmare, or even nail her with Paolo’s death grip.

I looked to Karina’s limp body, and back at Grandma. I knew Grandma deserved whatever I did to her. Rage roared through me. I weighed my options. If I shot the charge and it missed, she’d kill Jayden, and I needed to touch her in order to make her see visions of her own personal horror. I whipped my eyes to her face. She held Jayden up right in front of her so I couldn’t nab her in the death grip without getting Jayden too. I wondered if I could move fast enough like Stefano that she wouldn’t notice until it was too late.

I looked at Jayden…my little brother that I loved more than anything. More than myself. His face was red, his eyes bloodshot. He’d just lost both of his parents in less than ten minutes. I wished I could take that pain away.

I couldn’t do anything fancy that might backfire. I knew Grandma would follow through in a heartbeat and kill him. I couldn’t risk it. After the day in the pool when I’d almost caused him to drown, I’d promised him I’d never let anything happen to him again.

I lifted the vile to my mouth. Today I
would
save Jayden.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Stop!” The sound of a man’s voice erupted into the room.

Lowering the vile, I turned toward the barn doors. A group of men rushed in. Their canary yellow shirts tucked into their black fitted pants, a dead giveaway as to who they were.

“The Augusti Forza!” Aunt Eva shrieked.

There must have been at least thirty of them. Pushing through the barn doors, they flanked each member of both covens, but I still couldn’t tell who had yelled out to stop.

Grandma lowered the dagger from Jayden’s neck. He ran to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Jewel!” he said, sobbing.

“It’s okay, monkey,” I said, ruffling his hair. “She can’t hurt you anymore.” I swallowed hard. I was glad Jayden was safe from Grandma for now, but knew
my
luck wouldn’t be so great now that the Augusti had showed.

Roman gazed at me from across the room, his face etched in distress and anger all at once. He tugged his arms, struggling to free himself from the Augusti Forza members that gripped him. “Get the hell off me!”

He broke free and dashed to my side, slipping his hand into mine when he reached me. He squeezed my fingers to reassure me, but the rapid rise and fall of his chest made his panic obvious. He swallowed hard and blew out a breath as though trying to calm down.

I looked to Jayden whose arms were still laced around my waist, and then back up to Roman. I saw the pain in his eyes, the pain he was obviously trying to conceal.

My mind was a haze, as though clouded by smoke, and I wished the feel of his hand skimming over mine wouldn’t stop. I wished I could will us all away somewhere safe—somewhere where I could just be me. And that whatever
me
was, it would be okay.

Paolo emerged from the group and I gasped loudly, the pain he’d caused us still strong in my memory. I pointed to Angelina, now standing beside Juliano. “Jayden, do you see that woman?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“Go to her, okay? She’s a good woman, and she won’t hurt you.”

“But I wanna stay with you.”

I bent over, nuzzling my face into his hair. I kissed the top of his head, inhaling his wet dog scent that I’d missed so much. “I need you to be strong, Jayden,” I whispered into his ear. “And always remember that I love you more than anything. Go on now.”

Jayden hugged me one more time, and then dashed off, skirting past Paolo with one last glance at me over his shoulder. I smiled at him, encouraging him forward with my eyes.

When he reached Angelina, she lifted him into her arms and whispered in his ear. I knew that when I was gone she’d take care of him. Both she and Juliano. It was more than I could hope for Jayden.

I looked back at Paolo. Another man now stood beside him that I’d never seen before. He was tall with dark hair and sported a neatly groomed goatee. Something about him looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place it. He fixed dark brown eyes on me, cocking his head to one side.

The room was full of people, but eerily silent.

“Let me kill her, Dante,” Paolo finally spoke up, looking at the man. “Let’s put an end to all of this.”

I wanted to break loose and use my powers, but everyone who I loved was in the room, and I knew I couldn’t protect them all at once.

Dante held up his hand to silence Paolo. With his lips in a straight line, he emerged from the group and headed toward us. The others parted to let him pass.

I knew then he must be their leader.

“Papa, no!” Roman cried out, holding an arm out in front of me.

Papa? As in dad?
Roman’s father was the leader of the Augusti Forza? I looked to Dante, and then back at Roman, my mouth gaping.

Dante continued in our direction until he was just a few feet away, and then stopped. “You need to be quiet, son. I’m still not done dealing with you,” he said in a stern voice to Roman. Looking directly into my eyes, he added. “Roman told me you were different. That you couldn’t possibly become selfish or evil.” He stroked his goatee.

“She’s not different,” Paolo said with a sardonic laugh. “She just killed other witches.”

Dante looked at Paolo over his shoulder. “Other witches that were trying to kill either her or her family,” he corrected. Turning his attention back on me, he added, “When word came of the two covens at war, we got here as fast as we could. I thought perhaps the legend had come true. The legend that says you would become the abomination we’ve all read about.” He nodded toward his left. His tone sharpened. “Massimo here assured us of your demise just yesterday. It seems like he was very mistaken, since here you are in front of me in the flesh.”

Paolo grunted.

My eyes widened when I caught Massimo’s glare. I’d not noticed him among the sea of faces. His lip quivered into a menacing scowl. I’d obviously made him look like a fool. I couldn’t help but snicker on the inside.

“Looks like he screwed up,” Dante continued. “Luckily, we decided not to take a chance, and to come see for ourselves.”

Dante turned and then flicked his hand toward my grandmother. “What I see is something entirely different than the abomination written of in the books.”

Paolo snorted. “You can’t trust that girl, Dante.”

Roman mock-laughed. “You’re too caught up in the damn history books to recognize what’s in front of your face, you idiot!”

“She’s not evil, I’m telling you,” Angelina called out. A member of the Augusti Forza instructed her to be quiet.

My heart raced. I couldn’t believe my life hung by a thread in a great debate.

Dante studied me a moment. “For now, I know what your mother says to be true. You were willing to drink the poison and give up your life for another.”

Paolo stomped his foot into the ground. “It was her brother for God’s sake!”

Roman hitched an eyebrow skyward. “Really, Paolo? Do you even hear yourself? According to the legend…and the abomination you’re talking about, the other Spectrals became so power hungry that they turned on everyone,
including
their family. You either believe the whole legend, or not at all.”

Dante rubbed the back of his neck. “My son is right. Still…”

“Your son needs to be punished,” Paolo said.

Whispers swelled throughout the barn. Stefano sauntered into the barn holding hands with a pretty brunette. He sidled up beside Paolo. “Hey, Pa.”

Paolo is Stefano’s father and Roman’s uncle?
I seriously couldn’t keep up.

Paolo grunted, rolling his eyes. “What do you want, Stefano? Are you going to tell me in all your infinite wisdom that you think Jewel should live, too?”

“Ya know, for an old guy you’re usually pretty smart, but this time you’re totally clueless.” He laid his hand on Paolo’s shoulder, “I love ya, Pa, but honestly, I think she’s all right.”

Hmm, whadda ya know? Stefano thinks I’m all right.

Paolo jerked his shoulder up, knocking Stefano’s hand off. “Ya know for a young punk, you shouldn’t be so cocky,” Paolo answered.

Guess he won’t be convinced so easily.

“We’ll discuss
both
of our son’s punishments later,” Dante answered. Then, ignoring the not so happy father/son reunion between Paolo and Stefano, Dante strode up to Grandma Raine, wagging his finger in front of her nose. “It’s
your
behavior that’s intolerable, and because of it, you will be stripped of your role as witch queen of your coven from this day forward.” He paused and then added, “Guards take her away. There is also jail time for a murderous witch like this one.”

Grandma lowered her eyes to the ground. Dante then turned to face me. The moment he did, Grandma picked up the dagger and thrust it toward Dante’s back with a hissing scream.

Without thinking, I threw an electrical charge at her, knocking her back onto the ground, her lifeless body a charred mound on the floor. Burnt flesh wafted through the barn.

The dagger dropped to the ground with a thud.

Several people gasped and screamed, none more loudly than Aunt Eva. Tears sprang to my eyes. A mix of sadness over the loss of what I’d believed to be a loving grandmother my whole life, and anger over everything she’d caused, twisted my stomach into knots.

Dante jolted in surprise. Slowly, he picked up the dagger and walked back over to me.

Roman stepped in front of me protectively. “Papa, listen.”

Dante swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. He held the dagger up flat across his hands. “I think this belongs to you, Jewel.”

I looked from Dante to Roman, my heart lifting, hardly believing the words. Roman’s lips turned up into a side grin. He looked at me and winked.

I took the dagger from Dante and smiled. “Thank you.”

Dante’s lips turned up at the edges—a mirror image of Roman’s.

But then his face grew serious again. “Just know that we’ll be watching you. We have to make sure you don’t turn into what the legend suggests.” He nodded toward Paolo, who glared at me through angry eyes. “And into what Paolo firmly believes you already are.”

My insides twisted. The freedom of the moment weighed down by the possibility of what I could become. I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering what ran through my veins. Becoming the Spectral gave me amazing power, but I worried about what lurked beneath my skin. I also worried that Paolo was right—that somehow it would eventually change me into something innately evil.

As if sensing my concern, Roman lifted my hand, kissing the back of it. “No sweat. I know you. You’re no monster.”

I looked into his eyes and felt the scary thoughts push aside. Roman centered me, kept me sane. As long as I had him with me, I didn’t need to worry about what I might become. He would protect me. “Thanks, Roman.” Across the barn, Jayden’s tormented, grief-filled green eyes met mine. I swallowed hard and squeezed Roman’s hand. “Give me a minute?”

Roman dropped a kiss on the crown of my head. “Take your time.”

Not breaking eye contact, I covered the distance between us and dropped to my knees in front of Jayden. He fell into my arms. “Everything’s going to be okay, monkey.” I pressed my lips into his cheek and then whispered in his ear. “You know you and me are a team now, right?”

Jayden sniffled and snuggled into me. “I love you, Jewels. Don’t go away any more, okay?”

“No, Buddy. It’s you and me together forever. I promise.” And in that moment, I knew I would do everything in my power to make that happen.

***

From the top of the staircase, I peered down through the spindles overlooking the crowded room below. Teems of people, otherwise known as my family, had gathered to celebrate my birthday. Although the party was delayed a couple of days due to the crazy circumstances that had gone down in the barn, I was a ball of nervous, excited energy.

I slid my hands over the silky fabric of my jade-green dress that Angelina had bought me, stealing a few moments to gather courage and stake out the situation before heading down.

Laughter and chatter, mixed with music ringing out the boisterous rendition of “O Sole Mio,” filled the room. Scents with more spices than I’m sure I’ve ever had in one setting, mixed with the distinct aroma of espresso, made my mouth water.

I spotted Uncle Aldo right away, clinking his glass in a toast with another man I didn’t recognize. Watching Uncle Aldo’s beaming face made me smile, too.

The man he was talking to nodded his head at Uncle Aldo and then backed away, mingling into the crowd.

My breath caught as my gaze fell on Juliano kneeling beside Jayden in front of the coffee table. Together they were building what looked to be a model boat, oblivious to the party surrounding them. Juliano read from the instruction manual, shuffled through several parts sprawled out on the table, and handed one to Jayden with a smile.

A wave of happiness rushed through me and I jumped from my perch on the top step to my feet decked out in black ballet flats, and began my descent downstairs to join the party. Jayden’s gaze caught mine mid-way down. He lifted his half-built boat into the air for me to see with a triumphant grin and I just managed a thumbs-up before my view was obscured by pressing bodies that began to surround me.

Angelina’s dark hair, swept into a fancy ponytail, bounced across the room. She stopped halfway across, shimmied into a small cluster of people, and tugged someone out into my clear line of vision.

I stumbled on the last step and caught myself on the railing. It was unmistakably Roman; looking so hot he took me off guard. His hair was gelled into a sexy, ‘I did this on purpose’ look, and his black button down shirt was left untucked.

Angelina leaned over and gave him a hug with a pat on his back. Roman looked up from the embrace and waved at me, his lips lifting into a smile. He whispered something into Angelina’s ear and she twisted around, caught my gaze, and beamed an exuberant smile before dashing over to me.

“
Amore mio
!” she said, hugging me. “You look so pretty. And everyone is dying to meet the birthday girl.” She leaned back, holding me by the shoulders. “Including your friend over there.” She winked.

Roman stayed back, giving us a moment, but I felt his gaze sweeping over me, making my skin tingle.

Focusing back on Angelina, I said, “This is so amazing. I can’t believe you put this all together for me. You didn’t need to go to so much trouble, you know.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble, Jewel. It has been seventeen years in the making. Just think of all your birthdays we’ve missed.” She wrapped her warm hand around mine. “And your sweet little brother helped me. He fits in perfectly here, honey, and he’ll be fine with time. I don’t want you to worry anymore. We’re family now. All of us.” She gave my hand a squeeze. “And as for you, my daughter, I’m so glad to have you home!”

I smiled. “Thanks, Mom.” The moment I called her ‘Mom,’ I felt myself blush, feeling dumb. I mean, I knew she really was my mother, but I’d only met her days before. But the word came tumbling out without thinking. I knew I’d grow to love her, and that I could love Juliano—
Dad
, too. This is where I belonged.