The Spell (12 page)

Danny hated to answer such a question. Saying “no,” would seem outright stupid, and saying “yes,” would make her pig-headed. So, she remained silent. She didn’t know whether she could trust herself to speak anyway. Her throat seemed swollen.

Alberich was silent for a long while and Danny was afraid he would realize she was trying not to cry. She listened as he moved around the love seat in which she was sitting until he was standing directly behind her. She could feel him gazing down at her, tall and powerful above her. It felt a little like being observed by Darth Vader.

Which was strange. Vader was supposed to be evil. Alberich wasn’t evil – why would she compare him to such a character?

“I’m sure I don’t have to remind you what will happen should you sleep with the werewolf,” he said then, breaking the silence. Danny’s heart skipped a beat. Her body went stiff. He was talking about her gift now – and how Lalura had warned her that if she slept with a werewolf, she would lose her ability to heal. Just like that, it would go
poof
. Gone forever.

“Is a man who despises everything you stand for really worth throwing something so precious away, Dannai?”

Danny’s chest felt as if it were cracking wide open. She wanted to leave. She needed to be alone. Without allowing Alberich to see her face, she stood, her back still to him. “Is this all you wanted to speak to me about?” she asked softly, her voice nearly cracking under the pressure.

Jason waited several beats. And then he said, “No.”

Danny held her breath.

“I don’t want you to hate me for having to be the one to warn you,” he told her. “The last thing I want is your scorn, Danny,” he added softly. She heard his boots on the marble floor as he moved around her and came to stand before her. She looked up at him, knowing it was no use trying to hide the pain in her expression now.
Let him see it
, she thought. It doesn’t matter.

But when she met his gaze, she was struck with another thought.
Anakin Skywalker
. She blinked.
Imani doesn’t trust him. Why?
Jason Alberich was a very handsome and very powerful wizard. And he’d never been anything but kind to her.

He looked down at her and his own expression softened. The green in his eyes melted from emerald to jade, the hard cut to his features smoothing out as he raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek.

The sensation was somewhat startling to Danny. He literally played with fire, holding it in the palms of his hands – but his touch was cold. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting. It was so different from the way Lucas felt. The werewolf’s body felt as if it were always running a fever.

“I care for you, Danny,” Jason whispered. “I always have. Can you not see that?” he asked, shaking his head. Danny’s mouth went dry. She thought of Imani’s warning.
Alberich has a thing for you. He has for
years
.

By the gods,
Danny thought. Imani had been right. Why hadn’t Danny seen it before? Why hadn’t she noticed? If the look in Jason’s eyes at that moment was any indication of how he’d felt about her for the past several years, then Danny had been naively oblivious in the worst way.

Why?

“Whatever feelings you think you may have for this werewolf, please reconsider them. If not for me, then for you.” Jason brushed his thumb along her cheekbone and his gaze narrowed in earnest. “And when you realize the mistake you’re making – and change your mind – know that I will be here, Danny.” He dropped his hand and took a step back. “I will always be here for you.”

He turned away from her and made his way toward a small black wooden chest that rested on the mantle above the fire place. He waved his hand and the lock on the chest snapped open, the lid gliding up. Danny watched as Jason pulled something from the black velvet depths of the small chest. He closed his hand over whatever it was and made his way back over to her.

“I want you to have this,” he told her softly, the look on his face an attractive mixture of discomfited reticence. He seemed unsure suddenly. As if she would reject the gift and he was taking a chance in giving it to her.

Danny looked down at his hand as he opened his palm. At its center rested a small, delicate pendant. The gold chain was very fine and at most sixteen inches long. The pendant itself was a single black diamond.

Or, at least, that what it looked like at first glance. But if it was, then it was incredibly valuable, because it glittered with stark radiance in the firelight and even without touching it and examining it, Danny could tell it was clear of imperfections or clouds.

“What… what is this, Jason?”

He smiled at her, flashing perfect white teeth. “I like the way my name sounds when you say it,” he said. Then he took her hand in his and opened her palm, setting the pendant in her grasp. “It belonged to my mother and my grandmother before her,” he said. “Every witch in my family line.” Then he chuckled softly, closing her fingers over the necklace. “Oddly enough, it’s utterly lacking in magical properties.” He shrugged, his green eyes sparkling. “But it is quite lovely.”

“But –” She stopped, bit her lip, and started again. “But why are you giving this to me?” she asked softly.

“Because,” he said, pushing her hand down so that the pendant was firmly in her possession. “You would look beautiful in it. And because….” His voice trailed off. His gaze narrowed on her, becoming more thoughtful. “I’ve wanted to give it to you for a long time.”

Danny swallowed hard and nearly choked. Jason Alberich had it bad for her. He was giving her jewelry.
Oh goddess,
she thought. Jason deserved better than her. She respected him, but she had no romantic feelings toward him at all. He could have any woman in the coven – any
other
woman, that is. Why did he have to zero in on the one woman who could not return his affections – because she was falling hard for someone else?

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Never accept jewelry from a man unless you were serious about him. It sent the wrong message. She held her hand up once more, unfolding her fingers to reveal the pendant. Jason glanced from her to the necklace and back again.

“I can’t take this, Jason,” she said. But before she could continue, Alberich stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She felt instantly dwarfed by his size and stature and her voice was trapped in her throat.

“Yes, you can,” he said firmly. “And you will. As your herald, I’m ordering you to wear it,” he told her, the hint of a smile on his lips the only indication that he wasn’t actually giving her an edict. “Now turn around,” he commanded, taking the pendant from her hand before signaling for her to turn her back to him. “And lift your hair.”

She did as he told her, figuring that she could take all of this up with him later, when she was rested and fed and after she dealt with her feelings about Caige.

Lucas
, she thought. He was probably on his way to Mexico by now, running from the crazy-ass witch girl who lied to him.

Pain arced through her chest at that thought. But she shoved it away and lifted her hair from her neck. She had a lot of hair and strands and locks always got loose. Jason didn’t seem to mind. He waited patiently and then, when it was clear, he draped the pendant over her décolletage and clasped it closed at the nape of her neck. It was very cold where it rested against her collarbones and the hollow of her throat.

“Now go,” he told her, gently grasping her upper arms from where he still stood behind her. “Go home and eat and rest,” he ordered. “I can sense your weariness. You saved lives today.” He released her and turned away. She could hear his voice become more distant as he made his way across the room. She turned to watch him go. “You are a very powerful witch, Dannai,” he said, just before disappearing through an archway that clearly led to some other area in his mansion. “But even you have your weaknesses.”

*****

When Danny finally made it home later that night, it was to find all of the lights left on and the kitchen smelling like veggie Jambalaya. It was one of Imani’s best dishes and Danny was starving.

She also had no appetite whatsoever, despite her starvation.

Imani was waiting up for her. She appeared in the hall as soon as the front door closed behind Danny.

“He’s gone, isn’t he?” Danny said. It wasn’t really a question; she knew Caige wasn’t around. The mansion was unprotected, free of all shields. If the werewolf had been near, a shield to hide its magic would have been erected.

“Yeah,” Ima replied, her expression concerned, her deep voice soft. “Come here,” she said and then moved forward to pull Danny into a warm embrace.

“I don’t even know why I care,” Danny mumbled into Ima’s shoulder.

“Because you’re a dormant and he’s your big bad wolf,” Ima said, chuckling softly. “You’ve been dreaming about him, girl. Any man worthy of a woman’s dreams is gonna be hard to let go.”

Danny pulled away and wiped at her eyes. “Think I’ll ever get over him?”

“Who knows?” Ima said, cocking her head to one side. She gave Danny a long, appraising look for several seconds, and then her gaze slipped down Danny’s body. Something wicked gleamed in her eyes and her sorry expression was exchanged for one with a bit more impiety. “But I think I may know of a way to help you along, sugar.”

Danny’s brows rose. A butterfly took off in her stomach and her body grew warmer. She knew that look.

Imani leaned forward and took Danny by the arm, turning to guide her down the hall and up the stairs to the bedroom. Danny fell silent behind her, her legs growing a little weaker with anticipation. She had to admit that though Lucas and Jason were each vying in different ways for her mental and emotional energy, Ima was perhaps the one person in the world who could take Danny’s mind off of them.

At least for a short, delicious while.

*****

Danny had barely drifted off to that sacred place between waking and dreams when something rudely jarred her from it, setting her heartbeat to rapid fire. She blinked several times where she lay, trying to clear her vision and adjust to the semi-darkness. The moon was low on the horizon and its faint blue cast barely managed to pierce the blackness. The windows were open a crack, allowing the slightest breeze to rustle the gauzy curtains. There was no sound but the thudding of her heart.

She’d been dreaming. She remembered that now. Her mouth was dry. She licked her lips. The dream had started out good. Lucas had been there… but then the
other
one had come.

Phelan.

A hard shiver ran through Danny and she shut her eyes, instantly grateful for the dormancy shield she once more wore. It was her security blanket now. With Lucas gone… there remained only one werewolf that she could successfully mate with. And she would rather die than let him touch her.

These thoughts raced quickly through her mind, melding together in the barely-awakened state of her brain. But they flew from her consciousness, leaving it blank and alert when a sudden, strange perception washed over her.

The house was quiet. But she wasn’t alone in her room.

She tried to rise to a sitting position, a fresh scream bubbling up in her throat, but it was too late. The tall form against the wall rushed her with blinding speed, silencing her cry with a strong hand over her mouth. Her body was smothered in her attacker’s weight and she barely had time to blink before her wrists were trapped in a single steel-like grip. Without the ability to use her hands or speak any words, she had no access to her magic.

Not that she could have cast anything at that moment anyway. Fear was leaving a sour taste on her tongue and muddling any ability to think clearly. She thought she heard death breathing down upon her when her attacker leaned forward and growled against her lips.

A werewolf. She recognized the feeling now. It was an intense kind of power, a wave of harsh, animalistic might that made her legs go numb in her bed. The growl was low and long and rumbled like distant thunder. It was a quiet warning.

She tried to make out his face in the darkness, but the moon was behind him. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. She could barely breathe.

And then he was lifting off of her and taking her with him. He moved so fast, she was certain he would wrench her arms out of their sockets, but somehow, he managed to contain her without harming her.

Her mouth remained covered, forever denying her access to her spells, even as her wrists were captured behind her back. She felt more than heard the clicking of metal sliding into place and her mind registered the telltale signs of handcuffs being snapped shut. There were a few things she could do without having to move her hands or speak magic words, but at the moment, they eluded her.

She felt strange. Fuzzy.

Sick
.

In the next instant, her body was lifted into a pair of hard, strong arms. They came around her like steel bands, smashing her to an equally hard chest. All the while, sound remained forbidden to her where his hand clasped so firmly over her lips.

She felt the earth shift, saw the room blur, and knew he was moving. It was a werewolf speed, too fast for a mortal to distinguish, and it was dizzying to witness. Instinct forced her eyes shut as the werewolf shot through the second story window and fell, taking her with him.

She would have screamed had she any breath. But the scream would have been absorbed and muffled anyway – and in the end, there turned out to be no need. Her abductor fell the two stories and landed expertly, absorbing the impact with both legs, keeping her from being jarred with the sudden stop.

Then he was moving again. Once more, his speed was too fast and Danny became instantly dizzy. She fought the dizziness, stubbornly trying to keep track of where he was taking her. She didn’t bother trying to struggle. Strength-wise, she knew she had nothing on a werewolf, and her magic was AWOL.

The forest closed in on either side and Danny gave into instinct and closed her eyes once more.