Kiss Of The Alpha : A YA Paranormal Romance

Chapter 79: Chapter 79

Heather

Every inch of the living room was filled with tchotchkes. The place was a dust mite’s haven, but not a speck of dust tainted the decor. The walls were lined with shelves filled to the brim with figurines, and covered with cutesy plaques with proverbs and sayings. Little dishes of potpourri sat on almost every flat surface.

The scent of rose, cinnamon, orange, clove, and at least a dozen other things filled the air. The effect was only slightly nauseating.

The back wall held an altar with lit candles in skinny, tall glass jars with images of the saints on them. A framed portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe hung above the candles.

Claudia motioned us to the cushy floral printed couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

I sat down. "No. I’m fine."

Xander shook his head and sat next to me. He took his sunglasses off, hanging them off the neck of his T-shirt. His eyes were finally back to their normal, non-glowing blue. I was glad his wolf was wrapped up, because mine wasn’t.

Daniel’s comments plus missing the connection to Brent was making my wolf uneasy. Not enough to make me shift, but it was more than enough to put me on edge.

Claudia settled on a blue velvet chair. She tugged on one of her braids before flipping it over her shoulder. "I’m glad you came. It’s been tense here."

"I’m getting that. Loudly. I spoke with Daniel for a minute... I hope you all know that I’m not leaving my pack. I’m happy where I am." Xander started to move, but I put my hand on his knee, stilling him.

"I get it, and for the record—we’re divided on that. The majority of us want you to stay where you are."

I was too relieved to be insulted that they didn’t want me around. "Good. I’d rather not have this problem become bigger than it should be. Is there anything I can do to help sway the rest?"

"No, but I’ll let you know if I think of something." She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Not to be rude, but why are you here?"

I was more than happy to focus in on my real goal. "You know my friend, Serena?"

"Of course. A few of the coven members liked to hang out with the wolves a while back. Even though we’re not exactly friendly now, we still keep tabs on the pack members."

I don’t know why it surprised me, but it did. And whatever ’tabs’ La Aquelarre had on us, they must’ve been pretty damned accurate.

The day I’d met my cousins, they’d shown up with backpacks filled with weapons made specifically for Serena and me. "She started throwing up blood this morning."

Claudia paled, giving away that she knew exactly what that meant.

"She doesn’t have long. Maybe a day or two." I leaned toward her. "If there’s anything you can do, I’d be grateful."

Raphael came through the back door. His khaki shorts were fraying along the bottom hems.

Claudia nodded at him before answering me. "The only way to help would be to get Luciana to break her spell, but there’s no way she’d do that."

"Why not? I can be pretty convincing."

Claudia made a face. "She’s happy to have one less wolf to worry about."

What the hell? She would let an innocent teenager die because she didn’t like werewolves? What was her problem with our kind?

"And messing with someone else’s spell is trouble," Raphael continued where Claudia left off. "The chances of you actually breaking it...let’s just say they’re not great."

Xander sat straighter. "What do you mean? I thought it was only a matter of finding the right spell to counter it."

Raphael chuckled.

"Not with this spell," Claudia said. "Imagine it’s like a twisted web of sticky bubble gum. If you put your hands in to untangle the mess, you’ll get it more tangled at best. Most likely, some of the spell will stick to you."

Fantastic. "So, how do you break one?"

Raphael crossed his arms, and stared down at me. It wasn’t an unfriendly stare—there wasn’t any anger in it—but an assessing one. "The best way is to get the person who cast it to break it. It’s their will that binds it. They let that go, and the spell is gone."

This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. At all. "There has to be another way. From what I’ve heard, Luciana isn’t going to break this spell. I can’t go back without a plan."

Claudia and her twin brother shared a long look.

He shook his head. "Don’t do it," he said, finally.

"They were supposed to be hers anyhow. Does it really matter now that the situation’s changed a bit?" she said.

"Luciana’ll be pissed if she finds out."

I wasn’t sure what they were arguing about, but I wasn’t about to question them. I needed all the help I could get.

She shrugged. "She’s always pissed. At least now she’ll have a reason." Claudia left the room.

Xander was silent beside me. I wondered what he thought of all of this, but knowing him, I’d probably get an earful when we got back in the car.

Claudia came back with a small stack of books. "Take them. They might help you think outside the box."

Two of the three books were old, their pages yellowed and the corners of their covers bent and worn. They smelled of leather and dust and vanilla. The third booked looked brand new.

These weren’t an answer to my problem exactly, but maybe they could lead to one. I put them in my messenger bag. "Thank you."

Claudia gave me a small shrug. "You should’ve gotten them years ago." She paused. "But it’d be best if you didn’t show them to anyone. They’re meant to be seen by coven members only."

That part was going to be difficult. I might be a bruja, but besides my visions, I didn’t know the first thing about magic. I’d definitely need some help deciphering everything. "I can promise that only people I absolutely trust will know about these."

Claudia was taking another risk for me, and I appreciated it. She’d helped bring me the info and tools to find the vampire caves and fight them, saved my ass from getting creamed by Callista, and now, she and Raphael were helping me again. "If you ever need anything from me, if there is anything I can ever help you with, let me know."

"Thanks. I’ll take you up on it."

I nudged Xander. "Let’s go."

When Xander and I stepped outside, a crowd of at least twenty was waiting. "You don’t think they’re here to tar and feather us, do you?" I asked Xander softly.

"I’d love for them to try. I haven’t gotten my workout in today." He slipped the sunglasses back on, covering his glowing eyes.

Perfect. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

The people parted and the lady from my vision stepped up to the house. She was wearing the same outfit as I’d seen her in earlier. Long flowing skirt. Frizzy hair braided and pinned in a halo on the crown of her head.

She smiled softly at us, but her eyes were too harsh to ever be mistaken as kind. "Hello, Heather."

"Hi, Luciana." What was with the brujos and my given name?

Xander stood behind me with a hand on my shoulder. He was ready to step in if needed.

"I hoped you’d come before now," she said.

"I came because your spell has made Serena Molloney extremely sick."