Kiss Of The Alpha : A YA Paranormal Romance

Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Heather

Brent ended up driving, but that was fine because that meant I got control of the radio. We chatted and listened to music the whole drive to Austin. Finding something to talk about with him was never hard. Neither was being quiet.

It was comfortable. Even when I felt like I was going crazy, being around Brent made me feel calm.

He’d said it was because he was a strong alpha, and that centered my wolf. I wasn’t so sure that was it. I’d like to think that if neither of us were werewolves, if we were normal humans, that it would be just as easy. I’d feel just as comfortable.

"What?" He asked as he pulled off the highway.

"Nothing."

"It’s not nothing. What are you thinking? I want to know."

"You don’t have to know everything I think."

"No. But I can tell you’re happy, and if I did

L something that made you feel that way, I’d like to know so I can make you feel that way again."

I leaned against the window so that I could get a better view of him. "You didn’t have to do anything. You were you, and that’s more than enough."

"Cherie." His voice was low and gravelly as he glanced at me. That voice did things to me.

It wasn’t long before we reached UT’s campus. West’s dorm wasn’t far off the main drag. It was a massive two-building dorm. To me it looked a little dreary. All that brick with these teeny-tiny windows and closet-sized rooms with beds that pulled out from the walls, but West said he didn’t mind.

He liked being with all the people.

I texted him that we were parked on the street in front of his dorm, and he walked up a second later. No one would ever doubt that we were siblings. He wasn’t as short as me, but we had similar features—wavy dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, light skin. His nose was a little bigger than mine, but the same shape. And our eyes were exactly the same.

"Hey, sis. Brent," he said as he jumped in.

"How you feeling?"

"Like shit, but it’s my own damned fault. Would be nice to have some of those werewolf healing abilities."

Brent laughed as he pulled away from the curb. "Then you wouldn’t have been able to get drunk in the first place."

"No shit?"

"Nope. Metabolism burns off the alcohol quicker than you can drink."

"Seriously?" West hummed as he thought. "What if you drank straight Everclear?"

Brent shook his head. "Still wouldn’t get you drunk."

These guys were ridiculous. "Not to interrupt, but where are we going?"

"Right. We’re going north on I-35. You’re going to meet our Great-Aunt Rosa."

I twisted in my seat. "We have a Great-Aunt Rosa?"

West’s eyes were wide. "I know, right? Who knew?"

I faced front again. "Would’ve been nice if Mom hadn’t kept me so in the dark." Being ignorant was seriously frustrating. "What’s Rosa’s deal? Why doesn’t she live with La Aquelarre?"

"They had a falling out after abuela died. Luciana was the problem. That’s why Claudia and Raphael’s parents aren’t around much. They technically live there, but spend most of the time traveling to avoid Luciana."

"Why didn’t they move away?"

"Because the twins didn’t want to. They were still learning and needed to be around the rest of the coven to do that. Now that they know more, they want to stick around to support whoever inherits the position from Lucicana."

I scoffed at that. "Sounds like shit parenting to me. Who abandons their kids to an evil witch? No wonder mom isn’t close with her sister anymore."

West directed us into a neighborhood of cute, brightly colored houses. We stopped in front of one with a beautiful garden in front. Wildflowers lined the walkway to the front door, giving it a laid back feel instead of a manicured look like its neighbors.

As we stepped up to the front stoop, the door swung open.

A short, round, white-haired woman stood in the doorway. Her skin was paper-thin and wrinkled, and her shoulders hunched over, making me feel tall—quite an accomplishment for someone who was barely over five feet. She was in a flower printed dress, and a pair of reading glasses with bright red frames hung from her neck on a beaded chain.

"I wondered when you might come," she said. Her voice was a little nasal and reedy, but pleasant.

"Me?" I pointed to myself.

"Yes. You." She moved aside. "Come." She motioned to the floor. "But watch the salt."

A line of salt covered the threshold. The line continued across the porch and around the corners on both sides, sealing the house in a circle. For protection?

From who? Luciana?

Stepping over the salt, I walked into the house. The floorboards creaked under my weight. The place smelled old and musty, but there was a warmth to the space. The incense that burned somewhere in the house blotted out most of the musk, leaving it smelling like a church.

I sneezed. And sneezed. And again. I pulled my shirt over my face, but I couldn’t stop.

"Heather?" Brent said. I felt his hand on my arm, but I couldn’t stop sneezing.

"That’s what I thought. Lead her into the living room," Rosa said.

I couldn’t see. I was sneezing so fast my eyes were glued shut. I could barely get enough air to breathe. I knew I was breathing—sneezing took air—but this was out of control.

I reached out blindly, until I grasped Brent. "Out." Sneeze. "Now." Sneeze. "Now." Leaving this house was the only answer. It was the incense. I had to go. Right then.

Brent lifted me, but Rosa started speaking in rapid Spanish. I was sneezing so much, I couldn’t focus on the words, but Brent understood her. He said something and then put me back down on the couch. "She’s going to help."

"Incense." Sneeze. "Out."

"It’s not the incense, cherie. Luciana cursed you when you went onto the coven’s land. Which was why I didn’t want you to go in the first place." The last bit was very growly.

Shit. This wasn’t good. I kept sneezing. My abs were getting a hell of a workout.

Something slimy rubbed under my nose and the smell of eucalyptus and mint filled my senses. The sneezing slowed. I could finally open my eyes in between the wracking breaths.

The walls of the house were covered with religious icons. The aged paintings of saints’ faces stared down at me. There wasn’t a bit of empty space anywhere. Even the curtains had writing on them, and I’d bet everything I had that the words were Bible verses.

If I weren’t related to Rosa, I’d say this was the home of a crazy person. After all, I didn’t really know the lady. She probably was insane.

She stood in front of me, close enough that I could smell the rose and faint garlic on her skin above everything else. She held a white egg in one hand as she leaned over me. The shell was ice cold as she rubbed it over my head. She ran it in a circular motion down my body from head to foot as she said the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish. As she moved the egg, the sneezing trickled to a stop.

What the hell was going on?

When she was done, she reached for a glass on the coffee table. We were all silent as we waited for something to happen, but I wasn’t sure what.

The sound of Rosa cracking the egg against the edge of the glass startled me. She dumped the innards into the glass, but something was wrong with it. The yolk was black and the white had turned a cloudy gray.

"Holy shit," West said.

"Watch your language," Rosa said.

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the couch to get a closer look. "What the hell is that?"

"You, too." She held the glass up to the light so I could get a good look at it before handing it to me. "That is a curse."

"What!" I nearly dropped it.

Rosa took the cup from my shaking hand. "Did Luciana touch you while you were there?"

I thought back, replaying the scene in my mind. "No."

"Did she say anything odd? Make any motions with her hands?"

I was suddenly cold. "Yes. Yes, she did. She said something, but I couldn’t make it out and she waved her hand. It felt like she slapped me, but there was no way for her to have physically done that. She couldn’t actually have reached me."

"And how did you feel after?"

How had I felt? I’d nearly changed. My wolf tried to claw its way out. But I’d been pissed. It was normal to be easily angered, especially around the full moon. Right? "I...my wolf was upset." Oh shit. She’d wanted me to feel out of control. Luciana had made the point to tell me she could make me feel better, but when I hadn’t agreed, she’d made sure I’d start feeling worse. She was banking on the fact that if I lost control of my wolf, then maybe I’d go to her.

She was trying to trap me.

"I thought it was normal to feel on edge so close to the full moon," I said to Brent.

"To an extent, but you’ve been on the verge of shifting all day. The only time you weren’t was when you were recovering your power after dealing with Serena."

I looked back at Rosa. "I thought breaking a curse was hard. Dangerous."

"I’m old enough to know what’s dangerous. This," she held out the nasty black-egg-filled glass again, "is an easy one to break. Child’s play. No real harm done, and it would’ve worn off in a day on its own. I only sped things up."

That made me feel only moderately better.

"So, mijita, what can I do for you?"

I pulled the list out of my back pocket. "I’m trying to make a potion, and it calls for these." I handed her the paper.

She pulled on her glasses. When she was done reading, she met my gaze. "This is quite a list."

"Yes."

"And what are you going to do with these things?"

I explained about Serena and the curse. About how sick she was. And finally our plan to help her.

When I was done, Rosa sat down next to me. "I’m going to help you, but I want you to know that this is dangerous. All magic is to some extent, but what Luciana does...it’s dark. Black." She leaned back. "I couldn’t stay around so much blackness without risking my soul."

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. "Is it really that bad?"

"Not always. You must understand that your intent matters so much more than the words in the spell. The words may be gibberish or a beautiful poem, but it’s what you intend to do with those words that matters. A little bit of your heart goes into each work you do. If you’re a dark person, like Luciana, you do dark things. If you’re light, you do light things. And when you’re a part of a coven, a little bit of what is done there rubs off on each person."

Chills ran down my arms. I was suddenly so glad Mom kept me away all those years.

Rosa patted my cheek as she gazed into my soul. "You will do light things."

The only thing I could do was nod. I was completely mesmerized by her gaze.

"Good." She held up the list. "I will get you these ingredients, but with them you must do only light. Only light." She poked my sternum. "You put a light heart in with the potion and words. You put your love into what you say and the magic will not harm you. But if you stray into the dark in your thoughts with these ingredients...the magic will be tainted and it will darken your soul. You must think only of the light."

I nodded. "I will."

Rosa’s knees cracked as she stood back up, and Brent gave her a hand. "Thank you, honey." She patted his cheek and slowly waddled into the next room.