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Overmaster Descallia pinsme with his dark souled eyes, redden around the rims. Yet, it’s far easier to look at him than to chance a glance at Campania whose gaze I can feel searing into my skin without even looking in that direction. “You’ve led us to the witches who took us to the shifters. The ones we follow will take us to the ones with magic and then to the rogues. You’re free to go whenever you like, Willow.”
Campania hasn’t yet said a word, but his mind swirls with nothing but witches, betrayal, heart ache, images of me and of other woman including his floosy in the club, all mingling around at the very same time. As if suddenly realizing that I can read his thoughts, he snaps the pathways of our connection closed, leaving me with nothing to gauge his feelings beyond what I’ve seen and felt.
A symbolic gesture of the end, of both our connection to us and all that was. Maybe deep down we both knew it was going to be short lived. An impossible relationship between a witch and a vampire that could only bring heartache and misery over time. There’s no way to pretend that years of torment by the other could be eradicated by a night of passion, but yet, in my heart, it felt like so much more than that.
The heat of his eyes draws me to him, but his face is as closed off as his pathways. Shutdown… Intended to keep me out. He’s not the shy type, and he doesn’t pretend I didn’t hear him or that it wasn’t the end of us. He walks toward me, causing me to look him dead in those cold dark eyes that only earlier were full of caring just for me.
The red rims of Campania’s eyes smolder, but not from passion as they have before. “I concur with Overmaster Descallia. If you’d like to leave, you’re free to go. If you’re staying, then feel free to make yourself useful, but don’t get in the way.”
He turns his back to me and starts talking to Lucas, leaving me standing off to the side of all of his friends, torn, not really sure what to do now. I was the one who broke it off publicly. This shouldn’t hurt so bad, but it does. A quick and easy break for a vampire like him. Maybe that’s the way he cuts if off with most of his floozies. Maybe it is time he gets a little bit of his own medicine. I’m still rankling from his immediate disinterest when Raven stands on her tiptoes to whisper something in Master Romano’s ear and then comes to stand by my side. “I’m so sorry. I can feel your pain from here,” she says.
I swallow back the emotion that threatens to choke me with its intensity, causing a lump in my throat that makes it difficult to even talk. I lean in close to Raven so that no one else can hear, but Campania’s made sure the focus is back on the mission and not of his treatment of me. “Devora has been watching. She’s only helping the vampires to ensure your safety and make sure the witches interests are taken care of. I thought she and the vampires sort of made their peace?”
Raven laughs. “Aunt Devora is always going to stay outwardly neutral when it comes to the entire underworld. She has to play nice with everyone in the sandbox, but the vampires? No, she’s never going to get past the loss they caused centuries ago. It was the leader of the vampires who killed her loved one, but for years a spell placed on her caused her to go after Overmaster Descallia.”
My eyes widen. “I never heard that.”
Raven nods. “It isn’t something she wants floating around. It may have been a spell that caused her to go after Overmaster Descallia the way that she did for years and years, but those spells can only work if real feelings drive it. Funny thing about our powers. We think we have so much, but if they aren’t fueled by heartfelt sincerity, most of them are fairly useless at all.”
I have heard that, maybe read about it years ago. One of the many stories, lectures, or lessons learned and then forgotten, just like all the rest. A heated glance in my direction brings my head up. Lucianna’s eyes are glowing green, and her mind is swirling with images of me and Campania with our hands outstretched, resting on the Vade Mecum, the vampire bible that is a guide for all the masters and the communities they protect.
Everyone’s heard the rumors about how she came back from the dead to be in Descallia’s life and to ensure the vampire’s survival and her soon crowning as their new queen. It seemed even Devora liked her, although she would never be able to understand how the future queen of vampires could be mated to a man like Overmaster Descallia. Because she carries the light and everything about her is soft, kind, and understanding unless you cross one of her own, and then, she’s deadly.
Descallia has his arm around her while he talks to the group, while Raven and I stand off to the side, me reeling from the unexpected change and her coming to the side of one of her sister witches. No matter that I wouldn’t have done the same for her not that very long ago. She gives my arm a little squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll find happiness with the one you were meant to be with one day.” My heart lightens a little, and I give her a smile. “Thank you, Raven.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to see what the group needs from me and then we can walk together if you want. Unless you’re going to cut out before all the real fun begins.”
I smile at my newfound friend. “No, I’ll join you, finish what we started, and then get my friends released. Regardless of what Campania and the others think of me, I’d like to make sure that the witches and vampires don’t kill each other over something that’s not either of their doing. Those shiesty shifters are to blame, and those rogue vampires.”
She grins. “Good, I’ll be back in a jiff,” she says, leaving me to join Romano who places his arm around her as Lucianna joins me. “You okay?”
I may not be right this minute, but I will be. It’s not like we’ve been in a long-term relationship but damn if it doesn’t feel like my heart is broken in a million pieces. “I should be better. It’s only been a few days, but there’s this connection. Not just the physical attraction, but a genuine connection that he and I share. I never believed in fated mates until I met Master Campania.”
Lucianna wraps her arms around me, giving me a big squeeze. “You are not wrong. I’m glad to see that you feel that connection because I do believe in fated mates. You were meant to be together. You’ll work things out, I have complete faith in both of you, okay?”
I give her a half smile, but there’s no way someone who wants to skip around with every floosy in the world and thinks so poorly of me and the witches that he calls us enemies by name is ever going to be a real part of my life. A passing affair, a short fling, a hot fuck, call it what you will. I’ll probably have a million names for what happened in the years to come, but there’s no way that I’m going to get back together with someone who thinks of witches as enemies and says so right out loud.
No matter what…
Regardless of how I feel about Campania. Lucianna and the others have been so great and open about so much. They have become fast friends in a matter of days, and I’ll never forget them even when I’m gone. “You ladies all have a special bound and I’m grateful that you allowed me to be a part of it, if even for a short time.”
The others start checking weapons and have finished talking about the plan. It’s clear they’re getting ready to leave. “We should join the group. It’s time we finish this thing with the shiesty bastard shifters, free the witches they have captive and get me and my friends home where we belong.”
Lucianna puts her arm through mine. I don’t catch the upward shift of Campania’s eyes and I doubt for a minute that she missed it either. She doesn’t let it dismay her from bringing me over to the group as though nothing has happened to change a thing. She looks to the group. “Willow wants to help, and we need her help and should appreciate the fact that she’s willing to spend any more time with some of us than necessary.”
Campania’s jaw locks tight. Although Raven tries to hide it, the upturn of her lips is unavoidably noticeable, while the others, including Embry try to remain as neutral as possible probably sensing an awkward situation if not.
Chapter21
Campania
Lucianna keeps holdof Willow’s arm, saving me from the awkwardness of either transporting her myself after what just happened or of having to ask someone in the group to do it for me. Neither which would have been any less embarrassing after the cluster fuck of a situation we’ve found ourselves in.
Letting Willow see and then hear my thoughts about witches, and actually hear me call her the enemy was a mistake. I could have handled the situation with Silver and Terrence much differently. Damn Lucas all to hell for putting those thoughts in my mind, and damn me for believing one fucking word, even for a minute.
My jaw is locked so tight it aches by the time we get to the other side of the region. Mount Terminio stands in front of us, in all of its glory. If we follow the trail at it’s base, it’s going to lead us right to the cavern where the mangy shifters are holding the witches who they’ve been forcing to give them magical powers in order to bring us to our knees.
I know this area like the back of my hand. We make quick work of catching their trail again and following it over the land of my ancestors. Look-out bats fly above, circling, providing valuable intel as we get closer to our mark.
