Spell Bound (Darkly Enchanted) (14 page)

She felt awful. Her jaw throbbed from the right hook the teen had landed and her head throbbed with the onset of a migraine. She wanted to curl into a ball and pass out.

Closing her eyes slowly, she tried to suck in a few deep breaths but the pain wouldn’t let her.

No, can’t afford this now. Leo…

With a force of will she didn’t realize she possessed, she pushed the pain back into a tiny corner of her brain until it was manageable…or at least simmered below agonizing.

When she felt she could, she shot a look at Borelli. He was focusing an enormous amount of concentration on his driving. It was a palpable force that didn’t encourage conversation.

Fine by her. She needed a few minutes to regroup. With a grimace, she muttered the pain-blocking spell her mother had taught her years ago, knowing it would only delay the inevitable.

They drove for at least fifteen minutes, winding around the city streets before Borelli broke his silence to speak to Leo.

“You okay, kid?”

Gingerly, she moved her head to see Leo nod. He looked steady, as if he hadn’t just made a grown man cry in agony.

Then Borelli glanced at her and lowered his voice. “You okay?”

And here she thought she’d been hiding it well.

“I’m fine.”

“You took a pretty good shot to the jaw.” He raised a hand. “Did you—”

“No!” Hell, no. If he touched her, it’d be like throwing gasoline on the fire of her impending migraine. “No, it’s fine. I just need to eat.”

Hopefully that would help hold back the gnawing pain in her head. She refused to take one of the pills in her pack. She couldn’t afford to be knocked out right now.

“Check the glove compartment,” Borelli said. “There’s usually something in there.”

Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she sat up cautiously, checking the back window first to see if anyone was following them, seeing Leo, huddled on the seat behind Borelli.

He looked up at her at the same moment and she no longer saw fear in his eyes. Questions, yes. Even a little excitement.

“You okay?” she asked.

He nodded once then looked at Borelli. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

Head still throbbing, even through the pain-blocking spell, she turned to Borelli. “Where are we going?”

Late-night traffic was nearly non-existent, but the man didn’t spare her a glance as he pushed the car even faster. “We’re gonna find a hole to crawl into for a while.”

Now, why didn’t she like the sound of that? “Where?”

“Somewhere safe.”

* * *

“What do you mean, you lost them?”

Peter’s chin shot up, a wild look of fear in his eyes. “They’ve got a powerful
grigorio
with them now. And the boy’s strong. He killed Phillips, made him burn with his hand.”

Dario Paganelli raised his eyebrows, surprised. Not something he felt every day. “What do you mean? He lit a match and set him on fire?”

Peter shook his head. “The kid touched him and he burst into flame. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Now, that was interesting. The boy had
la tocadura de bruja
. And how convenient was that, considering?

Rising from behind the desk in his St. Pete Beach home, Dario went to the window to look out at the warm Florida sunshine. “Do you at least know which way they went?”

“Yes. Yes, we do. They headed north.”

Dario nodded, though he wasn’t condoning Peter’s actions. His men had been chasing this boy for a year, ever since Kelsey, his latest
grigori
protégé, had felt his very strong energy from halfway across the continent.

The deaths of Kyle and Celeste Tedaldi, a
grigorio
and one of the original thirteen
streghe
, had been an unexpected bonus, but they’d hidden their son too well. His men hadn’t been able to find the child at their home in Wisconsin and, with her dying breath, Celeste led him to believe the boy was on the west coast. His men had spent a few fruitless weeks chasing down that tidbit of information.

Now, they’d lost him again.

Dario hated setbacks. The boy was more valuable than even he’d thought and would make his mission, the mission with which his father had cursed him, that much easier.

All of the boys he had stolen from the
streghe
over the centuries had served their purpose well. Kelsey, especially, had been most helpful. But Celeste’s son could prove to be the strongest of all.

“Why would they return north when we believe the
grigori
stronghold is somewhere in the west?”

“I don’t know,” Peter said. “Possibly to throw us off.”

Dario nodded. “That could be. But it could also mean he’s taking them to the women. I’ve long thought they were holed up somewhere in the northeast, but they’ve concealed themselves well.”

He paused, knowing Peter hung on his every word. The other man remembered what had happened to the man who’d filled the position before him. That man had allowed Kyle and Celeste to escape almost twenty-five years ago. He had to have the carpets and wallpaper replaced after he’d freed the man’s head from his body.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to say this. Too many movies, I guess.” Dario turned and let his gaze linger on Peter. “Find them. Find him and bring him to me. I want the boy alive.”

Peter swallowed audibly. “Yes, sir.”

“Kill the girl and the
grigorio
. They’re unimportant.”

* * *

Gabriel didn’t speak as he drove over the Bingaman Street Bridge then east on Route 422 before turning left onto Shelbourne Road.

The urban sprawl of Exeter Township soon gave way to the farmland of Oley Township. Frequent checks in the rearview revealed no tail, but he wanted to be sure before he took them to the safe house.

He still couldn’t quite believe what he’d seen. The kid had the
tocadura de bruja
, the touch of the witch. It was rare, even among
grigori
.

No wonder Dario wanted the kid so badly. The kid had power, more than he should at his age, but he didn’t look any worse for wear for using it.

Shea, however, hadn’t opened her mouth since she’d asked where they were going. He slid a glance at her. Her skin shone ashen in the faint light of the dashboard. She looked ready to faint.

“Hey, are you okay? You weren’t hit, were you?”

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the girl shook her head. “No, I’m…I’m fine. Just a headache. I’m fine.”

Headache, his ass. She didn’t look fine. Far from it. Maybe some food would help. There hadn’t been anything in the glove compartment when she’d checked. He’d have to resupply his stash of granola bars.

“Hey, kid.” He waited until the boy looked at him in the rearview. “Spread out for a while, take a nap. You’re tired.”

He flicked a tiny sleep spell at the kid, just enough to make him yawn before nodding.

“Please,” Shea spoke so softly he almost didn’t hear her, “don’t do that. Not to me, either. We’re not…” She paused. “Just don’t.”

“He needs to sleep. We need to talk.”

She sighed and those gorgeous lips pursed, but he was right and she knew it.

A few minutes later, she stole a look over her shoulder. The kid had already gone lights out.

“So where are we going?” she asked.

He deliberately didn’t answer. It was guaranteed to piss her off and that’s exactly why he did it. She looked a little too shocky. He figured pissed off was better than terrified.

Shea gave a disgusted hmph. “Where. Are. We. Going?”

He glanced at her and watched the lines in her forehead deepen. Not at all detracting from the exotic beauty of her face.

Which he really didn’t need to be thinking about right now.

Shit.

“I want to make sure we don’t have a tail before we double back and head to a safe house. When I think it’s safe, then I’ll take you to talk to Serena.”

“Who’s Serena?”

Could she really not know who Serena was? Especially if she knew Celeste, it seemed really fucking unlikely that she wouldn’t know who Serena was. Still… “Someone you’re going to want to talk to.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lift one hand to her head. She rubbed her temple, as if trying to ease a headache.

Join the club, babe.

“What’s your real name?” he asked.

“My real name is Shea. Shea Jones.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Listen, Mr. Borrelli—”

“Back to mister, huh? What? Asshole’s not working for you anymore?”

For a second, he thought she might actually laugh. He’d really like to hear that. Then she shook her head. “Watch your language, please.”

“The kid’s asleep.”

She glanced over her shoulder and the tough exterior she’d been holding on to seemed to melt away. Making her look years younger. And exhausted. “I know, it’s just… He’s so young. I…” She frowned. “I need to thank you. For…back there. I don’t know what I—”

“Don’t.” He cut her off before she said anything about undying gratitude. This was his job. Hell, it was a sworn duty, and he still felt like shit for turning them away last night. “Everybody’s fine. Just answer my questions. I need to know who sent you to me. Start with your parents. Who are they?”

Shea hesitated, torn between her parents’ deeply ingrained admonitions against revealing anything personal and the need for answers from her only source of information.