Seduced and Enchanted (9 page)

At Rosie’s shocked gasp, Sal scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “Tinia’s teat, I wish your godmothers were here.”

“Well, they’re not, so just keep going, Sal,” Rio said.

“Actually, yes, we are,” came a female voice from behind.

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A tingle racing up her spine, Rosie swiveled toward the sound of her godmother Lora’s voice to find Lora, Fanny and Vivian standing in the entrance to Sal’s kitchen.

When she was younger, Rosie had assumed they were sisters, they looked so much alike. It was only later that she’d learned they weren’t, though they all had the same coppery brown hair, leaf green eyes and slim builds. Facially, they looked nothing alike.

Lora’s features were sharp and pointed, giving her an inquisitive expression. Vivian’s features were soft and rounded and her constant smile never failed to make others smile back. Fanny looked a little like Katherine Hepburn and she had the haughty attitude to go with it. People got out of Fanny’s way when she walked, though none of her godmothers stood taller than Rosie’s five-two, and they couldn’t weigh more than three hundred pounds combined.

It gave them an air of fragility that was incredibly misleading. Rosie’s godmothers were anything but weak.

Right now Lora and Vivian stared at her with such pain in their eyes it almost frightened her. Only Fanny glared at Rio as if he were a toxic bug she’d scraped off her shoe. That wasn’t good. Rising, Rosie moved in front of Rio but he stood up as well, putting his arm around her and pulling her against his side.

Fanny’s glare got hotter.

Lora’s mouth made that funny little quirk that only happened when she was flustered, but she directed her next words at Sal. “We came as soon as we realized what had happened. We never expected— Well,” she sighed and looked back to Rosie, “we just never expected you to find him so soon. We’re so sorry, sweetheart. I know we have a lot to explain but I promise we will.

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“But first,” Lora gave Rio a weak smile, “maybe you could introduce us to your new…friend?”

Before Rosie could make a sound, Rio stepped forward, hand outstretched to Lora, charming grin on his lips. Even with everything else going on and uncertainty gnawing a hole in her gut, that smile made her tingle from head to toe.

“Valerio de Feo, ma’am. Son of Tana and Lucumo de Feo.”

Every single one of her godmothers’ eyebrows raised in unison as Lora shook his hand then Vivian and finally Fanny. But Fanny didn’t release him immediately.

“You’re
linchetto
, are you not?” she asked, a sharp edge to her words.

Rio dimmed the wattage on his grin but kept his expression friendly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ve met your parents.” Fanny finally released his hand. “Good people. I believe your brother Camillus runs a personal security and investigative firm.”

“Yes, ma’am. My brother Antonin and I both work with him now.”

Fanny’s gaze narrowed again. “And how
exactly
did you meet Rosalia?”

“Wait just a minute,” Rosie interrupted when it became clear that Fanny was about to interrogate Rio. “I want some answers and I want them now.”

Unconsciously, she took her hands out of her pockets and shook a finger at Fanny.

As soon as she did it, she gasped and froze. But Fanny didn’t fly back or even take a step back.

“Oh my God.” She looked at Lora. “Did you fix me?”

Lora shook her head. “No, sweetheart. We just put a temporary lock on your powers as soon as we got here.” She sighed and that sad expression Rosie was beginning to fear made a reappearance. “Sal, I think we should take this into the living room, if you don’t mind. I feel we’re going to need somewhere soft to sit.”

* * * * *

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“I know this is going to be a little unbelievable but you, my dear, are the very rare offspring of a
fauni
and an
aguane
.”

Sitting next to Rosie on Sal’s couch, Rio’s mouth dropped open.
Holy shit.

He’d known there was something special about Rosie. He just hadn’t realized how special.

And Rosie had no idea what they were talking about. She shook her head, her expression adorably befuddled. “Lora, I don’t even know what that means.”

Lora grimaced. “I know that. It’s just… We’ve debated telling you for several years but something always came up. I know there’s no excuse for keeping you in the dark for so long but, sweetheart, your life is so…stable. All we’ve ever wanted was to spare you a life lived in fear.”

“In fear of what, Lora?” Rosie’s voice rose. “You still haven’t explained what’s going on. What
am
I?”

“You are
salvanelli
.”

Rosie shook her head again but Rio’s was spinning.

Even to the
Fata
,
salvanelli
were mythical beings. Right up there with unicorns and Santa Claus.
Salvanelli
powers were rumored to be almost godlike.

“Lora,” Rosie said, drawing Rio’s attention back to the conversation, “you’re still not telling me anything I can understand. I mean, Rio’s explained a little bit about the
Enu
and the
Fata
but I still don’t understand what it all means.”

Lora gave him a weak smile, which he hoped boded well. At least she wasn’t glaring at him like Fanny. “Well then, you are
Fata
, like us. Vivian and Fanny and I are
gianes
. Some call us wood elves. Your mother was
aguane
, an elemental spirit of rivers and streams, and your father was
fauni
, an elemental spirit of the forests and fields. All
Fata
, with the exception of the
salvanelli
, were created through the mating of
fauni
and
silvani
, the elemental spirits of air. But you, my love, are very special.”

“How so?” Rosie asked.

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Stephanie Julian

Lora turned to look at Vivian, who took a deep breath and continued, “With your powers unlocked, you would eventually be able to control certain aspects of weather and time and you would be able to shape-shift.”

Rio’s eyes popped open. But Rosie’s hand tightened on his. Her ice-cold hand. “You mean I’m a werewolf?”

“No,” Fanny jumped in, “your ability to take on another form is much different from how the
versipelli
change their shape. But it’ll take you years to master that skill.”

Fanny paused and looked back at Lora, who nodded. “And you’re going to have more important things to worry about before you can even begin learning how to do it.”

Rosie’s hand had tightened on his until he was pretty sure he’d have bruises. Not that he cared, just so long as she kept holding on. “And those are?”

Fanny’s mouth screwed up into a mean-ass grimace. “For starters, there’s a
bergoia
looking for you.”

Oh shit.
Rio’s entire body flinched as if he’d taken a blow to his solar plexus. That was really not good.

“Jesus, how the hell did that happen?” The words were out before he even realized he’d spoken them and Rosie’s godmothers pinned him at once with sharp glances. He swore he felt the prick of tiny needles all over his skin. Most
gianes
were peaceful women who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

He didn’t think these three would hesitate to squash him if he so much as looked at Rosie the wrong way.

He opened his mouth to tell them he would never hurt Rosie but before he could say anything, Rosie turned to him, eyes wide. “What does that mean? What’s a
bergoia
?”

Rosie knew from Rio’s expression that whatever this
bergoia
was, it wasn’t a good thing.

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He opened his mouth to answer but she held up her hand to cut him off before he could say a word.

“Wait.” Suddenly it was all too much and her stomach tightened into a hard ball.

Everyone was staring at her. Her godmothers. Sal. Rio.

She’d never liked being the center of attention. Her godmothers had never encouraged her to try out for the lead in the school musical or play a sport. They’d encouraged her to be a good student but never exceptional, to make friends but not too many. To be invisible.

It’d helped that she had a quiet personality, liked to read and was content with a small circle of friends. All that had made it easy for her godmothers to keep her hidden—from whatever this
bergoia
was.

She should probably be terrified. But all she felt was numb. It was too much. All of it. She was something called a
salvanelli
. She had powers, more than just being able to make things move by waving her hands. Rosie wanted to run, stick her head under a pillow and sleep until they all went away—except Rio. She wanted him in bed with her.

He squeezed her hand as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

She looked up to find him staring into her eyes.

“I don’t… I can’t…” Hell, she couldn’t even finish the thought.

“Yes you can.” Rio squeezed her hand even harder. “I didn’t mean to scare you but, hon, you need to know. A
bergoia
is kind of like a pissed-off ghost. It’s created when a
Malandante strega
is killed and her spirit returns for revenge on whoever killed her.”

Her mouth twisted in a bitter smirk. “I don’t have a clue what a…Mala…whatever is but it sounds like something I don’t want to cross in a dark alley.”

His easy smile made her tight muscles loosen just a little. “It’s sort of an evil witch but you’re not going to have to worry about it. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

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Stephanie Julian

“Oh for the love of Uni.” Fanny threw her hands in the air, her mouth drawn in a tight frown. “Son, you’re no match for this. Why don’t you run back to your brothers and let—”

“Fanny.” Lora reached over to put her hand on Fanny’s shoulder. “That would only delay the inevitable. We knew this day would come.”

Vivian sighed, a wistful smile on her lips. “Our baby’s all grown up, isn’t she? We should have prepared you better for this but we never expected you to find your so—”

“Ah, Viv, let’s not go there yet.” Lora sliced a glance at Vivian. “One thing at a time.

Bergoia
first. Other stuff…later.”

Actually Rosie would rather have known what Vivian had been going to say. It had to be much more interesting—and much less frightening—than dealing with a vengeful spirit.

“Now,” Lora said, her gaze going back to Rosie, “we have to relock your powers. If we’re lucky, the
bergoia
hasn’t been able to pinpoint your location yet. Then we need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere the
bergoia
won’t find you. We’re working on the assumption that it felt the spell break and is probably already on its way here.”

“Why is this thing after me? I didn’t do anything to it.”

Vivian reached over to pat her on the shoulder. “Your parents weren’t killed in a freak accident, honey. They died after defeating this
Malandante strega
in battle. Their injuries were too severe to be healed but they lived long enough to get you to us and beg us to hide you. While you were still a baby, we were able to lock your powers away, to mask your true nature and hide ourselves here in Reading. There’s a large Etruscan community here and, well, Sal was here, so if we got into trouble, we’d have backup.”

“Why did it kill my parents?”

“Your parents were fierce protectors, love,” Vivian continued. “They knew someone had to take a stand to protect the races from the
Mal
. It was what drew them together from the start.
Fauni
and
aguane
don’t mate often. The
aguane
are water spirits.

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They never venture far from the stream or river they call home. But your parents had a love affair for the ages. They never expected to have children and when you were born… Oh Rosie, they thought you hung the moon. They gave up their battle against the
Mal
to keep you safe. But they fought one final battle after you were born. And that’s the spirit that haunts you now. The
bergoia
can’t reach them anymore and as you are their only child, it has focused its revenge on you.”

“So,” Lora stood up, her face set in firm lines.

Rosie knew that look. It was the one Lora had worn through most of Rosie’s teenage years. The look she’d get when she told Rosie she wasn’t allowed to go the concert in Philadelphia with her friends or couldn’t have her friends sleep over for her sixteenth birthday.

That face had worked amazingly well when she’d been a teenager. After a while, she’d learned what was acceptable and what wasn’t. She’d stopped asking if Sara Linney, whose parents worked for the newspaper, could come to the house or if she could take a vacation with friends at the shore.

“We need to lock down your powers again,” Lora said. “It’s for your own good.”

Lora believed that completely. And as Rosie looked at Vivian and Fanny, she knew they did too. But…did
she
believe the same?

“No.”

Lora’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Rosalia, you don’t know what you’re talking about. This is for your protection—”

She held up one hand, cutting off Lora. “This spirit…this thing isn’t going to stop until it finds me. It’s only a matter of time, right? Or am I supposed to hide my entire life?”

Lora’s expression went blank and Rosie knew that was exactly what she thought.

Well, hiding away her whole life wasn’t an option. “Don’t you think it would be better if I learned how to use my powers to protect myself? To find out as much as I can 73

Stephanie Julian

about this thing that’s after me? I’m sick of hiding. Hell, I didn’t even know I was hiding, but my entire life has been about being invisible.”

Vivian shook her head. “No, sweetheart. We didn’t want you to be invisible—”

“Oh hell, Viv.” Fanny’s hand slashed out. “The girl’s right. We put her in a bubble.

And that’s no way to live.”