Authors: Sara Humphreys
“You have magic in you,” Lottie murmured in a barely audible voice. “Powerful magic.”
Lottie's voice drifted over Maya, and the faded image of her grandmother grew stronger and more colorful. The emerald in the necklace glowed brightly and blurred the vision of her grandmother, giving way to a flurry of images, like a slide show of Maya's past. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She saw herself playing in snowy mountains, running along a beach and jumping in the waves, and sitting next to a tiny Christmas tree opening presents. A warm glow burned in Maya's chest that could only be described as love. Pure, unadulterated, unconditional love, and it all came from her grandmother.
The sound of a woman crying wafted into her mind, and Maya saw herself standing in front of a plain pinewood casket on the same mountainside where she played as a child. She placed a single rose on the coffin before the image faded from her mind and reality came spinning back.
“Dark magic,” Lottie whispered as her soft, wrinkled hands squeezed Maya's hands briefly before releasing them.
Maya's eyes flicked open, and she swiped at the tears on her cheeks as she regained her bearings.
“That was totally crazyâ¦and wonderful,” Maya said in a shaky voice. Shane looked concerned, but the expression on Lottie's face was one of wonder. Maya glanced from Lottie to Shane and rubbed her palms on her thighs nervously before asking a question she almost didn't want the answer to. “What is it, Lottie? What do you mean that I have dark magic in me? Is it because I'm a vampire?”
“No.” Lottie shook her head slowly and stared at Maya through wide eyes as a smile slowly cracked her face. “You, my dear girl, have gypsy magic.”
“Gypsy?” Maya's eyebrows flew up. She wouldn't have been more surprised if Lottie said she was part chicken. She let out a nervous laugh and looked up at Shane, who had moved in beside her. “I'm a gypsy like you?”
“Not exactly.” Lottie waved her finger and rose from the couch, wringing her hands nervously. Walking toward the large bay window, she kept her back to them. “Like I said earlier, there are different clans with varying types of magic, and most of the clans kept their magic to themselves. But not all.” Lottie turned around slowly to face them. “I've seen that necklace before,” she said somberly. “The one your grandmother was wearing in that vision.”
Maya opened her mouth to tell Lottie it was upstairs, but Shane shot her a look of warning.
Wait, youngling.
“Where?” Maya asked, tearing her gaze from Shane and back to Lottie. “Did you know my grandmother?”
“No.” Lottie sat on the edge of the windowsill and folded her hands in her lap. “My grandfather showed me a picture once when he was spinning tales about the gypsy clans, and it was the same story his father told him. Like I said before, all of the clans had rivalries and grudges against one another, but one clan was feared above all others.”
Lottie got a faraway look in her eye, and Maya instinctively reached out and took Shane's hand in hers. “He told us that we should stay away from that clan in particular because they would bring bad luck and a curse upon our clan.” Lottie looked at Maya with wonder. “Amazingâ¦I thought they were all gone.”
“Great.” Maya swallowed hard and tried not to show how unsettled she was by what Lottie was saying. “Like I don't have enough problems. What do you mean a curse?”
“Remember how I told you all of the gypsies used to gather their clans together but stopped a couple hundred years ago?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it was because of this clan I'm telling you about. According to the story my grandfather told me, the dark magic used by this clan brought the wrath of the werewolves down onto all of the gypsies. There were random wolf attacks on our people off and on for years, and that was when the gatherings of the clans stopped. After that, everyone kept to themselves and the dark magic clan was considered cursed because its members had encouraged the wrath of the wolves.”
“Well, I guess I've lived up to that part of the family reputation,” Maya said with no humor. She sent a sidelong look at Shane, whose expression had grown increasingly concerned.
“He showed us a photograph of a young gypsy woman.” She waved her hand in the air absently. “It was one of those old sepia-tone tintypes, but I can still remember it as clear as day. The woman in the picture was wearing the same necklace as the one your grandmother was wearing, and come to think of it, you look a bit like her.” Lottie pointed at Maya. “You, young lady, are descended from the dark-magic gypsy clan.”
“Can I see the picture?” Maya asked hopefully.
“No, sorry.” Lottie shook her head and looked at Maya sadly. “There was a flood many years back, and I lost almost everything on the first floor.” She looked around and sighed. “I never really did get it back in top shape around here.”
“What was the name of this clan?” Shane asked quietly.
“Vanator,” Lottie murmured.
Maya's gut clenched, and Shane's grip on her hand tightened. “That's what Bella called me,” Maya whispered and looked up at Shane through wide eyes.
“Who's Bella?” Lottie asked, folding her arms over her breasts.
“A ghost who haunts the Presidium's offices in New York.” Shane sat on the arm of the sofa and rubbed Maya's back reassuringly. “She only speaks Romanian, and according to our friend Xavier, it meansâ”
“Hunter,” Lottie said. “I know.”
“You speak Romanian?” Maya asked.
“Nope. But my grandfather did, so I know a few words.” Lottie scoffed. “Mostly swear words.”
“What significance does the necklace have?” Shane asked. Maya held his hand tighter and waited for Lottie to answer.
“Not sure.” Lottie looked from Shane to Maya. “But at the very least, it represents the Vanator clan.”
“I was wearing it that night.” Maya's hand fluttered to her throat where the heirloom usually lay, and she turned her eyes to Shane, the pieces coming together. “That night at the club when everything happened with Horace and his pack.”
“Son of a bitch,” Shane seethed. “That's got to be why Horace is so intent on getting his hands on you.”
“I'm not going to go near him or any other werewolf ever again,” Maya said firmly. However, the look on Shane's face gave her pause. “Shane? What is it? There's something else that you're not telling me.”
“Remember how I told you that Horace still hadn't left the city?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he's refusing to leave until Olivia and Doug turn you over to them.”
“He must have recognized the necklace,” Maya said quietly. Dread settled in her chest because she knew what she had to do. “We have to go back, Shane. I'll give them the necklace. I don't want to cause any more trouble for Olivia or anyone else.”
“No. Aside from the fact that I'm not letting those wolves near you, we're not going anywhere until we find out what the hell this necklace does and why the wolves hate the Vanator gypsy clan so much that they're willing to start the war all over again.” Shane turned to Lottie. “What exactly did the Vanator clan do that incurred the wrath of the werewolves?”
“I got no clue.” Lottie narrowed her eyes and wagged a finger at Maya. “You're full of surprises, young lady, and I have a sinking suspicion that you have even more to reveal.”
“The necklace hasn't ever done anything magical, though.” Maya's brows knit together and frustration crawled up her back. “How the hell are we going to figure out what kind of magic this necklace can do anyway?”
“In my experience, most objects don't do the magic. The person who holds the object does. Chances are that the necklace is just a family heirloom passed down through the Vanator gypsy line. Based on what you're saying about this Horace character, the wolves must have been keeping an eye out for the necklace and the Vanator gypsies.”
Lottie held up her left hand and wiggled her middle finger, which was adorned with a gold band with an oval ruby at the center. “This was passed down through the generations of my clan, and like your necklace, my ring is a symbol for the Fogg gypsy clan.” She let out a curt laugh and shook her head. “I'll be damned. Not only do I have two wayward vampires stayin' in my house, but one of 'em is a Vanator. My grandfather is probably rollin' in his grave.”
“I'm sorry, Lottie.” Maya stilled and held Lottie's stare. “Doâ¦do you want us to leave?”
“My grandfather always was a crazy old bastard.” Lottie shrugged. “I'm a shitty gypsy woman. I don't speak Romanian. I didn't get married or make babies, and I use my magic to make money but have no one to teach it to. Believe me, he's been rollin' for so long, he's probably been around the world twice.”
Lottie rose to her feet and padded across the room quietly, her sandal-clad feet whispering over the faded oriental rug before she came to a halt at the edge of the coffee table. She looked from Maya to Shane and then back to Maya before a huge smile cracked her face and she gently patted Maya's cheek. “I don't want you to leave. In fact, I'm as curious as you are to find out more about your kin and the dark magic that has the wolves so worked up.”
“I don't think I have any kin left.” Maya's brows knit together again. “My grandmother died. When you were doing the reading, it opened up more memories and I saw a funeral, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one there.”
“Yes.” Lottie nodded and let out a sigh. “Is that why you don't think you have any other kin?”
“Well, after I became a vampire and my human life ended, no one came looking for me. It's like I just disappeared and no one cared. There was no missing person's report filed anywhere.”
“Well, of course not.” Lottie made a sound of derision. “You're a gypsy. We live off the grid, girlie. Hell, I don't have a social security number and there isn't even a record of my birth. I was born out here, like the generations before me. In fact, my clan was considered freakish because we stayed in this house. Most gypsies are nomads and don't stay in one place for long. Report a missing person to the cops? Ha! Gypsies take care of their own business.”
Maya had about a hundred more questions, but before she could ask them, a strong cramp flared in her chest. She grimaced and squeezed Shane's hand tightly. “What the hell is going on?”
It's the pull of the sun, Maya.
Shane's mind touched hers like a soothing caress.
The
blood
exchange
must
have
heightened
and
accelerated
your
abilities.
“Holy crap, that took me by surprise.” Maya gave him a weak smile. “This is not what I would consider one of the perks.”
I
guess
that
whole
daywalking
part
takes
a
while
to
kick
in?
For
all
we
know, Maya, that may not happen for us. Our bloodmate bond may have different side effects than Olivia and Doug's.
Maya didn't respond but nodded her understanding and rubbed absently at her chest. Disappointment tugged at her briefly. It would be nice to be able to walk in the sun again, but when Shane's fingers brushed over hers, a smile curved her lips and she reveled in the sweet feel of his mind touching hers. Nothing could be better than that, not even a day in the sun.
“Are you alright?” Lottie asked with genuine concern.
“She'll be fine, but we should go to our room because the sun is rising.” Shane tilted his head toward the brightening sky. “Thank you, once again, for your hospitality.”
“Sure thing, but I don't know how much sleep I'm gonna get. My mind is gonna be racing about all this, that's for damn sure.” Lottie walked out of the living room with them and led the way up the stairs. When they reached the second floor, she stopped at her bedroom door. “I have an idea of how you might be able to find out more about yourself. I know someone else who might be able to help you.”
“Can't you do another reading?” Maya asked hopefully.
“No.” Lottie yawned loudly. “We hit a wall tonight. Trust me. I saw all I'm gonna see out of you, but I have a friend who can probably see a bit more than I can. She's a psychic humanâpalm reader.”
“I don't know,” Maya said hesitantly and leaned into Shane's comforting embrace. “I'm not sure if I should go around talking about this with just anyone.”
“She ain't just anyone,” Lottie snapped. “Lillian is a damn powerful psychic and she's married to an Amoveo man, one of them shifters. Anyway, Lillian and Boris own one of the bars I work in, and they know all about your kind. You can trust her the same as you can trust me.”
“Lottie's right.” Shane gave Maya a reassuring look. “I haven't met them, but I've heard Pete speak highly of both of them. His mate is an Amoveo from the Bear Clan, and as you know, Pete's a liaison between the Amoveo and the vampires.”
“Maybe one night this week, you two could take a little break fromâ¦whatever you been doin',” Lottie said, waggling her eyebrows, “and take a trip over to The Den. That's their bar. It's at the edge of the Quarter.”
“Could we?” Maya looked up at Shane, excitement lacing her voice. “I never have been to New Orleans, and we wouldn't have to stay long. It would be a nice break from training.”
Shane paused as though he was weighing all of his options. After what felt like an eternity, he finally nodded his agreement. “Perhaps we could make a quick visit, but it would be a good idea to speak with the czars about it first.”