Page 14 of Captured in Love
“True,” Raphaël agrees. “I don’t think we should get separated. After Cairo, I don’t want to leave you alone here.”
“I’ll stay in my room and rest. Maybe order room service,” I promise, lying through my teeth. “And just one of you going out isn’t a good idea either. You could get ambushed.”
I need privacy for the spells I’m about to perform, and Levi especially can’t be around for the process, or he’ll know something is up. There’s no way I’m letting them dive down there without some serious protection.
In the end, I manage to convince them, but they insist on accompanying me back to our room. Levi checks that everything is as we left it. Then they leave, and I bolt the door and close the blackout blinds on all the windows for privacy.
I dig my magical supplies from my travel bag and set everything on the white-painted wooden floor. It’s even and smooth, so I draw three concentric circles with red chalk without closing them completely. I fill a cup with water from the bathroom sink, then settle down and draw the rest of the circles to close myself in.
With every steady breath I take, power builds around me. In Egypt, I directed that energy and wove it into tight webs of protection that I put on Raphaël and Levi. Levi broke his spell as we were running for our lives in Set’s tomb, but Raphaël’s should still hold. I’d sensed it on him, a bright glimmer of magic visible from the corner of my eye.
The trouble is, there’s no way Levi will let me put another such spell on him, not after what happened in the tomb. I know that setting the spells to siphon my own energy as they were activated was risky, but if it comes down to it, I know my limits. I could cut the spells loose if they became a drag. Raphaël has no such power, and a spell taking too much of his energy could kill him before he even knew what was happening.
No, I need a different approach this time.
I put two large amethyst chunks on the floor in front of me and draw an additional circle around them, adding power runes along the line to amplify my magic. In case of minor danger, they’ll act as pre-charged amulets of protection for the guys. That’s the spell I put on the surface of each crystal, and the only spell Levi will notice if he inspects the stones for magic.
But there’s more I need the amulets to do. Sinking deep into my magic, I pull on my unique ability of influencing other people’s minds. This isn’t something I would do in normal circumstances, but I can’t risk Raphaël’s or Levi’s lives. I tell myself they’ll forgive me eventually. Even if they don’t, they’ll be alive to hold the grudge, which is much better than being dead.
My conscience still prickles at the thought of deceiving them, but I grit my teeth against the guilt and charge the crystals with enough magic to be completely sure the spell will work even on my vampire. Even on Levi, who will fight it with all he has. I design the spell to sucker-punch them in a split second, giving them zero time to deflect once I activate it remotely.
I can’t lose them. The loss of my mom left a gaping hole inside me, and I never want to experience that again. There’s only so much of my soul I can lose before I unravel completely.
When I’m done, the amethysts glow softly for several seconds. The magic settles deep inside them. Each crystal is now a charged magical grenade, ready to be used in an emergency.
My stomach grumbles with hunger, but I have more work to do. I grab two pieces of clear quartz, the most basic energy amplifiers in existence, and hold one in each hand. Then I let the power of the circle rush through me, filling my inner well of magic until it’s bubbling over and spilling all through me. It’s an incredible rush, all my senses on high alert, the hair on my arms standing up.
Only then do I slowly ground myself and let the residual magic flow into the crystals, a small power supply to be used when all else fails. I dismantle the circle and stow away all the tools, including the amethysts I need to give to Raphaël and Levi later. They’ll tuck them into their diving suits, keep them somewhere close, thinking they’re just protection charms.
Despite my mother’s warnings that meddling with a person’s free will is bad, this is something I needed to do. I don’t know how else to keep my men safe.
I check my tablet to find a new message from Princess.
Hey, I found out more about Isak Einarsson. He’s from an old family. You should watch out for him. But don’t, like, kill him. He could be a good source of info.
She’d sent it hours ago, when we’d been out on the sea, and I take a moment to reply.
Thanks. I won’tkillhim! Is that what you think of me? *shocked emoji* It’s strange that their coven isn’t registered. No one knows about them.
The growling of my stomach has me reaching for the room phone. I ring the reception and ask for a light lunch to be delivered. If nothing else, the guys would find it suspicious if I didn’t order some food.
Princess’ message pings soon after:I don’t think you’re a killer, no. But these Games seem to bring out the worst in people, and I just have a feeling that Einarsson will be valuable down the line.
It’s a strange thing to say, but I’ve learned from my mother that a witch’s intuition is rarely wrong. If Princess knows something she’s not telling me, though, I’ll need to dig deeper later.
Do you think you could check up on the other contestants? It’s shit not knowing how the rest of the teams are doing.
Her reply arrives immediately:Sure, do you have names?
Aline Cebreiro and Helena Silva, I type.They were headed to San Diego. Anton and Larisa Dorokhov.
A shiver passes through me at the thought of the Russian couple. I hope they’re nowhere near us—that they traveled to the other end of the earth. But as much as I try to remember the other names called at the opening ceremony in Scotland, I can’t think of any. Besides, there’s no guarantee that the contestants gave their real identities. We certainly hadn’t.
Just check the news for any freak accidents, maybe? Like that sandstorm in Egypt. Human media probably reported on that.
Roger. Don’t get killed. I’d miss you.
Princess’ reply stirs something warm in my chest. It’s good to know that at least someone knows where we’re going. That thought sparks another worry in me.
