Bruja (7 page)

Before I left, I took one look at my brother and my heart sank. His skin was pale, with a sheen of sweat. “What about… If he wakes up and he’s…”

“Dr. Gonzales is going to come in and watch him. If something changes, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Okay.” I could deal with that. Leaning down, I brushed a kiss across his forehead and was surprised at how cool he felt. “Has Dr. Gonz—”

“I passed her on my way in. She says he’s stable, for now.”

“He hasn’t woken up at all?” I’d expected to wake up when he did, but I’d been sleeping so hard, maybe I’d missed it.

Teresa shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Fear for my brother and what might happen to him gnawed at me. I brushed his black hair away from his forehead. “I’ll find a way to fix this, Raphael.” It was a promise that I would do anything to keep. I hoped it didn’t mean that I was going back to Luciana, but if that would fix him, then… I turned away from his bed. “Okay. Let’s go.”

We were quiet for a little bit of the walk, but Teresa broke the silence. “I know that it’s going to be tempting to go to Luciana. I just… I’m really afraid of what will happen to you if you do.”

I was afraid, too. But if it came down to it, I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from going to her. “He’s my brother. My twin.”

“I know. And I’d do anything for Axel, but—”

“You don’t understand.” It wasn’t the same. He was my
twin
. He was all I had left in this world. “He stood by me in that hell of a compound. He wouldn’t leave. He sacrificed so much. And if I have to sacrifice to save his life—”

“No!” She spun, grabbing my hand and pulling me to a stop. “He wouldn’t want you to do that. Even if it meant his life.”

I wrenched my arm away from her. “You’re not a twin. You couldn’t possibly understand what that means.”

“Maybe not, but I know what Luciana is capable of. I went to her trying to save Meredith, and if you remember, that didn’t exactly work out.” She stared me straight in the eye. “If you try to go back to her, I will stop you.” The words were calm and clear, and I knew she wasn’t messing around.

My hands made tight fists. “You’ll stop me?” My voice had gone cold, and I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“I won’t let you put yourself in harm’s way.” Her tone was soft and placating. The guilt at the harsh tone I’d used with her weighed heavy. She was being kind, and how was I repaying that? “If you need protection from yourself, then that’s what I’ll do. What exactly do you think will happen if you go back to her? Because I promise, it’ll be nothing good.”

I knew it wasn’t going to be good. I’d lived there. I knew what she was like. But that didn’t change the position I was in. “I’ll do what it takes to help my brother,” I said softly.

“I get that. But I’m your cousin and I’m going to help you the best way I know how. I’m sorry, but I’m all you’ve got right now.”

The truth of that sunk in, and hit me hard.
Oh God. If Raphael dies, I’ll be alone. Truly alone.
I bit my bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

“You’re going to be okay, Claudia. I’ve been through my share of tight spots in the last couple of months—ones that I didn’t know how to get out of. But I did. You will, too. You can do this. You can find the answer. Just don’t give up. Don’t go back to that lady. Find another way.”

I met my cousin’s dark brown gaze and found strength in it. In her. I wished I were as strong as her. I had to try to be. I
would
save my brother. “Then I hope Muraco has something good to tell me because I’m barely hanging on.”

“If he doesn’t, then we’ll figure it out.” She half-smiled, just a slight tip up on the right side of her mouth. “I’m not really one to quote anything religious, but if all this crazy stuff doesn’t make you believe in some higher being, then I don’t know what will.” She huffed a little laugh. “I’ve found that when God closes a door, there’s usually a window.”

“And if there’s a window, there’s a good chance Tessa is jumping out of it,” Meredith said from behind us.

“Shut up. I was trying to be serious,” Tessa said.

“And I was being literal.”

I raised a brow as I stared at my cousin. “You jumped out of a window?”

“
Windows
. Plural,” Christopher said.

I turned to see the rest of the group joining us in the center of the quad. Mr. Dawson, Muraco, Donovan, Dastien, and Adrian. Along with Shane, Yvonne, Tiffany, Beth, Elsa, and Cosette. They must’ve left the library at the same time we left Raphael’s room. “For some reason, I’m not surprised to hear that.”

“They’re there for a reason,” Teresa said. “I’m sure you’ll find one or two to jump through before this is over.”

Doubtful. I hated heights. “Literal windows, not going to happen. We’ll see about the metaphorical ones.”

“You’d be surprised what you’re capable of achieving when you put your mind to it,” Teresa said.

“So wise beyond your years,
cherie
,” Dastien said as he put his arm around her. The group started moving toward the cafeteria again.

“Someone’s gotta be wise in this relationship,” she said as she elbowed him in the stomach.

He groaned dramatically and they started bantering again. I was getting used to this place. To these wolves. Growing up, I never would’ve thought I’d end up here. Even associating with the wolves was off limits, but here I was, living with them.

Life took unexpected twists and turns. It was all I could do to keep up with them lately.

When we entered the cafeteria, I was surprised to see so many people eating. With the between meal times hour, I figured it would’ve been empty, but wolves were nothing if not a hungry bunch. There wasn’t as much food out as they had during the three main meals, but it was more than enough for my purposes.

“Let’s get some food, and then we’ll chat,” Mr. Dawson said.

While we were eating, the place cleared out. I wasn’t sure if Mr. Dawson had said something to the others milling about or if they were just finished. Either way, I was thankful for the relative privacy. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust everyone in the pack… But I didn’t really trust everyone in the pack. Not yet. But Teresa’s friends, I trusted. They’d been warm and welcoming.

Now I just hoped they had some brilliant ideas on how to save my brother. That seemed like a long shot when I wasn’t even sure what was wrong with him.

I sighed and pushed the plate away. I’d managed half a burrito, but I couldn’t eat one more bite. Nerves made it barely possible to sit still.

Muraco cleared his throat, and everyone quieted. His white hair was long and shaggy. He was the only werewolf I’d ever seen that actually looked old, which I was pretty sure meant he was ancient. His skin reminded me of Tia Rosa’s—paper thin and wrinkly. He moved slowly, pulling an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and sliding it across the table. “I was gone the last few days, working on something for you.”

Something for me? Weird. I tore the envelope open and emptied its contents. It was a small navy blue book with the seal of the United States of America on the cover. “You got me a passport?” I wasn’t aware that was something that you could do for someone other than yourself. And where had he gotten a picture of me? “I don’t know what to say.” Thanks didn’t seem appropriate when I was more than a little worried about the ethics of it.

“I was by to see Raphael today.”

He was? How many people had been in that room while I’d been asleep?

“And it looks like you need to find these mages quickly. Faster than before.”

Right. But was that really the answer? I had to be sure before I went on the proverbial wild goose chase. “Before I jump on the first plane out, you haven’t told me anything about what I’m looking for,
who
I’m looking for, and how they can help me. I can’t just go there and look around hoping to stumble upon something. Raphael… He’s—”

“Dying.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I will not cry right now. He’s not dead yet. There’s still time.

“I will tell you a little about my country.”

It was with those words that wolves around the table all took a breath and leaned in. Like they’d never heard anything about Muraco or Peru before. There was something about Muraco that made me want to listen to him, too. To trust him. And I definitely wanted to hear his story.

“In my country, we don’t separate ourselves from other supernaturals. It’s not normal for us to live the way you do here. All in your own compounds behind your own walls and fighting amongst yourselves. It’s not right.”

I bristled at that—who was he to tell us how to live—but remained quiet.

“Long ago, a wolf fell in love with a very powerful witch. She didn’t turn, because she was happy with her life as it was, but they were mated all the same. Together, they formed a new way of living. Witches. Wolves. Fey. All living together. Having families. This is where I am from. This is how it should be. I’ve tried to tell the other packs, but no one will listen.” He looked at Teresa and Dastien, who sat together, their hands entwined. “But they give me hope for peace in this part of the world.”

He gestured with his hands, and his joints popped. “We lived together for some time before there was trouble. You see, not everyone lived in the villages. Some witches wanted to stay apart. Some packs wanted to roam. Some fey liked underhill better. But we all got along. For a time. Then the magic casters—mages, witches, wizards—whatever you want to call them, it’s all the same—split away from us, breaking into two groups. Good and bad. The good ones practiced a pure white magic. They lived alone, like priests working their magic—meditating and praying. When things went wrong, people from all over the country, from other parts of the Andes, would come to seek their guidance. To receive blessings. It was said that their auras were so pure they glowed in the darkness. And sometimes, a witch from my wife’s coven would decide that they wanted that quiet life and they would disappear to join.” He sighed, and I looked at Yvonne.

Had she heard of anything like this? I’d have to ask.

“The bad ones,” Muraco continued. “Well, they made evil things. Very evil things. We tried to stay away, but they attacked the village. We couldn’t stand for that. For a few years, there was war. Light and dark. We helped fight these dark casters. The light won, but at a high cost. So many lives gone. And in the end, those white mages… They disappeared. The fight had taken too great a toll. I’m not sure if they lived on. If they had a quiet life in the wilderness or not. But their magic lives. At night, during the new moon, you can see it lighting up the mountain. This magic is what you all need now. Their white energy is the only thing that can fight the coming darkness.” Muraco took a drink of his coffee. “This is the hard part. The finding of them. They might have left behind magic. Books. Or they might themselves be there. It was so long ago that I doubt they live now, but there’s no way to be certain save to look, Claudia de Santos.”

A shiver rolled down my spine at my name, and Muraco continued. “Your power may let you find them where I and others could not. All that is certain now is that dark magic was used to bring back your Daniel. I haven’t seen the like of that in more years than memory recalls, but that is very much what those evil mages did. It took many years before the white mages found a way to fight such power, but they did. We do not have years this time. So you must go. Now.”

Mr. Dawson cleared his throat. “What about her oath to Luciana?”

“What about it?”

“Do you think they can break it?”

He sighed. “As I said, they might not be there. She might find bits of their magic left behind. And I hope that is enough. From what I know of oaths, what the girl needs to break the bond is already inside her. She gives the oath more power by believing in it.”

He was wrong. Dead wrong. “No. She has a hold over me. She made me—”

“Oh, I’m not saying that the oath has no power. I’m saying that to break any oath you need either good magic to override it or the sheer force of will to overpower it. That’s why some are easy to break. If the witch who did the binding didn’t make it so strong, when the person leaves… Poof.” He motioned with his hands. “It’s gone.”

“He’s right,” Shane said. “That’s why I’m no longer bound.”

“Exactly. Others, the witch wants to hold tight,” Muraco said. “You have to overpower her. Or find some way to override it.”

“Override it?” If this was the whole mating thing again…

“A bond like theirs will do it.” He waved his hand toward Tessa and Dastien.

Yeah. Like that was going to happen. “So how do I find the temple of these white mages?” If they had a temple. I suspected it would be more of a ruin by now.

“Come with me if you want to go. I’m heading home tomorrow to gather others who might be willing to join the coming battle. When we arrive, a member of my pack will take you to where I last saw them. It’s now a busy village, but you have the sight. If there is magic hidden in the forest, you will see it. Trust your instincts and follow them to find what you need.”

“And what if I don’t find it? What if there’s nothing to find?”

“It’s there. Believe it to be so, and it will be so.”

I closed my eyes, barely able to contain a groan. I just had to will things into existence. Fine. Easy-peasy.

“I think this might be your best option,” Teresa said. “And it would get you away from Luciana. Maybe that’s far enough away that you can actually rest without her draining you. Just that might be enough to break the oath.”

“Peru could hold all the answers,” Beth said.

“Nothing is ever that easy,” Elsa said. As usual, her few words cut right to the truth.

Everyone started talking at once. Witches debated with the wolves, and I leaned back in my chair, tuning it all out.

It wasn’t their decision to make. It was mine. I had to figure it out.

The only other one at the table who was quiet was my cousin. Something told me she knew plenty about these tough decisions. She gave me a little nod, letting me know that she’d support my decision either way.

But I knew she didn’t want me to go back to Luciana.