Enchantment (19 page)

Gray made her way through the lobby of the
Majestic, her sundress suddenly feeling drab as it reflected back
at her in the gilt-framed mirrors. How was it that Charlene ended
up being rewarded for her diabolical deeds? So not fair.

Then there was Gray—standing on the sidewalk,
wondering which way to walk, and what the heck she was supposed to
do with herself. She hated to admit it, but Charlene was right.
There was only so much sightseeing she could do. Hell, there was
only so much funds left in her bank account, unlike Miss Nouvelle
Riche.

Graylee Perez was dead as far as society
knew. Even if she wanted to return to the States and go to college
she’d have to enroll as Charlene Perez. No thanks. Been there, done
that.

Maybe Gray should go to Paris . . . and fling
herself off the Eiffel Tower.

Now she sounded like Charlene post-Blake
breakup.

Gray wasn’t one to give in that easily; not
to mention death went against Gray’s nature.

So, she continued forward. Gray had planned
to spend the summer in Europe, and there was no reason to renege on
that plan. Why stay in one place? All of Europe awaited her. There
were castles to explore, museums to walk through, new foods to
taste, and landscapes to discover. That would certainly throw Ryan
off her scent. Gray smirked to herself.

Besides, the sooner she left Barcelona, the
sooner she could forget everything that happened there and get on
with her life. She wasn’t ready to leave Spain quite yet. Gray
would start in Madrid and go from there.

At the end of her travels she could regroup
at home. The timing would be perfect with Lee and Raj away at
school. Mom once mentioned special institutes and programs for the
magically gifted. Neither Gray nor Charlene had paid particular
attention at the time given they both wanted normal lives and
normal boyfriends, which, at the time, meant applying to normal
colleges like the other students in their class.

Normal was no longer an option.

Besides that, once Gray had regained her
powers she’d rediscovered how much she enjoyed magic. Performing
advanced spells gave her a high like nothing else. Well, maybe
there was one other thing that compared. Gray’s cheeks flamed at
the memory of Adrian’s love making. In his right mind or not, the
man had no trouble pleasing a woman.

Which reminded her, there was only one loose
end to tie up.

Gray headed for the metro. She wondered if
Adrian would be as easy to convince as Charlene.

* * *

Gray was the first to reach Casa Jacinta, a tiny
local bar serving tapas and a selection of wines from around the
globe. Public places were safer.

Then again, the Teatre Poliorama
 
had not proven safe, nor had the Rex Room.

Gray stuck her head inside the crowded tapas
bar and opted for an outdoor table instead. She twirled the end of
her braid in one finger, watching for Adrian. Naturally he arrived
from the opposite direction.

“Hello, Gray,” he said carefully.

Gray had to turn her head to see him. She
shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand. Adrian stood there,
waiting for an invitation to sit. His shot her an arrogant
grin.

All Gray had told him over the phone was the
four most hated and clichéd words known to mankind when strung
together into one sentence: “We need to talk.”

“Have a seat,” Gray said, feeling even more
cliché.

Adrian pulled back the chair beside Gray and
sat down. As he stretched back, his legs stretched forward,
brushing against hers.

Gray gave him a pointed look, but, if
anything, his leg pressed against hers even more. He watched her
closely as though testing her reaction.

If Gray were truly cured, she wouldn’t want
Adrian’s jeans brushing against her bare skin. She quickly tucked
her legs under her chair.

Adrian crossed his ankles, resting his feet
in her foot space.

That’s what Gray focused her attention on,
not the thrill of physical contact moments before. He had invaded
her space.

Adrian’s brow rose. “Should I order a beer or
something stronger?”

“Order whatever you want,” Gray said with
perfect nonchalance.

“
Whatever
I want?” Adrian repeated.
The innuendo in his tone wasn’t lost on Gray.

“Beverage wise!” Gray snapped. Good thing
Adrian still had the capability to annoy her. Maybe if she were
lucky the spell would eventually wear off on its own.

Gray stared at Adrian’s lips a moment. Nope,
she still wanted to kiss him.

“I asked you to meet me here because I’m
cured.”

No sense beating around the bush . . . the
fake one, anyway.

Adrian studied her face in silence.

“I got the spell reversed,” Gray
reiterated.

Slowly, Adrian’s smile dropped. He studied
her face. His silence was maddening.

Gray had an insane urge to blurt out, “I
lied! I still love you. I want to
keep
on loving you.” She
really had lost her mind right along with her heart. Those thoughts
sounded nothing like her.

Gray was wrestling with these emotions when
she noticed Adrian once more grinning at her.

“What?” Gray demanded, eyes narrowing.

Somehow Adrian managed to recline in his seat
as though it was a lounge chair and not a hard metal seat that made
your butt stiff after five minutes. His legs remained annoyingly
stretched directly in front of Gray’s chair.

“I was expecting more.”

More? What more did the jerk want? For Gray
to slap him? Throw a drink in his face as she had with Charlene?
Stand and start screaming in public?

Gray took a breath and straightened her
shoulders. “I don’t see any reason to make a scene. I just wanted
you to know.”

“Good,” Adrian said.

Good?
What the fuck?

“It’s more than good,” Gray informed him.
“It’s great.” What the hell was she talking about? If she sounded
ridiculous it was only because Adrian had started it.

At the moment he looked more preoccupied with
the pattern he traced over the tabletop using the tip of his
finger. Gray fought the urge to clear her throat with an angry
growl.

Adrian took his time lifting his eyes to meet
Gray’s. “Are you waiting for an apology?”

Apology? He thought she wanted an apology?
Gray might be under a spell, but Adrian wasn’t. She wanted him to
admit he loved her. Maybe even ask if there was any chance she
could ever find it in her heart to love him back without requiring
a spell.

But Adrian’s powers didn’t include mind
reading. Even if they did, he’d probably block out the capability
with his own overblown ego, which made him oblivious to all other
emotions excluding his own puffed-up pride.

Good thing the waiters were still too busy to
take their order. Gray felt too sick to eat or drink.

“Let’s just forget this ever happened,” Gray
said quickly. “As hard as it is for me to admit it, you’re not to
blame. Not this time. Anyway, I was in such a fog I hardly remember
any of it. Let’s just go our separate ways and get on with our
lives.”

Adrian stared into her eyes. “Is that what
you want?”

“What else would I want?”

Besides to be loved and cherished by you for
the rest of my days, you fool!

He simply nodded. That was it. No
adios
, nice
swapping spit . . . and other bodily fluids, wishing you the best
or better yet . . . WAIT! Don’t leave me.

Gray might still love him,
but by God if he didn’t love her enough to chase her down the
street then Gray was walking away and never looking back. Love was
a bloody curse. First Raj. Now Adrian. This copy of herself was
doomed to nurse an eternal broken heart.

Gray looked over her shoulder for the tenth time.
And for the tenth time, she saw that Adrian had not rushed after
her.

The first tear ran down her cheek.

Gray was so startled, she looked into the sky
as though expecting to find a rain cloud above her head. But the
day was gorgeous in every way possible.

Gray laughed bitterly.

She raced across traffic, causing a motorist
to bleat his horn at her. If her mind wasn’t such a wreck she could
have teleported to the small park across the street. Gray collapsed
onto the closest bench, pulled her legs up, and buried her face
into her knees. She squeezed her eyes shut tight. If her eyes were
closed she couldn’t cry.

Gray concentrated on breathing, all the while
keeping her ears open for the sound of his voice. Could she make
him appear with magic? Could she force the concern into his voice
and make him ask her what was wrong?

Gray leaned her head back, but there was no
warm chest to nestle against, only the rough wooden park bench.

Gray’s phone rang, startling her. “Hello?”
she answered.

Hannah’s voice bubbled over the line. “Gray,
meet us at La Clandestina as soon as you can.”

“What do you mean by ‘us’?”

“Marco, Will, and I!” Hannah said
impatiently, as though it should have been obvious.

Gray was too happy to care about her snippy
tone. “On my way.”

See? Her friends still loved her. Their
timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Gray wanted to say good-bye
before she left Barcelona and the painful memories the city now
held over her heart.

The gang was already seated at a table along
the tearoom’s bright yellow brick wall when Gray walked in.

Marco shot out of his seat in a flash,
kissing Gray’s cheeks. “
Mi amiga!”

“Hi, Gray,” Will said softly, meeting her
eyes briefly before giving her a quick hug from a foot away.

“It’s so good to see you guys!” Gray
said.

“Hannah told us what happened,” Marco said.
After they’d taken their seats he leaned forward. “Are you
okay?”

Gray nodded.

“Are you still under the spell?”

Gray frowned and glanced over Marco’s
shoulder at the waitress at the next table over. She needed one of
the tearoom’s famous brownies on the double. Per usual, her stomach
wasn’t connected to her heart. It had only base needs—filling!

There was no sense in lying to her friends.
Gray returned her attention to Marco. “I’m still working on
that.”

“Did you speak with Ortega?” Marco asked.

“Yeah, he figures someone stole my luck
amulet and put a hex on it.” Gray sighed. “Only problem is I
haven’t been able to locate the blasted thing.”

“You still weren’t able to lift it off
Charles?” Hannah demanded.

Gray sighed. “I don’t think Charles has
it.”

Hannah rubbed her chin. “You mean he gave it
to someone else?”

“I don’t think he’s involved at all,” Gray
clarified.

Hannah frowned at the table. Either she was
attempting to bore holes into the wood or she was deep in thought.
Suddenly she sat up. “I’ve got it! We go to Vinuesa for help.”

Marco and Will nodded their agreement.

Gray fought back a grimace. “The only help
Vinuesa would offer me is help packing me off to Calida’s.”

“Well, we have great news,” Hannah said,
exchanging looks with Will and Marco. “I explained everything to
Benita, and she wants to speak with you at once.” Hannah squealed.
“No doubt she’s going to let you finish the program.”

Gray’s heart dropped. Shouldn’t it be soaring
with relief right about now? She looked from Hannah to Marco to
Will. They were all smiling. She hadn’t known them for long, but
they were currently her closest friends.

Gray didn’t notice the waitress appear until
she asked,
“
¿Qué le gustaría?”

What would Gray like? Good
question.

Some questions were easier
to answer than others. Gray took that moment to make the more
immediate decision. She ordered the Hindu Massala Chai tea and a
walnut brownie.

“So?” Hannah said, when
Gray turned back to the group. “Isn’t that great news?”

“Yeah,” Gray said. She
could hear the hesitation in her voice. She’d always been terrible
at masking her emotions.

“What is it, Gray?” Will
asked, brows furrowed.

Great, now everyone was
frowning. So much for a happy gathering.

What was Gray supposed to
tell them? That she loved doing magic and wasn’t exactly jumping
for joy at the prospect of giving it up again? That she’d never
felt more happy in her whole life than when she was with Adrian
Montez even if it was against her own free will?

No, they’d never
understand.

“That’s really nice of you
to speak to Benita,” Gray said slowly. “But I’m planning on leaving
Barcelona.”

“What?” the gang cried out
in unison.

Gray hunched forward.
“There’s more to this story. Someone is after me. I have it on good
authority he’s already headed this way.”

“Wow, Gray,” Marco said.
“This sounds like a movie.”

One with a tragic ending,
no doubt. It was highly unlikely it ended with Gray and Adrian
riding their broomsticks off into the sunset.

At least she could count on
one thing not to disappoint her: chocolate. Gray bit into her
brownie. Oh, reliable brownie. Just as good as the last
time.

Her friends exchanged
glances. Gray kept focusing on her brownie until every last crumb
had disappeared.

* * *

Although Gray was back in familiar
territory, walking along the Ramblas with Hannah’s arm looped
around her own, she’d never felt more lost.