Strega (Strega Series) (32 page)

My eyes migrated to the lush earth below my feet, and clung to it.
Only thirty-four more days.

Ruth and Celia did not want me to go.

"It's a treacherous place," Ruth pleaded. "Far too dark, too dangerous. There's a reason no Strega has ever traveled there."

"Everything is askew there," Celia added. "Your senses will deceive you. Evil will infect you with delusion. Hallucinations will haunt you and lead you astray. You'll fall prey to her tricks. It's inevitable. From the moment you arrive, you'll be lost. And you'll be alone. We won't be there to help you. Even if we follow you there, we'll never find each other, and we'll never find you."

I didn't care. I was going.

***

Shaun's underlings had disbanded without his direction, but the deceiving quiet was only the calm before an ugly storm. What I'd experienced thus far was but a sprinkle of rain. There was a monsoon brewing, and I was about to walk straight into it.

In caccia ombra, I'd seen everything. I returned to my past to finish what I'd started. I hacked up old shadows and set free lifetimes of knowledge. It finally settled between my ears where it belonged. I knew my enemy well. And I knew myself. With my powers fully emerged, I spent every waking moment harnessing them. Preparing for what lay ahead.

In all I learned, one interesting tidbit burned brighter than the rest. It was an ace in my hand, and being cursed and all, I hoped my cards didn't burn before I could play it. Aside from my being the only one that could turn Invidia's immortality to dust, and aside from her hatred for the love Vince and I shared, there was another reason why Invidia cursed us. Vince and I had something powerful between us that she could never defeat. Not without a curse. With the blood of the gods in us, the love we shared gave us the power to heal each other. I had recently experienced it. My body was trashed that night on the beach, but I awoke without a scratch. Shaun almost killed me at the club, but I awoke the next morning with no memory of it. Vince had healed me. And I'd healed him, too. In the tent, before he left to find Shaun. And again, just before Invidia pulled him away from me and into the dark earth.

The next five weeks could not go by fast enough. When the sun set on Samhain, when the veil between worlds was at its most vulnerable and I was able to cross over, I was going to the underworld. Invidia was there, baiting me with the one thing she knew I couldn't resist. Vince was still alive. And I wasn't coming back without him.

Love and thanks to my husband and son for inspiring and encouraging me to put my thoughts to paper.

Another extra special thanks to my husband—for your undying support; for sharing a love of the supernatural with me; for all your late night read-throughs; for enduring all my late night edits; for your infinite technical wisdom; for creating my social media footprint; and for the invaluable seeds of creativity you've offered over the years—they are sprinkled throughout these pages. I love you, and I don't know what I'd do without you!

Thanks to my Dad, and to my brother Tom. Your divine inspiration pushes me through the rough spots and assures me that you are always with me, even from an eternity away.

Thanks Mom for encouraging me to be whatever I wanted to be, and for never letting me believe that I couldn't do this.

Thanks to my second Mom and Dad (my in-laws), for all your love and support throughout the years. You are a true gift.

Thanks to my siblings Tom, Eileen, Jim, Mike, and Steve, and to your lovely spouses (also my sibs) John, Lila, Nancy, and Laura. AND to my sibs by marriage, Nelia and Scott. You've all set the bar high and reinforced that having a dream is an essential part of being.

Thanks to my nieces and nephews Aidan, Corey, Cassie, Nicholas, Katie, Bryan, Maureen, Shane, Sydney, Kyle, and Brayden, for being a magical source of inspiration always.

Thanks to Brian Wagner for your amazing book cover and website design skills, your photography expertise and a fabulous author photo session, your invaluable social media advice, and your genuine enthusiasm about seeing this book in print.

Thanks to my awesome editor, Stephanie Peters, for sprinkling your literary magic on my beloved story and enabling me to tell it so much better.

Thanks to all the special people out there (family, friends, and lovely acquaintances) that have supported and encouraged this dream. You are the wind in my sails!