Bruja Read online

  As we walked into the compound, I tried to search for a glimmer of the white aura I’d seen yesterday. If I could narrow down where it was, then maybe I could sneak away to investigate.

  A bright light caught my eye and I turned to find the source: a building in the back. It had no windows, only an open doorway but something glowed inside.

  That was where I needed to go. Somehow I had to convince them to take me into that building.

  “In here,” Father Valentine said, gesturing to one of the smaller buildings.

  Already caught. So much for trying to be subtle. “What’s over there?” I motioned to the last building, where the road dead-ended.

  “Oh, just another house. Nothing in there to interest a young girl like you.”

  I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. He wasn’t going to make this easy.

  He disappeared into the smaller building on our right, and Matt followed him.

  “Go on,” Father Alfred said from behind me.

  I’d hesitated just long enough to arouse suspicion, but my body didn’t seem to want to obey the command to go inside.

  Father Alfred touched my shoulder. “This way. Nothing will harm you here.”

  I managed not to cringe away from his touch. If I’d been a wolf, I knew his words would’ve stunk of lies.

  Just do it, Claudia. I stepped through the doorway and immediately felt something brush past me. It felt slithery and slimy. I shuddered and looked down. A row of horseshoes was pressed into the dirt floor.

  The small house was warded, but I couldn’t tell what against.

  As soon as my eyes adjusted, all I could see was the altar. Incense burned on the stone, and it was surrounded with…

  I swallowed. The things hanging there looked like dried baby goats.

  What the… I knew some evil brujos used ritual sacrifice in their magic, but I’d never heard of shrunken, dried carcasses being kept as decoration. At least, I hoped they were decoration. I didn’t want to know what they did if they were still active. That idea more than creeped me out.

  You’re here for Raphael. Remembering that truth kept me from running out the door.

  I took in the rest of the altar. The more I stared at it, the weirder it got. The little deity holding a burning cigarette and surrounded by fake dollar bills took the cake. I’d seen some weird things in my life, but this was just…

  Something ran across my shoe and I squealed.

  “Calm down,” Matt said. “It’s just a guinea pig.”

  “Oh. Right.” Because it was normal to have guinea pigs running through the house.

  I took in the rest of the room. A small table with four chairs was placed against the far wall. To my right—the altar. And to my left was a hearth, with grating above it for cooking. In between the oven and the table, a neatly made twin bed pressed against the wall. The only window in the house—if house was the right word—was above the bed, but dark curtains blocked any light from coming through.

  The fire burning in the hearth was the only real source of light. There was a chimney, but it must be blocked, because a lot of the smoke wafted into the room, making it seem hazy and foggy. It added to the creep factor. I wanted to pull the curtain aside and throw open the window, but that would’ve been rude.

  Another guinea pig sniffed at my ankle, drawing my attention to the floor.

  “Here,” said Father Alfred. “They’ll come out if I feed them.” He threw a bunch of greens on the floor, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, guinea pigs came running. There had to be at least fifty of them. Some big. Some little. All different colors.

  It was so weird to think of these men taking care of animals. “You have a lot of pets, Father Valentine.”

  The men started laughing.

  “What?” What was so funny?

  “They’re not pets, child,” said Father Valentine. “They’re dinner.”

  What? They had to be joking. No way would I ever eat one of those. I’d had a hamster way back when. Raphael had hated her, but I loved her. He eventually made such a stink that Daniel had to adopt Harriet the Hamster. I’d still gone to visit her every day at Daniel’s house.

  Just like that, a wave of grief hit me. It was so quick. The image of Daniel playing with Harriet filled my mind, and tears welled.

  “Don’t cry after this lot,” said Father Alfred, a British accent thick in his voice. “They’re more varmint than anything else. We only eat them once a week.”

  That meant they killed them. And cut off their skin.

  Oh God. I was going to be sick. If I thought about it anymore I was going to go vegetarian. I pushed all of that horror out of my mind. I needed something that these men had. Being polite was of the utmost importance.

  Father Alfred moved around the room, grabbing the kettle from the fire and setting it on a trivet on the table. He placed four handle-less cups on the table, and went back to the hearth to grab a few jars that rested on the shelf above it. He sprinkled an assortment of herbs into the cups and then filled them with water to steep.

  I watched every move, and realized I couldn’t possibly drink whatever was in that cup. Taking herbs from these men would be beyond stupid, but I wasn’t sure how I could get out of drinking without being suspicious.

  “Come sit,” said Father Valentine as he settled into one of the chairs.

  Matt took the seat next to him. “Where’s my cousin?”

  “Oh, the others are on a spirit quest in the mountain. They’ve been gone for a fortnight. I don’t think they’ll be back for another few days. But I like to stick around here.” He chuckled to himself. “My bones are old. This young one stayed behind to make sure I didn’t do anything foolish.”

  “That’s not quite accurate,” said Father Alfred. “I stayed back because last time we all left, you got yourself in a bit of trouble. Wolves.” He said the last word like it was disgusting.

  It was to be expected, but it still annoyed me.

  “Don’t talk too poorly of them in front of her. She seems to have grown fond of the wolves recently,” Matt said.

  Father Valentine leaned back in his chair. “Is that right? Why would you waste your time with those dogs?”

  I’d been around the wolves enough to know that “dog” was a huge insult. “I ran into a problem with my coven. I needed a place to go, and my cousin who was bitten offered sanctuary.” I didn’t want to go into too much detail. If Luciana liked to come here, then the old man definitely knew her. They might even be best friends.

  Father Valentine grunted.

  Well, this was going fantastically. How long did I need to give it before I politely segued into asking for access to the rest of their compound?

  Matt motioned to me. “She thinks Luciana is raising demons.”

  Matt! You idiot.

  “What gives you that impression?” Father Alfred set his cup on the table with a thunk.

  I wanted to wring Matt’s stupid neck. I had to play this carefully. If they really were the kind who dabbled in summoning, then I couldn’t come out and say I was looking for white magic. “She tried to raise some about a week ago, but she doesn’t have enough power to hold them. She’s playing a dangerous game.” Father Alfred and Father Valentine shared a disbelieving look, and I barely contained a sigh. This wasn’t going well. “I know it sounds far-fetched, but I’ve come a long way for help.” I didn’t say their help, because I didn’t want their help.

  His bushy white eyebrows nearly disappeared along his hairline. “You want our help? I see.” He pushed the cup in front of me a little closer. “Well, let’s have a think on how we might be able to do that.”

  None of the men made a move to sip their tea while they stared at me and I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of suspicion. I really, really didn’t want to take herbs from brujos I didn’t know. Especially ones with auras like theirs.

  I picked up the cup, blew off the steam, and pretended to take a small sip before setting it back down. “A little hot.” I
gave them my best smile.

  Father Alfred smiled, but it wasn’t a nice one. “I’m not sure we have much experience with demons. What type are you trying to raise?”

  Of course they’d assume I wanted to raise demons. They were evil. They’d expect me to want to do evil things, too, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t horribly outraged by the suggestion. “There’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t want to raise any demons.”

  “Oh, well, then.” Father Valentine bristled. “I was going to say that it would be very difficult for someone like yourself to raise a demon. That means you want to fight them?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s not wise,” Father Valentine said. “If you see one, you should leave the area. Fast.”

  I wasn’t going to take this personally. Nope. Not at all. “I understand that would be the best thing to do, but sometimes that’s not an option. Sometimes you have to fight.”

  “I see.” Father Valentine pressed his lips together firmly as he judged me.

  This wasn’t working. I needed to not do what I always did—follow where I was led. I needed to be like Teresa. If someone wasn’t giving me what I wanted, I needed to get it myself.

  I took a little sip of the tea and instantly regretted it. The brew was bitter and foul. I barely managed not to make a face as I set down the cup. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long journey. I know you said you didn’t have any facilities here, but is there an outhouse or…?”

  “Oh. Yes, of course. Out the door to the left, behind the next building. You can’t miss it.” Father Valentine grinned, and it chilled me to the core. “Come back and finish your tea, and we can see what we can tell you about fighting demons.”

  I plastered on a grin. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your time, dear. It won’t do to rush a lady.”

  I nodded, not sure what to say to that, and left the suffocating room. Another slithering wave hit me as I crossed the line of horseshoes and I gasped for breath in the fresh air.

  The street outside was totally empty. If they were telling the truth, then only the two of them were here. And if they thought I was “taking my time” in the outhouse, then that gave me at least five minutes of safe snooping.

  The only problem was the wards. Passing over them could sound some kind of silent alarm. Lucas had mentioned it, so I had to be very careful. If I set one off, there was no doubt in my mind the Fathers would be breathing down my neck in seconds.

  The good news was, I knew exactly where I was going. I walked around the compound to get to the building in the back. It was slightly bigger than the others, but had no windows. No chimney either. I peeked inside the open doorway, but didn’t see any auras. Nothing white and glowing.

  I closed my eyes and rubbed them. Again, nothing.

  No. This was wrong. I knew it was in there. I’d seen the aura not fifteen minutes ago. It couldn’t be gone.

  I squinted inside, but it was too dark to see much. A mountain of books piled on the floor. I spotted some mixings for potions. But the altar…

  Unlit candles crowded its surface. Even though I couldn’t make out the surrounding shapes, I knew something was off about this one. Odd-shaped lumps covered its surface, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they were. Especially since it smelled like something had died in there.

  I held my breath as I focused in on my magic, feeling it ignite within my soul. “Fire hotter than the sun, give me light where there is none.”

  The candles flared as my magic filled the room.

  Oh God. It smelled like something had died because something had.

  Many things.

  What I’d hoped was a lumpy blanket was actually the remains of a few guinea pigs. A magic circle was carved into the ground, with a pentagram in the center. The remains of old candles were piled up on top of each other at each point of the star.

  I held my hand over my mouth, and tried not to throw up. Whatever these mages were up to, I wanted no part of it, but I couldn’t turn back. No matter how grossed out I was, the thing I needed was here. It had to be.

  I quickly warded myself to keep negative energy away, and stepped through the doorway. The slimy sensation was the same as crossing the threshold into Father Valentine’s house. I only had a few moments before the Fathers came to find me.

  I ran to the pile of books and scanned the titles. Demon Casting. Spells of Light and Dark. Herbs of Witchery. More than a few of the books sounded helpful, but my little purse wouldn’t hold much of anything. I had to pick one book. Just one.

  “God above, give me luck. Help me out so I’m not stuck.”

  I reached for a book, and knocked over three more.

  Way to backfire, spell.

  I knelt down on the floor to pile up the dropped books and a flash of white caught my eye. A glow came from inside a book that had fallen under the bookcase. I never would’ve seen it, but now that I was down here, I knew without doubt that this was the key to finding exactly what I needed.

  My fingers shook as I slid it out. The cover was blank. I opened it to the first page. Writing was scrawled in a language I didn’t understand, but the book itself wasn’t what caught my attention.

  A loose, folded piece of paper stuck out from the binding.

  It gave off a pure, white aura.

  I slipped it out and set the book back down. As I opened the folds, I got a case of the giggles.

  I’d found a map. And if I was reading the symbols right, it led to a temple.

  Oh my God. I’d found a map that lead to the temple of the white mages.

  I set the book down and shoved the map in my purse. I needed to get out of here before the Fathers found me.

  A throat cleared behind me. Father Alfred stood in the doorway, and behind him, Father Valentine and Matt glared.

  Shit. I fumbled with the books that I’d dropped, trying to conceal the fact that I’d taken something from their stash. “I’m sorry, I got lost and thought this might be the outhouse. The smell was… So I lit the candles, and then I saw the books…” I piled all the fallen books in my hands and got up, trying not to drop them. “I do love a good magic book. I didn’t mean to snoop.”

  “I’ll take those,” Father Alfred said, anger dripping from his words.

  I swallowed. Should I scream now and hope Lucas got here in time, or see how it played out? Was Lucas even nearby? I couldn’t count on that. It would be better to get myself out of this. If I still could. My hands shook as I handed Father Alfred the books. “Thank you. Sorry if I ruined your organization.”

  As Father Alfred took the books from me, he muttered something in Latin.

  Before I could do anything—run, scream, anything at all—my body crumpled to the ground. I had no control over it.

  Pure terror coursed through me and a drop of sweat rolled down my temple. I could feel it, but I couldn’t move.

  “Drag her to the center of the circle,” Father Valentine said. “We’ll get you her power, but then you’ll owe a favor of our choosing. Do you agree to the terms?”

  “Yes,” Matt said.

  Rage like I’d never felt burned hot inside me.

  I hadn’t liked Matt before, but now I hated him. Despised him.

  He wanted to strip my power. He’d lied to my face yet again, and yet again, I’d fallen for it. Stupid. So, so stupid.

  I tried to yell out, but I couldn’t. It was like my voice was stuck. But my magic…

  Now I knew what was in the tea. If I’d actually swallowed it down, chances were it would’ve blocked my power. Thank God I’d only tasted the tiniest drop.

  I used rhymes to access my magic, because I felt like they gave me strength, but I didn’t need to say the words aloud. I didn’t need words at all. I just liked them.

  That was the problem. I used them as a crutch.

  The Fathers moved my body like I was a doll, and their dark auras seeped into me wherever their cold fingers touched. They dragged me into the middle of their
circle.

  A knife burned as it cut along my arms. The metallic scent of my blood filled the room.

  I had to focus. They wouldn’t steal my magic. Luciana hadn’t managed it. And these three douches wouldn’t either. I just had to get enough magic out so that I could scream.

  Lucas would come. If he really was what he thought he was to me, then he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. I prayed I was right, because I’d only get one chance.

  I closed my eyes and felt the tiny trickle of magic I had left.

  Release my voice. Release my voice. Release my voice.

  I said the simple spell over and over in my head, until I was sure—or as sure as I could be—that it had worked.

  The two brujos started chanting as Matt watched over me with a smug look.

  The scent of sulfur filled the room.

  I sent a silent prayer that my spell worked, took a breath, and screamed as loud as I could.

  The men froze in stunned silence for a second. The chanting was gone, and the smell of sulfur vanished.

  I heard a howl in the distance.

  Lucas. I wasn’t safe yet. Not nearly, but a wave of relief washed over me. I wasn’t alone this time.

  “You stupid fucking bitch.” Matt’s kick landed in my side, knocking the breath from me.

  I couldn’t move to protect myself. All I could see was his foot as it came toward my face.

  Then I saw nothing at all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I woke up swinging and screaming.

  Someone grabbed my wrists and pressed them into the mattress above my head. It hurt. Everything hurt.

  The room was too dark to see. I screamed again. “Let me go!”

  “Stop, Claudia. You’re okay.”

  I froze. Lucas. “Where am I?”

  “Your hotel room. If you promise to hold still, I’ll turn on the light. But you’re hurt. So just… Please don’t move, okay?”

  I nodded. “Okay.” The terror was slowly fading and the more it did, the more I could feel the aches across my body. “What happened?”

  Lucas flicked on the light, but his eyes glowed with a dark, intense energy. The bed dipped as he sat back down beside me. “I’ve been alive for a long time. I’ve fought in wars—human and supernatural. I’ve lost friends and family, and been helpless against it. But nothing—not ever in my years on this earth—terrified me more than the sound of that scream.”