Chapter 235

Heather

Claudia waited while I ate my mountain of food. She insisted that I eat first, and then talk, but the suspense was killing me. Instead, Xander and Adrian peppered her with questions about the pack in Peru while I shoveled everything in as fast as I could. Raphael stayed quiet through the whole barrage, instead he tapped his fingers on the table as he stared into space.

He seem off to you? I asked Brent.

I don’t know him well enough, but he seems really uncomfortable.

Hmm. I settled in to hear about the pack in Peru. Everyone was curious about them, and Claudia seemed okay to share. Even if Lucas shot her a couple of looks.

From what I could tell, he liked to keep an air of mystery around his pack, which I got. Privacy was a thing.

When I couldn’t eat another bite and there was no chance of the wolf breaking free, I put my tray on the table behind ours. I couldn’t sit here and have an important conversation with half-eaten plates of food in front of me. “So, what’s going on?”

Claudia cleared her throat before starting. “After our talk, I did some research and tried out a few spells. It took me all afternoon to find the right one, but once I did…let’s just say that it had some unintended results.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”

“I called a minion of a demon named Astaroth into my circle.”

“You did what?” Fur rippled along my skin, and I fought to calm it down. “Why would you do that? Why would you mess with—”

“I didn’t mean to, but it came. And I think the reason it showed up has to do with what happened with Muraco.”

At least we were on the same page. “Astaroth killed Muraco.” She looked around the room, but besides a few Cazadores on the other side of the room, it was empty. There was no reason for her to stay quiet.

“What’s really going on?” I asked.

Claudia glanced at Raphael and they shared a look. The twins were usually on the same page, finishing each other’s sentences, but not today. Claudia had a pained look on her face, and Raphael seemed to be getting angrier by the second.

For the first time, I really took in Raphael. His hair was a little grown out and standing on end, and dark circles hung under his eyes. He looked terrible.

After a moment, she shook her head and focused back on me. “I had to be sure that I was right. So, after we talked, I did some digging. Muraco was drained of power, just like you were. I know I said it felt familiar but I wasn’t sure what that could mean…” She sighed.

“It was just too familiar to the spell that drained you of your magic. Same set up. Same demon. Deadlier spell, though. Which was good that Luciana didn’t use that spell on you, but why the change? Why now? I had too many questions, so—”

“It was my fault Muraco died,” Raphael said.

I spun to him. Raphael’s face was red and he kept staring off at nothing.

“How could it be your fault?” It didn’t make sense to me. “You don’t do magic.”

“No,” he said, finally looking at me, eyes swimming with guilt. “I don’t. I leave that to my sister, but ever since I was bitten by the zombie version of Daniel, I just…” He rubbed his arm where the bite had been. A puckered red scar marked the spot. “I felt a weight on me. I know I was cured. I know it logically, because I’m alive and talking to you. But something wasn’t right. I was…” He trailed off and pain flickered across his face.

When Raphael came back from Costa Rica, I figured he was okay. I hadn’t even given him or what he’d gone through a second thought. He’d seemed fine, and I didn’t want to pry.

I was a shit cousin. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Don’t apologize. I didn’t want to bring it up.” His tone was sharp enough to cut, but it wasn’t meant for me. It wasn’t me he was glaring at. It was Claudia.

I didn’t know what had happened between them, but it was bad.

“Muraco saw that something was bothering me and he was trying to help. I felt like I had a shadow of evil and negativity hanging over me that I couldn’t shake.” He licked his lips, and I knew whatever he was going to say, it wasn’t good. The sorrow and guilt was pouring off of him. “When I told him that, Muraco said his mate was a witch and he could do a spell to make sure that the magic that brought Daniel back from the dead wasn’t still affecting me. But the spell went wrong. Astaroth came and I was thrown from the circle. I tried to get help, but everything happened so quickly and…”

Oh my God. This was making so much more sense.

He squeezed his eyes shut. “It was my fault. I did this. I’m the reason he came after you next, and you almost died. I—”

“Stop it!” Claudia snapped. “No one blames you.”

“I do.” His tone was knife-sharp, but he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, except himself. “I blame myself.” He met my gaze. “And you should, too.” His chair screeched against the floor as he stood and strode out the door.

“I don’t blame him.” I’d been shocked at what he said and stayed quiet too long. He was already gone when I’d spoken, but he was wrong. This wasn’t his fault.

Claudia started to get up, but Lucas grabbed her hand as the door slammed shut behind Raphael. “Let your brother go. He’s angry with himself and he keeps taking it out on you. He needs time. Just let him be.”

“It’s just hard to see him suffering, and—”

“I know.” Lucas cut Claudia off. “You’re kind and caring and generous, so it makes sense that of anyone, you’d want to help your twin through this. But he needs time. He’s got to figure this one out on his own.”

The room was quiet as Lucas pulled Claudia into him. I figured they were still talking, so I didn’t say anything for a bit. I was glad Claudia had someone by her side, making sure she didn’t take too much on herself. Lucas was good for her.

“Well, shit,” I said after a while, breaking the silence that had spread over us. “That wasn’t what I expected.”

“Me either.” Claudia tugged nervously at her braid before flipping it over her shoulder. “When Brent called me while you were under Astaroth’s hold, I already had one of his minions in my circle. That’s how I was able to help you. I used his power and connection to Astaroth along with your bond to Brent to get you free. But the magic Luciana used on you and me and my brother? It’s lingering. We’re tied to Astaroth.”

“I know we’re tied.”

“You know?”

“Yeah. You haven’t checked your voicemail.” It wasn’t a question, because I’d for sure told her about the tie multiple times on there.

Claudia shook her head. “No.”

“Okay. So this is what I know.” I filled her in on what had happened from my perspective while I was in Astaroth’s black abyss and what Eli said about the Seven, the fey, the seal, and Astaroth’s plan. “Please tell me you brought some crystals back.” I wanted to believe there was an easy fix to this, and that the crystals would be it.

Claudia took a second too long to answer, which meant that she hadn’t.

Nope. No. We needed them. “Can you go back and get them? Or have someone overnight them or something?”

“Even if I had any crystals—which I don’t—they won’t work. Not on a demonic tie. Otherwise Raphael wouldn’t have one.”

Right. That made sense. “But they might still come in handy. Maybe we can use them in a potion to—”

“They’re gone.”

“Gone?” I prayed I’d somehow misunderstood her.

“Yes. I went back, but the crystals were dead. All of them. I think some of those evil monks must’ve found the mine and—”

“Shit.” So that was a bust. I wanted to scream and cry and throw the table across the room, but that wouldn’t solve any of our problems. “I can’t believe Luciana’s magic is still fucking us over. It’s unreal.”

“I know.” Her voice was so quiet, but I could still hear the pain in it. Dealing with the fallout from Luciana’s magic had to be just as hard on her as it was me. If not harder.