Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(31)

"Him," she said in distaste. "I really don't know what Charla sees in him either. He's colorless." She gathered up her book, apple core, and satchel and stood up. "I have to get to class. If you see Charla, tell her I was looking for her."

There it was again, the unfailing tieback to Charla. It made it seem as if their entire conversation had never even happened. Victoria nodded tightly, her throat dry. She was trying to force herself to not look at Christian. But unable to help herself, her eyes turned to him. Sensing her gaze, their eyes connected in an infinite split-second, but then he looked away and kept walking. Victoria felt like he had punched her in the stomach. She almost didn't hear the quiet voice beside her say, "I told you he was empty." She didn't even notice when Angie walked away.

Victoria didn't know how long she stayed on the steps, her eyes burning from the sting of unshed tears. It felt like she was crying about everything lately! After days of not even seeing him at rehearsal, she didn't know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't him looking coldly through her as if she didn't exist. She should have known better, and trusted her instincts where he was concerned!

She ran to her car, stopped to get gas, and started on the three-hour trip, turning up the music as loud as she could stand and letting it drown out her pathetic thoughts. Leto mewed unhappily in his carrier from the chaos but she ignored his complaints, trying to think about anything but him.

She focused on the conversation she'd had with Angie and her uncanny ability to see people's "colors." When Angie had started talking about the colors, she had been genuinely animated and had looked happy! Still, Victoria was worried. They weren't really friends, and it wasn't like they were going to be now that Angie knew what she knew. Perhaps that was what the amulet sensed when it had grown hot, or maybe the heat had been a manifestation of her own fear. Either way, she knew she would have to be more careful around her.

Despite her efforts, her thoughts inevitably wound their way back to Christian. Victoria wondered what Angie had meant when she had said that he was "colorless." Was that a metaphor of some sort indicating that he was boring, or worse, incapable of being a nice human being? It had sounded like that, especially when she had said that he was empty.

Either way, despite his recent coldness, colorless would have been the last word that Victoria would have used to describe him. No matter what she did or how hard she tried to push him from her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to hate him, to not think about the feel of his lips on hers or his gentleness when she'd cried about her parents or his inimitable grace with the violin. After two weeks, she thought her feelings would have diminished, but they had only gotten stronger. She needed to banish Christian Devereux from her head! He had obviously banished her from his.

Victoria pulled into Holly's driveway, and immediately felt better, the weight of everything from the past few weeks falling off her shoulders. Holly raced from the house and embraced her. Their reunion was delirious and they talked for hours. Holly filled Victoria in on all the local gossip. Victoria told Holly about Christian, except for certain pertinent details, and had a good cry, getting it out of her system. A dose of Holly was exactly what she'd needed.

The time went by quickly, and after just a couple days, Victoria was well rested. She'd taken long walks, enjoying the peace and quiet, and spent time exploring her abilities in more detail. After her unexpected run-in with Angie, Victoria realized that they only way she could protect herself from harm would be to learn about her gifts and be prepared to use them.

Leto was patient, teaching her simple spells and the words that were used to give the spells form and dimension. She discovered that as a familiar, he could not perform magic on his own, but he was a veritable treasure trove of magical lore. Under his tutelage, she learned quickly.

Try this one, he told her. Muto capillus. It's a glamour.

"Muto capillus," she said, and watched as her hair shimmered into a pale blonde. "That's amazing! How do I go back to normal?"

Recurro capillus.

Victoria parroted his words and her hair reassumed its natural color. She frowned thoughtfully.

"But why do I need the words, Leto? I've performed magic without them. If I think hard enough I can do a glamour without any words." She stared at him intently and watched as his silver-colored fur metamorphosed into black and white polka dots. "See?"

You're not like most witches, Victoria. Most others have to use words to shape the magic or it won't respond. Even though your own magic is not defined by words, they can still help to increase the potency of your spells.

"That's good to know."

Wonderful. Now change me back.

The magic came easily to Victoria, and it made her feel better than she had in weeks. It felt good knowing that she was learning to control the strange and sometimes overwhelming power inside of her. She couldn't change who she was, but if she learned enough, maybe one day, she'd be able to control the demands of the blood and not end up like her ancestor, Brigid. Despite her fear, that had been the tipping point—Victoria vowed that she would never become a slave to the blood.

The amulet, too, felt as if it were harmonized to her every feeling, like a mood ring she'd worn when she was younger. She was fascinated by its unerring ability to warn against danger, and as much as she tried to outwit it, she found that it always flared hot whenever she endangered herself. Each time she mastered a new spell, the amulet warmed with approval.