A Spell of Time (A Shade of Vampire #10)(20)

My body was on the verge of giving in, when Mona finally released her grip on us and stepped back.

Slowly gathering myself, I managed to find the strength to sit up. Panting, I stared from her to Sofia.

“What was that?” I tried to shout, unable to contain my anger, but my voice cracked.

Sweat shining on Mona’s forehead, she looked down at the two of us.

“Annora cast a binding spell on you.”

I stared at her, my mouth dropping open.

“What?” Sofia croaked.

“When you were her prisoners, she bound you to her island. You had seven days to live since the day you escaped.”

My lips opened, but no words came out. I stared at Sofia, whose shocked expression mirrored my own. That’s what the bitch must have done to us in her study.

“H-how did you know?” Sofia stammered.

“I… I just felt something was wrong. I suppose as the time grew nearer, the spell was gathering potency. I just felt it.”

“I-is it completely off us now?” Sofia asked.

“Yes. I think so.”

I leaned back against the bedpost, trying to steady my breathing as the pain ebbed away from my body. I gazed blankly at the wall.

“That’s what Vivienne was disturbed about,” I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. “She had sensed something wrong too…”

Silence filled the room.

“Now if you two don’t mind,” Mona said, “I’m going to return to bed.”

With a snap of her fingers she vanished from the spot. I should have thanked the witch before she left, but I was still too stunned to think straight.

I looked at Sofia. “Do you remember how many days have passed since we were in Annora’s study?”

Sofia squinted, biting her lip as she racked her brains. “It must have been about a week, or very nearly a week.”

“That was close. Too close.”

I should have suspected that Annora wouldn’t have let us get away so lightly. If it weren’t for Mona, we would be dead—yet another way we were now indebted to her.

* * *

The next morning, I woke early and went to our bedroom. Sofia still showed no signs of changing back. I shook her awake. She stumbled out of bed and looked in the mirror, breathing out heavily.

“What if you’re stuck like this forever?”

“I won’t be,” she said. “I told you, Corrine said I just have to wait.” She climbed back into bed and leaned against the headboard. “Tell me exactly what happened with Kiev.”

I frowned, running a hand through my hair.

The truth was, as much as I hated to admit it, Sofia’s plan had worked. The dinner with Kiev and Mona had gone far better than I could have expected. Kiev had behaved civilly with me, and I’d tried to respond in kind—even if I was still a bit stiff in some of my remarks. Having the witches there to guide the conversation had definitely helped.

I wasn’t sure how long this truce would last. I was certain that we would still clash—that just seemed to be in our natures. But something told me we’d come to an understanding. Perhaps even a sense of respect for one another. At least this seemed to be enough to satisfy Sofia. I supposed, now that I’d recovered from the shock, I was grateful she had done what she had.

“There’s not much I can tell you,” I said. “Kiev and I didn’t do a lot of talking, but we were civil to each other. The witches led most of the conversation.”

She smiled. “I’m glad.”

She reached for my face instinctively, her—my—hand brushing against my cheek before I could stop her.

I flinched and stepped away. “I want my wife back.”

Chapter 16: Sofia

It took longer than any of us could have expected but, finally, I turned back into myself.

I managed to convince Derek to keep my trick a secret from Kiev. There was no need for Kiev to know. It would only be detrimental to their newly formed relationship. I still regretted Derek finding out. If Vivienne’s vision hadn’t been such bad timing, neither of them would have ever discovered my trick. Still, the two men were now on speaking terms. And that was all that mattered.

I’d never been so happy to look in the mirror. I stared at myself for several minutes once the transformation was complete, touching my face and running my hands along my skin. Derek was overjoyed. He scooped me up in his arms and kissed me hard.

Now that I was back, and Derek and Kiev were on civil terms, we needed to call a meeting to discuss the map they’d found. Derek arranged for a meeting in the Great Dome that evening. Kiev, his siblings, Mona, Matteo and Saira were already seated in the dome when we arrived. Mona slid the map toward Derek and me.

Black crosses covered the parchment, scattered across every continent. North and South America, Europe, Asia…

I exhaled sharply. The shock in Derek’s face mirrored what I felt. Vivienne, Xavier and other members of our council gathered behind us, peering over our shoulders at the map.

“I suspect that some of those gates are no longer functioning properly—like the one we entered through,” Mona said. “But more skilled witches than myself will be able to break through them regardless.”

“Do you think there’s any chance other creatures know about these gates?” Derek asked.