Page 21 of King Alejandro

“No. I’m a big girl. I’m going to be strong, like Kataleya,” she whispered, her eyes saddening.

“You are both strong.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, following Mom into the kitchen.

“Will Dante wake up? I promise I won’t call him a dumb dumb again.” Skyla asked, climbing onto one of the bar stools as Serena placed a plate of food in front of her.

“He will,” I said, smiling gently at her. I took a seat but refused the plate of breakfast Serena offered me, instead just picking up the mug of mocha Mom had passed me. “Now, eat up so you can get dressed and watch some TV.”

I was very aware of Julio and several guards situated inside of the house, all on alert. Once Serena took Skyla to get her dressed, Mom turned to me, concern clear on her gorgeous face.

“You know Alejandro will do his best.”

“I know, Mom, but I can use my abilities, too.”

“Liam’s there. He is intuitive, too. Keep faith, Kia, and trust in them.”

“Mom, if it were you, would you just sit at home?” I asked, frowning. The sunlight bathed the counter, and if one didn’t know better, they would never think there was so much conflict and trouble within the walls of this villa. She looked down before giving me a small, faint smile and shaking her head.

“No, but from a wiser person’s point of view, don’t be reckless.”

“You’re contradicting yourself, Mom.”

“But please, listen to him,” she persisted.

“I’m giving him time,” I said quietly. I turned towards the window, feeling the witches’ approach. Mom hadn’t sensed them. “They’re here.”

Mom looked up sharply, her heart skipping a beat, and I knew she was hoping that the witches had some answers to what was happening to Dante and Delsanra. I left the kitchen, hurrying to the front door and pulling it open, looking at the two older women who stood before me.

“High Witch Magdalene, High Witch Janaina.” I lowered my head slightly in respect and both women did the same to me.

Janaina had once been a lone witch; it was when Rayhan found his mate Delsanra that we ended up being at peace with the witches. Janaina was Delsanra’s paternal aunt, although she didn’t really like to talk about it. She was also the one who gave me the necklace that Dante wore to conceal his aura.

“Would you like a drink, or shall we head upstairs?” I asked.

“Let’s not waste time,” Magdalene said, waving her hand and the door shut behind them. She observed the guards around the hall as I led the way upstairs.

“What exactly happened?” Janaina asked, and I swiftly filled them in on what I knew; how Delsanra’s spell seemed to backfire and the ominous feeling I had felt in the room. “A presence?” She asked sharply as Iopened the door to the bedroom.

“Yes, I definitely felt like there was something here,” I admitted.

My eyes fell to the two on the bed, the red veins still covering their entire skin. Magdalene sucked in a breath whilst Janaina frowned deeply.

“They are cursed,” Magdalene stated the moment she looked down at the sleeping duo. “It was a natural mistake for Delsanra Silver to make… her ability of darkness and fire… if you use the wrong magic against a curse, it only strengthens it. Neither she nor Serafina would be able to break this curse, for it is only fuelled by the element of fire.”

“Then, can you help?” I asked.

She paused and sighed, “We need the talisman where the curse was cast upon. In this case, it may have been a weapon or something, whatever made contact with the prince.”

“Alejandro said a wolf attacked him, and he killed that wolf,” I added, looking down at Dante, whose skin looked grey.

“Then, it’s a loss... the only one who can break it is the caster,” Janaina murmured.

“So, until then, what can we do?”

“We could try to see if we can at least ease the effect of it, maybe to the point of bringing them to consciousness,” Magdalene muttered, placing a finger on Delsanra’s forehead. She frowned, and I felt power emanate from her. She jerked back suddenly, almost as if she had been burned, clutching her hand. “Odd…”

“What is it?”

“This is not the doing of any witch or necromancer,” Magdalene said in a hushed tone.