Maximum Witch: That Old Black Magic, Book 3 (14 page)

“In other words, it’s the oceanic version of Armageddon,” Aurele added somberly.

Willa gulped. “Holy shit.”

“My thoughts exactly, dear. So you see why Reva was so intent on possessing the trident. Not only would she wipe out humankind, but she would return Atlantis to what she perceived as its rightful ruling place.”

Max grunted. “With her at the helm, no doubt.”

Aurele inclined her head. “Naturally. If not for a very unlikely source, her plan might have seen fruition.” She shuddered as if a ghost had walked across her grave.

“Unlikely source?” Max prodded.

“A leviathan that Reva enlisted to help build her army.”

“I’ll be damned.” Max’s memory backpedaled to the leviathan that had snatched Willa. “The little I know of the butt-ugly beasts, I never would have taken them for the do-gooder kind.”

“Trust me, the creature wasn’t necessarily being altruistic. It seems the leviathan had a change of heart once it figured out that Reva was about to annihilate its entire catalog of souls. The leviathan turned mole, and instead of killing me and Willa as Reva commissioned it to, the creature revealed the duchess’s intentions to me. The information came too late for me to be able to save the royal family, but I grabbed the trident, along with Willa, and escaped. The royal army captured Reva, and from what I understand, a subsector of the Atlantean military has been holding her prisoner in an undisclosed location ever since.”

“She’s still
alive
?” Willa’s face turned a dangerous shade of red.

“I know it’s distressing, dear, but her royal status saved her from execution. Or even being brought to trial. I believe her family convinced those in the know to cover it up in order to avoid scandal and inciting possible riots from the Atlanteans. It’s amazing what large sums of money can buy.”

“Guess that explains how Reva Bellemuir’s name was never leaked as the perpetrator.” And why the fucking case had remained
unsolved
all these years. Max growled, every fiber of his being railing against the injustice. He remembered the countless nights, as a boy, when he’d walk in on his father poring over the murder evidence in search of the tiniest clue. The case had become an obsession for Grayson Truitt, damn near ruining his life and putting a wedge in his marriage. It’d taken ten years to convince his dad to move on, let the case go cold. As a result, things drastically improved at home. But those were still missing years that could never be taken back.

Aurele laid her hand on his forearm. “I can see that you’re angry.”

“Yes, damn it. Aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then why did you go along with it? For God’s sake, you’ve known the truth all this time and never said a word.”

“You think that doesn’t kill me?” A wealth of pain and anguish rode every inch of Aurele’s patrician features. “All this time, this horrible secret has burned a hole in my gut. In my soul. But to come forward, show the community I was alive and not a missing body somewhere would have stirred too many questions. Soon the whispers would start. If
I
had survived, who’s to say the others missing hadn’t fared the same?”

Max’s gaze immediately shifted to Willa.

“It was my duty to protect her,” Aurele continued. “And in return, by erasing Willa’s existence and creating a new one, humankind would be protected too.”

“H-how do you mean?” Willa stammered, her cheeks pale.

“My dear, you were with me when I hid the trident. You know the location.”

“But I don’t remember anything.”

“Because of the mind sweeper. He did a thorough job, but he warned that it might not hold forever. I also had the location wiped from my mind, in case the unthinkable happened and I was tortured into revealing the hiding spot.”

“Tortured?” Willa croaked the word.

“There is at least one who would love to get her hands on the trident. Reva. If our existence was ever uncovered…” Aurele glanced at Max. “Well, as you can see, it has been.”

Max firmed his jaw. “Nothing that’s been said here will leave this room.”

“I know. You’re Grayson’s boy. That alone is enough to make me trust you. Beyond that, I can see the light of honesty and justice in your eyes. You’re a good, honorable man. But there are those with far less admirable qualities. They’re the reason I commissioned the mind sweeper to work his magic on Willa, as well as implant the fear of water into her psyche. As long as she never steps foot into the ocean, Reva’s sympathizers will remain clueless of Willa’s existence.”

Aw shit.

His expression must have given him away because Aurele frowned and demanded to know what was wrong. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “I pulled Willa out of the Atlantic. It’s how we met.”

Aurele’s complexion went whiter than a sheet. Her gaze veered to Willa. “B-but that’s impossible. Your fear would have prevented you from even approaching the ocean.”

“The leviathan,” Willa whispered before blinking. “I heard it calling my name.”

Lines of strain pinched tight around Aurele’s lips. “
What
leviathan?”

A bolt of electricity shot down Max’s spine, the sensation eerily similar to those he experienced while in his shark skin, cautioning of danger ahead. He’d felt this precise current moments before spotting Willa and her captor the other day. “Are you talking about the leviathan that took you?”

“What do you mean the leviathan who
took
her?” Aurele demanded.

Max recounted the series of events leading up to the present. Aurele swayed for a moment before lowering herself onto the couch cushion. “I don’t understand how this happened. The leviathans shouldn’t be aware of Willa’s existence, much less have been able to lure her into their domain.”

Willa’s gulp drew his and Aurele’s attention. “What if…?” Willa stopped and sucked in a deep breath, expelling it slowly. “What if it wasn’t the first time I was in a leviathan’s domain?”

Chapter Thirteen

“Please God, tell me that’s a hypothetical question.”

Willa met Aurele’s pleading stare. “Uh…no.” She shifted her focus to Max, who was gaping at her like she’d just beaned him with a two-by-four. “A few days ago, a friend of mine got into a bit of a pickle.”

Max’s eyes became slitted, reminding her of a shark. Oh yeah. He was. Duh. “What kind of trouble?”

“The leviathan contracted her soul and spirited her away to purgatory.”

He grunted. “Yep. You could say that’s a hell of a pickle.”

“Anyway, I went there. To purgatory, I mean. And let me tell you, that place
sucks
.”

“Oh dear.” Aurele rocked back and forth, fussing with the hem of her cardigan. “This isn’t good at all.”

“What I don’t understand is how the damn ugly beast was able to call Willa by name. How would it even know who she was?”

“At the core of their DNA, they’re soul collectors. Not all leviathans take that path, but they’re born with the necessary tools for the trade. One of those tools is the ability to read the blueprints on every soul that crosses its path.”

Willa gaped at Aurele. “Our souls come with freaking
blueprints
?”

“In a manner of speaking. Obviously this leviathan became curious about you. Enough to scan your soul and learn your identity.” Aurele’s fidgeting increased and she gave a low, plaintive moan. “I prayed this day would never come. Little good that did.”

“Okay, so a few leviathans know about Willa. The only way they’ll get to her is over my dead body.”

Looking at Max—oh so big, bad and buff—it was easy to imagine him defending her to the death. But the idea of him actually dying for her? Nope, not something she wanted to contemplate. She’d already lost enough of her loved ones.

The realization that she equated Max with love gave her pause.

Wow, did she actually…love him? They barely knew each other, for goddess’s sake. Then again, what she did know about Max certainly was enough to touch her heart. Like Aurele said, he was a good, honorable man. He reminded her of her dad, in many ways. Or at least, what she thought she remembered about her father. Obviously her mother had found enough reason to fall in love with Daniel Jameson. Maybe she’d found the same ingredients for love lurking within Max.

And didn’t that just freaking complicate things, considering she’d probably picked the worst possible time to fall in love. Yeah, that whole watery Armageddon thing? Pretty much put the kibosh on white picket fences and baby nymph sharks.

“Earth to Willa.”

She snapped to and found Max looking at her. “Hmm?”

“I want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

“You mean about me staying out of the leviathans’ clutches? Yeah, I’m down with that plan.”

“Good. But it means trusting me to protect you. So no more running off,
comprende
?”

“I didn’t run—” She broke off with a sigh. Who was she kidding? She had run off. “I promise to stay glued to your side. How’s that?”

He tugged her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Tomorrow I’ll give Reva’s grandson a call and see if I can’t put a bug in his ear about heightening security at whatever prison Reva’s being held in. Better to be safe than sorry.”

She managed a short nod before yawning. Aurele hefted to her feet, her expression stern. “You look ready to drop dead from exhaustion. Why don’t you and Max stay here tonight? The guest bedroom is already made up.”

Willa stifled another yawn. “We can’t impose on you like that.”

“Don’t be foolish. It’s a long drive back to Savannah.” Aurele transferred her gaze to Max. “You’re staying.”

Willa rolled her eyes while Max accepted the invitation. If you could even call it that. More like an order. Still, as Aurele led her and Max down the hall, she had to admit she was glad they weren’t driving back tonight. Besides being tired, she desperately needed the warm, comforting memories that Aurele’s little bungalow provided. Real memories. Of weekend sleepovers and rowdy, cutthroat games of Monopoly that would go into the wee hours of dawn. Silly as it might be, the idea of deluding herself into believing everything was normal was too tempting to resist, even if the illusion only lasted until the harsh rays of morning brought reality crashing back.

They stepped into the guest bedroom, and Aurele scrounged in the closet for a spare blanket. “I have some extra pajamas if you need ’em.” She glanced at Max. “Sorry, nothing that’ll fit you.”

Willa pictured Max squeezed into a pair of Aurele’s granny flannels and smothered a giggle. Max took the blanket and started for the door. Willa cleared her throat. “Where are you going?”

“I thought I’d take the couch.”

“Why?”

His gaze shot in Aurele’s direction. The older woman made a grumping noise. “As if I haven’t figured out what’s going on between you two. I may be older than Moses, but I’m not blind.” Aurele stepped around Max, giving him a not-so-gentle shove toward the bed. “Fortunately, my hearing isn’t what it used to be, so go at the noisy sex all you want. Not like I’ll be any the wiser.”

Aurele shuffled from the room, closing the door behind her and leaving a very red-faced Max behind. Willa bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“She’s, uh, blunt, isn’t she?”

“You have no idea.” The mattress squeaked as she plopped onto the foot of the bed and unbuckled her sandals before kicking them off. She wiggled her toes and popped the buttons free on her blouse. All the while, she noticed Max’s unblinking scrutiny riveted to her. She shimmied free from her top. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m still trying to absorb the fact that you’re the heir to the throne of Atlantis.”

“I know. Pretty ridiculous, eh? I mean, honestly.” She spread her arms out wide. “I’m not exactly princess
or
queen material.” And truthfully, she didn’t want to be. Not if it meant dealing with a whacko, murdering duchess and a legion of leviathans.

Max joined her on the bed. “Aurele’s right, you know. Ordinary doesn’t belong in your vocabulary.” He brushed his fingertips along her cheek. His touch held wonder, but also a hint of something that felt too much like sadness. Or regret.

He dropped his hand, and it was as if an invisible wall was being erected between them. She didn’t understand it. Or like it. “Not as if it matters anyway. No one knows I’m alive. And seeing how there’s a vengeful siren who’d love to get her paws on me, I have no intention of correcting everyone’s assumption that I’m dead.”

“It’s wrong that you’re being denied your birthright. Reva should be brought to trial and properly sentenced. Then there’d be no need for you to remain in hiding.”

She could practically hear Max’s teeth grinding. “I want nothing more than for my parents’ murderer to be punished, Max. But even if she was, I don’t want anything to do with that throne.”

He gaped at her. “How can you say that? Sweetheart, it’s your legacy.”

“I don’t care. It means nothing to me. I’m perfectly content with being a witch, living my quiet, uneventful life.” She grimaced. “Okay, it
used
to be uneventful up until a week ago, anyway.”

Max shot to his feet and began pacing in front of her. “There’s a part of your history that Aurele left out. It may change your mind about your heritage.”

“I doubt it.”

He stopped burning his path in the carpet, his features set with a fierce determination. “When your mother chose your father, she gave up her crown. Now you have the opportunity to make things right, by reclaiming the title.”

She frowned. “What did her marrying my dad have to do with it?”

“He was a commoner. The Atlanteans are sticklers when it comes to not polluting the bloodlines. Remember what Aurele said about your family being the last direct link to Poseidon?
That’s
what kept the throne in your family’s possession throughout the ages.”

“But if my mother was denied ruling privileges, what makes you think I would be given any? I’m half human. Talk about a big black mark on my candidacy.”

“Normally that would be the case, yes. But you’re the last of the Anastasios. Without you, there is no ruler of Atlantis.”

“What the hell is an Anastasios?”

“
You’re
an Anastasios. It’s your family name.”