“Figures,” I grunted.
“My mom… was she an agent?”
His lips pursed together. “I think so. I’m not sure, really. My dad doesn’t talk about her and there’s not a lot of info on her in the academy files.”
He hesitated, eyes darting away from mine. “Remember how I said she was a witch?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. The coven she was in, the Luna Negra is one of the worst ones there is. She was pretty high up too before she left. At least they used to be pretty bad, but we pretty much have them under control now.”
I didn’t know what to respond, so I didn’t. It wasn’t like I’d really known the woman, but now I could never look at her stoic portrait again and see her as anything but a witch.
“She left the coven though. She left to protect you from them.”
My eyes flew to his. “To protect me? Why?”
The room grew eerily cold. I knew it was just my fear and paranoia at work, but I couldn’t stop the shiver running down my spine.
“All firstborn are pledged to the coven.”
His words rang in my ears, a heavy weight dropping in my gut. He meant me. Me. I was pledged to the coven before I’d even been born.
“But it’s too late now, isn’t it? I never went to the coven.”
“Because they couldn’t find you. Your mom begged my dad to break protocol to help her fake her death. Both of your deaths and hide you away.”
My throat went dry. Dread and panic rose inside me. Pushing down the emotions, I cleared my head and snapped back to attention.
“She put a spell on you to keep you from getting your sight and attracting their eyes.”
I held up a hand to stop him. “So, they don’t know about me.”
“No, but if you have your sight now… it’s only a matter of time. But don’t worry. We can protect you.”
A nervous laugh escaped me. “Don’t worry? Don’t worry? Don’t worry that some freaky witch clan is hunting me?”
“Coven.”
“Whatever! What the hell, Javi? This is crazy.” I threw my head into my hands and groaned.
“I know. But you’ll be safe here. You should have come with us a long time ago, but your dad refused to let you go.”
I reeled. The fallout with my tío. It all made sense now. My stomach churned at this revelation. I felt as though I’d been punched.
Now that Papi was gone, I didn’t have a choice but to go with my tío. A lick of anger curled in my chest. How could my mom make such a pledge? To promise your child to a pack of witches?
“Javi! Rosa! Ven.” My tía’s voice boomed over a loudspeaker somewhere, startling me.
The idea of eating now made me want to puke. Javi got up and went to the far wall. I sat watching him, my heart still pounding.
“Okay, Mama. We’re coming,” he answered into the hidden microphone.
He walked back toward me, concern shining in his eyes.
I stood up slowly. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. But…”
“We’ll talk more after lunch.” He gave me a firm nod.
With that he led me back to the hall and down to the dining room to join the others. Each step echoed in my ears as I tried to make sense of my life. The one plaguing question that replayed again and again was, why?
Why didn’t Papi tell me? Would he ever have told me the truth, or did he plan on lying to me the rest of my life?
An ache spread inside my chest, fueled by the rage and grief of the past few days. It was a surprise I hadn’t experienced a nervous breakdown yet. Everything was happening way too fast, and I had the sinking feeling the deeper I dug, the more I would wish that I hadn’t.
Tía Teresa laid out an extravagant buffet for us. My eyes bulged as they landed on all the delicious tapas. Garlic mushrooms, croquets, patatas bravas, and more. The smells were tantalizing and welcomed. For a good while I was content to scarf down the deliciousness and keep my mind far away from current events. Once I’d eaten way more than I needed, I leaned back in my chair and tried to get Javi’s attention.
He slurped down the last of his tomato soup and met my eyes.
Let’s go.
Getting the hint, he nodded and stood. I pushed away from the table to join him. We made it halfway across the room.
“Where are you two going?” Tía Teresa called after us. Her eyebrow arched in suspicion.
Javi flashed her a huge smile. “I’m gonna show her the gardens.”
She frowned. “I already showed her the gardens.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but who doesn’t want to see your amazing garden again?” He nudged my shoulder.
Taking the hint, I smiled at her. “Yeah. I want to see it again.”
The flat look on her face told me she wasn’t buying it and with my smile more of a grimace, I couldn’t blame her.
“You’re going to the gymnasio, aren’t you?”
Javi smiled. “Just to show her some of the swords.”
She clucked her tongue. “Just… be careful, Javi. No sword fighting,” she added before walking the dishes to the sink.
Javi motioned for me to leave. I scurried after him, meeting his long strides. I made note of the turns we took so that I’d remember how to get there by myself if I needed to. Once inside, Javi shut the door behind us.
“Where is your dad?” I broke the silence.
He shrugged. “Working. Like always.” He glanced away, but not before I could glimpse the significant look on his face. The face that spoke of years of trying to please someone who just didn’t give a damn.
Pity filled me, but I didn’t know what to say to him. Sorry you have a crappy dad?
“So, do you think they’ll catch my dad’s killer soon?”
His gaze softened. “I hope so. If they don’t, I’ll ask my mentor for special permission to go myself.”
“I’ll go with you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t
