Page 94 of The Guardian's Curse

“Alistair?” a rough voice called. “Kde jsi?”

This made no sense. He hurried back into the house, then looked into the garage. The black vehicle that Paris had loaned to Shoshanna was still there. He paced in the kitchen, then dashed downstairs for his own phone. He grabbed a bathrobe and hurried back upstairs as he called Paris. When his charming voice said, “Leave a message,” Alistair growled and hung up. He texted as he bounded up the stairs.

Answer your phone. It’s an emergency. Shoshanna is gone.

He was halfway down the hall when Paris called back, his voice all business. “The fuck do you mean Shoshanna is gone?”

“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “I just woke up and she was gone.”

“Maybe she stepped out.” Paris sounded utterly unconcerned.

“The car is here, as is her phone and her cat. Furthermore, she broke the curse on Lucia. So I have a very confused dhampir in my house, and no witch.”

“Am I hallucinating? Did you just say she broke the curse? As in Lucia is no longer a very lovely stone woman?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” he said. “And I need to find Shoshanna. Something’s wrong.”

“Fuck,” Paris said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Alistair found Lucia standing in the doorway of his library, arms folded over her naked frame. He shook his head guiltily and held out the bathrobe. “Come here, love,” he said gently, holding out the robe for her. He pointedly turned his head away while she shakily put one arm into the sleeve. When she was bundled in, he gently picked her up and cradled her frail body to his chest. He was afraid to ask too much about the effects of the curse and what she might have suffered. He carried her to the couch and set her down gently, then shook out a blanket over her legs. Her breathing had slowed, though her eyes were still wide and terrified.

He ignited the electric fireplace, which filled the room with sweltering heat. She gasped in surprise. He groaned inwardly. She was going to have a lot of catching up to do. “Voda, prosim?” she asked, her voice dry and rough.

“God, yes, you must be parched,” he said in English. What would Shoshanna do? The fact that Lucia was staring up at him was evidence that something bad had happened. If Shoshanna knew that her magic had worked, she would have been here with a warm meal, and most likely a well-deserved I told you so.

He hurried into the kitchen and poured Lucia a glass of water, then rifled through the cabinets to find some of Shoshanna’s crackers. He took the food and water to Lucia, then knelt at her feet. With him holding the glass for her, she drained the water in seconds. While he refilled her glass, she tore into the crackers. The poor thing must have been starved.

“I’ll arrange for a proper meal for you right away,” he said gently. He had a thousand questions, but the selfish part of him only cared about Shoshanna. “Did you see anyone when you woke? Perhaps a pretty woman with brown skin?”

“The witch?” Lucia asked.

Hope sprang up in his chest. “Yes, the witch. Did you see her?”

Lucia shook her head, then tapped her temple. “In my long dream, I saw her many times.” She looked around, craning her neck. “Where is Kova?”

“He is not here now,” he said. He was certainly not prepared to tell her that her beloved was dead. “I will notify him at once.”

Her nostrils flared as she sniffed, then looked around slowly. “Where are we, Alistair? This is not your home, nor Kova’s. And when were you cursed? I don’t remember that.”

He lowered his head. “Lucia, it’s been a very long time since you...since you fell asleep.”

Her brow furrowed. “How long?”

How was he supposed to tell her that she had awoken more than a hundred and fifty years after being turned to stone? That she was in a world she would no longer recognize, and worse, she was there without the man she loved? “Well...what year was it when you and Kova—”

Tires rumbled, and he heard several sets of feet hurrying across the lawn. He rose, ready to attack. The front door swung open, and he rushed to find Paris storming in with Nikko and Dominic close behind. Before Alistair could speak, the other three men pushed past him. Nikko froze at the doorway, his pale eyes wide. “Impossible.”

“She did it,” Paris breathed. “She said she would and she did.” Lucia’s brow lifted, a faint smile on her face at the sight of the familiar men.

“She doesn’t know about Kova yet,” Alistair said quietly in English. “Don’t tell her yet. We have to find Shoshanna. Lucia can wait.”

Dominic nodded grimly, but his expression softened as he pushed past Alistair to join Lucia. “Halo, Lucia,” he said gently.

“Dominic,” she greeted warmly. “Is Kova with you?”

“He is on his way. He was traveling but I know he will return soon, especially when he hears word of your recovery,” Dominic said smoothly. Of all of them, Dominic had been the closest to Kova, and thus to Lucia. At his words, he heard her heart slow. Her voice warmed as she spoke to him, complimenting his strange but handsome haircut.

While Dominic kept Lucia busy, Paris pulled Alistair into the kitchen. Nikko seemed torn between the wonder of Lucia’s recovery and the grim business of Shoshanna’s disappearance. He finally turned to Alistair, planting his hands on the granite counter. His short sleeves revealed the dark marks that inched toward his hands. He was due for a bad night. “I want to help.”

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