Yvette's Haven

by Tina Folsom

  Francine exchanged a look with Samson. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Go ahead. If we want their cooperation, they’ll have to know everything.”

  “You might want to sit down for this, Haven. You too, Wesley. It’s a long story.”

  Haven looked at his brother, who shrugged and headed for the sofa, where Kimberly made space so he could squeeze in next to her. He kissed her forehead. “You okay?”

  Kimberly nodded. “They won’t hurt us.”

  Haven wished he had the same confidence his little sister displayed, but the hostility rolling off Zane was still palpable, and if push came to shove, he knew the bald vampire would kill him in an instant.

  “I’m good.” Haven looked at the witch, indicating that he preferred to stand.

  “Fine then. As you know, I knew your mother, Jennifer. She was a dear friend, but we had different views when it came to our powers. Hers were minor: some spells, some potions, but she couldn’t control any elements. Only powerful witches control the elements. She wanted more. She wanted real power. And she knew how to get it.”

  For a moment, Francine closed her eyes as if it was too painful a memory.

  “She chose your father not because she loved him, but because of the royal blood that pumped through his veins.”

  Haven listened up. He’d never heard anything about his father being an aristocrat. Not that he cared to know anything about him that he didn’t already know: he’d left them before Katie was born. Just up and left as if he’d never loved his sons. Haven clenched his fists at the memories. The hatred for what his father had done had never waned.

  “Not the kind of royal you might assume. Not a European aristocrat, but a descendent of one of the first witches.”

  “Our father was a witch too?” Wesley gasped.

  Francine shook her head. “No. His grandmother had given up her powers so her offspring wouldn’t be witches.”

  “How can you just give up your powers?” Kimberly asked, eyes wide.

  “It’s not an easy undertaking, but there’s a ritual by which you can release your powers and trap them in another vessel. That’s what she did. But it didn’t destroy the bloodline. The blood flowing through your father’s veins was still royal, and that was all your mother needed.”

  She sighed. “There’s a prophecy. The three children of an ordinary witch unable to control any elements will receive the Power of Three if they come from royal blood. The Power of Three overrides every other power. Nothing is stronger. Nothing is more tempting, more alluring than that power. Few would ever be able to resist. The holders of the Power of Three will rule this world. Jennifer wanted to fulfill this prophecy, and she did everything she could to reach her goal. By giving birth to Katie, she had the three children she needed.”

  Haven swallowed hard. “She and Dad fought a lot before Katie was born.”

  “Your father didn’t want the third child. By then he’d realized what she was trying to do, and he wanted to stop it. But Jennifer was already pregnant, and she refused to get an abortion.”

  A tiny sob tore from Kimberly’s chest. Haven’s gaze snapped to her, and he saw how Wesley had put his arm around her and pressed her head against his chest. “Katie … Kimberly, we always loved you,” he whispered to her.

  Haven was glad that Wesley was comforting her. Knowing that your father didn’t want you to be born had to hurt. Even more than knowing that your father didn’t love you enough to stay. His heart went out to her.

  “I’m sorry, Katie, but that’s the cold hard truth. Your father wanted to prevent the prophecy. But he couldn’t. Jennifer wouldn’t be swayed. Now she only had to wait until Katie reached her first birthday—”

  “But I’m twenty-two now. Why didn’t we get our powers?” Kimberly asked.

  “Every witch has some powers when he or she is born. They get honed until adulthood before they mature into true gifts. But your mother expunged your ordinary witch powers at birth so that they wouldn’t interfere with what she’d planned for later.”

  “And what’s that?” Haven asked, not at all liking what Francine was telling them. It painted his mother in a bad light, and he didn’t want her memory tarnished.

  “Once Katie was old enough, Jennifer would have performed the ritual to harness your Power of Three.”

  “Doesn’t make sense,” Wesley chimed in. “You just said she took away our powers at birth.”

  “That’s correct, but the power that still ran through your veins because of your royal blood was still there. And that was all she needed.”

  “Then why take away our other powers?” Haven asked, totally confused by now.

  “She didn’t want you to fight her.”

  “Fight her for what?” He would have never fought his mother. Hell, he’d fought to save her—and failed.

  “The ritual she had to perform would have left one of you dead; there’s not enough life force left after she extracts the Power of Three from you and takes it into herself for all of you to live. That was her plan: to be the most powerful witch who ever existed.”

  Wesley jumped up from the couch at the same time as Haven took a step toward Francine. “You’re lying! Admit you’re lying! Mom would have never hurt us like that!”

  “Fucking bitch! You’re no friend of Mom’s!” Wesley yelled.

  “Calm yourselves,” Samson interrupted.

  Haven glared at him. How could anybody believe such drivel?

  “I’m afraid what Francine is telling you is true. Everything points to it: you didn’t smell like witches when Yvette first met you; you started taking on the scent of witch when the three of you were thrown together; the other witch wanted to do what your mother had planned. It all makes sense.”

  Haven shook his head, still refusing to believe. “Then why throw us together, if that turns us into witches? Wouldn’t our captor have been worried we’d defeat her with our powers?”

  “No,” Francine replied. “Because without the ritual you have no power. Yes, you started smelling like witches when you were imprisoned together, because finally the unity was restored, but there’s another step to get your powers.”

  Something still didn’t make sense. “The witch tortured us, trying to find our powers. Why would she do that if she knew we had none at this point?”

  “A precaution. A test. For her to be safe performing the ritual, she needed to be certain that you had no powers, otherwise you could fight her and make sure she couldn’t take the Power of Three from you. If that happened during the ritual, the three of you would be so powerful, you’d destroy her.”

  Shocked, Haven leaned back against the wall, bracing himself. Was that the truth? Was it possible? “She asked me what the seat of my powers was. What does that mean?”

  “It’s a way for you to access your powers and recall them.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The powers your mother took away. They are in another vessel. If you had the key to it, you could get them back. That’s what she wanted to know, if you had the key.”

  Frustration built in his chest. “Would you please say that in English?”

  Francine sighed. “I’m not sure how to explain this, but if you knew what you had to concentrate on in order to access those powers, then you could call them back to you. You were a child back then. I doubt you would have ever realized what the key was. You were too young, and while your mother would have known, I’m not sure she would have told you.”

  Francine swiped her hand over her mouth, looking like she suddenly remembered something. “Even though—” She looked straight at Haven. “To make sure you could defend yourself in an emergency or if anything happened to her, she would have given you a hint.”

  Haven searched his memory, but didn’t even know where to start. Fragments of conversations with his mother played in his mind, bringing back memories long buried. But it was useless. There was no key.

  “What was Bess waiting for? Why didn’t she perform the ritual
right when she’d captured us?” Haven asked, trying to wrap his brain around all the news.

  “She has to wait for the next full moon.”

  “Do you understand now why we can’t let you leave?” Samson asked, his eyes a fraction more solemn than earlier. “If that witch recaptures you, she’ll perform the ritual and harness the Power of Three.” He looked into the round and pointed at his friends and colleagues. “We would all be in danger. No creature can be allowed to obtain such absolute power. She’ll annihilate us.”

  Haven pushed off the wall, looking first at Samson then sweeping his gaze to the others in the room. “Does that mean you’ll kill us instead?”

  “The only person who’ll die is the witch!” The female voice coming from behind him sent equal measures of surprise and delight through his bones.

  Twenty-Six

  Yvette slammed the door to the living room shut behind her, a gesture simply made for effect since the room could have done with some airing. There was decidedly too much testosterone floating in the air.

  Seeing Haven up and well filled her with relief, but she didn’t show it. Already her colleagues had given her dirty looks when she’d cried thinking Zane had killed Haven. Only when Francine had joined them and explained that the potion she’d produced would simply knock any witch out for at least twelve hours, did her tears dry.

  How utterly humiliating, ugh! Showing such weakness in front of her colleagues had been a mistake. But when she’d seen Haven fall, all she’d been able to feel was the pain of losing him. It had sliced her heart in half, and she’d realized that her feelings for him had nothing to do with hatred.

  What would she do now? Did she even have a choice when her body screamed to run into Haven’s arms? Sure, he’d fuck her like he’d promised. But then he’d come to his senses: he hated vampires. He’d never fall in love with her.

  Putting on a brave face, Yvette looked at her colleagues. She felt better after having been home. Unfortunately, her dog was gone. And because of the approaching daylight, she hadn’t been able to go out and search for it. All she’d been able to do was send out her thoughts to it and hope the stupid dog would hear her and come back. She’d slept, then showered and changed into leather pants and a tight-knit turtleneck sweater—and cut her hair. She was the tough woman again. Nobody could get through her armor now.

  “Yvette, you’ve been through enough. Why don’t you take a few days off?” Samson asked. “We can handle this.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I have an account to settle with that fucking witch.” From the corner of her eye, she noticed Haven looking her up and down, his gaze heated. Under his perusal she felt her body temperature soar and for once was glad that vampires couldn’t blush, because she would have made a ripe cherry look pale in comparison.

  Samson nodded. “Very well.”

  Unable to bring herself to approach Haven to ask him how he felt, she looked at Kimberly. “How are you feeling? I hope the potion Francine brewed doesn’t have any aftereffects.”

  “I felt a little dizzy when I woke up. But it’s okay now.”

  “You brewed that potion, Francine?” Haven barked at the witch. “Why unleash it on us?” He gestured toward his siblings.

  “Zane thought you were the enemy,” Yvette explained, for the first time fully looking at Haven. God, he looked sexy. He’d obviously showered and shaved, and despite the scent of witch that clung to him, his sexy male scent overpowered everything else. It brought back memories of their encounter in the bathroom. Another heat wave traveled through her core, threatening to melt her from the inside.

  Haven glared at Zane. “Figures!”

  Her colleague simply frowned and twisted his lips into a thin line.

  “I didn’t get a chance to explain—”

  “I’m not blaming you, Yvette. I’m blaming him.” Haven jerked his thump toward Zane, but didn’t take his eyes off her. His voice softened when he continued. “I’m glad you’re well.”

  Yvette nodded past the lump in her throat, suddenly feeling like the quintessential wallflower clumsily talking to the quarterback in the corridor of her high school. This wasn’t good. She couldn’t allow herself to dissolve into a puddle of need when she was around him. Pathetic! That’s what she was: completely and utterly pathetic.

  “Thanks,” she managed to say before tearing her gaze from him and focusing on the other people in the room. She cleared her throat, forcing more strength into her voice. “So, what’s the plan?”

  Samson gave a nod to Gabriel, who stood. As Director of Scanguards’ San Francisco operations, he would run point on any major undertaking. “Samson and I discussed a few scenarios, and we’ve settled for the most feasible one. We’ll separate the siblings and—”

  “Whoa—hold it! You’re not separating us,” Haven interrupted, his voice tense.

  Gabriel held up his hand. “Sorry, but we can’t risk you three getting captured again together. It’s safer this way. And it won’t be forever, only until we’ve eliminated the threat.”

  “How long?” Haven pressed.

  “A few days, maybe a week. Thanks to Francine and the fact that we know the witch’s name, we already have an idea who she is and how we can find her. Our people are looking for her. Once we have her, you’ll be safe again.”

  “Safe? I think you’re overlooking something.”

  “Believe us; once we’ve eliminated her, you and your brother and sister will be safe.”

  Haven shook his head. “Yeah. From her.”

  At his words, Yvette suddenly realized what he meant. He was right. They weren’t safe. They would never be safe.

  “How about all the other witches out there who know about the prophecy? What makes you think they won’t come after us too?”

  When Yvette heard the collective curses of her colleagues, she knew they understood the threat as well as she did.

  “The only way to eliminate her and any other witch who might try to steal the Power of Three is if Wesley, Kimberly and I harness it ourselves.”

  At Haven’s suggestion, all her colleagues jumped up, their angry voices talking and shouting over each other.

  “Out of the question!”

  “Fuck, no!”

  “Over my fucking dead body!”

  “I won’t allow it.”

  “No way!”

  “SILENCE!” Samson yelled and everybody shut up instantly. He looked into the round and then at Haven. “I’m afraid we can’t let you do that. Any attempt at harnessing the Power of Three, and I’ll give the order to kill one of you.”

  Yvette looked into Samson’s eyes, realizing how hard the words were for him. Samson wasn’t a killer, but he had to protect his friends and his family. She understood that.

  “Oh, I see,” Haven snapped. “You want the power for yourselves, don’t you? So you’re the ones who rule!”

  “Even if I wanted the power, which I don’t, there’s no way I could take it.” Samson looked at Francine. “Explain it to him.”

  “Only a human body can harness the power of a witch. No demon. No vampire. Samson is right. Even if he wanted the power, his vampire body wouldn’t be able to contain it. No witch power can survive in a nonhuman body.”

  A sign of relief crossed Haven’s handsome features, the frown on his face lessoning, the tense jaw relaxing somewhat.

  “Then why not let us harness it and make sure it’s safe forever? Or will one of us die if we do it?”

  Samson shook his head. “No, only if the power is stolen from you, then the weakest of you will die. However, no side can be allowed to have ultimate power.”

  “We promise we won’t harm you,” Kimberly claimed.

  Samson gave her a soft smile. “You say that now. But once you have the Power of Three you’ll want to use it. The temptation will be too powerful to resist. Even if you believe now that you’ll never harm us, you will. We can’t risk it.”

  Francine nodded. “Samson is right. Even resisting the power
when it’s close is virtually impossible. Once it’s within your grasp, you’ll want to have it. And you’ll want to use it for your own purposes. You have to have a pure heart to be able to resist. And let’s face it, nobody really has that.”

  Kimberly pouted at the explanation.

  “Then what are we supposed to do?” Haven asked, looking deflated.

  His blue eyes searched for Yvette. A pleasant tingle swept through her body when their gazes connected. She wanted to give him assurances that he had nothing to fear from her friends, but with an audience around her who was watching her every step she felt paralyzed and couldn’t bring herself to give him the words he was looking for.

  Gabriel cleared his throat, forcing her to break eye contact with Haven. “Okay, here’s the plan: we separate the three of you. Kimberly will stay here at Samson’s house under the protection of Samson and Amaury. Wesley will come with me, Maya and Oliver. We’ll protect him at my house. That leaves Haven. He’ll be protected at Thomas’ house. Zane and Eddie will be there too.”

  Yvette noticed that her name had conveniently been left out of the equation. “I’m staying at Thomas’ house too.”

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “That won’t be necessary.”

  Yvette took a step toward her boss. “If you think I’ll leave Haven under the supervision of Zane, you don’t know me at all. He’s tried to kill him once.” She gave her bald colleague a sideways glance. “No offense, Zane, but you’re a loose cannon.”

  Zane only answered with a low growl.

  “Zane knows not to harm our guests,” Gabriel assured her.

  “Don’t mind if I check on that myself?” She wouldn’t be talked out of this.

  “Fine. One more bodyguard won’t hurt.”

  When Yvette turned away from her boss, she caught Haven’s eye. Had he guessed that the only reason she wanted to be at Thomas’ house was so she could steal some alone-time with Haven? Was she that transparent to him?

  ***

  Haven pulled Francine aside as she stepped into the hallway in Samson’s house. “A word.”

  She nodded and smiled at him. “Has anybody ever told you how much you look like your father?”