by Viola Grace
“Wow. That was fast. How did he know who I was? I didn’t give him my real name.”
“He talked to the council at dawn this morning. He wanted to know who could possibly have had an unrecorded female birth in the last one hundred years.”
“So, no one knows about me. Do they?”
“Apparently, Mathias had some idea. He immediately mentioned me, had me summoned to the council chambers, and they Questioned me.”
“Ouch. Are you alright?” Questioning hurt. It forced all information that was requested to be revealed. There was no way to coach an answer when you were put to the Question.
“I’m fine. The result of your little interlude, however, is not.” Arabel sighed and sat on the couch next to her daughter. They really did look more like sisters than was proper.
* * * *
“Arabel,” Hex began to descend the stairs, “when do you think the council will find her?”
“In the next twenty-four hours.” Arabel took the pullover dress that was handed to her. “You are not safe either Izzy. You came up in Questioning.”
Isobel almost fainted, “How?” She knew it was coming, had steeled herself for it, but the vulnerability she felt was still a shock. It was now public knowledge that Isobel Marlin was a powerful magus and Hex had never been more scared.
“I was still under the Question when Rikard felt Graylin call you. He asked me if I knew anyone who could retrieve her from his house. Your name came up. I think they alerted the Warlock council. They may come for you at any time.”
“Well then, you had best take your daughter and get the hell out of here.” Hex stood quietly and began to formulate a plan. It would bump up her original timetable, but it just might work. Oh, crap. Work. She would definitely be late.
“Go. Both of you, out!” Hex shooed them out of her house and into her backyard. She stood quietly as they removed the borrowed clothes and transformed into great flying beasts. When they had gone, she retrieved the clothing and got ready for work.
It was time to hunt a warlock.
Chapter Two
“Morning, Dave. How was your weekend?” The polite chitchat was a Monday morning staple. To Isobel, it was just one more thing she had to do to fit in.
“Fine. The boss wants to see you, first thing.” Dave didn’t even glance up from the code on the screen in front of him. He was too busy looking for bugs.
Izzy’s specialty was gremlins, the vicious creatures that fouled the hardware of larger operating systems, destroying data links and crossing wires. The humans thought they were programming errors, so she earned her pay, playing pretend.
“Which boss?” She put as much genuine curiosity into her tone as she was able. Stalling for time was not her favourite thing to do, she wasn’t very good at it.
“The client whose systems we are currently working on. The one who pays our boss, so he signs our checks. That boss. Mr. Sterling.” He still did not look up. Just kept scrolling through code, looking for something that should not be there.
Izzy sighed and walked down the long halls the elevator and, from there, the hike to the president’s office. The door read James Sterling—President. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
“You asked to see me?” She carefully avoided using either his name or title. She kept her gaze slightly lowered but directed at the cityscape behind him.
“Isobel Marlin, daughter of Sirus Marlin. You are quite possibly one of the most powerful mages of our time. And yet, here you are fixing my computers. Small world.” His eyes pinned her to the spot as she eased herself into the office.
“Close the door, Isobel. You and I have something to discuss.” His tone was grim. This wasn’t about the software. She grimaced.
“Is there a problem with the work I’ve been doing for you?” She kept her voice even while she pushed the door shut with her foot, her gaze still locked just past him. She could see him, but he could glare all he wanted, and she wouldn’t be affected.
“No. But there are a few things that I need you to attend to, for example. Catch!” With a sudden flip of his wrist, a small object came hurtling toward Izzy.
“Wha...” She reached out in reflex, and a shower of fine powder exploded as she caught the missile. A solid sneeze and a few seconds later she was unconscious on the floor.
When she woke a few hours later, she recognized the feeling weighing down her limbs. Pixie dust. He had nailed her with pixie dust. For the next two days, she would be completely powerless. Her knowledge of the spells and hexes she had learned over the last twenty years would be inaccessible to her memory.
She sat up and found herself in a room that was vaguely familiar. It looked like the guest chambers at the High Council Hall. As Izzy took stock of the room around her, the door opened to admit an acolyte of the High Council.
“Ms. Marlin, I’m glad you have woken. Please accompany me.” He gestured to the open doorway and waited for her to rise to her feet.
“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why I’m here, will you?” She gave him a sidelong glance. “No, of course not. Never mind.” The acolyte probably considered fetching a half-breed mage below him. His face certainly indicated as much. He looked like he was escorting a talking turd.
The silence of the halls wrapped around them as they walked to the main chamber. Isobel was unsurprised to find James Sterling waiting for her when they arrived.
The sight of her parents, however, gave her pause. The expression on their faces was grim and resigned. They were in deep conversation with one of the members of the High Council. Whatever they were discussing was obviously causing them distress. Izzy guessed that she was the topic of conversation.
She did not have to wait long to have her suspicion confirmed.
“Isobel Marlin, you will present yourself to the High Council for testing. Immediately.” The councillor was grim. Obviously, he was not impressed with the situation he found himself mediating.
“I have been doused with pixie dust, Councillor. The only test I would be able to take is the balance stone.” Her voice was bland as she met his implacable gaze.
“Ah, yes. I was informed of that. Warlock Sterling was overzealous in his attempt to bring you in at the council’s command. The balance stone will be fine.” He made a smooth gesture with one hand, and another acolyte appeared with a chest of a deep purple wood. He opened it to expose the small gray rock that had been polished by centuries of contact with palms.
“Please take the stone in your right hand.” He waited for her to comply. “Now place your left over it. Holy Stars!”
She had prudently averted her gaze in preparation for the flash of blinding light flaring from between her hands. As such, she and her parents who had also looked away were the only ones who retained their vision.
“Let it go! Drop it!” The councillor was covering his eyes after the initial shock of the stone’s violent response had worn off.
“As you like.” She let the stone clatter to the floor, and the instant that it left her hands, it lost its luminescence.
Izzy did not move from her assigned spot in the council chamber. She waited patiently for the vision of the others in the room to recover. As she met her parents’ mournful gaze, she mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
They responded with a silent, “It’s okay.”
A few minutes later when the persons in the chamber had successfully regained their vision, Izzy was once again on the spot.
“Very impressive, Ms. Marlin. How long have you known about your unusual power level?” A council officer was recording the whole interview for the Archive. His eyes were blinking furiously to clear out the spots that were still swimming in his vision as his pen scribbled away.
“Since I was about ten or so. The signs were fairly obvious.” She settled onto the comfortable heels she had worn to work that morning. The council was not known for its’ hurry to resolve matters, so she was lucky that she dressed for office comfort, though it wouldn’t be comforta
ble for long.
“Why did your parents not bring you in for assessment and training?”
“My father had been disowned by his family, and my mother has no status with the High Council. Being a hedge witch and all. They thought it best if I learned at my own pace, away from the stresses of council politics.” Being braced for the inquisition by Hookey’s announcement had been a blessing. “I agreed to learn as much as I could from the grimoires I was able to lay hands on. As far as I knew, every mage could do the same.”
“What led you to believe that?”
“Since the council did not have any contact with me, my only barometer for power was my parents. My father is a talented magus, my mother a very competent hedge witch. I felt my power was within normal ranges for being born into this family.” Izzy was still calm, but being in her dress shoes and standing in one place was starting to pinch her toes.
“The power level you just demonstrated has elevated your father’s clan by several levels. His family owes a debt of honour to another clan. Are you aware of it?”
“Yeah, when my dad ran off to marry my mom, he was engaged to marry a woman from another family. It was an arranged marriage, and Dad decided to follow his heart. That was when his family disowned him.”
“Well, due to your obvious inheritance of his family’s magic, they have reconsidered. His status as a member of the magus clan of the Marlin family has been re-instated. Your mother has been granted the title of Lady of the family.”
“Umm... that’s great. So, what does that have to do with me?” Izzy rocked on her toes and clapped her hands together.
Several scowling faces swivelled to glare in her direction. Elders of many clans and representatives from all of the major councils were in attendance. The fey reps were amused, the dragons were stone-faced, the werewolves were indifferent to the proceedings, and the magus and witch representatives were the ones who were less than amused by her attitude.
“As the obligation was never met, you will now have to carry out the contract between your families.”
“Which family?” She was immediately suspicious. Her head swivelled to locate the figure of James Sterling out of the corner of her eye.
“The Sterling family of course.” This was the first hint of malice in the councillor’s voice as if he knew something unpleasant.
“Is the Sterling family ready to fling one of their own on a half-breed?” Izzy’s true nature began to show itself. She was angry, embarrassed, and her grand little plan had been nipped in the bud. She wanted to bring him to herself by choice, not by obligation.
James walked calmly forward and eyed her form carefully.
“Well, of course, we will be willing to honour the contract. But I am afraid that marriage is out of the question for now. We will be handfasted and see how things go.” His voice dripped with disdain and a certain unwholesome anticipation. His eyes, however, were clear with amusement. He was putting on a show for the council.
The smarmy councillor smirked at her. “The council accepts your offer. You will have one year to assess your compatibility. Your custody of her begins now.”
Izzy was stunned. “Custody... what the hell?” James shot his hand out and wrapped it around hers. A scarlet ribbon was wrapped around their hands, and the councillor who was co-coordinating the whole event began to chant a binding spell over them.
Although she was temporarily powerless, Isobel recognized the spell. It locked her magic to James’ and barred her from doing harm to him with spells or hexes. She was about to shriek her denial as the flash of power washed over her and the ribbon absorbed into her hand.
“You are mine for the next year, Isobel.” His eyes gave her promises that she could not decipher. This was definitely not the way he looked at her when she was giving him a progress report on his computer system.
“Not if I can help it.” Izzy gave him her most defiant glare.
“You won’t be able to do much until the pixie dust wears off.” He gave her a smirk that made her want to smack him right across the face. But that would wait until later.
He turned to face the council, several members of whom were leering at her. “If there are no other questions she needs to answer, we will take our leave of you now.”
A dragon councillor roared his objection. “One question!” A furious Rikard began to stride across the room. “Where the hell is she?”
Rikard approached Izzy at a full run and flung her against the wall then repeated his demand. “Where the hell is she?”
Izzy gasped and tried to put her hand behind her head. If anyone ever came near her with pixie dust again, she was going to kick them in the balls. Being powerless was not her forte.
“Do not dare to touch her again.” Light flared from James’ hand, and it locked Rikard in place, rooting his feet to the floor. He had begun to lean over Isobel as he reached for her arm to haul her to her feet; he froze in place, fury darkening his eyes.
She watched as James flicked his wrist, sending Rikard flying into the dragon contingent of the council. They caught him handily and kept him from charging again.
“Keep him under control. We’re leaving.” James was as furious as Rikard had been a few moments earlier. He gently lifted Isobel off the floor and transported them out of the council room.
Chapter Three
He took advantage of her disorientation to put her to sleep with a small spell. Gently laying his new prize in his bed, James pondered what he had gotten himself into. Sure, he had to uphold the demands of his family obligation, but to take Izzy by force was never what he had planned. He had had dinner with her scheduled for the last three weeks. He was only waiting for her contract to be up.
Dating an employee, even a contract employee, was not something he engaged in. He had been waiting impatiently for her to be available to him, and the discovery that she was a half-mage was astonishing. Her power level was surprising but not unexpected. She was an extraordinary woman. He was not surprised that she would have extraordinary magical talents.
Slowly and carefully, he drew off her clothing. Her pale skin was made paler by the angry marks from her impact with the wall. He folded the clothing and put it aside then viewed his prize in all her naked glory.
He let out a long, low whistle. Clothed, she had all the appeal of an angry schoolteacher, yet still, he had not been able to keep her off his mind. Her feisty refusal to back down had caught his interest initially, and her ability to foresee problems before they came up had kept her on his radar. The more they met for business, the more he had looked forward to the next meeting. He occasionally called meetings with her team, just to listen to her chew them out.
Her body was understated but fantastic. Silken ivory shoulders led to breasts that astonished him, even with her on her back. He leaned in and lightly cupped one in his hand, feeling the weight and the soft warmth of her skin. He absently stroked her nipple as his gaze trailed to her narrow waist and the curved flare of her hips.
Izzy’s legs were fantastic. The skin of her lushly curved thighs was creamy and softer than the silken underwear he had put aside. Her calves and ankles were so delicately assembled that he was amazed she wasn’t a dancer instead of a technician, they should have been displayed at all times. He pictured them draped over his shoulders as he drove himself between her thighs and groaned as his cock began to swell in his trousers. Slowly, he released her breast, and he winced at the pressure at his zipper as he felt the swollen nipple against his fingers. Gods, she is soft.
She stirred with a groan, her arms twisting in discomfort. The sounds that she was making brought him back to the incident of her being slammed against the wall. He looked more closely at her left arm and noted a swelling in the bruise. James carefully closed his fingers over her arm and winced when he felt the break.
She needed medical help. Right away. He suddenly had an idea, renewed the sleep spell, and transported away from his home.
* * * *
Izzy woke to a
pounding headache; she could feel magic all around her but could not channel it. She tried to sit up and was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Down, Junior. Just lie still while I finish what I started.” Her mother held her firmly as she finished pouring energy into her daughter. The bones that had been broken were knit, and the bruises that had formed under her skin faded to nothing.
“Mom? What are you doing here? And where the hell is here by the way?” She kept still but couldn’t keep her questions from spilling out.
The familiar voice made her jump when she heard, “You are in my home. I brought your mother in to heal you. You were a little battered after being tossed around like that.” James was supervising from the other side of the bed, not letting Izzy’s mom be alone with her.
“Oh, right. Rikard. Has he found George yet?” Izzy was feeling exceptionally chatty and knew that it was her mom’s magic. It had always had that effect on her. Her mom had always used her powers to heal and draw the truth out of her daughter. It was worse than drinking.
“No, sweetie, not yet. But he’s really looking.” Her mom had this amused smile on her face that calmed Izzy immediately. “Alright. I’m done.” She withdrew her hands and looked expectantly at James.
“May I have a word with my daughter in private?”
“No.”
Isobel Marlin sighed. This was about what she expected.
“Alright, but I’m going to come back in a week to check on her,” her mom declared. “Call me if she needs anything.”
With a final brush of soft fingers across her daughter’s forehead, Isobel Marlin Senior disappeared.
“Wait, why did she have to go?” Izzy sat up and glared at James. Something was off, she just couldn’t think of what.
“Because I don’t want her here right now.” He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled down at her. “How are you feeling?”
