Kimi’s gaze lingered on his face. Did he have a girlfriend? He must have—men as good looking as him didn’t tend to have trouble getting laid. Did he smile that way when he looked at her, whoever she was?
He signalled and, with a start, she realised the car was slowing down.
“Are we there?” she asked.
“Yes.” He turned left between two tall posts into a long, tree-lined drive. Ahead of them a huge house glowed white in the light of the full moon. “Welcome to The Crux.”
Chapter Four
Damien wound the car up the wide drive and smiled at the look on Kimi’s face. “Not bad, is it?”
She stared at the house, obviously flabbergasted. “Jesus, you didn’t tell me you lived at Hogwarts!”
“Yu-huh. I bet this impresses the girls.”
“I wouldn’t know,” he said wryly. “It’s not the kind of place you bring a date.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re kidding me. Why not? It’d make you a guaranteed babe magnet.”
He gave her an exasperated look. “There’s more to life than dating, Kimi.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re a hundred and twelve.”
Ahead of them the road forked, curving either side of a concrete mound out of which sprouted a post with a red box on top, illuminated beneath a lamppost. He slowed the car and stopped it by the side of the box, put the handbrake on and slid the gearstick into neutral, but left the engine running. Only then did he turn in his seat and look at her.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “What?”
Her eyes glittered in the moonlight, and her skin looked pale and smooth as china. She fascinated him, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. His heart thumped louder than usual. He was acutely conscious of her sitting there, her small breasts rising and falling quickly, her tongue moistening her lips.
“Have I put my foot in it?” she asked. “Are you really a hundred and twelve or something?”
“No… I really am only twenty-six, although I now feel a hundred and twelve, thanks to you.”
“You started it.”
“Kimi…” He let out a deep breath slowly. “What is it about you that’s driving me mad?”
“That would be my animal magnetism. My womanly wiles.”
A smile crept onto his face. “Yes, that must be it.”
She studied him with her dark eyes. “You’re attracted to me.” She looked surprised then, and embarrassed, as if she hadn’t meant to say it.
He said nothing for a moment. It happened occasionally at The Crux—one of the young trainee witches would get a crush on him, and he’d have to put her down gently. He was used to it, handing them a tissue to mop up their tears, comforting them kindly, in a completely non-sexual manner.
But Kimi was different. She was right—he was attracted to her. His gaze lingered on where her nipples stood out against her T-shirt. His blood thundered through his veins, and his trousers tightened as his erection grew. That irritated him. What the hell was he doing?
“I’m not allowed to be attracted to witches,” he told her, trying to tear his gaze away from her breasts.
“Not allowed?” she taunted him. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who follows rules.” Her breathing had quickened.
Storm stirred by his legs, but Damien ignored him. His gaze rested on her lips. Instinctively she moistened them with her tongue. He inhaled, and her lips sparked as if she’d touched them to a battery.
She jumped and pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“No, no, that was all me.” His voice was husky. Something was drawing him to her, inexorable, strong as a powerful magnet. He took her hand and moved it away from her mouth, then leaned forward in his seat. Sliding his left arm behind her, he pulled her toward him and stopped when his lips hovered a millimetre from hers. He could feel her trying to control her energy flow, attempting to stop the surge. She was a fast learner, and powerful with it. Pleased, he touched his lips to hers gently. Her mouth opened under his, and in response he brushed his tongue against hers in a slow, sensual kiss.
She cupped his face with her hand, brushing the slight stubble on his cheeks with her thumbs, and then slid her fingers into his hair. Damien’s head spun. Again, Storm nudged his legs, but he told the wolf to go away in his head. His aura was intermingling with hers, strands of desire wrapping around them like fine gold thread, tightening, drawing them together. He couldn’t have stopped kissing her if his life had depended on it.
His hand was on her thigh, and he moved it up to her ribcage, brushing underneath her breast, above her thumping heart.
At that moment, the full moon came out from behind a cloud.
Moonlight slanted across the car, silvery-white, charging them with pure, unadulterated energy. He should have realised what it would do to her, but he couldn’t stop himself. He brushed her nipple with his thumb and, at that moment, she lost all resolve, all control. Energy thundered through her, and she gasped as the car lit up with bright white light. Both the headlights popped at the fron, and, above them, the lamppost brightened and then cracked, spraying glass across the road.
He swore and pulled back. They stared at each other for a moment. He was furious with himself. “That,” he said flatly, “is why there are rules.”
Ignoring the tremble in her bottom lip, he turned in his seat and revved the car, reassuring himself it hadn’t stalled, and then lowered the window. Reaching out, he put the palm of his hand over a black circle painted on top of the red box.
The fence shimmered in the darkness. He raised his window again and drove on, too fast really considering they didn’t have any lights, but anger forced his foot harder on the pedal. Damn it. He was so cross with himself he wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel. She was only twenty-one, and he’d cast a sleep spell over her, stuffed her in his car, embarrassed the hell out of her, and now he’d kissed her. Usually his self-control was made of iron. What had this little stick of dynamite done to make him lose it?
Confused, he glanced across at her. She was looking out of the window, jaw set, obviously angry, although he’d seen her lovely green eyes glinting with tears before she’d turned away. He remembered what she’d said earlier: It was like…something slipped into place. We were meant to meet tonight, and when we did, something happened. The thought made him shiver. The terrible thing was that he knew what she meant. He’d felt it too—the sensation that their meeting was fated, unavoidable, as fixed in time as if it were carved in stone.
What did that mean? Was she a test—sent by the Gods to see whether he truly could resist temptation? If so, it was the worst possible thing that could have happened to him, especially now, with an invasion by the forces of darkness hovering on the horizon. He took his oath to the Elders very seriously, aware more than most of the dangers of being involved with another person with magical powers. He believed with all his heart that the Gods had put him on the Earth to lead others and train them in the use of their talents so that the forces of light could continue to defend themselves against the forces of darkness. He was their champion. So why had they brought Kimi to tempt him?
They exited the avenue of trees and he drove around a central mound in front of the house that sported a tall standing stone. He stopped the car, parked, and turned off the engine.
They sat in the darkness, and he sighed heavily. He had to put an end to this, now.
He looked across at her. “I could never date you,” he said eventually, trying to make light of it. “You’d cost me a fortune in light bulbs.”
She glared at him, clearly too angry to smile.
“I’m sorry,” he said, softening as he saw her wet cheeks. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“I’m tired,” she said flatly. “Can we go in now?”
He frowned with regret. He wanted to say something to make her feel better, but there was nothing to say. He’d made a mistake, and he had to live with her resentment.<
br />
He nodded. “Come on. Let’s find you a room—you must be shattered. You can meet everyone in the morning.”
Kimi got out of the car and wiped her face, glad to move away from him. His kiss had shocked her. She’d pushed him into it, and pleasure had surged through her when he’d succumbed. But then he’d apologised for it, and her pleasure had faded. She’d seen his regret. It made her incredibly sad, and that puzzled her. She’d only just met the guy. It was hardly the end of the world if he blew her off.
Determined to act as if she didn’t care what he thought of her, she gestured with her head toward the road. “What was it you did back there, with the red box? I thought I saw some kind of shimmery thing, but there was no fence.”
“It’s a magical barrier. Nothing supernatural can get in or out without disabling it. You’ll be safe here.”
As they walked up the wide steps to the front door, she realised she didn’t have anything with her, no overnight case, no clothes, no make-up, not even a toothbrush.
“There are quite a few young women here—they’ll lend you anything you need,” he said.
“What are you a mind reader now?”
“You’re twenty-one and you’re female—I’d worry if you weren’t thinking about clothes and make-up.” He held the door open for her. “Come on, little Miss Secret.”
She slipped past him, then gasped as she found herself in a huge, high-ceilinged entry hall, with a white marble floor and a large chandelier hanging in the middle. Around it spiralled a wide central staircase.
“Oh my God,” she said. “This is like Buckingham Palace. Are we going to meet the Queen?”
He smiled. “Come on. I’ll take you to a room.” He walked toward the staircase. She followed him, her heels tapping on the marble steps.
“What is this place?” she whispered.
“A Grade I listed building. We look after it for the head of the National Trust.”
“Don’t tell me, she’s a witch?”
“Yes. Many witches work in museums and stately homes. They have a natural connection with historical places.” He spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Just along here.”
They’d reached the top of the staircase and walked west along a corridor that ran the width of the house. He stopped by one that bore the number eleven.
“Ella’s always up late,” he said, and knocked on the door.
“Yes?” asked a voice from inside.
He opened it slightly. “It’s Damien. Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
He pushed the door open and went in. Kimi followed him nervously.
The room was large and beautifully decorated. Kimi had never been in a bedroom like it. It had a sofa and two chairs as well as two large double beds, and to the right was a fantastic marble bathroom.
The young woman, who sat curled in one of the chairs reading, now unfurled herself and got to her feet, coming over to them. “Hi, Damien.”
“Hey, Ella.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I knew you’d be up.”
“Sleeping’s a waste of time—too much work to do,” she said wryly. She was beautiful—slim, blonde, and curvy, maybe a couple of years older than Kimi, and Kimi felt a surge of jealousy, which she curbed quickly in case it blew the lights out again.
Ella looked past Damien at Kimi and smiled. It was a pleasant, friendly smile, and guilt flooded Kimi at her mean thoughts.
“This is your renegade witch, is it?” Ella asked.
“Yep,” he said. “Found her—just in time though. Bastard vamp tracked us all the way to Sedgemoor—took me by surprise. Ella, I need to go and see the Elders, are they still up?”
“I’d imagine so, taking brandy in the library,” she said in a plummy voice.
“With the lead piping?” Kimi said, and they both laughed.
“I know, I keep expecting Colonel Mustard to turn up,” said Ella. She made a shooing motion with her hands at Damien. “Go on, I’ll look after her. You go and kiss ass downstairs.”
He hesitated, looking at Kimi. “Are you going to be all right?”
“I guess.”
He met her gaze for a moment, then looked across at Ella, who raised an eyebrow. He smiled at them both. “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Kimi watched him go and let out the breath she’d been holding, feeling strangely forlorn.
Ella caught her hand, though, and gave it a squeeze. “You okay? You want a cup of hot chocolate?”
“Sure,” Kimi said awkwardly. She perched on the edge of one of the chairs as Ella went over to a kettle on a table in the corner and set up two mugs, spooning powder into them from a jar. Kimi had heard exclusive hotels had rooms like this, but she’d never seen one.
“So he found you then?” Ella perched on the edge of the sofa as she waited for the kettle to boil. “I heard he was surprised to find an untrained witch on the loose.” She tipped her head. “You don’t belong to a coven?”
“No. I don’t know anything about any of this stuff.”
Ella smiled. “It’s a good job he found you then. That’s a particularly nasty vampire you’ve got after you.”
“Oh.” Kimi swallowed. “I didn’t know I was being followed.”
“Oh you wouldn’t have seen it—they’re sneaky bastards—they live in the shadows. Usually Damien can catch them in hours, but this one must have been particularly powerful to evade him for so long. But you were safe as soon as Damien spotted you. He’d go through fire to save his witches.”
Kimi shivered. The phrase seemed so possessive. His witches, as if they belonged to him. Christ, it sounded like he had a harem. Was she to be added to his collection now? “You’re one as well?” she asked.
“Everyone here has some kind of magical power.”
Kimi was wary and fascinated in equal measure. It was strange after having to cope alone for so long to think there were others with similar abilities. “What can you do?”
“Oh usual stuff. I’m only a level two. Basic spellcasting, although it doesn’t always work for me. Damien’s been training me in telekinesis, you know, moving stuff with your mind.” She looked around her and picked up a pen lying on the table, then rested it on her palm. “Watch.” She concentrated for a moment.
The pen shivered, then rose in the air about half an inch before falling back onto Ella’s hand. Kimi exclaimed, “Jesus.”
Ella laughed. “If that impresses you, you’re in for a treat when Damien shows you what he can do.” She put the pen down and studied Kimi curiously. “What about you? You must be something special for him to bring you here.”
“I don’t know,” Kimi said honestly, still shaken by the levitating pen. “I’ve got no idea what I can do.”
“Well, you must be at least level two. They only bring two and above to The Crux.”
“Why?” Kimi asked. “What happens here?”
“Well, training obviously. And now they’re preparing for an invasion from the forces of darkness.”
Kimi swallowed, thinking of the thing that had clattered on the window, its face all sharp, rotten teeth. “An invasion?”
“Well demons—vampires and stuff—are always trying to find a way to break through the veil—that’s the barrier between us and the otherworlds. Occasionally they’re successful, like the vampire that was after you. It’s our job to try and stop them, and to find and destroy them when they do break through. Without the general public knowing, of course.”
“Do they come through one at a time?”
“Usually. But the Elders think the forces of darkness are gathering for a full invasion. We’re all training madly to try and get ready for it.”
She didn’t look insane, Kimi thought. Like Damien, Ella spoke about these things as if they were perfectly normal. Was it some kind of mass hysteria, or was all this stuff really true? She thought about the vampire, and the way Damien had dispersed the energy that had flowed through her. Throughout her life, she’d tried
so hard to deny the things she’d seen. Perhaps it was about time she started letting herself believe.
“Where’s Damien gone?” she asked. “Who are the Elders?”
“The other four—two guys and two women—who run The Crux with him.”
Kimi blinked. “Damien runs this place?”
Ella laughed. “Yes, didn’t he tell you?”
“He told me he was a teacher—that he trains witches.”
“Well yes, he does that as well.”
Kimi frowned. “So what makes him one of the Elders then? Is he a powerful witch too?”
Ella gave her a curious look. “He really didn’t tell you?”
“Um, no.”
“Damien’s a Midnight Shaman.”
Chapter Five
Ella got up to make the hot chocolate as the kettle boiled.
Kimi blinked. “A what?”
“A Midnight Shaman,” Ella repeated, pouring the boiling water into the cups. She stirred them vigorously before bringing one over to Kimi. Then she curled up in the chair next to Kimi’s.
“Is that the name for a male witch?” Kimi asked.
“No, they’re warlocks,” Ella said. “Shamans are something else entirely. I mean they can still do magic and stuff, but they’re much more than that.”
“So what can they do that’s different to us?” Why hadn’t she guessed he was something special, not just a grunt doing somebody else’s bidding?
“There are more witches and warlocks than shamans,” Ella said, “but shamans are more spiritual. We all have animal spirit guides, but only shamans can communicate with them. The guides help them cross over to the otherworlds, and they can speak to the Higher Powers.”
Kimi’s head was buzzing. “So what’s a Midnight Shaman then?”
Ella sipped her hot chocolate. “There are only two in England, as far as I know, and they both live here at The Crux. Anyone who can do magic specialises in one branch—be it nature, water, fire, metal, that sort of thing. But Midnight Shamans have much greater control over energy—they are skilled channellers and great healers, and can cast magic in any form. They even have control over time, hence the term Midnight. They are very, very powerful. ”
Midnight Shaman, Fire Witch Page 4
