The Cat's Meow

by Stacey Kennedy

  He smiled, and gave a firm nod. “Good.”

  “Pass me your dagger.” Kale’s smile left his face so fast, I laughed and waved him on. “Just give it to me.”

  Hesitantly, he extracted it from his boot and offered me the handle. “I’m not about to become your test subject, am I?”

  “You’re safe.” I chuckled and gripped the handle, then placed the dagger against the fleshy part of my forearm.

  Kale lifted the dagger off my arm with such speed my eyes couldn’t register the move, and he gripped my forearm as the blade pressed against the back of his hand. “What’s your plan?”

  “Cut myself,” I replied. “Move.”

  His fingers tightened. “Not unless you give me a good reason why.”

  This almost amused me, since Kale was the first warlock who ever would’ve stopped me, or who I wouldn’t smack upside the head for the attempt. “I’m not suicidal, Kale. I need to test one of the spells—as you’ve reminded me—and this is the only one I can do right now that’s a sure shot.”

  Awareness filled his expression mixed with relief. “A healing spell, then?”

  “You got it.” Since he didn’t release my arm, I gave him a look. “I won’t cut deep.”

  He removed his hand slowly, clearly not wanting to. “Be sure you don’t.”

  Keeping my focus on him, I dug the tip of the blade into my forearm, and when I cringed in pain, he placed his hand on my knee and squeezed in comfort.

  Blood trickled down my arm and I winced as it dripped onto the teacup resting on my legs. In haste, I read over the passage in the book and said, “Bright light. Shining light. Heal my hurts with all thy might.”

  A wave of power blasted over me so fast it stole my breath. My hair waved around my face as the Goddess roared with a fierce burn. Her glee over how I touched her raised a bubble of laughter.

  In that moment, I wondered why I questioned her and made such a big deal about it all, but then the happy sensations shifted into pain that gripped me as fire scorched up my arm. My body bucked and I screamed out in agony as a blast of energy burst wide-open within.

  Kale had my hand in his in a split second. “All right?”

  “Ouch. Fuck. It hurts.” I hissed as my skin weaved its way back together—the wound stitched up before my eyes.

  To my delight, the spell took seconds—even if those seconds dragged on like an eternity—and the pain ceased. I peered down at my now-healed skin in wonderment. The only evidence of my wound was the blood on the teacup.

  It totally shocked me that the spell had worked. All I experienced now was slight exhaustion. With all the worrying and warnings, I expected something big to happen, yet the only thing I felt was the Goddess’ contentment and pleasure that I had tapped into her.

  While I should be relieved, it made her warning all the more curious. What was ahead of me that she knew and I didn’t? Of course, I had no idea until it happened, so why fret?

  “Wow.” I looked at Kale. “It works.”

  His nod was so confident—as if he had no doubt, and was maybe slightly relieved, too. “I’m pleased it did.” He stood and scooped up my teacup from my lap. “Now you rest.” He turned to leave.

  Just as he reached the door, I called, “Wait.” He glanced over his shoulder and before I lost my nerve, I pressed him for the information I now hoped he’d share. “Fair is fair. I told you my dark past secrets, so you tell me something from yours.”

  I waited for him to shut me down, but then his eyes slowly darkened. “I had a lovely childhood and worked extremely hard while I trained until I was nineteen. From there, my past is clouded with secrecy and death. Besides what you know of me, everything else is surrounded by bloodshed and danger, Libby.”

  Time seemed to stall as he exited my room. I shivered as I remembered the cold-blooded killer I’d seen. But somehow I couldn’t see him as only that since I’d met his mother, and love remained between them. And even though secrets existed between us, he’d shown me nothing but kindness. The tea I still tasted in my mouth was indication enough that he cared for others. My heart reached out to him at the pain in his voice—unmistakable loneliness.

  I stared at the empty doorway, stunned at this revelation, and slightly curious if this was part of the reason Kale kept secrets. Was his life so entwined with danger and death as a Sentinel that he didn’t think it appropriate to talk about? Could all the answers I needed be wrapped up in the details of his past?

  I sighed, dropped down on my pillow, and stared up at my ceiling. Maybe it’d be easier to think of him as a cold-blooded killer instead of a tormented warlock who did sweet things for me. But no matter how I spun this, or how hard I fought to ignore my heart, the idea that Kale hurt bothered me. The thought that he lived the life he said, and the coldness in his voice when he said it, made me cringe.

  I’d bared my heart to him and he listened, and he was curious to understand me, which wasn’t something a warlock without a heart did. But the wall of secretive questions remained. The orders he’d given to Bryon and Jace not to identify him still weighed on me. In all truth, I prayed to the Goddess that the worst thing about Kale was that he had a lot of kills behind him. That, I could handle. However, deep down my instincts told me there was something far deeper to the warlock Kale Griffin.

  Maybe it was time to do a truth spell on Kale—even long overdue—but I grunted as the thought crossed my mind. I didn’t spellbind for personal reasons and I’d vowed it before the High Priestesses.

  Damn you, moral code.

  Until Kale wronged me, I had to stick to the plan—keep the Goddess close and keep my guard up. I needed to ignore whatever was going on between us and focus on the secrets, not on the sweet gestures. I hoped the wall against Kale would protect me from the spell he wove on my heart. If that failed, I’d go with my original idea and hex him.

  A good witch always had a kick-ass backup plan.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Time to wake up, Libby.”

  I blinked the sleepy haze from my eyes, finding Kale sitting on the side of my bed. “Already?” I croaked. “Didn’t I just close my eyes?”

  Kale stood, staring down at me as the sun beamed in my room, and damn the warlock for looking so good in his black jeans and black tank top. His biceps were quite the sight, but I reminded myself to ignore his muscles…and his intense, shadowy eyes. His hair was damp from a shower, and he had new clothes on, so he must have gone to wherever he stayed—maybe with his mother—and freshened up.

  “Witching hour is in a couple hours. I must get ready, and so must you.”

  I pushed the blankets off, sat up, and stretched my arms on a yawn. “Did you sleep?”

  “Not well,” he grumbled. “Your couch is made for a child.”

  I laughed. No, it was made for a normal person, but Kale was tall. I had peeked in on him after I finished my study of the spells and had my shower, and his feet had been sticking off the end of the couch. The blanket hadn’t covered the length of him, either.

  But there was no way would I bring him into the bed with me, or so I told myself a thousand times last night until I believed it. My body still forgot I shouldn’t want him. “Oh, it wasn’t so bad.”

  “For you,” he grumbled again. “Get up.” He slapped my thigh, bared by my pajama shorts, and the sting simmered through my naked flesh. “I made you something to eat.” Without another word, he strode away.

  This, I had to see.

  I hurried to get dressed and threw on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, since I figured it was best to be comfy for the fight ahead. After I threw my hair up in a ponytail and put some mascara and blush on, I grabbed the book of spells off my nightstand and headed for the kitchen.

  Kale stood at my stove, scooping out an omelet onto a plate. The surprises continued. “You can cook?”

  Glancing over his shoulder, he frowned. “I do need to eat.”

  “Sure, but the need to eat and actually being able to cook are two
different things.” I sat down at the already-set table. “Will it kill me?”

  He placed the plate in front of me and grinned. Well, wasn’t he just a bit too comfortable here? And why did I have a stupid smile on my face I couldn’t remove? “That remains to be seen, Ms. Libby.”

  Death by eggs—I thought it unlikely, so I grabbed my fork and dived in. Maybe death by delicious eggs was more like it. I hummed as I chewed. The cheese added a wonderful salty taste and I savored the smoothness.

  Kale arched an eyebrow. “Good?”

  “Perfect.” I nodded. “Thank you.”

  His smile was warm, and maybe even a little arrogant. “Excellent.” He made himself a plate, sat down across from me, and proceeded to inhale his breakfast.

  After he wiped his mouth with his napkin, he said, “I received a phone call earlier that the Alchemy has arrived in Charleston and will meet us at the cemetery tonight.”

  “Who called?” I asked.

  Silence.

  “Seriously? You won’t even tell me who called to tell you an important bit of information? The question isn’t even about you. You have a serious superiority complex, you know that?”

  Kale barked a laugh.

  It annoyed me that not only did he not answer my question—again—but I enjoyed hearing him laugh so freely. I shoveled in the last bite of my omelet and swallowed. “So, the rest of your Sentinel buddies are coming?”

  “The Alchemy will arrive, yes,” Kale said, smirking at me. “Did the spells show any promise?”

  “Sure did.” Heck, I found a lot in those spells, and a whole crapload of confidence, too. Some were protection spells, others were for defense, and one was a spell I’d rather avoid forever. It happened to be the darkest white magic spell I’d ever seen, lingering very close to black magic. But I absorbed the words of each spell…just in case I needed one of them.

  Kale stared at me for a long moment. “You don’t plan to tell me what you’ve discovered?”

  I wiped my mouth with my napkin, tossed it on the plate, and stared at him dead-on. “Nope.”

  His eyes twinkled, even if he didn’t smile. “Why would that be?”

  “Doesn’t feel very good to have someone withhold information, does it?” I countered with a tilt of my head.

  Now he smiled. “Retribution?”

  “Enjoy it,” was my retort.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “All right, I can live with that.” He stood and took our plates to the sink. “We’ll clean the mess later.” He turned to me. “Priorities are not dirty dishes.”

  The “we’ll” was unsettling, because I had no intention of Kale’s returning to my home, and it surprised me he did. Once again, I shoved it all away. We had bigger problems than the warlock who annoyed me by how much he made me think…hard. I stood up from my seat, pushed my chair under the table, and tucked the book under my arm. “What time are the Sentinels meeting us?”

  “Baal will be summoned as soon as we hit the witching hour, so the Sentinels will attack before the warlocks have the chance.” He strode toward the living room, and put his black boots on at the front door. “Since Beltane is upon us, my magic has awakened.”

  I skipped a step. Holy crap, I’d forgotten all about that. “O-oh. Oh.” I regained my ability to walk. “Right. Good. It’ll give you a leg up.”

  Kale didn’t look any different to me—just the same ol’ sexy warlock—but why would he? I didn’t hold the gift of sensing powers. “So, you have your magic now?” I couldn’t deny that it intrigued me to see what Kale could do. With how he could kick ass, his magic had to be equally impressive, especially since Jace seemed to think highly of him.

  Kale shook his head and held out my knee-high leather boots. “We have to make a quick stop before we go to the cemetery.” He sighed, sounding relieved. “Soon, though, my powers will rise again.”

  “Gotcha.” I ignored the boots he offered and went for my running shoes. It seemed like a smarter choice in case I needed to run my ass out of there. “Where to, then?”

  Kale grunted, dropping my boots to the floor. “Always so full of questions, and so full of doubt.” He gave me a measured look. “Will you trust me for once?”

  I wasn’t stupid. I needed Kale…right now. I had an obligation to my coven to see this through. He, a Sentinel, at my side, kept me safe, but this fight was officially over. No matter that my hormones did a little jig around him, my head had been screwed on straight again, and my wall to keep him out was solid.

  Once I finished with the laces on my shoes, I stood. “Not a chance in hell.” I brushed past him and exited the house, but he grasped my arm and pulled me back.

  “Libby…I…”

  “You what, Kale?” I snapped. Under his emotion-packed stare, my strength faltered, and that irritated me. My heart clenched as I watched him and witnessed the pain in the depths of his eyes, as well as his dislike of the distance between us, so I closed my eyes to avoid him.

  His finger slid across my jaw in a slow caress, tickling all the way through me, and his voice deepened. “Look at me, Libby.”

  “I can’t do this, Kale.”

  Another swipe of his finger brushed across my face, and his voice dipped even softer. “Look at me.”

  I obliged him, because it became a tad awkward to keep my eyes closed, and the second I opened them I wished I had refused. Spellbinding emotion filled his features, and I found myself trapped. “By the end of tonight you’ll have answers, does that comfort you?”

  Did it, or did it confuse me more?

  With that, my irritation flared—last night he had deepened our connection with his sad story. This warlock weaved a wicked spell over me, one I had tried for a long time—way before Kale—to never allow.

  “You know what?” I stepped out of his hold, glaring at him. “I’m tired of this and I don’t give a shit what you do, who you are, or about your secrets. The only thing that matters now is finishing this case and not allowing Baal to be summoned. So stop it. No more.”

  “I cannot stop.” He thrust out his chest. “Will not stop.”

  Oh, this warlock was designed for a one-way ticket straight to hell. “Do you think I care what you want? Or think?”

  “Yes, Libby.” His chin lifted. “I think you care, very much.” He dropped his hand and strode toward my SUV, as if he thought that was the appropriate thing to say.

  It wasn’t.

  My fists tightened and without thought, I shoved Kale so hard in the shoulder it knocked him face-first to the grass. On his way down, he groaned and yanked me down with him. Somehow I ended up on my back with him nestled between my thighs.

  Shock rippled across his features, as if no one had ever confronted him in this manner, or challenged him. His eyes blazed with hot emotion as a very hard part of his anatomy pressed between my thighs. “Did you just attack me?”

  “You deserve worse, you stupid ass.” I squirmed to get away and cause him a serious amount of pain.

  His nostrils flared and his gaze scorched into mine, but then slowly the tightness in his posture lessened and he smiled. I gasped, ready to knock this warlock to the moon. “You are not smiling?” He nodded, grinning like an utterly sexy fool. “Oh. My. Goddess,” I spat. “You are maddening.”

  “You’re right.” He winked. “I am.”

  He jumped off me and, before I knew it, I was on my feet. His damn smile never faded. “I’m pleased to see there’s a little fight in you after all. Use that tonight and you’ll do just fine.”

  “I hate you,” I shouted.

  As he strode toward my SUV, he glanced over his shoulder with an arrogant twinkle in his eyes. “No, Libby. You don’t.”

  …

  The drive took way too long—I just wanted out of my damn SUV. I stayed silent while Kale hummed with tension next to me. He said himself that I’d soon find out what his secret was, so why wasn’t he telling me now?

  I sighed and rubbed my face to shed my thoughts. The Goddess
didn’t warn me of any danger in the sense that I should fear for my life…at the moment. But I was so damn tired of this shit.

  The SUV slowed and I dropped my hands as Kale pulled up to the side of the forest on the edge of town. The sun was low in the sky, the dark night looming close. Why hadn’t we gone to the cemetery? “What are we doing here?”

  “Igniting my magic.”

  After he turned off the SUV, he was out in a split second, and I hurried out after him, more than interested. I had zero idea what he needed to do to get his magic. “Where are you going?”

  He strode toward the trees with purposeful steps. “Into the forest.” Once he disappeared into the woods, angry dark clouds filled the sky. I rubbed my arms, chilled to my bones. Even Mother Earth knew trouble stirred.

  Only a few seconds later, a twig snapped and Kale strode out, dragging a huge branch with him. He took a seat on a rock at the edge of the tree line.

  My intrigue couldn’t be withheld; I trotted up to him as he pulled his dagger from his boot. “What in the Goddess are you doing?”

  “Awakening my magic.” He slid the knife along the wood and carved it. At my silence, he looked at me. “I’m making my gandr.”

  I laughed, incredulous. “Out of a branch?”

  “It’s alder, and yes, that’s the wood my gandrs are crafted from.”

  So, Kale was a Ward who not only obtained magic through the sabbat and could draw runes, but he also used a wand—powerful indeed. “Your magic only works with the wand?”

  His eyebrow lifted, but he continued to carve the wood. “How else would I draw runes, Libby?”

  “Well…” I shifted on my feet. “With ash, wax…I don’t know. Most warlocks don’t need wands.”

  He shrugged. “Like I said before, there aren’t many of us.”

  Now that was true. Most warlocks used rituals and recited sayings, exactly as I did with the book of spells. Magical wands weren’t typically needed, and I sure as shit had never met a warlock who required a wand. “How many are there?”