Heart of Darkness

by Lauren Dane

  She sighed. “It’s our chemistry. I explained that. Genetics, magick, all that is our personal stew. Yours and mine like each other.” She stepped into her boots and he sat straighter, alarmed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going home.” She held a hand out. “This is why I’m glad we didn’t have sex. Stay. Think.” She bent to her bag and pulled a card out. “Here. My numbers are on that. If we decide to go forward, you can try to get into my panties like everyone else. Work for it. I like opera and Thai food and steaks. You can call me for a date and we can get to know each other.”

  He could see the hurt on her face. “Don’t go.”

  “No. I need to. Because you and I are at totally different places. I grew up knowing this was my path. I greet this bond between us as a wondrous thing. You view it with suspicion. And I get it. You haven’t been educated about what we are and what we do.”

  “This doesn’t mean you have to leave. Stay. Educate me.”

  “You don’t want that right now and I can’t be here this way.” She picked her coat up and he moved to her.

  “I want you. I like you, Meriel. But you can’t expect me to just jump on the bond-mate bandwagon when I didn’t even know I was a council witch until a few hours ago.”

  “I know and I don’t. I’m happy to teach you about yourself and your history. If you want that, you know where to get hold of me.”

  He stood there, confused and frustrated. “Let me walk you to your car at least.”

  She shook her head. “No. I need to be alone right now.”

  She walked out and emptiness washed through him at her absence.

  Chapter 7

  “I can’t believe you went without me last night,” Gage said when she answered her phone. She’d been wallowing a little, letting herself get sucked into a thousand boring little tasks to stop wondering if Dominic was going to call. Not that it had worked.

  “First things first, how are you feeling?” Food poisoning sucked. No two ways about it.

  “I’m good. My mother came over and did something, heaven knows what, but I’ll take it. I may even be ready to go back to work tomorrow. Are you all right? What happened?”

  “He’s keyed in to the font now. Took care of it myself. Still, there’s a risk of exposure. I’m going to have to think on it and how I’ll approach it with the council next week. For now, I think the wards will hold and do the job.”

  “I might pop over there just to check it out myself. Nell and I went to a club for paranormals in Las Vegas. I don’t actually think it’s the worst idea ever. It’s nice to have a place we can all go.”

  “It is. Yes. But not at risk of exposure.”

  “Goes without saying. Okay, so, Meriel, you know I’m your friend too, right? Is there something wrong? You sound … off.”

  “I appreciate that very much. I do. I can’t really talk about it right now. I’m trying to get it all straight in my head and I have a hearing in an hour so I need to focus on that.”

  He sighed. “Do you need me to hurt someone for you?”

  She laughed. “Thank you for the offer. But no. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Offers of shoulders and ass kicking are open-ended. You know where I am if and when you want to talk.”

  She hung up and stared at her screen for a few minutes. She’d been off her stride since she first looked Dominic in the eyes the night before. She hadn’t slept much, but she had to keep faith and believe he would call. The dating plan was solid, she felt. Real. And it would enable him to retain a measure of control.

  A smile crept onto her face as she thought about that last bit. Dominic Bright was most definitely the kind of man who liked to be in charge. She hummed her appreciation at the naughty thoughts that had inspired.

  Tossing and turning all night long hadn’t helped. She was utterly sure, but he wasn’t and she wasn’t sure she could change that if he wouldn’t listen. Who was she to mess with free will? He had to come to her of his own accord.

  However, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t use every single tool at her disposal. Hello, this was a sort of contest. His wary resistance to clans against her appeal. She sat up with a smile. She had no doubt he wanted her as a woman, but he couldn’t trust that and he had good reason. So the dating thing would allow regular contact and a way for them to move in a positive direction she sincerely hoped included his bed and his naked body very soon.

  He was a highly sexual man. Sensual in his choice of decoration in his home and even his office. The kind of man who knew exactly what he wanted and would pursue it relentlessly. Being the thing he pursued had to be pretty awesome.

  She laughed, getting up and grabbing her files. This would be all right. They could do this, and she had no doubt they’d both enjoy it even more when they finally did end up sleeping together.

  “SO repeat that.” Simon sipped a cup of coffee and grabbed another biscuit.

  “Told you last night, dumbass. She’s my bond-mate.”

  “So you met this person who’s like your magickal other half. She’s one hot-looking woman of immense power and training and she’s not here why?”

  Dominic sighed. “I don’t even believe in this shit, Simon. I can’t just meet a woman and fall down in love with her ten minutes later. I don’t care what some mystical bond thing says. It’s not real. I don’t like not having a choice in how I feel.”

  “Yeah, make believe like witches and werewolves. You’re full of shit.” Simon shrugged. “You won’t be the only person on Earth who can key into her magick. Eventually someone else will find her and then she’ll be his and no longer attracted to you. But shit, Dominic, why would you want that? You have this beautiful, magickal thing; why not accept it like a gift? I know you like to say you don’t believe in fate, but I do. Sometimes you just have to let go of cynicism and let yourself believe in something.”

  Dominic stirred his coffee as he thought that outcome would be totally unsatisfactory. The idea of her feeling the way they had the night before with anyone else was untenable. “No matter what bond shit there is or isn’t, I’m not walking away from Meriel. I just don’t want to play house with her ten minutes after I met her either.”

  “Ten minutes? She was asking you to marry her and live in her house and have babies last night?”

  “Oh fuck you, Simon, you smug asshole. You know she didn’t and you know what I mean.”

  “No, I really don’t know what you mean. Either you want her or you don’t. Which is it? Also, chemistry is always a player between two people. She has pheromones and you have them. Some pheromones don’t appeal to some people and some do. That’s a fact. So right there you’ve got the basics of what you have with Meriel. And that’s not even taking into account the fact that you cannot be a witch and still think things like bond-mates aren’t real. Says who? Humans? You’re not human and you should just admit it to yourself.

  “You’re running from it because it has clan written all over it. I say fuck that. Her foremothers built Clan Owen into a powerhouse of a clan. Nothing happens in the magickal world without their say or input. That’s power and that’s hot. She is special, Dom. Unique. Powerful and absolutely mouthwatering.”

  Dominic groaned and scratched his beard. “I’m not denying her appeal as a woman.” He paused. “Or as a witch. Yes, yes, she’s powerful and I can’t lie and say I don’t find that very alluring. She and I have something, I admit it. But this is sudden and this is big. I don’t know if I want to be sucked into the world of these clans. All those rules and politics. She’s not just an ordinary witch. There’s no halfway with her. I’ve spent my life deliberately not engaging with them.”

  Simon growled as he polished off his eggs. “You want some skeeze who’ll jump on your cock five minutes after you give her a free drink? Huh? ‘Cause you have that already and I don’t see you any happier than before. But the way you are since last night? Well, that’s interesting.”

  “I don’t have time for int
eresting.”

  “Boo-fucking-hoo. When did you become such a whiner? This is sudden? Fuck yeah. Totally sudden and life altering. My dad has a thing about those moments. Revelatory thinking. You think all this life-altering stuff happens on a schedule?”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to lose my mind over it.”

  “You told me she advised you to think on it and to call her if you wanted something with her. How is that losing your mind? You’re a witch. You can pretend you aren’t when it suits you, but I hasten to remind you that you don’t mind being a witch when you have to set wards or use spellwork.

  You can’t have it both ways. Own who you are and stop whining about what you aren’t. It’s not going to change either way. It’s just a waste of time to deny the importance of this all because you’re willing to deliberately lie to yourself rather than admit freaky shit happens sometimes in the world we live in. Be grateful and grab it tight and don’t fret so damned much.”

  “Why are you acting like Dr. Phil all the sudden?”

  “Because you’re going to turn your back on something for a dumb reason and someone needs to call you on it.”

  “I’m not turning my back on anything. I’m going to call her later and ask her to dinner as it happens. Nothing wrong with wanting to get to know her.”

  Simon’s sigh and raised brow said he thought otherwise, but he held his tongue.

  “What?”

  “Nothing at all. I just don’t want you to fuck this up because you were raised to be all suspicious of clans and of what you are. You’re full-council, even I know what that means.”

  Dominic sighed. The hell of it was, he wasn’t sure he himself knew.

  MERIEL let out the breath she’d been holding all day when she saw his number pop up on her screen.

  “Meriel Owen,” she answered, sending a quick lock spell so her mother wouldn’t barge in on the call.

  “It’s Dominic.”

  He paused and she paused too, waiting to see what he’d do.

  “So are you free tonight? For dinner?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact I am.”

  Another pause. She really should help him, but he needed to do it. Needed to be in control and she understood it and let him be, even if he hadn’t realized that’s what he needed just yet.

  “And then after, I’d like to bring you to Heart of Darkness. You know … we have dinner and come over here for drinks.”

  And it would give her a chance to know him better, for him to show her what was important to him. That appealed to her.

  “All right. Do you have a pen?” She gave him her address and said she’d see him at eight.

  After she hung up she had to dig through her desk, remembering the box of chocolate macadamia nut candies someone had brought back from a recent trip to Hawaii. Candy was totally necessary, but if she headed to the vending machines, it took her right past her mother’s office and that was not what she wanted.

  Until they performed the ascension spell, she wouldn’t achieve full-council status. Such a thing would be impossible to hide. She was doubly glad they hadn’t had sex the night before because her mother would have noticed the change in her energy. Hell, even right then Meriel knew her magick had ripened, thickened, rising within her and ready to join with someone else’s.

  After she’d eaten the fourth piece of candy, two after she’d told herself, “Only one more,” she sat back and allowed herself a deep breath. He called. She smiled.

  Chapter 8

  SHE tried not to be annoyed when her phone rang as she was still goopy with lotion. If it was Dominic calling to cancel, she was so going to hunt him down.

  But it was 401. Rodas Industries.

  “Meriel Owen.” She hoped she sounded commanding enough. A little difficult when standing naked and slicked up with lotion.

  “Ms. Owen, my name is Arel. Gage would like us to add him into a three-way call. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Yes, go on. Give me a moment, please.” She put the phone down and grabbed a robe, also picking up her glasses and a notepad as she got settled in at the nearby table.

  “I’m back.”

  “Sorry to bug you on a Friday night, but when I spoke with Arel I knew you’d want to hear this.”

  She sighed. “Comes with the job. What’s up?”

  It was Arel who spoke. “Had some excitement last evening on my side of the country. We got a call from a witch up in Boston, asking for help against some mages who’d been stalking two sisters, also witches. As a result of this call, we now have a few mages in our custody.”

  Unease slithered through her. “Are the witches all right? The sisters?”

  “Yes. They’re both fine. Took some hits. One was partially drained. She turned the draining spell around, drained the mage. Caught him off guard, but it was a great response. Still, she spent several hours puking it all out as her body had to reject all that wrong energy. Spent time with her today. She’s also a shifter so it didn’t hit her as hard as it would have otherwise.”

  She had no idea there were such a thing as witch shifters. Fascinating. “I’d like to meet her, if possible. It sounds like she’s got some skills we could use.”

  “I explained to Arel about your desire to work with other witches to share knowledge and spellcraft,” Gage said.

  “I’ve told Kendra, that’s the witch I’m referring to, about this and she’s enthusiastic to meet you. Since it’s all right with you, I’ll make an introduction later. You should know them and they you.”

  She made a quick note to herself about that.

  “All right. Thank you. Did she terminate the mage she turned the spell back on?”

  “No. But she could have. Scared him enough to be forthcoming about what they were all up to though.”

  “Good to know. By in custody do you mean still drawing breath?”

  “For now.”

  “As it should be.”

  Gage laughed in the background. “I told you.”

  “I approve of bloodthirstiness in this time and place. There are dark things on the horizon.” Arel cleared his throat. “We’ve been watching some mages back here who’d been on the move, settling in, stalking witches, draining them and moving on.”

  This was what she’d been worried about.

  “They’re more organized than we’d assumed. And after some rigorous questioning, I can tell you they’ve been working with anti-Other hate groups to target witches ripe for the draining. Not only that, but working with disgruntled paranormals.”

  That stopped her pen. “What? How?”

  “The mages had been working with a shifter, a cat. The brother-in-law of the witches attacked last night. He led them straight into the heart of their community. Set the witches up.”

  “Why? I don’t understand this. Why would someone do that?”

  “That cats handled that part, so all I know is what I’ve been told. This was a third brother, never going to run the jamboree. But also a little loopy and got caught up in the demon-possessed line the hate groups had been farming out.”

  She sighed heavily. “So we can assume they know things about us? Things that could hurt?”

  “One of the collaborators was a cat shifter. It’s safe to assume they understand now that shifters have their own kind of magickal energy,” Gage broke in.

  She chewed her lip. Her mother should know of this. At the same time, Meriel had been appointed to this exact position and her mother wouldn’t really want to hear about any of this until they had more specifics. Oh and she didn’t want to face her mother just yet.

  “Gage, I want you and Nell to work on this when she gets back. My mother will need to be briefed.” Responsible and yet still kept her out of her mother’s attention for a while longer. “What do we know about them, Arel? Do they pick witches they knew? Witches who are most vulnerable?”

  “It appears to be a little of both. But … it’s only a matter of time before they figure out the more powerful the
witch, the sweeter the reward. Only a matter of time before some turned witch joins them and shares that.”

  Stuck witches were bad enough. A turned witch was one who’d damaged so much of her connection with her inherent magicks she no longer had access to them. No longer a witch, not quite a mage, a turned witch was most dangerous. Still hungry for the pleasure of the initial magickal hit but cut off from a huge part of one’s existence made them all totally crazy.

  “What are they doing with the energy they steal? Just using it themselves? Providing the stolen magic to stuck witches? How do these anti-Other groups feel about that?”

  “I’m under the impression it has not gone far enough to be organized in anything more than a way for the mages to get the power themselves to feed their addiction. But my fear, and my belief, is that they will get more organized. This is drug dealing and manufacturing on a pretty intense scale.”

  “All right. Can we do anything to help?”

  “At the moment, we’ve got it handled.”

  “But? We need some sort of—I don’t know—a conference? Something so we can share intel.”

  “I’m going to leave that to you and Sadira. I have no patience for the bullshit politics.”

  She laughed, but there wasn’t a whole lot of mirth there. She’d have to go to the council to get permission for such a conference. And she would. It had to be done. But she wanted all the information she could get first. This was a break with how things were done and she knew she had a big job ahead of her.

  “Gage, keep open communication between you and Arel. Brief Nell when she returns. I’m going to suggest you might just check in with some of the other hunters as well. This is inter-clan so it’s acceptable.”

  “If they start targeting the most powerful witches, you’re going to be right in the crosshairs. A big target on your back.” Arel’s comments were correct, but they meant she had to think about something she’d been trying to ignore.

  “Yes. I suppose. Good thing being more powerful also means I can kick some ass if I have to.”