Tempted by Darkness

by Avery Gale

  “Come on, sweet baby, let’s get you out of the tub. The water isn’t warm enough anymore, you’ll get stiff and sore if we don’t keep you warm.” He hated the idea of her being sore, but there wasn’t much he’d be able to do to prevent it. “How are your sessions with Devin progressing?” He felt her stiffen under his hands and knew their harsh words when she’d had first agreed to work with the wizard were still a sticking point between them. Trev hated the fact he hadn’t been able to breach the chasm they’d created, but it would take time for her to feel comfortable enough to discuss it freely with either him or his brother.

  Using his fingers to grip her chin, he turned her face toward his own and framed her heart shaped face with the palms of his hands letting his fingers spear into the soft tresses of her auburn hair. He had to wait several heartbeats for her eyes to raise and meet his, another thing he hated more than he could say. “Listen to me and listen closely, baby. I’ll likely go to my grave as an old man regretting the way my brother and I reacted when you told us about the bargain you’d made with Devin. Fear does that to men who love their mate with everything they have—it makes them unreasonable and nastiness spews out of their mouths before their brains are fully engaged in the process.” Unshed tears made her eyes glisten, but she didn’t respond.

  “We hurt you and that is something we’d both sworn to you we’d never do. I’d like to amend that promise right now. We’ll never intentionally hurt you—but, baby, we will make mistakes. We’re not perfect and we’ll probably fuck up again—in fact, it’s likely. But I can promise you, we’ll always have your best interests at heart. Our love and respect for you will never be in question, just our ability to express it appropriately. Remember, we’re wolves at heart, so civility isn’t always the first thing that comes out.” Who was he kidding? Civility evaporated the minute anything threatened Kit or their children, it simply ceased to exist. All their parents’ training, all those lectures on leadership and how to treat others, most importantly their mate—were suddenly wasted effort on their parts. He could almost feel his mother smacking him upside the head every time he thought back on how they had reacted when Kit announced she’d be working with Devin. Yeah, not exactly a stellar moment in your relationship, was it?

  “I understand. I really do. But you have to remember, trust is a two way street. You expect me to trust you with my life, but you aren’t willing to trust me to protect you in return. You both conveniently forget that I functioned on my own for many years without your protection…actually it’s only been since I met you that I actually needed protection of any sort.” Trev felt his hackles come up, but if he was honest with himself he’d have to concede that even though he didn’t like her last statement one bit, it was in fact true.

  Before Trev had time to respond he heard the soft scrape of a boot over the polished wood plank floor. Looking over Kit’s shoulder he saw Jameson leaning against the doorframe. His posture was deceptively casual, but the pose didn’t fool Trev. Looking back at Kit, she rolled her eyes, “He’s standing right behind me, isn’t he?” When Trev nodded, she let out a long sigh making her sound more like a condemned prisoner headed to the gallows than a mate who was about to be fucked into oblivion. Jameson nodded subtly letting Trev know he agreed, they both knew they had some ground to make up with their lovely wife.

  Chapter Nine

  Damian had been pacing for hours waiting to hear from the young witch he’d planted inside the Wolf estate. When she’d come to him several weeks ago asking how she could help, he’d first suspected the woman had been sent by the Supreme Council, but the longer he’d talked with her the less convinced he’d been that she was a spy. As near as Damian could determine, Talia was ridiculously ambitious, and he known right away precisely how to exploit that trait at every turn. He wasn’t foolish enough to think she was loyal to him personally—no, she was loyal to her ambitions and nothing else. Damian would never trust her, but he’d sure use her. Yes, indeed, he knew exactly how to deal with a personality that so closely mirrored his own.

  When he finally felt the presence of another person on the other side, he stopped and waited. “Master Damian? Are you there?” Damian was anxious to see the woman who had been feeding him information—to see if she was as soft as her voice. If she looked anything like she sounded, he just might find other uses for her as well. He certainly wasn’t opposed to indulging in the pleasures of women, he just didn’t see any reason to keep them around after they’d served their purpose.

  Damian had always known it was best to speak with people face to face because it was so much easier to determine how honest they were. And at the very least he could know whether or not the other person was intimidated enough to do his bidding. But Kathleen had made that impossible and at this point, he had very few options. The only person he’d ever come close to trusting was Devin, but even his brother’s loyalty was seriously questionable.

  “Yes, Talia, I have been waiting for you. Do you have any information for me?” Damian knew he sounded rude, but he wasn’t at all interested in being her friend so he wasn’t going to bother with social niceties beyond the barest minimum. He wanted to know what she’d learned so he could decide how to proceed. There weren’t many options, but there were a few and the simple truth was he was going completely insane being trapped behind the seal Kit locked him behind. Damian didn’t give a shit that she didn’t seem to know how she’d done it—she had two very simple choices, she could join him or die.

  “I do and I’m afraid it isn’t good. Your brother has been meeting with Mrs. Wolf. Even though I haven’t been able to gain access to the part of the estate where they are meeting, the rumors among the staff consistently center on the meetings being some sort of training sessions.” What the fuck? My brother is training her? In what? And why wouldn’t he tell me he was spending time with her? The rage that filled him was so all consuming the stone lined walls surrounding him vibrated and shifted precariously. This time when the witch spoke, her voice was filled with uncertainty, “Are you all right? Do you want me to continue looking into this or…” she let her words trail off and Damian tried to get his anger under control. He didn’t want to alienate her, hell she’d actually displayed an incredible amount of courage in her willingness to be the bearer of bad news. Most of his followers wouldn’t have dared broach the subject of his brother’s possible defection. Damian might not pose a direct threat at this point, but he could still order her execution, so she’d taken a risk in telling him news she would have known he wouldn’t like. He might need others to carry out his orders, but Goddess knew he didn’t intend to be stuck behind the damned seal forever.

  He took several deep breaths to calm himself before answering her, “Yes, I’m fine, just disappointed that he hasn’t mentioned the fact he’s working with her.” It was an enormous understatement and something he intended to address with his dear brother immediately. There was still the possibility that Devin was training her to join them, but that seemed like a remote chance since he hadn’t told Damian what he’d been doing.

  “Please continue your surveillance. Report back to me anytime you see or hear anything—and I do mean anything. Something that might seem insignificant to you might be the final piece of a puzzle for me.” Damian took another calming breath before adding, “And Talia, I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that your discretion is of the upmost importance.” He took a steadying breath before softening his tone, “And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help. You’ll be well rewarded—you have my personal pledge.” Hell, depending on how she looks, she might get far more than my personal pledge.

  Devin stood in the dark shadows deep in the cave and listened as the young witch he’d seen lurking around the Wolf’s home spoke with his brother. He didn’t know what her position was at the estate, but the fact she’d been able to fool everyone was a clear indication that she was a worthy foe. She’d just hung him out with her words and he fully intended to make sure she paid de
arly for it. What he hadn’t decided was whether to take her out himself, turn her over to the Wolf brothers, or perhaps offer her up to the Supreme Council. Since all three options were likely to end up with the same result he leaned toward simply taking care of it himself—but he had to admit, shifting the karma burden off his shoulders also held a lot of appeal. Hell, he would already spend the next several lifetimes trying to make up for the mistakes he’d made. Devin had spent his entire life lost in the shadows of his brothers. First his father had tirelessly compared him to Marcus—the genius son who had been blessed with all his father’s talent, but who’d been “brainwashed” by his mother to walk in the light rather than owning the night. After Marcus had been deemed beyond saving, dear old dad had focused on Damian.

  Damian had quickly replaced Marcus and become their father’s golden child. Devin’s older brother mastered the dark magic so quickly he’d soon been a stronger wizard than his own father, but before that could turn the two into competitors, their father had become ill. When Damian had gone to Europe to study with mentors, he’d caused havoc in every location where he’d been stayed. Rather than being angry as Devin had expected, their father had been enormously proud of his son’s “exploits and conquests”. Even now, knowing his father’s mind had been awash in the pain medication it still rankled Devin that he’d been encouraged to follow Damian’s example.

  Knowing his brother as well as he did, Devin knew waiting for Damian to cool down wouldn’t work—hell, it would actually have the opposite effect. Damian had inherited their father’s temper and giving him any additional time to “stew” was just asking for the trouble to mushroom into something resembling a nuclear holocaust. After the mousy young witch quickly scurried away like the rodent she was, Devin stepped up to the seal.

  “Damian, I’ve come to speak with you.” Best to take control of the situation quickly. Devin felt the granite floor beneath his feet shift slightly and knew his brother was barely containing his rage.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting on a report since you lost the good doctor.” Oh, so that’s how he’s planning to play this, huh?

  “I’ve been spending time with Kit and Braden.” Devin knew the mention of his grandson would give Damian pause. His brother had chased the young boy all over the globe trying to secure him. But at some point it appeared Damian’s focus had shifted to eliminating the young wizard, and Devin wasn’t entirely certain what had transpired to cause his change of heart. “I’ve been allowed to come and go at the Wolf estate. At first, I was watched continually and all of our training sessions together were closely monitored. But as time has gone on, I’ve been allowed more time with the two of them alone.” Devin didn’t intend to tell his brother that the trust he was earning was well founded. He had no intention of helping his brother kill thousands of innocent people just to gain power he didn’t deserve. Thinking about Damian gaining control of the Supreme Council and ruling the magical world was the stuff of Devin’s worst nightmares.

  “Training? Explain,” Damian’s voice was still laced with anger, but the ground was no longer vibrating.

  Devin spent the next several minutes blowing massive amounts of smoke up his brother’s ass in reference to his training sessions with the two magicals they needed to further Damian’s cause. He wouldn’t tell Damian what he was actually doing, but the longer he could stall, the safer everyone would be.

  “They have agreed to assist me? Both of them?” Damian’s voice was filled with doubt, even as his questions belied his hope. It was moments like these that Devin wished his brother could still be saved from himself. The moments of lucid behavior, brief glimpses of the brother Devin had once admired, always sent pangs of longing through his heart. No matter how justified, it was always difficult to watch those you love pay for their misdeeds and Devin wasn’t looking forward to helping bring about his brother’s downfall.

  By the time he left the cave, he was sure of two things: first, his brother wasn’t yet convinced there wasn’t more to the story, and second, he needed to speak with someone at the Wolf estate immediately about the young woman he’d seen earlier.

  Jameson Wolf hated the undeniable knowledge that he’d let Kit down. She was smart, beautiful, kind, and more than capable of taking care of herself—most of the time. But none of that mattered now. Now he and his brother needed to find a way to rebuild the trust they’d damaged, and he knew that wasn’t going to be easy.

  He and Trev had searched for years for their mate, and when she’d finally walked into their lives they’d vowed to do everything in their power to protect her. And then the first time she throws them a major curveball, not only do they strike out, but they strike out at her.

  Jameson had always envisioned an obedient mate who would bear their children, be adored by the members of their pack, and be perfectly submissive. He should probably count his lucky stars they’d gotten two out of three. Trev’s laughter resonated in his mind and Jameson had to work to hold back his smile. ‘You know she’d kick your ass if she heard that, right? I can already hear the word Neanderthal bouncing around.’ Sighing to himself, Jameson knew Trev was right, but it didn’t change the fact it was true. And right now there were sparks already starting to dance in her eyes.

  Kit still became frustrated with their telepathic communication from time to time. Even though they often included her, most of the time it was so natural to just let things to flow between them, they often forgot to open the link—and this time that oversight had probably saved his ass. Trev kissed Kit quickly and then turned her to face Jameson. “Kitten? Want to tell me what happened?” He held out his hand as he’d asked the question and was pleased when she placed her much smaller one in his. Closing his fingers over hers, he pulled her closer and brushed the soft auburn tresses back behind her ear. God, he loved her hair, there were so many shades blended together giving it a depth that seemed to shift with even the smallest movement. It felt like the finest silk between his fingers as he threaded his hand through the strands to tilt her face up to his. He loved how her hair flowed to the middle of her back in gentle waves and in the mirror behind her, he could see it reflecting even the smallest amount of light. Kit was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it, but the best part was her beauty seemed to bubble to the surface from deep within and that was beauty that would never fade.

  Her small shoulders fell and she slowly shook her head. “Come on, kitten, I want to know what happened. I’m not judging, and as long as you aren’t hurt everything else can be repaired or replaced.” She’d dropped her eyes to the floor and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes when he tilted her face back up to his.

  “It’s not that it is really that bad per se. It’s just that it’s so damned embarrassing. Sometimes I really want to kick my mother’s skinny ass for not starting my training years ago. The learning curve sure would have been a lot easier now if she had.” Jameson agreed with her, but there wasn’t anything to be gained by rehashing that now. “There are so many basic skills I haven’t mastered yet and here I am trying to add dark magic to the mix—and as it turns out the control required for that is even more difficult than white magic.” He watched as she appeared to turn her frustration inward. “I should have just started working with one of my mom’s friends when I was old enough. But since I obviously had my head up my ass and didn’t do that, I guess I’m just as much to blame as she is. Damn, this whole thing sucks big brass balls, I tell you.” Jameson knew he’d never unravel all the remarkable aspects of Kit’s personality. Hell, just keeping up with her was challenging enough—her mind worked at the speed of light and wasn’t anywhere close to being that linear.

  “And you know what really worries me? Well of course you don’t because I haven’t told you yet. Goddess, I really shouldn’t have taken that aspirin.” Jameson didn’t bother to hold back his smile. Kit was the only person he’d ever met who was so sensitive to the little white pills that she’d actually sleep for hours after taking just one.
Looking over at Trev, he nodded when his brother tapped his left wrist. Even though he wasn’t wearing a watch, the message about time being of the essence was clear. Yeah, if they didn’t get her between them quickly, they’d miss the opportunity to make love to her—the thought had his cock twitching in protest.

  “That’s enough introspection for tonight, kitten. I want to push all of those concerns right out of your head so you’ll sleep peacefully and the best way to do that is for us to remind you how much you are loved.” Jameson nodded to Trev and chuckled at her squeak of surprise when she suddenly found herself swept up into his brother’s arms. While Trev got their mate settled, he quickly stripped out of his clothes, and was in and out of the shower in record time.

  Stepping back into the bedroom, he was happy to see Kit teetering on the verge of an orgasm as Trev’s rolled tongue disappeared into her vagina in rapid thrusts that were a prelude to coming attractions. Jameson leaned over giving her the command to come just before sealing his lips over hers, capturing her scream and swallowing it down. He and Trev thrived on her pleasure, they’d become addicted to it after they’d taken her the very first time. Everything about her release fed their own arousal—the way she panted, the way she screamed their names, the smell of her sex as it creamed for them. But the sweetest part was the way she trusted them so completely during those moments when she let reality slide away and lost herself in the physical pleasure. Kit’s body knew she was safe in their care, even when her mind tried to overrule it, her body followed its instinct and surrendered beautifully.

  Kissing a line from the corner of her mouth to her ear, Jameson whispered, “You come so beautifully. I love the way your body flushes and the scent of your honey surrounds us, driving me insane with need. But most of all, I love the way you let yourself go—the trust you give us is an enormous gift, a gift we treasure and intend to cherish always.” They hadn’t seen much progress in the trust department recently, but Jameson had no intention of giving up. He tried to remember that baby steps were better than losing her—because that simply wasn’t an option.