by Gale, Avery
Jameson and Trev stood to the side completely stunned by what was being played out in front of them. There were so many questions that he didn’t even know where to begin. A brilliant flash of light just to the edge of the gardens caught his attention just before a woman’s shrill squeal filled the air.
Chapter Eleven
Kit and Reagan walked away from their men and down through the gardens. The scent of summer flowers filled the air. Stopping to admire the Gerbera daisies and New Guinnea impatiens, which were her favorites, Kit couldn’t help but laugh at the wild color arrangements. “When the gardeners started working this spring, I asked them to make the gardens bright and colorful. And when I mentioned I really hate rows of color their faces lit up as if I had just handed them a golden ticket into Willie Wonka’s factory.” Trailing her fingers absently along the edge of one of the large blossoms, she added, “And it seems letting them unleash some of their creativity was a great decision because the gardens have been a masterpiece of color the entire season.”
Kit turned to Reagan and noticed the professional had surfaced and seemed to be studying Kit rather than the flowers. “You are right, they are lovely. But you’re stalling and I’m wondering why. You know the men won’t leave us to our own devices for long, so let’s get to whatever is going to help you before we stray into this fascinating exploration of horticulture. Let’s see how I can help, shall we?” Kit knew she must have appeared really surprised because the other woman chuckled. “Sorry about that, old habits die hard. And now that I am only working bare bones hours, I find myself having to make the most of each minute that I’m at the clinic. I guess that mindset sort of bled over into this conversation.” Reagan’s shrug belied the fact that Kit could see she really did want to help and for the first time in a long while, Kit giggled at the absurdity that always seemed to surround her.
“I know that you are aware of all the ways Jameson, Trev, and I are special.” Reagan nodded and Kit shook her head. “Well as if being a witch and a shifter wasn’t enough to complicate things, I fall for twin shifters who are the Alphas of their pack as well as sexual Dominants. Magic’s dark side is trying to recruit me, they want to claim my infants as their own, we are now sheltering a young wizard that is also a target, and my mother is a pain in my ass. And do you know what problem has all of my focus? The fact that my Doms have been playing too nice. How crazy is that?” Kit had heard her own voice raising in pitch even though she hadn’t been speaking loud for fear she’d be overheard. Her heart was racing and she’d felt nearly frantic to get the information all out before she thought better of it and changed her mind.
Kit had never seen Reagan be anything but perfectly poised, so she was shocked when the woman looked at her and laughed. “Damn, girlfriend, were you afraid you weren’t going to get that all out before I ran screaming into the night?”
That seemed to break the ice and they both collapsed on to a nearby bench in a fit of giggles. Several seconds and many tears later, Kit went on, “You are probably right. I really can’t imagine normal humans being able to grasp all of this. And you’re a psychologist so truthfully, I’m just kind of relieved you haven’t called 911 yet.”
“Well, first of all, my Master is more than he seems to be, but that is his story to tell. And I can most generally tell the difference between delusional and desperate. Now, when did this vanilla crap start?” Kit relaxed and started explaining how everything had played out and how frustrated she’d been when her Doms had all but disappeared.
“I don’t even know if they have been shifting and running. And now that I consider it, that could be part of the problem. The next full moon isn’t until next week and I’m anxious for it myself because there is a special magic found in moonlight. I’ve had this restless energy coursing through my system that might not ease without the mystical cleansing of a moonlit run. I find myself lost in fear sometimes…it’s that oppressive feeling that something big is going to happen. I find myself surrounded by this hyper-energy that just pulses all around me.”
“And submitting to your Masters stills that energy, doesn’t it? Is that what you are missing…the stillness submission brings to your mind?” Kit didn’t even realize her eyes had filled with tears again until she felt the first one roll down her cheek. All she could do was nod her head because she really was shocked that Reagan had gotten it so perfectly right. “Have you talked to them about this? Have you ever negotiated a scene with them?”
“Negotiated? I don’t understand.”
“Oh brother, no wonder this is such a mess. I’ll tell you what, the full explanation is too much to deal with in one night…it’s actually a series of classes at the club. But I’m going to talk to my Master and see if he won’t let me give you a crash course over the next couple of weeks. That way you’ll understand what you are experiencing and you’ll feel a lot more comfortable expressing your needs to—” Reagan’s words had been cut off by a man stepping from behind the bushes on Kit’s right.
Kit’s first instinct was to step in front of her pregnant friend. “Ahh, Kathleen, you wound me. I’m not here to hurt my sister-in-law or her son, although whether or not my plans change depends entirely upon how cooperative you are.” The hair was standing up on the back of Kit’s neck and even she could see the sparkles beginning to crackle around her. She heard Reagan yelp of pain and knew she had probably been zapped. Kit’s experience told her it had been little more than the same feeling one got from a spark from the static electricity that built up after walking across carpeting and then touching metal. Did he say sister-in-law? What the fuck?
Glancing over her shoulder, Kit muttered a quick apology and Reagan merely shrugged it off, and said, “Who is that ass hat anyway? And did you notice his eyes? He is just plain creepy. And why did he call me his sister-in-law? He’s creepy and delusional, that’s got to be it.”
Kit actually snorted a laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation. Here she was talking to a sex slave with a PhD about a wizard from the dark side, and Reagan’s main observation was about his creepy eyes and that he’d mistaken her for a relative? Talk about not grasping the severity of the situation.
“Oh I grasp everything just fine. It’s just that he is a minion and not even a very good one. I don’t know his name, but it’s obvious he is just a messenger. Geez Louise, he probably isn’t even really good at that…whatcha want to bet? I mean, look at him. No notebook or anything. I’ll bet he’s even forgotten why he’s here.”
Kit listened in stunned silence as Reagan further antagonized the man standing in front of them until his eyes went from glowing red to white hot. It wasn’t long until he was literally shimmering and Kit was starting to really worry about what he might do. “Shut her up, Kathleen. Now! Or you are both going to be sorry.” His shaking was getting worse by the minute, and Kit was really getting concerned about how unstable he seemed to be.
“Poking the magical bear probably isn’t that great of a plan, Reagan.” Kit pitched her voice low and hoped the man hadn’t heard her.
“Him? Oh his just smoke and mirrors. I’ll bet his boss didn’t even give him any of the good toys to bring. And if his message was that damned important he’d be breathing it all over us with fire and brimstone special effects. Nope, Kit, you definitely only rated the B-team this time. Damn, girl, you’re losing your touch.”
By this time the man was literally vibrating with anger but Kit really could not hold back her snort of laughter and that was all it took. “My name is Devin and I will be back,” and with a bright flash of light he was gone. Kit had squealed in surprise and then just stared at the spot where he’d been for long seconds until somewhere in the back of her mind she registered the shouts of people approaching them.
Before they were swarmed she turned to Reagan, “Fuck me! What were you thinking? How did you know he would fold?”
Reagan giggled, “Oh that was too easy. Hell a junior psych student could have played that one. He was obviously uncomfor
table in the badass role and I just called his bluff.”
“You called his bluff? Would you like to explain that statement, pet?”
Kit grinned when Reagan paled. She’d been all sass with a demon, but was worried about her Master’s reaction? Talk about your rich irony.
Chapter Twelve
Damian stood next to the ornately cast metal door of the portal and cursed the witch who had managed to seal him inside. “I still can’t imagine how an untrained witch was able to fucking blow me into pieces so small I resembled fucking mist, and send me back behind these wretched seals.” Taking a deep breath, he tried to pull back his frustration so he could deal with his half-witted brother. “Have you managed to get someone inside the Council Chambers yet?”
He knew by the sound of Devin’s voice that he was leaning against the rock wall that bordered the sealed portal. It hadn’t taken his brother long to learn that actually touching the door or the seals was a recipe for disaster. The portal itself reminded Damian of an overly large and ornately engraved manhole cover that was embedded in a solid rock wall rather resting on a sidewalk. His brother was a pain in the ass and always had been. But Devin was the only member of Damian’s family who had stood by him when he’d moved to the dark side as a young wizard. And if Devin managed to get a hold of Kathleen and her children, there would be no stopping them.
Damian knew in the beginning Devin hadn’t been convinced that securing the fated witch mentioned in the prophecy would ever be possible. But as time had gone on, Damian had slowly managed to persuade him that Kathleen would do anything to protect her children and that was leverage they could easily use to their advantage.
“No, but there are several young witches working for us who have applied for internships with various Council members. The scales will tip in our favor soon, you must be patient.” Damian wasn’t sure, but he thought he detected a bit of disinterest in Devin’s voice, and that set his temper on a rolling boil.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Be patient? Easy for your incompetent ass to say when you aren’t the one locked behind these wretched seals. Damn it all to hell. You’ve made several unsuccessful attempts and now everyone is watching you so closely, your every move is going to have to be coordinated down to a gnat’s ass. You made too many ineffective moves too quickly. And each one was countered because you didn’t plan them well enough.”
“What are you talking about? No one could have known that Carla Harris would be downtown the day we went for Braden. We would have had to have at least a thousand people working to have swept the entire area for trace magic. And even then, she is one of the very best at covering her tracks. Hell, the woman’s paranoia is legendary and you know it so get off my ass.”
“Consecro!” Damian’s voice boomed from the other side and Devin was grateful that his brother’s magic wouldn’t carry through the tightly shielded portal. Even though the magic was neutralized, the rage was still easy to feel, or at least it seemed that way as the force of it slammed into him.
“Talk to me, brother. I know there are details that you have left out. Why is Braden so important?” Devin had asked this same question a hundred times, and he was getting ass-fucking tired of the same smoke and mirrors answers. Invariably, his brother would simply say that he was fated to be a powerful member of the magical community and that his ability to draw energy from those around him would make him even more useful. But Devin knew to the depths of his soul there was more to it than that, he just didn’t know what the vital piece was that Damian was holding back.
“I’ve told you, he’s powerful. Don’t underestimate him. And he turns sixteen next week so the stakes will go up exponentially.” Devin could practically hear his brother grinding his back teeth together in frustration. Damian was a powerful force and his power grew each time he took out another of his enemies. Devin had watched as his brother pulled the life force from his victims, and it was as terrifying as it was incredible to watch. Seeing the gray mist of a person’s essence being sucked from them as if it was being vacuumed from one soul to another was a very powerful visual reminder of just how ruthless Damian could be. Every one of the men and women who had witnessed it knew exactly what awaited them if they strayed from the cause or failed to perform. Damian didn’t just demand loyalty, he demanded total possession of one’s soul.
Devin cursed his distraction when he heard Damian growl, “Are you fucking listening to me? I said I don’t want the boy harmed, just capture him. And if you have to choose between him and Kathleen, then bring him. Because she will protect him just as she will her own children. Once he is in your care, you’ll find it much easier to persuade Kathleen to come to me.” Devin was convinced his brother was grossly underestimating how significant the protection was around Kathleen. Hell, he’d barely managed to project himself through the shields in the garden, and everything was locked down even tighter now.
“What is the connection between you and Marcus Hines’s wife? You called her your sister-in-law, but she didn’t seem to believe that. She wasn’t at all frightened of me. It was as if she felt entitled to a “free pass” or something.” The woman that had been with Kathleen in the garden had not even flinched at his appearance, and that was beyond puzzling.
“She is of no consequence. But it is interesting to consider her Master may have told her more that I’d expected. Marcus is our father’s bastard son.” Devin rolled his eyes, because there was very little he wouldn’t believe about their father. The man had been an amazingly gifted wizard, but had been more interested in bedding every woman he met than in amassing any real power and influence. Devin decided to wait until Damian continued, he was tired of operating with only half the damned information. He knew full well that if he was killed trying to help Damian, his brother wouldn’t lose a moments sleep and that Devin’s position would be filled within the hour. And that realization had given him pause several times lately.
“Why do you refer to him as her Master?”
“She is his sex slave. He may be the light to my dark, but his isn’t a pure light either if you ask the moral majority.” Devin cringed at Damian’s maniacal laughter from the other side.
He’s fucking losing it. Demon-mean is one thing, but an insane demon is far more dangerous. Knowing he was already in so deep that it would be nearly impossible to get out was a sadly sobering thought.
“Light to your dark? Explain that.”
“There isn’t enough time for that now. Go back and bring Braden to me. And remember, I don’t want him harmed.” Devin could sense his brother’s departure just by the shift in the air around him. Anytime Damian was near the air almost crackled around him as his energy tried to pull more from others, and Devin found it exhausting to be near him for any length of time. Every time he’d traveled through the cave to the portal, Devin felt an overwhelming pressure—as if he had a ton of rock sitting directly on his chest. And now, as he made his way back through the cave, the oppressing force was easing with each step he took away from Damian. Whether the discomfort was related to being close to his brother or to the portal leading to the dark side, was the question.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been almost a week since the incident in the gardens and Kit had been working diligently with her grandmother practicing her control and working to focus the energy of her magic toward a specific target. Kit knew the strength of her magic was only limited by her inability to focus, and those were the skills that she would need the most. Granny Good Witch was slowly letting loose the details of the acquaintance she had with Marcus, and Kit was still grappling with the fact that two men who were polar opposites shared such a close genetic link. Damn it all, just accepting that Marcus was a friend of her grandfather’s had taken her several days. But Kit was certain her mates had struggled even more than she had. The revelation that their most trusted friend had kept so many secrets from them had unnerved both Jameson and Trevlon.
Marcus had assured her that her mates would eventuall
y fully understand his reasoning. He’d even made some suggestions for Kit’s magical training that her granny had reluctantly seemed to agree were helpful. Kit hated the tension that seemed to cloud their friendship now, but she had also realized it wasn’t anything she could change. She’d thrown herself into her training and found that learning the spells and incantations was usually fairly easy because she’d been hearing them her entire life so her mind was already programed for them.
Kit had run almost each night, with Jameson and Trev flanking her, so she’d quickly learned all the short cuts and trails of the estate. They had worked hard to make sure she knew every nook and cranny, each hiding spot and route of escape. She tried to spend some time with Braden, but Angie and her husbands hadn’t seemed too eager to share him just yet. Looking over the cluttered counter in the lab, Kit asked, “So, Granny Good Witch, what do you think is going to happen with Braden? Nick has been working with him so much in the gym I’m surprised the Olympic committee hasn’t been knocking at our door.”
When her grandmother looked up from the mixture she’d been stirring, Kit started giggling. Her granny looked like a crazy witch right out of some children’s science storybook. Her goggles were smudged and smoke covered, her hair was standing out in every direction as if she’d encountered a bolt of lightning, which probably wasn’t far from the truth, and she had a black smudge over her left cheek. Blinking her eyes in confusion at Kit’s reaction, she just stared until Kit grabbed a small handheld mirror they’d used earlier and held it up for her.
