by Lynn Cahoon
When the doors opened, two men dressed in black suits met him. “Sorry, sir, you’re needed on the fifth floor. We’ll escort you.”
Ty nodded. No use arguing. He’d never get past these two. He knew the body guards when he’d been assigned a Council task last year to clean up a serial killer-slash-rogue witch. He wouldn’t make two feet before he’d be on his knees in pain.
“Parris, I’m coming. Hold on.” Ty didn’t know if she’d heard him in her drug induced state, however he had to try.
He stepped back letting the two enter the elevator car. Josh, the dark haired guard, punched five. He glanced back at Ty. “Nice to see you again.”
Ty almost laughed. Council staff was nothing if not polite. Even escorting someone to death or banishment, the guys had class.
“You too, Josh, Harold.” No use being rude. His mother would be so pleased. He hadn’t forgotten his manners. Irony.
The elevator doors opened directly into The Council’s chamber. Josh and Harold stepped forward facing each other, making a gauntlet for Ty to walk through. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see them draw swords crossing them over his head.
He took a deep breath, walking toward a single chair in the middle of the room. Council members sat above and around him, on raised wooden judicial benches, attached in a circle, with only one visible way in, the elevator.
When the guards reentered the elevator closing the door, the exit disappeared behind the dark cherry wood facade.
Ty unbuttoned his jacket and sat. And waited.
He didn’t have to wait long. A side panel to his left opened. Derek walked out. He sat in the witness chairs along the side of the room. He nodded to Ty, but didn’t speak. He looked like a dog that’d been punished for pulling the chocolate cake off the counter and eating his fill. Sick and sorry.
“So this is you.” Ty couldn’t help kick Derek when he was down.
“No. I mean, yes, I talked. They knew before I was called. Ty, I swear, they already knew about,” he paused, finishing his statement with one word. “Her.”
Ty almost believed him. If Derek hadn’t told, who’d set off the alarms?
As an answer to his unspoken question, another man walked through the witness opening taking the seat farthest from Derek as possible. His lime green suit seemed to glow against the darkness of the chamber.
“You.” Ty’s teeth ground together. He should have known. He started to tell the little shit off when a voice from above stopped him.
“Well, it looks like we’re all accounted for. Thank you for arriving early, Mr. Wallace. We didn’t expect you until this afternoon. Your arrival proves the power of Ms. McCall, now doesn’t it?” Angel Florentine, Council Chair, spoke, her black hair loose and flowing over her powder blue suit.
“I was coming to report on an assignment.” Ty responded, trying to focus his mind on the last assignment he’d been working on before Parris appeared.
“Please don’t lie. You never were any good.” Angel purred at him. He’d been seduced with that purr years ago. When he’d tried to please The Council, tried to please Angel. Thank God she went through men quickly otherwise, the purr might have seduced him again. Now, he knew her actions were ploys. Ways to get men to do her bidding.
He shut up. Let The Council tell him what they knew, then formulate a plan. Law school 101.
“Mr. Wallace, you are not the one in trouble here. Despite the unusual circumstances, please be assured, this is a fact finding setting. We need to know about this woman, Parris McCall. We need to know what you know.” Levi James, the oldest Council member nodded toward the witness stand. “We’ve heard some disturbing facts from your colleagues over there.”
Ty realized they weren’t going to let him remain silent. “Look, I don’t know what these two have told you. I met Ms. McCall a few days ago, felt a possible power source, and hired Derek to do a family tree search. I’ve been working with her for a couple days, way too early to give you any kind of definite report.”
“He’s sleeping with her.” Raymond Stone piped up. The weasel who’d walked into the chamber after Derek. The weasel who probably called The Council the moment he and Parris left his office.
Angel looked amused. “Is this true?”
Ty debated telling her his sex life was none of her business. Besides, when he and Parris met with Raymond, they hadn’t, yet. He swallowed his pride. The goal here was to get Parris out of the building, safe their testing, not to discredit Raymond, even though he wanted to punch the weasel’s face.
“Once.”
Raymond grinned like a cat with a robin. “See. I told you.”
Ty shot him what he hoped was a withering glance, “After we’d met with Raymond. He’s lying to you to make the story sound bigger than it is.”
“And you are being truthful? Or telling us what you think will be enough?” Neal Smathers spoke next. Ty knew The Council member hadn’t been one of Stone’s supporters, spearheading the campaign to force him to retire.
“Does it matter?” Ty challenged him. “I’m not lying.”
The Council exchanged glances. The five members nodded, answering some unspoken question. Angel spoke again.
“Ms. McCall is a person of interest to us. You are a valuable asset we don’t want to lose.”
Raymond Stone stood up, “But he didn’t tell you. I told you.”
Angel pushed a button sliding open a wall segment. Josh stepped into The Council room. “Please remove Mr. Stone from the chamber. Thank you for your service to The Council.” She waited for Josh to escort a struggling Raymond from the room and the door to slide shut.
Ty swallowed a smile.
Angel focused back on Ty. “Now, to continue. We have discontinued Ms. McCall’s testing. How she escaped our notice so long, we would like to know. We would like to know how powerful she is. Doctor Lyons believes she’s still able to hide her true level here, under her testing. She’s quite enamored with your Ms. McCall. Lyons says the girl’s the most unique subject to cross her table in quite some time.”
“You’re letting her go?” Ty knew there was a catch.
“Into your supervision. You and Mr. Chandler here are responsible for the woman.”
Ty glanced over at Derek who looked as confused as he felt. “Responsible?”
“We are asking you train her as a hunter.” Angel smiled at Ty. “Don’t think of her as your replacement, more a partner.”
“Why do I need a partner?”
“Because if we’re right, and The Council is rarely wrong when we’re unanimous, there’s another sect running through the country that’s been hiding from us for years. Ms. McCall has their bloodline.” Angel watched Ty, letting the news set in.
“Another bloodline of witches?” He stared at Derek, the genealogy expert. “Is that even possible?”
Derek frowned. “There’s a lost thread early in Salem history. We’d always disregarded the thread as a bleep, an error. Records seemed like there was something there, each time I’d try to nail it down, the thread would disappear. Are you saying the bloodline vanished from the records on purpose?”
The Council seemed to consider the question or at least their answer for a few minutes. Angel responded with the panel decision. “That’s what we need to know.”
“So after kidnapping her and putting her through your torture chamber, why do you think Parris will even consider working with you?” Ty asked.
“We have two duties for Ms. McCall. We want her to train with you to become a hunter. If she refuses, her grandmother will be admitted to academy.”
Ty went cold. No way Matilda would survive academy. He’d seen teenagers broken and sent to psychiatric wards during their first year. The threat alone would make Parris do The Council’s bidding. He had to know the rest.
“And the second?”
“We think the other bloodline, the bloodline matching Parris’ genetic code comes from her father. The couple was killed to keep the lines pure.”
“The second coven killed her parents?”
“And thought they killed her. Matilda McCall was right to fake Parris’ death.” Angel smiled sadly. “The woman could have been a power in the circle.”
“And you want us to find the other coven.”
“Find and destroy. Before they destroy us.”
Chapter 12
Parris sat on the stairs inside her condo, drained of energy. She was too tired to go upstairs to bed, too tired to stay down. Ty and Derek sat on the couch in her living room. Dragon sat between them. All three stared at her.
“I’m working for The Council now.” Parris stated.
“That’s about the size of it.” Ty responded, rubbing Dragon’s ears.
“And they’ll leave my grandmother alone.”
Derek nodded. “That’s the agreement. You train and work to find the other side of your family tree, your grandmother stays safe. I’ll pull a few protection cards on her too.”
“The three of us are tasked to find a secret coven of witches who happen to be related to me. Then we are to destroy them.” Parris looked at the men on her off-white couch. In a living room she’d designed to be homey. A place to read and relax, drink a glass of wine maybe watch a few old movies. The room she’d decorated to be in a design magazine, not headquarters to Witch Hunt, International.
“Yep.” This time both men answered.
“This secret coven killed my parents, thinking they’d killed me too.”
“You said she wouldn’t take this well.” Derek grinned at Ty. “Seems to me she’s on board.”
Parris glanced around the condo. Around the world she’d built. The world would never be the same. Not after she said yes. Hell, not after she said no. She wouldn’t be able to pretend ever again. Her world had changed over the course of forty-eight hours. If she was truthful with herself, she’d always known this day would come.
Energy flowed into her body. This was to avenge her parents. She stood. “I’m going to take a shower and change. After that, we can get started.”
* * * *
Ty watched her leave the room, speaking to Derek. “This isn’t going to be easy. We have to keep her safe.”
“I know.”
Ty’s cellphone vibrated. He glanced at the caller id. Work. “How’s Mrs. Winters?”
Alex’s voice came loud over the speaker. “She’s fine. Getting ready for a dinner date. The security team is in place so she’s told me I can go. Do you need anything else from me tonight?”
“Nope, good job. Go home. I’ll see you Monday.” Ty pressed the end call button.
* * * *
Down the street from the condo, Alex dialed a second number. He kept watching the shapes of the men sitting on the couch through the front window. He couldn’t see the girl. He hadn’t seen her since the trio walked through the door an hour ago.
“They’re still at her place. I could finish them here.”
Alex frowned hearing the response. “Are you sure? I can kill the men without even going in the building.” He absently touched the high powered scoped rifle on his lap.
“No, your orders are to observe them.” The voice reverberated in his ear.
Alex laid the cellphone on the dashboard, settling into his seat. He’d be here a while. At least until the trio moved. Might as well get comfortable.
“Watch and learn.”
Those were his orders now. But soon. Soon he’d be able to kill the half-breed who was his cousin. Parris McCall would die. This time, she’d stay dead.
About Lynn Cahoon
So why did I want to write about witches? This story probably started during an unplanned admission to the hospital that turned into a three day stay. Did you know that you can watch about four hours of Charmed straight through by just changing channels?
Seriously, I’ve always been in love with the idea that you can control your circumstances, control your life, and if it comes with hot, sexy warlocks, more the better. Mixing a touch of witchcraft lore and historical events, A Member of The Council let me play with the idea of what happens when someone is different. And of course, Parris McCall loves playing my favorite bar game, darts. And, like me, she’s considered kind of good for a girl.
Lynn Cahoon is a contemporary romance author with a love of hot, sexy men, real and imagined. Her alpha heroes range from rogue witch hunters to modern cowboys. And her heroines all have one thing in common, their strong need for independence. Or at least that’s what they think they want. She blogs at her website, A Fairy Tale Life.
Lynn’s Website
www.lynncahoon.wordpress.com
Reader Email
[email protected]
A Member of The Council
9781616504243
Copyright © November 2012, Lynn Cahoon
Edited by Antonia Tiranth
Book design by Lyrical Press, Inc.
Cover Art by Renee Rocco
First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: November 2012
Lyrical Press, Incorporated
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eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated
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Table of Contents
Cover Copy
Highlight
A Member of The Council
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
About Lynn Cahoon
Copyright
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