The nature of the club would tend to have their kind blend in, although she didnt know a single vampire who actually looked like the ones she saw in movies. Still, shed have to talk to Bright about it.
Ignoring the stares and touches from men and women alike as she passed through the crowd, she moved with single-minded purpose toward the warded entrance.
The bouncers didnt bother removing their sunglasses. They wouldnt need to. Even with shades on, theyd see the magick crackle over her skin with their othersight. With the patented bodyguard nod, they stepped aside and let her pass.
The sound dampened and the energy changed as magick of all sorts sparked against hers. The wards recognized her and she passed through the human part of the club and into the domain where her people walked. She recognized the flavor of the magick as Owen font magick. This was their power being used to hide that doorway. Oh, that naughty man. Against her better judgment and a lifetime of training, instead of apprehension, a glimmer of excitement slid through her. A challenge.
BY contrast to the press of humans out front, this part of Heart of Darkness wasnt such a crush. The pulsing lights and dark ambiance outside had been abandoned. Within this world created just for them, it was more like a restaurant/ pub than a dance club, though there was a dance floor too. She imagined later tonight and on the weekends it would probably be busier and noisier. Magick of all sorts danced through the air. Were, vampire, witcheven a bit of Fae. Bright might be breaking the law by stealing magick, but she couldnt deny the place had appeal.
Moving through the crowd, Meriel realized the dark interior and the light effects would hamper her ability to sight Dominic Bright easily. Still, the club was filled with pretty, shiny men and women from all sorts of backgrounds so a bit of people watching would add to the fun. This was far more interesting than take-out and a movie.
She may as well head to the bar and grab a drink as she looked around. Meriel didnt need a picture to know who Dominic Bright was. Shed recognize his magickal signature if he was there. She just needed to be patient and look around.
Hello there, witch.
Meriel looked up into the face of a very handsome Were. His looks matched the low bass of the voice, masculine, hard. Not a run-of-the-mill shifter, this one smelled of Lycia. Royalty even. Lycian pack royalty on this side of the Veil was an unusual sight. They liked to keep to their own realm instead of having to deal with humanity and all her complications.
Hello there, Lycian.
He laughed, showing straight, white teeth, as he leaned against the bar behind him and held out a hand. She reined in the urge to goggle at how big the aforementioned hand was. Simon Leviathan. Can I buy you a drink?
Oh sure, she knew she was there to find Dominic Bright, but no one said she couldnt enjoy the attentions of a very handsome Were while she looked.
The warmth of his power rolled through her as she took his outstretched hand. He held on just a bit longer than simple courtesy dictated, letting the warmth of his energy roll over her playfully. The possibilities with this man could bear some thinking on. She let him have the smile shed been holding back. Pleasure to meet you, Simon Leviathan. Id love a drink, thank you. Im Meriel Owen.
Meriel leaned around him and told the bartender she wanted a Jack and Coke. When she straightened, Simons hand found its way to her waist. Lycians were very to the point.
Recognition lit his eyes. Ah, an Owen. What brings you here this evening, Meriel?
His scent, rich and spicy, tickled her senses and tightened things low in her belly. Alpha males were a double-edged option. Who didnt like a man who was self-assured? But she didnt think she had the time to manage one.
Just looking around. Tool came on and she let the sound roll over her as she opened her magick, letting it float up and out over the crowd, seeking. Dominic Bright would be a very powerful witch to work those spells on the door. Merely the stolen energy from the font wouldnt be enough. The magick that had to be melded together and woven into that sort of protection and deception was complicated. Only a very talented and powerful witch could manage it. It wasnt just the amount used or borrowed, it was the ability to use it and build it into other things. In any case, the odds of that meant there would be very few with that kind of power in the room. Namely Meriel and Dominic.
Holy shit, what is that? He leaned in, taking a deep breath. I like your magick, witch. Simon leaned down to murmur in her ear. Then again, youre not any old witch are you, Red?
Im not any old anything at all, Simon. Just like youre not any old werewolf. Youre Lycian and your daddy is alpha of a pack back home. Youre marked.
She paid attention to all that supercharged alpha male energy while keeping her seeking spell anchored. It wasnt hard when she was surrounded by so much raw energy. All that sex in the air, all the Others in the room and the magick they bled off as they went about their evening fed her way more than enough. So much she was a bit giddy with it.
Dont run into too many people whod know that.
I like to know things. Im a curious woman. Another thing she thought Owen should be doing better was reaching out to all groups of Others. Those Others who originated from the other side of the Veilthe Fae and Lycianswere far more powerful than those paranormals from Earth. They could move back and forth into other dimensions and their magick was unique.
Just how much Meriel didnt know because they were just as secretive as witches and there wasnt a lot of information sharing. She wanted that to change and if it came all wrapped up in this attractive a package, well, that was icing.
I like a curious woman. Now, other than a drink, I think there might be a few other things Id be happy to give you. The smile he gave her promised all sorts of tingly things.
Before Meriel could respond, there was a definite tug at the end of her spell. She turned and saw the smudge in the energy of the magick. Itd snagged over at a booth on the far side of the room. There he was.
Sadly, she turned back to face Simon. Im sorry to have to do this, but the person Ive been looking for is here, just when Id begun to hope he wasnt. I need to go deal with a problem.
His face changed a bit as he looked in the direction her attention had been. Im sorry to hear that. Ill be here for another hour or so if you wrap up your problem. I come most nights. Or, Im at the W if you find yourself in need of some company.
She smiled, taking a long look from the top of his dark-hued hair to the tips of his expensive boots. Long and lean, broad in the right places. He sure was pretty to look at.
Thanks for the drink. Maybe Ill be seeing you around. She touched a fingertip to her lips and took one last look.
He pushed a hand through his hair. Such a bad boy there. She winked and turned, swaying toward the tug on her spell.
The crowd moved aside as she walked, her magick brushing against them, tendrils of their energy drawing back into her, strengthening her as she took a taste of all that paranormal strength in the room. Heady stuff.
Chapter 4
SHE wasnt surprised that he knew she was there. His awareness of that fact was quite clear as she approached. The energy of his focus on her pricked at her skin. Not painful, but clearly could be if necessary. Still, nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her. She knew his eyes were pale green even though the room was dimeyes locked on her like a predator.
Dominic Bright in the flesh was a punch to the gut. A sensory wallop of total and unbelievable hotness.
Sprawled in a booth in a roped-off VIP section, his physical presence was nearly as large as his magickal one. The dark T-shirt he wore stretched over tight muscles and broad shoulders. Black boots peeked from the bottom of his jeans. Long legs stretched out before him.
Masculine. The man was breathtakingly masculine. Sharp features marked him, heavy-lidded, sexy eyes, a goatee; his shoulder length hair was thick and she wondered what it would feel like between her fingers. His lips promised such carnal delights she had to take a deep breath to steady herself.
His energy was immense. He had reserves shed lay odds he had no idea how to use. She wondered if he even knew he was a council witch. So much raw power emanated from him she wanted to lean in and take a long sniff.
Since that would undermine her own position and power, and since most people didnt smell each other in public, she refrained from the aforementioned sniffing and found her own center.
His gaze caressed up her body and settled upon her face. Welcome to the Heart of Darkness, pretty witch.
His voice was deep and scratchy. He didnt yell over the music and yet she heard him perfectly.
She continued her approach, steadying legs that may have buckled had she been a lesser woman, stopping finally when her thighs touched the table. The scent of his magick hung about him like a heavy cloak. And fed her like shed been starving.
Mr. Bright, youve been a very naughty boy.
So Ive been told a time or two. I take it youre Clan Owen here to spank me.
I bet you have. But she wasnt there about that. Not until she finished this other business at the very least. She modulated her voice, not yelling, but whispering on the wind. You tapped into Owen property without asking.
His eyelids slid down just a little and she nearly moaned when he licked his lips. Very nice. All that sex and magickpotent.
One of her brows rose as she favored him with a smile. This one was a charmer.
But youre not a hunter.
He knew enough to understand at least something of the structure of a clan. Ignorance wouldnt be his excuse for theft then. If I was, we wouldnt be talking. We dont want to kill you. Were not like that. Most of the time. We just want you to ask nicely when you take our property.
Would you like to sit? Goddess, his mouth was an ode to the creator. The way it quirked up just a bit when he finished a sentence was a sight burned into her retinas.
Her gaze flicked over the women splayed on either side of him before moving back to his face. She wouldnt spill Owen business in public. Nor did she want to share his attention with anyone else. Id prefer to speak with you in private.
He stood, stepping over the women carefully, and Meriel tried not to gulp like a sixteen-year-old girl. He moved the few feet to her, his energy barely leashed. It was a good thing she stood nearly six feet tall because Dominic easily topped six and change.
Shall we go to my office? He motioned with his hand and she allowed him to steer her, his hand at the small of her back. That touch nearly undid her.
Dominic had felt the Owen witch the minute she walked through the doors out front. Her power rolled through the building, slid through him, velvet and warm. Her presence coursed through his veins. Shed sent out her spell as he watched her drink with Simon at the bar.
He liked the way she tasted on the air. Bright and spicy. Dusky and earthy too. Her spell was clever and apparently effortless. Something like that might take him a few hours to create. He admired it, even as he kept out of range.
Unreasonable anger sparked when Simon did what Simon did best. Dominic had stewed as the Were put his hand on her waist and she responded, standing close and flirting. The closer she moved to Simon the more agitated Dominic had become until finally grabbing her spell and tugging hard to snag her attention. When shed turned and he saw her face, really saw her face, hed hesitated a moment, fascinated. Beauty and power, a very potent combination in any woman.
Watching her approach had been worth giving her his location earlier than hed planned. She moved like sex, rhythmic, smooth like honey. Generous curves filled out the snug shirt and he liked the look of her legs with the short skirt and mid-calf Frye boots she wore.
Shit kickers, those boots. They sealed the deal as far as he was concerned. Another woman would be teetering in sky-high stilettos, but this one looked just as hot and shed have been able to run his ass down if he gave her trouble.
He didnt know a whole lot about the universe of clan witches, but hed done some digging on Owen when hed decided to use the back rooms there as a club for Others. This one was the daughter of the leader Edwina Owen. Next in line.
In a world of beautiful women, this one lodged herself in his attentions. He wanted more of her, which was interesting in and of itself. Powerful, so powerful he fought the urge to drag his tongue up her throat to get a taste. She held it to herself, snug. Tightly controlled just like the rest of her. He wanted to muss her up. Repeatedly.
Unbelievably, after less than ten minutes of seeing her, he had a mighty big want on for the delicious Ms. Owen.
He usually avoided sexual interludes with other witches. He was outclan and his unaffiliated status tended to make clan witches territorial. Before hed been with them a few months they started talking about clan affiliation.
And he wasnt a joiner.
But he couldnt shake the image of her spread beneath him, naked, writhing, her body offered up to his hands and mouth like the feast she so clearly was. Without a doubt, he knew he needed to sink balls-deep into this womans body, and as soon as possible.
The hallway from the club back to his office was far quieter than in the club itself. He caught the sound of her breath, the hiss of fabric as they walked. Her scent wisped in her wake, seducing, teasing, but not giving him enough to satisfy.
He found himself wanting to slow down. Wanting to stretch out all the time he had with her. He must have done it because she reached his office and turned back to him, waiting.
He approached, not hiding the way he ate her up with his gaze. But when he reached around her body to use the small spell to unlock his door, their magick mingled for long moments. Tugging low in his belly, mimicking sexual attraction.
Interesting.
Please, have a seat, he said as they entered and he closed his door.
Im Dominic Bright, I didnt properly introduce myself out there. He bowed slightly, remembering he had some manners.
She waved a casual hand. I know who you are. Im Meriel Owen. We both know who the other is. Now, care to explain why youre drawing from our font without permission?
Up-front, this witch. He should just get it over with. He knew it. He needed to pay his dues or whatever. But the flavor of her magick all around him made him crave more. He wanted to spar, to whet his appetite for her.
The wards here are for the good of all. I cant see why youd begrudge me that tiny bit of power. He shrugged, spreading his hands out to appear reasonable.
She exhaled, clearly annoyed. It only spurred him on.
Begrudging. She rolled her eyes. Really, Mr. Bright. If we begrudged you, wed be teenage girls. She shrugged. Certainly we wouldnt be powerful enough for you to be concerned when you shoplift from our font. When she cocked her head, her hair slid forward, red, burgundy, threads of gold glinting in the light. He wondered what it would feel like. Before he reached to find out, he busied his hands with a pen.
Youre using our magick and you havent asked. Clearly the nature of this place mandates strong wards to prevent exposure. And you know our position on exposure. So while Clan Owen is certainly sympathetic to your problem, the bigger issue remains.
Yes, he knew the prevention of exposure was paramount to their people. And yes, he tended to agree that keeping what they were on the down low was a very good thing.
Lastly, youre a businessman, Mr. Bright. If I had a drink here, Id have to ask for it and offer some sort of payment for it.
Or be so fucking sexy a Lycian prince buys you one.
She smiled and he felt a corresponding tug in his groin. She shrugged and went on, We all have our little bonuses in life. But in any case, you get my point. The font exists to be used by all witches within this clan. We dont quibble with another witch using it. But there are rules and even an outclan witch knows to ask.
He didnt like asking any more than he liked rules. Damned witches and their rule obsession. Plus, he knew hed have to give them information about himself, an in to his own magickal signature. He didnt like anyone having knowledge about him that they could use.
Perceptive brown eyes looked into his. Reading him. Knowing. Saw through the outer facade, right into his soul. He didnt like that she got him so well, much less the fact that hed known her all of twenty minutes.
Just for the briefest of moments, she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. But that brief moment was enough to send shards of desire splintering through his system. Her presence affected him so much hed have suspected magicks, but there were none. He had excellent personal shields; hed have known if she had attempted to ensorcell him. Just being near, the taste of her magick on his skin, had rendered him slightly punch-drunk.
He didnt trust it. Didnt trust anything that fast and intense.
She finally spoke, breaking the silence and saving him from the urge to blurt out that he wanted to take her back to his place and strip her naked. He wanted to see what sunrise looked like on her neck, what shadows it would create in the hollow of her throat, the dip of her belly button.
I can close my eyes when you share magick with me, if that helps. Thats it, right?
He paused, the words stuck in his throat. Perceptive. So much so he found himself ruffled by it. He cleared his throat. I dont share magick very often, he said, his annoyance clear in his voice. Enough that her eyebrows rose in response.
She sat forward, choosing her words carefully. Look, I get that youre probably unaffiliated for a reason and we respect that. Were a clan, not a cult. Were all members by choice. Others make different choices and thats fine too. I respect your choice. But the font is powered by every witch in the clan and they all agree to let others use it as long as everyone shares. Thats how it works. We all pay in. We all can use it. If we let you shoplift, others will too. And then whats the point? You dont want to be in a clan, thats your choice. But its not your choice to steal from us. We wont allow it.
She paused, letting what shed said sink in. Hed never mistake her for a pushover, pretty face or not. She was a smart, savage woman whod kick his ass from Seattle to Toronto if she had to. Which only made him want more.
Her voice softened, No one can get into your head. No one can steal your magick.
But thats how the font works. You take power from witches in the clan.
She made a face, first annoyed, then confused. Strangely, he wanted to laugh.
No, thats not how the font works. She twisted the bracelet on her left wrist and he saw her clan mark. A pretty, stylized O for Owen. Has no one ever explained it to you?
He shook his head. He didnt need her pity. Ive been told enough to get by. I wasnt raised in a clan. My foster father was my teacher but hes unaffiliated.
She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. Fair enough. Im not insulting your intelligence or what you were taught, but you dont understand how it works. When you expend magickif youre keyed into the fontthe magick once performed will absorb back. Its a collector of sorts.
She must have seen his confusion.
Okay, so you know energy never dies, it simply turns into something else. Thats physics. Its not like I made it up. Anyway, the font doesnt steal your magick. It collects whatever the magick dissipates into once the function is served. Like a cistern collects rainwater, for example. Only the dissipated energy once collected, will mature into magickal energy over time and be there should anyone need it.
Essentially, if you were a registered user of the font, each time someone walked through those wards, a glimmer of energy would travel back to the font. But it cant because youre not keyed in. Its either wasted or it amps up the witches here in the club. I dont own a nightclub but I know enough to think thats a dumb idea. Alcohol, pheromones and added magickal power is an unstable combination.
She sat back, crossing her legs, flashing a slice of pale inner thigh. Good goddess, any minute he was going to drool or something. Even so, he wasnt so far gone that he failed to notice the intelligence she possessed, the calm confidence with which she carried herself.
Were not like some of the other clans. Im not here to hurt you, although Id like to bite you, right there on your biceps. Just because it looks tasty. She blushed a little bit, like she was surprised by her own words. He understood the feeling, being off balance at the moment as well.
You should feel welcome to bite any part of me you like. Within reason.
Ill keep that in mind. Then her flirty nature disappeared as she clearly got back to business. You have to key in or well cut you off. We dont negotiate on this. If you try to get into the font again, I wont be back but our hunters will and theyre not nearly as nice as I am. She shrugged after relaying the threat.
You say no one has to be clan but clearly they do.
She made a face, disappointed in that response. Youre too pretty to be a whiner. Look, youre powerful, I can see that, but you dont have enough skill to ward this place on your own. You can key in with me, which I hasten to add will not automatically make you a member of Clan Owen. Youd have access to the font and, lets be honest, shall we, some goodwill that might allow this place to stay open in our territory. Or you can try it on your own, without our font. You and I both know how that will end.
And then youd be really hard to convince to go out with me.
She paused and blushed, just a little. The openness of the moment slowed that time in between them for long moments.
Shed spent every day of her entire life around witches. There was always something comfortable about that. Sometimes it was also exciting or even arousing depending on the other witch. But this connection they had, the way she couldnt stop thinking about touching him, the way the stamp of his magick caught her breath, that was something different. Deeper. A little scary and a lot exhilarating.
As it happened, she liked this man a lot and it pleased her to know he felt the same. He flirted really well too.
Yes, very likely Id be quite annoyed if you made me come all the way down here and refused to key in and then called me to ask me on a date. Say to Turandot, which is in town and something I quite love. Her lips twitched into a breath of a smile before she resumed her best attempt at a calm expression.
And, if you like, I can give you a bit of a primer on other things you may not know or understand about us.
I could key in with you?
Of course. She waited for him to think over his answer. She wasnt going to push him to rush his choice. He was a businessman, hed know he had to do it to keep that doorway hidden. But hed have to find a way to accept it because she had plenty of power to cut him off right then and there. One brief spell and shed unravel all those ties to the font and his spellwork would slowly die off without all the energy hed been thieving.
And other things? I could do other things with you?
She couldnt deny it. When they did end up in bed, thered be teeth marks and no few scratches. There was so much something between them. Energy? Yes, but that wasnt quite it. Chemistry, yes. Attraction, sure. Potential. Yes, thats what it felt like.
Lets start with keying in and we can discuss your definition of other things. Her insides jittered, thrilled at the idea of working magick with him. Her power flowed, building within, filling, filling as she drew her shields away. Never had it been like this with anyone before.
Normally her magick would rise as she let her shields down, but this was a rush of energy. Surging in reaction to his. She knew she teased him now with hers. Knew tendrils of it slid over his, seducing. It brought her to her metaphorical knees.
The building could fall down around them and it wouldnt matter. There was nothing else she wanted to do in the world but share magick with Dominic Bright.
Do I have your permission to ward this room and set a circle?
Hed been caught by the looks of her. Fascinated and ensnared by all the parts of her. Been impressed by her demeanor and intelligence. But the surge of her energies had washed over and through him with such force it was physical. His own shields had slid aside and his magick rose in response. The pleasure of it shocked straight to his toes. And another place or two.
Clearly working magick with a council witch was a far more intense thing than with a commonwealth witch. Whatever it was, it felt awesome and he wanted a lot more.
Admittedly, her explanation of how the font worked had made him feel better. Not that he really had that much of a choice. Shed been absolutely right when shed said he didnt have the skill to keep the wards and other spells working on his own. And he didnt want any part in exposing his own people by being a selfish sloppy asshole.
Yes. My permission is freely given.
Chapter 5
SHE nodded and took a deep breath and her energy actually moved, like the tide, around him. Wow.
Freely taken. Efficiently, she took her boots off and padded over to the door, drawing sigils in the air as she spoke under her breath. He only had the barest knowledge of the sort of magick she made as he watched her work. So much skill. She worked the spell, weaving it all together, fitting it perfectly together until it caught hold and came into being.
What hed tasted of her just moments before had been a whisper of what it was like now. It was as if what hed experienced had been through a filter, and he supposed that was true; shields were created to keep a witchs power under control.
Hed never had a taste of another witch so powerful. His skin itched as he watched her set the circle. His body ached for her, drawn to her. His power pressed against his skin.
I invite you into the circle. Her eyes lit with the power shed unleashed, her creamy-pale skin took on a pearlescent glow. Taking in that beauty for long moments, he snapped out of it and stepped in with her, clasping her hands. And for a second everything in him and all around him settled and was totally silent, as if holding a breath.
Im just going to key you in. It shouldnt take very long. Let my power recognize yours and get your signature. Open yourself and let me in. She paused when he didnt comply right away. He wasnt sure what to do. It wasnt like he ever let anyone in like she was asking. And that tautened sense of something about to happen rode his senses so hard it made him suspicious of it.
She pressed a hand at his sternum. Your magick lives here. And our shields are a sort of cork, right?
He nodded, following the logic.
So its useful to have a visual for some witches. Me, for instance. Even when you remove your shields, your tendency will be to hold it back. Those control lessons are the first most of us learn. I sometimes think of a handful of sand. Just unclench and the magick will spill. Ill catch it.
Looking deep into her eyes, he knew he could trust her. Not the whys just yet, but he rarely ignored his gut. So he took her advice and threw the locks on his power. It opened up and she flowed in. Like, literally. He felt her energy float into his and suddenly, the circle expanded, tightening to the point of near bursting as magickal feedback screamed. He held on, not knowing what would happen if he let go. So he kept feeding her power to try to even things out.
Her eyes, which had been blurred as she worked, snapped into focus and she looked at him, surprise ghosting over her features before she tipped her head back and laughed. The sound of it filled the circle, stroked his skin, tingling. Their magick suddenly eased and mingled in a way so intimate it felt as if it whispered sweet nothings in his ear.