“The one whose brother was killed all those years ago – in Australia? By a warlock?”
“Yes.”
“Danny, what’s going on? I’m coming to see you – ” The line clicked and Lily’s voice cut out for a second. Then she said, “Charlie’s on the other line.”
“I know,” Danny said, trying not to smile. “She’s on her way here too.”
*****
It was a few short minutes before both Charlie and Lily flashed into the living room of Danny’s house. Charlie was with Imani, who had transported to her location in order to bring her back. The marks that represented the curse on the inside of Charlie’s wrists would transport her to the scene of a soon-to-be murder, but it was useless if Charlie wanted to get somewhere innocent, so she’d needed Imani’s help in this case.
Now the four of them pulled out chairs around the kitchen table as they hugged and greeted one another. Danny had hot water boiling for tea; it was a cooler Fall day and the fog had rolled in thick. Flames crackled merrily in the fire place and cookies had been set out. This may be a strange and frightening situation for Danny, but there was no reason she couldn’t be a good host. In fact, cookies could only help.
The four friends talked for an hour or so as the morning wore on and sky grew darker with impending storm. Normally, fog would burn off in the afternoon, but there was a strangeness to the air now. Something was brewing.
“So, you’re a marked mate,” Charlie said, failing to hide her smile as she raised her brows and gestured to the tattoo on the inside of Danny’s arm. “And with Lucas Caige, of all people.” She shook her head, whistling low. “Girl, you’re in over your head,” she chuckled.
“Tell me about it,” Danny moaned. Caige was a lit match and a rogue; it would be hard to find a more dangerous alpha, though Charlie’s mate was one of the few who qualified. But it wasn’t Caige that was bothering her. It wasn’t him specifically. In fact, every time she thought of him, her body betrayed her in its reaction, even while her mind told her he was a mistake because he hated magic.
She still wanted him, despite everything. What really bothered her was the fact that she was just as cursed as Charlie. She was marked now – and she could never follow through with the rest of the mating. If she did, she would lose what remained of her magic. Danny was sure there were worse and less fair atrocities taking place in the world at that moment somewhere, but she couldn’t personally give them heed. She felt like the world had crapped on her.
“Okay,” Lily said, her voice the sound of reason in the room. She was used to taking charge like that, Danny reasoned. It was the social worker in her. “So, just to get this all straight again, let me review. Lalura has always told you that mating with a wolf would make your powers go away – ”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure about that,” Imani interrupted, reiterating what she had already told them about her suspicions where Jason was concerned. “I think Alberich was feeding her that story.”
“Obviously not a story, Ima,” Danny said, sighing. “I’m weaker than I’ve ever been.”
“But you didn’t sleep with a wolf, Danny,” Imani said, her tone one of placation. “Did you? No. You just got marked by one. I think it’s sort of strange that you’re already losing your powers. You don’t think it’s a little odd?” Imani turned to the other two girls at the table.
Charlie shrugged. “You know, Imani has a point. I remember that when Cole marked me, I was pissed, that’s for sure. And he had Caige’s help too – I owe him one,” she said. “But I also felt stronger and faster and more powerful than I ever had before. Not to mention more….” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged again, blushing.
“Horny?” Lily filled in, grinning widely.
Charlie nudged her with her elbow and chuckled. “Yeah, that.” She turned back to Danny. “So it does seem kind of strange that you would grow weaker instead of stronger.”
“It’s not strange if it’s the first step in me losing my powers,” Danny said. “It could be the half-way point. A warning.”
There was a silence around the table as they all seemed to consider this again. And then Lily spoke up once more. She addressed Imani. “Ima, tell me about your herald. You said you think he had something to do with the warning Lalura gave to Danny?”
“Yeah,” Ima nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past him for a second. He’s a good herald as far as taking care of the coven is concerned and he’s definitely powerful. There’s no denying that. But he’s had power since he was a child and I think he knows how to abuse it.” She shot a glance toward Danny. “And he’s had it bad for Danny for ten years.”
Danny rolled her eyes. “So he has a crush on me. That doesn’t mean he’s turned evil.”
Imani made a derisive sound. “Honey, that aint no crush. That’s a full on obsession. I can’t believe you don’t realize it.”
“Obsession?” Charlie and Lily asked at the same time. They’d both dealt with men who had been obsessed with them, and the looks on their faces were enough to relay that they didn’t like the idea.
“Okay, he’s not as obsessed with her as Phelan is with you, Charlie,” Imani admitted quickly. There was no man alive who was obsessed with any one woman the way Gabriel Phelan was with Charlie. That right there was one scary-ass fixation. The infamous werewolf was bent on Charlie’s domination and would settle at nothing less than complete enslavement of a woman who had already been mated to the man she loved, Malcolm Cole.
Charlie nodded, her face having gone a tad paler than before at the mention of Phelan’s name.
Imani went on, however, obviously determined to make her point clear. “But he’s obsessed all the same. I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” she said, turning to Danny again. “That man’s got it bad, girl. And the way he was holding you when he brought you home? And the shields he put all over the house?”
“What kinds of shields?” Lily asked.
“Protective shields – mostly against alpha werewolves. But there were other spells he used that I didn’t recognize. It was like he knew someone would be coming for her.”
“Caige?” Charlie asked.
“Probably.” Ima shrugged.
“Okay, okay,” Danny finally said, holding her hands up in defeat. “So he has a thing for me. I know. I can tell too. But that doesn’t change the fact that he was right. Something is happening to me. I can’t control my magic and it started with this mark. How do you explain that?”
There was another pregnant pause around the table, punctuated by the distant sound of rolling thunder. Finally, Lily leaned forward, placing her arms on the table and lacing her fingers together. Her gold eyes speared Danny with an intelligent, inquisitive look. “Tell me what Jason Alberich looks like.”
Danny took a deep breath. Jason Alberich was a very handsome man; there was no denying that when she really thought about it. It was just that she’d known him for so long and he’d always just been either a childhood playmate or the herald’s son or the herald himself. He’d felt both out of her league and too much of a friend to be thought of as anything more.
“He’s tall,” she said. “He has light wavy blonde hair and green eyes.” She paused here and glanced at Charlie. “A lot like Cole’s eyes, actually.”
Charlie raised a brow, then nodded. Malcolm Cole had very stark eyes.
Danny looked down at the table top and went on. “He’s buff,” she said, feeling strange now that she was describing the man in detail. The more she pictured him, the more she realized how handsome he was. “Like perfectly built,” she said softly. “Strong chin, broad shoulders, wears black like all of the heralds do. He looks good in it.”
When she looked back up, it was to find all three women looking at her very closely. Imani’s expression was frankly worried. Lily’s expression was calculating. Charlie seemed to be somewhere in between the two.
“That’s the man from my dream,” Lily said, breaking the silence. “You were kissing him.”
“He’s put a spell on you,” Imani blurted, her gaze narrowed. “I swear to the goddess he has.”
“Oh, come on,” Danny said, rolling her eyes. But even as she denied the accusation, she realized that there was a niggling, tickling sensation at the back of her neck. It was like a Spidey sense. And it scared her. Not that she was about to let Imani see that.
“I’m dead serious, girl. You don’t think I’m serious? I would bet money on it.”
“Do you really think that your herald would do something like that?” Lily asked calmly. She was ever the in-control investigator, just trying to get the facts straight.
Imani shot her a serious look and gave her a hard nod. “Absolutely. I saw the way he glared at the mark on her arm.” She turned to Danny. “I still think that Jason is behind all of this somehow.”
“If so, then you’re a brave girl for saying as much out loud,” Lily nodded to Imani in respect.
That’s true, Danny thought. For Imani’s sake, the witch had better hope she was wrong because a wizard of Jason’s caliber possessed the ability to scry on anyone at any time and if he really was behind Danny’s loss of power, then he wouldn’t be opposed to spying on them.
A hard chill went through Danny and the mark on her arm tingled threateningly. She glanced down at it. “I don’t know what to think,” she admitted softly.
“Okay,” Charlie said, leaning forward now to match Lily’s position. “Then I’ll tell you what I think.”
All three of the other girls turned toward her. She gave it a second before continuing, obviously straightening out her thoughts before giving them voice. “I think you’re a dormant who has been marked by a man who seems to care a great deal for you. He’s been nothing but good to you since you met him. Am I wrong?”
Danny thought of the things he’d said in the cave – when he’d told her he smelled magic. She tried to summon up the anger that had spiked through her at that time, but it wasn’t there any longer. And the truth was, she couldn’t really remember what it was about the words that had really pissed her off. He’d said he smelled magic, but what did that mean? Maybe he’d simply meant that he smelled someone else – some thing else – and that it set off alarm bells in his head because it meant they were no longer alone. If that was the case…. Could it have been Jason he’d scented?
She ran a hand over her face and shook her head. “I’m so confused.”
“I know,” Charlie said. “Let me finish.” Charlie took a deep breath and went on. “Like it or not, Danny, you’re stuck now. There are only two ways I know of to get a mark off of a dormant and neither one is worth considering. And even if you could, you would still be a dormant – you would have to wear your shield for the rest of your life or risk being bait to every werewolf you came across.” She paused here, allowing the meaning of her words to kick in. “So, whether it means a loss of your power or it’s actually your herald doing the damage, the outcome is the same. You have to take it to the next level. You have to let Caige do to you what you both want him to do.”
At these words, Danny blushed furiously, her stomach grew warm, and her body felt heavy. Her heart began to race as she pictured Lucas and the things she wanted him to do to her. She imagined that she smelled leather and aftershave and her throat grew tight as she recalled the dizziness that swept over her when he drew near. So close….
But then she saw a pair of green eyes. They cut through her reveries like jade ice, slicing through her images of Lucas and dissipating them like smoke.
“What happened to your Mjolnir pendant?” Lily asked suddenly, changing the subject. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it before.”
Danny blinked and glanced down, as if she would be able to see the pendant that now hung around her neck. She remembered that Jason had given her a new one – but she couldn’t recall what had happened with her old one.
“Yeah…” Imani muttered, her brow furrowed. “Where did you get that?” she asked, gesturing to the black diamond.
But before Danny could reply, the house shook. It was as if a tremor shot through it, and the area around them warped as the magic shields Jason had placed on the home bent and then straightened again. Lily and Charlie both bolted out of their chairs, instantly crouching low as their fight instincts kicked in. They were seconds from flashing into their wolf forms; already, their eyes were glowing in warning.
Danny and Imani rose slowly from their seats, responding to the new threat in a different manner as their magic spanned out around them like feelers. Danny was again struck with her weakness; she could normally span much further than this.
The tremor and warp came again, this time strong enough to send Lily and Charlie into their wolf forms. There were two flashes, nearly simultaneous, as Danny and Imani stumbled back in the wake of the boom.
A third tremor shook the mansion, giving the four women no time to react. This time, the wards Jason had placed on the home not only warped and bent – they broke. Several more flashes crackled around the girls and what looked like pixie dust began to shimmer in the air around them, falling like rain.
Within seconds, the shimmers had disappeared as well.
Danny’s heart slammed hard against her rib cage, beating fast and heavy. She stood as Imani did, with her hands out, her eyes scanning the kitchen around them, her ears pricked for any sound.
When no more sound came, she exchanged a look with Imani. Before they could head toward the front door, their two wolf companions loped off in that direction first, their hackles up, their throats growling low.
Imani and Danny quickly followed after. However, once at the door, both Lily and Charlie stopped. Charlie raised her head, sniffing the air. In the next second, both women were flashing back into their human forms. Immediately, Charlie reached for the door and threw it open, stepping out onto the front porch.
Danny rushed to catch up, the rest of them filing out onto the porch after her.
In the front yard stood some of the most powerful people any of them had ever known. Malcolm Cole was there, his green eyes flashing, his gaze locked on his mate with the usual mixture of pride, possession and hunger. His second in command, Jake, was there as well. A few feet away stood Jessie Graves, who was both a rare and powerful Sentinel and Charlie’s guardian. Beside him stood James Valentine, Lily’s guardian. Daniel Kane stood on Valentine’s opposite side with several members of his pack; some were plain-clothes detectives, others were still dressed in the uniforms of police officers. They looked like they could all strip down and pose for a Playgirl calendar, but Danny knew they were each incredibly dedicated and capable cops.
Interspersed throughout the group of werewolves were people that Danny had never seen before. But the magic radiating off of them was more than enough to mark them as witches and wizards. In front of them all were the two men who literally took Danny’s breath away. One was Charlie’s grandfather, the Council Overseer and the single most powerful werewolf in existence.
The other was Lucas Caige.
His dark eyes were narrowed, his head lowered, his tall, strong frame radiating a stark determination and anger. The mark on her arm burned with both pain and pleasure, a warning laced in bliss. Her breath caught in her lungs as he parted his lips, exposing the fangs of his wolf.
The others followed suit. Every single wolf there bared his teeth. Their ire was up, their defenses at the fore. The air rumbled with thunder – and something else.
“We need to talk,” Lucas said, his voice a menacing growl. “Now.”
“Holy shit, girl,” whispered Charlie beside her. “That is one serious alpha.”
Danny tried to tear her gaze from Lucas’s long enough to look over at her friend, but she couldn’t. He held her fast in his sway, melting her to the spot until she was stuck and fighting to breathe. She watched in helpless fascination as he slowly left the Overseer’s side and strode toward her. Every single step he took was a threat, a warning, a promise. Thunder rolled closer and lightn
ing split the sky a mile away.
Lucas’s boot touched down on the first step of the porch, sounding loudly in the thick silence. Danny wanted to step back. She wanted to run and hide – and she wanted him to get to her faster, rip her clothes off, and take her upstairs to her bedroom.
An eternity later, he stood before her and the other girls had backed away. Just a little. She knew they wanted to be supportive, but he was her mate. And he was a wolf. And he was mad as hell. There was little scarier than such a creature.
“You have no idea what kind of trouble you’re in, little witch,” he said as he closed the distance between them and towered over her. “But I’m going to show you. And I’m starting with this.” In a move so fast, she literally could not follow it with her eyes, Lucas reached up, wrapped his fingers around the thin chain at her neck, and yanked hard.
There was yet another flash, this one red and black, and Danny felt as if someone punched her in the chest. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she was thrown violently backward. She went sailing through the front door of her house and kept going until she hit the wall that divided the living room from the kitchen. The impact was painless; just a thump and a noise and a crashing around her as paintings fell from their posts on the walls and shattered on the wood planks or tiles.
Danny hit the ground and then the pain came. But through the haze, she realized that the air had once again become thick with the feel of magic. She could feel her power there now, all around her. It surrounded her, swelling like an ocean tide. Slowly, she pushed herself up and into a sitting position, and then felt her neck. The pendant Jason had given her was gone and inexplicably, the Mjolnir necklace was back in its place.
Lightning split the sky, this time piggybacked by immediate thunder.
Chapter Thirteen: “Chameleon”
Lucas pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and shook his head. He hadn’t been expecting that kind of reaction from the pendant. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have pulled it off.
“Danny…” he coughed. It hurt to talk. He had a broken rib. He could feel it hitch as he tried to breathe. Whatever had happened to him must have been worse for her. He had to find her….