Текст книги "Heart of Darkness"

Автор книги: Lauren Dane

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

The phone was silent for a few moments and Meriel wondered if she’d hung up. But no, she came back on the line. Talkative woman, Gloria Ochoa. Meriel would be pleased to use that against her.

“Sorry about that interruption. I’ll tell you more when we meet. Then I can teach you my lovely ritual and introduce you to some mages who’d love to play with you awhile. Some of them even have bounties on the heads of clans. I’ll be sure to point them in your direction. You can’t win. I’m too powerful.”

She would eat this bitch for breakfast. And she’d smile as she did it.

“First I’ll kill your mother. She’s the icing on the cake. Oh, I’ll be so powerful after that. Then I’ll let them drain you partially, but I have better plans for you. A ritual I’ve found to be very effective.”

“Oh, I’d pay money to see that.” Meriel laughed. “Not in a million years are you half the powerhouse my mother is. But I’d love to see her rip you to shreds and then curl her lip at the mess on her shoes. But I’m growing super bored with this back-and-forth smack talk. I have a job, so if you’re done?”

“I’ll drain you slow. Feast on your fear and pain. And then I’ll kill you. Afterward, I’ll take Dominic. Maybe I’ll keep him around if he’s useful. Pretty bait for witches I’d wager.”

She also didn’t seem to understand just what a bond was. Which was good too.

Nell gave her the thumbs-up that they’d unraveled the confusion spell and had traced the call. They knew where she was.

“You’ve been warned, Gloria Ochoa. There is a warrant for your death in all our territories. You can’t have Dominic.”

Meriel hung up.

Chapter 26

NELL had left and Meriel came back inside to find Dominic hanging up the phone. “We can move into the new place at the beginning of the month.”

They’d chosen the apartment open in this building. Ron had already volunteered to help with the warding, not just of the apartment but of the hallways too.

“But I turned it down.”

“What? Why?”

“I think we need a house. I want a house. I like it here in downtown, but being at Tom’s reminded me how much I like living near water. I want to buy a house with you. I don’t want to worry about how loud I’m being and I don’t want to hear people walking above me all the time.”

“You want roots? With me?”

He moved to her and swept her up into his arms. “Yes. I want to build a life here with you. In our house where we’ll raise our family. What do you think?”

“I think I can manage to like that. I think I can suffer through waking up next to you for the next six decades or so.”

“When I’m with you like this, I can sort of see the appeal of a magick addiction. You make me drunk on your magick.” He breathed in deep at her neck and walked her backward until her back met the door.

“Here I am again, Dominic, backed against a door while you have your way with me.”

He kissed her just behind her jaw and if she hadn’t been pinned to the wall like a butterfly in a case, her knees would have buckled at the shocking pleasure of the heat of his tongue and the scrape of his teeth where her skin was so achingly sensitive.

He was so good to her. Every touch telegraphed just how much he wanted her. Rough, yes. Hard, yes. But his touch never hurt, was never aimed to harm her in any way.

He needed her so much she often saw the strain in how he held back. It filled her up in the best kind of way, this man.

This man she wanted as much as he wanted her in return. She managed to break free and fall to her knees, looking up at him while she unzipped his jeans and pulled his cock out.

Dominic groaned at the sight of her there, so raw and carnal, on her knees, a hand on his cock as she licked her lips.

It was he who had to lean against the wall for a change as he placed his palms against the door and looked down at her. At this beauty who’d come into his life without warning and had turned everything he knew upside down.

He groaned when she took him into her mouth and then was lost to her and the way she knew what he needed and how he needed it. There was no ugliness between them and what was around them they’d overcome.

So close, she took him so close with the heat and wet of her mouth. He had other plans though, so he had to force himself to pull her back as he got so very close to the edge. “Couch. Bend over it. Panties down.”

Her eyes widened and a flush rose up her neck. He couldn’t resist such a response and cupped the back of her neck to take her mouth again.

Her hum of satisfaction was sweet and spicy all at once. But her squeal of surprise when he got them to the couch and spun her, bending her forward, shot through his system like a pinball. When she made those sounds, when she gave herself over to him and his pleasure the way she did, it undid him.

His usually chic and elegant woman was bent over a couch. Bare-assed. Her normally tidy hairdo had come loose, freed to tousle around her face.

Her beautiful face he caught glimpses of as he began to thrust. The curve of her cheek, or the pink of her lip caught against her teeth.

This was no long, sensual lovemaking session. He needed her with an intense greed. Needed to reconnect with her on this level. His system screamed for more, faster, harder, more more more. And when he reached around her body to touch her clit and drive her toward climax, she squirmed back against him in entreaty.

And he gave her what she wanted. And took what he needed as they both hurtled into climax.

This was part of what they were together. Meriel made his blood sing, made his magick rise, made him hard and short of breath.

This was everything.

MERIEL got into the office later that afternoon feeling remarkably relaxed despite three hours’ sleep, a harrowing experience with a turned witch and a lot of anger and heartache aimed in their general direction.

And yet she was totally certain that she and Dominic would be all right.

Her mother tapped on Meriel’s door an hour or so after she’d arrived. “I trust you’re well?”

She nodded. “Dominic is good. He’s hanging out with Tom, who showed up on our doorstep about half an hour before I came here. Thank you. For last night. I appreciate that you came over and that you looked over our wards too. And I’m sorry for letting you down. I didn’t do my job.”

Edwina came in and closed the door before sitting down. “What is it you mean?”

“I should have known and been prepared for that possession. It was an amateur mistake. You expect better from me.”

“I didn’t think of it either. It’s far outside the norm. You didn’t anticipate some sort of arcane dark arts. You’re not perfect.” Edwina raised a shoulder. “You’ve shown true leadership during this whole thing. You brought the issue of these mages to me. You brought the issue of sharing information between other groups of witches. You sensed a need and moved to fill it even before things became so much clearer. That’s leadership, Meriel. I won’t hear you denigrate my judgment. And as my judgment finds you worthy, you must do the same.”

She sat back and pulled a flick of lint from her skirt and dared Meriel to argue.

Edwina started to speak several times and then would fall silent again. Finally she took a deep breath. “I may not have been the best mother in the world, but what she did to him yesterday – what she’s done her whole life is not acceptable. We will take care of this because he’s our witch, and your man. But, I’d like to counsel you to let Dominic take the lead when it comes to dispatching her. He needs to do this to exorcise any doubts he might have that she could still get in.”

Meriel twisted her bracelets as she thought on it. Her mother was right. Dominic was a guy used to handling his own business and Gloria wanted to destroy that.

“He’s already told me this. But thank you for saying it. Aside from putting this ghost to rest, he’s a tough guy. This is his arena more than it’s mine.” She trusted his skills and she’d be there in the background if he needed the help or if there was some unforeseen problem. But it would be his to deal with.

“Good. Nell briefed me on the call as well. Vile, vile woman. I heard the recording. Thank you for your defense of my skills.” Her mother smiled.

“Well, really, did she think I’d let my boyfriend’s mom talk bad about you?”

Edwina stood. “Yes. Well. If she comes at me and Dominic isn’t around, it will be my great pleasure to underline everything you said. This is our clan and you’re doing all you’re supposed to and more to protect it. I believe that. The quorum believes that. Your witches believe that. When you take over, you’ll do it with everyone knowing how powerful and capable you are.”

She opened the door. “Keep me apprised. By the way, you are forbidden to hare off after this woman if she contacts you. She’s got mages with her and these humans too. You can best her magic, but a bullet can kill you either way. Don’t risk yourself. You have more important things in your future.”

Well. Okay then.

TOM answered the phone at the house when she called to check in on Dominic.

She smiled though it was a phone call and he couldn’t see it anyway. “Hey there. You settling in all right?”

“Yes, thanks. I’m making dinner. Pot roast okay with you?”

“Is that a trick question?”

He laughed. “Good to know you like it. If you’re looking for Dominic, he went over to Heart of Darkness to handle deliveries.”

She frowned. “He was all right to do that?”

“He’s a strong man, Meriel. A strong witch. He needs to do this. He’s been attacked twice in his business. That’s his ground. He has to claim it.”

Boys.

“All right. I have to run. I just wanted to check in. Do you need me to bring anything home? Does Ernie need food?” Tom brought the cat with him.

“Nah, we’re good. I brought some along. I don’t know how long I’ll be here. It’s just … my gut said to come and after that call about Dominic last night, I knew it’s what I needed to do.”

She breathed out. “I’m going to be a happy camper when this is over and I can go back to my normal level of insanity. I’ll see you in a while.”

* * *

DOMINIC walked all over Heart of Darkness. Both floors of the human club, up and over the catwalk. Down and through the back. Behind the bar. Under tables, over the stage. Down the back hall and through his office and Simon’s. The walk-in coolers and the supply room. Even through the kitchen and out back on the loading dock and the lot back there.

Everything was exactly the way it should have been. The place was locked down tight against any magick but his, Meriel’s and Nell’s. Nell had done some sort of limiting spell for other kinds of magick; apparently it was whatever this club in Las Vegas had done and from what Dominic could see, it would work just fine. Nell had explained it was the same sort of spell Arel and the people from Rodas used in their cells to keep the witches and mages they had in custody from using any magick or magic at all. Not to escape or try to harm anyone. A sort of nullification spell. She’d promised to show him how to use it when all this mess had ended.

He set up in the center of the club. Placing everything he’d need carefully nearby so he’d get to it easily when he needed it. On his knees in the circle he’d invoked, he began the rite. Purification of soul and of heart. Purification of this place. He needed to make it his again. He’d gone through the archives available online and thanked the folks down in research for being so good at their jobs.

The magick flowed through him as he worked and he felt each part of Heart of Darkness respond to him. This wasn’t just his place of business, this was his future and a big middle finger to his past. This was his place and no one was going to take it from him.

When he stood and blew out the candle he felt a connection to the physical space around him that he hadn’t before. The magick of the club, all the energy it was filled with nightly was a sort of lifeblood and it responded to Dominic’s magick and his will.

By the time he finished up and started home, he felt not only better but completely in charge again.

Tom had of course cooked an amazing meal. The smell when he opened the front door made his stomach growl immediately.

TOM peeked around the corner, a book in his hand. “It’s you. I was wondering who’d get home first.”

“Meriel’s not back yet?” He looked at his watch.

“She said she’d be home a little after six. Dinner’ll be ready at seven or so. I figured that’d give everyone a chance to get home and clean up.”

“She’s a machine. I’ll call her.”

She was all right. One of the things he liked best about the bond was that he could feel it when she was upset or very angry or scared. Right now things were calm. She got caught up in a meeting of one type or another, he was sure.

He dialed her number.

“I just stopped to pick up a bottle of wine. I’m on my way home right now,” she said as she answered. “I know. I know. I had to mediate something. It’s fine. I’ll see you in a few.”

He smiled. Of course she knew he would call to check in on her.

“Excuse me,” he heard her say. “Sir. Hey!”

The phone hit the ground. Dominic heard the clatter and he was moving to the door before he’d even thought about it.

“Meriel? Meriel?”

“Let’s go.” Tom was next to him and they hurried out, the phone still pressed to Dominic’s ear.

Dominic continued to listen, his heart pounding so hard he was light-headed.

“I have a message from your mother-in-law.”

“You should let go.”

“Witch, you have no power over me.”

“You’re so wrong there.”

“Ouch! Here, she wanted you to …” A snarl and a loud cry of alarm.

“Yeah? Tell her that’s from me.” Meriel picked up her phone and spoke to Dominic again. “I’m here.”

“What is going on?” he demanded.

“Just a little messenger. I took care of it.”

“Where are you?”

“An alley at 2nd and Bell. I’m not that far. I’ll be back shortly. I’m all right.”

He cursed the slow elevator and headed for the stairs instead, talking them three at a time. “Stay here, Tom. I’ll call if there’s a problem,” he called back over his shoulder.

By the time he hit the sidewalk outside she was already making her way up the block.

She waved to him like it was totally normal to scare the shit out of him on a daily basis.

“I told you I’d be home soon.”

Her skirt was dirty, an oily smudge along her thigh, and her blouse was ripped.

Rage bubbled through him.

“Who did this to you?”

She looked up at him. “It was a friend of Gloria’s. A human one. He’s a lot more fragile than he thought he was. I punched him in the nose and my hand hurts. I hate punching. And I kicked him in the junk too.” She had the audacity to look proud of this.

He started to move past her and she grabbed his arm. “No. He’s gone and I want to go home.”

“Why are you smiling?” Annoyed, he turned away and escorted her home.

“Because you’re ridiculously hot when you get protective.”

“It’s not a joke.”

“No, it isn’t. She sent a human, Dominic. She knew I’d flay her or any mages alive, so she sent him knowing I most likely wouldn’t kill him. But this messenger of hers told me she wanted to meet me and gave me a piece of paper with an address on it.”

“He gave you something of himself?” If that was the case, he clearly knew nothing of witchcraft or he’d be shitting himself. A strong witch could use that paper to trace the item back to its owner.

She shrugged. “I don’t trust it. Doesn’t matter anyway. When I popped him in the balls, I also managed to attach a fun little homing spell of my own. Also, Nell called when I was getting the wine too. We have a location for Gloria.”

So fucking smart. He wanted to haul her up and kiss her silly, but he wasn’t sure how hurt she was and so he put an arm around her and steered them into the building.

Tom was waiting near the elevator and when he saw Meriel, his face darkened. It made Dominic feel a lot better to see it.

“Come inside.”

“I’ll be right back. I need to clean up.” She tried to move past him, but Dominic put an arm around her.

“We’ll be right back. I want to check you over so don’t argue with me. Where’s the paper?”

Meriel handed it to him. “I disabled a homing charm.”

He grinned. “Despite how you’re destined to kill me by the time I turn forty with all this business, you sure are smart.”

“Not hard to be smarter than some dumb bigot human.” She shrugged.

As gentle as he could be, he stripped off her clothes and examined her for any use of magick or any sort of physical harm. She had a bruise on her thigh, where the smear of oil had been.

“He pushed me into a wall. Dumb, I know. But I wasn’t expecting it. The bruise will be a good reminder.”

“Sometimes, Meriel, I really wonder what it was like to be you growing up when you say stuff like that.” He held out her favorite pair of lounge pants and then a soft, long sleeved shirt.

“All the best lessons in life are those learned the hard way. If I don’t take them as lessons, then I take them as failures. I prefer the former.”

“I prefer for my woman not to get assaulted in the middle of a crowded city at rush hour.”

“Me too.”

Chapter 27

“I’VE got something.” Nell walked into Meriel’s office.

“Really now? Can you clear it up with a cream?”

Nell’s serious face fell and she snorted. “Ha! Thank God William used a rubber before me. No creams needed, though dude, my mother happily informed me yesterday that I’m going to leak. Super glad I told her I was pregnant.”

Meriel moved back. “Like how?”

Nell laughed. “Thank God for you, Meriel Owen. Milk. From my boobs. Though you can leak amniotic fluid. Which, ew.”

“Have you been watching those baby delivery shows on cable again? You cried the last time. We agreed you weren’t to do that anymore.”

“I cry a lot. Especially when my mother tells me my breasts will leak dairy products.”

“This is what happens when you let the boys go too far, Nell. I would have thought you’d know that by now.”

Nell socked her.

“Enough baby talking. I know where your human is. Your homing spell worked perfectly. I also sent some people to go check the address on the paper. In entirely predictable news, it’s a warehouse complex in North Seattle. Lots of empty space there. Only two tenants left and I think she’s one of them.”

“WELL, let’s search a little, shall we?” Meriel moved to her computer and began to search. They’d already done a search on the address. It was a commercial property run by a management company. The management company had come up clean. But that didn’t mean there was a dead end.

“How are the individual warehouses numbered?”

“They’re lettered. A through F. B and E are occupied. Tool and dye shop in B. Has been there in that location for nineteen years. Owners are a local family. Not a witch in the bunch that I could find.”

Meriel was busily verifying this herself. “No liens against anyone in the family. No criminal records.” She continued clicking. “The business pays on time, the owners too.” She looked at pictures on their website. “They’re established. She’s not there. This isn’t about them at all.”

“I agree. E is a smaller warehouse. Current business has been there three years. They make specialty trailers to pull luxury cars. I shit you not. I’ve seen these trailers, they’re really amazing and cost a crapton of money too.” Nell’s love of cars was clear on her face.

“These people aren’t as well known. One of the owners’ sons has a record for assault. Also for writing bad checks.”

“I already got that part. Sheesh. I can handle the police record stuff.”

She glanced to Nell. “They’re mortgaged to the gills though. But, that’s not unusual right now. Many people are hurting.”

“I don’t think she’s in the occupied warehouses.”

“Why’d she not say which one if I’m supposed to meet her?”

“I’m sure she planned to have you wander around and then get the drop on you.”

Meriel rolled her eyes. “She’s dumb.”

“Totally. So your boy is interestingly enough in the vicinity. Want to take a pass with me? I’m not going in or even getting close. I just want to see it for myself.”

“That little shit who ripped my blouse yesterday is at the warehouse facility?”

Nell nodded.

She got back on the computer and began to look for the origins of the building and then the land it sat on.

“Do you think she knows enough to choose a powerful place?”

“No. I would of course. But she’s been turned for thirty years. She didn’t grow up in a clan at all. What she knows about us, hell about herself, is all superficial. She never bothered to hone her own spellwork, that much is clear. Her laziness is what got her stuck to start with.”

“And it’s going to help us take care of her once and for all.”

“I can’t go without telling Dominic. He made me promise.”

“I like that he worries. Call him then. Or is he still sleeping?” Nell winked.

“Tom is staying with us. So they had plans to go to breakfast. Dom took him to Heart of Darkness last night and they had a great time. I’m glad he’s here. Dominic needed it.” Needed to know that just because the woman who gave birth to him could have killed him just a few nights before didn’t mean a damned thing because he had a father. Tom loved him and Dominic loved him right back. It was a good thing, made Meriel happy to see them together the way they were.

She called him. “Hey you.”

“What’s up?” Meriel heard talking in the background. Simon’s low bass tones and Tom’s smoother voice.

“I’m sorry to bug you. I know you’re busy.”

“Never too busy for you. What do you need?”

“I’m going on a scouting mission with Nell and I promised I’d tell you when I was going to do anything having to do with Gloria.”

“Meriel.”

She tried not to laugh.

“Yes?”

“A scouting mission? And what does this entail?” His voice had lowered and gone all silky. She knew he was honed in on her and pissed off too. But it was hot and she was crazy because she loved it.

“You know what that voice does to me.”

He sighed and she knew he was searching for patience and trying not to be amused. “Why do you need to go? Why don’t you let me go?”

“I need to go because it’s part of my job. You don’t need to go because you’re busy with something and you don’t work for the clan. I’m calling because I promised to. It’s not a commando mission. We’re just going to cruise by the place the homing spell pinged for, which also happens to be the address Gloria gave me. This isn’t an episode of I Love Lucy. Nell is a smart woman who is very good at her job.”

He groaned. “Why don’t I come along?”

“Say hello to everyone for me. If you like, I’ll text you when we’re out so you know what’s going on. Oh and hold dinner for tomorrow open on your schedule, please. Some of the witches from Rodas are coming out, including the hunter.”

“I didn’t agree to this plan with you and Nell.”

“I never said you had to. I promised to call you and tell you and I did. Now, I love you. Have fun and I’ll text you in a bit.”

“If you get hurt, I will kick your ass.”

“Same goes, buster.” She hung up, still smiling.

“YOU think you can do a covert look at the warehouse with this car?”

“Look, you, this is my biz. I know how to do it.” Nell rolled her eyes.

“I never thought it was possible, but you’re even bitchier now that you’re knocked up like a dirty whore.”

Nell burst out laughing. “You’re going to make me have to pee. Stop. Anyway, this is not that unusual a car and given that this place has a specialty car service, I can’t think anyone’s going to look twice. Well, other than the fact that this car is bitchin’ and all.”

“Good point. I have been properly schooled on the matter of covert investigation. Also, you were what? Five when the word bitchin’ was en vogue?”

“I see how you are.” Nell slowed down a little and Meriel opened up her othersight. And then exhaled.

“Turn there.”

Nell obeyed.

“She’s been here. In the last warehouse, the one with the blue doors. Keep driving.”

On the way back to the office Meriel texted Dominic that she was fine and then turned to face Nell. “There are a lot of them in there. At least six different signatures.”

“Six mages? Arel said his group had been working as a unit of about eight mages using the humans to locate the witches. Maybe that’s their organizational structure or something. Seems unbelievable to me that six mages would come onto Owen land and think they can get away with it. But they could be stupid like Gloria. Other than the attacks on you and Dominic, we’ve heard nothing from anyone else. All our witches are accounted for.”

“Not six mages. Some of them were human. Two appeared to be like Gloria. Turned. They had a sort of grayish smear to their signature. One or two mages and if I’m correct, they’re the same two from Heart of Darkness.”

A sore subject because they’d managed to get away after their first attack on Dominic and Nell blamed herself.

Nell sighed heavily. “All right then. I’ll get my people together and we’ll formulate a plan. I’ll let you know what we decide and report when I finish up.”

“First of all, the road back to work doesn’t go this way. It does, however, pass Red Mill. What a coincidence. And second, I will be part of this. I’m not a magick commando or anything, but this is personal.”

“We’ll talk over rings.” She found a place in the always-packed parking lot.

Meriel got out and motioned back to Nell. “Sit. There’s a line out the door. I’ll get it to go.”

* * *

DOMINIC knew she was trouble from the first moment he saw her and yet the moment she walked through the door with several bags of what he could smell contained several Red Mill bacon burgers, he couldn’t help but smile.

“This is going to be good.”

She laughed. “Dominic, whatever are you insinuating? I brought you bacon burgers and rings and you doubt me?” She fluttered her lashes and Simon groaned.

“I brought some for you too.” She handed out bags and he steered her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“What are you going to ask me to do?”

“Geez. Just eat your burger and rings and I’ll tell you. Unless you think you can nail me really fast, we should go back out there so people won’t think we’re quarrelling.”

He took the remaining bag from her and tore into the burger. “I’m waiting.”

When she finished telling him, he simply goggled at her. “Why on earth would you think I’d back this? Let Nell and her people handle this.”

“She already agreed I could come. If you came too. She says she doesn’t want you pissed off. Imagine. I’m her best friend and, I might add to all you haters in the room, I am also a really excellent witch. Arguably better than anyone else who’d be there. So of course I should go. Gloria has a lot of stolen magick. If they walk into a room full of mages and turned witches with some angry humans too, I’ll be needed. And lastly, she wants to meet with me, not Nell. They need me in more ways than one.”

She pulled her shirt up and then peeked at him. “Does that help things?”

He burst out laughing and put the food down. “You’re going to kill me, Meriel Owen. But you have great tits and you’re partially right about how much you’re needed. But I’m going with you.”

She pulled her shirt down and got herself in order again. “Good. Now let’s go eat and have a nice night.”