Tempted by Darkness (2 page)

The night she’d aimed her powerful magic at
Damian, she’d simply been trying to defend Jameson and Trevlon.
Hell, it wasn’t like she had known what she was doing at the time,
she’d just been monumentally pissed off and protecting her men. Her
grandmother had been trying to figure out how she’d managed to
vaporize the evil wizard who had been trying to recruit her, but so
far no one had been able to unravel specifically how an untrained
witch had managed such a powerful act. All of Granny Good Witch’s
training sessions had made the past several months more than a
little taxing. After Kit blew up a big bowl of goo during one
lesson, the household staff banned her from the kitchen. In an
effort to keep peace, Jameson had built a fully equipped
lab
a safe distance from the house. The small building had state of the
art fire safety equipment and all the comforts of a guest cottage
for her granny’s extended visits. But both her mates had insisted
the small building’s best feature was its location—because it was
still on the estate where they could watch out for her safety.

Kit still struggled with the fact she would
continually be in danger until Damian had been destroyed—giving
that ass hat so much credit and power just grated on her nerves.
Damian’s brother, Devin, would need to be dealt with as well, but
Kit had a gut feeling he was slowly realizing he was fighting for
the wrong side. Or perhaps he was simply tired of being his
brother’s lackey?

Looking up to see Marcus Hines watching her
made her wolf growl in frustration. Kit didn’t get to shift and run
nearly as often as she’d like, and she felt that restless energy
begin to surge back to the surface as she looked at the man who had
kept so many secrets from his friends. She’d seen the disillusioned
expressions on the faces of the two men she adored when they’d
discovered the friend who they had considered a mentor all these
years was actually a wizard.

Both Jameson and Trev had tried to shield her
from their feelings, but they hadn’t been able to hide the cloud of
betrayal she’d seen move through their eyes when the scope of his
deception had been revealed. Why Marcus hadn’t disclosed his
association with her grandparents, particularly his friendship with
her grandfather, still troubled Kit. Something about the man had
always bothered her, and she feared there were still secrets
lurking in Marcus’s soul.

All of her anxiety seemed to drain away when
Trev turned her into his arms, pressing her tightly against his
chest in the way he knew always brought her back from the edge.
“Baby, we’ll deal with Marcus—trust me. He is not yours to worry
about. Don’t let him take up any space in your head.” He pressed
kisses to the top of her head and sighed, “To be honest with you, I
don’t understand it either. And I’m angry. He knew we were
searching high and low for our mate. He knew all along where you
were and he didn’t tell us your name or where to find you. A part
of my heart is seriously pissed that we lost so much time together,
but another part knows all things happen in their own time. I
remember our mother telling us time and again as we grew up, I
always thought she was merely trying to teach us—well, mainly it
was me she was trying to teach, but the lesson in patience was
always directed at both of us. Obviously Jameson did a better job
of figuring it out.” She loved the way his eyes softened whenever
he spoke about his mother. It was obvious that both of her mates
had their mother and both of their fathers very much. Kit’s heart
melted a bit more every time they mentioned their parents. She
heard the longing in his voice when he softly added, “But now I
have to wonder if this wasn’t what she was trying to warn us
about.”

Jameson and Trevlon’s mother and two fathers
had all been killed while defending their sons. Kit’s mother and
grandmother had been there too, helping the Wolfs protect the young
men, but the seventeen year olds had been locked in a closet by
their mother so they’d only gotten the briefest glimpse of the
witches who’d come to their aid. Kit’s mother, Carla Harris, had
been so seriously wounded during the showdown she’d almost died.
And seeing her mom’s struggle to survive had caused Kit to turn
away from magic for many years. Kit had always known becoming mated
would bring on her magical powers so she’d avoided any situation
she thought held even a remote possibility she might meet her
future mate—oh yeah, like the plague she’d avoided them. And then,
a simple decision to go dancing changed her life forever.

She didn’t have any desire to return to her
old life, but there sure were times she wondered what the hell
she’d gotten herself into. Her mates were not only the Alphas of
their pack, they were also Doms. The two of them had awakened needs
in her that she hadn’t even known were there. They’d not only known
she belonged to them as a mate, they’d also recognized her as a
sexual submissive, and they’d known exactly how to unlock that side
of her.

Looking up into Trev’s dark eyes, she smiled
ruefully. She knew her men weren’t going to be happy about her
plans, but the sooner she started, the sooner Angie would be home.
There wasn’t a doubt in Kit’s mind that Angie had been taken by
someone working for Damian. And that meant it was intended to get
to Kit or Braden—likely both. “About that promise about later—you
may need to hold that thought. If Cecil can arrange an emergency
meeting of the council, I’ll be leaving right away.” When he
frowned she pulled his face down and kissed the crinkle between his
brows. “Please don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted and—”

Before Kit had been able to process what was
happening, Trev had grabbed the collar of her sweater, yanking it
to the side and biting down on the exact spot where he’d bitten her
during their mating. He didn’t break the skin, but his message was
unmistakable. His growl sent shockwaves of arousal through her
entire body and she knew the instant the scent of her arousal hit
him because the tone deepened. He pressed her against the cool
glass at her back until the hard length of his erection was
impossible to ignore as it pressed against her. “Mate, you would be
well advised to speak very carefully for the next few minutes
unless you want everyone in the room to see how I’m planning to
remind you exactly who you belong to. The shifters won’t mind, but
the humans and magicals might be a bit shocked by the sight of my
brother and I fucking you at the same time, don’t you think? They
might not take kindly to the fact one of us will sink as deep into
your pussy as possible while the other presses through the tight
ring of your ass. And imagine their surprise when you light up
everything flammable in the room because we didn’t take time to
place candles on every flat surface.”

Kit could feel her heart racing and knew she
was nearly panting with need.
Damn he knows just how to flip
that switch.
“Of course I know. You are my mate. It is my job
to know exactly how that brilliant mind of yours works. But even
more importantly, it is my pleasure to know in precise detail how
to bring your lovely body over to my way of thinking. And, baby, I
can smell exactly how well my plan is working.” Kit felt her entire
body mold to his and suddenly nothing sounded so important that it
couldn’t wait for a quick round of werewolf games. “Just let those
thoughts of quickies slide right on out of your mind, baby, because
that isn’t at all how this is going to work. I’ll be accompanying
you on this little lobbying trip you have planned. Jameson will
stay and run things on this end. We won’t ever leave our children
without one parent safe at their side.”

Kit felt her heart melt at his sweet words.
Losing all three of their parents at the same time had left the
young men adrift, and she loved the fact they were taking steps to
ensure Ryan and Adana were never put in a similar situation. Just
as she was ready to give in to the desire coursing through her
blood, she heard Braden speak behind Trev’s back, “Geez, man, getta
room already. There are kids present you know.”

Trev’s growl was tempered by the smile
tugging at the corners of his lips, “Pup, I think you and I need to
have a chat about your timing because it certainly needs work.”
Trev turned and pulled Kit against his side so they faced the room
and she tried to bring her raging desire under control. She watched
Cecil switch off his phone then close his eyes, as if he was
gathering the strength to deliver bad news. Her knees started to
sag, but Trev’s voice moved over her, “It isn’t as what you think,
baby, hang on.”

Sure, she’d moaned and groaned when she’d
first mated the Wolf brothers about how intrusive their telepathic
abilities had seemed—they’d looked to her like a major invasion of
not only hers, but everyone else’s privacy as well. But, right now,
in this very moment, it all seemed worth it.

Ruby Stone was standing close enough to Cecil
to hear the frustration in his voice as he’d spoken on the phone to
various members of the Supreme Council. By the time he’d finally
hung up she could have sworn she actually saw steam coming from his
ears.
Shazbat, he looks pissed.
Catching the thought, Ruby
sighed, damn it all, she was going to miss that kid. Robin always
made her laugh and he never complained or asked her when she
planned to stop calling him by his various character names. She’d
often called him Mork just to get him to launch into the role
anytime their paths crossed.

Over her very long lifetime, Ruby had known
many actors, but he had certainly been one of the most talented.
Anyone who could bring that kind of joy to those around him had to
be one of the bright lights from the other side. Even though her
husband assured her he was still entertaining, just on the other
side of the veil, it was still a shame the world lost him so
soon.

“I swear that council is made up of some the
most unreasonable people to ever walk the face of this planet. They
simply don’t understand all the long reaching implications of this
young woman’s abduction. They will meet with us day after tomorrow,
which works for travel with Trevlon, but by that time I have a
feeling my esteemed colleagues are going need shields worthy of
asteroids to protect them from Kit’s ire.” Cecil had closed his
eyes and Ruby could feel him pulling energy from around him in
order to face Kit and the other members of the Wolf Pack who had
gathered in the large room.

Ruby chuckled, “You know her well. That red
hair should be a warning, but it’s not usually enough.” Ruby had
seen Kit go from dead calm to full outrage in under five seconds,
but it had always been in defense of others. The prophecy had
described her spirited granddaughter perfectly, and everyone who
knew Kit had been convinced years ago that she was the one they’d
been waiting for. Kit was destined for greatness, Ruby simply hoped
at the end of the looming battle, Kit emerged as a living legend
rather than a hero who perished in battle.

Jameson leaned over Ruby’s shoulder and
whispered, “You and me both, Granny Good Witch. You and me
both.”