Tempted by Darkness (4 page)

She appreciated his efforts to lighten her
mood, and tried to smile in return but knew she’d failed miserably
when he folded her into his arms and just held her against his
chest. “You’re going to do fine, baby. Surely they’ll listen to
reason and as long as you don’t plan anything too outlandish, I
can’t imagine them arguing. After all, they seem keen on keeping
Braden safe and Angie has been instrumental in his healing and
happiness.”

Trev hit upon a key point without even
knowing it and Kit was struggling to block her thoughts from him.
Blocking wasn’t a skill she’d mastered yet, she doubted it would
ever be something she managed easily. Trev’s mentioning not doing
anything outlandish was point-on because that was exactly what she
had planned. The only way to resolve this quickly was to hit the
enemy fast and hard, and the best way to do that was skate along
the fine line between light and dark magic. What some might feel
was colluding with the enemy, Kit viewed as using all of the
resources available to her.

When Kit felt the muscles of Trev’s chest
stiffen against her cheek, she knew she hadn’t been successful in
blocking him, but just as he pulled back to speak the enormous door
beside her opened and she was summoned inside. Stepping through
massive wooden doors that hung on pounded iron hinges was like
stepping back in time, and just before the door closed Trev’s voice
filled her mind and his fear for her filled her heart. “Don’t.
Baby. Please.” Kit knew both of her mates were worried she would
take unnecessary risks with her safety, but they were wrong. Oh,
she intended to take a lot of chances if it became necessary, but
necessary was the operative word.

Taking in the room she’d stepped into, Kit
found herself temporarily frozen in her tracks. It was as if she’d
been transported back a couple of centuries, her mind playing
through scenes as if she’d seen them herself. The experience was
unnerving, almost like watching a series of movies clips being
projected in her mind. And in each of those clips, the room looked
exactly as it did now, the only thing that changed was the faces of
those around her.

The floors were polished white crystal that
seemed to be drawing energy from the very air and shimmering with
the effects. The horseshoe shaped table was exactly as she’d always
pictured the round table of Camelot, save the opening for visitors
to stand close without feeling as though they were actually a part
of the Supreme Council’s elite membership. The table sat on risers
befitting the status of those seated around it, but in Kit’s mind
it was more about intimidation than respect. The witches and
wizards who made up the Council were supposed to be elected based
on skill, experience, life experiences, and the desire to serve the
ranks from which they’d risen. But even as a young girl, Kit had
noted that it seemed that by the time they’d made their way into
such a position of power, they’d forgotten what it was like to be
young and learning. She’d struggled to understand why she should
revere the opinions of those who’d never once lived in the world as
it is today. Many of the people seated in front of her hadn’t lived
in the
real world
in more than a century—how could they
possibly understand the questions and challenges those under them
were facing?

The room was lined with deep blue draperies
with gold brocade that shimmered as it reflected the golden light
from the wall sconces. The air was filled with a rich and woodsy
incense that brought to mind the circles of light covens had been
practicing in forests since the dawn of time. The entire room
almost pulsed with the heartbeats of those who had proceeded her
and Kit let the feelings wash over her, losing herself in the rich
history. For the first time in her life, Kit was truly grateful for
the gift of her magical heritage and she wanted to soak up every
bit of the feeling she could before she was forced to face those
who were watching her with amused interest.

When she saw Cecil’s smile, Kit knew each
member of the Council had been listening intently as her mind had
wandered about untethered. Even though he’d been the one to catch
her eye, he wasn’t the first to speak. “Don’t worry, it happens all
the time. This whole set-up is pretty intimidating—intentionally
for those who are here for certain reasons.” The older man on her
right spoke with just enough Irish brogue to make Kit smile, she’d
always loved the way the people from the Emerald Isle spoke. “Aye,
I grew up not far from the cottage your friend, Braden, described.
I’ve always felt a particular interest in the young man, perhaps
that’s the reason. But, that isn’t the reason you are here, is
it?”

Kit nodded, hoping the gesture conveyed her
respect as well as her agreement. “No it isn’t. But thank you for
your patience while I tried to take everything in. And you’re
right, it is intimidating, but it’s also magnificent.” She paused,
letting her gaze taken in each of the witches and wizards sitting
in front of her, “I’ve come to ask permission to use every resource
available to me to bring Angie Wolf-Michaels home safely.” Kit
didn’t see any reason to waste the Council’s time, plus she was
more than anxious to find Angie and return her to her mates.

Several of the Council members raised their
brows, but Cecil was the one who spoke, “Kit, perhaps you need to
clarify
any means necessary
since all of us are aware that
you’re still training.”

“Yes, and the temptation to step over the
line is even more powerful when you are new.” The wizard who had
spoken the words smiled, but his eyes were filled with concern.

“And you have an emotional stake in this if
I’m not mistaken.” Kit nodded at the witch who had made the
comment. The woman was stunning, Kit had no idea how old the woman
was, but she hoped she would age as beautifully as the witch who
was now blushing a lovely pink. “Thank you, my dear. I assure you
beauty is a double edged sword as I’m sure you already know.” Kit
smiled in return and nodded, because she did indeed know what it
was like to be judged on her appearance and not her mind.

Kit couldn’t argue with anything they’d said.
Each Council member who had spoken had raised legitimate
concerns—her only hope was to assure them she had a strong enough
sense of right and wrong to avoid the pitfalls she knew others had
fallen prey to. “You are all right. Each of you. But I assure you
I’m not easily swayed and my sense of right and wrong was firmly in
place long my training started. I’m not willing to sell my soul to
Damian. We all know he is seeking an alliance, not to possess me.
He needs both Braden and I in order to gain the type of power he
seeks. Damian is not a fool, he knows I’m more powerful than he
is—I’ve already proven that.”

Cecil leaned back in his chair twirling a
fountain pen so quickly between his slender fingers Kit worried ink
was going to start flying everywhere. He studied her for so long,
she had to fight the urge to fidget. He finally leaned forward and
asked, “Are you willing to take Ruby with you? Absent that, we’d
have to find another mentor and that would take time. And I’m
worried for the young shifter’s safety already. She’s an amazing
physician and there are great things in her future—she’s destined
to make remarkable contributions to the care of children. She and
your friend, Libby, are going to be quite famous—well, assuming we
get her back quickly.”

“Agreed. These sort of things tend to derail
people from the path their souls outlined on the other side.” This
comment from the youngest member of the group, a woman who looked
so tiny Kit wondered if she was sitting on a booster seat. Her
purple robe shimmered like silk and stood out from the more sedate
robes the other members wore. When she smiled at Kit, the warmth it
inspired was almost a physical reaction.
How odd. It felt like
she wrapped me in a warm breeze.
At that thought, the woman
merely nodded. The young witch’s magic left Kit feeling as though
she’d been hugged by a long lost friend—it was both comforting and
unsettling in its familiarity.

Turning her attention back to Cecil, she
noticed his lips quirked in a knowing smile. “Yes, sir. I am more
than willing to take my grandmother along, but I want to be the
lead on this. I’m not willing to take chances with her safety and
I’m worried her reactions aren’t as quick as they once were.”

Most of the members chuckled softly and the
man sitting next to Cecil shook his head, “Heed my advice, young
woman, and don’t let Ruby hear you say that.”

“Too late, Bart.” Kit was surprised to see
her mother and grandmother both standing behind her. When Granny
Good Witch turned to Kit she was frowning, “And you, my sweet
granddaughter, better watch yourself. I’ll show you slow reactions.
Why that’s just plain insulting. We’ll see who is faster, just you
wait. I’ll let you lead this, but we’re going to have a serious
discussion about you thinking I’m ready for the old witches’ home.
As if.”

Well fuck a duck in a big yellow truck,
that’s all I need, a pissed off granny.

Her grandmother moved into the center of the
circle and Kit watched as the air around her began to shimmer. The
sparkling light was the most brilliant combination of colors
imaginable, and seeing her grandfather’s image emerge filled Kit’s
heart with joy. He turned and winked at her before turning back to
the Council. She stepped closer hoping to hear what they were
discussing, only to discover they were speaking in Latin.
Well,
that’s just plain rude. What the hell is that about?
Her mother
leaned down and spoke softly against her ear, “Drama—well, they are
going to claim it is tradition, which is technically true. But if
you ask me, you grandfather is providing some insight that may help
or hinder you, and he doesn’t want to prejudice you.”

“Want to run that by me again?” Kit had
refrained from rolling her eyes at her mother’s obtuse remark, but
just barely. Carla Harris was incredibly bright and an extremely
powerful witch, but both of those things also made her very
difficult to understand at times. Oh, she thought she was being
clear and was often completely befuddled when others didn’t
agree.

He mother’s sigh let Kit know she wasn’t
impressed with the question, but she explained anyway. “He’s gotten
the scoop and he’d filling them in. Damn, my Latin is too rusty for
me to keep up and I doubt Mother will share everything she knows.
They’ll use this as a test of sorts for you. They believe you are
the one mentioned in the prophecy, but they want to be sure. But I
don’t want them to sacrifice Angie just to test their theory.”

“What?” The question had come out far louder
than she’d intended and when all eyes turned to her, all she could
do was shrug and apologize.

“Good Goddess, keep your voice down. You’re
already pushing your luck just being here. And you better hope this
wraps up quickly because your
mate
is faunching at the bit
outside the door. Anyway, what I was trying to explain is that no
one here sees this as the crises you do.” When Kit gasped, her
mother let out an exasperated sigh. “It isn’t that they don’t think
Angie is important, it’s just that we are fairly certain where
she’d being held, the real question is what is it going to take to
get her back without losing you in the process—something that is
completely off the table by the way.”

Kit wanted to argue, but knew it would just
be an exercise in frustration. Her mother was rarely wrong about
anything involving the magical community. Carla Harris had always
been deeply committed to promoting the status of witches and more
often than not she was a mediator when things went to hell between
different groups. When Kit looked back to where her grandmother
stood, she could see the lines of frustration bracketing her mouth.
Ruby Stone wasn’t happy about something and whatever had set her
off was clearly a problem for her grandfather as well because even
though his image was fading quickly, Kit could see him cross his
arms over his chest as he shook his head.

By the time Kit had listened quietly as the
Council handed down their decision and she’d walked out of their
chambers, she was practically vibrating she was so angry.
How
could they be so callous about Angie’s safety? Doesn’t her life
mean anything to them?
It seemed to Kit that they had been far
more worried about identifying the traitor who had managed to slip
past their security to intern within their hallowed halls more than
they were about the life of a young woman they were leaving hanging
in the balance. Hell, if she followed all the guidelines they’d
given her, she wouldn’t have a prayer of rescuing her friend.
Document each step planned in detail and forward written copies
to each member prior to acting
? If there had ever been a rule
made to be broken, it was that one. In Kit’s view the entire trip
had been a wash, and the instant they stepped out into the cool
night air the rage she’d been holding back burst to the surface.
When she stretched her arms out wide lightning snapped from her
fingers illuminating the night. Turning her face up to the sky, Kit
felt the moonlight burst through the rolling clouds and shine down
on her. It was as if the heavens had decided to endorse her anger
by shining nature’s spotlight on her from above. She shouted,
“Devin, I am coming for you. Save yourself and return Angie to her
home or turn her over to me.”

Kit hadn’t really expected him to hear her.
Her plea to the dark sky had been more about venting than actually
trying to contact Damian’s brother. But one of the things they’d
discovered about her magic was that it was amplified by anger and
fear. No one knew exactly how or why—but there wasn’t any doubt
that was the case. Her granny stood aside watching as Kit tried to
pull the calm of nature to herself, but the only thing that had
helped was Trev’s touch. Since shifters were earthbound creatures,
both Trev and Jameson acted as lightning rods for Kit. When she was
overwhelmed by the energy that rolled over her when her emotions
took over, their touch was often enough to dispel the worst of the
excess.