The Cat's Meow (18 page)

Gregor stepped forward. Even in the face of demons he looked brave. “You now have us. Finish what you started.”

The High Priests appeared heroic in their firm stances, but me, not so much. The threat of this all worried me because it seemed that Bryon had no doubt he’d destroy them. The demons concerned me even more, though—it appeared they had borrowed bodies from what I suspected were victims Bryon had murdered. But a demon was easily spotted with its crimson eyes burning like hell’s fire.

“I happen to agree with you.” Bryon smiled, dark and dangerous. “The time for a new ruler is upon us. Tonight, I pulled my plan together and I will be rewarded for your deaths.”

Without any hesitation, Kale swiped out his wand toward me. I hadn’t realized he’d drawn a rune through the conversation. Once again, in the moment of danger, his concern was me. Before I could catch up and process that, a large bluish bubble surrounded me. I hit the ground with an
oof
, as the wind was knocked out of me and the heat of his protection seethed across my skin.

I might have been annoyed he’d placed his magic on me instead of himself, but the magic erupting around me made me realize why he’d done it. My protection gave him leverage. He needed a diversion to draw his runes: while he drew them, he could get killed. I couldn’t waver, especially when hell broke loose around me. Loud shouts from Bryon soared across the air and the High Priests formed a plan among them.

I ignored it all, focusing inward, and closed my eyes as I drew on the warmth in my chest, hoping one spell I’d seen last night would work. “Bright light. Dark night. Cloak Kale in light, as dark as night.”

My veins turned to liquid fire and I gasped, forcing my eyes open as Kale vanished. A curse echoed that I suspected came from Bryon, but I stared at the spot Kale had disappeared from. I begged the Goddess to work her magic and hold the cloak around him long enough that he could draw runes or whatever he needed to.

Smoke swirled around Alistair’s feet and he shouted words in a language I’d never heard. I had no doubt he, and the other High Priests, worked their magic to fight back, but I couldn’t look away from where Kale had vanished.

Seconds had never felt so long.

A blast of dark-blue light burst from where Kale had disappeared, and then the bright light lit up the sky. I blinked once and he had formed again. He stood over his rune with a stream of light cascading out of his wand and whirling around him. He pointed his wand outward and the magic soared out in front of him with a loud crackle.

I didn’t doubt that if I glanced at the other High Priests, the same level of magic would be coming from them all, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Kale. I was transfixed by his magic—he was a powerful sight. No matter how angry I was, he enthralled me.

I expected screams to erupt as the magic took lives, but the only thing I heard—felt—was the high level of magic surrounding me. It simmered against my skin, and the heat of the magic increased the temperature of the air.

Kale’s eyes narrowed and his mouth parted. Time slowed as he lowered his wand, withdrawing the magic. The scent of burned wood from Kale’s wand reached my nose.

Worry raged in the depths of his eyes. “What is this?”

I forced myself to turn away from him and gasped at the scene before me. No bodies had fallen, all the warlocks still stood strong, and amusement shone on their faces. I couldn’t understand—I’d seen Kale use magic and knew the other High Priests had, too.

How was no one dead?

“Ah,” Bryon said, his high voice mocking. “Demonic power is unfathomable. We’re protected in ways you cannot break.” He turned to the demon next to him. “Kill them.”

No. No. No.

I’d never heard of demons possessing the power to shield magic, but then again, my knowledge of demons lacked. My job had always been to stop anyone who tried to tap into the darkness, not understand the power they possessed.

Kale spun, and in the same way he had done for me, he bathed the other High Priests and himself in the protection bubble. The glow of blue light formed around each body and shone throughout the dark night.

He dropped to his knees, trembled, and struggled against the strain of his hold. To protect one he managed. To protect all of us the pressure became obvious. Against warlocks, the High Priests had them beat. Against five demons, they were screwed.

The demons released a loud hiss, so evil and raw it horrified me. Then the bodies they possessed dropped to the ground as black smoke formed, and I couldn’t move, think, or make a sound. I could only watch in terror as the black smoke raced forward.

The shadowy cloud surrounded all four of the High Priests. The silence that followed was far worse than if they had screamed, especially since Kale now convulsed on his knees. His head rested on the ground as he fought to hold onto the spell to protect.

Help them!

Kale’s sudden roar snapped me back into focus. I dropped to my knees and my heart clenched—that horrified scream meant only one thing.

Gregor’s shriek followed and confirmed my worst fears…and maybe slight relief because Kale remained safe. He didn’t scream for his own life, but for the knowledge that he couldn’t hold his shield and Gregor had lost the protection.

I stared in total disbelief as Gregor’s body lifted four feet off the ground and the smoke swirled around him. His screams were not right. His soul was being stolen from the inside out as his life force was ripped away.

I grasped my chest as the Goddess burned wicked hot in my body, urging me to help. She hated to watch evil destroy good, and I agreed with her, but what could I do?

Alistair screamed out a spell in a voice raised with worry and urgency. Kale still trembled on the ground and fought to protect the rest of us, but Alistair’s spell failed to stop the demons that attacked Gregor.

With a final scream, Gregor’s body soared through the air, landing a few feet in front of me; his eyes were wide-open, blank…and dead. Then a crimson light spilled from his eyes before he winked out of existence.

I screeched, sliding back on my butt, and glanced around. No one paid attention to me. All the warlocks stared at the demons that now attacked the other High Priests and waited for their demise. No doubt in a few short minutes they would die.

Kale would die.

My heart reached out to him, and no matter what he’d done to me, the secrets he kept, a world without Kale in it couldn’t register in my mind.

Get up, Libby.

Do something.

Fight.

“How, Goddess? Tell me what to do.” I screamed inside my head, pleading for her to give me a sign. No magic I learned would save them. If the High Priests couldn’t beat them, then how could I? None of the spells I’d studied would help them and I wasn’t strong enough.

Although…

A memory raced through my mind from the book—an answer to the very foundation of Bryon’s plan, as if the Goddess had reminded me how to help. If I couldn’t stop his harbor of evil, I could beat him at his own game. Bryon had in fact suggested it. But doing this went against everything I believed in, everything I’d been raised to do, and it went against white magic.

To my surprise, my instincts didn’t lead me away and the Goddess didn’t tell me no—she encouraged me, which didn’t make a zip of sense. But, as always, I never questioned her and hoped to hell I read her right. I might be damned for my actions now, but Kale couldn’t die tonight. I had been gifted the book of spells and it wasn’t to be wasted. No matter that fear, anxiety, and horror engulfed me. It was do or die.

After a silent prayer to the Goddess to give me strength, I pushed off the ground, and focused on Kale. He screamed against his distress and I felt it right down to my toes.

With my focus on Kale to drive my purpose I called, “Baal who dwells in slivers of night.” All heads jerked to me, and Bryon’s brow furrowed as the other warlocks exchanged glances. I pulled on the Goddess’s strength. Without my strong connection to her, this spell would destroy me. Through her, I had a fighting chance. “Uncloak your shadow to witch’s sight.”

“No,” Bryon roared and raced forward, as did the other warlocks behind him. To me, it all happened in slow motion. Bryon had known me five years ago when I didn’t have nearly the strength I did now, and he hadn’t considered me a threat…until this very moment. “Stop her.”

The demons ceased their attack on the High Priests and the smoke swept my way, but I held my focus and dug down into the very core of my magic, and wind whipped around me. “By the power of the Goddess, I bind thee.”

Chapter Seventeen

Evil in its rawest form stared me dead in the eye. Baal looked human, but he was a Prince of Hell and I suspected he could take whatever form he wanted to. I wondered why he’d appear this way and not as a beast with horns or something, since that’d be far scarier.

Not like I’d ask him.

His eyes were more the color of flames than the crimson color of the demons. To my surprise, he was actually handsome. Tall, shaved head, angular features…and, well, muscular beneath his jeans and red T-shirt.

Odd!

As the smoke—demons—that had approached me settled to the ground, Baal glanced around at the others in the cemetery. The warlocks’ eyes were huge and all of them were stuck on the spot, but then Baal scanned the High Priests.

Kale didn’t convulse anymore, since the removal of the demon attack had made his need to protect us lessen. His eyes were fixed on me and intense. I couldn’t read whether he was happy with what I’d done or displeased.

“What do you want, witch?” Baal asked. Even his voice sounded so normal, deep, throaty…and sexy.

Very odd!

I didn’t have a clue what to ask of him—I hadn’t gotten that far. I was still trying to accept that the spell had worked and I had summoned up a Prince of Hell.

“Err…” I caught sight of Daryen, his mouth agape, and then I glanced at Alistair, who smiled at me. I sighed, knowing that even if I came out of this with my head still attached, I wouldn’t be condemned by the Alchemy because I tapped into the darkness. “They ordered your demons to kill for them,” I told Baal.

His eyes narrowed, which scared the bejesus out of me, and then he surveyed the warlocks in the cemetery again before his dark, evil gaze returned to me. “I am under your command, witch. What do you ask of me?”

My impression was that he didn’t much appreciate the warlocks’ plan, or that they had used his demons, and I suspected a Prince of Hell had more important things to deal with than pesky warlocks.

I considered
our
situation and thought up a plan real quick, careful what to ask for. Baal couldn’t kill me now since he was under my spell, but I had no doubt if I used him for my benefit it would piss him off. He could always kill me tomorrow. So, I went with what I figured had annoyed him. “Banish the demons back to hell and remove any power they’ve given to these warlocks.”

By the Goddess, did he smirk? “You don’t want me to share my power with you?”

“Not particularly.” I shuddered at the horrific thought.

Kale still hadn’t moved. I wondered if he had even breathed. Those steely eyes of his remained indifferent.

Baal dipped at the waist with what almost looked like a formal bow before he turned to the demons. “I set you free.”

The same loud, high-pitched squeal sped through the air and my blood turned ice cold. Baal set his sights on Bryon, and hell, he should be scared because I was, and Baal wasn’t focused on me.

“It was a mistake to bond my demons for your personal use.” By the rage in Baal’s eyes, whatever magic Bryon had tapped into was among the darkest of magic, and Baal didn’t like it. “The magic is not yours to command. I’ll await you in my realm and deliver your punishment.” A wave of hot air blasted around me, and the fear on Bryon’s face was raw. Then Baal turned to me. “The protection is gone.”

Before I had a chance to open my mouth, Kale shouted out a chant and a ribbon of blue magic poured from his wand, circling the warlocks. I thought maybe that was their death sentence, but it didn’t blow them up, just held them caged like a blue rope I knew they’d never cross.

“Thank the Goddess.” I sighed.

Baal chuckled.

A demon chuckled?

“Is this all you wish of me, witch?”

“Well…” I glanced at Kale, who still looked stunned stupid. Eventually he nodded, so I turned to Baal. “Yes, that’s all. Err…thank you.”

Was that the right thing to say? As odd as it was, I didn’t fear Baal in the sense that he’d harm me. He
was
evil, but it seemed to be restrained power. I had the feeling I was nothing to him. If I left him alone, he’d do the same, which was why I’d asked him to do something I assumed he would’ve done anyway—take back what belonged to him.

Without another word and with the smile still on his face, black smoke rose up from the ground in a loud hiss. Then, with a loud bang that made me jump a foot off the ground, Baal vanished, and I reeled, confused by the interaction. Not like I would ever admit this aloud, but Baal seemed almost respectable.

“Libby,” Kale said, gesturing toward the warlocks. “The choice is yours.”

Oh yeah, I understood the choice well enough. While normally I would never agree to what was about to come out of my mouth, the mistake I’d made by letting Bryon live the last time wouldn’t be repeated, but I paused at Kale’s concern.

Why had he asked
my
permission?

Was it that I had summoned Baal and saved our magical butts? No, I didn’t think so. From all appearances, it seemed he didn’t want to displease me or do something else I couldn’t forgive him for, especially considering I had once loved one of the warlocks.

The warlocks begged and pleaded for their lives, tears rushing down their faces. Some hugged each other, a few glanced around and looked for a way out of Kale’s magic, and some stood frozen on the spot.

“No matter what happens to us now, this isn’t the end.” Bryon gave his charming smile that had once won me over. “Are you really going to kill me, Libby? Do you not remember what we shared?” His eyes were warm and the memory of how he once loved me swept through my mind.

Tears filled my eyes. “You know, to end this for good we have to start somewhere, which means you, Bryon, and yes, I can have you killed.” The Goddess shone within me, telling me this was right. I turned to Kale and ordered, “Destroy them.”

Shock rippled across Kale’s face at my coldness, but it quickly vanished. His face darkened before he pointed his wand to the rune beneath his feet and chanted. The blue rope around the warlocks brightened, and then grew tighter and enclosed them. Screams filled the air and I covered my ears to avoid them.

I hadn’t expected my coldness, either, but I would never have killed the Bryon I loved, the man who had made me feel special and appreciated. But that Bryon died the night he betrayed me. This warlock in front of me was a stranger who had gone against white magic, and for that he could never be forgiven.

The second the magical band hit the skin of the warlocks, they exploded in a bright light that evaporated them. The hiss of Kale’s magic swirled through the air before silence settled in. I stared for a long moment at where Bryon had stood, seeing nothing there now, and emotion rocked into my body as the reality of all that happened burst into my soul.

Done.

Over.

Dropping to my knees, I gasped for breath, and it wasn’t until moisture touched my cheek that I realized I was crying. I sniffed and attempted to force those tears away. Not only was I affected by the realization that Bryon was gone, but I had betrayed my morals. The Goddess wasn’t angry at me—I sensed she was on my side—but no matter, I still bound a Prince of Hell to me, a ritual only done with black magic.

Kale knelt down at the spot where Gregor had fallen and touched the grass. “My dear friend, may you be protected and find peace.”

My throat tightened and I shed more tears as both Daryen and Alistair joined him. All three said a prayer. I turned away, unable to watch. I couldn’t make sense out of all that had happened. I wept, and allowed myself to feel the pain of what Bryon had done. The past hurt from him, the road of evil he traveled, and the fact that someone I’d been close to no longer lived.

Sometime later, once my sobs quieted, a hand on my shoulder startled me. I glanced back to find Kale with the two High Priests next to him. It was clear they’d watched me cry…for a while. They must have said their good-byes, and been satisfied with them, as no despair showed in them now. I wiped the tears off my face and sucked in a deep, ragged breath, trying to force myself to hold it together. In front of the strongest warlocks, I didn’t want to appear weak.

Kale’s eyelids lowered. “Let me explain now.”

It took me a second to clue into what he had to explain. So much had happened in…minutes? But I was reminded by the worry in his eyes that I was owed an explanation, and that this was far from over. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the truth now.

His lips parted, and then he sighed as if he didn’t know what to say, which bothered me. Maybe it
was
better if I didn’t know.

Alistair studied Kale with a long look, and then turned to me. “You should know the situation with the cats wasn’t expected to lead to this.”

Now that made me blink. “The cats?”

Daryen nodded. He seemed the most serious out of the bunch—his expression stern and dark. “The cats were planted here in Charleston to give you a case to work so we could watch you.”

The Goddess sent a round of hot tingles through my veins as I stared into Daryen’s eyes. “You killed cats?”

“The cats were already dead when we obtained them,” Kale said, his voice low and regretful. “But we needed a reason to get me alongside you, so we set up a false case for you to work.”

Oh yeah, I heard him, and again, I wished I hadn’t. My blood boiled, fists tightened, and now I understood why he needed forgiveness. Too bad for him, he’d wait a long fucking time to get it.

I could’ve handled Kale being a High Priest and a cold-blooded killer, even secrets about his past that might be dark, but the secrets weren’t about Kale…they were about
me.
“You tricked me?”

“Out of necessity,” Daryen replied, as if that would appease me. “The magic sensed at the deaths was placed there after we gathered the felines from the animal shelter.” He lifted a lazy shoulder. “Of course, we had to open them up some to make the scene worse than it was, and to place the magic upon them, so you’d work it like a typical case.”

I stared at Kale, my mouth open in total disbelief. “Wait.” I shook my head, trying to knock some sense into it. “Why?”

“To study you.” Heady emotion flashed over Kale’s face.

After a moment of examination, I nailed it. Guilt—a whole shitload of it. Damn him, he should feel horrible. Nothing could have prepared me for
this
—nothing at all.

He drew in a sharp breath, and then went on, “We needed to determine the abilities you hold and see if your talents could be grown.”

“You did this to watch over me?” Kale had seemed intrigued by my spells and this explained why, and it had nothing do to with my damn coven, or because I interested him, but to see if I fit into the Alchemy’s mold. “This was all a test?” My voice rose higher, as did the eyebrows of the men around me. “You could’ve asked me what powers I have.” I didn’t care about the strength of these men, or that it was inappropriate to lash out at the High Priests, especially Kale.

He exhaled, long and deep. “Could have, but I’m afraid that wasn’t an option.”

The knowledge that he was a High Priest was enough of a lie to send steam out of my ears. To know that this whole time Kale had set me up to be in the grips of the fucking Alchemy cut deep. The lie wasn’t about him, but to get me for his personal gain. Just as my father thought of himself, as did Bryon, Kale had repeated the same attack.

Once again a warlock had fucked me sideways and thought of
his
needs over
mine
with little care of how this would affect me. It was cold, cruel, and
unforgivable.

More than that, something else made me furious. “I could have died tonight.” At Kale’s wince, I continued on a yell, “You knew of the danger involving the Alchemy. You should have told me all the details. You kept information from me and endangered my life.”

“You’re right, I should have.” Kale’s voice remained calm, but his features were twisted. “But that choice wasn’t a personal one for me to make. The Alchemy was under a serious threat and we needed your abilities to aid us.” Pride flashed in his eyes. “Tonight only proves how much we do need you. We all would have died, Libby.”

“Yes,” I retorted on a sneer, unmoved by his explanation. “But that’s
your
choice.” Eyebrows rose even higher because nobody ever yelled at them, but I didn’t give a shit. “You chose to work for the Alchemy. I didn’t.”

My hands trembled as wicked fury raced through my veins, but I wasn’t nearly finished. “You know my history, Kale.” Yes, that’s what hurt me the most. I poured my heart out to him and told him about my personal betrayals. “Yet you did the same fucking thing.”

The pain of my words was a slap across his face, and I enjoyed it when he flinched, and then he whispered, “Libby…”

Alistair looked between Kale and me, interjecting with a chuckle. “I know you’re angry now, but that will pass, and the Alchemy welcomes you.”

“Did you not hear me?” With my fury out front and center, my defenses came up and my voice was exactly how I intended it to be—cutthroat. “I’m not joining.”

“An attitude is something the Alchemy has in abundance.” Alistair patted my shoulder and offered a pleasant smile. “You’ll do fine. You were outstanding tonight. Be proud of yourself.”

“I’m. Not. Going,” I shouted, not caring of his pride or Kale’s.

Daryen stepped toward me and it took all my strength not to retreat. “You’ve been called upon and chosen. The Alchemy is under fire and your abilities are needed, and that is your duty.”

“No,” I snapped.

The meaning behind the Goddess’s warning when I was questioning if I should use the spells was now clear, and the life-changing moment I wondered about was now upon me.

Using the spells made me strong, and my desire to prove to my coven I was kick-ass—which was so far from the truth it was almost laughable—made me work harder than I ever had before. That, mixed with the spells in the book, made me stronger than I ever dreamed possible and put me on the level of those who worked for the Alchemy. The Goddess had it right: this was a
huge
life change…and I didn’t want it.