The Cat's Meow (5 page)

When he took the final step to reach me, my head angled back, and he leaned in
very
close to me. I inhaled his rich earthy scent of sandalwood mixed with masculinity and bit back a groan. The closeness of him, the heat of his body near mine, made me react in a fiery way that discouraged me, as if once again his presence was more welcome than it ought to be.

His eyes roamed my face with that sexy gradual glance he owned, and then he met my eyes and arched an eyebrow. “For the record, Edwin is wrong. Not even
trouble
would stand in my way.” He didn’t wait for my response—he spun on his heels and headed out of the parking lot to leave me to simmer in the wicked burn of desire.

What in the hell was that? Had he outright declared his intention to go after me and stated nothing would stop him, or did he pity me and want to push up my confidence after Edwin’s blow?

The worst part was that I liked knowing he acknowledged me and that he thought I was worth fighting for. The air escaped between my lips in a loud huff that I hadn’t known I’d held as I placed my hand on the hatchback to support my teetering weight.

When had I craved a warlock’s affection?
Not in a very long time!

I fought to remember why I stayed clear away from warlocks, and Kale was a prime example—
elusive.
At this point, I didn’t know anything about him. He might’ve come here to rip my world apart. Too bad my body seemed more than ready to forget all the negatives entirely.

Where was my “get a grip on naughty thoughts”
spell when I needed one?

Chapter Four

The next night, a phone call from the coven awakened me, and a quick, hot shower got my butt in gear. Within minutes I dressed in jeans, leather corset, and knee-high black boots. My hair still lay damp from the shower, dangling against my lower back as I strode from my bedroom into the kitchen, and the clock on the stove glowed nine o’clock. My simple kitchen of all the necessities, with an aged wooden table by the bay window and hutch against the far wall, made me smile as I grabbed my cell phone off my granite countertop.

The baked apple scones from the bakery I picked up two nights ago still created a delicious sweet aroma in the space, so I took one out of the box before I strode through my cozy living room. I passed by the chocolate-brown couch resting against the back wall, glancing over the antiques decorating every square inch of my house.

I sighed, wanting to grab the woolly afghan off the back of the couch and snuggle up with a good book. Perhaps a new gushy romance novel that swept me away instead of the dangerous assignment ahead. Since that wouldn’t happen, I headed straight for the front door. When the coven called, I went, no questions asked.

I locked the front door behind me, then hurried toward my SUV in the driveway. Just as I reached for the driver’s side door handle, my cell phone rang. “Yes, Peyton?”

She laughed. “How’d you know it’d be me?”

I pressed the phone between my ear and shoulder, got into my SUV, and eyed my house. Ivy stretched up the side of the rust brick wartime bungalow I renovated a year back.

“Who else would call me the second the sun went down?”

“Your best friend, of course,” she replied. “How’d it go with Kale?”

I shut the door, then gripped the phone in my hand and took a bite of the scone. The sugary taste of the apples could have made me happy if not for the direction the conversation was heading. “It went.”

She paused and after a moment, she finally asked, “Did you get any answers for what’s going on with the cats?”

“Negative.” Sure, I withheld the whole truth, but Peyton didn’t need to be involved in what I heard of the Alchemy. Some things, dangerous things, remained private. I might have suffered some guilt for suppressing information from her if I wasn’t more concerned about her mental state. Peyton worried, and danger, even my suspicions of the coven, would make her stressed, so if my silence kept her sane, then so be it.

“That’s too bad,” she muttered and paused again. “Maybe it’s nothing serious.” Her hesitation confirmed that she didn’t believe that, and neither did I. “Tell me more about this Kale?”

I snorted a laugh. “Once again, I don’t have much to tell you. The warlock has such tight lips I’m surprised he can breathe. All I’ve got from him is, he lives down south, he’s a Ward, and he can draw runes and receives his magic through the sabbat, which is kind of neat, I guess.”

“Not only cute, but talented.” Peyton giggled, warming me as it always did. Another long silence filled the phone line before Peyton’s voice lifted with mischievous intent. “Anything brewing between you?”

I leaned my head against the seat, glancing up at the black roof of my SUV. “If I was smart I would say no, but I’ve never been an academic.”

She laughed again. “Enjoy yourself, Lib. You deserve to have some fun, you know.”

Yeah, I did, and I hadn’t done it enough. I took another bite of the scone and chewed as the truth stared me dead in the face. “I’ve got the deaths of cats on my shoulders, so fun will have to wait.” Which
wouldn’t happen with Kale; don’t get involved with warlocks, wasn’t that my rule? Hadn’t I learned that lesson from Bryon? In the end, they’d screw you all the way to Alchemy.

And if I hadn’t dated a warlock since Bryon, I hadn’t garnered friendship either—their attitudes were all the same, and I wouldn’t place myself in the path of danger again. The only reason Jace wasn’t included on that list was because of his relationship with Peyton.

While Kale showed some signs of being different from most warlocks I’d met, there were still some similarities—his elusive way being one major one, and that reason alone meant I needed to keep my distance.

“Responsibility first.” Peyton snickered. “Sexual fantasies later.”

I snorted. “How depressing is that. Remind me why I decided to go into this line of work?”

“Because you didn’t have a choice,” she replied without pause.

“Oh, right. That’s why.” I glanced at the clock. A half hour had passed since the coven had summoned me. “Listen, the coven contacted me and I’ve got to go see what they want.”

“More trouble?”

I placed the scone down on the seat, my appetite gone, and rubbed my tired eyes. “I hope not.” Right now I had enough on my to-do list, but the coven didn’t call for social visits. If they needed to talk, trouble stirred.

The phone line blanked out, indicating another call, and Peyton’s shuffle confirmed that she looked at her phone. A second passed before she said, “That’s the coven there. We’ll chat later. Be safe, okay?”

“Always.” I hung up the phone, threw it on the passenger side seat, and sent the gas pedal to the floor. The streets of Charleston whipped by as a clear dark night surrounded me.

Only a few houses down on a historic street, the large mansion appeared. Red brick on the exterior, black accents, white pillars out in front with two-level balconies, and a wide porch made it an impressive sight.

After I pulled over and approached the house, I wasn’t at all surprised that the door opened before I hit the front steps.

“The Priestesses expected you sooner, Libby,” Emely said with her usual all-too-business expression and curt voice.

“Nice to see you again, Emely.” I smirked, trotting up the steps. “How’s life?”

The old woman’s features tightened and her nearly black eyes slanted, and she studied me with a wrinkled nose. “I am well. Come. They are waiting.”

I restrained my chuckle and followed her into the house. Emely, an old-school witch, never appreciated my attitude and lack of, as she called it,
ability to listen.
I irritated her. She amused me. As far as I was concerned the relationship was perfect. Though right now, I wondered if that trait she hated in me was one of the reasons the coven wanted me out.

Following her through the wide hallway, I glanced up at the fourteen-foot ceiling. Everything and anything in this house was original, including the historic furniture resting like sculptures in the space. I might have been envious of this house. That was, if I didn’t have a piece of heaven all to myself far away from the coven and their rules
.

At the music room, Emely gestured me in with a flick of her hand, which I grinned at, making her scowl. I entered the room and glimpsed the large glass skylight above. The stars twinkled in the dark sky before clouds swept across them.

All four of the Priestesses sat and sipped at their tea in what could be assumed was a lovely get-together. I knew better. The meeting had nothing to do with evening tea. Before I had a chance to finish my approach through the large room, one of the Priestesses slammed her tea down on the table and stood, irate.

Aria was a witch of beauty with her long, beautiful auburn hair, blue eyes an artist couldn’t match, and a smile making her radiate with a warm kindness. Too bad no hint of tenderness showed now. “Libby, what have you done?”

“Hello to you too, Mother.” I stopped in front of the table, folded my arms, and stared her down. Why did my flesh and blood have to be one of the most powerful witches in Charleston? Not that we didn’t get along. She was as a mother should be—supportive, involved in everything, and proud. Now that I was a grown woman my mother could be a tad overbearing, and besides, her question made no sense. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t you ‘Mother’ me!” Mom gave me a firm
don’t-lie-to-your-mother
look. “You need to tell me—us—why you’ve been involved with this warlock, Kale?”

By all appearances, she had no idea who Kale was. Icy fingertips crawled up my skin. Where had Kale come from? Was he the one who killed the cats and I had been with him totally defenseless? But if that was true, why hadn’t he killed me when he had the chance?

I skimmed over the other Priestesses who all smiled at me, their knowing looks indicating they knew well enough what I was involved in and even more, the identity of Kale. Odd, to say the least. All the secrets up until this very moment made me doubt my own coven and the High Priestesses I’d always trusted. “If I had any idea of what you’re talking about then I could tell you.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard you’re spending time with a warlock. What have you gotten yourself involved in?”

My mother and I had a similar dislike toward warlocks. Mine were for different reasons. Hers developed from the warlock who impregnated her, and then walked out on her after she told him she was pregnant with me. Well, maybe my hatred had stemmed from my father, though I’d never admit that aloud. Besides, I’d been around enough warlocks—Bryon included—to form my own not-so-great opinions.

”Err…he’s part of our coven.” I gave her a look. “Have you not met him?”

She shook her head. “No, I have not.” Her glare went to the other Priestesses. “How did I not hear of this new Ward?”

What in the Goddess? They made a decision this big without informing my mother? Whatever Mom had found out about me—discovered through her spy tactics—she hadn’t shared with the other Priestesses because they would’ve informed her who Kale was. If they wanted me out of the coven and were searching for a way to do it, they’d never tell my mother.

Glenda sipped her tea; she was the calm one of the bunch who seemed like your best friend, but only by appearance. We never agreed on much, which also could have been another reason they wanted to see me gone. “You weren’t around when the decision was made to bring him into the coven. As you remember, you were out of town visiting the Greenville coven.”

Mom parted her lips before she shut them again and sat back down. “Tell me why he’s helping Libby.”

Glenda gave a mirthless smile, and her bluish-gray eyes settled on me as her long salt-and-pepper hair swept over her shoulder. “Is Kale being helpful?”

I shrugged. “Somewhat.”

Mom cleared her throat, and then she spoke in a controlled voice. “My Libby doesn’t need help.” Her eyebrows drew together and she stared daggers at Glenda. “She can use him after, as we usually do. This isn’t necessary.”

Mabel, in her sixties, was prim and proper with her pressed clothes and brown hair tied up in a tight bun. She had a knowing look, and it became apparent this was the exact reason the decision had been made without my mother. “Cats have been murdered in our town and we have no answers as to why. It’s necessary to solve this before the matter worsens. Besides, he’s new to the coven, so we wanted to place him with someone who could show him the area and also to see what he can do.”

While her explanation seemed plausible, I didn’t believe her. I’d never watched over a new Ward before, and to me, it seemed more personal. Kale’s presence didn’t feel as if he were being tested, but that I was. While she implied that all of this had been pointed outward, it sure appeared directly aimed at me.

Hot wrath burned in the depths of Mom’s eyes. “Have you discovered anything so far about the cats?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Though, I should tell you that something came up last night. Not sure if it’s true, which is why I didn’t call you about it, but it might be.” I hadn’t planned to tell the coven what I learned of the Alchemy until I knew it was accurate, and that made me cringe as I realized I’d given them another reason to remove me from the coven. In a matter of minutes, I had already proved three times why I deserved the boot. First, my attitude, then my relationship with Glenda, and now that I hadn’t informed them earlier of the
situation.
Since I’d worked for them for years, my offenses had to be in the thousands, but why were they taking action now?

At my mother’s nod to continue, I drew in a deep breath and said on my exhale, “There are problems within the Alchemy.” I waited for the appropriate response of shock to flutter along my mother’s features. Instead, I received a blank stare, telling me one thing. “You know about this?”

Hettie inclined her head. She was the youngest Priestess, but powerful in her own right. Her crystal-green eyes stood out against her jet-black hair. “We heard from the Alchemy there’s trouble brewing in their ranks.”

“Do they know what kind of trouble?” I urged.

“They’re looking into it,” Mom said. “But so far are coming up with nothing on who’s behind it. They only know that a rebellion is forming.”

“Why is Charleston involved?”

“That’s a very good question, Libby.” Pride lighted Mom’s features. “At this time we have no more answers than you do.”

Since they didn’t know of a reason why Charleston was involved, I figured it best to voice my own discovery. Especially considering I now realized that my withholding information might piss them off. “Last night, I did a spell on the warlock Edwin, and it appears Bryon might be involved.”

Mom’s mouth formed an
O
before she whispered, “
Your
Bryon?”

“No, not
my
Bryon,” I countered, “But yes,
that
Bryon.”

Glenda lowered her teacup and cocked her head. “He came back to Charleston?”

“I guess so.” As her lips parted, I raised my hand and added, “No, I don’t know why he’s come back…or I should say, why he came back and then left again, but he’s gone now.”

“Is he a threat?” Hettie asked in her whimsical tone, looking around at the other High Priestesses. “Should we notify the Alchemy of him?”

“How can we believe Edwin knows all the facts?” Glenda said. “If Bryon was frightened, he might have slipped on the details, and I don’t want to accuse a member of the Alchemy of such a thing until we know for sure.” She looked at me. “Hold off on this for a while. If we need to locate Bryon, you can do so. Once we have solid evidence, we will go to the Alchemy.” Her eyebrows furrowed, her icy eyes staring deeply into mine, colder than I’d ever witnessed. “You are sure he’s no longer in Charleston?”