The Enchanted: Council of Seven Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  “Um… okay?” Landon said, finally breaking the silence. “I guess I’ll go after her.”

  “No!” Henry barked. “You’re the jackass who scared her off in the first place. I’ll go.”

  “How did I scare her off? I just told her to come in!” Landon protested, genuine confusion in his voice, but Henry waved at him dismissively.

  He rose and moved toward the door, though not before Laurel spoke.

  “Do I really need to say this?” she demanded. “A girl who runs off during her initiation ceremony is hardly someone we need on the Council.”

  “Whatever. She’s what we get,” Henry snapped and hurried out after Lane Aldwin. He didn’t know why he was being so defensive. Logically speaking, no one should bother chasing after the girl, but she wasn’t just anyone; she was an Aldwin.

  Inexplicably, he felt drawn to her, the urge to find her and bring her back almost tangible, although he couldn’t say why. He’d barely gotten a glimpse of her, standing frozen in the doorway like a statue.

  Henry burst through the front doors of the Masonic temple and looked about, his eyes resting on Julia Aldwin.

  “Where is your daughter?” he demanded. Julia’s face twisted into a look of surprise.

  “What?” she choked. “What do you mean?”

  “You heard me. Where did Lane go?”

  Disbelief crossed Julia’s face, and she shook her head, but Henry had already vanished back inside the hall. If Julia was still there waiting, there was a good chance that she didn’t know where her daughter was.

  Henry found Voot doing a walk through. “Where did she go?” he demanded of the sentry guard.

  “Downstairs.” The Lycan looked sheepish, but Henry didn’t blame him for not going after Lane. It wasn’t like this was something that had happened before, and truthfully, Henry wasn’t sure what they were going to do about her once he found her. Laurel was right—it didn’t show strong character that she had just up and left like that. What was Lane going to be like when there were major decisions on the table?

  That’s a matter for another time, Henry told himself. First, find the girl.

  He scaled the stairs and found Lane cowering in a corner, her vivid eyes darting about like a caged rat looking to escape a science experiment. For a moment, Henry was taken aback by the scene before him, the vulnerability spilling from the girl in the corner.

  She’s not a girl. She’s a woman.

  “I-I’m not…” Lane inhaled deeply and looked at him with wide eyes. “I’m not ready for this.”

  Unexpectedly, Henry felt a pang of sympathy for her, despite the fact that she was prolonging what was already promising to be a long night, no matter what Lane decided to do.

  “May I ask why not?” he asked conversationally. He had stopped a decent distance away, sensing her consternation. If he was going to bring her back to the Council, he wasn’t going to do it by force.

  There was a slight glimmer of recognition in him as he studied her face, a vague memory of the bright-eyed, confused girl who had stood before the Council after trying to melt a school friend with a silent spell. But as quickly as it had come, the image disappeared from his mind. Lane Aldwin was not a child; not anymore.

  “I’m not the right person for the job,” Lane muttered, raising her head to stare at him cautiously. “There are others who can take my place on the Council.”

  Henry dismissed that idea for the moment and offered her a wry smile, falling back against the wall casually. He shot her a half-smile. “How do you know you’re not the right being for the job if you haven’t even given it a chance?”

  Her emerald eyes narrowed, and she seemed to consider his question very seriously.

  “I don’t know anything about how things work,” she breathed nervously. “I’ll screw up or…” She bit on her lower lip and turned her head slightly, presumably so that Henry wouldn’t catch the blush on her face. It was hard to miss.

  “Well,” Henry chuckled. “I can’t really say I remember what it was like to join the Council, but I think it’s normal to be a little tense on the first day of any job, don’t you?”

  Lane eyed him through her peripheral vision and exhaled a long sigh. “Who are you?”

  Henry grinned at her, flashing his long, even teeth.

  “Henry Brandis, Vampire Regent.” He extended a perfectly manicured hand toward her, and she cautiously accepted it, her eyes huge. To Henry’s complete shock, he felt a flow of electricity between them, and he jerked slightly.

  Oh… now I understand.

  Lane’s face registered the same surprise that he felt, and neither released their hands from the other.

  “I’m Lane,” she mumbled. “Lane Aldwin.” Her face turned crimson. “Of course you already knew that,” she added. “I imagine everyone knows the name of the woman who ran out of the most important council on earth.”

  “I think you’re playing this up too much,” Henry told her gently. “It’s not that big a deal. All of us have had a bad case of nerves before. They don’t always manifest at the best times.”

  “You think?”

  “Still,” he replied easily, winking. “It’s nice to be formally introduced. We get so little in the way of etiquette these days. Maybe you can open with that when we go back upstairs.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lane breathed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I mean, I knew this day was coming, but…”

  “It’s always different when it’s on you,” Henry told her gently. “I’m a lawyer, and I’ll tell you, opening statements always get me.” He was distinctly aware of how the pulsating energy between them didn’t cease.

  “Will they accept me back now?” Lane asked quietly. “Or will they just tell me to leave?”

  “Of course they’ll accept you back. We’ve all been looking forward to meeting you.” He didn’t add that everyone was looking forward to getting the ceremony over and done with more than anything. I wonder what she’s doing after the ceremony.

  “Thank you, Mr. Brandis.”

  Henry laughed and slowly removed his palm from hers. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life, but even after they had separated, the heat that radiated remained on his hand.

  “You can call me Henry.”

  “Henry.”

  Their gazes locked, and he watched her pupils dilate.

  “Are you ready to try again?”

  Lane nodded slowly, but Henry could read the uncertainty in her.

  “I’ll come with you,” he said. “I’ll hang out as long as I can, but they’ll expect me back in my seat eventually.”

  Lane blinked and smiled lopsidedly. “Why are you being so nice to me? I know that the rest of the Council can’t be happy right now.”

  “This may come as a surprise to you, Lane, but we don’t all share a brain, no matter what all the other Enchanted might think.”

  “I have no idea what the other Enchanted think,” Lane sighed. “I don’t know anything about anything.” She looked at him guiltily. “You must think I’m a whiny brat,” she muttered. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t think you’re whiny or a brat,” Henry told her. “I think you’re overwhelmed with what’s about to happen in there, and I’m okay with that. Just take it one minute at a time.”

  He remembered that he had called her a brat not an hour earlier with Raven.

  I take that all back. She is not a brat at all. She’s a vulnerable but powerful soul who needs to be shown the ways of the world. And I’m going to be the one to show her.

  Henry had no idea what was going to happen when they got back inside the room. He’d never heard of an Aldwin rejecting the honor of sitting on the Council of Seven, and while he was fairly certain that the law forbade her from giving up her seat, Henry almost wanted her to walk away.

  She’s far too soft for our job. She’s probably right—she can’t handle what’s coming.

  Henry held out his arm and offered her another smile. �
�Milady?”

  Lane laughed shakily and accepted it.

  “Thank you, Henry,” she breathed.

  Don’t thank me yet, he thought firmly. I can only do so much.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened there?” Landon barked at her when they returned to the meeting. Henry glowered instantly and answered before Lane could fumble out a response.

  “You really don’t learn from your mistakes, do you?” he retorted, unhooking his arm from hers. “Maybe you should take a different tactic than playing bad cop.”

  “If she wants sugar-coated words, she can go back into hiding with her mother,” Landon snapped. “This is not the place for that.”

  Henry opened his mouth to bite back, but Lane interjected.

  “You’re right,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry. I-I just got overwhelmed by the power in the room.”

  There was a slight pause, and Henry had to smile to himself at her ingenuity. Her flattery might have worked to slightly disarm the irate Council. Landon was susceptible to compliments, it seemed.

  “Are we ready to proceed?” Raven asked crisply.

  “Yes,” Lane answered and cast Henry a grateful look.

  “Are you going to resume your seat, Henry, or are you going to hold her hand through the entire ceremony?” Laurel asked coldly.

  “She has warm hands,” Henry protested, and the fairy glared at him.

  “Get your ass back in your seat, Henry!” she barked, and he grinned at her. He turned to the witch and met her eyes with his.

  “Are you okay?” Henry whispered. Lane nodded in response.

  “I’m okay now… thanks to you.”

  “Hello?” Laurel snapped. “We’re already behind schedule. This is unacceptable.”

  Reluctantly, Henry reclaimed his seat and stared down at Lane, who suddenly seemed very small from where he sat atop the platform. That was the point, of course. Anyone standing before them was made to feel inferior, tiny. Lane Aldwin, however, was anything but, even if she wasn’t aware of her own power yet, which was both fascinating and terrifying.

  Where did Julia keep her? How can she be so insecure when she is a descendant of the most powerful being ever known?

  Henry had never put much stock into the spell Miriam had cast upon the Council so that he, Landon, Alec, and Theo might find their respective mates as Laurel, Raven, and Miriam already had. While he believed in the concept of a mate, he did not have any expectations that Miriam’s meddling would have much effect on any of them.

  Henry had far too much to occupy his mind with. He was a partner in one of the biggest law firms in New York, after all. Between work and the Council of Seven, he didn’t have time to entertain the idea of romance. In fact, it had been years since he’d been in anything that resembled a relationship.

  But he also knew that Lane Aldwin was not just anyone who had flittered into his life by chance. She had been sent there not only to replace Miriam’s seat but to fulfill Miriam’s prophecy.

  She’s my mate, I’m sure of it. It’s the only explanation for why I’m so drawn to her.

  Henry was ancient, just as were the other beings who surrounded him. He might not look a day past twenty-seven, but he had been around the world thousands of times in thousands of years. He had met women in all walks of life, in every recorded era of history. And not once had he been as intrigued by anyone as he had the seemingly meek witch who stood before them, waiting to be accepted as member of the Council.

  Even then, he still felt the linger of her palm in his, the connection between them binding.

  “Who nominates this descendant of Alaric Aldwin to replace Miriam Aldwin in the Council of Seven?” Alec demanded, raising his gavel. The dragon was a beast of few words, but when he did speak, his voice reverberated through the ears of everyone around them.

  Henry saw Lane flinch, but to her credit, she remained in place.

  “I do,” Henry said, standing when no one else volunteered. Although he’d been hoping to second the motion, now he needed to get the ball rolling.

  “Finally,” Raven muttered. “Let’s get this show on the road. I want my drinks. I can’t wait to gossip about this session.”

  “Who seconds this motion?” Alec continued.

  “I guess I will,” Laurel grunted. “It’s the least I can do for Miriam.”

  The fairy and late witch had been close, but Henry could see Laurel wasn’t impressed with the successor Miriam had chosen to fill her seat.

  “The motion will be carried forth,” Alec said, slamming the gavel onto the surface. “Let us commence the purifying ritual.”

  The panic in Lane’s eyes was evident, but Henry willed her to look toward him. She did, as though she could feel him summoning her silently. When their eyes met, he nodded almost imperceivably and watched her face relax slightly.

  Don’t worry, Lane. You’ve got this, he told her.

  I know, she replied, and they gaped at one another in shock.

  If there was any doubt before, it evaporated in that moment. If Lane could read his thoughts, she was undoubtedly his mate and vice versa.

  She offered him a tentative grin, and Henry’s smile widened.

  Well, he thought as the females descended their spots to start the ritual on Lane. There’s my mate. I suppose we’ll have our happily ever after, just like Raven and Drake or Laurel and Jasmine.

  But Henry should have known that life was not a fairy tale. He was a lawyer, after all. He should have seen it coming.

  4

  “Tell me everything that happened!” Julia demanded as her daughter collapsed into the passenger side of the car. “Don’t leave out one detail.”

  Lane was exhausted, the ceremony taking much longer than she had expected, even though she had been warned it would go well into the night. Dawn was already breaking over the horizon. Julia steered her beat-up Civic through the little bit of traffic already on the New York streets as she headed for their cottage just north of the city.

  “I… I can’t,” Lane replied awkwardly. “I’m sworn to secrecy.”

  Julia gave her a dubious look, her knuckles closing around the steering wheel so tightly, they turned white.

  “What?” she snapped. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Of course they told you not to tell. They’re doing all kinds of devious things in there, aren’t they? Did they hurt you? Did they—?”

  “No, Mom, the rituals are just… sacred.”

  Julia was furious. Lane didn’t need to be told—it was etched all over her mother’s face, but Lane wasn’t sure she was going to be swayed to Julia’s wishes this time. She was more afraid of the Council than she was of her mother, and she had a feeling she had a right to be. After all, the Council could do more to her than Julia if she broke her vows.

  As always, Julia seemed to be reading her mind.

  “What they don’t know won’t hurt you, Laney,” she told her daughter gently. “Don’t you trust me to keep quiet?”

  “Of course I trust you, Mom, but…”

  “But what?” the irritation returned. “Suddenly you’re too high and mighty to tell me anything?”

  Lane bristled, knowing that was not it at all, but she turned her head and stared out into the world as the streets faded away to trees, and they made their way toward the lonely house in which she had been raised.

  “Mom, I can’t tell you what happened in there. I’m sorry.”

  There was an uncharacteristic firmness in Lane. In this case, she wouldn’t be swayed.

  “So how am I supposed to destroy the Council if you won’t tell me anything?” Julia asked after a long moment of silence. They were already pulling up to their cottage, but when she stopped the car, she made no move to exit.

  Lane didn’t miss the “I” reference.

  It’s always been her own plan to bring down the Council of Seven. I’ve never had any say in this. I’m not even sure I want to do this.

  Up until those last few hours, the reality had never hit
Lane. Suddenly, though, it was all in her face, and she was in the middle of a plan she didn’t claim to understand.

  “Lane, be reasonable.” Again, Julia’s mood switched to placating, and she stared at her daughter with worried eyes. “I’m trying to do good work through you, but you need to help me here.”

  Lane believed her mother thought she was doing the right thing, whatever she had planned, but that didn’t discount from the fact that she was now officially torn between telling her what had happened and keeping her mouth shut as she had promised to do.

  Not to mention there’s Henry to consider now.

  The mere thought of the vampire regent who had talked her down from making what would undoubtedly have been a fatal mistake was enough to send shivers through her body. Lane told herself she was being crazy, reacting to him in such a way, that he was the first being to ever really show her any kindness outside of her mother, and that was why she felt so drawn to him. But it was so much more than that.

  “Lane, you’re not even listening!” Julia growled in exasperation, wrenching the keys out of the ignition. “Fine. If you need to rest, go, but we’re not done here.”

  “Okay.” Lane slipped out of the car before her mother could change her mind and hurried toward the front door of the cottage, her heart hammering as she moved. I need to sleep, and when I wake up, I’ll have my head on a bit straighter.

  There was a lot to process, after all, and when Lane lay on her single bed, staring up at the ceiling, she thought about the rituals which had kept her with the Council until five o’clock in the morning.

  None of it really made sense to her when she considered the chanting and vows she had taken, but she had not questioned any of it, knowing that she was lucky to have been given a second chance after what had happened. She didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  And all the while, Henry had been there, smiling reassuringly.

  Does he feel what I feel, or is he just being kind to the new kid?

  She had no way of knowing. It wasn’t like Lane had any previous knowledge about any of the members of the Council. It just seemed to her that Henry was the only one who didn’t seem to openly loathe her.