by Juniper Hart
“Do you know what your grandmother did before she died?” he asked her gently. The blank look on Lane’s face told him that she didn’t. “She enacted a spell that would ensure that all of us who had not found our mates would find them.”
A slow understanding spread over Lane’s face, and she tinged pink. “You think I’m your mate?”
“You don’t?”
She tried to look away, but again, Henry caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, moving her head toward him.
“I don’t know,” she moaned. “I have no idea about anything! Can’t you see how bad I am at life? How can I possibly be on the Council if I don’t know anything?”
“Your grandmother named you as her successor,” Henry said, “and one day, you’ll name your successor, too. I had a lot of faith in Miriam, none more so than I do right now as I stare into your face. I know you’re my mate, but I understand why you’re uneasy.”
Lane’s chin quivered slightly as she searched his face, the hope in her irises transparent. She wanted to believe him. She felt exactly as he did, he was sure, but she couldn’t be forced into his arms. Although Henry wouldn’t push her, he admitted to himself that he was impatient. They were losing time with each breath she took.
“Lane, it’s going to be okay. I’m here, and the Council will help you through as well.”
She snorted derisively.
“They hate me,” she replied. “I can see it in their faces.”
“You’ll come to understand that we need to put on a united front. We can’t look weak, or everything will dissolve into chaos.”
“Do you really believe that?” Lane demanded. “You think that the Council is the end all and be all? That without it, the Enchanted would fade away into nothingness?”
“No,” Henry responded. “The Enchanted will continue to thrive, with or without the Council, but there will be anarchy without someone to govern.”
“Not everyone believes that.”
A fission of alarm coursed through Henry, and his eyes became slits.
“Like your mother?” he asked quietly. Lane jerked back and shook her head.
“No, no, I… I didn’t mean my mother,” she muttered, but the words seemed to catch in her throat.
“Then who did you mean? I thought Julia was the only person you saw regularly.”
“I read Enchanted history. I know that there have been others who have tried to see you overthrown.”
“First of all,” Henry said slowly, reaching for her hand. “Any attempts have failed miserably. We are the most powerful of all the Enchanted, which is why we hold the spot on the Council. Theo and Landon are Alphas. Alec is a Prince. Raven is a five-generation pureblood demon. I am the Vampire Regent, and while Laurel is a fairy, I’ve seen her fight, and I have to say, she’s pretty badass. And you…” He paused. “Well, you are an Aldwin. One will always sit on the Council because your bloodline traces back to Alaric, who, as you know, created us all. We can’t be beaten, and we won’t. A few rogue crazies are easily overthrown. The majority know we exist to maintain the peace.”
“You said, ‘first of all,’” Lane reminded him, “implying that there’s a ‘second of all.’”
“Ah, well, yes. Second of all, you are one of us now. The Council is you, and you are the Council. If anyone tries to overthrow us, they are coming after you, too.”
“What does that mean?” Lane asked slowly.
“It means you have the full backing of the most powerful of the Enchanted. Nothing is going to happen to any of us.”
Their eyes locked, and Lane nodded.
“All right.”
“I’m going to kiss you again,” Henry told her. “Because I’ve been holding back since we got here.” He didn’t wait for an answer and swooped in to taste her lips, a wave of heat overcoming him as he did.
It’s not good for a vampire to be so warm, he thought, his tongue grazing the tip of Lane’s. She gasped slightly at the feeling, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she stepped closer into him, their bodies melding together. Her tight, small curves nestled against his muscles as his arms encircled her waist.
Lane pulled her face back slightly, and his lips trailed along the soft skin of her cheek, inhaling the scent of her innocence deeply. Henry willed himself not to think, his focus solely on the lines of her body, his mouth exploring the swell of her bosom.
“Henry,” Lane whispered nervously. “I…”
He stopped and looked up at her face, sensing her hesitation.
“What is it?” he murmured.
“I… don’t think we should…”
Instantly, he raised his head toward hers.
“I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to do,” he promised. “You don’t need to be wary of me. I’m your protector, not your enemy.”
“I w—”
“What the hell is this?”
The door smashed against the wall so hard, Henry was sure it made a dent, and he stepped out of Lane’s embrace as she hastily straightened her dress.
“Hello, Julia,” he sighed. “I’m glad you’re home.”
8
“You’re glad I’m— Get the hell out of my house!” Julia screamed, stalking toward them, fury in her eyes. “How dare you try to seduce my daughter!”
“Mom, he wasn’t trying to seduce me!” Lane cried, stepping between her mother and Henry.
“Oh, no?” Julia spat. “It looks like you waited for me to go to work so you could sneak a man in here. Or am I wrong?”
“You’re wrong,” Henry said flatly. “We’re here to have a civilized discussion with you. Sit down.”
“You may be a part of the Seven, Mr. Brandis, but you’re in no position to tell me what to do in my own house. Get out!”
“If I leave, Julia, you’ll be brought before the Council. Is that what you want?”
Lane felt her blood run cold, and she stared at Henry in disbelief.
Why would you threaten her with that? she demanded silently. You promised!
Henry either didn’t hear or ignored her thoughts and kept his blue gaze steadily on Julia, who, in turn, stared at her daughter.
“This is how you repay me for keeping you safe all these years?” she demanded. “After all I’ve done for you?”
“Mom, I didn’t—”
“Save the theatrics, Julia, and sit down. We need to discuss Lane’s future.”
“And if I don’t oblige, I’ll be brought up in front of the Council?”
“No!” Lane yelled.
“Yes,” Henry answered simultaneously, a flatness to his voice, and Lane wondered if he meant it. Julia obviously believed him and sat down on the sofa, glaring at them.
“Well?” Lane was sure she had never seen her mother so angry, the daggers in her eyes reserved for her daughter.
“Lane needs more exposure to the world.”
Julia’s face was so purple, Lane worried she might be having a stroke.
“You went crying to the Council?” Julia choked in shock. “You can’t be serious!”
“I didn’t!” Lane insisted. Henry shook his head.
“Did you think we wouldn’t learn how sheltered she’s been?” he growled. “Obviously we do our due diligence on the Seven.”
“And yet you brought her onto the Council without any qualms,” Julia shot back. “And here you are, demanding that I upset my daughter’s life, and for what? So you can have your way with her?”
Lane blushed furiously at the implication, her cheeks burning. “That’s not it, Mom!”
“You stay out of this, Lane. So what do you propose, Mr. Brandis? Are you going to set her up in some apartment, keep her as your mistress? Ensure that she’s always backing your motions in Council? Is that your plan?”
Lane could sense the anger rising in Henry, and she desperately wanted to diffuse the fury before it escalated, but she couldn’t think of a thing to say to make it better.
“You’ve got a very warped mind,
even for a witch,” Henry said.
“Well,” Julia snickered. “I am an Aldwin, and you know what we’re capable of.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me, Julia?”
“I wouldn’t be that stupid. After all, I know what you and the rest of the Seven will do to innocent children. I rather like my life, and I intend to be around for my daughter.”
They glared at one another as Lane stood helplessly, unsure of what to do.
“If you care about Lane, Julia, you’ll let her go,” Henry stated. “She can stay here with you, but at the very least, she needs a job. She needs exposure, something that you can’t give her and haven’t given her.”
“One day, Mr. Brandis,” Julia replied, “maybe you’ll be a parent, and you’ll understand that we’ll do anything to protect our children.”
“Hiding Lane away isn’t protecting her, especially not now,” Henry countered. “And if you can’t see that, I don’t know how else to explain it to you.”
Suddenly, there was a shift in Julia’s face, and she hung her head.
“You’re right,” the older Aldwin said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Henry seemed just as surprised as Lane felt, and they exchanged a look of confusion.
“Mom?”
“He’s right, Laney,” Julia repeated. “I haven’t been fair with you. Maybe it was my fear of you being hurt all these years, or maybe I’m just afraid of being alone, but what he’s saying is true. I shouldn’t have kept you all this time. You’re not immortal, after all. I had no right.”
Lane felt a prickle of alarm in her, but she carefully steered her thoughts away from what she was thinking.
“But I would like to keep her with me, Mr. Brandis,” Julia said to Henry, “if that’s all the same to you. I’ll help her find a job, teach her to drive so she can get there, but I’d rather she stayed home. She’s all I have left.”
“I have an idea for a job,” Henry said, and Lane looked at him in surprise. They hadn’t discussed any such thing.
“Working in your law firm, no doubt?”
There it is, Lane thought before she could stop herself, but Henry didn’t pick up on the bitterness that Lane seemed to detect in her mother.
“In fact, yes,” Henry replied. “I could use a receptionist, and I think Lane would do well working at Brandis, Carter and Ross.”
“I don’t know anything about being a receptionist,” Lane choked. “I…” She had never even answered a phone in her life.
“You’ll learn,” Henry said brightly, winking at her. “We’ll work out the details. I’ll have a driver pick you up tomorrow morning, all right?”
He waited for her to agree, but Lane’s mind was exploding.
You need a job, he told her silently. What’s the harm?
She met his gaze and nodded slowly, ignoring the inquisitive look her mother shot her.
“Well, then I guess it’s settled,” Julia said crisply. “Maybe we can finally move out of this hovel into a new place with all the money Lane will be bringing in.”
Lane was stunned by her mother’s words. Julia had always claimed to love their little home. The idea of moving anywhere else was strange to her.
“Great. We’re in consensus,” Henry said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Lane.” He moved toward the door, and Lane was left to gape at her mother. “Good night, ladies.”
“Good night,” they mumbled in chorus.
The moment Henry exited, Lane turned to her mother.
“What was that all about?” she asked. Julia snorted.
“Why don’t you tell me? Was this your plan? To gang up on me and force me to bend to your will? They’re already affecting you with their ways, and you haven’t even been on the Council for a day.”
“Mom, you have to admit—”
“I admit nothing!” Julia’s voice was like whiplash. “Why would you bring that beast here? He’s a vampire, no less. Are you hoping he’ll turn you?”
Lane blinked. It hadn’t even occurred to her, but the idea did give her a fission of excitement to consider.
“No,” she muttered. “Of course not. He can’t, can he?”
It didn’t make sense to think he could—all the witches would be immortal if that was a possibility.
“No, he can’t!” Julia snarled. “Why is he here?”
“He just came to talk to you, Mom,” Lane lied.
“Or did you send for him somehow?”
“How?” she insisted. “I have no way of contacting him!”
“Maybe you became friends at the ceremony. How do I know?” Julia glowered at her daughter.
“Mom, if you’re so against this, then why did you agree so readily?”
“Because,” she replied slowly. “If he wants you so badly, that’s good for us. You just have to ensure that you don’t do anything stupid like fall in love with him.”
“What?”
“You heard me. It’ll be good to have you close to one of them. Henry Brandis is friendly with the whole lot. If you can get in with him, you can get in with all of them. He’s a good start. You’ll find his weakness, and the rest will fall.”
“Oh, Mom, I don’t think I can still do that.”
Julia’s head whipped around. “And why not?”
“Because…” Lane stammered. “Because…”
“Because you already like him, don’t you?” Julia exhaled in a hot whoosh of air and shook her head gravely. “You can’t pursue those feelings, Lane. I shouldn’t have to explain to you again how dangerous the Council is.”
“I understand, Mom,” Lane said quickly, but she moved her eyes away, unwilling to look at her mother in the face.
“Lane, I’m serious. I don’t know what lies he told you, but they aren’t so. I know these beings much better than you do, and I know they would sell out their own mothers. Will you be like them?”
“Mom, I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Your mouth says that, but your eyes tell me differently.”
“Mom, I would never—”
“I guess time will tell, won’t it?” Julia sighed angrily, turning away. “I get the feeling you’re lying to me, but if you choose to be destroyed by the Seven, I guess there’s nothing I can do to stop it, is there?”
Lane watched miserably as her mother walked toward the kitchen. She could see the weariness in Julia’s walk.
What am I doing? she asked herself. Mom is right—I don’t know anything about anything. I just let the first guy who showed me any attention sweep me off my feet. I’m too naïve to go out into the world.
“Mom,” she called, hurrying after Julia. “Tell me what to do.”
“I told you what to do,” Julia retorted, collapsing into a worn wooden chair. Lane immediately went to fix her a tea, a tradition she did every night when Julia returned home from her shift.
“You want me to work for Henry and get close to him.”
“Yes, but not to your detriment. Do you think you can handle that?”
Lane thought of the way Henry’s kiss had set her body on fire, the feel of his hands around her waist.
Does he really believe I’m his mate, or did he say that because he’s trying to get me in bed?
In her heart, Lane didn’t believe the latter was true. They were in each other’s heads, reading one another’s thoughts.
“I knew it,” Julia growled. “You can’t handle this at all. You’re going to get caught up in the glitz and glamor of being one of the Seven!”
Lane hadn’t realized there was any glitz and glamor associated with being one of the Seven, but she didn’t share her thoughts with her mother.
“I can do this,” she replied slowly. The words pained her to say aloud. Even though she didn’t know Henry, the idea of betraying him did not fill her with glee. I’ll just tell Mom what she wants to hear, but I won’t do anything—to him or the others.
Julia’s face relaxed, and she offered Lane a small smile as the k
ettle began to whistle.
“You’re a good girl, Lane. I knew you wouldn’t deceive me, deep down. Forgive me for being so cynical.”
Relieved that she was being let off the hook, Lane hurried back toward the stove and removed the kettle from the stove, pouring it into the waiting cup on the counter.
“You’ll go in tomorrow. Get to know him well, and—” Julia stopped speaking abruptly and cocked her head to the side. “What is that noise?” she demanded. Lane heard it, too. Her brow crunched as she shook her head, and they followed the sound into the hallway leading to her bedroom.
“It’s coming from your room.”
Dread suddenly seized Lane as she realized what it was she was hearing.
“Oh!” she gasped, but before she could think of a suitable reason to stay out of her bedroom, Julia had entered and frozen.
“What is this?” she hissed, snatching the cell phone Lane had forgotten on her bed earlier in the day. “Who gave you this?”
“The Council,” Lane choked. “It’s standard issue. Everyone has one.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me about it?” Julia spat. She threw the iPhone at her daughter. “I guess I know whose side you’re on!”
The phone had stopped ringing, and Lane looked at it helplessly.
“You better call Henry back,” Julia said sarcastically. “I’m sure it’s a Council matter for him to be calling you on that phone.”
Lane sank down onto the bed as her mother stormed from the bedroom, slamming the door in her wake.
I can’t do this, she thought again, hanging her head. I can’t play both sides. I haven’t even started and I’m already going crazy.
The only question was, who was going to get her loyalty? Henry or her mother?
9
Henry had forgotten about his promise to join Raven and Drake for drinks until he was leaving the Aldwin cottage and his personal cell started ringing.
“We’re at O’Malley’s. You better not stand us up again. I’ve had a hell of a day,” Raven told him by way of a greeting.
“I’m not standing you up,” he promised, even though he wanted nothing more than to return to his penthouse in the city and catch a few hours of shut-eye. The late afternoon sun had faded away into twilight, and while it wasn’t his usual time to sleep, the exhaustion of the last couple days had caught up with him.