by Kimber White
Mount Shasta was a volcano too. Maybe that’s what reminded me. But, the place held echoes of a similar magic. Maybe one of the other dragon houses had called this place home eons ago. If my mother knew, she wasn’t telling. She held some secrets even from us.
Could I risk a shift? My dragon burned fierce. The better question was whether I could risk not shifting. As soon as I’d made my mind up, I hurried toward the edge of town. Just one flight up the coast and back. It was all I needed. Then maybe I could clear my head and focus on what I was doing here.
I made it as far as the marked trails on the north side of town. The air sizzled and my breath caught. I wasn’t alone.
“You lied to me!”
Gemma seemed to come out of nowhere. She blocked my path, arms crossed, her eyes blazing white heat. I took in every detail of her. Her blonde hair whipped around her face, though the wind was still. She dressed simply, in faded jeans with frayed holes at the knees. Her black t-shirt had gold, glittery lettering that read “Durness Gifts.” She was barefoot again with neatly painted red toenails.
“I what?” I asked.
“You lied to me. You weren’t just out for some hike the other day. What the hell was that in there? What are you trying to do?”
I couldn’t help but smile. She was so damn sexy like this, all fire and fury. It was dangerous though. She seemed unaware of the crackling energy around her. Around me.
“I didn’t lie to you. I don’t remember even getting the chance to tell you who I was.”
“Would you have?” she asked.
“What difference does that make?
She made a move, grabbing me by the arm. She pulled me, leading me off the trail and into the dense part of the woods. She was worried about being seen. I went with her, curious as hell about what she’d planned. A deep, dark thrum of electricity went through me at her touch. Then, Gemma whirled around to face me.
“It makes all the difference. You’re up to something. I know it. I can feel it.”
I took a step toward her, testing the boundaries of her power. She was a whirlwind of energy. But, it was unfocused. Sparks crackled from her fingertips. She crossed her arms in front of her again. I took a chance, putting a light hand on her upper arm. She was sinfully hot and the energy within her gathered strength. Her mouth dropped open. It seemed even she was startled by what was happening inside of her.
“What are you?” she asked. She’d been asking me that since she first saw me. God, I wanted to tell her. Primal instinct surged within me. Couldn’t she feel it already? She knew her nature called to mine. But, I could never forget what she was. I could never let my guard down.
“I’m what I said I was,” I answered. “Back there. I told you we have mutual interests. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said, lifting her chin in defiance. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. It’s you who should be afraid of me.”
“Oh, I think I have some clue,” I said, smiling. “It pours off of you. You’re filled with fire. You need to be careful with it, though. I think you’re not as strong as you like to pretend.”
She pushed me back, letting a bit of her flame shoot from her fingertips. It stung at first, then a scintillating warmth spread through me. Oh, God. I craved more. I craved her. I was wrong. She was far stronger than I first thought. I wanted to explore it. I wanted to coax her magic out of her and join it with mine. Fire on fire.
Something was wrong. Gemma’s eyes went black for an instant. She doubled over as if she’d lost her breath.
“No,” she whispered. “Not again. You shouldn’t be here. You should run.”
Her magic was out of control. I felt the scales spring up along my spine. Her energy summoned my dragon. If I shifted here, right in front of her, I couldn’t be sure my cloaking spell would work. She was too close.
I felt a pull. Her magic charged the air. It reached for me. Without thinking, I went to her. I put my hands on her upper arms and locked eyes with her. I let a little of my dragon out. Nothing she could see. My fingers turned to talons. If her own eyes were in focus, she would have seen the swirling fire in mine. She didn’t though. She threw her head back and let out a moan of pleasure that shot heat straight to my groin. Oh, God. I wanted. I craved.
Behind my eyes, we were in a vortex of fire. Gemma careened out of control. I grabbed hold of her and brought her back. I don’t know how I did it. I was usually the one spinning. But somehow, my touch anchored her. Her eyes snapped open. They’d dimmed to their normal amber. Just a tiny spark of flame lit behind them.
She got her breath back. She got her feet under her. Then, she stepped out of my embrace and the air went cold between us.
“What...what was that?”
“Gemma…”
“No,” she gasped. “You did something. You can’t…”
“Gemma,” I said. “You need help.” The moment the words came out, I realized how true they were. I should know. I’d spent the last few decades trying to keep my magic from spiraling out of control. It got worse each day. Until… until I met Gemma.
“No,” she said. “I need to get the hell away from you.”
She was so startled, she hadn’t even realized yet that my touch had brought her under control. I stepped back, afraid another touch from me would throw her off kilter again.
Her breasts heaved. Her lips parted. I felt desire spooling off of her.
“I...I can’t...I have to go.”
Then, she whipped past me, her blonde hair trailing behind her as she bolted toward town.
Chapter Six
Gemma
My heart raced. I couldn’t keep my hands from trembling. Delia sat where she always did, in the big high-backed chair in the corner of the store, knitting. She kept one eye on me.
“It’s not working, is it?” she finally said, setting her needles on the table beside her.
I tried to busy myself straightening one of the shelves. “Well, I don’t know about the rest of them, but I know this land sale is a bad thing.”
“Gemma,” Delia said. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. You don’t look well. You’re sweating. Your face is pale. And don’t think I didn’t see you set fire to that receipt book a few minutes ago.”
I found a smile for Delia and let out a slow breath. I had to get myself under control. I trusted Delia to keep my secrets, but even she would be duty-bound to tell the Five if she suspected something was seriously wrong with me.
“He’s cute though, huh?” she said. The question took me aback. She had a little glint in her eye and I couldn’t help but laugh. Delia Bradbury was eighty-five, not dead.
“He’s arrogant,” I said. Since the meeting yesterday, I’d done some homework. The Brandhart family was just what Paula said they were. Based mainly in Chicago, they were a family of real estate moguls and philanthropists. Five brothers, all just as good-looking as Finn. And nothing I’d seen online explained what the hell he was doing poking around coven lands in northern California.
“They usually are,” Delia sighed. I was torn. Should I confide in her about what I suspected? Finn had magic of his own. He wasn’t a mage. He had no connection to the Source like we did. I would have been able to sense that. There was something, though. Something powerful and hot. Or, maybe it was just my own magic failing me. Making me feel things that weren’t really there. Whatever it was, it was getting damn dangerous.
“We have to do something,” I said. “I just don’t know what.”
“You’re right about that. Any idea what?”
“I was hoping you’d have some idea, Delia.”
She flapped her hand. “I’m done with that kind of stuff, honey. You know that. I’m retired.”
Delia had been the longest-serving member of the Five before Paula was voted in. She’d been like a grandmother to me. Every member of the Five was like family to me in their own way. I’d lost my own when I was six years old. They
’d all taken me in. I lived with the Landrys for the first few years, then Timothy Jakes and his wife, Nancy. I stayed with Miles for a time and then the Bishops. For the last four years, it had been Delia and me living above the shop. I’d used my parents’ life insurance money to buy it from her and ran it now myself.
“Well, I still think your input would be welcome,” I said. “They’re closing on the land deal soon. If anything’s to be done, it needs to be now.”
“Too many cooks in the kitchen,” she said. “You kids can figure this all out.”
No sooner had she said it before the bell chimed on the door and Paula, Timothy, Miles, and Benny charged in. Paula’s son Jonas held the door open for them. He shot me a sheepish grin that didn’t settle my nerves one bit. His look said, “I’m sorry. I tried.”
“Let’s go in the back,” Miles said. It was a command, not a question.
Jonas got to me. He’d been like a big brother to me over the years. Exactly ten years older, he’d looked out for me when I started grade school, walking me to my first class. A lot of kids heard rumors about me after my parents died, and Jonas had been there to keep them from saying anything hurtful. They did anyway, later, but it helped to have someone on my side.
“You coming too?” Jonas was also a paralegal working for a large firm in Sacramento. He’d been Paula’s first call when we got the news about the impending sale.
“He’s coming,” Miles answered. Jonas looked miserable. His expression told me everything I needed to know.
We filed into the back and sat around the table. “Well, tell them,” Benny said to Jonas.
“I had one of the lawyers look over the contracts,” Jonas said. “The county may be in breach for not honoring your right of first refusal. But, it’s sketchy. You’re not incorporated. You’re not an official legal entity and the language is vague. They’re going to argue that there was ambiguity about how to actually effect notice. And, a right of first refusal doesn’t mean you can block a sale to a third party. Just that you’d have the right to make the first offer for the land. And the county was free to reject it. The Brandharts are putting up five million dollars for that property. Cash. Even if the county had dotted all their I’s, you can’t tell me you could match that kind of money.”
“So there’s nothing,” Paula said. “You think we’d lose if we took them to court?”
“I do,” Jonas said. “I mean, you could try getting an injunction to stall the sale until a judge could take a look at all this, but that costs money you don’t have. And you can be sure the Brandharts prepared for that. They’ve probably got their objections already written and their lawyers standing by.”
“This is bullshit,” Miles yelled, slamming his fist against the table. “Utter bullshit. I cannot believe Bob Stiles sold us all out like this. This is what comes from having non-coven folk in positions of power around here. I told you we’d rue the day we let our guard down on that.”
“It’s legal, Miles,” Benny said. “That’s what the boy is saying. If you want to be angry with someone, be angry with whoever set up these conditions in the first place. The coven should have bought up that land over the years.”
“With what?” Miles threw up his hand. “It’s about money now. That was never how it was in the old days. There was honor. Tradition.”
“Well,” Paula said. “We can’t just sit by and let this happen. We have to do something.”
Jonas caught my eye. He looked just like his father. Tall, wiry, with an unruly mass of sandy-blond hair. Nick Landry had passed away a few years ago in a car accident.
“You better go now, son,” Miles said.
“I’m sorry...I…”
Miles’s face hardened. Never mind me having trouble controlling my fire. Miles looked ready to explode. Jonas swallowed hard then excused himself from the room. Him being here for even this much was dangerous. No one in the coven was supposed to know who every member of the Five was. But, of course, it was the worst kept secret in town.
“All right,” Benny said as soon as Jonas exited. “I think we know what we have to decide.”
The room grew quiet. I gripped the edge of the table, feeling feverish. Just being in the same room with all of them was having a disastrous effect on my nerves. I needed to go out to the woods, and soon. The woods. The very land that Finn Brandhart was trying to take away from us.
“I don’t trust this guy,” Paula said. “Not for a minute. We’ve been screwed over, and I have to believe there’s dark magic involved.”
“You don’t know that,” Timothy said. “Not for sure. Did anyone manage to get a read on this Finn Brandhart fellow? Sense any magic we don’t recognize?”
My throat ran dry. I felt split in two. I knew I should speak up. Yes. God, yes. I’d sensed magic I didn’t recognize. Only, I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t all just a byproduct of my own powers going haywire. What was I supposed to say? How could I admit that I’d blasted the guy with a firebolt two days ago in the same woods we were in danger of losing? Then, they’d know how bad things had gotten for me. Never mind being a member of the Council. Any witch who couldn’t control her powers could be banished or worse.
“No,” Miles said. “There’s something off about him though. I’m sure of it. Can’t put my finger on it. He read sorta tiger to me at first. He’s not though. He doesn’t have that smell.”
“He could be casting a cloaking spell,” I blurted. Never mind my magic, I didn’t seem able to control my mouth.
“If he is,” Benny said, “it’s stronger than anything we’ve seen. He was in the room with all five of us and we can’t figure it out for sure.”
“So it’s dark,” Paula said. “Can we at least be sure of that? I mean...chances are.”
“We should consult with Delia,” I said. “She knows more about dark covens than anyone because she’s been around the longest.”
“She’s not one of us anymore,” Miles said. “Much as I love the old bird, you know the rules. Only the Five have the power to…”
“To what?” I asked. “I mean, what are we really discussing here? Jonas made it pretty clear there’s no viable legal way to stop the Brandharts from buying that land. Your even calling this meeting is irresponsible if you ask me.”
To their credit, Benny, Timothy, Miles, and Paula looked downright miserable. But, not one of them challenged what I said.
“It’s our land,” Miles said. “We have to protect it.”
“How?” I asked. “You tell me.”
“Dammit, Gemma, you’re a kid. You’re a prodigy, I get that. Strongest fire mage in a thousand years. And you’re a Hayes. The last of your kind and all that. But, you’re still a kid. Too young to really serve on…”
“Stop!” Paula interjected. “Miles, I mean it. You just stop that train of thought right now. Gemma earned her place at this table and we don’t need to rehash why. She’s lost more than any of us. And we all took an oath to protect her. She has a voice. She has a vote. Same as you.”
My breath caught. There was nothing Miles said I hadn’t heard before. I’d taken my place among the Five when I was six years old the morning after my parents died. The last of my kind and all that.
“You act like it’s an honor for me,” I said, my voice cold and bitter. “Really, Miles? You think I wouldn’t give up my seat in a heartbeat if it meant I could have my parents back? Even one of them? I didn’t ask to sit here. I had no choice. But, as long as I am sitting here, I will use my voice and my vote. You called this meeting because you’re thinking of using magic to try and stop this land sale. And I can’t think of a single spell that would accomplish that goal without using dark powers.”
“We wouldn’t hurt the man,” Benny said. “No one is suggesting that. But, perhaps we can plant a seed. Make it so he changes his mind about the desirability of that land.”
My head hurt just thinking about what he was suggesting. “Mind control? Really? Good lord, that’s probably worse than just trying
to kill him.”
“Whoa!” Timothy, Paula, and Benny shouted together.
“Gemma,” Paula said. “We would never ask you to be party to something like that. It’s not what we’re about. But, you have to understand. We must protect those lands from interference from outsiders. It’s our connection to the Source that’s at stake. We have to be free to roam that forest free from prying eyes. And if the Brandhart family plans to deforest any part of it to put up condos or golf courses or whatever he’s thinking, it’s akin to them cutting our hearts out.”
“The ends justify the means,” Miles said. “I don’t like it. Never said I did. But, we’ve got to try and stop it.”
“By using dark magic,” I said. “That’s your plan?”
“Yes!” Miles shouted. “I said I don’t like it. But we don’t have a choice, little girl.”
I wanted to rip his face off. Of all the condescending things he could have said.
“We’re done here,” I said. “I vote no. I won’t do it.” I rose. The rest of them stared at me slack-jawed, but there was nothing more for me to say.
I ran from the room. Delia gave me a knowing glance. I was afraid to ask her whether she was on my side or not. I felt torn in two.
They were right. We had to fight for the forest. To the extent Finn Brandhart meant to take it from us, he was our enemy. And yet, I felt a pull toward him I couldn’t explain. Somewhere deep inside, I knew he wasn’t some dark mage. And if he was, what the Five were planning was an act of war. We’d nearly lost the last one. My parents had been casualties.
“He’s staying at the Harris House,” Delia said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“What?” I turned.
God bless Delia Bradbury. She shot me a knowing smile. Though she’d never violate coven law and eavesdrop on a council meeting, she was wiser than all of us.
“You heard me,” she said. “And I hope you know what you’re doing.”