Edge of Darkness

by Cherry Adair

  “I do.”

  “Very well, then sign and date the terms and conditions on the last page.” Lark’s sigh echoed around the room.

  Serena took the pen hovering beside the document, waiting as the pages flipped one over the next until the last page was exposed.

  Duncan had no idea what the terms and conditions were. But he was damn sure they wouldn’t be pleasant. “Don’t.”

  Serena signed her name with a flourish. The blue glow vanished and in its place hovered the gleaming Medallion of Office, hanging from its intricate and heavy silver chain.

  Duncan sucked in a breath. Jesus Christ. He’d wanted this for so long he couldn’t remember not wanting it. So for Serena to give this up…the concept boggled his mind. “Are you su—”

  Serena stood on her toes and brushed a kiss to his mouth. “I’ll always love you, Duncan Edge,” she whispered as she raised the heavy silver links. “Bow your head.”

  He did, feeling the ridiculous urge to drop to his knees before her as she settled the chain around his neck.

  Duncan’s heart knocked hard as a tidal wave of euphoria tore through him. Power as old as time rocketed through his veins. The sensation of peace, of overwhelming humanity surged through his body. He’d never experienced anything like it.

  The smooth links of the chain felt cool around his neck, and with the Medallion resting heavily in the middle of his chest, he raised his head.

  “I—”

  Serena was gone.

  Cold flooded after the fire in his body. “Where,” he said, ice in his voice, “is she?”

  “Since she is now defenseless,” Lark’s voice held a hint of reproach, “we’ve sent her to Edridge Castle for protection until you’ve resolved your conflict with Trey Culver.”

  He deliberately slowed his racing heart, controlling the heat of his anger. “You know about Culver? Wait a damn minute. What do you mean Serena is defenseless? She’s the least defenseless person I know.”

  “She’s been rendered powerless, Duncan,” Lark said quietly. “By giving up the Medallion, Serena has been stripped of all her powers.”

  “Bullshit! Since when has relinquishing a position on the Council meant losing one’s powers? What kind of crap is this?”

  “You’ll have to ask Serena—”

  “Oh no you don’t! I want answers, damn you, and I’ll take them now.” He strode toward the empty desk, glaring into the darkness beyond, ready to jump the furniture to get to the Elders who seemed to have all the goddamned answers.

  “The Medallion you wear was originally a piece of jewelry,” Lark said from the darkness.

  Duncan waited.

  “The necklace returned by Nairne to Magnus five hundred years ago was melted down, and given to the Elders centuries ago.”

  “So?” Fucking what? he wanted to add, even while a cold trickle of foreboding slithered down his back. He didn’t give a flying duck what the hell the Medallion was made out of. It was the symbolism of the elaborate piece that he wanted.

  “Serena broke a promise by gifting it to you.”

  “What kind of promise?” Duncan braced his fists on the desk, peering into the veil of blackness beyond. “And to whom?”

  “Those are Serena’s questions to answer. For now, all you need to know is that she is no longer a wizard. Whoa,” she snapped as he started to shimmer. “Hang on just a sec, Hot Edge. When you get to the Castle, ask Gabriel and Caleb if they, too, have received a gift.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Duncan didn’t give a shit if his brothers had received presents or not, all he cared about was Serena. Once he’d talked to her, he’d go to deal with Culver. Once and for all.

  Serena basked in a shaft of sunlight in the beautiful sunroom of Duncan’s ancestral home. The flower- and plant-filled room overlooked a small jewel of a lake. But while the view and her surroundings were lovely, she was impatient to speak to Gabriel, and let him know what Duncan had planned.

  MacBain, Gabriel’s ancient butler, shuffled over to the cloth-draped table. “Ye’ll be wantin’ a bit of a warm up on that tea then, Miss Serena.”

  “No thanks, MacBain, I’m fine—Okay. Sure.” She smiled as the old man poured yet another cup of tea. “Will Gabriel be down soon?” She’d been here for over an hour and had consumed five cups of tea already. She was too preoccupied about Duncan and Trey to really think about her loss of power. She was sure the loss would eventually have a deep impact on her, but Duncan being safe was the best balm in the world.

  “Oh, aye. He’ll be down in a trice. We’ve had a spot of bother today, and he has to put some affairs in order.” The old man lowered himself carefully into the wrought iron chair opposite Serena and pulled forward another cup. Wrapping his gnarled fingers around the handle of the teapot, he poured himself a cup, then added milk and six spoons of sugar.

  “Ye’re the one for Master Duncan then, are ye, lass?” He lifted the cup to his mouth with both hands and drank, his rheumy eyes watching her over the gold rim.

  “He’s Cursed.” Serena figured this old guy must know everything about “his three boys,” as he’d called the Edge brothers earlier. He hadn’t been surprised to come across a strange woman wandering the entry hall of the castle without an escort. He’d shuffled her into the sunroom and plied her with tea and questions.

  For some reason Serena had found herself telling MacBain far more than she would normally ever tell a stranger.

  “Well, there is that,” he agreed, eyeing a plate of frosted cookies with a gleam in his eye. “That bloody Curse has been around for five hundred years now.” He selected a cookie with blue frosting. “Time for it to end, don’t ye think, lass?” He gave her a sly look.

  “If you know your ‘boys’ as well as you say you do, then you know Gabriel doesn’t care if it ends. Never has. Caleb pretends the Curse doesn’t exist. And Duncan doesn’t want the Curse to end.” MacBain’s snowy hair caught the sunlight as he tilted his head.

  “We don’t always know what’s good and right for us, though, do we now?”

  “If the Curse ended and Duncan lost his powers, he’d be devastated.”

  “And ye, lass? Are ye devastated by your loss of powers?”

  “I haven’t had enough time without them to know for sure,” she told him truthfully. Right now she was more concerned about Duncan’s powers. Had the Curse been broken when she’d freely given him the Medallion made from Nairne’s necklace? Was that act alone enough to break such a powerful curse? She didn’t know. And if it was broken, she thought with a frown, had he lost his powers or had they remained unaffected? Not knowing was making her crazy.

  “I probably will miss the sheer convenience of having powers,” she told MacBain absently. “But I don’t think not having them will impact me personally. Duncan, however, believes that he’s defined by his powers. So if he were to lose his, I think he’d be devastated.” If he was no longer a wizard, the wizard Medallion wasn’t going to help him. It could only amp up the power of a full, level-one or -two wizard.

  His very life depended on him not losing his original powers if, and when, the Curse was broken.

  “And would ye be lost without him?”

  She already felt as though someone had ripped out her heart with a dull instrument. “Devastated. But I always knew he was just on loan to me.”

  “Yet ye gave the lad the Medallion, knowing its history. Knowing its power?”

  Serena looked at him, narrow eyed. “How do you know the history and the Medallion’s power?”

  “‘Only freely given will this curse be done.’ ” MacBain lifted his cup and sipped his tea.

  “Quoting a line of the Curse doesn’t answer my question.”

  “The Master Wizard’s Medallion is made from Nairne’s necklace. And ye gave it freely, did ye not?” He picked up a green frosted cookie. “Perhaps Gabriel and Caleb also received gifts of jewelry freely given.” He bit into the cookie, his eyes alight as he chewed.

  Had Duncan’s brot
hers been given the other two pieces of jewelry by their Lifemates?

  MacBain gave her an innocent glance from wise, wise eyes. Obviously he wasn’t going to tell her how he kn—Yes. Gabriel and Caleb had been given the other two pieces. “The Curse is broken?!” Serena sat forward, heart pounding. “Is that it? Is the Curse broken?”

  He wiped his hands carefully on a starched, pale green linen napkin. “Tsk. Tsk. Now how would an old man like me know something like that, Miss Serena? And why don’t ye be tellin’ me why ye gave the special gift to Duncan? Ye’ve known all along how to break the Curse, have ye not? Being a descendant of the witch, Nairne, as ye are.”

  She had no idea how he knew what he knew, but he was a wily old man, and clearly knew more than he was telling her. Serena picked up her cup in both hands, just to give herself something to do with them.

  “I’ve always known about Nairne’s Curse. Each generation has been sworn not to reveal that the Curse can be easily broken by giving the three sons a piece of the jewelry.”

  “Not any lass can give over the pieces and break the Curse, aye?”

  “An Edge’s Lifemate,” Serena added hoarsely, her throat constricted by emotion.

  “Aye. His Lifemate.”

  “I had to take the chance that his brothers hadn’t been gifted with their jewelry, because if they had, there’s a possibility that Duncan and I could both lose our powers with my actions.”

  “Is that so? And why would ye be believing that, lass?”

  “I’m not sure that I do, but Duncan has always been worried that if the Curse were broken that’s what would happen. All I knew was that once I gave him the means to break the Curse, I would lose my powers.”

  Serena swirled the dregs of her tea in the bottom of the cup, wishing she could read tea leaves. What would these say? She glanced up to meet MacBain’s eyes. “I’m still not sure that that won’t be the case,” she admitted. “But without being Head of the Wizard Council and having the inherent strength that comes with the position, he couldn’t hope to vanquish Trey Culver. And Duncan, the strongest man I know, realized that. Besides which, he’ll make a phenomenal Master Wizard. And it was something he would have won if I hadn’t been nominated.”

  “And who is it you think nominated you? Two people, correct?”

  “I’m pretty sure one of them was Trey. I imagine he thought I wouldn’t be any competition. He was wrong. And he’ll be wrong again if he thinks he can best Duncan.”

  “And ye love Duncan enough to give up everything ye are to help him gain everything he thinks he wants?”

  That sounded convoluted as hell to Serena, but she got the gist of it. “Yes. I love Duncan that much and more. I’d give him anything in my power to give him. But to set the record straight, I’m not defined by my powers. There are more wonderful things in my life than the ability to create water. Frankly, sharing my power with Duncan today was the best use of my gift I’ve ever made. Fortunately I have other things of value to offer the Foundation.”

  MacBain’s faded blue eyes twinkled in his craggy face, and his snowy hair shone in the sunlight. He glanced over Serena’s shoulder. “What’s this then?”

  This was one of Duncan’s men—Hart?—carrying Casey Rossiter. The moment the boy saw Serena he started crying and struggled to be put down. “Auntie Sereeenaaa!” Serena leapt out of her seat, meeting Case halfway. When she crouched down to gather him in her arms, he wrapped his arms around her neck and held on tightly.

  She met Noah Hart’s eyes over the head of the sobbing child. He nodded.

  Serena whispered to Case for a few minutes. He’d been terribly traumatized, and was still afraid. He needed to be with his mother, and then, Serena was sure, he’d require some serious therapy. Serena was relieved to note that other than having lost weight in the past three weeks, he seemed to be okay physically. She smoothed the child’s hair off his face. “Your mom is in Siberia. Would you like her to come here, or would you prefer to go to her there?”

  “There.”

  Serena rose, one arm around Casey’s shoulders. Her throat ached as she realized that she couldn’t take poor Casey to Joanna herself. “Would you mind teleporting Casey to his mother in Schpotistan right away?”

  “Sure.”

  Serena gave the boy a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. More than he normally allowed, she thought with watery amusement. “See you soon, sweetheart.”

  Hart and Casey disappeared.

  “You didna ask him to teleport you to where Duncan is.”

  Was MacBain psychic? “It was more important to get Casey and Joanna reunited. Can you—?” A cold little ball of fear lodged in Serena’s tummy. This was the first time in her life that she wasn’t able to sense another wizard. Was MacBain even a Half? She had no idea and suddenly she decided that she didn’t need to know.

  Serena’s phone rang in her coat pocket. For a moment she forgot that she couldn’t shimmer the garment to where she was sitting across the table from it. She rose. “Wow, this is weird.” She fumbled in the pocket and retrieved her cell phone. “Hello?”

  As soon as she heard it was the head nurse at the facility where Henry was in Germany, Serena backed into a chair. “Is he…?”

  “You asked to be called as soon as Professor Morgan regained consciousness, Mrs. Campbell. He’s been asking for you.”

  Serena closed tear-filled eyes in relief. “Thank God. Please. Put him on.”

  There was a loud throat clearing and then, “Serena?”

  Her voice was choked. “Poppy.”

  There was a moment’s silence, before Henry demanded, “Who is this?”

  He might recognize her voice, but he wasn’t sensing her. This small manifestation gave her a clue as to what her life would be like without powers. “I forfeited my powers, Poppy.”

  “Darling girl, why?”

  She wanted to cry. “It’s a long story, and I promise I’ll fill you in soon. I can’t wait to see you. Tell me how you’re do—”

  “Health’s fine,” he said dismissively. “Someone kidnapped Joanna’s boy. Has he been found yet?”

  “He was found today. He’s scared, and shaken, but okay.”

  “Good. I tried to send Duncan Edge a mental SOS, to go find the child. Joanna was being pressured to give the kidnappers information.” That explained why Duncan had interpreted Henry’s request as a need to help “her.” The “her” in question had been Joanna, not herself.

  “That’s all been resolved, Poppy.” How much should she share? How strong was he?

  “Get me out of here today, girl. I’ve had one damned meal, and it was pig slop. Oh, and by the way. Trey Culver’s been visiting me, Serena. Asking me all sorts of questions about the thermal blanket and power source while I was in a coma. What did the idiot think? That I’d mumble out the damned answers to him while I was unconscious? What’s he up to? No good I bet. Cheated in school. Charmed you. Get Duncan off his ass and tell him to find out what Culver is up to. And you stay far away from the son of a bitch until the matter is resolved, you hear me?”

  Plenty strong, then. “It appears he was the one responsible for kidnapping Joanna’s son, forcing her to give him information on the blanket,” Serena told him, confirming his suspicions. She made no promises on getting him out of the hospital. Not until she’d had a chance to talk to his doctors first. “Duncan’s on it.”

  “Damn! Well, if anybody can handle Trey, it’ll be Duncan.”

  “Poppy?”

  “Whatever it is, the answer is yes. You know I could never deny my girl anything.”

  “I’m longing to see you, but there’s something I must do first. Can you please teleport me to wherever Duncan is right now?”

  Apparently so, because the last thing she saw before being teleported was MacBain’s unhappy expression.

  Duncan left the council chambers and teleported directly to Edridge Castle. He arrived precisely in the middle of the vast entry hall, instantly aware that several other wiza
rds were present. Had Gabriel called another meeting? He’d find out soon enough, he thought, heading to the library which was the most likely place to find his brother. Hopefully Serena was there with him.

  Christ. He was torn. He had what he’d always wanted. But at what price? Serena without powers? Just the concept boggled the mind. She’d sacrificed everything for him. Stunning. He was still reeling at her generosity.

  He had to find Culver, but first he and Serena needed to lay some cards on the table. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath as Tremayne, Alex Stone, Fitzgerald, and MacBain rounded a corner and intercepted him. He wasn’t in the mood for a party, and by the expressions on the other men’s faces, neither were they.

  The butler’s wizened face looked even more pinched with concern. “Och, no, lad!” he exclaimed, shooing him back with his hands. “Ye must leave right away! What are ye thinking coming here now?”

  Duncan had no idea what MacPain was blathering on about, nor did he give a rat’s ass. “Where’s Serena?” he demanded, without greeting. There was a strange and profoundly unnatural silence in the castle, and the hair on the back of his neck rose. He glanced around for the source of the feeling, but there was nothing visible.

  “For fucksake, Duncan, listen to MacBain. You have to leave!” Tremayne grabbed his arm in a powerful grip. “Gabriel’s battling Verdine. Having you in the building will cancel his powers. He needs everything he can give to best the bastard.”

  Duncan shook him off. He’d leave when he had what he’d come for. Serena.

  Upton Fitzgerald, all five rail-thin feet of him in his cowboy boots, intercepted. “Hold it pardner. Bad sh—”

  Duncan grabbed him by the upper arms and lifted him aside, then approached MacBain in two strides. “Where’s Serena, old man?”

  Narrow-eyed, the butler poked him in the chest with two bony fingers. Directly beneath the Medallion. “Och! Don’t ye be using that tone ta me, laddie. We’ll talk ootside!” He gripped his arm in a surprisingly strong hold and marched him, as he’d done when Duncan was a kid, ootside. The other men grimly followed them out into the brilliant sunshine.