Chapter Twelve
Here it comes, thought Kimi.
“I’m sure you know what I’m about to say,” Margaret continued. “Damien is our most powerful weapon against the forces of darkness. Without him and his father, our chances of fighting off the invasion will be difficult, if not impossible. It is imperative he remains focussed, and does not stray from his responsibilities. To this end, you should think very carefully about deciding to stay here, at The Crux. I can direct you to a coven nearer to where you live, if you wish. You will be just as useful to us there.”
Kimi looked up at the older woman, vaguely threatened by the way Margaret was leaning over her. She stood up and moved back, determined not to be intimidated. Whatever decision she made, it would be hers alone—she would not let Margaret force her into something.
Margaret studied her. Suddenly, she smiled. “I can see what he sees in you. You are a pretty little thing, and powerful with it.”
Kimi felt patronised, but said nothing. She’d only known Damien for hours—it seemed ridiculous, but equally she also knew there was more than physical attraction between them, something Margaret had not yet seen.
“We all know what men are like,” Margaret continued wryly. “Led by what’s in their trousers.” She gave Kimi a direct look. “Sometimes their desires take over their common sense—if they have any of it in the first place. And it is up to us, as mature, sensible women, to make sure they keep on the right track.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” said Kimi softly. “And I don’t want him to lose his powers any more than you do.”
“Do you promise not to go near him if you stay here, Kimi? Can you say to me, ‘I promise?’”
Kimi frowned. What was she, twelve? “I can tell you I’ll follow my conscience. I know what’s at stake.”
Margaret studied her. Kimi got the feeling that the older woman was annoyed Kimi hadn’t played her game. Eventually, however, she leaned back and gave a deep sigh. “So have you decided what you would like to do?”
“Yes,” Kimi said. “I’m not going to stay.”
The older woman studied her. “You’re sure?”
“I didn’t want to come here in the first place, but even forgetting about that, I’m not stupid, Margaret. I know I’m not good for him. I know it would be best if I went. But I’m going because it’s my decision, not because you’ve told me to.”
Margaret gave a wry smile, and Kimi realised in Margaret’s eyes it didn’t matter—she’d influenced Kimi enough to get the resolution that she wanted. “I think you’ve made the right decision. One of us will run you back to London tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Margaret stood and held out her hand. “Have a nice rest of the day, Kimi. I’m glad to have met you.”
Kimi shook her hand. She couldn’t return the comment so she said nothing. Turning, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Outside, she paused, leaning against the door, biting her lip. She’d made the right decision. So why did she feel so upset?
She walked slowly down the corridor, glancing in Damien’s office as she past. She stopped. He was sitting at his desk, writing. He was left-handed, she noticed.
She took a moment to study him—from his short, dark blond hair to his wide shoulders and the intriguing tattoo curling from underneath his shirt sleeve. She would never get to run her hands up his arms and touch that tattoo, or find out what would happen if he kissed her again. She leaned against the doorjamb, suddenly tired, resting her head on the wood.
He moved to get something from his drawer and glanced up as he did so. Pleasure spread across his face as he spotted her at the door, which made her glow. He leaned back in his chair. “Still in one piece then?”
“Just.”
The pleasure faded from his face. “Are you okay?”
She looked down at the floor. “I told Margaret I’m not going to stay. I’m going back tomorrow.”
He stared at her. “Oh?”
“It’s the right decision, Damien. I can’t stay here. You and me—it was never going to happen—for lots of reasons. It was my choice.” Mostly. She shivered as she remembered the older woman’s threatening undercurrent.
He turned his swivel chair slowly from side to side, watching her, fingers linked. She got the distinct impression he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Remembering she wasn’t wearing a bra, she looked at her chest, then back at him. “Are you picturing me naked again?”
His eyebrows rose and he followed her gaze down, then up again. “Well now I am.”
“Damien…”
“You started it.”
She glared at him. “Have you listened to anything I’ve said?”
“I listened. I just didn’t take any notice.”
“Look…”
He gave her his now-familiar teacher’s stare. “Kimi, Margaret’s out of order. She isn’t the only Elder around here. She’s not my boss, and she’s not my mother. I understand she’s concerned, and I appreciate she’s got The Crux’s best interests at heart, but I don’t much care for her telling you what to do, nor for being told how to run my personal life.”
“Yes, but the trouble is your personal life isn’t separate from everything else, is it?”
His eyes narrowed suddenly. “What did she say to you, exactly?”
“She asked me to promise I wouldn’t go near you.”
He stopped turning his chair and stared at her. “And did you?”
“I dunno, I thought…”
He sat forward, arms on the table. “Kimi, all jesting aside, did you actually say the words, ‘I promise’? Think about it—it’s very important.”
She frowned. “No. I didn’t feel it was her place to ask me—I’m not a kid, I don’t have to ‘cross my heart’ to mean what I say.”
He nodded. “Good.”
“Why did it matter?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kimi sighed. “She did impress upon me that I have to think for the both of us. Because, as a man, you can’t control yourself.”
His eyes gleamed as he leaned back again. “It’s not that I can’t. More that I don’t want to.”
“But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Margaret thinks I’m corrupting you. She thinks I’m your Kryptonite.” He laughed out loud at that. She glared at him again. “I’m serious. She thinks I make you lose your willpower. That when I’m around, you don’t know what you want.”
He turned the chair from side to side again, amusement curving his lips. “I know what I want. I just haven’t figured out how to get it yet.”
A shiver ran down her spine. His eyes were very warm. She knew exactly what he was thinking. “Stop it,” she whispered. “I’ve made my choice. Yes, Margaret influenced me, but I’m telling you, it’s the right decision. I can’t stay. I don’t want to stay. I didn’t choose to come here. My powers…they’re exciting but they’re also scary. I don’t want to know more about them. My mother killed herself because of them, and my father left her because of them. I don’t want the same thing to happen to me. I just want to forget about it all, and go back to what I was.”
A tear ran down her face, but she met his gaze openly. She couldn’t read what he was thinking, but his eyes were very dark, very intense. Briefly, she remembered how she’d felt when she turned and saw him in the nightclub. That jolt of recognition, of realisation that here was the man her life had been leading toward—here was her destiny. It was all rubbish. They could never be together—it wasn’t meant to be.
Turning, without another word, she walked from the room.
Later that day, when he finally felt he’d calmed down enough to face her, Damien went to Margaret’s office.
He stood in the doorway, seeing her at the window, looking out over the garden. At fifty-seven, she looked ten years younger, her grey hair the only real indication she was as old as she was. He frowned. He was very fond of her. He trusted her implicitly. She’d been his main m
entor over the years, and she’d taught him almost everything he knew. Almost. He knew it was beginning to irk her, as well as his father, that he was becoming more powerful than they were. Whereas she used to know that little bit more than he did, he’d discovered things about his abilities she could not comprehend.
He owed her a lot, and he respected her. But he wasn’t five years old anymore. He wasn’t even fifteen. He was a full-grown man, an Elder himself. He wasn’t going to let her treat him like her subordinate any more, and he wasn’t going to let her run his life.
He cleared his throat, and she turned. He didn’t miss the brief look of wariness that crossed her face before she smiled, beckoning him in. “Evening.”
“Hey.” He walked in to stand against one of her filing cabinets, hands in his pockets.
“What can I do for you, love?” She sat and began to tidy her desk, putting files away, switching off her computer. When he didn’t reply, she glanced up at him. She paused, then sat back in her chair. “What?”
“I spoke to Kimi.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” A small smile played on her lips.
Resentment and irritation coiled in his stomach, but he forced himself to remain calm. “I respect you, Margaret. You taught me an awful lot and you were very good to me as I was growing up. And I was honoured when the four of you made me an Elder.” He came over to her desk and perched on the edge, looking down on her. “The warning you gave me last night was justified—it was an Elder’s duty. None of us is above the natural law, and I deserved it. But from what Kimi said, it sounds like you tried to cast a promise spell on her. Is that true?”
She shrugged. “It didn’t work—she didn’t take the bait.”
“That’s hardly the point. Thank the Gods she was sensible enough to see through your ploy.” His eyes narrowed. “Does my father know you tried?”
Her lips curved. “It was his idea.”
Fury washed over him like icy cold water. He fixed her with his stare and was pleased when her smile faded slowly. “You told her she couldn’t stay here.”
“I did no such thing.” She shrugged again. “Although I did say it would be a good idea if she returned home.”
“It’s not your place to decide whether she stays or goes,” he snapped.
“And whose is it—yours?” She gave a harsh laugh. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? I’m an Elder, same as you. I’m not a teenager anymore, and I won’t be treated like your inferior.”
She glared at him. “Damien, you’re so infatuated with this girl you’re not seeing straight. How long have you known her? Not even twenty-four hours!” She stood up and faced him. “Has it entered your head maybe it’s a tad of a coincidence that you happened to find such a powerful witch out of the blue—a psychic savant who’s never been trained?”
He stood as well, glad he was taller. He wasn’t going to let her intimidate him. “What are you saying—that Kimi works for the forces of darkness?”
“Of course not,” she said impatiently. “But it’s perfectly possible they engineered your meeting and have cast some kind of spell over you to distract you from your responsibilities.”
“Bollocks.”
“No, it’s not.” Her voice rose. “You are a reliable, mature, and conscientious young man who’s never given us a moment of doubt in the last five years. But a few hours in this little madam’s company, and suddenly you’re Mr. Reckless, about to throw everything away for a quick shag.” He started to deny it and she glared at him. “I saw you, Damien, in the woods. Touching her.”
Unusually, his cheeks warmed, but not from embarrassment. He felt strangely hurt and upset that she was intimating the magical moment he’d experienced in the woods had been merely due to lust. Of course, there was that as well, he couldn’t deny it, but the thought that this woman had stood there and watched while he and Kimi shared such an intimate experience somehow tarnished the silver secret he’d been keeping in his heart.
He glared at her. “Maybe I’m just tired of being ‘reliable’ and ‘conscientious’—I’m only twenty-six for Herne’s sake. That doesn’t mean I’m possessed.”
“The Damien I know would never throw away his talents—his whole life—for a little slut like that,” she spat.
At that moment all his respect, all his admiration for her, fled, to be replaced by white-hot anger. “Don’t talk about her like that,” he said carefully.
Margaret sneered at him. “She’s just a girl, Damien. A powerful one, true, but just a girl.”
“No,” he said. “She’s not.” He didn’t elaborate. She didn’t deserve it. He walked to the door. “Anyway, I’m driving her to London tomorrow.”
“You are not!” she said, furious. “I forbid it!”
He went very still. “I beg your pardon?”
She realised she’d gone too far and tried to backtrack. “I meant I’d rather one of us…”
He couldn’t trust himself to speak. Turning, he walked out of her office, banging the door loudly behind him.
The next day was cool but sunny. Kimi arose around six-thirty, showered, and changed back into her own clothes, which someone had washed, ironed and returned to the room. She had no possessions with her, no case. Empty-handed, she left Ella sleeping quietly and went downstairs.
After her meeting with Margaret the previous afternoon, Kimi had spent the remainder of the day in her room. Ella had tried to get her out several times, but Kimi had been adamant. She didn’t want to mix with the other students, nor have people try to convince her not to go. She just wanted to go home. Even if the thought of returning to her single dingy room made her heart sink, at least it was hers.
Later, when Ella had gone down to watch TV with some of the others, there had been a knock on her door. She’d answered it, staring in surprise, then smiling wryly as she saw Damien and what he was carrying.
“Chocolates?” she asked as he handed her a plate of what looked like home-made truffles.
“I thought you might need something to cheer you up.”
She sighed at him. “I might not like chocolate.”
He rolled his eyes. “What woman doesn’t like chocolate?”
“True.” She looked at the truffles. “Who made them?”
“I did, this afternoon.”
She raised her eyebrows. “So is there likely to be some sleep-inducing drug in them or something?”
“Kimi…”
She smiled. “Just kidding, Damien. Thank you, it was very thoughtful.”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “I came up to tell you I’ll drive you to London tomorrow—shall we leave early? Around eight?”
“Don’t you think it would be better if Robert or Margaret took me?”
“I’ve already had this conversation with them. I’m taking you.” He spoke firmly.
Kimi knew it would be pointless to argue with him. “Okay. Eight o’clock.”
He nodded, hesitating as if about to say something else to her, but she gave him a pleading glance, so he just smiled. “Sleep well.”
She’d closed the door and sat on her bed, missing him already. How stupid was that? She looked down at the plate of chocolates. Slowly she reached out and took one. She bit into it. The hard chocolate shell cracked, releasing a flood of soft ganache in the middle, with just a hint of brandy. She’d sighed, falling back onto the bed as she licked her fingers. How come he could still turn her on even when he wasn’t in the room? And how was she going to cope without him?
Now, as she made her way down the sweeping staircase, she felt sad that she wouldn’t be returning to the house. Sighing, she walked through the foyer to the lounge and grabbed a cup of coffee, then wandered back out. She wondered if he was up yet.
“Looking for Damien?” a voice said behind her. She turned and saw Max smiling at her.
She couldn’t help but blush. “I wondered if he was up yet—he’s supposed to be taking me to London this morning.”
“Yes
, I know,” he said wryly. “I heard the argument about that all the way out in the gym.”
Kimi pulled a face. “Sorry. I seem to have caused a few problems since I arrived.”
“Nothing that wasn’t already brewing, believe me. Damien and Margaret have butted heads for a while. It was always going to happen. She still thinks of him as the teenager she taught and forgets he’s an Elder now, too. And it’s difficult for Robert to accept his son’s very fast approaching being as powerful as him.”
She nodded. “So it’s not just about me then?”
He shrugged. “Everyone’s a bit tense at the moment. The invasion could happen any day, and we’re not ready. We certainly can’t afford to be without Damien when the time comes.”
She recognised the gentle warning. “Yes, I realise that. That’s why I’m going back.”
“I was sorry to hear that, Kimi.”
“Thank you.” She sipped her coffee, studying him. “Are any of the Elders married?” she asked curiously.
“I am,” he smiled. “And so’s Rose. We both live in Exeter. Robert never married—he does have a lady friend in town but he lives here. Margaret also never married, and she lives here too.” His smiled increased. “But I have a feeling it’s not us you’re really interested in.”
Her cheeks grew arm, but she said, “I can’t deny I find him attractive, Max. But there can never be anything between us. I do understand that.”
He sighed. “Things are difficult at the moment, but none of us knows what the future holds. I saw the look in his eyes when he talked about you.”
She looked away. She didn’t want to hear that. “Do you know if he’s up yet?”
“Oh God yes, he’s one of those freaks who only needs about five hours’ sleep. He’s out running.”
“Oh.”
“He went out about twenty minutes ago so he’s probably on his way back by now. If you wait outside, you’ll see him coming up the road.”
“Thanks, Max.”
She watched him go, then glanced at the front door, which stood open, welcoming in the fresh October breeze. She walked out, sipping her coffee. Standing at the top of the flight of steps, she looked across the ground, and saw Damien jogging up the main road toward the house.
Midnight Shaman, Fire Witch Page 11