Chapter Thirteen
She sat on the top step, watching him as he approached. He was wearing navy sweatpants and a grey T-shirt, darkened with a deep ‘V’ of sweat. He slowed to a walk as he got to the steps and saw her. He had an iPod clipped to his shirt, and he pulled his earpieces out.
“Hey.” He was breathing heavily, but smiled.
“Hey.”
He ran up the steps, coming to sit beside her. “Did you sleep okay?”
She shrugged. “Not too bad.” She was vividly aware of the heat of his body through his T-shirt. He smelled heavenly, of hot, healthy male. He met her gaze and held it, and she found herself unable to look away. This was how he would look during sex, she thought: flushed, sweaty, breathing hard. Desire threaded through her, her pulse quickening. She wanted nothing more than to strip off the T-shirt now sticking to his muscular chest and run her hands up his hot skin and through his damp hair—press her lips to the hollow of his throat where sweat was beading and touch her tongue there, taste the saltiness. In spite of the bright sunshine, his pupils were so large his eyes looked black, and she realised he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Oh God.” She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. “I so need to leave here.” Her hands itched to rip off his clothes, right there on the front step. She forced herself to calm the surge she could feel creeping up on her. “Have you put a spell on me?” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at him.
He gave a small laugh. “No.” His smile faded. “I don’t know what’s going on between us. I do know it’s like nothing I’ve felt before.” He ran a hand through his damp hair and she watched the short layers spring up again. “I’m not going to beg you not to go,” he said. “But I wish you’d stay. I can’t protect you all the way up in London.”
“Well, you killed the vampires. I can take care of myself. I have done for the last two years.”
He smiled. “I know. But don’t you want to find out more about your powers? Learn how to control them? I could teach you so much.”
“I can’t, Damien. I can’t be near you… I’ve got to be strong, for both our sakes.”
His eyes narrowed. She could see he was angry, although not with her, she sensed. With Margaret and Robert, probably.
Eventually, however, he took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’d better go and have a shower.”
“Okay.”
“I won’t be long.”
“Sure.” She looked out across the grounds as he went inside. She had to fight not to cry. She was making the right decision. Wasn’t she?
Within twenty minutes, he was back down again, showered and dressed in dark blue jeans and a short-sleeved white shirt. He came out carrying his car keys, seeing her still sitting there. “You want to say goodbye to anyone?”
“No. I spoke to Ella last night.”
“Okay. Come on, then.”
Together, they went down to his car. “You got the lights fixed,” she noticed, amused.
He laughed. “Yes, I ran it into town yesterday.” He opened the passenger door and held it open for her, and she slid in.
Soon they were on the road. Damien took the route back to the M5, and they headed north for the M4, the traffic relatively light, the sun shining.
Kimi looked out of the window as he drove, not really seeing the verges flash by. She felt depressed, her spirits low.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She sighed. “How do you always seem to know what I’m thinking?”
“I cheat,” he said. “I look at your aura.”
“Ah. What’s it doing now?”
“It’s grey and dark blue. I’ve not seen it like that before.”
She glanced over at him and smiled sadly. “I’m going to miss you.”
His eyes left the road briefly to meet hers. “Me too.”
She looked out of the window. “I spoke to Max this morning.”
“Oh?”
“He was telling me about the Elders’ love lives.”
“Oh…?” He grinned. “What did he say about me?”
“That you have a string of ladies at your beck and call. Practically a harem.”
He laughed out loud. “Yeah, that sounds like me. Not.”
She smiled. “Actually, he didn’t say anything about you. But…you do have lady friends?”
He looked across at her, amused. “Well, I’m not a monk, if that’s what you mean. And I like sex, if that’s what you’re also asking.”
She flushed. She hardly needed him to tell her that. If anyone was made for lovemaking, it was the gorgeous Midnight Shaman sitting next to her.
She had to ask, though. “Is there a ‘special someone’?”
“Apart from you, you mean?”
She laughed at that. “Yes, apart from me.”
He sighed. “I dated a girl for a couple of years. That ended over six months ago. Since then, there’s been nothing serious.”
“Did she know you were a shaman?”
“No.”
“That must be really difficult. Not being able to be yourself.”
“It was. I think it contributed to why we broke up. I wasn’t very open about stuff and that’s obviously a problem in any relationship.”
She studied him curiously. “Do Max and Rose’s partners know about them?”
“Oh yes. I don’t think you could be married to someone and keep it quiet.”
“So you would have told your girlfriend eventually? If it had become more serious?”
He shrugged and glanced at her again. “I guess. A marriage should be built on trust, don’t you think?”
She looked out of the window. “To be honest, I’m not sure. It didn’t work out so well for my parents.”
“There must have been other things wrong in the relationship. I can’t imagine he would have left just because of that.”
“I don’t know, Damien, you’ve been around witches and warlocks and shamans since you were born. Most people don’t have a clue about this sort of stuff. It’s the kind of thing you see on Hollywood movies—it’s not real life, to the rest of the world anyway. Hell, I didn’t know anything about it, and I’ve actually got powers. When you don’t understand, you block it out of your mind. Tell yourself you’re going mad, or you’re seeing things. I knew I had powers but I thought I was a freak.”
“It must have been very difficult, growing up in such an environment. I can only imagine. From the age of about five I was doing exercises to enhance my concentration and strengthen my mind.”
She studied him. “Do you sometimes feel claustrophobic, working and living at The Crux? Do you ever feel the need to get away?”
“Sometimes. I’m quite happy there. I like teaching and meeting people. I go into Exeter once or twice a week in the evenings, meet some mates, and go for a beer.”
“Get laid.” She couldn’t help the comment.
He gave her one of his looks. “As I was saying… I often go around the country meeting up with other covens. And I have travelled a bit. When I was eighteen, I went to New Zealand for a year.” He lifted his arm, indicating the tattoo. “That’s where I got this.”
“Does it represent anything? Or is it just a pretty shape?”
“Pretty?” He flexed his arm muscle. “It’s a manly shape, I’ll have you know.” She laughed and he grinned. “The koru’s based on the silver fern when it’s new and curled up. It represents new life, growth, strength, and peace. All good stuff, I thought.”
“It’s lovely.” Unable to stop herself, she reached out a finger and traced the black line where it looped around his arm.
He looked over and their eyes met, and a spark jumped from her finger onto his skin.
She sighed. “Crap.”
He laughed, pulled the iPod out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Go on, put on some music. I’m in a singing mood.”
“Happy I’m going?”
“No… Pleased to be spending a few hours
in some pleasant company.”
Cheeks warming, she plugged it into the car and scrolled through his music. He had an eclectic mix, some of which she knew, some she didn’t. She set it on shuffle and started it playing.
Even though the thought of never seeing him again made her heart pound and her eyes prick with tears, she still thoroughly enjoyed the next few hours. Damien sang every song to her, his voice rich and lyrical, and she joined in when she knew the song, listened when she didn’t.
Eventually he took the slip road to the M25. It was busy but the traffic was moving. It took a further hour and a half to thread their way through to the area where she lived. As they began to near her flat, gradually she fell quiet. After a while, he turned the iPod off. “Not long now,” he said quietly, Kimi said nothing, not trusting herself to speak.
Finally, he pulled up in her road and parked. They sat there for a moment. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked up at him, wondering how she could tell him what she was feeling. To her surprise, he was looking out of the window, up at the row of tall houses, frowning.
“What’s up?” she asked.
He looked back at her. “There’s a black energy around here.”
“It’s London, Damien, everything’s black here.”
“I’m serious.”
She went cold. “A vampire?”
“No. Human. But definitely not a follower of the light.” He got out of the car and she followed. She walked up next to him. Without thinking, her hand crept into his.
He looked down at her. “I think someone’s waiting for you in your flat.”
Her heart thumped and her mouth went dry. “Oh my God.”
His hand tightened. “Let’s go up and find out who it is.” He led the way to the front door to her building. She inserted the key in the door and opened it quietly. Her heart thumped at the thought of there being an intruder in her home.
Damien walked forward into the hallway. He looked around at her and she signalled up and held up two fingers. He nodded and made for the stairs, still holding her hand.
Together, they climbed the stairs to the second floor. At the top, Kimi indicated her front door was down the hall and third on the right. Damien nodded again. He paused and closed his eyes. Kimi shivered as she felt a pulse of energy emanate from him that ran right to her very core like the tolling of a huge bell.
“He’s in your flat,” he confirmed. “You stay here.”
“Hey, no way.” She gripped his hand tighter as he went to let go. “This is my territory.”
He looked down at her. Then he grinned. “Come on then.”
They moved quietly to her front door. Damien took the key from her and inserted it in the lock. Gently, he turned it and pushed the door open.
Luckily, they both saw the white shaft of lightning flare and ducked instinctively as it rocketed over their heads. Damien swore and thrust a hand toward the figure standing in the entrance to her tiny lounge. Though he didn’t touch him, Damien’s energy propelled the man back as if he’d pushed him, and the intruder flew across the room, meeting the wall with a solid crunch.
Damien strode into the room, Kimi on his heels. The man was on all fours, trying to catch his breath, but as they came in, he rolled behind the sofa and got to his feet. Kimi gasped as he cast a spell that sent a myriad of tiny black knives hurtling through the air toward them. Damien passed his hand in an arc, however, and the knives turned into flowers, dropping harmlessly to the floor in a shower of blue petals.
Quickly, before the other warlock could cast another spell, Damien clenched his fist and flicked his hand as if he was throwing confetti over him. A glitter of dust spread from his fingers, scattering over the man and covering him in a sparkling layer of gold. The man went rigid, frozen to the spot, only his eyes able to move around the room with alarm as he realised he was completely at their mercy.
Kimi stared, mouth open. Damien’s spellcasting had been smooth and effortless, and she was stunned to see the man so easily overwhelmed. Her mouth went dry, her brain fogging with confusion.
Damien walked up to him. The warlock’s eyes flicked over to Kimi, then come back to his again. “Do you know him?” Damien asked her, eyes narrowing.
Kimi nodded. “It’s my uncle, Brad.” She stared at him, completely confused. Brad, a warlock? What the hell?
Damien fixed the older man with a firm stare. “I’m going to release you now. But I want you to remain where you are. Any sign of movement and I’ll restrain you again, understand?”
Brad looked down, then up again in affirmation. Damien drew an imaginary line down Brad’s body, and the man gasped, suddenly released from whatever had been binding him.
“Who are you?” Brad demanded.
“We ask the questions,” Damien snapped. He looked at Kimi and raised an eyebrow.
Her head was still spinning with the information that her uncle had special powers. “Since when have you been a warlock?” she asked, incredulous.
“Since forever.” He smiled mockingly.
She stared at him, aghast. “I don’t understand. I can’t believe it—all this time you’ve had magical powers, and yet you spent years making me think I was some kind of freak!”
Brad looked her up and down. “Well, we were hardly going to help you develop your talents, were we?”
“We? You mean Louise…”
“Is a witch? Oh yes.”
“Oh my God.” Kimi felt faint. “But why…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t know where to start. She felt sick, and, for a moment, the room spun.
Damien put a hand in the small of her back, and warmth spread through her. She wasn’t sure if it was the physical heat from his hand or if he was somehow sending energy into her, but whatever it was, it calmed and reassured her.
She looked down and saw Storm beside them, hackles raised, and realised Damien had somehow activated her portal. He wanted her to be aware of the energies here, she thought, studying Brad again. This time she could see a faint grey shadow around him, as if someone had drawn him in charcoal and smudged the edges. He worked for the forces of darkness. The realisation shocked her.
Brad studied the shaman curiously. “You’re one of the Stones,” he realised suddenly. “The son, I’m guessing.” To Kimi’s surprise and delight, fear lit his eyes.
Damien’s hand was still warm on her back, and Kimi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, drawing on his energy, letting it soothe her. She lifted her chin and glared at her uncle. “So you knew I had magical powers?”
“Of course.”
“And all these years you’ve tried to make me scared to use them?”
Brad just smirked.
“Why?” she whispered, a wave of anguish sweeping over her. “And why didn’t you help Mum when she was struggling to cope with hers?”
“He was instructed to bring you both down,” Damien said flatly. “Weren’t you?”
Brad shrugged. “I work for the forces of darkness. What can I say?”
Kimi stared at him. She was struggling to get her head around the fact that, when her mother was in trouble all those years ago, Brad and Louise had known and understood what she was going through, but had just stood by and watched. “So you left her to take her own life? She was your sister!”
Brad just looked at her.
Kimi was horrified. It was as if someone had taken her life, ripped it open, and turned it inside out. What she had thought was teenage angst and family animosity had morphed into something far more sinister and evil. Anger fired through her, and her hands grew hot.
Even as she began to raise her hand toward Brad, Damien took it in his own and held it firmly. She tried to pull away crossly, wanting to vent her energy on her uncle, but he refused to let her go.
“So what are you doing here?” he demanded of the warlock. “You finally tracked her down—for what purpose?”
“To bring her back home,” Brad said. “Where we can keep an eye on her. The city’s d
angerous, Kimi. Anything can happen to a young girl out there alone.”
She went cold. “You set the vampire on me. You got him to track me.”
“Well, we had to find you somehow,” he said impatiently. “You’d done a pretty good job of hiding your tracks, so more…drastic measures were called for.” He looked Kimi up and down, then glanced at Damien, his lips curving. “Didn’t realise you’d hooked up with someone from the light. Has he managed to get your frigid little arse into bed?”
Before she could gasp a retort, Damien stepped forward. His fist met Brad’s chin with a solid crack. Kimi gasped, her hands automatically going to her mouth as Brad stumbled back, caught his heel on the rug and tumbled to the floor. She hadn’t even realised Damien was angry.
Now he stood over the prone warlock, shaking his hand as his knuckles obviously stung. “You’re lucky I don’t kill humans,” he snapped.
Brad waggled his jaw and sent the shaman a derisory look. “So what are you going to do—glare me into unconsciousness?”
Damien held out a hand toward him. The warlock’s eyes went suddenly wary. “What…”
“You come near Kimi again and I will kill you.” Damien clenched his hand into a fist. “Tabula rasa,” he said.
Brad’s face went white. “No!” he yelled.
Damien splayed his fingers, and ribbons of white light curled from them over the prone man’s head. Kimi watched in shock as they landed on his skin like the tentacles of a jellyfish, then seemed to press through his skull. Brad went still, mouth open, and shuddered.
“What are you doing?” she asked Damien, horrified in spite of her uncle’s recent revelations.
Damien lifted his hand. The white ribbons of light faded. He poked Brad with his foot. “Get up.”
The warlock rolled over and struggled to his feet. He looked around the room, confusion filling his face.
“Get out,” Damien said. “Go on.” He gestured toward the exit.
Brad stumbled to the door, and they heard his feet tripping down the corridor.
“What did you do?” Kimi said, aghast.
“Wiped his memory.” Damien sucked his knuckles. “Jeez, haven’t hit someone for years. I’d forgotten how much it hurts.”
Midnight Shaman, Fire Witch Page 12