Heart of Darkness

by Lauren Dane

  Edwina’s half-sister, Rebecca, was the leader of Clan Gennessee. Meriel’s grandfather had been married to Rebecca’s mother, but after she died in a house fire, he’d then met and married his bond-mate, who happened to be next in line to run Owen. It was sort of Jerry Springer territory, but they did manage to be a family.

  This cemented the dominance of the entire western United States by the same family. Gennessee started when a small group of witches, including an Owen sister, chose to stay in California when the rest of the clan headed to Seattle.

  Emily Owen had taken a name from their mother’s family, Gennessee, and they’d built their own branch of Clan Owen. Because of this, Owen witches would come to hold a great deal of power as the land recognized their magick and had connected with it over the generations. Owen witches, be they Gennessee or not, were the strongest in the world in their own territory and because the font included over twenty-five hundred witches, even outside their territory they were a force to be reckoned with.

  Not that things weren’t complicated sometimes between Gennessee and Owen. But they would always hold together against an outside force.

  “I’ll keep you apprised.”

  “Of course.” Edwina nodded. “Be careful. Please.”

  Meriel waved at her mother’s retreating back, smiling.

  DRIVING south and then east toward Bend, Dominic felt freer the more miles he managed to rack up. She’d gone to work for a while, long enough to let him sleep after a late night at Heart of Darkness. Though she’d claimed otherwise. She took care of him like no one else ever had. And she’d just done it as if she always had. A little over two weeks and his life was totally different and, he couldn’t deny, totally better, even with the crazy business with the mages.

  She’d arrived at his apartment with hot coffee and fresh bagels. A very nice way to be woken up. She smelled good and felt right and he loved the way she looked, cool and professional in her feminine suit, her hair a soft tumble of curls held back by a pretty clip he’d given her a few days prior.

  He’d lured her to bed and even now she looked sexy and sort of disheveled, though still lovely in jeans and a sweater. He’d asked, and she’d let her hair stay free. She had her boots off and he could see she wore his favorite socks.

  Whimsy to balance the heavy task she would bear as she took over the clan. It made her perfect to him. Gorgeous. Intelligent. Talented and powerful witch. Uninhibited in bed, or out of it. The sex was mind-blowing. He couldn’t even make up a fantasy as good as what they managed to get up to pretty much as often as they could. Well, maybe if it was a threesome with her clone. That could work.

  Mmmm, yes.

  “Whatever are you thinking about?” his lovely woman at his side asked, amusement in her tone.

  Of course she had files on her lap and had spent the last two hours tapping away on her laptop. He’d been amazed by her capacity to work at any and all times. In the beginning anyway. Now he just accepted it as another one of her incredible gifts.

  “I was thinking about a three-way with you and your clone, as it happens.”

  She started laughing. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  She leaned over to kiss the side of his neck. “You’re so delightfully single-minded about sex.”

  “I seem to recall I’m not the only one.”

  “Very true. And what can I say? I’m rather flattered that if you’re thinking about three-ways you’d make me both women instead of adding a supermodel or something.”

  “None of them have a thing on you.” Which wasn’t a lie at all.

  He wanted to show her off, he could admit it, at least in his head. He wanted to present her to Tom and have Tom see what an amazing woman he’d fallen for. Wanted Tom to approve of how he’d made his life better.

  Dominic had resented the iron-fisted way he’d been raised, but now, on the other side of a really dark time in his life, it had been Tom’s upbringing and his steady way of being in Dominic’s life that had given him the biggest push to finally get his act together.

  “It’s going to be fine,” she said before answering her ringing phone.

  He liked that too. Her way of knowing what he needed to hear and giving it to him.

  He drove as her voice soothed him in the background. And then he smiled as that tone changed.

  In addition to a host of positive qualities, Meriel Owen was really, really bossy, which he admittedly had only recently come to find attractive in a woman. Watching her work was sexy and inspiring. She was effortlessly efficient. She dealt with her mother by simply letting Edwina wash uselessly around her. It puzzled Edwina, Dominic thought. She didn’t understand her daughter so she provoked her, constantly trying to figure her out.

  Meriel, to her great credit, did seem to understand her mother. And as much as she could, without harming her own perspective, she let her mother organize and tidy, knowing it’s what Edwina did to express her affection.

  With him too, Dominic supposed, Meriel understood his need to protect and lead. He loved that she could be so in charge in every aspect of her life. But with him she softened, let him be in charge. It soothed him. Not that she didn’t push back when he got too bossy. She let him know when he overstepped. Which meant there’d be really smoking-hot make-up sex in store.

  The scenery changed as they drove. From the lusher forests of western Washington into the warmer and drier climate of central Oregon. There’d been snow several places along the way.

  Meriel, like most other Seattleites he knew, was fascinated and slightly fearful of the snow. But he’d grown up with it—with lots of it—his whole life. For months on end.

  But he’d stopped and let her take pictures of it. She brought that into his life too. The little experiences he’d forgotten about.

  She gave orders in the background as he thought about this place and wondered why Tom had settled here. He’d grown up on the East Coast, but when he’d gotten the call that the baby of one of his friends needed a home, he’d come out west and had built a home and a life for both of them.

  But every summer Dominic had worked to keep his body strong and his mind clear as he’d worked with Tom on his backcountry trips. They’d canoed and white-water rafted. Hiked. Biked. Camped.

  In the winter it had been skiing and sledding on the trips they’d taken. Snow camping.

  It had kept him out of trouble because he was too tired to get out of line. He’d respected his body and his mind. Until he’d left and binged on all the larger world had to offer.

  And now he’d come full circle.

  When she hung up he touched her hand, because he could and because he wanted to. She smiled and tipped her wrist up to capture his fingers with hers. “Hey there. I’m hungry. At the risk of sounding like a kid, are we there yet?”

  “We’ve got another three hours or so. But Tom’s making a feast, he says. He’s a great cook so that’ll be true and believe me, you want to have plenty of space in your belly to eat. But let’s stop and stretch in the next town. I’ll get gas and look the other way when you drink yet another cup of coffee.”

  “We all have our addictions, Mr. Bright.” She said it primly but the grin at the end sort of messed up that delivery.

  “Damn it, I’m so glad you came into my club and gave me a stern talking-to.”

  Her grin softened and she brought his fingers to her lips to kiss them. “Watch the road. And me too.”

  Chapter 19

  DOMINIC sent out silent thanks to Simon for suggesting they take his SUV for the drive. The road out to the house had been cleared, but it had started to snow and the curves would have been a lot worse had Tom not kept everything tidy and shipshape.

  “Wow, is that it?” She leaned forward to get a better look through the windshield.

  Tom had bought the small house on a big plot of land with a mountain view. The river was down a winding path that kept it out of harm’s way when the snowmelt hit and the water levels rose. Right now it
felt like home as they approached. The window glowed golden and smoke rose lazily from the chimney.

  He parked out of the way. Old habit he supposed. Sometimes Tom’s clients would meet him at the house and they started a trip from there so Dominic wanted to keep the drive clear just in case.

  She squeezed his hand and he looked at her, just looking for long moments.

  “We’re here.” She grinned but he saw the worry at the edges.

  “We are. He’s going to love you. How could he not?”

  Ha.

  Meriel let him open her door and help her down. She pulled her zipper up, sealing out the cold. The place was absolutely gorgeous. The house was rough hewn, but beautifully constructed. She had no doubt that the views from just about every part of the house would be fabulous.

  “Come on in then,” a man called from the front steps and when Meriel saw him, she looked back to Dominic and did it once more. It was when she went back for the third look that she noticed the warding.

  Everywhere.

  Meriel paused and turned in a slow circle. The place was a virtual impenetrable fortress. This warding was cast one on top of the next. It appeared to be crumbling and weak, but once you took a closer look any witch with a decent amount of talent would be able to see just how good they were. Tangled roots and thorny dead ends.

  Tom Bright was no ordinary witch. And he sure as hell wasn’t just Dominic’s foster father. Now the fact that Dominic was full-council made sense. It was clear where the magick in his genes came from. Just what it was the man had been hiding wasn’t clear. But it was big and it made her wary.

  What he did, however, was look at Dominic with so much love on his face all her suspicions fell away. This man loved Dominic. There was no doubt in Meriel’s mind of this fact.

  “Dominic!” He came off the porch and the two men embraced. It wasn’t until they stood back and Tom got a better look that he stopped and gaped. “What have you done?” Accusing eyes moved to Meriel, who startled, looked back to Dominic, who was as confused as she was.

  “This is Meriel Owen. She’s my bond-mate.”

  “You’ve ascended!” Tom began to pace and Meriel began to examine her surroundings better. She didn’t know what was going on with the guy, but she sure as hell wanted to be able to get away if this went south.

  “Why are you acting this way?” Dominic looked back and forth between them. He looked so hurt and surprised, Meriel just took his hand and squeezed.

  “Sir, is there a problem?” Meriel bent a little to see past the hands he’d put over his face.

  “You need to go. Get away from here as fast as you can.” He looked around, alarm on his face.

  That alarm jumped straight to Meriel’s belly.

  “What the hell is going on?” Dominic stood taller, his hands on his hips, looking very authoritative. “You’re scaring Meriel and you’re really scaring me. I’m not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what’s gotten you so spooked. Let me help you.”

  Meriel ached for him and hoped they could fix whatever it was that has spooked him the moment he saw who she was and they’d mentioned the bond.

  Tom threw his hands in the air. “Get in the house. Now.”

  Meriel let Dominic drag her into the house as she watched Tom close the wards up tight in their wake.

  The house was warm and lived in. Comfortable. Overwhelmingly male. It also smelled really good, though Meriel wasn’t sure her appetite would come back after they found out what was going on.

  Tom came into the house and locked the door in his wake.

  She turned to Dominic. “Would you like if I went into another room so you two can talk?”

  “You’re not going anywhere. I don’t know what’s happening, but you’re not leaving my sight and he’s going to tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’m just surprised I guess.”

  “Mr. Bright, it’s more than that. These wards around your land are not simple. This is decades of magick on top of decades of magick.”

  “How do you know? What do you know about it? Clan witches don’t have the corner on the magick market. Unaffiliated witches can do wards too.”

  “I’m Meriel Owen, next in line to run Clan Owen. This ward craft isn’t the work of a man who doesn’t know a lot about magick. It’s not sophisticated, but it’s very good and very strong. And the runes on his skin, those are also some serious protective magick. I’d wager you used some flesh and blood to bond them to his body.”

  “My flesh and blood. I didn’t take it from anyone. Freely given and I’ve done no wrong to protect my boy.” Tom spun to glare at Dominic. “Clan Owen. You bonded with the goddamn next in line to a big, giant clan?”

  “Yes. So if I’m full-council, what’s that make you?”

  He scrubbed his hands over his face. “All right, it’s time I guess. Go drop your bags in your room and wash your hands. I made chicken and dumplings for dinner and had planned a bottle of wine to go with. I’m guessing we’ll need at least another bottle to get through the story.”

  “I apologize for his reaction,” Dominic said as he pushed the door to his room open. Just as he’d left it, which always made him feel better when he came back home.

  “He’s scared. Let’s find out why before we go getting offended or handing out apologies.”

  She smoothed a hand over his bedspread and he watched her take in his childhood as she walked through the room.

  Leave it to her to see past the window dressing and right into the heart of the problem.

  “We’ll get through it. No matter what it is. He’s clearly worried for you. Scared even, at a few points. But the earth here respects him. His magick is accepted by the surroundings. The earth is rarely wrong.”

  He hugged her tight and she hugged him back. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” She traded her boots for the wool-lined slippers Tom favored for use inside the house.

  “For being here. For making me see past all this emotion to whatever the hell lies beneath. It feels like I can get through it because you’re here.”

  “I’m really only here for the chicken and dumplings.”

  He grinned and took her hand. “You might actually mean that once you taste them.”

  When they got back downstairs, Dominic had calmed considerably. Meriel had been the reason for it and he’d been glad she’d been there.

  The kitchen was well lit; the table dominated one entire half, sitting in front of the windows fronting the water and the mountains in the distance.

  “Perfect timing. Come on and sit. Get some food into you and a few swigs of something alcoholic and I’ll give you the story.” Tom began dishing up the food in large bowls and sending them toward Dominic and Meriel. “I apologize for the reception I gave you.” He looked up to Meriel, who nodded, accepting the apology.

  “Just tell me what’s going on. We’ll work through it. Whatever it is.”

  Meriel made a soft moaning sound when she got the first spoonful of food into her mouth. “I told you,” he said before digging in himself.

  They ate in relative silence for a few minutes, but eventually Tom looked up from his food and sighed.

  “You’re my nephew.”

  Dominic blinked several times, surprised. “What?”

  “A little over thirty years ago my brother came to my house. He had you with him. You were maybe six months old at the time. He and your mother had …” Tom licked his lips. “They were stuck. Worse, it was pretty clear Felix, that’s your dad, was close to turning entirely.”

  Meriel sat straight up with a gasp.

  “Yes, you’ve the right of it.” Tom looked down to Meriel. “He brought you to me and begged me to take you and run. To raise you far away and never look back. He was in a bad way. Your dad, he was big and bold. An excellent fighter. Smart. He had a big future but she was bad for him. Your mother that is. Was. Whatever.” Tom looked back to Dominic.

  Meriel took his hand and squeezed.

&nb
sp; “To be fair, Felix was bad for her too. They were all wrong together. They were so young.”

  “You’re full-council too. What clan?” Meriel thought it might be a good idea to reach out to them.

  “Not clan affiliated. We had a coven back home in Tallahassee. Our parents were active in it until they died. Anyway, he gave me some money and told me to go. He was worried about your safety. Said he was concerned about what she had planned for you. I took you and the money that very night and got out of there. I picked Bend off a map. I had some skills, used to be an Eagle Scout back in the day. Got some identification for us both and built a life.”

  “Why did you lie to me about all this? You said they died.”

  “You were about five when I got a call from your grandfather. Your dad wanted to meet. Wanted to see you. This was back in the day before caller ID or any of that stuff. I called the number he’d left and arranged to meet Felix in Chicago. He wanted me to bring you, but I wouldn’t promise. I didn’t trust him. Not after the way he’d left. Not after what he’d said to me. You have to understand, Dominic. If he’d turned, and I had every reason to believe he had, he’d be nothing but danger to you. I took an oath to protect you.”

  Dominic looked shell-shocked, but he nodded at Tom’s words.

  “I went but he never showed up. I waited another day, just in case. He didn’t contact our parents either. But while I was there, some bodies had been found in a local park. The description of one of the victims matched Felix. It just always felt like it was him. I think anyway. But I can never know for sure. So I got out of there and came back here. Your grandparents were killed just a few months later. I never saw any of them again and I knew it was just better for you if I kept your existence a secret.

  “So I raised you here and kept you suspicious of clans to keep you from the public eye.”

  Meriel snagged another dumpling.

  “My parents’ death wasn’t of natural causes. It was suspicious. But I couldn’t ever get there to see for myself. I believe Felix is gone, that connection we once had is empty. But Gloria? Your mother? I don’t know. I couldn’t take that risk.”