Heart of Darkness

by Lauren Dane

  She shrugged. “I don’t trust it. Doesn’t matter anyway. When I popped him in the balls, I also managed to attach a fun little homing spell of my own. Also, Nell called when I was getting the wine too. We have a location for Gloria.”

  So fucking smart. He wanted to haul her up and kiss her silly, but he wasn’t sure how hurt she was and so he put an arm around her and steered them into the building.

  Tom was waiting near the elevator and when he saw Meriel, his face darkened. It made Dominic feel a lot better to see it.

  “Come inside.”

  “I’ll be right back. I need to clean up.” She tried to move past him, but Dominic put an arm around her.

  “We’ll be right back. I want to check you over so don’t argue with me. Where’s the paper?”

  Meriel handed it to him. “I disabled a homing charm.”

  He grinned. “Despite how you’re destined to kill me by the time I turn forty with all this business, you sure are smart.”

  “Not hard to be smarter than some dumb bigot human.” She shrugged.

  As gentle as he could be, he stripped off her clothes and examined her for any use of magick or any sort of physical harm. She had a bruise on her thigh, where the smear of oil had been.

  “He pushed me into a wall. Dumb, I know. But I wasn’t expecting it. The bruise will be a good reminder.”

  “Sometimes, Meriel, I really wonder what it was like to be you growing up when you say stuff like that.” He held out her favorite pair of lounge pants and then a soft, long sleeved shirt.

  “All the best lessons in life are those learned the hard way. If I don’t take them as lessons, then I take them as failures. I prefer the former.”

  “I prefer for my woman not to get assaulted in the middle of a crowded city at rush hour.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter 27

  “I’VE got something.” Nell walked into Meriel’s office.

  “Really now? Can you clear it up with a cream?”

  Nell’s serious face fell and she snorted. “Ha! Thank God William used a rubber before me. No creams needed, though dude, my mother happily informed me yesterday that I’m going to leak. Super glad I told her I was pregnant.”

  Meriel moved back. “Like how?”

  Nell laughed. “Thank God for you, Meriel Owen. Milk. From my boobs. Though you can leak amniotic fluid. Which, ew.”

  “Have you been watching those baby delivery shows on cable again? You cried the last time. We agreed you weren’t to do that anymore.”

  “I cry a lot. Especially when my mother tells me my breasts will leak dairy products.”

  “This is what happens when you let the boys go too far, Nell. I would have thought you’d know that by now.”

  Nell socked her.

  “Enough baby talking. I know where your human is. Your homing spell worked perfectly. I also sent some people to go check the address on the paper. In entirely predictable news, it’s a warehouse complex in North Seattle. Lots of empty space there. Only two tenants left and I think she’s one of them.”

  “WELL, let’s search a little, shall we?” Meriel moved to her computer and began to search. They’d already done a search on the address. It was a commercial property run by a management company. The management company had come up clean. But that didn’t mean there was a dead end.

  “How are the individual warehouses numbered?”

  “They’re lettered. A through F. B and E are occupied. Tool and dye shop in B. Has been there in that location for nineteen years. Owners are a local family. Not a witch in the bunch that I could find.”

  Meriel was busily verifying this herself. “No liens against anyone in the family. No criminal records.” She continued clicking. “The business pays on time, the owners too.” She looked at pictures on their website. “They’re established. She’s not there. This isn’t about them at all.”

  “I agree. E is a smaller warehouse. Current business has been there three years. They make specialty trailers to pull luxury cars. I shit you not. I’ve seen these trailers, they’re really amazing and cost a crapton of money too.” Nell’s love of cars was clear on her face.

  “These people aren’t as well known. One of the owners’ sons has a record for assault. Also for writing bad checks.”

  “I already got that part. Sheesh. I can handle the police record stuff.”

  She glanced to Nell. “They’re mortgaged to the gills though. But, that’s not unusual right now. Many people are hurting.”

  “I don’t think she’s in the occupied warehouses.”

  “Why’d she not say which one if I’m supposed to meet her?”

  “I’m sure she planned to have you wander around and then get the drop on you.”

  Meriel rolled her eyes. “She’s dumb.”

  “Totally. So your boy is interestingly enough in the vicinity. Want to take a pass with me? I’m not going in or even getting close. I just want to see it for myself.”

  “That little shit who ripped my blouse yesterday is at the warehouse facility?”

  Nell nodded.

  She got back on the computer and began to look for the origins of the building and then the land it sat on.

  “Do you think she knows enough to choose a powerful place?”

  “No. I would of course. But she’s been turned for thirty years. She didn’t grow up in a clan at all. What she knows about us, hell about herself, is all superficial. She never bothered to hone her own spellwork, that much is clear. Her laziness is what got her stuck to start with.”

  “And it’s going to help us take care of her once and for all.”

  “I can’t go without telling Dominic. He made me promise.”

  “I like that he worries. Call him then. Or is he still sleeping?” Nell winked.

  “Tom is staying with us. So they had plans to go to breakfast. Dom took him to Heart of Darkness last night and they had a great time. I’m glad he’s here. Dominic needed it.” Needed to know that just because the woman who gave birth to him could have killed him just a few nights before didn’t mean a damned thing because he had a father. Tom loved him and Dominic loved him right back. It was a good thing, made Meriel happy to see them together the way they were.

  She called him. “Hey you.”

  “What’s up?” Meriel heard talking in the background. Simon’s low bass tones and Tom’s smoother voice.

  “I’m sorry to bug you. I know you’re busy.”

  “Never too busy for you. What do you need?”

  “I’m going on a scouting mission with Nell and I promised I’d tell you when I was going to do anything having to do with Gloria.”

  “Meriel.”

  She tried not to laugh.

  “Yes?”

  “A scouting mission? And what does this entail?” His voice had lowered and gone all silky. She knew he was honed in on her and pissed off too. But it was hot and she was crazy because she loved it.

  “You know what that voice does to me.”

  He sighed and she knew he was searching for patience and trying not to be amused. “Why do you need to go? Why don’t you let me go?”

  “I need to go because it’s part of my job. You don’t need to go because you’re busy with something and you don’t work for the clan. I’m calling because I promised to. It’s not a commando mission. We’re just going to cruise by the place the homing spell pinged for, which also happens to be the address Gloria gave me. This isn’t an episode of I Love Lucy. Nell is a smart woman who is very good at her job.”

  He groaned. “Why don’t I come along?”

  “Say hello to everyone for me. If you like, I’ll text you when we’re out so you know what’s going on. Oh and hold dinner for tomorrow open on your schedule, please. Some of the witches from Rodas are coming out, including the hunter.”

  “I didn’t agree to this plan with you and Nell.”

  “I never said you had to. I promised to call you and tell you and I did. Now, I love you. Have f
un and I’ll text you in a bit.”

  “If you get hurt, I will kick your ass.”

  “Same goes, buster.” She hung up, still smiling.

  “YOU think you can do a covert look at the warehouse with this car?”

  “Look, you, this is my biz. I know how to do it.” Nell rolled her eyes.

  “I never thought it was possible, but you’re even bitchier now that you’re knocked up like a dirty whore.”

  Nell burst out laughing. “You’re going to make me have to pee. Stop. Anyway, this is not that unusual a car and given that this place has a specialty car service, I can’t think anyone’s going to look twice. Well, other than the fact that this car is bitchin’ and all.”

  “Good point. I have been properly schooled on the matter of covert investigation. Also, you were what? Five when the word bitchin’ was en vogue?”

  “I see how you are.” Nell slowed down a little and Meriel opened up her othersight. And then exhaled.

  “Turn there.”

  Nell obeyed.

  “She’s been here. In the last warehouse, the one with the blue doors. Keep driving.”

  On the way back to the office Meriel texted Dominic that she was fine and then turned to face Nell. “There are a lot of them in there. At least six different signatures.”

  “Six mages? Arel said his group had been working as a unit of about eight mages using the humans to locate the witches. Maybe that’s their organizational structure or something. Seems unbelievable to me that six mages would come onto Owen land and think they can get away with it. But they could be stupid like Gloria. Other than the attacks on you and Dominic, we’ve heard nothing from anyone else. All our witches are accounted for.”

  “Not six mages. Some of them were human. Two appeared to be like Gloria. Turned. They had a sort of grayish smear to their signature. One or two mages and if I’m correct, they’re the same two from Heart of Darkness.”

  A sore subject because they’d managed to get away after their first attack on Dominic and Nell blamed herself.

  Nell sighed heavily. “All right then. I’ll get my people together and we’ll formulate a plan. I’ll let you know what we decide and report when I finish up.”

  “First of all, the road back to work doesn’t go this way. It does, however, pass Red Mill. What a coincidence. And second, I will be part of this. I’m not a magick commando or anything, but this is personal.”

  “We’ll talk over rings.” She found a place in the always-packed parking lot.

  Meriel got out and motioned back to Nell. “Sit. There’s a line out the door. I’ll get it to go.”

  DOMINIC knew she was trouble from the first moment he saw her and yet the moment she walked through the door with several bags of what he could smell contained several Red Mill bacon burgers, he couldn’t help but smile.

  “This is going to be good.”

  She laughed. “Dominic, whatever are you insinuating? I brought you bacon burgers and rings and you doubt me?” She fluttered her lashes and Simon groaned.

  “I brought some for you too.” She handed out bags and he steered her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

  “What are you going to ask me to do?”

  “Geez. Just eat your burger and rings and I’ll tell you. Unless you think you can nail me really fast, we should go back out there so people won’t think we’re quarrelling.”

  He took the remaining bag from her and tore into the burger. “I’m waiting.”

  When she finished telling him, he simply goggled at her. “Why on earth would you think I’d back this? Let Nell and her people handle this.”

  “She already agreed I could come. If you came too. She says she doesn’t want you pissed off. Imagine. I’m her best friend and, I might add to all you haters in the room, I am also a really excellent witch. Arguably better than anyone else who’d be there. So of course I should go. Gloria has a lot of stolen magick. If they walk into a room full of mages and turned witches with some angry humans too, I’ll be needed. And lastly, she wants to meet with me, not Nell. They need me in more ways than one.”

  She pulled her shirt up and then peeked at him. “Does that help things?”

  He burst out laughing and put the food down. “You’re going to kill me, Meriel Owen. But you have great tits and you’re partially right about how much you’re needed. But I’m going with you.”

  She pulled her shirt down and got herself in order again. “Good. Now let’s go eat and have a nice night.”

  Chapter 28

  MERIEL looked up to find her mother standing on her doorstep. “Have you been waiting long? I’m sorry, I had to run in to the office.”

  “No, I just got here a minute ago.” She followed Meriel into the apartment. “Did I catch you at a bad time? Or, well, I guess that’s a silly question. May I have a bit of your time?”

  She took her mother’s coat and motioned her to the couch. “I’ll make some tea.”

  Edwina followed Meriel into the kitchen and sat there instead. Meriel looked her mother over closely. “Are you all right? Is someone sick?”

  “I know I’ve had very high expectations of you. I know I’ve driven you to succeed and I made mistakes sometimes in how I did it. Holding the leadership of Owen is an immense challenge. A burden at times. A burden so heavy you wonder if you’ll survive it.”

  Meriel made the tea automatically.

  “And other times it’s the most amazing thrill I’ve ever experienced. When you take on my seat, your magick will grow. You’re powerful now, the most powerful witch I know other than me and Ron. When you take over, the clan will reside in you. Their magick enhances yours.”

  “Get out! Really?” Meriel set the tea out and remembered she had shortbread cookies and added them.

  “Really, Meriel, you’re such a bright girl, why do you talk the way you do?” But her sniff was more amused than indignant. “But to answer the question, yes really. When you take my seat, you’ll be, well, you’ll be strong enough to handle whatever this woman has to throw at you. It’ll strengthen the bond exponentially as well. It’s too much power for one witch to hold, that’s why full-council holds leadership. Only a bonded, ascended witch could hold the leadership. You and Dominic both will ground all the extra magick running through you.”

  This was a total trip. “Mother—”

  “Don’t interrupt. Now, as I was saying. I have been harder on you than I should have at times, but it was because I knew you’d need to be ready when the time came. I’ve watched and I’ve waited and now is the time.” She paused to put sugar and milk in her tea.

  “I can’t let you give me the leadership of this clan because you want me to win a fight. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”

  Edwina made a distinct pffft. “Of course that’s how it works. Meriel, my mother transferred to me when I was twenty-three years old. Her health had been in decline and I’d ascended the year before. So she told me the things I’m telling you.”

  “I think I need to get the Thin Mints out of the freezer for this conversation.” Meriel grabbed a whole sleeve and headed back. Edwina looked at her suspiciously, but went on.

  “The clan is supposed to transfer whenever the next in line would better protect the clan from a threat than the current leader. That is you right now. This isn’t about a mother helping her child, though I’d do that too. This seat holds the clan and the clan holds it. It is a weapon and a shield. It has been my duty and my honor to hold it for nearly forty years and now I’m passing it to you, where it will do the most.”

  Edwina paused and looked at Meriel, horrified. “Whatever are you doing? You don’t dunk cookies like you’re a monkey. For goodness sake!”

  Meriel dug a fresh one out of the sleeve and handed it over. “Try it. Come on. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “If I don’t, I expect you’ll just pester me.” She barely dipped but Meriel reached out and pushed her mother’s wrist down, holding it for a long moment.

>   She tried to look disinterested as her mother tried it, holding a napkin strategically over her clothes like Meriel should be doing.

  “It’s fabulously too much, isn’t it? Just nod your head and dunk your cookie. We’ll never speak of it again.” She pushed the cookies to the center of the table and dunked her own a few times.

  “The clan is under threat. My time is up. Owen needs a new direction and new leadership. You’ve consistently shown me how prepared you are. You think on your feet. Dominic has loosened you up a little. He has that effect. My goodness, he’s a charmer.”

  “Imagine what it’s like when he’s at Heart of Darkness and the women see him in the mood lighting.” But inside she was jumping up and down whooping it up that her mother had just paid her all those compliments.

  “I can believe it. He’s good for you. And you’re definitely good for him. He’s been ill used by this creature who bore him. And you’ll be protecting him as well as the rest of Owen.”

  Meriel blinked fast and looked up at the ceiling to keep from crying.

  “I need to discuss this with Dominic.”

  “Yes, of course. He’ll need to be here as well. When you take the font, it’ll fill him too. He needs to be here with you.” And as if she hadn’t just thrown a curveball, Edwina eyed the cookies. “You go on ahead. I’ll continue to enjoy my tea and perhaps have a few more cookies while we wait for him to arrive.”

  “You mean you want to do this right exactly now?”

  “Whenever else would it be? You’re going out there tonight. It won’t take very long. I can continue on as CEO if you like, or you can take over. I would argue that I’m a better choice for the position. I have more experience and I think you running the legal department is your strength.”

  She nodded. “Yes, stay on. You can take more clients for design work now if you like. I’m happy in legal and I really can’t believe we’re having this discussion. I’m honored, Mother, that you would find me worthy.” And she was. Her heart was full of love. And pride.