Tempted by Darkness

by Avery Gale

  “What the hell is that?” Braden started to step forward as he spoke but Kit placed her hand on his shoulder to hold him back. Devin’s posture had shifted immediately and Kit was worried about the young man’s safety. Even though Angie appeared to be trapped in some sort of glass bubble, she appeared to be unharmed. Braden turned back to Devin and took a menacing step forward before Kit pulled him back once again. “Can she hear us?” Just then they saw Angie waving her arms and she looked as though she was shouting but they couldn’t hear anything. “Well, guess that answers that question. Hey, how long can she stay in there without fresh air?” Kit wanted to roll her eyes, leave it to Braden to shift so quickly to logical and scientific observations. Good Goddess it was certainly easy to see he and Angie were related. Kit was far more worried that none of them were going to live long enough for oxygen to ever be an issue.

  “Don’t worry about the bubble. It is soundproof, but she will not come to any harm being in there. She had been treated well as I’m sure she will tell you, assuming you are willing to negotiate with me.” Kit’s interest was piqued because Devin had emphasized the word me and she found it odd that he’d make that distinction.

  ‘What do you make of this, Kit? Why did he say we are negotiating with him? Do you think we were right the last time when we sensed his reluctance to be his brother’s lackey?’

  Kit appreciated the telepathic link she and Braden had established. They’d spent many hours practicing the silent method of communication and she was grateful they shared a way to speak without being heard. ‘I was just thinking the same thing. Let’s see where this takes us, shall we?’

  Returning her focus to Devin, Kit demanded, “Tell us what you want. Why would you want to kidnap Angie? And who was responsible?” Devin rolled his eyes at her questions and it quickly became clear to Kit that Devin wasn’t particularly interested in discussing the details.

  “I can’t tell you everything—at least not yet, but you already know that. And I’m sure you have already figured out that my brother wants to trade the good doctor for his grandson.” When she opened her mouth to speak he held up his hand in a silent gesture silencing her. “I already know that isn’t going to happen and in truth I’d be somewhat disappointed in you if you agreed to such an exchange. Remember, I said your negotiations are with me, not my brother.” For the first time in days, Kit felt some of the tension leave her body as the possibility that they might get Angie back without extreme violence loomed before her.

  During the next half hour, Devin paced so quickly along a line in front of them that he literally wore a path in the grass beneath his feet. There were times as he spoke that Kit wondered if he was still speaking to them or he’d simply become lost in his own thoughts. Devin outlined his brother’s plan to take over the Supreme Council after he was freed from behind the sealed portal—and realizing how close Damian was to making it happened scared Kit more than she wanted to admit.

  “Kit, the magic you used the night you sent Damian behind the seal was dark, very dark. And the remarkable thing is you were completely untrained. I know the powers that be are telling you they don’t know how you managed it, but that isn’t exactly true. They know it was dark magic, what they don’t know is how you learned it. Whether it’s innate knowledge or simply natural ability, then they have a really big problem on their hands.”

  “Explain why they consider it their problem.” As much as Kit wanted to deny his words, she honestly wasn’t sure she could. Something about his observation resonated in her soul as the truth though. She didn’t like it, but she’d never been one to deny reality even if it didn’t fit well with the way she wanted to see herself. Her passionate response to Jameson’s dominance that first night at the club was a perfect example. As much as she had wanted to be outraged by his high-handed behavior, she hadn’t been able to deny her body’s intense response to his dominance.

  “There is a battle coming, Kit, you already know this, but what may surprise you is how quickly the scales are tipping in Damian’s favor.” Devin ran his hand through his shaggy black hair in a gesture Kit recognized as pure frustration. “I’ve always been torn between my brothers. Damian is as dark as a moonless night, but he had always treated me well, at least until recently. He’s losing touch with reality and that doesn’t translate well to interpersonal communication and people skills. Marcus, on the other side, has always done what is right, but he is an ass—as I’m sure you have already noted.” In Kit’s opinion, that was an understatement. She’d been less than comfortable with Marcus from the beginning and nothing that had happened since then had done anything to change her mind.

  “I understand what you have said and agree, but what’s coming is not the issue at this moment. Getting Angie home safely is all I care about.” Well, that isn’t exactly true, but no need to snatch the olive branch out of his hands and smack him over the head with it.

  His sly smile let Kit know her thoughts hadn’t been as private as she intended them to be. Braden’s word drifted into her mind lilting with warmth and laughter. ‘Well, duh, Kit. You were fairly well mentally shouting, so there wasn’t much chance he wouldn’t hear you.’ The young wizard’s words made her smile, he could be so impertinent at times that he, well—quite frankly he reminded her of herself at that age.

  “Damian won’t be pleased that you have managed to free the woman he considers his bargaining chip, but he will be impressed with my description of the dark magic you used to accomplish it.” When he smiled, Kit realized this was the first time she’d seen him do it. The gesture totally transformed his appearance and he looked much younger and infinitely more approachable in that moment. But, the light left his eyes too quickly as he continued, “As to what I want in exchange—I want to help train you for the coming battle. I am no longer interested in aligning myself with Damian and I’m willing to help defeat him. His plans have escalated to the point the price is going to be far too high, and there are a lot of people who will pay with their lives.” Kit knew there was more to it than that, but was certain he wasn’t going to share the rest anytime soon.

  Bringing him into the fold was dangerous on so many levels she was having trouble just tracking all the potential problems as they ran through her mind. And worst of all, Kit knew the guilt she felt when he’d known she’d been experimenting showed clearly in her expression and Braden laughed, “Damn, Kit, it isn’t like it was a secret. You know Tristan and Nick don’t miss anyone going in or out of the house, and your mates probably know every detail about your dreams they watch you so closely. How did you think everybody and their dogs didn’t know where you were going? Geez.” She managed to catch herself just before she gave him the “you roll your eyes at me again like that young lady and I’ll roll them right out of your head” speech she’d gotten so often at that age. Of course she’d have to edit it a bit, but still, the idea of turning into her mother wasn’t at all appealing. She’d heard enough of her friends talking over drinks to know it was a universal dilemma.

  Sighing to herself, she turned back to Devin, “I will agree to work with you.” Because I’d do anything to get Angie back. “But even you have to know what a difficult sell this is going to be. The Wolf Pack is going to be more than a little reluctant to believe your change of heart, even though they will be grateful for Angie’s safe return. And the Supreme Council is probably going to want to send at least one overseer.” Hell’s bells and horseshoe nails, knowing that paranoid bunch, they’d send a whole contingent. And none of this was even considering the conniption fit her two mates were going to throw, just thinking about that conversation sent shivers up her spine.

  Devin’s sly smile let her know he’d already foreseen everything she’d mentioned. “I’ve arranged transportation for you since my brother’s guest doesn’t have a passport. Everything is made in Trevlon Wolf’s name, he and your grandmother will be waiting for you at the private field. I’ve sent the directions to both of your mobile phones so you shouldn’t have
any trouble finding your way.” All Kit could do was stare at Devin in open-mouthed shock. Was he for real? Who kidnapped a woman in hopes of joining forces with their family? Again, he must have known exactly where her mind had gone because she shook his head, “I am not the one who arranged for Dr. Michaels to be taken from the hospital. Personally, I think her work is far too important to risk her safety, but as I said, my brother isn’t at all concerned about the future of anyone but himself. Angie will tell you the names of the women involved, but I’d be willing to bet you already have that information.”

  With a flick of his wrist the bubble around Angie vanished and she ran to Braden putting herself between the two wizards. Before Kit could respond Devin as gone, but his voice rang through her mind, ‘I’ll meet you in the meadow during the next full moon, your word is your bond, Kit—and I know you won’t disappoint me. There is too much at stake, your children’s future hangs in the balance. Little Ryan’s and Adana’s fates are in your hands.’

  Chapter Five

  Kit looked around the dungeon and wondered how her husbands had managed to make so many upgrades to the large space without her noticing. Granted, she had been gone a few days, but Trev had been with her and the changes she noted in their private playroom definitely had his signature style. Everything was period perfect for the medieval era most commonly associated with dungeons and torture devices, and those things simply weren’t important to Jameson. And even though the pieces of furniture filling the large stonewalled room might be designed for erotic pleasure, they were still intimidating. She wasn’t sure she would ever be completely at ease with the harsher side of the lifestyle her two mates had enjoyed prior to their mating, but then again, they didn’t seem particularly excited about her becoming too comfortable either.

  She’d been lost in her thoughts, Kit hadn’t realized they’d both stopped talking off to the side. Oh fricking fairy farts, did they ask me something? They get really pissy if I don’t stay focused on what’s happening. Keeping focused had never been one of Kit’s strong points. Jameson’s growl filled the air, “Kitten? Are you going to answer the question?” Question? Shit, shit, shit. What the hell did they ask?

  “Umm, well, I must have missed it the first time…Sir.” Always a good idea to tack that on when in trouble. The Dominant portions of both of men’s personalities seemed to respond well to her submissive side, but adding any additional sucking up verbiage was a real balancing game she rarely got exactly right.

  “Indeed, I do believe you did, baby. Maybe if you’d try to stay in the moment, you might catch things easier.” Trev’s voice was deceptively gentle, but Kit wasn’t fooled. On the surface he appeared to be the gentler of the two, but he was actually more of a stickler for protocol in the lifestyle than Jameson. Trev had been furious with her for agreeing to work with Devin from the moment she’d first explained the conditions she’d agreed to in order to free Angie. He hadn’t been able to openly complain without giving the impression Angie hadn’t been worth it and being caught between a rock and a hard place seemed to have added a lot of fuel to his fury.

  Glancing over she met Jameson’s heated gaze. They had already stripped her and secured her to the strangest St. Andrew’s Cross she’d ever seen. The wooden beams of the cross narrowed so they were almost non-existent in the middle, and the end-points were aligned with tracks that Kit assumed allowed the cross to be tilted and rotated in several different directions. The wide bands securing her were softly woven to prevent unnecessary pressure at any point and the Velcro tear away sections were strategically placed to allow access to every part of her trembling body. It was the only piece of equipment they’d added then made no attempt to hide the fact it was state of the art technology for kinksters. Just thinking about the ad they’d probably seen in Torture Equipment Monthly made Kit smile.

  “Care to share what that thought was, kitten?” Jameson’s voice sounded from right in front of her. Holy hell how had he moved so close without her noticing? When she gasped in surprise, he shook his head, “Kitten, I could have sprouted wings and flown around the room and you wouldn’t have noticed. Now, stop stalling and tell us what you were thinking that made you smile.”

  “Oh, well, I was just admiring the new additions to the playroom, and I wondered about your…umm, sources for such novelties.” Kit added her most sincere expression, but wasn’t surprised when her blatant attempt to distract them didn’t work.

  “And? Don’t insult us by editing, my love—we know you far too well.” Oh brother and wasn’t that the truth. Kit really believed they knew her better than she knew herself in a lot of ways.

  “Well, I sort of thought maybe there was a catalog or something.” They both just kept watching her, their postures mirror images of one another, their legs spread shoulder width apart and bulging biceps crossed over heavily muscled chests. Looking at them dressed in nothing but low-slung, faded jeans with their bare feet topped by the time worn fringes of hems dragging over the stone floor. Kit realized too late that she was staring and licking her lips in anticipation. “Okay, okay. I figure you probably get Torture Equipment Monthly, you know, sort of like Consumer Reports, but for kinky stuff.” Geez, now that they’d forced her to say it out loud it didn’t sound funny at all, talk about ruining a perfectly good joke.

  Surprised by Trev’s snort of laughter and Jameson’s grin, Kit tried to shrug but they’d secured her so well she couldn’t even lift her shoulder. Realizing she was well and truly at their mercy sent a zing of arousal straight to her sex and she knew neither of her mates had missed her scent when their nostrils flared. “We’re going to remind you who you belong to, baby. You’ve made a bargain with a man who could hurt you and we take your safety very seriously. And even though you agreed to meet him away from the house in a feeble attempt to keep everyone else safe, you still agreed to work with him without any apparent consideration for your own well-being. And agreeing to meet him in a secluded place? Don’t even get me started on all the reasons that fact earns you punishment. But the biggest problem is that you didn’t consult either of us before you made this bargain.” Was he serious? Without consulting them? What the hell? She was a grown woman who made her own decisions. Granted they were both her Alphas as well as her mates, but still—just the thought of having to get their approval to agree to training—not to mention that of everybody and their pup in the magical community was going to have their nose up in her business, well, that was just over the top. Hell, they knew all of it would be supervised to the nth degree so their comments grated on her last nerve.

  “I’m not sure, brother, but I think perhaps you’ve touched upon a sticking point for our lovely subbie and mate. She sure seems to be taking her time processing that, don’t you think?” Trev’s teasing tone earned him a glare and when she saw his jaw tighten, Kit knew the scathing look she’d given him had been a huge error.

  Trevlon Wolf honestly believed he’d been more than patient with Kit. He’d nearly gone out of his mind with worry while she’d met with the Supreme Council. The enormous doors that closed between them had obviously been made of something very special or perhaps the wizards inside had put some sort of spell on them, because Kit’s thoughts had been completely blocked from him from the moment they’d locked together. It was if his mate had simply ceased to exist. The emptiness that had filled his soul had knocked him to his knees and had nearly driven him to distraction. Trev had suddenly understood why shifters who lose their mates die shortly thereafter. And then, when she and Braden had gone to meet Devin alone, he’d been even more crazed. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in her abilities, it was simply that he was terrified there would be a split second when she was distracted and that would be all the time an enemy needed to steal her from him forever.

  When a messenger arrived instructing both he and Ruby to meet Kit and Braden at a private landing strip, he’d worried they were all walking into a trap. Ruby had assured him she wasn’t picking up any negative trace magic,
but not being able to confirm the safety of the situation himself had left him more than a little unnerved. But the worst had come after they’d all returned home and Kit had explained the conditions she’d agreed to in exchange for Angie’s release. When he’d looked over at Jameson, Trev had actually wondered whether his brother’s head was going to spin around on his shoulders or explode first.

  They’d immediately begun planning a session in their newly remodeled dungeon as a way to release some of their stress as much as a way to remind their darling mate who she belonged to. But now, her continued defiance had just changed the game. She wanted to use those lovely eyes to look at them as if they were cretins? Well, they’d just rob her of that opportunity. Stalking over to the large armoire, Trev returned with a long, black silk scarf. “Baby, those glares have just tipped the scales, and not in your favor. Let’s see if we can’t make sure you don’t dig yourself any deeper, shall we?”

  Trev and Jameson both knew how independent Kit was—submission wasn’t ever going to be easy for her, even though she embraced it with everything she was once they got her focused on what she was feeling. The biggest hurdle Kit faced in their D/s relationship was that her mind rarely shut down without their help. During a post-orgasmic haze once early in their relationship, she’d admitted the relief of not having to think was almost overwhelming though the glare she’d given him earlier made him doubt his feisty lover would admit that now. Her eyes blazed with anger as he slid the silk over them. When she opened her mouth to speak, he leaned forward and whispered against her ear, “Be very careful, baby, or you’ll find yourself gagged as well.” The low growl deep in her throat made Trev smile. For a shifter who’d never changed until they’d mated, she had certainly taken quickly to snarling.