Hecate's Own: Heart's Desire, Book 2 (14 page)

Zach frowned at Gen, who blushed and looked away. He opened
his mouth to say something but Jo slapped his ass, distracting him. “Your turn,
handsome.”

The look he shot her let her know she wasn’t off the hook.
That was fine. She’d let him know what was going on without either Gen or
Gareth around. She had the feeling Zach would be both amused and horrified at
Gen’s news that she was destined to belong to Gareth.

“Okay, beautiful. Follow me.” Zach pulled her out the
sliding glass door and began to disrobe. She looked at Gen and Lana and twirled
her finger at them. Both women obligingly turned their backs while her mate
disrobed.

When Zach was naked Jo wolf whistled at him, delighted when
he blushed. “Nice view.” They both ignored the three wolves behind him gagging
on the lawn. “Ready to show me your wolf?”

Zach grinned. His image blurred until a black wolf stood
before her. Zach’s pale blue eyes were startling in that dark face.

“Oh, Zach.” He was beautiful. She got down on the ground and
reached for him, eager to touch all that soft fur. “You’re wondrous.”

Once again she ignored the wolves behind him. His idiot
brothers were lying on their backs, legs up in the air. Their tongues were lolling
out of their mouths as they played dead.

“You know, now that Zach has found his mate, maybe someone
should call his mom. Let her know.” Lana stepped out of the house in time to
watch four furry butts disappear into the woods. “Works every time.”

A flash of brilliant red off to the right caught her
attention, but before she could zero in on it, whatever it was had disappeared.

Must have been a cardinal.
Still, Jo couldn’t
suppress the feeling that something had been watching her.

“Are they that afraid of their mother?” Gen’s soft voice
brought her back to the present.

“You have no idea.”

Jo stood up and brushed her hands on her jeans. “I have
got
to meet Mama Beckett.”

“Mm-hmm.” Lana led the way back into the house. “Ladies, we
need to talk.”

Jo settled down and prepared to fill the women in on what
she knew.

Chapter Thirteen

“So.” Zach lay on his stomach next to the stream and watched
the clouds scuttle by in the clear water. He’d been waiting for Gareth to begin
picking his brain as soon as he led them to this spot. They were still on
Chris’s land, and therefore within the boundaries of his protections, but far
enough away that the ladies would have to work to find them. “I’ve got a
problem.” He rolled over and sat cross-legged. “I had a vision during the
ritual last night.”

Chris, Daniel and Gareth joined him, forming a circle.
“We’ve got your back, bro.” Gareth clapped his shoulder hard enough to nearly
knock him over.

Daniel nodded. “Whatever you need.”

Chris grinned. “Becketts stick together.”

Zach was counting on it. He needed his brothers more than
ever. “Here’s what I saw. I’m in wolf form, staring at a fire. In front of the
fire is a dark altar. Jo is strapped to that altar in enchanted chains, naked.”

“Not good.” Daniel’s eyes glowed. “We need to protect her.”

“We need to protect all our mates.” Chris frowned. “What
else did you see?”

“The altar was blood stained.”

“Meaning they’ve done this before.” Gareth twitched, like he
wished he were pacing, but held his place. “And what do you mean
all
our
mates? I’m not mated yet, thank the Lady.”

Chris and Zach exchanged a look. Gareth had looked pissed
when Gen saw Daniel’s ass. He’d been furious in that hallway when Gen hadn’t
been able to take her eyes off Zach’s naked body. He might not know it yet, but
Zach was willing to bet good money the blonde warlock would be joining their
family. He still wasn’t certain how he felt about that, but Jo trusted her, and
that was good enough for him.

“Jo struggles, a knife is lifted, I’m about to run to the
rescue when the man’s hood falls away. It’s Davis Godwin.”

“Fuck me.” Gareth did stand and pace. “That asshole needs a
spiritual enema.”

“Was anyone else there?” Chris chucked a stick into the
water, disturbing the serene reflection.

“I’m not sure. My wolf was focused on Jo and what was about
to happen to her. Which is one of the reasons I need you three and Gen.”

“I’m still not sure of her.” Gareth rubbed his nose. “She’s
a Godwin. How do we know she’ll be able to do what’s necessary?”

“We don’t, but Jo trusts her, and I have the feeling Lana
does too.” Chris nodded, confirming Zach’s guess. “So we let her in, but not
too far in.” And keep an eye on her for Gareth’s sake.

“And my supposed mate?” Daniel smirked.

“Do the ritual, bro. Prove Lana wrong.” Gareth smirked back.
“By the way, how often has Lana been proven wrong?”

Daniel collapsed on the grass with a groan. “Anyone but her.
Please, Lady?”

Zach listened to the weird echo of his own words and almost
laughed. “You’re screwed.”

Daniel lifted his hand just far enough to give Zach the
finger.

“Mates later, Godwins now. What do you propose we do?”

Zach looked around and realized his brothers were looking to
him to take the lead on this one. “I need to take care of it.”

One by one they blinked at him. “That’s it?” Daniel’s
eyebrows rose. “That’s your grand plan?”

Zach dug his good hand into the ground and allowed the
energy of the earth to seep into him. His bad hand hadn’t completely healed,
but at least he could move it much more easily now.

He thought about going after Davis Godwin and saving his
mate. He knew from the widening of Daniel’s eyes that he was glowing again.
“Yup.”

Gareth shrugged. “All righty then.”

Silence.

Daniel sighed. “Do you think they’ve eaten all the burgers?”

“Don’t you think we should have saved them some food?” Gen
stared at the empty wrappers with growing chagrin. She let out a delicate burp
and covered her mouth with her fingers.

“Oh please.” Lana waved her hand. “They’re out there chasing
Bambi. They’ll be fine.” She pointed toward Jo’s onion rings. “Are you going to
eat those?”

Jo pushed them over. “Do you have a hollow leg?”

Lana shook her head. “Nope. Just starving.” She tore into
the onion rings with greedy glee. “Yum.”

Jo decided to tease the other woman. “So if you get
pregnant, will you birth children or puppies?”

Lana choked.

“Johra.” Gen pounded Lana’s back so hard her head nearly hit
the table. “She’s not going to give birth to puppies.” She rubbed Lana’s back,
a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “She’s going to give birth
to Becketts.”

Jo nodded solemnly. “Good point.”

“Thanks a lot,” Lana croaked. She reached for her soda and
took a good long swallow. “You people suck.” She pointed at Jo. “Besides,
you’ll be having little Becketts too, you know.”

“Goddess help me.”

Gen sighed. “I wish.”

Jo met Lana’s surprised look. “Gen had a vision. She’s meant
to be Gareth’s mate, but he’s going to reject her because she’s a Godwin.”

Lana sat back and drawled, “Really?”

“Oh dear.” Gen looked petrified. “What are you thinking?”

“That we have two brothers who haven’t cast the Beckett mate
spell yet, but we already know the outcome.” Lana rubbed her hands together.
“We could have fun with this.”

“Remember, if the spell isn’t completed they die. Horribly.”
And Zach would be crushed if he lost one of his brothers. Jo would have to
ensure that didn’t happen.

Gen shivered. “Indeed. The last thing I want is for Gareth
to suffer.”

“We’ll make sure he doesn’t.” Lana patted Gen’s hand.

“No matter what, if it comes down to it, we’ll put him out
of his misery.” Jo grinned at Gen’s horrified gasp. “Oh please. Don’t be
stupid. We’ll lock you naked
in the room with him.”

“That would do it.” Jo had no doubt about that. She’d seen
the way Gareth stared at Gen when she wasn’t looking. The man wanted so badly
to play big bad wolf to the blonde’s little red riding hood. The only thing
holding him back was her last name.

Lana chuckled. “No doubt in my mind. Just make sure you
squeak and run. Wolves love to play chase.”

“And if you tell him you accept him, the wolf will override
the man. You’ll be mated before you can blink.” She was living proof if the way
Zach had pounced on her was anything to go by.

“Will it hurt?”

Jo handed over the last of the cookies to Gen, who groaned
but nibbled anyway. “Will what hurt?”

“The…mating.”

Jo’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

“What?” Lana stared at Gen’s increasingly red face. “Oh my
Lord. How old are you?”

Gen mumbled something under her breath and hid her face in
her hands.

“Come again?”

“Twenty-two, all right? I’m the baby of my family.” Gen’s
forehead hit the table. “I’m doomed.”

“Twenty-two?” That was it? She’d thought Gen was much older
than that.

“You mean you’ve never…?” Lana made some crude gestures with
her hands.

“Lana!” Jo slapped the other woman’s hands down. Poor Gen
groaned again.

“I thought they were a myth!”

Jo rolled her eyes. “Yes, Virginia, twenty-two year old
virgins
do
exist.”

Lana patted Gen’s downed head. “Oh, honey. We need to talk.”

Something occurred to Jo. “You’re not a virgin because
you’re an Own, are you?”

Gen shook her head. “Let’s just say that boys weren’t
knocking down my door.”

It was Jo’s turn to choke. The warlock was
stunning.
“Why not?”

“Big brothers. Mean ones. Three of them.”

“Oh.”

“Speaking of which, how did you survive as an Own in
that
family?” Lana stared at the empty wrappers and made a face.

Gen lifted her head. She didn’t seem to feel the big red
mark across her forehead. “My mother took care of me. She cast a spell that hid
my nature from the rest of the family. She never turned; she was a wizard until
the day she died. The spell was strong enough that no one suspected a thing.”

Lana gasped. “
That’s
how The Registry didn’t pick up
on what Cole and the rest of the Godwins were. It must have spilled over onto
the entire bloodline.”

“What?” Jo was lost. “Okay. I’m really out of the loop here.
The Godwins were listed as what? Oompa Loompas?”

“Wizards. We thought Cole had aligned himself with a
warlock, not that he
was
one.”

“And when my father realized Cole was up for the position of
King, he was beyond ecstatic. Imagine a warlock on the throne of the wizards.”
Gen shuddered. “And when Cole found out who the
other
candidate was…”
She bit her lip. “I tried to stop him.” She began to rub her wrist. “I really
tried.”

Jo took hold of Gen’s hand. “Did they hurt you?”

Gen nodded, her expression closed off and serene. Jo was
beginning to suspect that cool serenity was a mask for the real, very
frightened woman underneath.

“We need to stop them.” Lana began gathering the trash. “So.
How do we?”

“We don’t. I do.” Gen sat up straight. “I’m an Own. It’s my
job to stop rogue magic users, not yours.”

“Zach will want to help. So will Chris.” Lana shoved the
last of the wrappers into the trash. “Trust me, you won’t be alone on this
one.”

Jo nodded. “I bet I can get some people from the Council to
help. Ari will send some, and I bet Gareth could get more.”

Gen shook her head. “No. There’s a reason the Goddess
created Her Own. It’s up to us to stop people like my family.” Gen took Lana’s
hand. “And I don’t want to see yours hurt any more than it already has been.”

“Do you know where they are?”

She shook her head. “No.” She stood and grabbed a steak
knife from the butcher block. She pricked the end of her finger, the drop of
blood bright against her pale skin. “But I know how to find out.”

The women exchanged glances. “I’ll get the candles.” Lana
hopped up.

Jo grinned viciously. “I’ll gather the herbs.”

Gen smiled. “Do you think Chris will mind?”

“Nah. Besides, he keeps telling me this is my home too, so
guess what? I’m using my stuff.”

“In that case… I need a clear crystal for scrying.” Gen
stood, the uncertain girl replaced once more by the elegant Own. “Thank you.”

Lana hugged her. “Don’t mention it. Becketts stick
together.”

Chapter
Fourteen

Four wolves stopped at the edge of the woods. All four
watched with wide eyes as three women danced around the table still set up from
the night before. But where the white carved candle had stood was now Chris’s
gazing crystal from his workroom.

Jo danced like an houri, capturing the attention of the only
blue-eyed wolf in the group. Her hips swayed to a beat that only she could
hear. Her face lifted to the sky, a heated, feminine smile curving her full
lips.

Zach took a step closer, mesmerized by the sight of his mate
dancing to the gods.

“Don’t.” Something grabbed him by the scruff and held him
back. “Look closer.”

Zach did. Only then did he realize that one of the women had
cast a circle. From the visible green color he had to assume it was Gen.

Gen paused in front of the altar, her body swaying, her arms
outstretched, her figure lined with green living light. She reached down and
picked up a knife.

Chris growled low in his throat.

Zach could almost understand his reaction. Their mates were
in that circle, but something about the circle itself calmed Zach. It was
clean, fresh, like springtime. New and young and full of innocent hope.

“I’m going in.”

Zach changed shape so fast his head spun. “No, Gareth. Let
it be.”

Gareth rounded on him. “Your mate is in there with a Godwin.
Are you going to let that go?”

“Are you?” Zach spoke with as much certainty as he could.
Gareth was going to have to get past Gen’s family if he ever hoped to have his
own happiness.

Gareth took a deep breath. “You trust her?”

Zach nodded. He did. “No one evil could cast a circle that
pure, Gareth. Feel it. Use your senses, all of them. Tell me if you scent any
wrongness.”

“Guys. Look.” Daniel pointed to where Gen hovered over the
crystal, the knife digging into the flesh of her finger. “What is she doing?”

“Oh hell. Blood to blood. Sympathetic magic. She’s scrying
for her family.” Chris hunched down where the women wouldn’t see him.

Good idea.
Zach tugged Gareth down with him. Daniel
silently made his way to Chris’s other side. Together they watched Gen perform
her ritual.

The crystal sprang to life with the first drop of Gen’s
blood.

“Enjoying the show, boys?”

All four turned, hands at their crotches, to find Annabelle
Evans standing behind them. She stood there in jeans and one of her Shania
Twain T-shirts, hands on hips, feet planted firmly on the ground.

“How the hell did you sneak up on four wolves?” Chris
gasped.

“Language, Christopher.”

The rebuke was almost absent, the answer instantaneous.
“Sorry, Grammy.”

Zach’s cheeks heated as she studied each of them in turn.
“What are you boys up to?”

Zach wasn’t the only Beckett to risk a peek down to make
sure he wasn’t “up” in front of Annabelle. “We came back from our run and saw
them spellcasting. We were curious.” He gave her his best Bambi eyes.

She wasn’t buying it. “Mm-hmm. Where are your clothes?”

“Over there.” Zach risked his dignity with one hand,
pointing toward the back of the house, right past where the girls were dancing.

Grammy’s eyes went over their heads. A strange sort of
satisfaction lit them before she looked back down at the four cowering men. “Go
get them.”

“Yes’m.” Zach shifted, unwilling to show his naked ass to
Annabelle any more than he already had.

His brothers followed suit. Together they slinked through
the woods, tails between their legs. He wasn’t certain what they’d done wrong,
but he was certain from Annabelle’s tone it was
something.

Now he just had to figure out what.

“Okay, what did you find out?”

Gen settled on the ground wearily, her hand cradled in her
lap. “They’re somewhere on an island, not that far from Philadelphia. Possibly
within the city limits.”

Lana frowned. “An island in the city?” Her head tilted.
“They might be on one of the islands on either the Delaware or the Sure-Kill.”

That startled a laugh out of both Jo and Gen. “The what?”

Lana chuckled. “The Schuylkill River. We call it the
Sure-Kill.”

Jo shook her head. “Just the place for some rogue warlocks
to play.”

“Could you see anything else in the vision?”

Gen shrugged. “Just a bridge.”

Lana leaned forward. “What
kind
of bridge?”

“A double-decked bridge, lots of iron struts. One of those
that looks like a toy bridge for a wooden train set, but a pale gray color
instead of bright red or blue.”

Lana sat back, a strange look on her face. “I need to hit
the Internet, but I think I might know where that is.”

“Do we tell the men?”

Gen shook her head. “This is mine to deal with.”

Jo stood and brushed the dirt off her jeans. “Sorry, but
this is Zach’s gig as well.” Every instinct she had screamed that Zach would be
involved whether Gen wanted him to be or not.

Gen sighed. “Then we tell them.”

“Let’s take down the circle and cart everything back in.
Once they’re back from their run we’ll let them know what’s going on.” Jo
turned and shrieked.

Four pairs of eyes watched them with varying degrees of
annoyance. The only ones she was concerned with glared at her. “What the hell
do you think you’re doing?”

“Um. Picnic?”

Those blue eyes narrowed. His foot tapped on the grass. “Jo.
Tell me you’re not hunting bad guys.”

“I’m not hunting bad guys.” She wasn’t lying to him. Gen was
hunting bad guys. Jo was just providing support.

He growled at her.

She picked up a stick and tossed it. “Fetch, boy! Fetch!”

His lips twitched, but those blue eyes of his remained hot.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Make yourself useful and cart
some of this stuff back, okay?”

Zach’s stomach rumbled. His expression turned from furious
to pleading in a heartbeat. “Tell me you at least left us some burgers.”

Jo hightailed it back into the house, leaving Lana and Gen
to face the hungry Beckett brothers. She slipped into Chris’s office and booted
his computer. “Damn.” He’d put a password on it.

“Let me.” Lana settled behind the desk and began typing as
soon as the computer was done logging her in. “Schuylkill River bridges. Hmm.
Double-decker, gray, near some islands… Gen, any idea where in Philly it was?”

“I saw lots of big ships, if that helps.”

“The Philadelphia Naval Yard.” Lana rubbed her hands
together with glee and began typing once more. “Bingo!” She pointed toward the
bridge on the screen. “The Girard Point Bridge.”

“Yes, that’s the one.” Gen tapped the screen. “What islands
are near there?”

“Hmm.” Lana brought up Google Maps and began moving the
screen around.

Jo pointed toward the screen at a long, thin island that had
to be visible from the airport and possibly from that bridge. “What about
there?”

“It’s a little before the bridge, but let’s check it out.”
Lana brought up the long, thin island and read off the name. “Little Tinicum
Island.”

Gen walked around the edge of the desk to stand on Lana’s
other side. “No. That’s not it. It was fat and much smaller.” Gen took hold of
the mouse and began maneuvering it. She landed on a tiny little island on the
New Jersey side of the Delaware, right where it looked like the Delaware and
Schuylkill met. “There. That’s the one.”

Lana’s brows rose as she zoomed in on it. “That’s so small
it doesn’t even rate a name on the map.”

“But you can see it clearly from the bridge.” Gen leaned
against the desk. “That’s the one.”

“Isolated, small, covered in trees.” Zach entered the room
and dropped an absent kiss on Jo’s head as he circled behind her. “Sounds about
right.” He stared at the island. “Yes, that’s the one.”

“What are you talking about?” Jo snuggled into him. This was
it, what her instincts had been screaming at her about. The hex had been a
small part of it, but here was the
real
danger.

“I had a vision last night during the ritual. It was the
same one I’ve been having over and over, but with different outcomes. But all
of them tell me the same thing. You’re in danger.” He patted Jo’s shoulder.
“You’ll be staying here behind as many layers of protection as we can place
around you.”

“But—”

His finger landed on her lip. “That’s not up for
negotiation.” He tilted her chin up. His expression was hard and unyielding,
but fear lurked in his eyes. “I saw you strapped to an altar, ready to become
Davis’s next victim.”

“Next victim of what?”

Gen blanched. “
That’s
how they’ve gotten so much
power so quickly.”

“Victim of what?” Jo yelled.

Gen’s serenity descended around her like a cloak. “Human
sacrifice. They’re feeding their pact with living souls.”

Jo was so shocked she laughed. “No way. That’s B-grade
horror-movie shit. No one actually does that.”

Gen nodded. “Yes. They do.” The horror in her eyes showed
she’d seen it before.

“Crap.” Jo shivered. She liked her soul where it was, thank
you very much.

“Which is why you stay here and Gen and I go.”

“Not without us you don’t.” Zach, Daniel and Gareth stood in
the doorway, arms crossed, identical expressions on their faces. It was like
looking at triplets, except Gareth was slightly taller and broader than any of
the other Becketts and Daniel still had a smirk teasing the corners of his
mouth.

“Then who stays here and guards my mate?”

“I do.” Annabelle pushed past the brothers and into the
room. “I think I can keep one small witch in line.”

Jo matched Annabelle glare for glare. “No. I’m not placing
myself in your hands.”

“Why not?” Now Lana sounded offended.

“Because a, she hates my ass, b, she was able to force me
from Chris’s house and that freaks me the fuck out, and c, she hates my ass.
I’m sorry, but I don’t trust her.”

Annabelle nodded, but Jo could tell her answer pissed the
other witch off. “Understood. Do you trust Lana?”

Jo’s jaw clenched. The only one she trusted completely was
Zach.

She blinked.
Of course.
“Zach,
you
put me
under protections.”

He looked shocked. “What?”

“You’re an Own, right? And my mate? Who better to protect me
from Davis than you?”

“She’s right.” Everyone turned at the soft sound of Gen’s
voice. “It should be Zach protecting her.”

“I can place spells on her, but I won’t be here to deal with
anything that shows up.” He rubbed his hands through his hair, and Jo knew he
was getting frustrated. “What happens if something comes after you that the
protections can’t handle?”

Her brows rose. “When the hell did I become a cupcake?” He
blinked, shocked. “Zach, I’m next in line to rule my coven. I’m stronger than I
look.” She had to be to teach all those kids and not lose her mind. “I can make
sure I at least stay put until you can get to me.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to be two hours away,
sweetheart. Can you hold on that long?”

She bit her lip. As a witch, if she had to go up against
extremely strong magic, she’d tire out before those two hours were up. She’d
have to throw everything she had into staying on Chris’s land. “If I pass out
from exhaustion I won’t be walking anywhere.”

“There are other ways to get from place to place without
using your feet,” Gen started, then stared at Jo. “I’ll place my own
protections on her as well. They might counteract the warlock magic thrown at
her.”

“Thank you.” Jo could tell from Gareth’s tone that he wasn’t
convinced.

Jo was. Gen had proven herself. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
The young warlock blushed when Jo hugged her. “One of these days you’ll have to
explain to us exactly how a warlock’s magic works.” Jo patted Gen’s arm when
the woman paled. “We need to know so we can counter it.”

Gen sighed and walked around the desk. She sat in the chair
facing it and crossed her hands in her lap. “A warlock’s magic comes from
without, not from within as it does with witches and wizards. We are…attuned
from birth to forces outside ourselves. When a warlock hits puberty, it
begins.”

“What does?” Jo was fascinated. She’d never had the
opportunity to talk to a warlock before. The so-called “good” ones were few and
far between, and she wanted nothing to do with the bad ones.

And there she went again, lumping all warlocks in the bad
category when a truly good one sat across from her. She’d have to be careful of
that in the future.

“The seducing.” Gen took a deep breath. “The powers begin to
vie for the warlock. They entice us with promises of power, riches, fame.
Whatever we wish can be ours, if we just submit.” Gen shuddered. “We’re so
young when it starts that most of us agree before we understand the full
implications of what we’ve done, and by the time we do we’re so corrupted it
doesn’t matter anymore. We have what they’ve promised us, and that’s all that
matters.”

“Is it always dark forces that try to seduce the warlocks?”

She nodded. “Always. Other forces exist, but it takes
tremendous will for a young warlock to seek them out while someone whispers in
your ear about all of your fantasies being fulfilled.”

“What other forces?” Gareth moved forward, looking
fascinated despite himself.

“The elementals are one way a warlock can gain power without
having to succumb to the dark, but you always run the risk that the elementals
will burn you out before you can learn to control their magic. They are
powerful, but untamable. Only an epic will can withstand their magic.”

“And?” Because Jo knew there was more to it than that.

Gen smiled, and something lit her from within. “And there
are the gods themselves, but so few of us go that route.”