JAKrentz - Witchcraft (21 page)

Her fate was in his hands, Kimberly reflected. On the whole, she couldn't imagine trusting anyone other than
Cavenaugh
with her life.

Several miles down the road
Cavenaugh
hung up the pay phone in the all-night convenience store and went outside to the waiting Jaguar. So the compelling sense of urgency, which had been governing his actions since the moment he knew he had to go to Kim's room, had been based on something more than the uneasiness left by a lovers' quarrel. He had left the hotel a little more than an hour behind her, but he'd made better time than she had. He was only a half hour from her home.

Cavenaugh
yanked open the car door, his mind spinning as he considered the possibilities that lay ahead. Kim had implied there were three people in the house with her. There wasn't much time, but then, there never was in situations like this. He would go into this as prepared as possible. Before starting the engine he leaned down and removed a couple of items from underneath the front seat. The knife he slipped inside his low boot, strapping it to his ankle. He shoved the small, flat, metal box inside the waistband of his jeans so that it lay snug against his spine. Then he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out onto the rain-slicked road. Given the driving conditions, it should have been a thirty minute trip to Kimberly's beach house.
Cavenaugh
decided that with a little effort he could make it in twenty. That was a good deal less time than it would take to try and rouse the local authorities into efficient action. * * * Kimberly was inching her way across the bed, trying to get close to the glass-based bedside lamp when the door to her room opened. The woman called
Zorah
stood in the doorway. She was holding a small brazier in her hands. "I didn't phone for room service," Kimberly managed. She was very scared now. "You are foolish to mock what you do not understand,"
Zorah
informed her softly.

She set the brazier down on the floor and knelt in front of it. "But soon you will pay the price. Your life will be forfeited to the Darkness, Kimberly Sawyer." Kimberly watched uneasily as the woman applied a match to the small pile of coals in the bottom of the pan.

"Look,
Zorah
, don't you think this has gone far enough? Why don't you get out of it before you're trapped? You know it's only a matter of time before Ariel is discovered. She's not clever enough to cover her tracks or yours for much longer. And after I disappear you can bet
Cavenaugh
won't stop until he's uncovered the truth."

"Darius
Cavenaugh
cannot deal with my lady's power,"
Zorah
said serenely. "What power?

Everything Ariel's arranged so far has been screwed up. The kidnapping went wrong. The attempt to kill me fizzled. What makes you think she'll pull off her next trick successfully?"
Zorah
glared at her, some of the assured serenity faltering. "She brought you here tonight with her power, didn't she?"

"Not exactly. I think we can write tonight off as one very large coincidence. A coincidence she was shrewd enough to capitalize on. Did she really tell you that she would make me appear this evening?" "She said we had to come here to your house in order to discover the best method of dealing with you. The emanations of your essence are strongest here where you live, and the power can be wielded most effectively in such an environment."

"But did she actually promise to produce me?" Kimberly prodded. "Or did she just say you'd do a bit of hocus pocus and decide on your next course of action?"
Zorah
sprinkled powder from a small leather packet onto the glowing coals and got to her feet. "You are wasting your time trying to put doubts in my head. I believe in my lady's power. Someday she has promised it will be mine!"
Zorah
turned and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her. Kimberly lay eyeing the heated coals in the brazier.

A strange scent was beginning to permeate the room. Kimberly inhaled cautiously, wondering what was happening. The fragrance was curiously tantalizing. An herbal smell that was both acrid and sweet. Perhaps it was some sort of ritual, she decided. Turning back on her side she continued her interrupted worm crawl across the bed. Kimberly had reached the far edge of the quilted surface and was studying the lamp, looking for a way to break the glass base without making too much noise when she began to question her actions. She inhaled deeply, absently enjoying the strange fragrance from the brazier and wondered if this project was worth all the effort she was exerting. It would be so much easier to close her eyes and rest for a few minutes. Perhaps after she'd had a small nap she would be able to think more clearly about the task of breaking the glass lamp base. In fact, Kimberly thought critically, why should she even want to break such a lovely piece of glass? It had something to do with a vague notion of using the sharp edges to cut her bonds but that seemed highly unrealistic now. The herbal scent was filling the room, drifting into the corners, hanging lightly over the bed. Kimberly took another, deeper breath and realized she hadn't felt so relaxed in ages. It had been a hard night, she decided. She needed to unwind. There had been that confrontation with her grandparents, the quarrel with
Cavenaugh
and then the long drive through the storm. The storm. Outside her bedroom window thunder rolled and lightning crackled over the ocean. The momentary brilliance jarred her. There was something she was supposed to be doing, some task that demanded attention. Glass. It had to do with glass. Once before she had used broken glass, Kimberly remembered dazedly. She had been defending herself. There had been a silver dagger and a man in robes.

Glass. She needed a piece of broken glass. Ridiculous. Who had any use for broken glass? Gazing over the edge of the bed, Kimberly stared at the coals in the brazier. Such beautiful coals. And they gave off such a lovely fragrance. Too bad
Cavenaugh
wasn't here so that he could enjoy the aroma with her. But
Cavenaugh
was safely in San Francisco. Or was he safe? Her mind drifted around that thought. It wasn't like
Cavenaugh
to keep himself safe while she was in danger. He was a man who understood responsibility. And he had definite responsibilities toward her. He was her lover, Kimberly told herself, and he felt it was his job to protect her. So how could he be sitting safely in a hotel room right now? No, he must be coming after her. It was the only logical conclusion. Danger. Where was the danger? It was so difficult to keep her mind focused on it. Yet when a person was in peril surely her attention should be riveted on it? Somehow it all seemed like such an effort. Ever since she had begun enjoying the scent of the brazier smoke she had been having a hard time remembering that crazy Ariel Llewellyn was out there in the living room going through who-knew-what nutty rituals. It was even harder to remember that she, Kimberly, was going to play a starring role in the upcoming drama. Ariel. Ariel and smoke. Ariel knew a lot about herbs. There were those herbal tea concoctions she was always fixing for people. Certain herbs released their power when heated. Kimberly frowned, remembering the packet of powder
Zorah
had sprinkled on the brazier. Lightning sparked angrily outside the window, as though demanding Kimberly's attention. For a moment she obeyed, turning her head to gaze out into the darkness. Soon it would be dawn but the storm was raging so wildly it would be a long time before the sky grew light. Herbs sprinkled on the brazier coals.

Cavenaugh
making his way through the storm to get to her. Witches and daggers. A ripple of fear pulsed under Kimberly's unnatural relaxation.

That smoke was doing this to her, she thought, twisting on the bed.

Smoke was dangerous. Desperately she sought for a new focus of attention. Images of
Cavenaugh
flashed into her head.
Cavenaugh
making love to her, holding her, telling her he understood.
Cavenaugh
forcing her to meet her grandparents.
Cavenaugh
on the phone tonight, comprehending immediately that she was in real trouble.
Cavenaugh
, who could almost read her mind at times and who, at other times, infuriated her with his male arrogance.
Cavenaugh
whom she loved. He was the reason she had to keep trying to break that glass lamp base, Kimberly realized with sudden clarity.
Cavenaugh
would expect her to at least try. But that damned smoke was so overpowering. Desperately Kimberly twisted, knocking her shoulder against the end table. The crash of the lamp as it fell to the floor coincided with the opening of her bedroom door. The destruction of the bulb left only the glow of the brazier coals for light. In the sudden darkness Kimberly heard people moving around. "What the hell have you done to her?" It was
Cavenaugh's
voice, Kimberly realized dreamily. "Ah,
Cavenaugh
. I knew you'd get here.

What took you so long?" The light from the hall shafted through the haze in the room, providing just enough illumination for Kimberly to see that
Cavenaugh
was not alone.
Emlyn
was behind him. "Oh, dear. They got you, too," she whispered sadly. "I'm so sorry,
Cavenaugh
. I think I made a mistake tonight."

"You've drugged her with this god damned smoke,"
Cavenaugh
said somewhere in the haze. "She'll live until tonight. Just thought we'd give her a little something to keep her quiet. She's the kind who would have made trouble. Wonder why she pushed that lamp over?

Oh, well, if she wants to lie here in the darkness, that's her problem.

Get on the bed.
Zorah
, tie his ankles. And be careful."

"Do you think it's safe to leave both of them here together?"
Zorah
asked. "The smoke will keep them under control. Besides, where else can we put him?

Ariel won't want him watching her preparation rituals." Kimberly felt the bed give beside her as
Cavenaugh
obediently allowed
Zorah
to finish binding him. A moment later the two had left the room, leaving Kimberly and her companion in smoky darkness. "Kim, are you all right?"

"The smoke," she tried to explain sleepily. "Yeah, I know." He was moving, sitting up beside her and shifting around. "Wake up, honey. This will go a lot faster if you help. That smoke will get to me soon."

"Help?

How?"

"There's a knife inside my boot. Turn around so you can reach down and pull it out." Kimberly struggled to concentrate as he urged her onto her side. She felt his leg and then the leather of one boot.

Behind her back her fingers fumbled awkwardly. "Why did you let them get you?" she whispered unhappily. "I didn't want them to get you,
Cavenaugh
."

"I had to let them take me. I had no way of knowing where you were or what they might have already done to you. So I just walked up to the front door and pretended total ignorance."

"Quite a surprise seeing Ariel, wasn't it?" For some reason that seemed inordinately funny. Kimberly giggled and her fingers slid off the boot.
Cavenaugh
swore. "When I think of harboring her under my roof for the past twelve months.. Kim, stop it," he ordered harshly. "I'm sorry," she mumbled guiltily. "Didn't mean to laugh. Just seemed funny."

"Get the knife!"

The command in his voice cut through her foggy senses. Another moment of clarity returned and Kimberly managed to get her fingers inside his boot. She felt the handle of the knife and tugged. "That's it, honey," he said approvingly. Then he coughed. "Now hold it as firmly as you can. And be careful, it's very, very sharp."

"I'm not a little kid. I know about sharp knives," she informed him loftily. But obediently Kimberly held the knife firmly. She was vaguely aware of him turning around so that he could rub his bonds against the sharp blade but her mind was on another matter. "About the mistake I made this evening,
Cavenaugh
."

"We both made a few. We'll talk about it later," he gritted. "Damn it, Kim, hold the knife still!"

"You're always telling me what to do," she said with a sigh, but instinctively she responded to his orders and tightened her grip on the knife handle. "You'll get used to it." A moment later something gave and
Cavenaugh
moved away from her.

She heard him cough again and through the shadows saw him rip the pillowcase off one pillow. Holding the material over his mouth, he quickly freed his ankles. Seconds later he was kneeling on the bed, opening the window behind it. The cold, wet air rushed into the room and into Kimberly's brain, clearing it a little. The strange sense of amusement she had been feeling faded rapidly as the effects of the smoke subsided. Panic returned. Then
Cavenaugh
was working on her bonds, slicing through them with efficient ease. "Now what?" she whispered, gulping in the fresh air. Her brain still felt very foggy. "Now we get out of here." But even as
Cavenaugh
pushed her toward the window, the hall door opened. light poured into the room. "They're getting away!"

Zorah
screamed.

CHAPTER TEN.

"Let's go, Kim."
Cavenaugh
ordered. "She's not armed.

Hurry!" Kimberly tried frantically to obey him, scrabbling over the windowsill. But the smoke seemed to have played tricks not only with her brain but with her body. She felt oddly lethargic still, and her muscles refused to coordinate with her mind. "My lady!"
Zorah
screamed, "They're escaping!"