Tempted by Darkness (25 page)

Trev stretched as he began to surface from
the respite of sleep and felt Kit snuggled close at his side. As
his mind came more fully awake his heart was once again weighed
down when the memories of what he’d seen replayed in his mind.
Before he could fall into a pit of worry he felt the same cool
breeze brush over his cheek that he’d felt when his parents had
moved around him outside the lab and he smiled at the familiarity
of it. Opening his eyes, he looked around, and even though he
didn’t see anything, he was still filled with an unexplained peace
as he remembered his mother’s message for Kit. He’d thought his
sweet mate was still sleeping until he heard her sniff.

Turning to his side, he pulled her against
his chest and kissed the top of her head. He didn’t speak for
several minutes, there really wasn’t much to say as she purged some
of her grief with silent sobs. His heart was breaking for her, but
until she’d had a chance to wash away some of the heartache with
tears, Trev knew she wasn’t going to be ready to hear his mother’s
message—ambiguous as it was.

Trev looked up to see Jameson standing in the
doorway, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his face creased
with worry. ‘
Is she alright? Do I need to get Angie?’

‘
No, she is settling now. Please stay, I
want you to hear what I have to say.’
Trev saw the worry flash
in his brother’s expression, so he continued. ‘
I saw Mom, she
was there after you left.’
Jameson’s eyes widened and Trev
could see his surprise.

‘
Fuck, did you get hit on the head? Hell,
maybe I should call Angie for you.’
Trev grinned because he
knew his twin was trying to cover his shock with sarcasm, and if
their positions were reversed he might well do the same. ‘
I’ll
order something for us to eat, our mate has to be running on empty.
I’m anxious talk to Braden again and she also needs to hear his
version of what happened, so I doubt she’ll eat much but we need to
try.’
Trev watched him move from the room and heard him
speaking on the phone.

“Come on, baby. We need to get you cleaned up
and dressed so we can talk before chaos erupts again.” God what
he’d give for a few weeks kicking back on some secluded beach
watching his family play in the warm sunshine—letting it recharge
all of their souls. Sighing to himself, Trev let the fantasy slide
away. He hated moving her, but letting her sink into despair wasn’t
an option either. By the time they’d both cleaned up and dressed,
their food had arrived. He and Jameson watched as she nibbled
absently at the sandwich and shoved her favorite salad around on
her plate. Her eyes were bleak and her face so pale that her skin
appeared almost translucent.

Jameson leaned forward and covered her
trembling hand with his, compassion filling his gaze, “Kitten, I’ve
talked to Braden, but I’d also like to hear from you what
happened.” She nodded slowly. “I know you are completely spent, but
I’d like to do this before any of the details slip from your
memory. One of the first things I’d like to know is where exactly
this cavern is. Since you were projecting yourself, I’m certain it
could be anywhere in the world, but there was some unexplained
seismic activity in our area today so I’m curious.”

Trev was pleased that Jameson had chosen to
begin their discussion with a question that didn’t have any
emotional components for Kit. It was moments like this that Trev
could clearly see his twin’s gift for leadership. The fact he’d
instinctively known what direction to take was impressive.

“It is close…amazingly so, actually. But it’s
also very, very deep beneath the surface. The good thing is there
won’t be any way anyone will be able to make their way to the seal.
The chanting was eroding the rock surrounding it, I watched it
being slowly eaten away—falling to the stone floor as a fine dust.
They hadn’t made much progress, but they would have been able to
loosen then remove the seal given enough time.” Kit straightened in
her chair and Trev watched in awe as she seemed to pull strength
from the air surrounding her. Her posture straightened and her eyes
cleared as she continued, “I didn’t fully realize it at the time,
but Damian was screaming at me from the other side to stop. He was
crazed—calling out to Braden as well, but Braden never faltered.
That young wizard never lost a moment’s concentration, despite the
fact he was losing a man he loved with everything he had. I could
feel his determination to protect all of us, but his love for
Angie, Trent, and Nick was his driving force.” A single tear
breached the bottom lid of her eyes and raced one another to her
trembling chin.

Trev and Jameson each reached forward to
swipe away the tear on their side before placing a soft kiss over
the damp track. The tension that had made its way back into her
body slowly ebbed away. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Never
doubt his loyalty to our pack. He’s lost so many people he has
loved, but he didn’t hesitate to let the rocks fall around a man he
loved so he could protect us all. I can’t even imagine having to
make such a decision at his age.” ‘
She doesn’t see that she
possesses that same strength—that her loss was even greater than
Braden’s.’
Jameson’s thoughts filled Trev’s mind, echoing his
own.

“What can you tell me about the people who
were chanting?” Jameson looked between them both and Trev wondered
how much Kit was going to be willing to reveal. He hadn’t
recognized any of them, but he was certain their mate had.

“There were several there that I have seen,
but didn’t know personally. They weren’t particularly power—either
in the political arena of the magic world or in their magical
abilities, but they were adding power to those who were actually
able to chisel away at the stone holding the seal in place.” Trev
watched as her eyes darkened with fury, “The ones I recognized
are—well,
were
very powerful witches and wizards. Two of
them were on the Supreme Council.” She took a steadying breath and
looked between them before whispering, “I thought Granny Good Witch
and Cecil were along to make sure I wasn’t tempted by the
darkness—but that wasn’t it at all. They were there to catch the
traitors or at least to make sure they died for their actions, even
though it cost them their own lives.”

When the tears started again, Trev pulled her
onto his lap and rocked her as she cried. This time he didn’t curse
the gift his mother had given him—this time he simply tried to
absorb as much of her sadness as he could. The more of it he was
slowly able to shift to himself, the less burden he felt weighing
her down, and for the first time the
gift
actually seemed to
more than a curse. As an earthbound creature, he would easily be
able to disperse the grief simply by taking a punishing run through
the woods. His wolf would simply pull positive energy from beneath
his feet to erase the negative.

Making their way downstairs, Jameson was
pleased to see the meeting room filled with the members of their
pack. Kit was quickly swept away from his side by friends wanting
to express their sympathy and those simply wanting to share their
favorite stories about Ruby. By the time they’d finished briefing
everyone, Kit’s eyes were drifting closed as exhaustion once again
claimed her.

The first thing Jameson did after everyone
adjourned was clear his schedule for the next few weeks. His mate
was quickly approaching her mating season and there wouldn’t be
much accomplished during that time except fucking her, and he
didn’t intend to miss a moment’s time with her. She would also need
their undivided attention while she tried to process the loss she’d
suffered, hell, everyone at the estate was mourning Ruby’s loss.
Trev had relayed their mother’s message, but it was so vague it
really hadn’t been any comfort to anyone. Jameson had sat back
watching as Kit smiled and nodded, but she hadn’t seemed moved by
the words and he couldn’t say that he blamed her.

The only loose end he planned to follow up on
was bringing Libby Wells on board. Her scare at the university had
probably worked in their favor and even though he was convinced the
danger was likely over for now, her friendship with Kit would
probably put her in harm’s way again. He’d suggested that Charlie
and Dirk make some much-needed improvements to their house, and
both men had immediately begun making plans. He didn’t doubt the
pint-sized whirlwind would keep them all on their toes, but he was
determined to make sure she was safe while she and Angie worked.
The two of them were going to make history—he could feel it as if
he’d almost been able to see the future. And who knew—perhaps his
parents were speaking to him from the other side as well.

Leaning back in his chair, he smiled when
Tristan Michaels stepped into the room. “Where is your mate?”
Jameson almost smiled at the pained look on Tristan’s face. Angie
had always been an early riser, before Jameson had moved her back
to the safety of the estate, she’d have already been on her way to
the hospital by this time and the sun was just now sending golden
orange rays shooting above the horizon.

“Sleeping peacefully—and she needs her rest.”
Tristan’s sly smile confirmed what Jameson had already
suspected.

“I walked past her in the hallway yesterday.
Congratulations.” Jameson didn’t have to explain how he’d known
Angie was pregnant—Tristan would already know her scent alone would
have given away their news. This time Tristan’s smile lit up his
entire face, he and Nick had been trying to get their mate to
“settle down” and start a family for several years. Jameson
congratulated him and they both laughed about how round the petite
pediatrician was going to be by the time summer rolled around.
Angie was a shameless water baby and always had been—the only time
she seemed to enjoy her down time was when she could lay in the
warm sunshine beside the pool laughing and joking with her
friends.

“She thought about the pool last night and it
set her off on a tirade. She swears Nick and I ‘knocked her up’
deliberately so she’d be round as a beach ball. Of course Braden’s
offer to paint her belly with bright stripes didn’t do much to calm
her down. I finally had to threaten to paddle her ass at the next
pack meeting to get her settled down. Hell, every time she gets
upset she throws up—you’d think she’d learn.” Jameson wanted to
laugh out loud—hell, Dr. Angie Wolf-Michaels might be a lot of
things, but calm wasn’t likely to ever be one of them.

“Angie did ask if she could help plan a
memorial service for Ruby. We know you’ll be
busy
for a week
or so, but we’d like to erect a small stone marker out back. We
could dedicate it in a small ceremony whenever Kit is ready.”

Jameson felt his heart constrict with emotion
and he had to clear his throat in order to speak around the lump
that was now lodged there. “Thank you—I don’t know what else to
say, except I’m grateful for all you’ve done for Kit and I know
Trevlon is as well. And knowing the three of you will be taking
care of the memorial takes the burden from Trev’s and my shoulders.
We’d mentioned it to Kit, but hadn’t made any real plans.” Just as
he opened his mouth to say more, Kit’s scent hit him full force and
he was on his feet, moving before his mind even registered that
he’d stood.