The Cat's Meow (19 page)

Daryen looked at me as if I were the Devil. Alistair might be amused by my outburst, but Daryen was not, and this High Priest wasn’t one to piss off. Not like that stopped me.

Screw him! Screw them all!

I glared at each of them, even the kind-of-scary Daryen. “I’m not being forced into anything. Maybe if you had told me about the Alchemy troubles and not played all these games with me I would’ve agreed, but this?” I sucked in a harsh breath and my body vibrated with wrath. “This is how you went about it?” I snarled at Kale. “Each of you—and don’t even bother with those powerful stares that should intimidate me—can go straight to hell. Got
that?”

“Libby,” Kale said…again, as if he had no other words to offer.

“Stop, Kale.” I stepped back until I was behind the tombstone.

One warlock—my father—had lived by his own agenda, Bryon had repeated the same offense, and now Kale had done far worse. He got me to care for him, knew my weakness and made me want to trust him, and even made me forget why I stayed away from warlocks, right before he ripped my world apart. “Stay away from me.”

He shook his head. His eyes were warm, but his lips were set into a firm line. “I can’t do that.”

“Guess what,
warlock
?” I said with slow precision and spat out the latter to display my contempt for his
kind
. “You don’t get the choice because I’m doing it for you.”

At his cocked eyebrow, I centered my thoughts on one of the spells I had read in the book. The Goddess always protected me and now I understood the importance of the spell, to save me in this exact moment. On a quick breath, I called, “To the Goddess, I do pray. Grant me power, strength to flay.”

“Libby. No.”

Kale reached for me, but it was too late. A loud rush of air swirled around me as blackness sucked me in and my body squeezed in pure agony as I tumbled into darkness…again.

Chapter Eighteen

The world solidified around me. I grunted and then keeled over in an attempt not to vomit on Peyton’s garden. The teleportation spell was hard on the stomach with Kale. Alone, it was worse, and I’d think twice about using it again.

When my stomach stopped doing cartwheels, I lifted my head and stood in front of Peyton’s green door. I drew in a long, deep breath, not sure what I’d tell her, but I figured now that the dangerous
part in all this was done…for now, she was owed the truth.

I opened the door to find Peyton sitting on the couch, and it pleased me to see she seemed more put-together than the last time I saw her. Her eyes were no longer red and she didn’t shake. In fact, she seemed happy.

“Hi.” She beamed, turning off the television. “Why are you here?” Her nose scrunched up. “And why is your hair such a mess?”

I sighed, shut the door behind me, kicked off my shoes, and dragged my feet along her brown carpet while I fixed my rat’s nest of hair. “Oh, I have some news.”

At the couch, I dropped down next to her and reveled in the comfort of my best friend. To be near a witch who didn’t live by her own agenda and whom I trusted wholeheartedly was more than welcome. “Where’s Jace?”

Peyton tilted her head, regarding me, and finally said, “He called ten minutes ago and told me he was on his way home from a case.” She smiled, and it warmed the coldness out of me. “All safe and good.”

“Glad to hear it.” Goddess, I sounded so damn sad it bordered on pathetic.

Shifting on the cushion to face me, she pulled her legs up underneath her, and her gaze became quizzical. “What happened?”

Peyton loved juicy gossip and this was probably the best we’d ever had in Charleston. Maybe I did feel bad I kept it from her, even if it was in her best interest. I rubbed my eyes, blew out a long breath, and then laid it out for her. “So, it all began with the cats…”

That started a very drawn-out conversation, which made me feel more tired with each word that spilled from my lips. By the time I finished, without a single detail left out, Peyton’s mouth dropped open.

“You summoned Baal?” she whispered.

I rolled my eyes. “Of all the things to focus on, you focus on
that.
”

“It’s just…” She swallowed hard. “I’m amazed.” Giving her head a good hard shake, the surprise cleared from her eyes as she studied me from head to toe. “I don’t sense any darkness around you or anything, so that’s good.”

I snorted. “Very good.” Even the thought caused icy shivers to crawl up my spine. Sure, at the moment it had been a quick decision based on worry, but now it made me sick to think of what I’d done. Summoning a demon had never been a thought that had crossed my mind…ever.

Peyton must have read the conflicted emotions on my face—she patted my leg and smiled. “The Goddess’s magic wouldn’t have worked if it was wrong. Don’t punish yourself. Besides, it sounds like these spells have been used long before tonight, so you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

There was that. “I’ve tried to remind myself of the same thing, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around this. We never learned anything like this before.”

“No, we certainly didn’t,” she agreed. “But maybe it’s time you should. We both know your abilities need to flourish.”

“Meaning…?”

Her look became pointed. “Your gifts exceed anything I can do, and I think we’ve all known that for a long time. Maybe it’s good this happened and will lead you into something bigger, where your gifts can grow.”

As much as I could’ve denied it, the Goddess swirled within and sent hot waves over my body in agreement. Maybe I knew it too, since the spells and the power contained in them all seemed right to me. “I guess.”

She twirled her hair around her fingers, eyeing me. “All right. That’s settled.” What was she doing, checking off the list of how to settle crazy Libby? “So, Bryon was the one behind it all?” At my nod, her eyes became sad. “And he’s gone now?” I could only nod again, and Peyton took my hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Bryon turned not only on me, but on the Alchemy, so he deserved the punishment.”

Peyton nodded. “Good, I’m glad you see it that way.” Then she sighed, and squeezed my hand. “Besides, I’m not really all that surprised he turned out to be bad in the end. Look what he did to you. No good warlock could have done that.”

There was that, too. Somehow that knowledge made me aware that I had been putting warlocks into one category, when maybe I shouldn’t have been. Jace, a damn good warlock, would never have done what Bryon had.

“Okay, so past that,” Peyton continued, “Kale’s a High Priest and you’re mad at him?”

Understatement of the century!
“I’ve been played by him. Of course I’m pissed.”

Peyton glanced over my face for a moment, and her brow furrowed with an expression I’d seen before, way too thoughtful and insightful. “I don’t blame him.”

“How can you not?” I gasped, irritated to my very bones that she’d side with him. Where was the loyalty? “He tricked me.”

“It’s not like he had a choice, Lib,” Peyton defended with a hard look. “He’s a High Priest for Goddess’s sake. He has responsibilities and I’d imagine they’re searching for a way to stop the uprising against them, which you shouldn’t have kept from me, by the way.”

I nibbled my lip. “I…”

She squeezed my hand again. “I know
why
you kept it from me, but you shouldn’t have. I’m not fragile.”

“I know that.” Not really; she
was
fragile, but I didn’t feel the need to spell it out for her
.
I looked down to our held hands, avoiding her. Maybe I protected her when she didn’t want it, but heck, wasn’t that what friends did? Like take each other’s sides when talking about irritating warlocks? “You’ve just…”

“Been through enough.” Her voice sounded so sad, and her expression mirrored her tone as she went on, “Yes, I know, but leaving me out isn’t good either. You shouldn’t bear all this responsibility alone. It’s why I’m here, right? To make things easier for you like you want to for me. It’s a two-way street, Libby.” Her features firmed. “Seems to me you’ve been doing exactly what Kale has.”

“I have not,” I retorted, so flustered my voice was snappy. “How can you say that?”

“He’s not the only one who has kept secrets, is he?” Her eyebrows rose. “He isn’t the only one who has hidden something because he wanted to protect someone…or something.”

“I…” I clamped my lips shut and processed that, good and hard. Was it different? I kept the Alchemy business from Peyton because of my worry and love for her…and her possible breakdown. Kale kept secrets for his concern about the Alchemy. “Okay, maybe it’s kind of the same.”

“I’d say it’s exactly the same.” She smiled and released my hands, lifting her chin. “Don’t shut him out just because of this.” Her smile grew and her eyes glowed with interest. “I can tell there’s something between you two or you wouldn’t be so upset now.” She waggled her eyebrows, slapping my thigh. “Do you want to be with him?”

I raised my hand, cutting off that line of thought. “Not going there. Right now I hate him and I plan to stick with that.”

She laughed. I loved hearing Peyton laugh; it always made me smile, too. “You can’t avoid the Alchemy forever.”

I almost rolled my eyes at her because I knew where she was going with this. “I’m tired of you always being the voice of reason.”

“Well, it’s true, and someone in
this
relationship has to be,” she bit back. “Your father and Bryon are who they are, did what they did, but you can’t hate every warlock for their actions.”

“I don’t.” Maybe I did a little, and had realized through all this that I might have been a tad unfair. “But I haven’t had a great history with warlocks, either. It’s perfectly acceptable to want nothing to do with them and curse them every chance I get.”

Peyton’s eyebrows rose. “Have you even given any a chance?”

“Yes.” At the higher raise of her eyebrows, I frowned. “Maybe not.”

She nodded firmly. “They’re not all bad, Libby.”

I rubbed my eyes and knew she was right, and I hated that trait in her. Couldn’t she have been one of those witches who was oblivious to everything? “You have Jace, and that’s why you think that.”

“I do, and he’s wonderful, but it took two years for you to even acknowledge him.” My lips parted and she added in haste, “Another year to actually have a civilized conversation with him.”

“That’s not true.” Her head tilted, her look became pointed, and I groaned. “Maybe a little true.”

“Exactly.” She slapped my thigh again and the hit stung up my leg. “All I’m saying is, don’t shut something out that could be great because you have this hard head about warlocks. Listen to his explanation and hear him out, okay?”

I nodded, totally not convinced, but didn’t want to talk about it. Sure, I had to think some, I just didn’t want to do it right now.

“So…” She examined me again with her probing stare, which I now hated. “I guess it makes sense with the cats. It explains why the magic wasn’t dark and also explains why it happened.”

It now made a whole lot of sense, even if I had a hard time believing this was actually true. “Now that I look back, it’s almost funny, but the Goddess warned me early on. I should’ve suspected something like this.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “She did?”

“The very first spell I cast with Kale…” The one that seemed to have happened a lifetime ago now. “The Goddess indicated there was a reason the cat’s death could be dangerous.” I shook my head, amused by the Goddess, but too exhausted to find the strength to laugh. “It
was
dangerous, for
me
. The Goddess warned me of Kale’s intentions and warned me the case could lead to exactly what unfolded tonight.”

I lowered my head into my hands and wanted to fade away from existence. To ignore what happened and ignore what might happen in the future. After a long moment, Peyton whispered, “You’re going to be all right.”

“I know,” I said into my hands. My being all right wasn’t the problem—I’d never felt as strong as I did now, and trusted in the Goddess more than this moment, but my emotions were in grave danger.

“What are you going to do?” Peyton pressed.

What could I do?

What did I want to do?

Those were two very different things, and I wondered how much choice I had in the matter. I knew my mother would have my back if I refused the Alchemy. In fact, I suspected this news wouldn’t please her in the least; she liked me close, safe.

No wonder she couldn’t tell me the truth on the phone. She had known Kale was a High Priest and they were testing me, but their authority forced her silence. I could only imagine the fit of rage my mother had had at that order, and it now explained the anger I had heard in her voice.

There could be ways out of this predicament, I didn’t doubt that, but my hesitation wasn’t about working for the Alchemy. Heck, it was a promotion…a big one! The Goddess was strong within me about the decision and she sent happy tingles through my veins as the thought crossed my mind. She wanted me to use the gifts she granted on a larger scale and clearly I had more to learn.

The problem?

Kale.

His betrayal.

All the lies.

I did care for Kale, but to ignore his betrayal went against the very foundation of the morals I set out a long time ago. My father betrayed me before I was even born, Bryon repeated the attack later in my life, and to dive headfirst into an emotional involvement with someone who had outright deceived me was a danger that could break me.

When I hadn’t answered, Peyton urged, “Libby…”

I glanced up at the one witch who had never betrayed me and never would, giving her the only answer I could. “Know of any good hexes to turn warlocks into toads?”

…

Thoughts of nasty spells to injure a warlock stayed on my mind as Peyton and Jace drove me home. No way in hell would I do the teleportation spell again, and I was too tired to walk. Now at my front door, I waved at them as they drove off and Peyton blew me a kiss.

Jace had returned to the house and indicated that the coven cleaned up a few more messes
related to demon summonings, and the coven was pleased with the Wards for their work tonight, or so he said. As far as they were considered, Charleston was safe once again.

Not like that made me any safer. The request by the Alchemy remained heavy in my thoughts. Jace flatly told me I was an idiot if I refused—nothing like friends telling you how it is.

Once Jace’s red Hummer faded into the night, I sighed, and then unlocked my door and strode in. I locked it behind me and rested my head against the hard wood, drawing in a deep breath, exhausted to my very core and in desperate need of a hot bath.

“Libby.”

On a gasp, I spun around and my heart hammered a mile a minute as I spotted Kale on my couch. Dammit, now I wish Peyton had taken me seriously and we had researched a spell to turn Kale into something I could squish with my foot.

I narrowed my eyes
.
“How’d you get in here?” I dismissed him with a flick of my hand. “Oh right, you’re a High Priest. Normal rules don’t apply to you.”

His eyes darkened with a fire showing the power in him. “Sit down.” He pointed to the cushion next to him. “That is an order, Libby Jenkins.”

All right, so I’m tough, but I ain’t stupid. This warlock had a leg up on me that could obliterate me. I ate back my obscenities, because I knew I had no choice but to follow his order. “Fine.” I strode toward the couch, dropped down, and stared at my leg bouncing over my knee. “Say what you have to, and then get out.”

He scooted closer until I could see his thigh out of the corner of my eye. Not that I needed to see him to know he was there—his strong presence was all around me. Goddess, I wanted to keep up my anger because now that Peyton cut through my rage, the only thing left was a discouragingly broken heart.

A long horrible pause followed before Kale said softly, “I’m sorry.”

I jerked my head to him and cleared my face of all emotion, and ignored the pain in
his
eyes. “All right, you’re sorry. Now you can go.”