Authors: Elizabeth Lapthorne
“I catch Morgan up while you search for Sharni’s address?”
Josh confirmed. Kate nodded and slowly led them in a roundabout manner back
onto the street. The meandering path they took helped Josh to spot a public
phone over on one wall near the exit of the bookstore and he hoped the phone
would not be in use when they returned. When they were finally swallowed up by
the large number of homeward-traveling commuters it only took them a minute to
walk back to the car. Kate quickly unlocked one side door, reached in under the
seat and grabbed her laptop and carry case, and moments later they were
returning to the relative safety of the bookstore.
* * * * *
Kate couldn’t help but feel faintly nervous. She listened
with one ear as Joshua spoke to Morgan Foxworth, his mentor and a member of the
Tribunal, and explained what had occurred over the last few days. Kate pictured
the wizard sitting in his office, the large chair comfortable but second-hand—she
could even hear the periodic squeak of it as he leaned back too far as he
spoke.
He was tall and dark-skinned with mostly white hair cropped
short. The lines on his face made him appear more distinguished—wiser rather
than older in the strictest sense. Despite his years, the man still had a
commanding presence, one you trusted deeply and instinctively on a gut level.
It had served him well over the years, and from what Kate had heard no one had
been surprised when he had risen to the level to be eagerly sought-after and
accepted onto the Tribunal Council.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she worked half a dozen
windows simultaneously, searching for a current address for Sharni, only
partially listening to Josh and Morgan catching up with each other and discussing
the situation. She could only catch some of Morgan’s words here and there, but
she didn’t struggle to follow the conversation.
“I know, Morgan,” Josh was reassuring his mentor. “Kate has
warned me of the dire consequences of what will occur if I attempt to breach
the Tribunal seal. I still think we should at least try. Don’t you want to know
if there is a traitor among you? And who it is?”
“Of course I do, Josh,” Morgan replied. He continued and
Kate had to lean closer and strain to hear him. “…doesn’t mean I want you
brought up on charges—again. It’s too soon. Let the rest of us have a chance to
get our hand in on this matter. I’ve spoken… They seem reluctant but willing to
aid us again…”
Kate looked at Josh with a small frown, not having caught
some of the middle part of what his mentor had said. Josh mouthed something she
didn’t catch either, but then spoke to explain.
“How can Sally and Kyle help us? I know they were
instrumental in helping Hayden and Kiera—saved their lives—but why did you ask
them?”
“Sally can be an excellent Tracker,” Morgan explained in
what sounded like a taxed but patient voice. “Kyle has such a mixed bag of
talents that they speak for themselves. They’re coming in later and I will
explain things more fully to them. They’ve been caught up in this and called me
to ask for some clarification. Seems Sally was a bit offended she was shot at
when they defended Hayden and Kiera. Things are always complicated around those
two, but generally speaking, their record speaks clearly and plainly for
itself. They could be an asset to our investigation and if anyone can deal with
hunting down a rogue Tribunal member it will be them.”
Kate pondered this, having heard some stories in the past
about Kyle and Sally. Both good and bad things swirled around them in the
common gossip pool. Wizards frequently mentioned the fact that Sally was not always
totally there, but also spoke in almost reverent terms of how once they started
a job, it got done regardless of whom it hurt and what the consequences were.
Their faithfulness and loyalty to one another as partners
and friends was almost legendary. When Sally had been “injured”—in what manner
and to what extent no one really knew—Kyle had refused to leave her side, and
they had technically quit the Enforcers because of it. While they still worked
on a consulting basis, they had preferred to stay together as a working
partnership rather than be separated and go their own ways.
Her computer beeped softly and Kate pumped her fist in the
air in success.
“Got it,” she said happily to Josh, knowing Morgan would be
able to hear through the line.
“Well done, Kate,” Morgan congratulated her. His rich, deep
tone of voice conveyed pride, and Kate found herself smiling. The
African-American wizard had a way of making you feel proud even of the smallest
achievement.
“Now, Josh,” Morgan continued, “you need to let Kate deal
with this witch. She’s already shown her motives toward you and we can’t
afford—”
“I’m not just going to sit on my hands while Kate fights my
battles for me,” Josh replied heatedly. Morgan began to speak but Kate interrupted
from her side. She understood Josh’s instinctive reaction, but it wasn’t as if
she were some pathetic, helpless witch. This was her
job
.
“Excuse the hell out of me,” she interjected sharply. “But
did you see
me
muscling my way in earlier back at Aubury’s when you were
using
your
talents to see patterns and Strategy?”
Kate crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at
Josh as he tried to catch up with her point, raising an eyebrow and clearly
expecting an answer. Josh shook his head mutely, so she continued.
“No, exactly. That was
your
talent and
your
area of expertise,” she explained. “This is mine. I’m a Guardian, Joshua. Not
some damsel in distress who needs rescuing. I protect people—I fight
for
them. I’m not proud of it, but in the past I have even killed people. It’s not
common in my line of work, but neither is it exactly unheard-of. This is what I
do, Josh. You need to accept that and let me do what I am good at.”
Clearly unhappy, Josh nevertheless let her words sink in and
he nibbled his lower lip as he thought it through. It only took a minute for
him to mentally work through this change in attitude, but Kate could see it when
he came around. Even then Josh still appeared to resist the thought somewhat.
“I’m still going to jump in if you get into trouble,” he
insisted stubbornly.
Kate smiled and shook her head at his tenacity. “I’m not
going to get into trouble,” she pointed out logically. “Your protection is my
primary objective, Josh. If Sharni gets close to you, then
I
will be
protecting
you
and not fighting against
her
. Your involvement
will just complicate matters.”
Kate felt her stomach sink slightly as Josh’s shoulders
slumped a little in dejection. Her heart went out to him but she couldn’t budge
from her position. She loved that he felt so protective of her—it warmed her as
few things had these last couple of years. But at the same time she could not
let her heart rule her head in this.
Although Kate wobbled slightly internally, she reminded
herself of how devastated she would be should Josh be harmed by the blonde
witch. It helped her to strengthen her resolve and stay firm when she might
have been tempted to cave in.
“Kate is right, Josh,” Morgan interjected softly and with
compassion. “If you endanger yourself by putting your personal safety at risk,
then you are not only giving Sharni all the power she needs, but also giving
her a potential weapon to use against the both of you. Josh, you need to be
cautious in this matter.”
“Okay,” Josh replied somewhat tersely. Her lover had clearly
been convinced but still held internal frustrations. Kate closed the lid of her
laptop, stood and silently wrapped her arms around Josh. She clung to him
tightly for a moment, letting her body speak the words she couldn’t quite get
out of her throat.
After only a split second, Josh’s arm came around her and he
held her in return, the embrace between them warm and close. Kate softly kissed
Josh’s cheek, the action far more tender than anything she could have imagined
considering the explosive heat and lust that seared them each time they came
close.
Pulling away before they made a spectacle of themselves,
Kate lifted two fingers and stroked her lover’s cheeks, her gaze catching his
as she allowed all her inner barriers to come down. Love, lust and gratitude
shone in her eyes as she poured out her understanding of what a difficult
concept this had been for him to comprehend.
“Thank you,” she said simply.
Josh grinned crookedly at her and shook his head. “You’re
both crazy,” he insisted, making sure he spoke into the receiver so Morgan
couldn’t help but hear each word. “And worse, you’re going to make me as mad as
you are.”
Morgan chuckled on the other end of the line, but Josh
continued before the elder wizard could say anything.
“Kate has found Sharni’s address,” he said with grim
determination. “So we have a little intimate chat with Sharni Cutler and then
what? We leave Kyle and Sally to hunt down this Tribunal member?”
“I believe we should leave Kyle and Sally to deal with the
Tribunal and the ramifications of why this particular ritual has been so
zealously hunted and fought over,” Morgan insisted firmly, his tone brooking no
argument. “I’ve been thinking constantly about it since they contacted me
earlier, and everything within me insists that is the best path to take. I know
this will mean both Kiera and Hayden will have to hide out for a while longer,
but I don’t believe they will be upset by that. And from the sounds of things,
the two of you could do with a break yourselves once you’ve squared things away
with Sharni. Is that suitable?”
Kate had to hide her smile. Morgan might be getting on in
years, and certainly wasn’t as spry as he claimed he had been in his prime, but
no moss gathered beneath his feet. The wizard was still razor-sharp. Not much
slipped past his notice, especially when it came to his protégés.
“I think I can deal with that, Morgan,” she replied with
some amusement. Josh snorted and eyed her hungrily. Kate batted her eyelashes
at him.
“Nothing gets past you, old man, does it?” he teased.
“Not so much of the old,” Morgan laughed. “I can still teach
you a few lessons you know, boy.”
The two wizards shared a chuckle, their closeness obvious.
“Really, Josh, I’m glad to see you’ve finally met your
match. I do believe I owe Hayden twenty dollars now,” Morgan finished. Josh
spluttered for a moment but Morgan cut him off before he could begin to
retaliate.
“Take care, son—I am honestly pleased things have worked out
so well despite your initial reservations.”
“See you soon, Morgan,” Josh replied with a wry grin at
Kate. She merely shrugged complacently, unconcerned whether Morgan had the wit
to realize what was occurring. Kate had nothing to hide and no need for
secrecy.
Josh hung up the phone and ran a hand through his shaggy
hair.
“One day I’ll work out how he does that,” Josh insisted.
“Read between the lines so clearly. It can’t be just his magical talent. The
man is too perceptive by far sometimes.”
“I think he just lives for teasing you,” Kate snickered,
still amused. Josh wrapped his arms around her and brought their bodies flush
together. Heat instantly seeped into her blood and made her mind fuzzy.
When they embraced like this, nothing else mattered—not the
danger, not the many witches and wizards hunting them. Nothing. Only the feel
of Josh’s body against hers and the electric tingles that raced around her body,
penetrated her mind when they were so close together.
Josh lowered his head to hers and Kate eagerly lifted
herself to meet him. Their lips fused together hotly and all thought fled her
mind. She moved her hand up to cup the back of Josh’s skull, gliding her
fingers through his soft, dark hair. The feel of him was like silk, smooth and
glossy.
Hungrily they ate at each other’s mouths until they were
both breathless and panting for air. With evident reluctance, Kate slowly
unwound her hands and put a small amount of space between them.
“Circe above, but I want to strip you naked and ride you
until we both die from the pleasure,” she panted. Kate knew her cheeks would be
flushed, the heat tingling along her skin and prickling her with sensitive
awareness. “But we need to do this first. Afterward I promise I will have my
way with you, and you can do whatever you like to me for as long as we can both
bear it.”
“Is that a promise?” Josh murmured huskily, his voice thick
with lust.
Kate eagerly nodded her head. “I swear it,” she replied
promptly.
“It might be years, decades before I get tired of having my
way over and over with you, darling,” Josh pressed. “I might need the rest of
our lives to be properly sated.”
Kate beamed happily at her lover, excitement mingling with a
love that burned brightly to her deepest soul.
“I can deal with that,” she assured him sexily, her smile
blinding in its intensity. “I’m not afraid to take you on, Delemere. Bring it
on.”
They shared another soul-searing kiss before breaking apart,
each of them flushed, panting and needy. Kate took Josh’s hand in hers as they
collected her laptop and left the store to return to the car.
Kate gave Josh the address and let him drive for a change,
happy just to divide her time between touching him and watching their
surroundings. Even walking on air as she was, she still was a Guardian at
heart. She had a job to do and nothing and no one could harm this wizard or
take him from her. Not while she still had breath in her lungs.
Kate leaned against the front of the car and mentally
prepared herself for whatever would come in the next few minutes. Long years of
experience had taught her that the first few minutes while she and her
adversary struggled for control and dominance of the situation would be the
hardest. It was only after the third time she had to stop herself from
picturing and worrying about Josh interceding on her behalf that she realized
she needed to speak again with her lover about his actions.
“I know we talked about this with Morgan,” Kate started
hesitantly, not wanting to upset or frustrate Josh further. “But I really need
you to understand the potential ramifications if you get between Sharni and
me.”
Josh slanted her a look, his mouth twisted slightly in a
half-grimace, half-smile. He reached out and took her hand. They were a block
away from Sharni’s place. After a quick glance around to make sure no one paid
them any heed, Kate let herself sink into his warm embrace. Josh kissed the top
of her head and seemed almost to inhale her scent. She buried her head in the
crook of Josh’s neck and enjoyed the clean scent of his soap.
“I’m going to try to sit back and enjoy watching the girl-fight,”
Josh replied with a tinge of humor to his tone. “If she’s kicking your ass, I
can’t promise to stay out of it, so I guess that means you’ll simply have to
wrestle her to the ground. I almost wish I’d thought to bring popcorn.”
Kate snorted and elbowed him in the stomach as she moved
away.
“Popcorn?” she laughed. “Why not really get into it? Ask us
for bikinis and hot oil. Maybe some scents and throw in a bit of jelly-wrestling
too.”
“Hey, now there’s an idea,” Josh laughed. Kate swallowed the
last of her candy bar and stood up straight. Running a hand over her ponytail,
she tried to collect herself and search their surroundings. Twilight had
fallen, the gathering darkness passing promptly over the outer city. In the
time it had taken them to drive to Sharni’s neighborhood and find a parking
place, the sun had set, though full dark was still some time away.
Kate slid her hand into the crook of Josh’s bent arm.
Together they strolled into the direction of Sharni’s condo, looking for all
the world like a happy young couple out for a twilight stroll.
“I think if we come around the side of her condo,” Kate said
with a large smile and a nod into one of the neighbors’ gardens as if she were
discussing the pretty flowers, “we’ll hopefully be able to check out what we
can of her back yard and see as much into the building as possible. It’s not
full dark, so if we’re lucky there’ll be a few lights on and the curtains won’t
have been drawn just yet.”
Josh nodded his head to indicate numerous garbage cans that
had been left out on the curb awaiting the garbage truck collection, presumably
the following morning.
“These condos have individual garbage cans,” he pointed out
softly. “She might have left her side or back gate unlocked taking the trash
out.”
“Now there’s a strategy,” Kate replied warmly, pleased and
proud of her lover for such lateral and quick thinking. As they came close to
the condo, Kate counted the numbers ahead, then nodded toward a neatly kept
garden surrounding Sharni’s identical-looking house.
“That will be hers. Let’s see if she’s kept her side gate
unlocked like you suggested.”
Walking smartly but with a complete lack of reserve—for she
knew that to appear guilty frequently drew the unwary eye when acting naturally
would more often than not go unheeded—Kate led Josh directly up to the side
gate while keeping an eye on the windows looking into Sharni’s home. The
curtains weren’t drawn but neither were there any lights shining from within.
Kate sent a brief, fervent prayer to the Goddess that Sharni would be home.
While Kate was more than prepared to sit around inside the
witch’s home and wait for her to return, it would be uncomfortable to stay for
a lengthy period inside a house she had broken into. The side gate did not open
at her firm push, so Kate jumped, lifting her body so she could peer over the
top of the fence.
A small latch was closed but not locked on the other side.
With an evil smile of pleasure, Kate unhooked the latch and pushed the gate
open, careful to jack up her magical senses and send out faint feelers to
determine whether the witch had placed any security precautions around the
boundary of her home.
The condo was new enough that it could not have supported a
true generational boundary, one where families had made their hearth and home
for decades and created a natural, almost unshakeable distinction between
their
home and the rest of the world. Such magic was often difficult if not
impossible to wipe out. It could be penetrated, but always gave warning to the
family who dwelled within.
Other magics could give varying potencies of protection.
When Kate had determined after a moment’s careful scrutiny that no boundary
existed, she delicately and carefully probed to see if there were other charms
or castings she would need to be wary of and protect Josh from.
Astonishingly, nothing was linked to the gate, so Kate
decided to be very wary around the back and side doors. Despite the apparent
lack of external security, she had no doubt there would be
some
form of
protective magic within Sharni’s home.
“Okay, let’s go in before someone calls the police to report
us for loitering,” Kate said softly as they entered the side yard, closed and
latched the gate behind them and carefully made their way around the back. Kate
reached out to gently touch Josh’s shoulder and hold him back as he almost
passed her.
“I’m having to scan for traps and castings,” she warned him.
“Stay behind me until I’m sure we’re clear.”
Josh nodded and held back half a pace, allowing her to do
her job. As they made their way around the back patio, Kate finally found the
first security casting. It was a devilish thing, deceptively simple in design
but complex and tricky to untangle. Kate focused hard on it and slowly began to
unweave the invisible threads within the casting.
Thankfully, only patience was required for this particular
spell. But since it was the outermost casting, Kate worried about what awaited
her and Josh within. Usually, paranoid witches and wizards created layer upon
layer of protection within their home security.
As Kate finally finished unraveling the spell, she had an
idea that under other circumstances might seem insane, but she thought it might
just be off-the-wall and crazy enough to work.
She glanced in the window, and while she didn’t see Sharni
she did see a small plate with crumbs and a half-filled glass on the coffee
table with some books and magazines strewn around. Ducking so as to be
concealed below the patio, Kate turned to Josh, who had mimicked her actions.
“Let me run this by you,” Kate started breathlessly, a
little scared and equally excited. “It’s not as if we want to break into her
house and steal anything. We’re not pretending to be thieves here. We want to
get in, contain Sharni and question her. So what say instead of wasting time
and magical energy delicately unraveling all her many layers of defense, we
just do a smash-and-grab job. Is there any reason we shouldn’t just walk right
up to her back door, jimmy the lock and walk straight in?”
“She won’t have a regular human alarm,” Josh replied
thoughtfully. “Anything remotely modern would have fried barely a few months
after instillation. Other than the fact we’d lose the edge of surprise, I can’t
think of anything really bad about just using the blunt, in-your-face
approach.”
“But she almost certainly isn’t expecting us to take the
initiative and ambush her like this,” Kate mused aloud. “While she’ll know
someone is breaking in and already be on the defensive, that shouldn’t make too
much of a difference, really.”
“Give me a second,” Josh insisted, and seemed to gather
himself. Kate realized he was studying the different threads of their choices,
seeing if he could use the situation to gauge the different Strategies. Kate
used the time while Josh used his magic to work her own talents. Staring hard
at the back door, she tried to work out what spells and castings Sharni had put
in place and finally gave up when she detected the third series of protective
spells.
With a shake of her head, she closed down her magic and let
her body rest slightly. Her fingers trembled with the use of her power and she
could almost see the electric pulses of energy thrumming through her body. She
looked at her hands a few times, expecting to see small sparks of her magic
shooting from the tips of her fingers.
No such sparks shot from her hands, however, and Kate found
herself somewhat disappointed. It took a moment longer for Josh to blink his
eyes rapidly and collect himself. Kate tilted her head curiously and waited for
him to chew over his thoughts.
“I’m definitely no Seer,” Josh said hesitantly, “but I can’t
see a problem with the strategy of just breaking in and taking her down with
sheer force. I think a subtle approach would be easier for you to begin with and
heighten your chance of success without injury. Having said that, while we
might lose some of the edge going in with a full-frontal attack, I definitely
can’t say it would prove disastrous for you.”
Kate weighed the odds for a moment then made her decision.
“Okay, you wait here—I’m going to take my chances,” she said
with a faint thrill. A rush of adrenaline kicked into her system and she felt
buzzed, as high as a kite. It wasn’t often that Kate got to leap forth into the
fray and meet a problem head-on like this. The vast majority of her work was
protection and avoiding such scenes as the one she was about to create.
Once in a while, however, taking the problem by the scruff
of the neck and facing it head-on was exactly what was required. In those rare instances,
Kate truly felt as if she came alive. Feeling wicked, she took a final glance
at Josh, pleased he could see her for the first time in action, and stood up.
Leaping nimbly onto the patio on silent feet, she hastily
crossed to the back door and tried to open it. Not surprisingly, it was locked.
Kate spared a brief look down at the latch lock and grinned at how flimsy it
was. Crouching, she got her shoulder level with the lock and, after taking a
deep breath, gave it a hard shove, ramming it with all the strength of her body
behind it.
The mechanism made a sickening crunching noise and Kate
pulled hard on the handle again. The door slid open with a grinding noise of
metal scraping on metal, and a moment later she could slip through the gap she
had created. Throwing a final, searing glance over her shoulder, Kate could
just barely see Josh’s head and amber eyes peeping out over the edge of the
patio.
“Wait for my call,” she insisted in a hissed whisper before
she carefully closed the door behind her.
Josh watched her for a moment before he nodded just once in
assent.
Kate rushed into the back room, which appeared to be the
most lived-in area from what she had managed to see through the windows around
the side. Looking around, she found the room empty but with the definite feel
of having only recently been evacuated. From the still half-f glass of juice
and open magazine, she decided Sharni couldn’t have gone too far and had probably
only just stepped into a different room.
On edge but with adrenaline pumping through her system, Kate
felt on high alert. Listening intently to see if she could work out what
direction Sharni might have gone in, she lifted the edge of her jacket and
carefully felt for the hilt of her five-inch-long dagger. She only ever carried
it while on a job and—far more importantly—had almost never had the need to
draw it.
With a number of magical castings upon it and a few
protective runes etched into the blade and hilt, the weapon packed more of a
punch that anyone would see with the naked eye.
When being trained, Kate had tried for months to get used to
a gun but it had always felt bulky and unwieldy in her hands. Added to that the
fact her aim was terrible and her accuracy close to nothing, and she had
decided many years ago to rely on the large blade instead, and had never had
cause to regret that decision. With her magical powers, the dagger and her own
natural hand-to-hand combat abilities, she had never yet entered a fight she
couldn’t win or at the very least come out of unharmed. She didn’t plan to make
this her first.
Had Kate not been listening so intently, she likely would
never have heard the soft pad of bare feet muffled faintly by carpet. Kate let
her gaze follow the direction of the steps and realized that Sharni had been up
in the loft-style second floor and was coming back down.
A quick glance around showed she would likely be concealed
should she hide behind one of the sofas. Moving hastily but carefully, she
dodged around the ottoman and crouched behind it, waiting with bated breath.
Closing her eyes to hear better, Kate listened to the soft pad of footsteps
before they appeared to stop about halfway across the room.
Kate gauged about how far she would have to move to get to Sharni,
and as she heard the witch moving closer to the sliding door, figured she would
not have a better opportunity. Moving very slowly and cautiously, she rose from
her crouch and felt satisfaction roll through her.
As she had guessed, Sharni was facing the door and could not
directly see Kate at all. Only a few paces separated the two witches. While she
still had the element of surprise, Kate dodged around the edge of the couch and
tackled Sharni like a professional linebacker.
Sharni had pulled her hair out of the braid and her long,
straight, blonde strands flew into Kate’s face as they both fell to the
carpeted floor. Kate grunted as they impacted the ground and most of her breath
whooshed out of her lungs. Hoping to retain the upper hand and have this over
with quickly, she tried to grab both of Sharni’s hands and hold them clasped
behind her back.