‘Because he’s hurting.’ Bianca offered Caleb a sympathetic smile across the table. ‘He hates Brendan for what he did.’ It was easy to forget how insightful the nymph could be. She didn’t make a habit of flaunting her magical gifts in public.
Caleb began comparing her to Bridey. What the nymph lacked by not being attuned to senses mana, she made up for with empathy and a virtuous soul. ‘It’s true,’ Caleb explained. ‘Brendan left Alannah and ran off with my sister.’
‘What?’ Cara gaped. ‘Don’t tell me the bitch enthralled him?’
Caleb winced. ‘No. I know what her magical compulsion looks like better than anyone. Brendan went with her willingly.’
‘But why? Alannah was his soulmate.’ Tears welled in Cara’s eyes.
‘Fucked if I know why Brendan does what he does. Apparently, his soul is tainted now, which could have something to do with it.’ He stole another peek at Bianca.
‘No! I don’t believe you!’ exclaimed Cara.
‘It’s true,’ Bianca explained. ‘I saw his darkened aura myself almost two months ago.’
‘But why?’ Cara repeated.
Jacob visibly squirmed beneath her.
Caleb didn’t miss a beat. ‘Damn it, Jacob! Don’t tell me you were in on that racket too?’
The boggart hung his head as Cara slid off his lap, pushing Caleb down the booth, and stared at Jacob.
Bailey approached the table. ‘What’s this about a racket?’
‘I can’t say,’ Jacob replied sheepishly. It was no secret to their friends Jacob worked the unseelie crime scene, but as far as they knew, he only committed petty theft, so Bailey generally turned a blind eye.
Caleb leaned forward on the table to look past Cara, directing his glare at Jacob. ‘Was it your idea, or his?’
Jacob gulped and hesitated. ‘Mine.’
Bailey tapped the end of the table. ‘Is someone gonna fill me in here?’
Jumping up, Nick pulled Bailey aside to explain the situation while Caleb scowled at Jacob. ‘So I guess I have you to thank for Brendan stealing her from me.’
‘Those two nymphomaniacs didn’t need any help to find each other,’ Jacob replied. ‘You saw the chemistry between them when she first arrived in town. I had nothing to do with that. Maybe Brendo prefers sluts who can pull the same magic tricks he does. Could explain why he kept going back to Bianca’s bed.’
Cara gasped. ‘Jacob! Take that back!’
Connor cleared his throat. ‘If you weren’t still recovering from Richard, I’d drag you outside and beat the shit out of you right now, Jacob.’
‘Naw, has the little subbie finally found a pair?’ Jacob scoffed.
Amy, Connor’s dwarven Dom, shot Jacob a death glare.
Even as his eyes wandered in Bianca’s direction again, Caleb couldn’t hold back the snigger.
When Bailey and Nick returned, the tension around the table was thicker than Daddy Hawthorn’s criminal record.
‘Let me get this right,’ Bailey interceded. ‘Brendo got into something highly illegal that brought him closer to Bridey and set him on the path to dark mage wonderland. Oh, and Jacob hatched this scheme?’
Jacob’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded.
‘It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to know what you bastards have been up to.’
Most of the group looked at Bailey with inquiring eyes as Jacob paled.
‘Come on guys. What was the biggest criminal news of the magic community all year?’
‘The Inquisitor getting shafted?’ Connor suggested.
‘Rhapsody.’ Everyone shot Ben a surprised look. Their weredingo friend had remained relatively quiet up to this point. ‘I figured it was the drug Brendan gave me at The Vault. Trial batch?’
The wide-eyed boggart gradually bobbed his head.
‘What the hell, Jacob?’ The tears were trickling down Cara’s face by this stage.
Someone drew up alongside Caleb. When he turned, Bianca extended a hand and smiled down at him. ‘Come on, sweetheart, let’s leave them to sort out their shitstorm.’
Curious to know what Bianca was proposing, he took her hand and slid away from the booth. Once outside, they walked alongside each other in silence for a few minutes. There was a gentle sea breeze in the air, and Caleb almost forgot it was the start of summer.
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ she eventually asked.
‘About what?’
‘Your feelings for Bridey. What happened with Brendan. Any of it.’
Caleb sighed. ‘Not really. I need to forget her.’
‘I understand.’ She stopped walking and pressed herself close to him. ‘I can help with that.’
His breath stuttered. If she had made the offer two or more years ago, he would have her pinned up against the nearest wall within seconds. Bianca had been one of his two biggest crushes ever since he moved to Gaeilge Shores. But they’d become good friends of late. ‘I don’t know, Bee. What if this messes with our friendship?’
‘You know I’m capable of doing friends with bennies.’ She was right. Brendan wasn’t the only guy in their group she’d slept with. Nick and Ben had fucked her on several occasions. There was even a threesome with Jacob and Cara.
But Caleb’s brain was wired differently. ‘I don’t know if I am.’
She ran her long, slender fingers through his hair. ‘If you decide you want more after spending one night with me, we can cross that bridge then. But right now, I can feel how much you want me. Are you going to deny what you need?’
Looking over her shoulder, Caleb noticed they’d reached his cottage. When his attention returned to her face, he backed her into his front door, caging her in his arms. ‘I prefer things rough, Bee. Sure you still wanna give me what I need?’
Bianca grinned. ‘Do I look afraid to you?’
His mouth clamped down on hers as his right hand fished for keys in his pocket. Once inside the house, they undressed frantically between bursts of kissing on the way to Caleb’s bedroom.
Caleb woke from his lustful haze hours later. Bianca had drifted off beside him, but his own frayed mind didn’t release him from its clutches. Not as a train of thought barrelled into the station: sex with Bianca was great and all, but it doesn’t compare to what Bridey can offer. I really can’t live without her.
Peering out of the limousine window, Brendan watched as their demon driver merged with traffic on the M7. ‘Explain to me: why are we traipsing across the city to meet these people in a Gods forsaken nightclub when we moved to Windsor to get close to them?’
‘Two reasons, handsome. Their need for anonymity and our desire to impress. This isn’t any club. It is the premier nightlife spot for the magical community, not only for the state, but the whole nation. You’ll see.’
He sighed, wondering what sort of impression his black mesh top and tight leather pants would have on these dark mages. At least I get to wear shoes. But as they pulled up outside the Darlinghurst club forty minutes later, Brendan understood why Bridey had chosen the outfit. All manner of magical races were filing into the place, but their dress code was the one thing they all had in common: sexually provocative.
Bypassing the queue thanks to Bridey’s VIP status, they stepped inside. Deafening tribal fusion beats assaulted Brendan’s ears. The genre had become flavour of the month because of Sydney’s latest elvish immigrants. He did not mind the music, but it could have lost some decibels.
Bridey encircled him in her arms and pressed her lips against his ear. ‘I can see a few Council mages around. I’m going to cast selective glamour to conceal us from them.’
‘Good thinking,’ Brendan agreed.
As the shimmering spell enveloped their bodies, she pulled him up some stairs and stopped at a VIP booth. ‘Get me a Purple Haze, will you handsome?’ Bridey slipped a wad of cash into his hand and sat down.
‘Yes, Madame.’ As he made his way across the mezzanine, Brendan caught sight of someone who made his heart stop for a split second.
She sat alone in a booth directly below, watching the dancefloor until three guys joined her. They were all mages, although Brendan did not know any of them. More importantly, there was no sign of Liam anywhere.
His heart was pounding. Shit! Did Alannah understand my message? Is she here to find me? To free me? He was pushing through the crowds towards her when a hand grabbed his arm.
‘Where are you going, handsome? I hope you’re not trying to escape?’ Bridey gestured toward his collar, reminding him of the invisible tether binding Brendan to his master.
Panic seized him for a moment. ‘Uh, no. I’m heading for the bar.’
Bridey eyed him suspiciously. ‘There’s one up here, over there.’ She pointed to their nearest drinks counter.
‘Right, of course.’ He smiled and ordered their drinks.
When he returned to their table, the dark mages had joined her. Bridey presented him using his Syndicate codename: ‘This is my partner, Jet. Jet, this is Damien, and Melanie.’
He shook each of their hands as Bridey introduced them. When they sat down, Brendan tried his best to engage in the small talk, but he was restless, with eyes constantly shifting to Alannah. When he saw her move onto the floor, he decided to try his luck and offered Bridey his award-winning smile. ‘Shall we dance?’
‘A wonderful idea, hon. What do you guys say?’ She directed her question to their guests.
‘I’d love to,’ the blonde bimbo known as Melanie beamed.
‘Well, I’d hate to disappoint such a beautiful lady,’ replied Damien, nodding with his head full of hair gel while taking Melanie’s hand.
Brendan led them to a prime position where he could observe Alannah without alerting Bridey to her presence. Their proximity allowed him to see how close she was dancing to her male companion. Too damn close. Brendan pressed up against his own partner and let her grind against him while he tuned into Alannah’s conversation with heightened hearing.
The guy’s lips pressed against her ear. ‘Fuck! This is like the sweetest form of torture.’
‘Uh huh.’ Alannah’s voice slurred a fraction. She must’ve drunk a bit.
‘I’ve been hard for you ever since seeing the way you handled yourself in combat. Harder still when you plunged a blade deep into Richard’s heart.’
What the hell? Did that sleaze infer she’d killed Richard?
Alannah sighed. ‘Sounds like something he would have said.’
‘So, this other guy I remind you of, is he like your ex or something?’
Shit! Were they talking about me? Upon closer inspection, Brendan noticed the guy’s uncanny resemblance to himself.
Alannah took a deep breath. ‘Yeah. An ex who didn’t just break my heart but shattered it into millions of tiny pieces.’
Her words pierced his soul with regret. Gods, Lana! What have I done?
‘I’m sorry to hear that. What about me reminds you of him?’
She’s clearly not over me if she’s slow dancing with my stunt double. He was on the verge of cutting in and showing Alannah how sorry he was.
But her response stopped him. ‘You’re overtly flirting even though my heart belongs to someone else. But also, you could easily pass as his twin.’
Her heart belongs to someone else. Is she talking about Liam? A fresh jolt of pain seized his chest. But he questioned the logic. Why is Lana out with this guy rather than Arse Face?
His clone’s hand moved to Alannah’s backside. ‘Is he attractive?’
‘Extremely.’
‘Then I’ll take it as a compliment, Alannah.’
‘Please, call me Lana.’ She pressed her head against his chest.
No way! There were only two people in the world she liked using that name. Brendan was not about to let some impersonator take his place. He broke free of Bridey’s grip and moved towards Alannah.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Bridey had crept up behind him. She tugged on his collar with a short leash that would have been invisible to onlookers. Spying the source of Brendan’s interest, she laughed. ‘Do you honestly think she is going to take you back? She’s clearly enjoying another man’s company.’
Brendan scowled at his captor and turned back to Alannah. Dread filled his gut as he watched her kiss his double. The savage, ferocious kiss reminded him of the passion they had shared.
‘Although,’ Bridey continued, ‘that guy does look a lot like you. Maybe she never stopped loving you after all.’ She paused as if to let it sink in as her arms slithered their way around his waist.
And boy, did it sink in!
‘Not that it matters now. You broke her heart and all faith she ever had in you by severing your soul link. Not to mention your debt to me. I still own you, Brendan, so don’t even think about running off with another woman.’
Bugger what they say about fate. Bridey Hawthorn is the cruellest mistress.
She dragged him back to their booth, releasing the tether a moment before Damien and Melanie came into view. ‘It’s time for business. So, get your head out of the clouds and focus.’
Brendan huffed as she slammed him down in his seat and straddled him.
He could hear Damien titter. ‘I hope we aren’t interrupting.’
‘Not at all,’ Bridey drawled in her deepest, most seductive voice. ‘Why don’t you join us?’
Melanie giggled. ‘Sounds delightfully naughty.’
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Brendan shut them instead. A moment later, their booth became a heated make-out session. But he tuned it all out, unaware who was touching or kissing him most of the time. All he thought about was his desire to be free so he could return to Alannah.
‘Would you like to come back to our place?’ Bridey’s voice drifted through the fog.
‘Mm, yes please.’ Melanie, groggy with lust, sounded close.
When awareness returned to Brendan, the dark mage chick was in his lap. Realising his fingers probed her insides did not even shock him, but his instinctive channelling of emotions and senses concurrently did. When did I start doing that? Was it because I was thinking of Lana?
‘Nothing would please me more,’ replied Damien.
As they made their way to the exit, Brendan pulled Bridey back out of Damien’s earshot to query her, ‘I thought we were supposed to be working, not fucking around?’
‘Oh, you are precious. We are working.’
A sickening understanding struck him. ‘Is this what you’ve been doing for the last week? Working the scene by fucking all our contacts?’
‘It’s what we’ve been doing, handsome. Don’t tell me you haven’t been taking the opportunity to gain intel from their vulnerable minds? I certainly have.’
‘Uh, no. I thought we were just having fun. You didn’t tell me they were leads. In fact, you’ve told me shit. This is not how a business relationship works, Violet,’ he spat.
She growled. ‘That’s Lady Violet to you, Jet. And don’t forget I am still your boss when I’m not your Mistress. I’m the one giving the orders.’
Bitch! ‘What will Lady Scarlett say when she hears you’ve been keeping me in the dark?’
Bridey laughed. ‘She won’t be hearing much of anything anymore.’
He halted and someone ploughed into his back.
‘Watch it, mate!’
Brendan spun and glared at the goblin who gulped and backed away. Turning back to look at Bridey, he ignored her scowl. ‘What do you mean Lady Scarlett won’t hear much anymore?’
‘Exactly what it sounds like. She’s dead.’
Shaking his head in disbelief, he pulled Bridey in close. ‘Are you sure she’s gone this time?’
‘Yes. They destroyed her soul crystal first.’
‘But how?’
Bridey grinned malevolently. ‘This is the best bit, actually. It was none other than your beloved Alannah who killed her.’
He was utterly gobsmacked. ‘That can’t be right.’
‘Well, I can’t imagine the official Council reports getting it wrong. Now, hurry along. We can’t keep our guests waiting.’
Brendan resumed walking, masking the grief threatening to burst through its dam. He swallowed against the lump pinching his vocal cords. ‘So… who’s running the Syndicate now?’
‘We are yet to decide. It’s customary to allow a week of mourning before the upper echelons gather at a summit to vote in the next Boss.’
Interesting. ‘I presume that includes captains.’
Bridey sighed. ‘Usually.’
‘I want to go.’ This could be a convenient opportunity to undermine her.
‘I suppose I can arrange it. They will expect to see you and I could use your vote anyway.’
‘Good.’ With newfound enthusiasm for his work, Brendan pushed forward and caught up with Damien and Melanie, slipping an arm over each of their shoulders. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. The missus and I bumped into an old friend.’
‘Not a problem,’ Damien smiled.
Grinning, Brendan opened the limo door for them.
Bridey cocked a brow at him on her approach. ‘What’s your angle, Jet?’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘Just doing my job, Madame.’ The brutal kiss he savaged her with left her moaning for more. Yup, I still got it.