It came as a surprise to Brendan when his waking thoughts were of the beautiful woman in his arms. And they were not unpleasant like the usual kneejerk reaction he got to finding himself in bed with her after the sexual frenzy wore off. He had come to understand why her inner aura was not pitch-black. The sensitive violet patches of her soul had made themselves known. Is that why she’s obsessed with the colour purple? These thoughts filled his mind as he admired her sleeping form.
She must have sensed him looking at her, or perhaps he moved too much, and before long she stirred and opened her eyes. Speaking with a gruff voice, she slid a hand down his bare back. ‘Morning, handsome.’
At some point during the night, Brendan had stripped away the clothes obstructing his comfort, always preferring to sleep naked. He glanced at the clock before smiling at her. ‘Afternoon, beautiful.’
She sucked in a breath as a grin curled her lips. Seconds later, she jack-knifed. ‘Shit! I need to make those calls for Caleb.’
When she began to rise from the bed, Brendan pulled her back. ‘Wait a sec.’ Gathering her into his lap, he kissed her lips; not with the usual ferocity they shared, but a slow, sensual kiss. He heard a soft moan escape from her as he drew back. ‘Thank you for last night, Bry.’
Pressing her forehead to his, she whistled through pursed lips. ‘No one has ever kissed me like that,’ she whispered. The confession painted her in a vulnerable light and broke through a crack in the shield he had erected around his heart; one of many hairline fractures her brother had made when chipping away.
‘Not even Caleb?’
‘No. My relationship with him is beyond complicated.’
‘I can see that. How many times have you been in love before, Bry? I get the impression you’ve had your heart broken as severely as I have.’
She closed her eyes a moment, as though she was holding back the threat of tears. When they fluttered open again, she took a deep breath. ‘Before you, Brendan, there was only ever Caleb. He’s the one who broke my heart.’
‘How so?’ He kept his voice soft and encouraging.
‘When we were younger and our relationship turned sexual, he kept pushing me away even though I could read his mind and his emotions enough to see how much he wanted me. Eventually he told our mother I had raped him, prompting Mum to run away and hide him from me.’
‘I guess it would be devastating. You know he loves you now, right?’
‘I know he loved me even then. But sometimes love isn’t enough to overcome our fears.’
It was the crux of Caleb’s problem. He had been afraid of what it would mean to allow himself the pleasure of his sister’s affections. ‘I’m guessing your mum is where he got his strong moral compass from?’
She adopted a lop-sided grin. ‘We both did, but Dad skewed mine a lot over the years.’
‘How did such a pure-hearted elf end up with your old man?’
‘It wasn’t her choice. My dad works in the slave trade, and she was one such victim. He took a liking to her and kept her for himself.’
‘Fuck! That’s heavy.’ Brendan paused to let it sink in. ‘Are all of your other slaves from him?’
‘Yeah, they are,’ she admitted. This was the side of Bridey he did not get.
‘You’ve gotta set them free, Bry.’
Tension started to lock her up and she pulled away.
But Brendan was not about to let her true self escape. He grabbed her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. ‘Listen to me, beautiful. I know you still have some good left in your soul. You proved it to me last night. This woman, the real Bridey Hawthorn, she is the one I can feel myself falling for and she is probably the one Caleb loves. I want to see more of her and less of the persona you created for your father.’
Bridey’s eyes widened as droplets trickled from them.
‘Do you really love me?’ he asked.
‘Yes, but Dad—’
‘Your old man isn’t here. You can be your own woman now. Please, will you free those slaves? For me?’ He pleaded with everything he had; magic tricks included.
‘Okay.’
Smiling, Brendan kissed her deeply again before letting her go. ‘Thank you. Now, let’s get Caleb out of prison.’
As Samantha’s fork slipped out from between her lips and she bit into her piece of ravioli, Tyler realised he was a captive audience. No one made eating look as sexy as she did. But the sound of Jaxon’s phone ringing broke his trance.
Jaxon glanced at the caller’s name. ‘It’s High Magus O’Grady.’ He picked up the device and answered the call. ‘Hello, Your Honour … What? … Did you try to stop them? … I see … Were you able to get his current address? … Understood. Thanks for letting me know. Bye.’
Tyler looked at him expectantly as he hung up.
‘The Council dropped the charges on Caleb Hawthorn and let him go.’
‘The fuck? Why would they do that?’
‘The call came from above O’Grady. He couldn’t stop them. As for why, he couldn’t say.’
‘Are you telling me we lost our best lead on tracking down Brendan Winters?’
‘Afraid so.’
‘Damn it!’ Having lost his appetite, Tyler pushed his dinner plate into the middle of the table, standing to pace the room. ‘So, we’re back to square one?’
‘Not exactly. We still have Samantha’s intel,’ Shane suggested.
‘Right, because poking the wasps’ nest is such a smart plan.’
‘What if you follow the wasps from the nest?’
‘What the hell are you talking about, Walshy?’
‘He means a stakeout, Quirky,’ Jaxon explained. ‘If we watch their HQ, we can track the people coming and going, learn who lives where. We could pick them off one by one. Who knows, we might even spot Brendan in the process.’
Tyler flopped back onto his chair, letting Samantha soothe his nerves with a gentle caress of his thigh. ‘Sounds like a slow process, but I guess it’s our best shot now. It’s frustrating when we almost had the guy in our grasp.’
After scraping up the last of his pasta and swallowing his hefty mouthful, Shane let his cutlery clatter onto his plate. ‘What’s important about catching this Brendan guy anyway?’
‘You’re kidding right?’ Tyler asked. ‘Did you not hear what Sam said about me being his doppelganger and what the Cult plan to do with us?’
‘Sure I did. But how does catching Brendan, as opposed to any of the other cult members, help us?’
‘Because if they don’t have Brendan, they can’t use me. Without him, it’s a lot safer for me to enter their premises and help take them down.’
Returning from a short trip to the kitchen, Shane popped the top off his second beer. ‘So what? You kill him to eliminate the threat?’
Tyler huffed. ‘I wouldn’t mind after what he did to Lana.’
‘Quirky, you know we can’t. We have to operate within the law,’ Jaxon reminded him.
He put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. ‘I know, boss. I was kidding. We only need to keep Brendan locked away and out of their reach when we attack. After the museum job, he’s up for some hefty criminal charges anyway. Should be enough to put him away for several years.’
Shane laughed. ‘Those larceny charges won’t worry him as much as the whole drug operation he started back in SA. He’s looking at life for that alone.’
‘Excellent point.’
Jaxon gave up on his own dinner and sighed. ‘If the powers that be don’t let him off like they did his boyfriend.’
Shane shot Jaxon a surprised look. ‘His boyfriend?’
Samantha and Tanya also looked on with intrigued expressions.
‘I guess we forgot to mention those juicy details. Apparently, Brendan bats for the other team now, or possibly both. Oh, and that Caleb guy we arrested was his lover. We worked it out when he kept giving Tyler bedroom eyes while confessing to knowing Brendan,’ Jaxon paused to add air quotes, ‘“very well.”’
Tyler shivered. ‘It was totally disturbing. Not to mention his reaction to the strip search.’
Samantha cracked up laughing. Once she calmed down, she bit her lip for a few seconds. ‘I’m sorry, babe, but that was too funny.’
He groaned. ‘I’m glad you find it amusing.’
She grinned. ‘First Alannah, then Caleb. I wonder who your doppelganger charms will work on next?’
Shane prodded Tyler’s arm. ‘Ah hell Quirky, you better be careful if you visit Brendan’s hometown. I heard he was a bigger slut than you.’
‘Speaking of which, Liam invited us to their family’s Solstice dinner on Friday night,’ Jaxon informed them.
‘Really?’ Tyler paused for thought before continuing, ‘What about Sam?’
‘I asked him if you could take a plus one and he said it’s fine. Honestly I think he’s relieved your attention diverted from his woman.’
Swallowing a lump of guilt, Tyler chose not to remind them of his recent liaison with Alannah. ‘Fair enough, but is it safe to take her?’
‘Safer than leaving her. Besides, the dinner is at his parents’ house and the place has even more protection than this apartment. Apparently, those wards kept Tara out when she threatened Alannah.’
Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Good to know.’
Grabbing Tyler’s arm, Samantha squeezed it and smiled up at him. ‘It’ll be nice to get out of this place for a change of scenery.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yeah, it’s safe if we magiport straight there. Plus, I’d like to see Alannah again too.’ A sly grin formed on her face, hinting at their shared memories.
‘I guess it’s a date.’
‘Don’t mention anything to Alannah about the dinner if you chat with her on social media before Friday night. Liam wants it to be a surprise.’
‘Noted.’ Having curbed his initial irritation, Tyler sat down at the table and resumed his meal.
When Bridey’s demon driver dropped Caleb home, his first thoughts turned to ensuring Brendan’s safety. Not having a friendly face to meet him at the police station sucked, but he understood the risks such an appearance presented to both Bridey and Brendan.
Neither Levi nor Isabelle greeted Caleb when he walked through the hall, much to his surprise. Voices drew him to the parlour, where Brendan sat extremely close to Bridey as they studied some paperwork together. Lifting their eyes to spot him, both of his lovers leaped to their feet, letting papers fall to the floor as they rushed to embrace him.
‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ Bridey scanned his body. ‘Do you need a healer?’
‘I’m fine, Bry. They healed my battle injuries in prison.’
Brendan’s fingers gingerly touched Caleb’s neck as he inspected his throat. Seemingly satisfied the gash from Tyler’s sword had vanished, Brendan pulled him closer and kissed him deeply. The greeting made his heart flutter and his toes curl.
‘I take it you’re okay?’ Caleb asked him with a breathless voice.
‘A hell of a lot better now you’re home,’ Brendan admitted.
Knowing Brendan cherished him brought a smile to Caleb’s lips. The men hugged again, and Caleb doubted he’d ever get enough of feeling Brendan’s body against his own.
Bridey pressed herself into Caleb’s back, placing her hands on his shoulders as she peppered kisses along his neck and whispered, ‘Welcome back my love.’
Pivoting to face Bridey, Caleb devoured her lips. Coming up for air, he glanced over Bridey’s shoulder, and the pages on the floor caught his attention. ‘What were the pair of you working on?’
‘Looking at some resumés of potential household staff,’ she replied.
He gave her a puzzled look. ‘Why?’
Her beautiful, dark eyes lit up. ‘I freed the slaves, so now I need some legit servants.’
Caleb’s mouth gaped open. He threw his arms around Bridey and squeezed her tight. ‘I’m damn proud of you, Bry. What brought you to that decision?’
‘Brendan helped me come to my senses,’ she explained.
Leaning back into Brendan, Caleb peered up at him. ‘You never cease to amaze me, Winters.’
Brendan’s eyes gleamed with wicked intent. ‘Mm, you can thank me later, Thornsy.’
Bridey and Brendan flanking him spiked Caleb’s arousal. He loved the contrast between her soft curves and his hard muscles. ‘Why wait?’ He felt thankful for the opportunity he’d had to shower at the decoy house on the way home because he could not wait to rip his clothes off.
Bridey stepped back. ‘Mind if I watch?’
Having something else in mind, Caleb grabbed her arm and reeled her back in. ‘I’d rather you join us.’
‘Brendan?’ Bridey asked, likely seeking reassurance because the three of them had not attempted another threesome since their earlier disasters.
‘Don’t worry, Bry, I have zero inhibitions left,’ rasped Brendan as he pressed his arousal against Caleb’s backside.
What happened in my absence? The way they squashed Caleb between them, kissing passionately over his shoulder, suggested something significant. Four weeks ago, the sight of them sucking face had stirred some different emotions, but there was no longer room for jealousy or trepidation between any of them.
As Brendan withdrew from the kiss, his hands found the hem of Caleb’s t-shirt and he removed the garment. His fingers trailed down Caleb’s back while feathering kisses along his neck. A frenzy of undressing followed amidst moments of passion as they stumbled into the guestroom.
When Caleb’s gaze fell upon the bed, he found Bridey adopting a submissive position for the first time in the history of their relationship. Things are definitely about to get interesting.
The afternoon sun was peeking through the blinds of the guestroom when Brendan awoke. The previous night had been incredible, and he found himself cursing the former hang-ups that had prevented him from enjoying both Hawthorn siblings together in the past. Hours of pure erotic delight with the three of them taking turns in the middle had made for one of the most sexually satisfying nights of his life.
Rolling on to his side, he found Caleb sleeping soundly, but no sign of Bridey. She must be working. Brendan figured he should be doing likewise, but he could not draw himself away from the breathtaking sight before him. Caleb looked like a dark angel, or what Brendan imagined such beings would look like if they existed.
‘Are you being a creeper, Winters?’ Caleb’s lips curled as he spoke with a gravelly morning voice.
Brendan laughed. ‘Depends on whether you were actually sleeping.’
His eyes shot open, and the grin widened. ‘I’m sure I was at some point, but that’s beside the point if you thought I slept while you were watching me.’
‘What can I say? I’ve grown fond of your pretty face, Thornsy.’ Leaning in, he crashed his lips into Caleb’s. Brendan broke away from the kiss before he lost his last sliver of willpower. There would be plenty of time to give in to such desires in the near future, but he needed to say something while he had Caleb alone.
Cupping Caleb’s silvery cheek in his hand, Brendan looked deeply into his lover’s eyes. ‘You freaked me out, Thornsy. Getting yourself captured… I feared the worst. The thought of them taking you from me before… before I could tell you.’
Caleb’s expression turned serious with concern. ‘Tell me what?’
He hated how hard it had become to talk about his true feelings. Damn you, Lana! Brendan gulped. ‘You’ve worked your way into my heart in a way I thought would be impossible with how broken it was.’
Caleb’s eyes widened.
Moving directly on top of him, Brendan pinned Caleb down as a way of bracing himself for the words that followed. ‘I’m… in love… with you, Caleb.’
A sharp breath slipped through Caleb’s lips a moment before he pulled Brendan down for another sensual kiss. As their passion intensified, the feel of Caleb’s tongue ring brought back memories of other ways he had stimulated Brendan with the tiny barbell. And it was not long before they made new memories.
Brendan caught his breath. ‘I fucking love your tongue, Thornsy. I’m thinking of getting my own venom piercing so you know how superb it feels.’
‘Christ! I already fall apart when you go down on me. You don’t need to improve on anything there.’
‘Really?’
‘Absolutely. How the hell did you get them expert skills without any experience before me?’
Brendan shrugged as he smirked. ‘Natural talent, I suppose.’
Caleb’s fist bumped Brendan’s arm. ‘Smug bastard.’
His smile grew. ‘Oh, but you love me all the same, right?’
This time Caleb mounted him. ‘Yeah, I do, Brendan. I love you.’
They spent the rest of the afternoon expressing their love for each other in every possible way.
There was a time when Brendan looked forward to the Summer Solstice. As he walked the empty halls of the inner-city office block, he imagined the smell of his mum’s cooking wafting through the building. Spending the holiday alone made him realise how much he missed his mother. Next chance I get, I’m gonna give Mum a call.
He could have joined the Hawthorn family, but it would have meant returning to Adelaide and he was not ready. Nor did he fancy seeing their scumbag father again. Besides, with most of the magic community busy celebrating, it was the perfect time for Brendan to catch up on some Cult reading.
Turning one last corner brought him to the library. He swiped his key card against the security panel and sent a silent thank you to Erin when the door unlocked. Hacker girl is a damn genius.
By the Gods! The place was huge. Thankfully, the Cult organised books logically, so it did not take him long to find what he was looking for. Most of the books were in Arabic, but he had come prepared with a translation app on his phone.
He pulled out one volume entitled Magical Artifacts of Ancient Egypt and continued scanning the shelves until he found several leatherbound works with unlabelled spines. He grabbed the first of them and discovered he was holding an Egyptian book of Shadows belonging to the Arafa clan. Grabbing more of them revealed a whole collection of spell tomes from all the major mage clans of Egypt. Talk about the fucking jackpot!
Brendan took them all to the photocopier near the reading desks and got to work on his reproductions. He would have taken them, but he knew the wards would alert the inner circle if any of their precious books left the room.
Unfortunately, the mindless task gave him time to reminisce on better times and to imagine what would be happening at Cailleach Estate in his absence. He knew his parents would decorate the house in bright, warm colours symbolic of the sun and Mum would be baking her traditional pumpernickel bread while Dad roasted meats on the Weber. Who would be there this year? They usually invited a couple of friends, but never the same people.
A noise from down the hall broke his reverie and prompted him to take cover. He smacked the off switch on the photocopier and ducked behind one of the solid oak desks along the wall. Turning off his torch plunged the room into darkness. Minutes later, a security guard walked into the room and casually strolled through the bookshelves, checking each row with his own torch.
Brendan’s heart was pounding fast, and he could feel his grip on the pile of books slipping.
Having inspected the shelves, the man moved to the reading area.
Shit! I forgot my copies. Please don’t look at the photocopier.
As the half-mage guard approached the machine, the top book on Brendan’s stack toppled onto the floor, diverting the man’s attention in his direction.
Fuck! Thinking quickly, Brendan intruded on the guard’s mind, pushing past the mind shield, and convincing him the sound came from another room down the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the guard left. That got too damn close.
After waiting for the guard to move on to a different floor, Brendan hurried the last of his copying and shoved the books back in their place. He put his duplicates in a large box and hauled them out to his car.
In the comfort of his own office, he flicked through the book on artifacts, finding the two treasures he had taken from the museum and worked on translating the Arabic text.
The ancients imbued the agate ankh with the power of healing. Anyone with magical blood can use the charm to heal their wounds without needing to channel mana or cast any spells.
Glad he had chosen the shiny piece of bling, he moved on to the next entry.
Scholars believe the Cartouche of Set was used to summon the God as part of a dark mating ritual. But along with the artifact itself, the magic world lost this knowledge centuries ago.
Brendan furrowed his brow. How did the Cult not realise it was right under their nose? Surely they scoped out the contents of the case before arranging the job? He turned several more pages, looking for the final item of interest. When he found it, he got his answer:
The Lazurite Scarab provides a direct connection to all Celestial beings and the Egyptians may have used it in the original immortality rituals.
His mouth dropped open. With the beetle, they don’t need the cartouche. The significance of the second part of the entry also struck him. Are they planning to become liches?
Brendan’s mind was spinning when he left his office the next day and drove home. When he checked Caleb’s room, he found it empty. Looking in Bridey’s quarters, he saw them both wrapped in each other’s arms, sleeping soundly. He smiled at the sight. They make such a cute couple.
Not wanting to disturb them, he eased the door shut and headed to his bathroom. What he needed more than anything was a scalding shower to soothe his aching muscles. Scorching water poured down around him when Brendan sensed someone. Opening his eyes, he turned toward the intruder.
‘Hey, handsome. Mind if I join you?’ Bridey stood naked at the entrance to the shower cubicle.
‘Mm, not at all.’ He reached out to grasp one of her hands, pulling her in close and kissing her. Closing his eyes, Brendan pushed aside all the dark secrets he had learned to focus on Bridey. She feels incredible in my arms and against my lips. He slipped his fingers inside her, bringing forth a deep groan vibrating against his mouth as he continued to kiss her.
She whipped her head back. ‘Oh Gods! Fuck me, Brendan. Fuck me now.’
Backing her up against the tiled wall, he leaned in close to her ear. ‘No.’ Stepping back an inch, he observed her reaction.
Gobsmacked, she stared at him in disbelief.
With a wicked grin, he pumped his fingers twice more before removing them. He pressed his arousal against the entrance to her quivering core. ‘I’m not gonna fuck you this time Bry. Do you wanna know why?’
‘Yes,’ she rasped.
‘Because I want to make love to you. Do you know why?’
With wide eyes, she replied by shaking her head.
‘Because I love you.’ He eased himself into her and let his instincts take over.
As they came together, Bridey collapsed against him. Brendan rinsed them both before turning off the taps. He wrapped her in a towel and carried her into his bedroom. Snuggling with him on the bed, Bridey smiled sweetly. ‘Another astonishing first, thanks to you.’
‘Christ! You’ve never made love or had gentle sex before?’
‘No.’
He was beginning to understand Bridey. She was a broken woman, the product of a horrid upbringing where she never learned how to love. Question is, am I too late to fix her?
‘What about you, Brendan? With your love of kink, I can’t imagine you doing that much.’
‘My tastes have nothing to do with it. I believe a loving relationship requires a balance of tender and kinky moments. I reserve sex like that for people I love, Bry, and there have only been two such other people.’
She sat up surprised. ‘Two? I assume she was one of them, but the other?’
‘Is Caleb.’
Bridey grinned widely. ‘I am thrilled to hear it, handsome. You’ve been good for him, for both of us.’
He laughed. ‘And you’ve been strangely good for me. In a dark and twisted kinda way.’
‘Hmm. Speaking of dark and twisted, how did your work go last night?’
‘Brilliant actually.’ He told her about the scarab but kept the rest to himself. ‘I think I have all I need from the Cult. Now I need to work on my exit strategy.’
‘Exit strategy?’
‘A way out of the Cult. I don’t want to get messed up with anymore of their shit.’
‘Why can’t you tell them you’re leaving?’
Brendan sighed heavily. ‘Because they made me sign a blood oath, swearing lifetime service.’