Invoked Read online

  ‘Yes,’ Nea said as she took in the two dead bodies: Pris and the warlock who’d helped abduct her.

  ‘And what about you, Bethanea? You look well, but are you all right?’

  Her hand drew back the hair out of her eyes and she studied the room absently. ‘Yes, I think so … a bit lightheaded … a bit … bruised.’ She touched her arm where she’d been sliced by the dagger. ‘A small cut. Not too bad.’

  ‘Very well. We will check you over soon. Help will be here momentarily.’

  Earl hobbled a little closer to Nea.

  ‘Is … is Drew Penderton’s body up there?’ Earl asked, the sound of his voice surprising him.

  Humphrey’s eyes widened. ‘Who are you, mate? And why are you naked?’

  Earl glanced up and then down. He tilted his head to the side. He was rather impressively naked. ‘My name is Earl.’

  Humphrey bristled, his eyes narrowing. ‘Can’t say that I’ve heard of you.’

  Earl detected the build-up of talent. Humphrey was a medium-level enforcer from what Earl could detect.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Nea said in a weak voice. ‘He saved me. I can vouch for him. Can you look for a body up there?’

  The momentary hostility in Humphrey’s eyes lessened and with a nod he went away. The sound of movement echoed within the basement and after a few minutes he returned. ‘No bodies up here,’ he replied. ‘Are you missing someone?’

  Earl furrowed his eyebrows together. ‘Yes, Drew, the dark warlock. He took a blow …’ Earl gestured the ceiling. ‘And ended up there.’

  ‘A mighty blow that must have been. A kill strike?’

  Earl nodded. ‘It was strong enough to kill. Necessary to save Nea.’

  Again Humphrey’s eyes assessed him and Earl detected the calculation behind them. A faint prickle on his skin let him know that Humphrey was trying to assess his talent and the danger he represented.

  Nea’s mouth dropped open and she let out a small sound of surprise. Earl drew in closer to her, ready to catch her if she was faint or support her if needed.

  ‘It is really you,’ Nea said, her eyes travelling all over him. There was an eagerness and a hunger in her eyes, yet her expression held wariness as if she were dreaming. With a glance at Humphrey she started searching on the floor for something. Then she walked to the wall and tugged down some fabric that hung there and passed it over to Earl. Mesmerised, he took it from her and wrapped it around his hips, avoiding the protruding piece of wood that jutted from his thigh.

  ‘Thank you,’ he whispered.

  ‘Goddess, you’re hurt.’ She leaned down to inspect the splinter. ‘I didn’t notice before with … um …you being naked.’

  ‘It’s nothing.’ His cheeks were burning. What a feeling it was to blush. Really blush?

  Their gazes met and she bit her bottom lip, ready to speak. ‘But there’s blood and …’

  ‘Truly. It’s a minor injury. You, though, took a blow. You should be seen to first.’

  Nea didn’t smile and the way she tensed her jaw indicated to him that she was in pain. He glanced at her eyes and saw the headache there. He wanted to reach out and soothe her, tell it was going to be all right.

  More footsteps echoed above their heads. Humphrey called out to his companions, ‘Be careful, the supports are compromised. I’ll hold them up while you climb down with the stretcher.’ He lowered his head to speak to them. ‘A healer is on the way.’ He looked at Earl. ‘And maybe we can find some clothes for you too, sir. It won’t be long.’

  Nea looked over to Earl, lifting a hand to touch his face but hesitating. ‘It is you.’ A wondrous smile broke out on her face, sweeping away the signs of pain. He’d never seen a better sight in all his life. ‘You saved me,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know how—’

  Her tentative hand touched his chin, then she lifted her fingers and swept the curls off his forehead. ‘Goddess!’ Her voice was tinged with wonder. ‘I feel your warmth, your sweat …’

  His skin jumped and his heart throbbed painfully. Closing his eyes, he sighed. Nea was touching him for real. The friction of her fingertips sent spikes of electricity into his mind, the sensation potent and liquid. His knees were ready to crumble, a sob threatened to escape his tight throat, and the tears that brimmed in his eyes tracked down his cheeks.

  ‘You are flesh and blood. So warm and alive and powerful. May I?’ she asked, the blue of her eyes dark pools in the dimly lit room.

  Her hands trailed across his shoulders and down his arm. His arousal was instant. Drawing her hand to his centre line, she traced the shape of his nipples then down his pecs to where the material covered him like a kilt. Trembling followed in the wake of her touch. Her gaze shifted to his face and then she traced her forefinger across his bottom lip. Her exhale was drawn out and full of damp promise. Stepping closer, light suddenly glistened in her blue eyes and her smile was radiant. She liked what she saw.

  Hope and love flickered inside his chest. His heartbeat sped up. He gloried in life and in touch. Because of her he had life. One touch from her and his body had responded, his love ripened to a life bond so strong he didn’t think it could wane in a million years.

  Then she stepped closer to enter the circle of his arms, making sure she did not brush against his injury, and lay her head on his right breast. Her face was cool against his warm skin and yet his breath hitched at the contact. Her hair fanned out along his skin, tickling and teasing in a way that was tantalising and familiar. Trembling, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Having her there felt so right.

  ‘Earl?’ She gazed up at him. ‘This is where I belong. Just here. Just this spot.’ She then rubbed her face against his bare skin and emotion and arousal came together in a rush. Nea must have noticed because she pressed against his side and groaned softly. Earl was too surprised and mortified to comment on his body’s reaction. Time enough for that when they got out of there.

  Her read of him was natural and instinctive and he made no move to block her. He wanted no secrets between them. Opening himself up, he detected when she sampled the lonely years when he’d dwelled beneath the ground and the bitter regret that had imbued him and then reshaped his soul. He travelled with her through his memories. Like sunlight on a deep, dark pond, the experience of her reaching out and touching him was relived together. Her mind widened at the wonder of it, of what it meant to him and how it had changed him. That night her touch had been as light as a butterfly, eliciting a flicker of hope that had grown inside him, essentially shaping his essence into something new, something good, something that wanted to live. He was there because of her. He owed his life to Nea.

  With a gasp, she withdrew from him and staggered, her hand clutching her head. He steadied her with his hand, and their eyes met. ‘I don’t know how you bore it. I will never understand it, or this.’ She patted his skin.

  In the next breath, her face drained of colour suddenly.

  ‘Nea?’ he said as his arm circled her waist to support her.

  Her hands started to shake and she gaped as she held them in front her. ‘Earl, I feel strange—’

  Earl caught her as she fainted. He swept the hair from her forehead as he looked down at her. There was bruising on her face from where she’d been struck. He hoped it was that and not something she’d read in him that had caused her to pass out. Then he cursed himself for a fool for being so selfish. Carefully, he inspected her for any hidden injury. Coming to, she mumbled and could say her name but was still disoriented and woozy.

  ‘Hey, Humphrey. You better hurry. Nea has passed out.’

  Humphrey came back. ‘They are coming now. Won’t be long.’

  Chapter Ten

  Nea came to in Earl’s arms. Her head rested on his chest. Heartbeats thrummed below her ear, and the warmth radiating from him bathed her with comfort. Earl was alive. Goddess! How could he be? Yet, the tangible evidence proved that he was indeed alive and she was in his arms.

  Earl being alive
was beyond any expectation that she’d had. It took some readjusting. Not in an unpleasant way, but more that she had to now open herself up to possibilities of a future, of what might be, of what could be. As she nestled there, it was as if she was home. This was where she was staking her claim. Earl was a living, breathing warlock. His touch would no longer drain her of energy. Her mind sang at the thought.

  The read of him revealed long years of remorse and she understood how that had shaped who he was now. Nea honoured him for his thinking—although he had dwelt in darkness, it did not inhabit him. He longed for light, for life, and he had allowed the touch of her mind to draw him out. In the days she had known him, he’d been trying to protect her. Now, he had done the unimaginable. He’d used the blood magic to win himself back to life and he’d done it to save her life, to prevent her from suffering his fate. He’d taken back what had been stolen. Surely that had to count for something, even though it was still blood magic.

  She trembled as she contemplated what came next. Nea had figured out that the future was not going to be easy. The coven would judge Earl and her too. They had to be free of the dark witch’s taint, and how could they prove that they were? Then there was the fact that Drew was still out there. Closing her eyes, she pushed those thoughts away and focused back on the moment.

  As her gaze ate up the sight of Earl, of him in the flesh, she knew she didn’t want to lose him. Yet, there was a possibility that everything would unravel. What if tomorrow he was gone? What if this body was only temporary? She ran her hands over him, comforting herself that he really was real. That his body was warm and solid and alive. She had to believe that he was here to stay.

  Nea pulled away gently so that she could look at his face. Earl didn’t stop her. She had a lump on her head, and the aftertaste of a hex on her tongue. It was hard to concentrate with Earl so close, with him in the flesh. Breaking eye contact, she cast her gaze around the room.

  A light blazed overhead, lowered by Humphrey, and the state of the room was revealed. Torn draperies, Pris’s body stiff now, her face drawn with aged wrinkles, the semblance of youth erased. The younger warlock lay with his head to the side, his cut throat gaping like an extra mouth.

  Nea rubbed her upper arms, suddenly chilled. She knew it could have been her lying dead. If not for Earl.

  ‘You risked a lot to save me. I see that. Your essence was fragile, easily extinguished,’ she told him.

  ‘I would have given myself freely to prevent you ending up dead or like me, Nea. Yet, with no body, I had no chance of being any real help. Beautiful Bethanea, because of you I was awakened and because of you I live.’

  The words warmed her and she found it hard to look away from his captivating eyes. ‘What was he going to do to me? I don’t understand how killing me was helping him. He was already young, so he didn’t need me for that. Not like Pris.’

  ‘Blood magic. Dark magic. It’s dangerous and seductive. He was going to take your life, use your blood to grow his power.’ Earl’s voice sounded so rich in her ears. It was similar to his conjured voice, but had more depth.

  Nea’s heart quaked. She noticed his eyes then, a hazel brown with green and yellow lights, just like he looked in his conjuring. ‘How do you know that? Are you a dark one?’

  ‘No, not a dark one, but one who has been touched by the dark. It was Pris who attracted me. I knew I was doing wrong in coming to see her, for wanting her, but I was too blind to see. With your energy in me, I found that I could hear Drew’s thoughts at times. That is why I knew the danger.’

  Nea gaped at him. ‘You knew Pris? It was she who I saw in your past? The one you loved, the one who betrayed you?’

  Earl sighed. ‘I was infatuated with her, Nea. Obsessed. Not love. I didn’t know any better. I wasn’t truly dark, just randy as all hell.’ He closed his eyes and then opened them again, tears welling at the edges. ‘I flirted with the dark without even thinking about it. I’m sorry. I am so unworthy.’

  Nea glanced at the old witch and nodded. ‘You fucked that old hag?’ The revulsion surged inside her.

  Earl nodded. ‘Except she wasn’t an old hag then, she was young and beautiful, and I fell for her trap. It was only the once you know. She killed me, took my life force …’

  Nea was overwhelmed. ‘I can’t take this in.’ She shook her head.

  The healer, Siv, dropped to the floor. ‘Who shall I look at first?’

  Nea said Earl and Earl said for her to be seen to first.

  ‘That’s not very helpful.’ Siv glanced at Earl and then at her. ‘You first. Head injury and possibly shock.’

  She’d never been treated by Siv before, him being relatively new to the coven after moving to the area from India with his wife and three children.

  Siv urged her to sit on the floor and squatted down next to her, then he grew still as he used his talent to assess her injuries. ‘Some bruising. The brain appears whole.’ His hand gently touched her forehead. ‘A slight concussion, nothing too serious. We can probably take you home.’

  ‘How is Gregor? Is he at home yet?’

  Siv’s lips drew into a line and his gaze flicked to Earl. She didn’t have to read him to know that it wasn’t good news. ‘He’s in the hospital at the moment. But I believe he’ll be okay. Right now, I think we’ll get you home and then you can take it from there, okay?’

  ‘What about Earl?’ she said. Her hand itched to reach out to him just to confirm that his flesh was real. ‘I don’t want to leave without him.’

  Siv moved his head from side to side, a uniquely Indian gesture. ‘Very well then. I suppose you’ll do.’ He stood up and cast his gaze over Earl. ‘Now let’s look at you.’

  Siv used his talent, nodding as he examined him. ‘Interesting. I’ve never seen someone so healthy. There are no flaws in you at all, no wear and tear, no ageing.’ Siv’s gaze centred on the wood sticking out of Earl’s leg. ‘Mmm,’ he said as he sealed up the scratch on Earl’s face and his other minor grazes. ‘That’s about it for your injuries. Now if you will lean against this chair, I can probably extract that bit of wood.’

  Earl did as he was instructed.

  Siv sent a wave of talent into Earl, then he assessed the injury more closely. Nea could see that he was separating the flesh from the splinter. Then before she could blink, he had the splinter out and the wound sealed up. ‘You should be fine now. A bit tender for a day or so.’ Siv glanced up at Nea. ‘Are you okay? Not feeling faint?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine. You are a very good healer, Siv. Thank you.’

  Siv bowed his head, but his smile was wide in his swarthy face. ‘I am honoured to serve. Now if you are ready, we should head off. I’ll give you a lift home.’

  Nea’s gaze met Earl’s and she reached out to him, wanting to touch his skin, feel the realness of him. He didn’t stop staring at her and her gaze was just as eager for his. Nea answered Siv. ‘Yes, that would be great. A lift is an excellent idea.’

  ‘Come on then. Let’s get you out of here. There is probably enough talent supporting the floor above us.’ He put his hand to his mouth. ‘Mr Humphrey, are we clear to come up?’

  The other council member peeped over the edge. ‘We’re ready if you are.’

  Siv turned back to them. ‘We’ll be sending in a team to dispose of the bodies.’ His gaze lingered on Pris. ‘Is that really the dark witch? The one they all talk about?’

  ‘Yes,’ Earl replied before she did.

  ‘Funny. I thought she was younger.’

  Nea frowned. ‘Yes, she was. Artificially younger.’

  They gazed down at Pris’s corpse. Earl shook his head. ‘Let’s just say her bad deeds caught up to her,’ he said with all seriousness.

  Siv helped Earl climb out of the basement and then once up, Earl took her hand to lift her out. A vibration tingled her palm. Goddess, he was full of life and power. She couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about making love with him. Anticipation made her head swim. He was flesh and blood
and real. When she was beside him and focused, a rush of power surrounded her as their energy connected.

  Earl looked down at their joined hands and a joyous light filled his eyes. ‘Nea,’ he said in a soft breath. ‘What a thrill to touch you, really touch you.’

  Sitting together in Siv’s car, the air between them filled with longing and expectation. Her skin yearned for his touch. She had survived death and the best way to celebrate, in her mind, was a night of passion and sexual fulfilment. As she met Earl’s gaze she knew he had similar thoughts.

  Their time had been short together, but as a reader she had a gift to see what really was and what she could trust. Earl had more to show her but the essence of him was true. The love and passion she had for him were real. They blossomed inside her. He was real. She was not throwing her life away on a phantom. He knew her body already. She closed her eyes as the strangeness of that situation hit her. There were no surprises for him. For her, though, her fingers ached to explore him, to return the pleasure he had given her, to caress and to love.

  Nea clung to Earl as he held her in the back seat of the car. They were on their way back home. It was still hard to take in. Her cheek was pressed against Earl’s chest, skin on skin with flesh and blood. This was the Earl of her imagination, the Earl that he had conjured for her to make their relationship more real. His heart beat steadily under her ear and her tears wet the hairs on his chest. Warmth radiated from him. She sighed. Her heart still thumped unsteadily. She’d been close to dying and that seemed surreal. Drew had meant to drain her and kill like Pris had done to Earl—although she knew this she found it hard to believe, to understand. How could anyone consider doing such a thing?

  She sighed, realising it was so. She didn’t understand Drew’s motivation and she had a hard time even considering someone so dark that they would murder. Intellectually, she knew they existed. The world was riddled with bad humans, bad folk. It was just that she had never experienced it before, not firsthand. The evil in the world hadn’t touched her. Perhaps Gregor had sheltered her too much, or perhaps living by the lake had protected her. No, she couldn’t blame the old man or her surroundings. There was no one to blame, except Drew and maybe Pris for being lured to darkness, to black magic.