Invoked Read online

  Gregor turned the wheel and took off, at first muttering to himself, then he started swearing up a storm.

  Nea touched his arm. ‘Don’t hex him. Just leave it.’

  Gregor gripped the wheel. ‘I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you. Should’ve known he was some kind of mongrel.’

  Nea glanced back as they turned the corner. Drew was no longer standing there.

  ‘How could you know that? You were only trying to do your best, your duty as leader of the coven. So was I. He’s so … so … unreadable … so unreachable.’

  ‘You’re not hurt?’

  She shook her head. ‘Taken by surprise is all.’

  Gregor sighed, clicked the indicator and then turned onto the main road. ‘You say he’s unreadable. So you can’t tell what he’s been up to?’

  ‘More than unreadable. He doesn’t give anything away, no expression, except the sneer. No body language. I couldn’t tell if he hates me or is madly in love with me. Although I could guess. Anyway it was downright unnerving.’

  ‘So you couldn’t find out anything?’

  ‘Only what he wanted to tell me and maybe a bit more than he intended.’

  ‘And that is?’

  ‘He’s sleeping with an older, more experienced, woman, I think, and judging from what he said, a woman with power. Before that, just for a moment I caught a glimpse of something. It struck at me.’ She touched her forehead where that malicious strike had hit. ‘He’s into something dark. Something dangerous.’ She let out a sigh. ‘He likes it.’

  ‘Hmmm.’ Gregor’s eyebrows were drawn down so low it was a wonder he could see to drive. He turned another corner and the rear driver’s side tyre hit the curb, making the car jerk. Maybe those eyebrows were impeding his vision after all.

  Nea folded her arms and glared out the window. ‘My thoughts exactly.’

  ‘It does seem that’s he’s mixed up with the dark witch.’ Gregor slapped the steering wheel. ‘I failed, just like before.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘But you just said like before. What’s that about?’

  ‘Nothing to interest you. Ancient history, before you were born,’ he said gruffly.

  ‘So tell me …’

  He stared out the windscreen and gripped the wheel. For a minute, she thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then he spoke. ‘I’ve lost young warlocks to Pris before. In the early days of the coven.’

  ‘Oh, but you have a truce with her.’ Nea regarded him as he concentrated on the road.

  ‘We do now. Have done for many years. Someone like Drew, though, without a connection to us, is fair game.’ He flicked her a glance. ‘So any hope of reaching him, steering him away from this course in your opinion?’

  Shaking her head, Nea answered, ‘I don’t know. He’s so closed. I don’t see how he could have sex with anyone, dark witch or otherwise. It’s such a turn-off. Tonight was even worse than other times I’ve met him and tried to make conversation. It was so much hard work. He’s got talent, lots of it, but it’s locked away behind a shield of steel.’

  ‘He hit you.’ Gregor clenched his jaw. ‘I’m not happy to let that lie. I can’t let that go unpunished.’

  ‘Yes, he did, but leave it. I hit a nerve. I said he didn’t have empathy and he reacted.’

  ‘But that’s not on, Nea. You can’t accept that behaviour. As your grandfather, as the head of the coven, I can’t either.’

  ‘Look, he caught me by surprise. Although now I come to think of it, he was rather surly so I should have been wise to it. Maybe that’s what appeals to dark witches: nastiness and a bad temper.’

  Gregor grunted. It was as close to a laugh as she was going to get from him. She didn’t want him going after Drew. Just the thought filled her with foreboding. Maybe that was what Drew was after. Provoke Gregor, weaken the coven and then … and then what? She couldn’t imagine why or what he’d do if it did come to that.

  ‘Do you know he asked if Elena had said something about him? Did she?’

  ‘Elena? In what context?’

  ‘He … um …’ She scrunched up her nose, wondering if she should tell him about that disturbing conversation.

  ‘Nea…’ Gregor’s voice was warning. ‘Tell me—no hedging.’

  ‘Okay. She came up in a conversation about rape.’

  Gregor squeezed the steering wheel and missed the turnoff to their street. ‘Shit!’ He hit the steering wheel. ‘What conversation?’

  ‘Grandpa … just let it lie now. I want to forget the whole thing.’

  ‘I’ll speak to Jake and then Elena. I want the truth.’ After taking the next turnoff, he finally pulled into their driveway. The exterior lights were on and the front door swung open.

  When she stepped inside, Gregor drew her into a bear hug and kissed her cheek. ‘I’m sorry, my darling girl.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ she said as he released her. ‘You know, I pity him. I sense he can never know love and that’s a crying shame.’

  ‘Yes, I feel for him too.’

  ‘Is that a bath running?’

  Gregor smiled and nodded. He must have been upset; he’d used his talent for something trivial. ‘Yes, now come here and let me look at your face.’ Gregor sent some healing into her cheek.

  Nea heard her grandpa sigh as she went upstairs to take her bath. It sounded like he was giving up, and that was the saddest sound she’d ever heard.

  ***

  The presence rippled and stirred, wisps of itself stretching out tentatively, learning the extent of its existence. If bones could creak, his would have. If there were breath in his lungs, he would have yawned. He’d been asleep for so long. Dormant. Alone. Desolate.

  Awakened by the talent that trailed like soft feathers across his substance, he was hungry for more. The mind behind the talent was warm, vibrant, alive. It excited his appetite. It stirred his curiosity. It made him want to live. It was a bright light that drew him from the darkness and spiralled into him, setting him afire.

  With her was another presence—dark, unexciting. He’d had enough of the dark and pain and abandonment. What was he doing with such a light one? Surely his night would extinguish her day.

  Protective feelings sprang awake in his soul. That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let that beautiful light die.

  He thought back to that moment of touch when her light essence had caressed him, so sweetly and subtly that he could have wept, if only he had eyes, or tears.

  The lake lapped at the shore nearby, its suppressed essence like an unripe thundercloud. The moon’s feeble energy flitted across the earth, unable to penetrate deeply to where he lay. He’d have to rise up to taste it and even then he would have to find some life force to stir, to bring his essence forth. He sent out questing threads to the land nearby, detecting small creatures, their energy like little glowing gems. They came towards him, drawn by his vibrations. Soon, he would be able to free himself.

  Chapter Three

  Nea’s shift on the fishing boat drew to a close. She said farewell to the fishermen, stored the boat gear, stacked the cooling bin with the perishables for the skipper, Matt, and mopped the deck. Gregor had dropped her off that morning and rather than bother her grandfather for a lift home, she decided to walk. It was a great excuse not to be carrying any fish.

  ‘You sure you don’t want some?’ Matt asked again as he clicked the remote on his ute. He had quite a stack in his little cooler.

  ‘I’m walking. Can’t. Too heavy. But thanks anyhow.’

  ‘No problems. See you later then. I’ll call you when I get the next tour up.’

  She waved goodbye and headed along the road. The sun was low, skimming the surface of the lake with silver and pink. Some of the white clouds were tinged with grey.

  A man dressed in jeans, with his hands in his pockets, leant against a light pole. Nea checked him out, relieved it wasn’t Drew. This man was tall, olive-skinned, with longish
hair that curled along the edges of his collar and face. She’d not seen him around before.

  There was something easy and familiar about him. He nodded as he caught her eye. ‘Good day out?’ he asked, breaking into a stunning smile.

  Nea slowed and looked back at the boat. Matt was still there, loading his ute. He waved at her. She turned back to the man. ‘It was. You new around here?’ She was trying hard not to read him. She wanted to enjoy the moment, enjoy meeting someone without the disappointment of knowing he or she was thinking about the smallness of her boobs, or her freckles, or the itch in his or her butt.

  His hazel eyes glowed. ‘I grew up around here. It’s great to be back. The name is Earl, by the way.’

  Nea smiled, nodding slightly. ‘Earl. Nice name. My name is Bethanea, but my friends call me Nea.’

  A grin altered his face, and her eyes were drawn to its handsome lines and the warm light in his eyes. Damn he’s good-looking. I’m melting.

  ‘May I call you Nea?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Nea needed to keep moving, juggling the urge to flirt and the need not to appear too keen. ‘I’ve got to head off now. But maybe I’ll see you around.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll see you around.’ His smile lingered on her until she turned away.

  Nea kept walking, all the while resisting the impulse to look back and read Earl. Part of her wanted to enjoy the package at face value—a handsome man who had noticed her—rather than seeing deeper than that and being disappointed.

  As she headed up the road near the park, dark grey clouds roiled, bringing more than a hint of rain. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder, but Earl was nowhere to be seen. It was odd, because no cars had driven off. Matt’s ute was still visible by the jetty. Maybe the handsome dude lived nearby.

  With a sigh, she kept on walking, past oversized houses with huge entertainment decks that hungered for views across the lake. Some had boats moored at private jetties. Many were holiday houses, others were filled with retirees from Sydney, and a few were occupied by locals who’d been born and bred in this space, as she had been.

  As she passed the manicured gardens and inhaled the scent of saltwater, she wondered about her life. Recently, Gregor had been encouraging her to expand her horizons, find a life for herself. Yet, she was perfectly content living with him and doing those little things for the folk in the coven. The prospects in the romance department weren’t that good locally. Going away permanently would mean giving her grandfather up, and she didn’t want that. In her heart she knew she couldn’t set up house away from this place, away from all the other people she cared about.

  With a sense of guilt, she realised she didn’t use her talent to its full. Since hearing that Declan Mallory had a school for teaching battle skills, the thought had crossed her mind that she should try her hand at that, or at something else. Yet, joining the Sydney coven seemed to be a betrayal of her grandfather and all that he had fought for. The Sydney coven had changed its ways since he’d left and they were on good terms but still …

  Breathing in the moist lake air, she experienced a thrill and knew that she didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to change anything. Except maybe getting a sex life.

  With a laugh at herself, she mused over her limited options. Most warlocks in the area were taken, or like Drew—not worth having. Maybe she should just marry a human and forget about her talent, about that other life. She’d known other folk who’d done that. They blended in, they forgot, and they got on with their lives.

  Making a decision like that was way too hard. It would break her grandfather’s heart. Gregor needed her and she needed him. At twenty-two, it was early days, so she shouldn’t be sweating it. Who knew what chance would throw her way?

  She remembered the first time she’d met Jake, and how much finding he was a warlock with talent had changed his life. She sighed. Maybe that was when her unsettled feelings had started. He and Elena were amazing to see together. The thought she wouldn’t have a match like that haunted her.

  The absence of intimacy in her life was like a persistent ache that could be sublimated at times, but never forgotten. To kiss, to caress—there was no joy greater, particularly if one cared, one loved. She’d had her crushes in her teens, but the well had been dry these last few years. She didn’t want to be desperate, but she couldn’t help wondering if this was what her life was going to be. If this was all it was meant to be.

  The soles of her sandals slapped her heels as she walked along the footpath. A sudden sharp pain meant she had to stop and dig a stone out from between her toes. The cool evening settled around her with the brush of night growing thicker with the minutes. Restless birds chattered and squawked as they readied their perches for the coming night. Damp air brushed against the bare skin of her legs.

  Rather than taking the bicycle path through the dark bush, she chose to follow the road that skirted Sunshine Park. Although she was able to take care of herself, she’d rather not court problems by walking alone among the trees and scrub.

  Still, even though she kept to the road, the trees blocked out the dusk, making it darker than she liked. There were no streetlights, just the occasional golden glow from houses across the road, which were set far back so not very illuminating.

  After walking for ten minutes or so, Nea began to feel edgy. It was her witchsense again. Something jangled her nerves, sent her thoughts keening. Bracing her arms around herself, she rubbed at the gooseflesh on her skin as she slowed and looked for the source of her unease. It wasn’t cold. The night was sultry, yet she was chilled.

  Stopping in her tracks, a sudden silence made her heart flutter. Her senses picked up nothing: no animals scurrying in the undergrowth, no lovers coupling or even holding hands, no insects or birds nesting. It was dead. There was an impenetrable wall around her. Only her eyes could see. For all she could sense, she was the only person in the world. A creeping feeling tickled the back of her neck. There was something in the park. It blocked out everything.

  A wall of malevolence built around her. It had a familiar tang. ‘Drew,’ she whispered and backed away.

  Quickly assessing her options, she discarded running to the nearest house. They couldn’t help her. Questing out with her senses, she tried to hail Gregor but she couldn’t cleave the silence around her. The cloying nothingness scared her to her soul. A scream built in her throat.

  Drowning in the still emptiness surrounding her, Nea reached for a calm place within herself. She was better than this. She had strength and skill, and Gregor had taught her well. While she couldn’t detect the edges of the wall pressing down on her, she knew it had limits. She kept walking, then burst into a trot. The dark wall still surrounded her, thick and black. She ran faster, testing the edges of it, looking for cracks. There was a streetlight up ahead. Not far to her home. The thought of Gregor being there for her renewed her strength.

  Stopping suddenly, she flung out a spear of talent. The wall shuddered, the fabric of it thinning. She feinted somewhere else, knowing that whoever it was would need to strengthen the wall there. Quickly, she was back at the weak spot, tearing through it. She sensed rather than heard the wall shatter.

  Panting, she ran the last stretch to the corner of her street. Then, slowing down, she caught her breath, looking behind her and seeing nothing but the houses and the trees swaying softly. She could almost think that she’d imagined it.

  Inside, Gregor sat in his easy chair. ‘Matt said you were walking home. I was getting worried.’

  ‘Worried? Why? Did you detect something?’

  Does he know? Is he alert to something going on?

  He shrugged. ‘No particular reason.’

  Nea read the holding back. Not quite a lie, but not quite truth. ‘Grandpa. Don’t.’

  ‘Well,’ he said, and then chewed his bottom lip. ‘I wanted to barbeque some fish Matt left me. A great filet of Kingfish fresh caught today.’

  ‘And?’ She cast him a sidelong glance. There is no esca
ping that fish!

  ‘I heard from Jake.’

  Her head swung around. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘Without going into too much detail, I don’t want you alone with Drew Penderton. And maybe you should be careful about walking alone while he’s in the neighbourhood.’

  She blinked. ‘What did he do to Elena?’

  Gregor stood up and stretched. He avoided looking her in the eye. ‘He abducted her and threatened to rape her. The only thing that stopped him was the familial curse.’

  A surge of fear swept through her, like a jolt of electricity. ‘Oh … that’s no good.’ She sat down heavily on the sofa, her legs not quite steady.

  She thought about that date and his casual threat that he could rape her. He must have meant it. She hadn’t mentioned the threat to Gregor explicitly, just that the word had been a topic of conversation. Maybe she should have. But nothing had come of it at the time. The incident walking home had tasted of Drew but was it him? If it had been, why would he try to threaten her? Drew had kept his distance, and his threat had been rather academic as he’d not tried to assault her sexually. Was it because he was getting good sex that she was safe?

  What a pig he was. At first she had suspected there was something not right with him, but the evidence was building that he was a totally bad seed.

  Her desire to tell Gregor about the incident was strong. Her grandfather had kept her pretty sheltered from dark magic, but she knew enough to recognise it—knew enough to be afraid.

  ‘You’re jumpy. What’s the matter?’

  She moved her body to face him and swallowed guiltily. She couldn’t lie about this. An occurrence of dark magic was too important to keep to herself. ‘I don’t know exactly. Just something put me on alert.’

  ‘Go on,’ he said in a quiet voice.

  ‘Nothing. That was it. I was walking home on the street, next to the park. Suddenly, I was alone, surrounded by nothing. Nothing could get in and nothing could get out.’

  Gregor’s eyes widened. ‘You’re sure?’

  She waved a mosquito out of her face. ‘Absolutely. I was able get out of it … eventually.’