Edge of Darkness Read online

  Her breasts felt full and heavy, her nipples painfully aroused. Serena pressed her body against his. She never wanted this kiss to end.

  Her heart pounded as the kiss deepened, and she made a soft, helpless sound in the back of her throat. Vaguely afraid of the intensity of her reaction to him, Serena started to lift her arms around his neck, giving in to the storm that was Duncan.

  He lifted his head. “Enough.” His voice was thick, his eyes dark as he placed a large hand on her upper arm and moved away, leaving her body cold. And confused.

  Enough? Not even close, damn him.

  Thoughts more than a little scattered, she somehow managed to collect herself enough to move out of his reach. And that was only by shimmering. She wasn’t sure she could make her legs work right then if she’d attempted to walk away.

  “That was interesting,” she managed coolly while her insides were still somersaulting. “But uncalled for. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

  He raised a dark brow sardonically. “Really? What kind of relationship do we have?”

  She blinked, baffled by how he could kiss her like that, hot and intense, and still remain unaffected. Emotionally anyway. His body had left little doubt that he was fully engaged in the kiss. Annoying man.

  “The kind,” Serena shot back, “where we don’t see one another for years at a time, and are fine with it.” She wasn’t fine with it. Not anymore. She had no idea what he’d intended when he’d so casually kissed her. But the kiss had opened a Pandora’s box of memories and feelings that she would have preferred remain in the dark. Like butterflies, the snippets of their history flittered about her mind, colorful reminders that she wasn’t immune to him. Never had been.

  The taste, feel, and scent of Duncan still filled her senses. He’d stopped when she’d been starving for more. More fool her. Watching his lean, handsome face, she didn’t see so much as a flicker of expression now. Had she imagined the heat in those blue eyes that were now watching her in that remote, impersonal way?

  “Did you just use Charm on me?”

  He laughed with real amusement. “I have all the charm I need without having to resort to magic.”

  “Swear to me.”

  He shrugged. “I swear.”

  Damn. So what she’d felt in his arms was real? That was bad news. She rubbed her upper arms through the soft cashmere sweater. When she was around him she always felt slightly drunk. With lust. With longing. With—God. Insanity. There was no way on God’s Green Earth that she could become involved with an Edge.

  “Trey has Charm.”

  “Trey is suave and sophisticated and has bucket-loads of charisma. He doesn’t need to use magic on women.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “Stop believing your own hype,” she snapped, stunned, stunned that he could stand there so calmly when her entire world had been turned upside down by a simple kiss. “And stop wasting my time. If you have a valid reason for this visit, then spit it out. I have to get back to my meeting.”

  “I really did come to get you to join me when I go to see Henry, but now that I know where you are, I’m concerned.”

  He wasn’t concerned; that would require that he actually gave a hoot about her. No, he wasn’t concerned, he was interfering. Why, she had no idea. “No need. I told you, I have the Russian Mafia situation under control.”

  “They’ll just keep coming back for more. You know that.”

  “I explained that we work for a nonprofit organization, and that we have nothing to give them. They took what I offered.” And six generators, and a truck. And I have a protective spell around us now.

  “Probably because you’re way the hell and gone out here surrounded by nothing but frozen tundra. That protective spell you used was a good idea, though. Anyone else knocked on your door asking if you plan on drilling up here?”

  “Of course not,” Serena said with exasperation. She could still taste him on her mouth. She wanted more. She wished he’d leave. Being around him this much, this close, was a very dangerous thing indeed. “Because we’re not. We’re working on a thermal blanket so we can expand our crop locations. That’s it. Anyone with half a brain,” she said pointedly, “can see that we aren’t here trying to dig through fifty feet of permafrost to get a trickle of oil.”

  “Any wizards on this project?”

  “Henry, of course, Joanna’s a Half—Why?”

  “Weird shit is going down. We’re looking into it.”

  “We who? And what is it exactly you’re looking into? Because it sure as hell isn’t here!”

  “I work for the paranormal branch of a counterterrorist operation called T-FLAC.”

  “Ah.”

  “Ah?”

  “That’s a convenient outlet, and a legal one, I presume, to get out all the violent tendencies you have.”

  “Jesus. I don’t have ‘violent tendencies.’ I do my job. Violence is frequently part of it, yes, but a very small part.”

  “Well, I agree with what Gandhi said on the subject. ‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary. The evil it does is permanent.’”

  “I’ll be sure to send out a memo to the world’s terrorist population,” Duncan said dryly. “Gandhi also said: ‘Better to be violent if there is violence in our hearts than to put on a cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.’”

  “There’s always a nonviolent way to achieve the same results,” she told him, knowing as she said it that while true, her delivery was of the stick-up-her-butt variety. “You just have to use your brain instead of your brawn. I don’t know why we’re even having this conversation, because you won’t listen to me anyway.”

  “Keeping the world safe from terrorists is worth fighting for.”

  Of course it was. It was Duncan and his “I am always right” tone that she had a flipping problem with. “If women ruled the world we’d sit down over a cup of coffee and work it out without brawling,” Serena said, needling him on purpose. She knew it wasn’t a simple problem, but Duncan always had to be right, and it didn’t annoy her any less now that they were adults. If he said black she was always going to say white. It was ridiculously childish she knew, but it had become a comfortable habit.

  “If women ruled the world it would be littered with fur balls, broken fingernails, and clumps of hair,” Duncan said with an annoying grin.

  Serena felt a gurgle of laughter bubble up. “Fur balls?”

  He shrugged, still smiling. Damn. He wasn’t just sexy, he could also be quite charming. He’d always been hard to resist. More so now than ever. But Serena had several good reasons why resisting him was mandatory.

  “Let’s agree that men and women should work together. How about that?” She moved away to sit on the arm of the sofa. “Is this group you work for U.S. military?”

  “No. It’s a privately funded organization.”

  The news that Duncan was involved in some form of James Bond-y job didn’t surprise her at all. He’d always been a very private man, and for all his sophistication he was extremely…tempered. And although he had a reputation as a brawler, she realized she’d never seen him actually lose his temper. He was always in control. Even when she’d observed him fighting, it had been chillingly calculated.

  Aside from minor acts against her in school, like the hair-burning incident, he’d never actually hurt her. In fact, he’d used magic to protect her a couple of times when they’d been kids.

  The time she first went to wizard school came to mind. The kids had taunted her about being an orphan, and Duncan had erased their mouths until the math teacher made him undo the spell and he had to write “Freedom of Speech is a right” one hundred times on the blackboard.

  So as annoying as he’d been over the years, he’d also been a bit of a white knight to her. Of course, the annoyance part of the equation won over any kind of hero worship.

  But a counterterrorist operative made a lot of sense.

  Serena was
intrigued. “How many people are involved? What’s your jurisdiction? Do you carry a gun? What kind of—You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  “I’d hate to have to kill you.”

  “Could you?”

  “Yes.”

  A tremor rippled across her skin. Yes. He looked quite capable of killing someone. With just that cool, unemotional look in his eyes. “You didn’t come here to do that did you?” she teased.

  “If I came here to kill you, Fury, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

  “Good to know.” Really good to know. “Now that you’re aware that nobody is threatening my project, thanks for stopping by, you can go.”

  “You know that a couple of wizards were murdered in the last few weeks?”

  “I heard about it, yes. Awful. But what’s that got to do with me or the Foundation?”

  “As far as I know, nothing. I didn’t mean to imply that it did. But these murders are a grave concern. As one of T-FLAC’s psi operatives, I’m charged with looking into it. I’d like to talk to Dr. Rossiter. You mentioned she was with Henry when he had his stroke.”

  Still balanced on the broad arm of the sofa, she kicked off her shoes, and lifted both feet to the sofa cushion. “She was. But why do you think the killings have anything to do with his stroke?”

  “I’m not sure if the incidents do have anything to do with one another. But until then Henry was in great shape. The German doctors are puzzled as to why he had the stroke. And if they put up a red flag, you can bet I’ll be checking into it.”

  “How do you know what Henry’s doctors think?”

  “I called them and asked.”

  Of course he had. He and Henry were as thick as thieves. Duncan was many things, but he had been a good friend of Henry’s for years.

  “I hope you aren’t implying that Joanna had anything to do with this stroke? For God’s sake Duncan, just because you deal with bad people in your line of work doesn’t mean everyone has to be tarred with that same brush! Henry brought Joanna in two years ago. She’s been an asset to the Foundation, and I consider her a friend. Step lightly around her, please.”

  He picked up a book from a low table without looking at it. “So Dr. Rossiter’s in charge until Henry’s back on his feet?”

  “Yes.” And please God that would be soon. She felt rudderless without him. Henry and Martha had taken her in when her parents had died. They’d loved her, and taken care of her, and been her family for almost twenty-five years. Scared, Serena tamped down the resurgence of panic she’d been feeling ever since she’d gotten the call from Joanna.

  Duncan propped himself against the rough brick wall near the window and stuck his fingers in the front pockets of his jeans. “Who’s she sleeping with?”

  The big window showed it was dark outside. And it was a given that it was well below freezing. Brutal. Inhospitable, and filled with promise. Serena wanted to get back to the informal meeting downstairs. She wanted to know what new baby steps had been made, and—“What?” she said blankly.

  “Joanna is sleeping with…?”

  “Joanna? Nobody. As far as I know. Why would you even ask a question like that?” She tucked her cold feet under the sofa cushion.

  “Because she had several hickies on her neck she didn’t want anyone to see. She tried covering them with makeup, but when that didn’t work she wore a turtleneck.”

  “I’m trying to figure out how my staff’s love life, or lack thereof, has anything to do with you.”

  “Everything has to do with me until this has been resolved.”

  “And you’ve decided in your infinite wisdom that because the head of my think tank had a stroke, and his second in command has a couple of marks on her neck, that she’s a terrorist? Don’t you think that’s a pretty enormous leap in logic?”

  “Yeah. I do. For some reason there are rumblings in the terrorist communities about this location. The question is: Are they interested in one of the Foundation’s wunderkinds? What you’re doing up here, you personally because of your powers? Or none of the above?”

  “Well, if you came here to scare me, you’ve succeeded. Even though you’re way off base. Henry’s stroke was bad luck, but there was nothing suspicious about it. And if Joanna has found a lover in one of the other scientists, more power to her. I hope he makes her a very happy woman.”

  “And what about you, Serena?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he pushed away from the wall. “Are you a happy woman?”

  Relieved to see him and frantic for news, Dr. Joanna Rossiter flew into her lover’s arms the moment he materialized in her room. “Did you find him?” she demanded, welcoming Grant’s embrace as he closed his arms tightly around her. She buried her face against his neck. “Please God, tell me you found him.”

  Grant Cooper was the only one who knew that her son Casey had been kidnapped. The only one she could share her fear with. The only one out there looking for a little boy who must be paralyzed with terror.

  The word “terror” didn’t even come close to the emotions she’d been experiencing ever since she’d gotten that first call from the kidnappers. Casey was her entire world.

  “Not yet, baby,” Grant whispered, kissing the top of her head as he gently rocked her. “Not yet. Don’t lose faith.”

  Devastated, her knees buckled and she tightened her grip on the back of his jacket as tears welled. Casey. Oh God, sweetheart—

  Normally she was so focused on her work she was barely aware of her surroundings, but Case’s kidnapping had turned her world upside down. Everything and everyone had taken on sinister undertones that she was at a loss to deal with. Like the man that had strolled in on the meeting earlier for instance. Who was he?

  Did he have anything to do with her son’s kidnapping? She knew she was being paranoid, but couldn’t help herself. The kidnappers had taken Casey from his boarding school just outside London. Until their conditions were met, she wouldn’t get her son back.

  God, oh, God. What they wanted could take months—years to complete.

  Thank God she had Grant; she’d had to tell someone. And who better than a powerful full wizard? If anyone could find her baby it was Grant Cooper. Even his name sounded strong and gave her confidence. The fact that she even had a lover was astonishing enough, but a man this powerful, this sexy and handsome, who was in love with her, still stunned her. It was as though he’d walked straight out of her fantasies and into her life. But right now she didn’t care about Grant’s blond good looks, or his sexy smile, all she cared about were his skills.

  “Please. Oh, please—”

  He touched her hair, his eyes tender. She immediately felt calmer. “I’m sorry. No. Not yet. Shit, baby, don’t cry.” He folded her into his strong arms. “Don’t give up hope. I promised I’d find Casey for you, and I will. I’ve tried tracking his aura, but I hit a dead end. Look, I’ve heard stories about a wizard who can go back in time. I’m going to find him and make him help us. I’m sorry, honey. I know the waiting is making you crazy, but no matter how long it takes, I’ll get Case back.”

  Today. Bring him back to me today! She slipped her arms around Grant’s waist, holding on to the back of his coat tightly. Dropping her head to his chest, she felt the sting of tears pressing against her eyelids. “It’s been three weeks,” she said brokenly. “Case is only twelve. Old enough to be terrified. What if—”

  “No what ifs. I’ll bring him back to you safely, I promise.” He brushed a tender kiss on her forehead. “Did they contact you today? Show you he was okay?”

  Her heart squeezed. “Yes.”

  As they did every day, the kidnappers sent her a short video of Casey via e-mail. He was being held in a small room. His hair had grown too long, she thought, feeling the familiar pain deep inside her chest. Every day he had a different foreign language newspaper in one hand to show her the date. He always mouthed, “Hi Mom,” and waved.

  The picture was too grainy to see details, but Joanna knew her baby was s
cared out of his mind. The e-mail videos never lasted more than a few seconds. Then the screen would go dark. In the center, a military style clock counted off the minutes.

  She had to find him. She had to. Soon. Now, damn it. Right now!

  “I don’t want to know what it is you’re working on, I know it’s top secret,” Grant said soothingly. “But are you close to being able to give the kidnappers what they want?” He was rubbing her back, and her heart rate started slowing down to normal, and her fears became muted.

  She’d never realized just how good it felt just to be held. It had never been like this with Drew, Case’s father. They hadn’t been married that long before he was diagnosed. He’d died when Case was barely four. Joanna missed Drew, but she’d come to terms with his absence from her life. It was different for Case. He didn’t complain, but she knew the other kids often teased him about not having a father. Kids could be so cruel. Things were getting better now. In the months she’d been with Grant, he’d gone out of his way to be nice to her son. Case needed that. He needed a strong, decent male figure in his life. So, she’d discovered, did she.

  “No! Yes. Oh, God, I don’t know.”

  “Can I give you a power that would help you in your work? Something that could speed things up for you? God, baby. I hate to see you so upset and stressed. Let me help you.”

  She shook her head. He was so dear to offer to amp up her powers. He’d offered to do anything she needed to help her get this project to completion so she and Case could be reunited as quickly as possible. “I love you for offering again, but thank you, no. It was interesting being able to levitate, but it just made me dizzy, and it was too hard to control. And I have no need of superhuman strength, that just gave me a terrible headache. If I could think of a power that might help me find Casey, I’d be happy to accept it.”

  Halves had very few powers, and Joanna was fine with that. She was first and foremost a scientist. Trying out different powers was interesting, but one needed a lifetime to learn how to master them efficiently. Besides, she secretly thought gifting a Half with full powers would somehow upset the balance of things. She knew it was strictly forbidden by the Council, which only proved how very much Grant cared if he was willing to risk the ire of the Master Wizard just for her.