“When are you due?”
“I just got the plus on the stick yesterday. It’s early days. You’re the only one other than Simon who knows.”
She squeezed Lark’s hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I’m excited and freaked the hell out.”
“Gonna be an auntie. I like that. A whole new world coming up for them to be raised in.”
“Scary.”
She shrugged. “Exciting. This is a beautiful thing, Lark. Imagine how gorgeous this kid will be. How powerful. How loved.”
“You’ll have to give him or her cousins.”
Helena laughed. “Not for a while. But yes. That will happen someday.”
They looked out at Simon and Faine, who’d stopped swimming long enough to shove each other and enter into some sort of brotherly dunking and splashing thing. Two more Leviathan brothers jumped in and joined the fray.
“A girl could get used to watching hot dudes splash around all day. I think it’s got to be part of your recovery. Good for the heart to see it.” Lark nudged her with an elbow.
“Hell yes.”
Glossary and Characters
WITCHES:
Clan—an official organization of witches run matrilineally
Clan Gennessee—holds territory from parts of Mexico up to Southern Oregon. United with Clan Owen. Same origins tracing back to the original Owen witches who traveled west with the gold rush.
Clan Owen—largest and most powerful clan of witches in the United States. Holds from middle of Oregon up into Canada.
The Owen—The witch in charge of the Owen Clan. Currently Meriel Owen (see also The Gennessee).
Hunters—The law enforcement arms of witch clans
Dominic Bright—married to and magically bonded to Meriel Owen. Runs the Owen Clan at her side. Co-owns an Other nightclub called Heart of Darkness.
Edwina Owen—Deceased. Meriel’s mother and former head of Clan Owen. Was killed by human servants of the Magister.
Gage Garrity—Witch. Hunter for Clan Owen. Involved with Molly Ryan.
Helena Jaansen—Witch. Hunter for Gennessee Clan, mated to Faine Leviathan.
Lark Jaansen—Witch. Hunter for Clan Owen. Sister to Helena. Mated to Simon Leviathan.
Meriel Owen—The Owen, a witch living in Seattle. Married and magickally bonded to Dominic Bright.
Molly Ryan—Witch. Head of media relations for Clan Owen and the Council of Others. Involved with Gage Garrity.
Rebecca Gennessee—Witch. The Gennessee. Runs the Gennessee Clan of witches. Related to Meriel Owen.
LYCIANS:
Lycia—a world on the other side of the Veil where large packs of shifters rule
Faine Leviathan—Lycian prince. Helena’s guard and mate.
Simon Leviathan—Lycian prince. Co-owner of Heart of Darkness. Mated to Lark Jaansen.
Leviathan—the name of the ruling pack in Lycia. Simon and Faine’s pack ruled by their oldest brother, Pere.
OTHERS:
Cade Warden—Werewolf. National Supreme Alpha.
Carlo Powers—Human. Runs PURITY.
Delilah Sperry—Werewolf. Senator. Romantically involved with Tosh Sato.
Franco Pendergast—Vampire. Spokesperson for Vampire Nation.
Gibson de La Vega—Jaguar shifter. Bringer (chief law enforcement officer) of de La Vega Jaguar Jamboree. Mate to Mia de La Vega.
Lex Warden—Werewolf. Alpha of Cascadia Werewolf Pack. Mate to Nina Warden.
The Magister—a being of old magicks. Nearly manifested in Chaos Burning. Stole the magick of thousands of Others worldwide. Was defeated by Meriel and Edwina Owen.
Marlon Hayes—Human. Senator who sides with PURITY and other hate groups.
Mia de La Vega—Jaguar shifter. Pilot used by the Others as they travel the country. Mate to Gibson de La Vega.
Nina Warden—Werewolf. Alpha of Cascadia Werewolf Pack. Mate to Lex Warden.
Toshio “Tosh” Sato—Human senator. Former JAG. Advocate and supporter of Others.
TERMS:
Alamah—means beloved in Lycian. Faine’s pet name for Helena.
The Font—the magickal bank where all the magick of a clan is held once it’s used and dissipated back to the collective. Any witch who is a member of that clan has access to the magick held there.
Heart of Darkness—a nightclub in Seattle owned by and catering to Others
Ne’est—Lycian word for key. It’s the name for a forever mate a Lycian takes.
PURITY—main anti-Other hate group. Run by Carlo Powers.
The Veil—the wall between our reality and other realities where the Fae and Lycians live.
Turn the page for a sneak peek at the first Bound by Magick novel by Lauren Dane
Heart of Darkness
Available now from Berkley Sensation!
Chapter 1
MERIEL sat, taking notes as her mother spoke from the head of the table. The pale, late autumn light spilled through the windows of the seemingly normal conference room, casting shadows on the far wall. The tastefully expensive clock and nondescript black-and-white framed photos made the space look like a law firm instead of the headquarters of a witches’ clan. A boring, non-offensive space that seemed to lack any point of view at all. This was most likely a deliberate choice, but Meriel thought pretending not to have a POV when you were someone as opinionated as Edwina Owen was absurd. But it wasn’t her place to make decorating choices. Not yet anyway.
So she sat in a moderately comfortable chair around an intentionally imposing table with the same fifteen people she’d spent her days with for as long as she could remember. How sucky was it that it was days like this that made her wish for law school again? What sort of whackadoo actually missed law school? But in law school when she excelled, it was without the context she carried in her life here. The next in line. The princess. Magickal royalty. Blah. There, she’d just been another overachiever struggling with the realities of being in a room full of people just as smart, and in many cases, smarter, than she was. That sort of bumpy ride had been a novelty.
But this was her future and she took it seriously even if she had a stack of other things to do at the moment. Meriel really didn’t have the time for this assignment, but Clan Owen’s investigator, who also happened to be Meriel’s best friend, Nell, was still out on her honeymoon and wouldn’t be back for another few days.
Really, Gage, who was Nell’s second-in-command, would be a fine substitute. But as far as Edwina Owen was concerned, as the next in line to run Clan Owen, Meriel was expected to pick up the slack when necessary. Rather like working in the mail room or running the copiers, it trained in the overall running of the clan.
Whatever, at least she’d get out of her house for the evening instead of sitting around reading legal briefs or ordering a movie on demand and eating too many spring rolls. Mmmm, spring rolls . . .
The lull in sound meant her mother probably expected an answer and it was time to pay attention instead of thinking about fried carby goodness.
She sat, back straight, and met her mother’s eyes. “I have the file. Nell briefed me before she left. I’ll head to the club tonight to see for myself what’s going on.” She continued to hold her mother’s gaze. It wouldn’t do to show Edwina Owen, the leader of Clan Owen, any weakness. Some predators ate their babies, Meriel knew. She’d actually said that to her mother once. Her mother had replied, “Then you should never give me a reason to do that.” Not really warm and fuzzy, Meriel’s mother.