Read Online Heart of Darkness by Lauren Dane - Free Book Online

must have been as well as your father. Children born of unions between two full-council witches will be full-council. Mixed couples it’s about a quarter of the time.”
    “It’s a wonder you’re not all inbred freaks.” As soon as it came from his mouth he wished he hadn’t said it.
    “Such a way with words.”
    “I don’t like my life and future dictated by a bunch of shit I had nothing to do with deciding.”
    “So don’t.” She shrugged and tugged free and he felt her absence acutely. “I’m not interested in forcing you to do anything, much less be with me. I want you to make that choice of your own free will. You still have it.” She pushed to stand.
    “I do? How’s that? You walk into my club, we have this, this thing between us and now I can’t get enough of you.”
    She sighed. “It’s our chemistry. I explained that. Genetics, magick, all that is our personal stew. Yours and mine like each other.” She stepped into her boots and he sat straighter, alarmed.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I’m going home.” She held a hand out. “This is why I’m glad we didn’t have sex. Stay. Think.” She bent to her bag and pulled a card out. “Here. My numbers are on that. If we decide to go forward, you can try to get into my panties like everyone else. Work for it. I like opera and Thai food and steaks. You can call me for a date and we can get to know each other.”
    He could see the hurt on her face. “Don’t go.”
    “No. I need to. Because you and I are at totally different places. I grew up knowing this was my path. I greet this bond between us as a wondrous thing. You view it with suspicion. And I get it. You haven’t been educated about what we are and what we do.”
    “This doesn’t mean you have to leave. Stay. Educate me.”
    “You don’t want that right now and I can’t be here this way.” She picked her coat up and he moved to her.
    “I want you. I like you, Meriel. But you can’t expect me to just jump on the bond-mate bandwagon when I didn’t even know I was a council witch until a few hours ago.”
    “I know and I don’t. I’m happy to teach you about yourself and your history. If you want that, you know where to get hold of me.”
    He stood there, confused and frustrated. “Let me walk you to your car at least.”
    She shook her head. “No. I need to be alone right now.”
    She walked out and emptiness washed through him at her absence.

Chapter 7

    “I can’t believe you went without me last night,” Gage said when she answered her phone. She’d been wallowing a little, letting herself get sucked into a thousand boring little tasks to stop wondering if Dominic was going to call. Not that it had worked.
    “First things first, how are you feeling?” Food poisoning sucked. No two ways about it.
    “I’m good. My mother came over and did something, heaven knows what, but I’ll take it. I may even be ready to go back to work tomorrow. Are you all right? What happened?”
    “He’s keyed in to the font now. Took care of it myself. Still, there’s a risk of exposure. I’m going to have to think on it and how I’ll approach it with the council next week. For now, I think the wards will hold and do the job.”
    “I might pop over there just to check it out myself. Nell and I went to a club for paranormals in Las Vegas. I don’t actually think it’s the worst idea ever. It’s nice to have a place we can all go.”
    “It is. Yes. But not at risk of exposure.”
    “Goes without saying. Okay, so, Meriel, you know I’m your friend too, right? Is there something wrong? You sound … off.”
    “I appreciate that very much. I do. I can’t really talk about it right now. I’m trying to get it all straight in my head and I have a hearing in an hour so I need to focus on that.”
    He sighed. “Do you need me to hurt someone for you?”
    She laughed. “Thank you for the offer. But no. I’ll talk to you later.”
    “Offers of shoulders and ass kicking are