Destined (War of the Covens 2)

Her libido kicked into gear.

I can sleep later.

With a flick of her hand, the bedroom door swung closed and the key turned in the lock. Lucien looked up from unbuttoning his jeans with questioning surprise.

She smiled at him. “Suddenly not so tired.”

His answering grin was so wicked, her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

“She’s back with the pack.” He stared across the table at Nikolai. The magik looked worn out, his usually distinguished demeanor lessened by the dark circles under his eyes.

“Good. We have everything we need, then?”

He shook his head. “There may be a complication.”

Nikolai shifted in his seat, and Kirios could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes. His expression read “not again.”

“Da?”

He leaned across the Septum they’d been staring at with anticipation. “It has come to my attention that Caia is intending to go to the Council and ask to be put forward as a candidate for the Head of the Daylights.”

Nikolai snapped to attention, his black eyes darkening impossibly. “Kirios, you can’t be serious? My coven will hear of this … it could jeopardize our plans.”

“You worry too much, Nikolai. My source tells me that the Council doesn’t convene for another few weeks. By then it will be too late.”

“Why mention it at all?” Nikolai grumbled.

He relaxed back in his chair. “I wanted to keep you apprised of the situation. Anyway, even if she had gone ahead before we could stop it, it would have been a mere hindrance, nothing more.”

The magik snorted. “I am tired of hindrances. My Council is eating away at my nerves. I can’t wait to begin.” His eyes dropped to the Septum.

“So close.”

“Da.”

23

The Council

Jaeden sat anxiously waiting for Caia in Ella’s kitchen, her cold hands wrapped around a hot mug of coffee the Elder had planted before her as soon as she arrived.

“I’m sure she won’t be much longer,” Ella assured her, two flags of color on her cheeks.

Magnus snorted and mumbled under his breath, “Yeah, right.”

Jae tried not to laugh. Lykans were a pretty open bunch, but it was still uncomfortable for a mother to think about her kids having sexual relations of any kind, no matter their age. A pang of jealousy hit as Jae heard a giggle from upstairs and the sounds of something clattering to the ground. At least Caia and Lucien were free to be with one another. She had to wait another frigging ten days because her honorable mate-to-be was old-fashioned.

“What do you think of these?” Ella slid a bunch of fabric swatches toward her.

She frowned. “What are they?”

“They’re swatches for the chair coverings, for your ceremony. Julia put me in charge of decorations.”

Jaeden nodded at the plain cream swatch. “That’s nice.”

Ever since Lucien had gathered her and Ryder together with both their families yesterday to announce the ceremony could go forward, and preferably soon, her mother had been driving her crazy with recipes and talk of dress shopping. Everyone had burst into discussion, Yvana and Julia arguing over who would take care of the cooking and baking, Lucia asking if Cera would be wearing the same color as Jaeden along with the rest of the women in the family.

Only her father had quieted everyone with a direct question to Lucien. “Why does the mating have to be so soon?”

Lucien glanced at her and Ryder before telling the others solemnly that he had something extremely important to discuss with them at the pack meeting on Sunday. The answer to that question would be answered then.

“Will the fact that my daughter was nearly kidnapped again be brought up as well, because it doesn’t seem as if anyone is as bothered by that as I am?”

Of course, she was bothered by it. The thought of going through that all over again … unimaginable. But she had Ryder now, and he had stopped it. And yesterday Cy promised to keep looking into it for her.

“Caia and I are dealing with that,” Lucien said in such a way as not to be disputed.

Her father hadn’t looked too happy, used to being brought into Lucien’s confidence in all matters, and had quizzed Jae all last night about it. As usual, he somehow knew that she knew what was going on. She still couldn’t believe that Caia intended to put herself forward for the Head of the Coven, but she’d watched her yesterday with Laila when she visited with the young couple again, how kind and gentle she was with the girl, how easy it was to believe she could and would take care of everything.

At first Jaeden really believed Caia and Lucien had gone mad, that Caia’s ego had inflated since she’d been gone. However, when Lucien explained what Caia had found, that Marita was experimenting on lykan children, Jaeden had become enraged. She felt personally betrayed by the witch.