“Good point, pet,” Hunter said, then looking over at Carson, added, “Maybe you should announce that right away.”
Pausing, Carson thought about his cousin’s recommendation, before saying, “I agree, especially if it helps Fionn, but it will also put the workers at ease, making it easier for me to get their cooperation.”
Just as the waiter arrived with their food, Carson’s stomach growled loudly, and laughter erupted from his dining companions. Smiling sheepishly at Hunter and Fionn, he waited until their server left before picking up his fork, and digging in. A small groan escaped from him as he took the first bite. “Oh my gods, this issogood.”
“Not as good as Theo’s,” Fionn mumbled around a mouth full of scrambled eggs.
“Or Kota’s,” Carson added. “But it’s damn close.”
Nothing more was said, until Fionn, setting down his fork, announced, “I’m stuffed, mate…and I need a nap.”
“I’m not surprised,” chuckled Carson, “you were up most of the night.”
Hunter smirked at Carson, then gestured to the waiter for the check. “I think there’s a two-hour drive to the chateau, so we can all catch some shut-eye in the car.”
“Sounds good to me, mate,” Fionn said, yawning.
~/~/~/~/~
Frowning at his computer screen, Remy stared at the total for all the damage that had been done to the different companies. Ever since Artur died, there’d been a string of incidents, small at first, but now the acts had grownenough to impact profitability and their bottom line. The Dire Industries’ representative would certainly expect an explanation about the losses, but Remy didn’t think claiming black magic was going to be satisfactory, especially, since its use had been forbidden by the Witches’ Governing Council. Nevertheless, after the shock he received when he touched the fermentation tank, there wasn’t any doubt.
Seizing on the first and only clue as to who might be behind the sabotage, Remy opened the computer files of all Chateau des Flammes employees, both past and present, to search for any magic users. Waiting for the results, he leaned back in his chair as his mind wandered back to Fionn MacDùghlas, wondering if he was like his father—or even worse, like Artur’s sadistic brother, Eideard.Hopefully, Fionn isn’t like that bastard.Sighing, Remy sat up, deciding it really didn’t matter what Fionn was like since Dire Enterprises was taking over and would be, at least for a short while, Remy’s boss.
Turning back to his computer, he checked the results of his search, only to find another dead end. Other than himself, there weren’t any witches or warlocks employed. Not that Remy really expected to find any since his boss had always made his opinions about magic users very clear. His mind flitted back to the day he stood in Artur’s office, sure he’d blown his chance for a very well-paying job by admitting his powers. It was only when Artur was satisfied that Remy wasn’t listed in the top three tiers of witches and warlocks that he was hired. It was the first time in his life that his lack of magic worked in his favor.
Smiling to himself, Remy remembered how proud his parents were when he called them about getting the job. It confirmed that his decision to go to college instead ofwitches’ school had been the right one, even though his choice disappointed his parents. But he knew, deep in his soul, he’d never be a top tier warlock, regardless of what his parents believed. When it was time to select a major at college, he picked business and never looked back. His parents trusted him, never disagreeing with his choice, but he sensed they worried about him working among non-paranormals, afraid he’d slip up and use the little magic he possessed.
Remy knew it would never happen; he’d spent his whole life hiding who he was—the magic world regarded warlocks like him as good for nothing other than servants. Luckily for him, his parents refused to accept that, instead, raising him to believe there was something more he could contribute to the world. Knowing how he’d be treated in the world of magic, they home-schooled him, teaching him to disguise his weak powers when around other magic users. As he grew older, he finally understood why they’d kept him hidden—to protect him from those who would only enslave him. When it was time for college, he picked a human one to attend. That way, he figured, not only would he learn about his chosen area of study but also about how to interact with those in the normal world.
On the day of his graduation, just after his parents watched him walk up and get his diploma, an email from the university job placement administrator showed up in his inbox; there was a job opening at Chateau des Flammes that seemed perfect for him. During their celebration dinner, Remy shared the message with his parents, who excitedly told him who the owner was.
Finding out it was owned by a paranormal—a dragon, no less—threw a damper on Remy’s happiness until his parents assured him he would not be in danger. Trusting them, he sent off a reply, packed up four years of stuffhe’d collected and flew to France. He hated leaving his family in America, but promises of lots of phone calls and visits helped him forge ahead with his new life and, as he discovered, a perfect job to go with it.
Once hired, Remy spent his days, and some nights, too, learning everything about Artur’s businesses until he knew them as well or better than his boss. His dedication so impressed Artur that, for all practical purposes, Remy was soon given total control over everything, allowing him to implement new cost-saving measures. And the more profit the businesses showed, the happier Artur was. The only thorn in Remy’s side was Artur’s brother, Eideard, who insisted on micromanaging everything Remy did, until one day his interference nearly cost the lives of several workers.
That was the last straw. Remy stormed into Artur’s office and quit, unwilling to be complicit in what he felt was gross negligence. Stunned, Artur stared at him, his mouth agape in disbelief. Whether the reaction was caused by Remy entering without waiting for permission or that he quit, he didn’t know, but for the first time ever, his boss was speechless. When Artur eventually regained his voice and asked him why he was resigning, that’s when all of Remy’s pent-up frustrations, complaints, and anger poured from him until he was breathless. Collapsing into the nearest chair, appalled at what he’d done, unable to think about his actions, Remy’s mind went blank, except for his need to go home, back to his parents, where he could lick his wounds.
But to his surprise, Artur rose, gently advising him to get some rest and that he would take care of everything by the time Remy came back in the morning. Shocked at Artur’s kindness, he simply nodded before leaving. Walking back to his cottage in a daze, he was unsure of what had just happened. Once inside his house, he staredat the living room ceiling, trying to fathom his boss’s unusual behavior. Not able to make heads or tails of it, he climbed the stairs to his tiny bedroom where he stripped off his clothes, leaving them where they fell. Then, crawling into bed, he was asleep within moments, succumbing to exhaustion.
The next morning, Remy woke, not refreshed as usual, but tired from a night of anxious tossing and turning. Cursing himself for acting so rashly, he hurried through his morning routine, then walked slowly to Artur’s office, dreading what might happen. Keeping his head down, he ignored the workers heading out to the lavender fields, swallowing his guilt for letting them down. Once he was gone, Eideard would be in charge, not giving a damn about the workers, caring only that they obey his illogical and dangerous orders.And all because I couldn’t control my emotions. Fuck!
Knocking softly, Remy waited, shifting from foot to foot, for permission to enter. After hearing Artur’s voice, he opened the office door quietly, then slipped through before closing it. Standing just inside the door, his eyes averted, Remy chastised himself for being weak, knowing what was about to happen was justified for his conduct yesterday. Then, taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders, looked Artur in the eye and marched over, deciding to face the firing squad with courage.
Standing in front of his boss’s desk, Remy waited, keeping his face expressionless, determined not to have another emotional outburst. When Artur began speaking, it slowly dawned on him he still had a job. Not only that, but his nemesis, Eideard, was no longer allowed to interfere with him. Stunned, he shook his head, not believing it, sure there must be a mistake, but when Arturfinally dismissed him, sending him back to work, he realized he still had a job.
Grateful, Remy threw himself back into his work, promising himself Artur would never regret giving him a second chance. It paid off at the end of the year when he unexpectedly received a huge bonus along with his paycheck and a note thanking him for the best year the businesses ever had. After celebrating his good luck with his parents during a visit home, Remy decided to save it for something he might need in the future—which came sooner than he ever expected, when he received word of his parents’ death. At least he now had enough to allow him to take custody of his brothers, secure in the knowledge he’d be able to provide for them.
Pushing aside the sadness that memories of his parents’ tragedy always caused, Remy turned back to the problem of finding the culprit causing the damage. Unfortunately, he was at a dead end; he didn’t know any magic users he could consult and didn’t dare ask the Witches’ Governing Council for help. If they found out that he, a low-level warlock, was raising his brothers—each of whom was gifted with strong powers, all hell would break loose. His brothers would be removed and placed who-knew-where and he’d be given to a powerful witch or warlock to spend the rest of his life in servitude.
Think!Remy rubbed his face, trying to come up with a solution that would not put his brothers at risk. Searching his mind for ideas, he remembered the hours he spent doing research during his years at college. If there was one thing that came easily to him, it was that. While his classmates groaned and moaned, Remy would silently cheer, knowing the pleasure he’d get by burying himself in the library until he was exhausted. Determined to approach his current problem the same way, he opened his browser, typing in ‘black magic,’ and hit ‘search.’Within seconds, a list appeared of on-line paranormal libraries he could access to find out about black magic.
Clicking on the first result, Remy began to search the site’s data base, selecting a title, then diving in, becoming totally absorbed with what he found. Furiously scribbling notes, he moved on and repeated the process. An hour passed, then several more, before Remy finally sat back in his chair, ready to take a small break before continuing. “Shit, look at what time it is!” he mumbled.Fuck!Scrolling quickly through his phone messages but not finding the one he was looking for, he called Henri. Tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk, he waited. When his call went to voice mail, Remy felt his gut clench.
Chapter 5
Passing the window display of a large department store, she paused, staring at the reflections in the glass, looking for one in particular. Nothing found, she slowly moved on, allowing her senses to flow around her, attempting to confirm her suspicions she was being stalked. Hoping to elude whoever it was, she quickly merged with a throng of New Yorkers at a street corner waiting for the traffic light to change. When it blinked ‘walk’ she was swept across the street with them toward the opposite side, where she spied an empty cab waiting near the crosswalk.
Making a split-second decision, she broke from the crowd, heading for the rear passenger door. Quickly opening it, she climbed in and, slamming it shut, leaned forward to give the driver her address. Before she could say a word, the opposite door opened and someone slid in, grabbing her arm. The last thing she remembered was the pin-prick of a needle and the foul smell of her attacker.
