UNDER HIS SPELL (11 page)

Jaxon sat at the head of the tribunal table, wearing a frown, which
mirrored his father’s.
 
All wizards were
present, dressed in their indigo robes and bearing the countenance of a jury
about to pronounce the verdict.

“The tribunal has spoken.
 
For
her deceit and trespass upon one of our own, the witch shall be put to death.”

The wall slid open and Rane strode in.
 
“You cannot hold a tribunal without all
wizards being present.”

Jaxon stood.
 
“You have an
emotional stake in this.
 
I thought it
wise not to include you.”

Rane stood nose to nose with his brother.
 
“Then you should read the covenants
again.
 
Your thoughts do not take
precedence over regulations.”

“Nevertheless, the decision has already been made.”

“Like hell it has,” Rane snarled.

The room shook with the fury of the two wizards and while tension
coated the air, Charlemaine and Tess rose to their feet, hoping to intervene.

“You will be seated,” Jaxon spoke harshly to the women.
 

“You will not touch her,” Rane didn’t take his eyes off of his
brother’s face.

“You have no say in the matter,” Jaxon returned.

Rane took another half-inch step forward so that his shoulder bumped
Jaxon’s.
 
“To carry out her sentence, you
will need to go through me.”

“Do not make the mistake of challenging me, brother.”

“It is not a challenge.
 
It is
a declaration.
 
You will not harm Skye.”

The air sizzled, charged with energy and while the female wizards
held their breaths, the male wizards stood and circled Jaxon and Rane.
 

“You cannot harm one of us, Jaxon,” Jensen pointed out, moving to
stand in between his sons.
 

“He has no right to intervene in a tribunal’s ruling.”

“And you have no right to condemn Skye to death without allowing her
to speak first,” Rane shot back.

Jaxon’s eyes became icy points of silver.
 
“I have no interest in what the witch has to
say.”

Rane’s shoulders tightened and for the first time in as long as he
could remember, he felt real fury toward his brother.
 
Growing up, he and Jaxon had been
inseparable.
 
They’d learned to control
their magic together, had crossed the boundaries of the universe and stood up
for one another when their father’s wrath was befalling one.
 
Rane could never imagine wanting to harm
Jaxon… until now.
 

“If you do not allow her to speak, I will take her from here and you
will not see either of us again.”

Charlemaine gasped out loud.
 
“Rane, you cannot mean that.
 
I
will not lose another son.”

Jaxon held up one hand, calling for silence.
 
“You have fallen in love with her.”

Rane didn’t take his eyes off of his brother’s face.
 
“That is not your concern.”

“The danger you bring to the Assembly is my concern.
 
Becoming involved with a witch can only mean
danger.”
 
Jaxon softened his tone.
 
“Rane, you have to listen to me.
 
Nothing good can come of this.
 
Braeden fell in love with a witch and look
where he is now.”

“No one knows where Braeden is now,” Rane pointed out.

“Exactly.
 
He could be dead
for all we know.”
 
Jaxon spoke the words
in a calm, controlled voice, but Rane knew that underneath the layer of civility
boiled the same cauldron of fury, which seethed inside his own veins.
 

Rane stood his ground.
 
“I ask
you to allow Skye to speak.”

Jaxon’s stance relaxed minutely.
 
“Tell me why I should.”

“Because I believe she has a reason for what she has done.”

“A reason does not change the outcome.
 
You could have died.”

Rane accepted his brother’s words with only the slightest
inclination of his head.
 
“Will you allow
her to speak?”
 
He knew he had to ask
permission, but the knowledge created a bitter taste in his mouth.
 
He’d never been one to follow rules blindly
and the laws of the Assembly weren’t always the most equitable in the
land.
 

Jaxon aimed a glance at the gathered wizards.
 
“What say you?
 
Should we allow the witch to give us her
reason?”

“I don’t see what it could hurt,” Tess chimed in.

Jaxon gave her a look.
 
“I am
not surprised you would feel this way.”

Tess beamed up at him.
 
“I’m
glad you know me so well.”

“I am with Tess,” Charlemaine voted.

One by one the wizards gave voice to their opinions, granting Skye
the opportunity to explain her actions and possibly save her own life.
 

Jaxon held out his hands.
 
“Very well.
 
Your request has been
granted, Rane.
 
The witch has ten
minutes.”

Rane moved toward the wall.
 
“I will return with her.”
 
He paused
just as the door appeared.
 
“Try not to
put your most intimidating face on, brother.
 
You would not want to scare my witch away before she has had a chance to
offer her explanation.”
 
He winked over
his shoulder and stepped out into the hall, but not before Jaxon’s words
bounced off the walls of the Assembly Room.

“Obnoxious little smart-ass.”

Rane laughed and quickened his step toward the chamber where Skye
awaited but as he drew closer, he sensed her grief.
 
The knowledge unnerved him.
 
He shouldn’t know that Skye was upset.
 
His intuition couldn’t fall upon
witches.
 
It was impossible.
 
But inside his heart, possible had arrived.
 

CHAPTER FIVE

Skye heard his approach long before
she saw him, but even then, she didn’t have enough time to erase the traces of
tears from her face.
 
She turned her back
to him and pretended to adjust her clothing, but Rane wasn’t fooled.
 
He walked around to stand in front of her.
 

“You’ve been crying,” he announced, his voice wrapped in awe.

Skye brushed her palms over her cheeks and tipped her head up to see
his face, her expression one of defiance.
 
“Don’t make a big deal about it.
 
Women cry sometimes.”

Rane caught hold of her chin and held it fast.
 
“Tell me why you cry.”

She lowered her eyes.
 
“It
isn’t your concern.”

He gave a short laugh and dropped his hand down to his side.
 

“What’s so funny?”

“That you would have the audacity to say that.”

Skye folded her arms and waited for him to continue.
 
Surely, there had to be an explanation to his
statement.
 
After all, the wizard looked
at
her like he had every right in the world to know her entire life story.

 
          
“The Assembly convened a tribunal.”

The words sounded vaguely familiar.
 
Skye remembered her mother mentioning something about a tribunal in her
early childhood, but the entire gist of the conversation escaped her.
 
“What does that have to do with me?”

“You were being tried for attempted murder.”

Now, he had her attention.
 
Skye stood a little straighter.
 
“They have no right to try me.
 
They are not a jury.”

“Under the laws of Mystique, they have a right to try an accused
party by way of a tribunal.”

Skye walked toward the bed and sat down on the edge.
 
“So what was the verdict?”

Rane didn’t turn to face her.
 
“Guilty.
 
You were sentenced to
die.”

Skye leaped to her feet.
 
“If
you think I’m going to docilely walk to my death, you are sadly mistaken.”
 
She advanced toward him, her steps slow and
threatening.
 
“And another thing, wizard,
how dare you stand there calmly telling me I was sentenced to die and not offer
up any resistance.
 
Are you so low of a
man that you would…”

“But I intervened,” Rane continued as if she’d never spoken.

“Just stand there and allow those other wizards,” Skye kept talking
for a brief moment before Rane’s words sunk in.
 
She paused.
 
“You intervened?”

He dipped his head.
 
“Yes, I
did.”

“So now I’m sentenced to prison for the rest of my life?”

Rane’s lips twitched.
 
Skye
felt the urge to smack him.
 
“You have
been given the opportunity to present your case to the Assembly.”

Skye took another step toward him.
 
“What case?”

Rane’s brow furrowed.
 
“Your
explanation.
 
You must explain why you
tried to kill me.”

“That’s simple enough.
 
Because I’m a witch.
 
Witches
generally don’t like wizards.
 
End of
story.”

He snatched hold of her arm and glared down into her upturned
face.
 
“Like hell that’s the end.
 
Look me in the eye and tell me there isn’t
more to this story, Skye, that there isn’t something going on which you’re
trying to hide.”

She stared up at him.
 
“It’s
none of your business.”

He shook her a little.
 
“Do
you realize what will happen to you if you don’t talk to them?
 
I will not be able to prevent them from
taking your life.”

“You can get me off this cloud or wherever the hell it is that we
are.”

Rane’s face
closed.
 
“I cannot do that.”

“Why not?”

“I cannot betray my family.”

Skye gave a little laugh and spun around.
 
“Great.
 
Well, do I at least get to pick the manner in which I’ll die?
 
I mean, I’ve never been a big fan of guns,
don’t particularly care for knives or anything which is going to cause a
massive amount of pain.”
 
She sauntered
toward the door and put one hand on the knob.
 
“Perhaps a nice overdose of sleeping pills.
 
I could sink into oblivion and you could
pretend I was sleeping until you could convince your conscience that you did
the right thing.”

In two strides, Rane stood in front of her.
 
He grasped her shoulders and hauled her close
to his taut body.
 
“I will not let them
harm you.”
 
The words came out on a
guttural moan before he kissed her.

The floor tilted beneath her feet and Skye clung to Rane’s broad
shoulders for security, stability.
 
She
stood on tiptoe to accommodate the difference in their heights.
 
His hands curved around her waist and lifted
her, making them even.
 
She gave a little
sigh of surrender and accepted the divine pleasure his lips offered.

The kiss became an investigative caress, an exploration of tongues
and soft sighs.
 
Heat poured over her,
drenching her in perspiration and when Rane’s lips moved to the soft spot of
skin just behind her ear, Skye moaned her approval.
 

The clump of footsteps outside the door to her chamber barely
registered until a fist pounded against solid wood.
 
“Master Jaxon is looking for you, Master
Rane,” came a booming voice.

Rane lifted his head and aimed a look at the door.
 
“Tell him I shall be there shortly.”
 
He lowered his forehead and touched it to
Skye’s.
 
“Nice timing.”

Skye breathed in shakily.
 
“Maybe it was for the best.”

He rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms.
 
“You’re kidding, right?”

She took hold of his hands.
 
“We’re supposed to be enemies, remember?”

Rane freed his hands and tucked her hair back behind her ears.
 
“Somehow, I can’t look at you like that
anymore.”

“You haven’t forgotten that I broke into your house, have you?”
 
Skye was almost desperate to remind him of
what he didn’t like about her.
 
They had
no future together.
 
She wasn’t even sure
she had a future at all.

 
Rane gave her a smile
,
which caused her stomach to flip-flop and instead of responding to her
question, he simply took her hand in his and led her toward the bedroom door.

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

He flicked open the door with his finger.
 
“I don’t live in the past, Skye.”

She swallowed hard.
 
“What
does that mean?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”
 
He
gave her a wink and her heart skittered.
 

“I don’t think I trust you, Rane.”

He stopped in the hallway and turned to face her.
 
“Trust takes time.”
 
He slid his hands up her arms.
 
“You will come to trust me soon.”
 
He smirked.
 
“Right after you come to love me.”

Skye’s mouth fell open, but before she could respond, Rane had taken
hold of her arm and propelled her down the long length of the hallway.
 
And then they were standing in front of a
blank wall.
 
No art, no decorations, just
plaster painted off-white.
 
Until Rane
touched it.

And the wall gave way.