Page 2 of Seduce Me in Shadow

To a human, losing a beloved wife would be devastating. For Lucan, it’s reduced a brilliant wizard to a feral beast. The thingchained to Bram’s guest bed is no longer the older brother I once idolized.

Guilt sears through me. I abandoned this world—disavowed magic and everyone in it—a dozen years ago. Now I might lose my only remaining family to this nightmare. The thought of never speaking to Lucan again guts me.

I have to find Anka, to return her to Lucan’s arms. Nothing else matters. Nothing else will cure him.

Swallowing my snarl, I release the terrified surrogate. “Go.”

The witch bolts, leaving a deafening silence in her wake.

“My office. Now.” Bram’s voice brooks no argument.

I whirl on him. “I won’t give up on Lucan!”

With a twitch of his finger, Bram magically drags me back into the study, slamming the door. I’m about to unleash hell when he cuts me off.

“I get it. You’re brassed off. And I want to help Lucan. But we’ve got bigger problems than your brother right now. Problems that affect us.” He gestures to the other men. “And all of magickind.”

“My brother is chained to a bed like a lunatic, Anka is missing, and we haven’t a single clue where she’s gone. Lucan will never be whole until we return her. Nothing is more important.”

“I wish that were true. Our other problems are many and grave.”

Ice Rykard, the warrior-wizard built like a brick shithouse, glowers. When annoyance stamps his face, sensible people scamper. “You dragged me here to state the fucking obvious?”

As Ice moves to leave, Bram blocks him. “There’s more. And it’s bad enough that we all must attend to it.”

Bram wants my help but won’t assist Lucan? I’d laugh if I weren’t so furious. “I’m here for one reason: to find my brother’s missing mate?—”

“Former mate,” Bram corrects. “Their bond is broken.”

“Involuntarily,” I snarl. “Lucan still sees her as his. They were in love. Why wouldn’t she want him back? I’m here to reunite them, not solve your problems.”

“Lucan is my best friend. I want him whole more than anything. But that’s a mission of mercy. What we face now is life or death.”

“Without Anka, Lucan will die!”

Bram’s face hardens. “If we don’t act now, thousands—maybe millions—will die. Including Lucan.”

The “greater good” bullshit again. My patience snaps. I rub my gritty eyes, exhaustion weighing me down. Every day is full of worry, every night is nothing but sleepless pacing with Lucan’s mad face haunting me. And his so-called friends are concerned about everyone else.

“Please.” Simon Northam—aka the Duke of Hurstgrove—the poshest of this ragtag bunch, fixes me with a penetrating stare. “We need you as much as Lucan does. The sooner we handle this, the sooner we help him. Are you in?”

Chapter

Two

Four pairs of eyes lock on to me. Yes, Bram has cared for Lucan since Anka disappeared, and I’m grateful. But beyond that, I owe these wizards nothing. I can’t suddenly move halfway around the world to enlist in a magical war. I’m not even a wizard, and I’m definitely no fan of magic. I have a life in Texas—a job I love, good friends, a place in a great neighborhood, and a high-maintenance puppy. Leaving all that behind to fight a battle that’s not mine isn’t possible. And if I’m fighting someone else’s war, I’m not finding Anka. That’s got to be my top priority.

The others’ expectant stares say otherwise. Without a word, they accuse me of abandoning Lucan’s cause and leaving them for dead—something completely counter to my code of honor as a former Marine.

Fuck.

“The Doomsday Brethren mean a great deal to Lucan.” Bram’s reminder drips with guilt.

Manipulative bastard.

“Besides, you may soon need us. Your magic is coming…”

I snort Bram’s way. “Not if I can help it.”

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