Page 2 of Possess Me at Midnight

“Spare yourself five minutes. Olivia and Sydney have been cooking—the human way. It’s taken them hours to prepare dinner. They did it for you.”

The tears that have been threatening all day sting the backs of my eyes and tighten my throat. Though I’ve only known the other women for a few weeks, I already consider them great friends. Yes, circumstance has thrown us together. Having Mathias on the loose requires a magical army to defeat him, so Bram assembled the Doomsday Brethren, a ragtag group of warriors, mostly magical, who are willing to fight. Olivia and Sydney are mates to two of Bram’s fighting force and have not only stood by their men, but all of us. They’ve risked themselves to rid magickind of this cancer, though the fight isn’t theirs.

“Five minutes,” I agree reluctantly.

Lucan brings me closer, just shy of an embrace. “I’m worried about you. You can’t carry all of Bram’s responsibilities on your shoulders.”

He doesn’t understand. “I have to try. My brother has worked so hard to build his political influence and this army?—”

“No one will allow it to crumble. Come see. Everyone is assembled downstairs, waiting for you. We all want to help.”

Everyone? Surely not… “Shock?”

Lucan clenches his jaw. “No one wants that traitor here.”

Especially not one who’s currently shagging Lucan’s former mate.

I’m touched that the Doomsday Brethren have come to pay homage to their fallen leader, but I fear only one person can help my brother. “Has anyone searched for Bram’s mysterious mate? Emma’s energy?—”

“Might heal him. I know. It’s quite difficult to locate a woman when we know only her first name. Sydney volunteered to call Aquarius, since she presumably knows this Emma who ensnared Bram.”

I shake my head. “Don’t bother. Aquarius already said that she doesn’t know Emma’s whereabouts. The woman’s flat is empty, her mobile phone disconnected. The shop where she once worked is closed tight. Bram already tried all those avenues. Clearly, the woman doesn’t want to be found.”

“In light of the situation, Sydney agreed to speak to Aquarius once more, see if she remembers anything else…”

I pray the woman remembers something. If not… The looming worry that my brother will perish stabs despair through my heart. I beat back a fresh batch of tears. I cannot cry. A waste of time that solves nothing. I can fall apart later. Alone. Now too much is at stake.

Lucan smooths a thumb across my cheek. “You’re one of the bravest women I know, Bella. Bram is my best friend. You can lean on me. In fact, I want you to. I’m here.”

The offer is tempting. Lucan is a strong wizard and warrior. But in the past month, his whole life has been torn apart. He needs to get back on his own feet before worrying about my problems.

I send him a sad smile. “I’ll be all right, but thank you.”

“Let me help. There wasn’t time earlier for me to express…” He sighs. “Thank you. I know the sacrifice you made to save me, the risk you took in bedding someone feral to provide me proper energy.”

“No thanks necessary. I?—”

“I remember being with you. Your fear. Your determination.” Lucan threads his hand through my pale hair. “Your softness.”

He remembers? I didn’t expect that. Damn and blast. That complicates everything. But it isn’t as if I’ve forgotten the feel of Lucan either—his heat, his hardness, his single-minded intent. The unexpected desire. During our time together, I came to know him as a lover…and I’m not certain how I feel about that. But now is hardly the time to sort it out.

“Lucan, I?—”

He brushes his lips over mine, cutting off my words. Soft but firm. Achingly gentle. He merely feels me. Breathes me. Then he lifts his head.

For a heartbeat, my body responds to him, a whisper of warmth unfurling low in my belly before I remember where we are, who we are. This is Lucan—my brother’s best friend, a man still haunted by his lost mate. I step back slightly, unsettled by my reaction.

“Anything you need, I’ll be here for you.”

Why? Friendship? Gratitude? Or…something more?

Though I usually block others’ thoughts, I peek into Lucan’s. Friendship, certainly, and gratitude by the bucketful, a hint of confusion about his feelings. I relate to that. But the attraction simmering under his surface gives me pause.

Slipping from his mind, I step away from his touch. “I’ll go update everyone and thank them for their efforts. Lead the way.”

Lucan takes my hand and guides me downstairs to the dining room. As he said, everyone has assembled. Marrok stands, tall and daunting as ever. Olivia, his American mate, sits beside him as he rests a big hand on the crown of her dark head. Envy tears through me. I ache for the sort of love they share. Between my brother’s protective streak and my obligation to marry politically well, I wonder if I’ll ever find it.

“Sabelle.” Sydney jumps to her feet. “Are you all right? What can I do to help?”