Shadow of the Wolf(35)

"I knew you were trouble." Chris gave her a soft kiss. "Thank you for the sandwiches."

"You're welcome." She climbed off his lap. "I'll let you boring types  get back to work." She sauntered out of the office, grinning. She found  Zach in the kitchen. "Hey, Daphne."

"Hey, Shaggy."

"Are those barbeque?" She reached for the bag.

He held it over his head. "Get your own."

Lana stuck her tongue out at him. "You know there isn't much we can do to help them, right?"

He lowered the bag to the counter with a sigh. "Yeah, I know."

"There's still stuff we can do."

He crinkled the top of the bag. "Like bring them chips?" He looked so  lost, like a kicked puppy. She just wanted to cuddle him, but she didn't  think Chris would appreciate finding her stroking his brother's head.

"Do you really think Cole is going to fight fair?"

He paused. "He has to. There are certain rules to wizard duels that must  be adhered to. If they aren't, the duel is automatically won by the  wizard who did follow the rules."

She settled onto one of the counter stools and propped her chin in her hand. "But Cole isn't a wizard."

"True." He popped a chip in his mouth, but she could practically hear him thinking things through.

She kicked her foot back and forth, fighting the urge to pace. "What are the odds he'll cheat somehow?"

"Not sure. I don't know him the way Christopher does."

She had to know. The thought of it was driving her insane. "Is this a duel to the death?"

Zach stopped popping chips in his mouth. "Death?" He swallowed. "I've heard of very few wizard duels that ended in death."

"Yeah, but Cole wants Christopher to hurt, remember? So would he make it a duel to the death?"

Zach frowned, and she caught a glimpse in his determined expression of  the kind of witch he would be when his training was over. Man, the court  is going to have an interesting time with him. "No.

Damn it, he wouldn't." He grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the workroom. "Chris, we need an extra protection amulet."



"Why?"

"Do you really think he'll leave Lana out of this?"

Chris froze. "The duel is between him and me. Lana will have no part in it. Besides, she's already wearing a protection amulet."

"Your strongest amulet? Besides, who said it would have anything to do with the duel?"

Chris's head rose. Zach just stood there, clenching Lana's hand in one  of his own, the other held out for the amulet he'd demanded. "Zach?"

"I have a very bad feeling, Chris. Give me the amulet."

Lana's eyes widened. "Give him the amulet." If Zach's instincts were  screaming at him that loudly then she knew she'd need whatever it was he  was planning on doing.

Chris held out the amulet. "If he goes after her, he'll be expecting wizard's magic."

"And witch's, for that matter." Daniel propped his butt on the edge of Chris's desk.

Zach smiled. It was feral, cold, and nothing Lana would have thought him  capable of. From the looks on his brothers' faces, they never would  have either. "But he won't be expecting me."

Chris stared at his brother for the longest moment before an identical smile crossed his face. Lana shivered. "Good."

Zach turned, dragging Lana out of the room behind him. "Zach?"

"Trust me."

She blew her hair out of her eyes. What are you planning, Zach? She  watched him frantically lay out items on the kitchen counter, his  expression hard and his movements precise and controlled. He knew  exactly what he wanted and where to find it. The more she watched, the  more it made sense.                       
       
           



       

And the more it made sense, the more frightened she became. He needed to get to court and he needed to get there soon.

If Zach is capable of this, what else is he capable of?



* * * *

The chamber door clanged shut with an ominous sound. How Cole had  managed to obtain a dueling chamber on such short notice Christopher  didn't know. He had the feeling he'd used his family con-nections to cut  through the red tape. The Godwins sat on Cole's side of the chamber,  glaring at the Becketts through cold eyes. In particular Lana and  Annabelle Evans seemed to be garnering the most attention. Arthur  Godwin's expression was particularly vile when he saw the mark on Lana's  neck, the unmistakable stamp of a Beckett mate.

It was a typical dueling ring, a simple white ring like you'd see in a  circus, perhaps. But where the circle of a circus ring would be plain  white bags or pavers, this white ring was etched with arcane symbols in  all sorts of colors, the markings necessary not only for the shielding  spell that would en-case them once the duel started but full of  protection spells designed to make sure that those outside the ring  would suffer no ill effects from whatever magic the duelists utilized.  Instead of grandstands there were comfortable padded chairs opposite one  another, enough to hold the members of each family plus a few extras.  Since neither Cole nor Christopher had called anyone but family, some of  those chairs on each side remained empty. The floor of the circle  itself was simple dirt, earth necessary to ground certain spells or to  be used against your opponent in whatever way you could. A water  fountain gurgled nearby. A chimenea already had a fire burning merrily  inside. Incense scented the air directly above the dueling ring, the  burner hanging by a golden chain. These items allowed elemental magic to  be used once the shields snapped into place.



Christopher stared at his opponent, mentally checking each and every one  of his preparations. Two amulets, a piece of paper with a specific rune  in gold lettering, a silver lighter, a stick figure, black ribbon,  three round silver links attached to each other, and his Athame. Not  much on the surface, but each one had a purpose. He couldn't, wouldn't  turn and look at his family or his mate until after this little fight  was over. He needed to concentrate solely on kicking Cole's ass so hard  he'd feel it in the afterlife. This stupid rivalry had to end.

He planned on ending it tonight.

He'd already hashed all of the details out with Gareth, who had agreed  to be his second. Together they'd found a way a man could take the power  of another being and bind it in such a way that the person could never  again do harm to others. It was an old spell, rarely used by any but the  council's Enforcers, and could wind up costing Christopher more than it  cost Cole. But if it meant keeping Lana safe, Christopher would risk  it. Cole was a menace. He needed to be dealt with. Cole's willingness to  harm innocents in his little war with Christopher just cemented Chris's  resolve.

He risked one quick glance at Cole's second, the man's father, and  wondered what he thought of the duel. Did he know why Cole was fighting  Christopher? Did he approve of it? Did he know what his son had become?  The cold gleam in the man's eyes, the pure satisfaction and  vindictiveness there, told him that Cole's father was just as deeply  into this madness as Cole was. He wished now that he'd looked the entire  Godwin family up, just to see who else in this room was a warlock.

The Arbiter, the wizard responsible for ensuring a fair duel, paced off  the length of the dueling area, surrounding them in a shimmering, barely  visible shield that would effectively prevent either the Becketts or  the Godwins from assisting their relatives. No outside interference  would be allowed.

Inside that shield, however, a wizard could use any means at his disposal to defeat his opponent.

Only the seconds would be able to enter the ring, and only under  specific circumstances. Zachary had made sure before anyone else had  entered the arena that the Arbiter was informed that Chris was not  dealing with a wizard, but with a warlock. The Arbiter had made the  appropriate adjustments to the circle. Or so Chris hoped.

"Mr. Beckett. Mr. Godwin. Are you both intent on this duel?" The deep voice of the Arbiter startled him, breaking his thoughts.

"Yes," Cole hissed.

"Yes." Christopher shook his head. He had to be one hundred percent on  his guard. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not even by his  thoughts.

The shield closed, sealing them inside. Only the wizard who'd cast it, or that wizard's death, could break it.

Now. Christopher pulled out his Athame and began his chant, fingering  his protection charm. Cole, not surprisingly, mirrored his actions.                       
       
           



       

Yet something was off about the other man's magic. Christopher could  sense the forces coalescing but there was a taint to it that hadn't been  there the last time he'd faced Cole. He began his chant, hoping for the  best.