Denai Touch: Excalibar Investigations Series by Tiffany Shand Page B

and dating any more. I could always compel you.”
    “You wouldn’t dare!”
    “Try me.”
    The two of them spent the next hour searching through Bethany’s room, including her library; some of the books contained very dark magic – so dangerous they had been banned by the United Magickind Council.
    A bleeping in her ear told Cate someone was calling on the comm link. She pressed the tiny device to accept the call. “Cate.”
    “Cate? Are you getting anything up there?” It was Steve. “Because we’re getting nothing down here. How did they manage to clean things out so quickly?”
    “They knew we were onto them. Keep looking.”
    Cate started examining the bookcases again, there had to be something hidden here somewhere. There was a soft click as a panel slid back.
    “Jade? I think I’ve found something.”
     
    Outside, Jason and Doug were examining the coven spell circle.
    “Definitely some symbols for blood magic,” Jason commented.
    “I’m surprised Blue Eyes isn’t down here. You two are usually joined at the hip. Did you have an argument?”
    “No.” He glanced around to make sure no one else was in ear shot. “Doug, I’m in trouble. I can’t keep being around Cate. She’s starting to notice things – like when my eyes glowed last night.”
    “Shit! Jase, you need to be more careful. You know how important keeping your secret is.”
    “I can’t help it — you know how I feel about her. Maybe…”
    “No way! You know damn well you can’t tell her the truth. Even if she was alright with it, they could use her to get to you,” Doug sighed. “I knew you would grow too close to her. This has gone far enough. You need to walk away now, leave Faliaster if you have to.”
    “I can’t. I’ve finally found a place I feel at home and have real friends and family here. I don’t want to just throw all that away.”
    “What’s more important than your life?”
    “Cate is more important than anything.”
    “You can’t spend your life pining away for someone you can never be with. You need to move on, walk away from her.”
    “Could you ever walk away from Mel?”
    “That’s different. Ours isn’t a forbidden, doomed love.”
    “I can’t leave her. I won’t.” His hands clenched into fists and he grimaced at the thought.
    “At least distance yourself from her a bit, move out of her house. Better yet date someone else. Being celibate for so long isn’t natural, especially for one of your kind. You’ve never had trouble getting women before.”
    Jason sighed. “Perhaps you’re right, but I had a dream last night. You know in the old stories, where women from the clans were given to the old gods to be their brides?” he asked. “In the dream I was in a villa, on one of the sacred isles and Cate was my bride. It felt so real, like she was actually there with me.”
    Doug chuckled. “Gods above, Blue Eyes would kill you if she ever found out. I don’t imagine her as the virgin sacrifice type.”
    “That’s not the important part. In the dream I was able to show her my true self. I didn’t have to hide anything and she was okay with it.”
    “Mate, you know that can never happen. She’s going to be the Grand Mistress one day, there’s no way you can be with her. Not without the Ashrali raining bloody hell down on you both.”
    He nodded. “I know. You’re right, I need to move on and I will.”
    There was a shimmer of silver orbs as Cate teleported in beside him. “Hey, I found something that could be really important,” she held up a small, leather-bound, black book, “this is Bethany’s Book of Shadows.”
    “Brilliant! Find anything useful?”
    “Some of it seems to be concealed, but I’m hoping we might be able to reveal whatever’s hidden inside. Let’s leave the others to it, and go and see if we can get some answers from this thing.”
    “Are you sure we shouldn’t be doing this at the Tower?” Jason asked as they walked into the small third bedroom which