It could wait, of course, for the next night, or the next week for that matter. Restlessness had settled into her bones over the last year. Before that shed been pretty much single-minded with her studies and her job.
Ambition came to her naturally. Her foremothers had created Clan Owen from nothing and built it into one of the most powerful organizations in the world. Meriel accepted that the blood of these women ran in her veins for a reason and that she was supposed to use every gift shed been given to protect and serve her people.
From infancy there had been one path and she greeted that with joy and a sense of duty. But things were changing. The older and more experienced she got, the more the witches in Clan Owen expected her to lead and many had begun to look to her first, before Edwina, and that had created a rift. Most though werent sure she could be as brutal and ruthless as Edwina. So shed have to show them. But in her own way.
For the first time in her life it was hard to wait for what was next. She wanted to go out and greet it. Wanted to make things happen. Wanted to see what this heady sense of expectancy was all about.
She supposed at this point in a full-council witchs life, it was about finding her bond-mate to finally ascend to her full power. She was in limbo until that happened. Until a full-council witch performed the ascension spell with her bond-mate, she wouldnt achieve her full power and take her seat on the ruling council of the clan.
It wasnt so much that Meriel was aching to find her bond-mate. It was more than the magickal ascension, though she did want that very much, it was a lack of soul-connection. It had only gotten worse once shed seen Nell with her new husband, had seen love in her best friends eyes.
Things were about to change. She could feel it.
* * *
DOMINIC tucked his shirt into his jeans and gave himself one last look in the mirror on the back of his office door. He had a to-do list as long as his arm and the sense of impending something lay heavily in his gut.
He hated that. He didnt want this special-sense thing. He liked his gifts well enough, but it was just fine with him to be an ordinary guy with a little bit of magick. He didnt want foresight. Tom, the closest thing Dominic had to a father and the man who deserved the credit as one, got on his case for being a slacker and not living up to his full potential. Thats what fathers did, Dominic knew. But he had a successful bar, didnt he? Was he not giving a place to go to both Others and humans alike? It wasnt like he was still living on the edge the way he had those years before. No probation officer. He was a businessman now. No more running from bill collectors. Hell, he even had employees. As far as Dominic was concerned, he was a useful member of society and Tom should be satisfied with that.
It wasnt so much that he never used his magick. Just that he used it the way he wanted to. This whole clan business, having to be a member and obey rules, none of that was his scene. He didnt need to be told what to do. Not by anyone.
After finally growing tired of the violence and hand-to-mouth nature of the lifestyle hed lived for the early part of his twenties, hed landed in New York City where hed learned how to run a business. When hed saved for a few years, hed come back home to the Northwest.
Hed made something of all that energy and ambition. He took an empty space and with some magick, okay some borrowed energy too, had created Heart of Darkness. At first glance it was an industrial nightclub but through an arch, hidden to non-magickal eyes, it was the spot for Others in Seattle. Part café, part bar.
The place was packed every night and as Simon pointed out just that day over lunch, they were bound to get a visit from some clan witches very soon. There was no way word of the place hadnt reached them and thered be a bill come due from using their precious font. Even an outclan witch like him knew he was breaking their laws by using their magick without being keyed in. Until then though, hed continue to do so because he needed to and they couldnt possibly have a use for all that spare power.
And because he still liked to play on the edge.