Meriel Owen is the daughter of the leader of the Owen Clan of witches and in line to inherit from her mother. Her mother is a hell of a tough act to follow and Meriel is in no hurry to take her future position. Still, there are some things that will need to change. For one thing Meriel feels it is no longer prudent or useful to keep Clan witches separate and sacrosanct from the issues of non-Clan witches and even among the powerful Clans a greater level of communication and sharing of knowledge would only strengthen them. In the meantime she trains for her future position while fulfilling her role as a lawyer and investigator for Clan Owen.

Dominic Bright has been taught all his life that it is better to remain separate from any of the powerful Clans. Yes he has a certain amount of power, but he prefers to do things in his own way, avoiding any bothersome interaction while he runs his club Heart of Darkness for both humans and non-humans. He knows drawing on the font of power created and guarded by the Owen Clan is playing with fire, but he'll take care of any 'issues' when and if the great Owen Clan deigns to notice his infraction.

When Meriel walks in to Heart of Darkness she realizes the powerful, sexy out-clan witch who owns it is her Bonded, the person whose power is more than a match for her own. They are meant to complement each other, creating a synergy that will bring both their powers to their full potential. Dominic is far from open to such a relationship. His inaccurate beliefs in what it means to be Clan and his ignorance of his own powers means she needs to give him time to get used to the idea. If only they had time to waste. A new danger is on the horizon that threatens any witch, clan or out-clan. Mages (those who have no inherent magick of their own) are targeting witches to drain their powers, leaving them dead. It has long been a problem especially for out-clan witches but now the mages seem to be organizing with human-based hate groups to target their victims with cunning and skill, bringing down the most powerful Clan witches as well.

Lauren Dane's brand new Bound by Magick series is set in same world as her de la Vega Cats series but with only the loosest of connections. The characters are compelling, the love scenes steamy hot, and the world she has built sparks interest in the reader for more. HEART OF DARKNESS is the first in the series, to be followed by Rising Darkness in June 2012.

Book Summary

Someone is illegally siphoning magic from the font of the Clan. When Meriel Owen, next in line to control the largest organization of witches in the country, discovers that it's the hot owner of a notorious underground club, she strokes an unusual deal that may plunge them all into the heart of darkness.