“I know it’s annoying me,” Doc said.
I ignored him as we all piled into the truck at two in the morning. Bette squeezed into the back with Jo Jo and me. She placed her hand on my knee. “You don’t have to hurt yourself to astral project. Strong emotions can create the same energy in you to allow your spirit to portal.”
“Now you tell me.” I gave her a friendly nudge. “Kidding. I hope I don’t have to do it again, but if I do, I’ll remember there are other ways to trigger the ability.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Etta, even without your wolf. Remember, a hedge’s magic is fueled by our feelings, not any formal training. We’re healers and wise women, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless in a fight. And on the eve of your twenty-fifth year, you’re going to be saturated.”
“What does that mean?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wise words indeed.” I leaned into Jo Jo. “You okay?”
“Yep.”
“You sure.”
“Yep.”
“Where’s this large vocabulary you were bragging about?”
He shot me an incredulous smile. “I’m not sure you want me whipping my dictionary out right now.”
I blushed. “Probably not.”
“Definitely not,” Doc said from the driver's seat. “And never in earshot of me.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try to respect your boundaries.” I cast a sideways glance at Jo Jo and smiled. He laced his fingers in mine.
We parked a half mile from the house and walked the rest of the way, staying on the north side of the road and off the property. William would probably have one or two of his guys patrolling the woods while the rest of them slept.
I wore my sword in the matching sheave that Henry had bought with it. It fit around my shoulders and chest as if it had been made for me. The taser was in my jacket pocket, and the dog whistle was in my jeans. Doc gestured for us to go ahead. He stayed back with Bette as Chav, Jo Jo, and I stayed low in the ditch until it was time to cross the road. I hadn’t been to the house, so we followed Chavvah’s lead. When we were about thirty feet out and still under cover of the trees, I held up my hand to stop them.
“I want to try something,” I said. “Bette said I could astral project using emotions instead of pain. I can go in and have a look around before anyone is the wiser. In and out.”
Jo Jo shook his head. “I like you in your body.”
“That’s sweet,” I whispered. “But we should use whatever advantage we can get. I know William would.”
“Do it,” Chav prompted. “Make it fast, though. Doc is going to bait the trap soon.”
I thought about my hate for William, my fear of War, and my ultimate fear, spiders. But none of them prompted my shade to leave my body. “It’s not working. Maybe I’m broken in the emotion department.”
Jo Jo slid his arms around my waist and kissed me stupid. When I opened my eyes, I was light as air. I looked down to see him holding my listless body. He glanced skyward as if knowing I was there. “Definitely not broken,” he said in a low voice.
Oh, hot damn. The man was definitely my emotional junction box. All sparks and electricity.
I slipped through the upstairs window. Chav was right. The room was empty. I floated down to the first floor. Silas Penn and Todd Hall were asleep in a room with two twin beds. Good. That was two down. I went through the wall to the next room. My stomach lurched as I saw William sitting near the queen-size bed in a rocking chair, eyes wide open. I scrambled backward, tumbling into the living room. He hadn’t seen me. He would’ve sounded the alarm. Still, seeing him like that had been unsettling. He was awake, which meant catching him by surprise wouldn’t be easy.
I heard the squawk of a radio. I forced myself to go back into William’s room. He was holding a walkie talkie. “What do you have?” he asked.
“Three intruders near the back of the house.” I recognized the voice. It was War. Damn it. I’d hoped the night patrol would’ve gone to the peons of the group. Whatever the case, War had spotted us. I had to warn Chav and Jo Jo.
I zipped out of the house as fast as I’d gone in and slammed into my body, followed by a gasp of breath. “We’ve been made,” I said as soon as I could form the words. “War has spotted us. William’s awake and aware. We have to go now.”
“Too late for that, little girl,” War said. “Time for you to go back in your box right after I take care of your friends.”
Fuuuuccck.I rolled off Jo Jo’s lap as War swung the end of a tactical baton at my head. Jo Jo threw himself backward as the tip barely missed his face. He sprung to his feet. Chav was already circling around the back.
