He sighed. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, sounding frustrated and pissed. “I followed her trail easily enough but now there’s…nothing. It’s almost as if she never existed.”
I scowled. “Magic?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I think she hired a human to do this. And whoever it is, they’re fucking brilliant.” He prattled on, using words that didn’t sound like English.
“Great,” I interrupted. “So it’s a dead end?”
He paused. “Not exactly. It’s just more complicated than I anticipated. If I can find the human who did it, it’ll go much faster.”
“Of course. It’s not like there’s billions of humans on the planet or anything,” I responded sarcastically.
“Have a little more faith in me, Mac. There are only a few people on the planet with the skills like this. Maybe a couple dozen. It won’t take long to figure out who it is.”
I put down my coffee and pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. There was an itch between my shoulder blades, one that warned me of the target affixed to my back. It also reminded me of the target on Ava. A delay could mean the difference between life and death. “Any idea how long?”
“A few days. Maybe a week tops.”
It was too long but there was nothing I could do about it. “Just keep me updated.”
“You’ll hear from me soon,” he stated.
“Thanks for your help, Callum,” I replied and disconnected the call.
Taking a deep breath, I placed the phone on the counter top with a great deal of care and reached for my coffee cup. I couldn’t help Callum find his mysterious hacker, but I could protect Ava the only other way I knew how.
I drained the mug and set it in the sink before I moved toward the door. I grabbed the leather jacket off the wall-mounted hook and headed out into the early morning chill. I would pick up some supplies from the grocery store on my way to Ava’s house. From my months of watching her, I knew that she was an early riser too so she would be awake by now.
Once again, the skin between my shoulder blades itched and I resisted the urge to look behind me as I shut and locked the door behind me. Even without that telltale discomfort, I would have known that Rhiannon was watching and waiting for her chance to strike. Just as I knew that she wouldn’t seek to hurt me directly, she’d noticed the way I’d looked at Ava and, if she wanted to get to me, she would go for Ava first and foremost.
And I would be waiting.
Surprisingly Ava’s windowswere still dark when I pulled up in front of her house. If her car hadn’t been in the driveway, I would have believed she’d already left. Instead, I climbed out of the car, carrying a couple of plastic bags that contained eggs, fruit, and croissants.
As soon as my foot hit the first step of the porch, the front door opened, revealing Ava dressed only in a thin navy robe, the remnants of moisture from her shower still evident on her skin.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice pitched low.
I lifted the bags in my hands and kept moving forward. Rather than asking for an invitation to enter, I walked up to her, crowding her back into the house. “I’m hungry.” Her brows lifted and I realized how my words sounded. I chuckled and stated, “For food.”
Though the scent of her damp skin whetted my appetite for a lot more. I inhaled deeply and suppressed a growl. Control. I had to remain in control.
Her eyes narrowed as she shut the door behind me. “Well, come right on in,” she said, her tone mocking.
I fought to master the reactions of my body as I carried the bags into the kitchen. The entire front of the house was open, the kitchen, dining, and living areas blending together into one large room. Though I assumed Ava had plenty of money due to her many business endeavors, her house was rather modest. Not small, but definitely not the mansion she could probably afford.
I set the bags on the counter and began to put out the food. She approached, leaning a hip on the opposite side of the island. Her eyes widened when she saw the array.
“Are you really going to turn down a free meal that I’m willing to prepare for you?” I asked and smiled a little as her eyes paused on the chocolate-dipped biscotti I’d picked up on a whim. On more than one occasion when I was watching her, I noticed that Ava favored them with her coffee or tea at the shop.
The corner of her mouth quirked as she lifted her gaze to mine. “That depends. Are you going to wash the dishes afterwards?”
“Of course,” I replied without hesitation.
“Then I guess you’re making me breakfast.” She walked over to the coffee maker on the counter and poured two cups. “How do you take your coffee?” she asked.
“You don’t know already? I thought you were a powerful witch.” I was only teasing her, but she faced me and looked me over as though she took my question seriously and she was sizing me up.
Before I could laugh and tell her my preference, her violet gaze locked onto mine and the breath left my lungs. The power was there, in those purple eyes, glowing, shimmering, and dancing. She no longer looked like the beautiful, young woman she usually appeared to be. No, she could have been the Goddess in the flesh, looking upon a creature that represented little more than a puny threat. She was both the beginning and the end. Of time. Of life. Of the very fabric of the universe. Goose bumps rose on my skin and the hair at the base of my neck lifted.
