“I’ve been working with him on his powers, teaching him to control them. I’m confident he can do what’s necessary.”
Sinthy turned to look at him, her gaze intent. “You protect this house and especially protect Maddy. Do you understand that?”
Max took a few deep breaths. Still looking nervous as hell, he nodded. “I will. I understand.” He looked up at me, and I witnessed the determination in his eyes. “I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect you, Maddy. I promise.”
Sinthy looked at me, one eyebrow raised in question.
I nodded, smiling warmly at Max. “Sounds good to me.”
I was grateful there’d be a witch to protect me, but my mind drifted back upstairs to the box I had hidden under my bed. I hoped this young man was all that I’d need to stay safe. But at the back of my mind, I worried that I would need even more than what he had at his fingertips to survive. To save my loved ones.
138
NICO
Sinthy was just leaving the house when my mother and I reached it. I met her at the door right as she opened it.
“Oh, Nico,” she said in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d be here for a few more minutes.”
Glancing inside, I saw Maddy was in the living room with Maxwell. Gabriella was coming down the stairs.
“Yeah,” I said. “I wanted to get my mother here before… well, before.”
“Come on in,” Sinthy said, sweeping her hand back into the house and smiling at my mom.
Maddy smiled and waved her over. Mom went, giving her a hug. Whatever negativity had once been between them had vanished completely, and that pleased me. There was too much at stake to worry about such petty things.
“I put an additional ward around the house,” Sinthy said. “Gabriella, Maddy, and your mom will be here. It’s as safe as I can make it. Max is going to stay with them and protect them.” Sinthy gave me a knowing look. “Assuming it comes to that. Hopefully, it won’t.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed trite to say it that way. Sinthy had done so much for us, there should be more to say thanthank you,but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have the words to express what she meant to me and my pack. She’d nearly killed herself to save us and Sebastian during the last attack. She’d put on a brave face and had since recovered, but I’d never seen someone look so close to death and still survive.
“Guys, I need a minute with Maddy.” I took her hand and walked over to the quiet corner of the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” Maddy asked.
“Yeah, I think so. I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Before… well, you know. Things are about to get crazy.”
What I refused to say, but what I was worried about, was that this might be the last time we got to speak to each other. There was a possibility, as awful as it was to admit, that one of us might not survive the day.
“Are you going to be okay here? Everything locked up and ready?”
Maddy nodded. “Yeah. Abi should be here in a minute. We’re all going to hole up here.”
“Good. Javi got here with the others about thirty minutes ago. He said there are lots of people he didn’t recognize in Clearidge. I think a bunch of people came to heed Viola’s call. I’m worried.”
“What’s our final number?” Maddy asked, glancing out the window at the group of shifters slowly assembling in the field.
“Nothing official, but Diego and Mateo said they were fairly sure at least three thousand shifters came to join the cause.”
Even saying those words made my head spin. Three thousand shifters. From all over the country. Canada and south of the border too. If you’d told me a year ago that this was going to happen, I never would have believed it, but here we were.My makeshift army was assembling like some sort of medieval battle.
Maddy placed her hands on my cheeks and forced me to make eye contact. “Promise me you’ll be careful. That you’ll stay safe and be smart.”
I looked into her hopeful eyes and tried to forget what had happened in Paris and the bullets that had hurtled toward me. The fact that, without Sinthy, I’d be dead. I swore I’d be more careful, and I intended to keep that pledge.
Putting my hands on hers, I nodded. “I promise. As long as you do the same.”
