"Everything we're doing carries risks," Kota muttered. That was the story of our lives. "At least this way we're taking the fight to the bastard instead of waiting for him to pick us off one by one."
"Don't worry about your house," Marie called out. Following her gaze, I noticed she was looking at Dani, who was chewing her lower lip and looking around the property. “I'll keep it safe and sound. After all, I have a reputation to maintain."
"This is so weird," Dre whispered to me as we gathered close. "A year ago, she was trying to kill us."
Kaveh moved to the center of our group and waved to Cyran. His face was already showing strain. It made me pause and wonder if this was a good idea. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his djinn fire began to spiral in a tight circle around him. The flames changed and grew into towering pillars of djinn energy.
"This is... significant," he said through gritted teeth. Kaitlyn placed her hand on his back as his usual composure started cracking. "I've never attempted a mass teleportation of this magnitude, so huddle close."
The shuffling of feet on the porch drowned out the sounds of fighting as everyone crowded close. Bodies pressed in from all sides. I had to fight the urge to elbow my way to some breathing room.
Being squished against Dre wasn't the worst thing in the world—at least I knew she had my back. But feeling someone breathing down my neck without knowing who it was? That made me twitchy as hell.
"Personal space, people," I muttered, but nobody was listening. We were packed tighter than sardines in a can, and about as comfortable.
That was when the air started to change. It grew thick and electric, like the moment before lightning strikes. My skin prickled with Kaveh’s energy, and every nerve ending was suddenly on high alert.
Kaveh's djinn power spread outward from where he stood in the center. It rolled toward us in waves of barely contained power. The energy created a perfect circle that encompassed our entire group—Guardian families, my sisters, supernatural allies, and everyone else crazy enough to follow us into this mess.
“Kaveh,” I said, worried by how much he was already struggling. “Are you sure you can?—”
"I can do it," he interrupted. "But everyone needs to stay within the circle. If someone steps outside while I'm weaving the spell..." He didn't need to finish. We all understood the consequences.
The energy began to pulse in rhythm with Kaveh's heartbeat. "Hold on," Kaveh gasped, as his knees buckled slightly. "This is going to be rough."
Between one breath and the next, I felt like I was being torn apart at the molecular level. The sensation of traveling through space was magnified tenfold. Instead of a smooth transition, it felt like being shot through a cannon made of lightning and thorns.
Screams echoed around us—whether from our group or from the fabric of reality itself, I couldn't tell. The energy consumed everything. For a terrifying moment, I thought we might be lostforever in the space between worlds. Then, as suddenly as it started, we crashed back into existence.
We materialized in Congo Square with all the grace of a meteor impact. Half of our group stumbled and fell when we hit solid ground. Kaveh collapsed immediately. His energy evaporated, and his face was gray with exhaustion.
"Is everyone okay?" I gasped as I looked around while trying to keep my legs steady.
"Define okay," Dre groaned from where she'd landed in an undignified heap next to Thomas.
A smirk lifted one corner of my mouth as I noted we were all there. In one piece. And somehow still alive. Which, given what Kaveh had just pulled off, felt like a miracle.
"Elena, take the northern perimeter," Kaitlyn said as she knelt next to Kaveh. Having members of the coven already there was the second blessing of the day. "Sophia, establish confusion charms along the walking paths. Maricella, I need you coordinating redirection with the street performers. Make them think there's construction work or a permit issue."
Kaitlyn then turned to a group of younger practitioners. "You guys need to start on a concealment dome. It should be a forty-foot radius, anchored to the oak trees. Make it look like the park is empty to anyone outside the perimeter. Anyone who tries to enter should get a sudden urge to use the restroom or go for some beignets."
I watched with growing respect as the coven moved with military precision. Within minutes, the square was becoming a supernatural fortress disguised as empty parkland. Tourists walked past without a second glance. It was fascinating to watch their minds slide away from what should have been an obvious gathering of magical practitioners.
"The concealment barriers are holding," Kaitlyn reported, though I could see it for myself. "This level of illusion won't lastindefinitely. The energy drain increases exponentially with the size of the area we're hiding."
"How long do we have?" Dre asked while I began to help with the ritual circle where the Guardians had originally imprisoned the Collector. The spiritual resonance there was incredible. There were layers upon layers of accumulated magic, hope, desperation, and determination. It had soaked into the ground over more than a century and a half.
"Perhaps an hour before the concealment starts showing cracks," she replied. "After that, maintaining the compulsion will compromise our ability to help with the actual binding."
"An hour should be enough," Phi said as she consulted the diagram for the ritual on her phone.
"The original binding circle is still here," Dea observed. "I can feel the echo of what they did, the magnitude of the sacrifice they made." Her empathic abilities obviously picked up psychic impressions from the ancient ritual site.
Thomas knelt beside the circle I had begun. "The anchor points are intact," he reported as he ran his weathered hands over symbols that became visible only when touched by Guardian magic. Thank the gods I had been right about what I was picking up on. Otherwise, we would have had to start over with the circle. "They’re weakened, but still functional."
Above us, the concealment dome flickered as something massive pressed against it from the other side. The temperature around us dropped, and several of the witches stumbled. "What happened?” I asked as I scanned for danger.
"The Collector knows we’re here," Kaitlyn announced grimly. "We need to start the ritual now, before it can manifest physically and overwhelm us."
