The darkness of sleep takes me, a slowly rising tide that I give myself up to. Dan’s body feels incredibly hot against mine, and I wrap my arms around him, my heart still broken from the terrible story he told me before.
No wonder he was so afraid of my magic. Not just the incident itself, but the years of tracking magic workers and apprehending them. I finally understand now.
Even though sleep comes easily, my dreams dance with fire and danger, and I’m shocked out of a sound sleep just as dawn lightens the windows.
“What is it?” Dan mutters.
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “Something’s wrong, I can feel it.”
“I don’t want to get up,” he replies, snuggling his head into my shoulder. “I want to stay here forever.”
“You and me both. If it’s just pack duty, I think we could take the day off, but if it’s not…”
Dan looks up at me, his eyes full of worry. “You think it’s bigger than that?”
I want to say no and make any excuse that will leave us right here, wrapped up in each other for the rest of the day, but anxiety is rising deep in my gut. I can feel heat on the horizon, and somewhere deep in my mind, I hear Kyra calling.
“We have to get up,” I mutter. “Sorry.”
“Damn,” Dan says, trying to rise. “After everything being quiet for so long, why do things have to pick today of all days to go critical?”
I chuckle as I get up, looking around for my phone. “That’s how it always goes.”
I finally find my phone on the floor, and Dan gets his from the table at the same time. Both of us mutter “oh, fuck” at exactly the same time.
“The rock is hot,” I say with shock.
“Ah… yeah. I actually saw a glow from that area last night. I probably should have checked in then, but I got a little distracted.”
“So did I,” I laugh. As I go down the list of texts, my laughter fades. “Shit,” I mutter.
“Yeah,” Dan agrees. “Have you got the messages about the Eccles first families disappearing?”
“Yes,” I snap, getting up. “Those bastards. What have they done?”
“We'd better get over there and find out,” Dan says, getting up as well. “The witches are on their way, right?”
For a horrible moment, I feel like he can see right into my head, and I freak out that he knows all my secrets.
After the sex last night, I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Alisha and Sara,” he says. “And Scarlett, I think? Is she a witch?”
“Technically, no,” I answer, relieved that he isn’t directly reading my mind. “But she has some kind of power the snake likes. We know that much.”
“Okay. Well, we'd better get over there.”
“Yes,” I say, watching him leave the room to find some clothes.
I can’t walk right into an incursion—what about my baby?
A clanging accompanied by flashing white light suddenly rings in my head.
Jesus, Kyra, what the fuck?
You weren’t answering. I had to make you hear me.
What?
