“I helped,” Kameron mumbled as he slid the tray into the cooling rack.
Lexi chuckled and nodded. “Yes, you both did great. Especially if Mr. Fine Dining over here is complimenting you.”
A crash from the walk-in freezer had Lexi running, so I left it to her and headed for my office, relishing the steaming first bite of the pastry. Just before I shut the door, I heard Lexi scolding Izumi.
“There are places when you really shouldn’t use your speed, and inside a freezer is probably near the top.”
Nathan snorted as the door clicked shut. “Great kid, but she tries so hard to get ahead of herself.”
I swallowed before replying. “Can’t say I know the feeling. Getting ahead of yourself only leads to rushed and sloppy work. Report.”
He straightened his spine. “Right. As of now, most of the paths are untouched and unguarded, and my crew made sure to erase all signs of their presence to make sure they stayed that way. Several showed signs of recent activity, though. I marked their entry points on a map and emailed it to you before I came.”
I set the pastry down on the corner of my desk and slid my phone from my pocket, unlocking it with a swipe of my thumb. “Hmm. Abaddon must be actively hunting for them. And if he’s looking, then he’s suspicious. We’re running out of time.”
“I thought the same.” Nathan glanced at the closed door behind me. “What’s the next task?”
Tapping my fingers on my phone, I looked up and met his green eyes. “Deploy four of your people to watch these two paths. If either of them is compromised, I want to be notified immediately.”
Nathan frowned at the screen in my hands. “Why these two?”
“Because their exit points are in strategic locations,” I explained, “and we need to start planning with definite locations in mind. A primary and a back-up. Make sure you have set check-in times, and if they miss that check-in by more than a half hour, the location is considered lost.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take the one in North Carolina with—”
I held my hand up. “Not you. Your team. I have another job for you.”
Deep breath. Just fucking ask him.
“I want you to stay close to Lexi.”
His eyes widened. “Lexi? Why?”
Putting my phone away, I lowered my voice in case the demigoddess in the other room overheard us. “Until the wards around Boston are up, we don’t know who or what may come after her. With all the planning I have to do, I won’t be able to stay as close as I want to, and I’d like someone she trusts to have her back. Someone that could possibly see danger coming before it happens.”
Understanding brightened his gaze. “Okay, yeah, I can do that. You want me to protect her.”
“Don’tprotecther,” I corrected a bit too sharply. “She’s not some weak damsel in distress. Stand beside her, watch her back, but don’t treat her like she’s helpless. She’s far from it.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And make damn sure to keep your hands to yourself unless you value your life so little.”
There it was, the current topic loosening the lid of the box I’d stuffed my useless emotions into. A muscle in Nathan’s jaw twitched, but he dipped his chin in acknowledgment. I grabbed my now cool pastry and opened the door, ready to escape the small room, made practically suffocating with the kid’s enormous build stuffed in there. Maybe I could get Apollo to fix that while I had him around for a bit.
For now, though, I needed to see a certain redhead before my Saturday night demon hunt.
Chapter 2
Lexi
“So, you’re taking me with you tomorrow, right?”
I grinned at my best friend. “Until I’ve had more practice, it’s best if you don’t go just yet. I might accidentally blow you up.”
Sophie pouted and flopped back in the passenger seat of my red Jeep. She’d been begging to go with me since I started visiting Salem more often, using the basement of my mom’s shop to practice the witchier side of my magic. I wasn’t catching on quite as quickly as I’d hoped, my dad’s magic still overpowering the miniscule amount I had, but learning to control that was just another aspect of my training.
“I wish you weren’t going back to Alabama for Thanksgiving,” I said, shooting her a quick smile. “My mom wouldn’t have minded setting another plate. She always makes too much food, anyway.”
She gasped in horror and pressed her hand to her chest dramatically. “And give up my biscuits and chocolate gravy?”
“That… sounds disgusting.” I wrinkled my nose at the idea. “Really? Like, actual buttery biscuits, with chocolate on them? For Thanksgiving?”
