“Brumous?” I shouted. Where had he gone?
Then it hit me, sending a fresh wave of panic through me. That wasn’t Brummy. Eluned always had been good at illusions. All the Harrows were.
The crawfish wasnotan illusion, however. It lunged, its claws snapping, and I scrambled back, my feet slipping in the mud. Screaming, I looked around frantically, my eyes darting for something to use as a weapon.
I heard shouting, faint voices growing louder. Hoping it was my husbands, I spun and saw Addison running toward me, his face set in a fierce determination I’d never seen before. He held a cleaver in each hand and moved with surprising speed. Behind him, Mrs. Wentzel was running, too, something clutched to her chest. But they were too far away to help me, and I couldn’t outrun this thing.
My eyes landed on a branch lying nearby. It was a sturdy-looking stick, like a walking staff, and I lunged for it, my fingers closing around the rough wood just as the crawfish’s antennae whipped toward me. I swung the branch with all my strength, the impact jarring my arms as it connected. The monster let out a guttural hiss, its claws flailing wildly as it reeled back, disoriented.
I tightened my grip on the branch, my mouth set in a grim line. I wasn’t about to let Eluned, never mind some overgrown lobster, steal my new life from me.
16. Snarl of Hatred
Casimir
The phone rang just as we were pulling onto the main road.
“Yo, Fosterella, what’s up?” Zane sang out first. “We just talked to you on Tuesday. What happened? Eluned finally figure out you’re not actually into her?”
“Focus, Zane,” I muttered, my hand finding Brumous’ ruff, knowing Foster wouldn’t have called for a friendly chat.
“Bro, that crazy ass bitch is on her way to Evermere,” Foster said, sharp and urgent, and my stomach dropped. “Whatever you’re doing, stop and go find your wife!”
The air in the SUV went cold. Koa’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Zane’s smirk vanished, replaced by a look of pure alarm.
“What? Just outta the blue?”
“She’s a demented Dark witch bent on dumbfuckery,” Foster snapped. “Everything’soutta the blue.”
“Turn around, Ko,” I barked. “Now.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He jerked the wheel hard, the tires screeching as we swung into a U-turn. My heart was pounding, my mind racing.
Eluned.
At Evermere.
With Seri.
Alone.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening.I took a deep inhale.Focus. Think. Plan. Act.
“How long has Eluned been MIA?” Koa asked.
“Two hours.”
“She won’t be able to get in,” Zane told Foster with amused confidence. “We fixed the perimeter runestones. There’s a dome of wards over the whole fang-rotted estate now. Grounds are warded, house is warded, air is warded—”
“Is thelakewarded?” Foster interrupted. “Because Amabel just confirmed that Eluned is at a water witch’s place right now, cashing in a favor!”
“Oh, hell, no!” Koa barked as a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
“Stay calm,” I told them and myself. “No alarms or wards have triggered. We have time to sort this out.”
Focus. Think. Plan. Act.
But all I could see was Seri with her soft, honey-gold hair, her wide gray eyes, her quiet strength, her current fragility. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserveanyof this.
