Anger overtook me, rage that what should have been a safe home for my mate and child was already under attack.Was nowhere safe?I shoved hard, her spell knocking her off her feet, as I pulled on the ocean.
A huge wave reared up and crashed over the rocks, swamping her and washing her into the road.Headlights appeared.The woman scrambled up and ran to the edge of the road, out of oncoming traffic.Instead of hitting her, though, the car stopped and picked her up before speeding away.Who the hell was that?
“What’s happening?”Declan asked.He was sitting up in bed, watching me.
Suddenly cold, I flicked my fingers, starting the fire.“Did I mention I love having a fireplace in the bedroom?”
He held up the covers for me to crawl back in.I returned the pearl to the nightstand and moved into the crook of his arm.Head on his chest, I wrapped an arm across his waist.He covered us up and held me tightly while I explained.
“Black magic?Is she a Swan, or do we have more Coreys doing evil magic?”
“Thatisthe question.”I ran my hand up and down his abs.“I’m sorry.They know I’m here now.This won’t be the last magical attack we have to fend off.”
He wrapped his hand around mine.“I knew what I was getting into.This means I need to move up getting a security wall built.The cyclone fencing out there is an eyesore anyway.I wanted some time to decide on the design, but we’re going to fast-track that project instead.”
“Bracken said your construction crew was going to start working on his new apartment,” I reminded him.
“They’re not my construction crew.They work for Kenji’s family’s company,” he said, referring to his second in the pack.“I think his sister drew up the plans for Bracken’s addition to the gallery.The fence job is going to be a lot of heavy lifting.Kenji can get me another all-shifter crew.”He kissed my head.“Let me worry about that.Once it’s done, you, your mom, and Faith can build additional wards to keep our home safe.”
I nodded, feeling unaccountably sleepy.Normally, when I woke in the middle of the night, that would be it for me.Not now, apparently.
As I drifted off, my mind kept returning to the lower half of the face I saw under the black wicche’s hood.Declan was right.It was a woman.
FIFTEEN
Swans Are Even Worse than Coreys
It was a gallery day, but I also had an order to finish.I decided I’d go early and get as many pieces made as I could before I had to clean up for customers.Declan drove me over, stopping his Bronco a few feet from the front of my gallery.We both got out and he located the spot where the ashes from the flame spell had landed.Before I could start my work this morning, I had to deal with last night’s threat.
“Wait,” Declan said, jumping back in his vehicle and moving it forward ten feet so I’d be blocked from view.He got back out and circled around to me, crouching down when I did, prepared to keep me from hitting the pavement.
I slipped off my glove and pressed a finger to the ashes.Before I made contact, though, the shouts were already ringing in my head.
“I’m going to kill the cunt!She had no right!She can’t do this.Please, Gran, he can’t stay in jail.We have to get him out.You know Milo needs me—us.”
I tried doing what my dad had said.We hadn’t had a lesson yet, but I sort of got it.I yanked and pulled, trying to shift my perspective from the ranting woman to a fly on the wall.It didn’t work.This sort of thing came naturally to my father.For me, not so much.
“Child, calm yourself.I told you, I’m working on it.She may have detectives in her pocket, but we have a judge.”The older woman watched the young one pace angrily.“I’ll go see him myself tomorrow.”
That stopped the younger one.“You will?You said you’d never do that.”
The older woman patted her perfectly coiffed hair.“Sometimes it’s necessary to get involved.Mary is dead.Sybil is the head of the Corey coven now,” she said with a sneer.“Weak.Mary was the force in that family.The artist granddaughter has been hidden most of her life.My guess is she’s half human and probably doesn’t have enough wicche in her blood to do a simple spell.Why else would they hide her like a dirty secret?”
The older woman shook her head.“No way would Mary not lord a powerful wicche over us all.”With a quick, angry flick of her hand, she brushed her skirt perfectly flat.To look at her, one would assume she was a meek church lady, rather than the head of the Swan coven.
“You go tonight and see what wards her grandmother placed on the gallery.With Mary dead, some of the spells may have weakened, if not broken.I’ll go tomorrow, see if she can be reasoned with or spelled into dropping the charges against Milo.”
The young woman finally calmed.She knew her grandmother would figure it out.“The ring?”she asked.
Catherine Swan nodded.“I’ll have her in my thrall in no time.”
“Good.”The young woman held out a small cloth pouch.“I have the spell ready.I’ll go tonight.You know, I read that the gallery was doing really well.Coreys are already loaded.Maybe when you influence her, you could get her to finance us.”
The harsh lines of Catherine’s face softened.“Perhaps.”
I opened my eyes and found I hadn’t moved.Declan had his arms ready to catch me, but I was okay.He stood with me and squeezed the water from the octopus bottle on my finger to clean off the ash.
“Thanks.”I put my glove back on and poured some of the water on the ash on the ground.
