Frank popped up and gestured to his sister.“We didn’t finish filling in last night.We need to hurry.”
I flicked my fingers, unlocking the back door of the gallery.
“We’ll let you work,” Robert said.“We wanted you to know how grateful we are.”
Elizabeth squeezed my hand.“I get so worried about something happening to them, but knowing they’re here with you gives me some peace.Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the baby, though.When are you due?”
Declan and I shared a look.“No idea.Uncle John is going to try to track my progress in order to give us an estimate.This baby is half werewolf, and wolves have a much shorter gestation period.”
Robert held up a hand.“Do you want me to check?”
I stood and moved to his side.“I’m feeling pretty lucky we have two healers in the family.”
He rested his hand on my lower abdomen and closed his eyes.After a moment, he smiled.“She’s strong.I’d guess she’s at about sixteen weeks of development.”
Before he could move his hand, I pressed mine to it.“You know why I asked Uncle John to monitor me, right?”I never wanted Uncle Robert to think I didn’t value him.
He nodded.“I have my wife and daughter to love and take care of.I’ve been worried about him too.Hopefully, monitoring a new life will help pull him out of the darkness he’s mired in.”
TWENTY-ONE
Cue the Bright Lights and Billy Clubs
Ilet go of Uncle Robert’s hand and turned to Elizabeth.“I’ll see you in a few hours.You two need to be careful too, okay?”
“Arwyn, why don’t you and I go ward Robert’s vehicle?”Bracken suggested.
“Yes.Good call.”
Elizabeth hesitated.“Should I get Faith?”
Bracken smiled.“Let her work.Arwyn and I have this.”
My magic blended well with Bracken’s.No doubt the fact that we were both wicche-fae hybrids had something to do with that.The nice part about having either of us involved in the ward making was that wicches couldn’t unwind fae magic.
When we were done and said goodbye, Bracken checked his watch.“Oh, no.The gallery is open and I haven’t checked for poison yet.”
We walked around the front of the building.Cars had been filling up the parking lot while we worked, but spells had kept us hidden.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said to him.“I had no idea she’d been worrying.”
He paused at the base of the steps.“Someone is watching us.Do you feel it?”
I nodded, climbing the steps and putting myself behind the ward.“I promised Declan I’d be careful.”
Bracken followed.“Good.That’s the right decision.”He walked to the end of the porch and looked over the road.“As for the poison, that’s nothing.If it keeps that intrusive thought from plaguing her, it’s worth it.”He stared straight ahead.“Behind that big, flowering bush.”
I ran a finger over the glass tentacle I’d installed to the left of the front door.“Yeah.I clocked it too.It doesn’t feel like Milena this time, though.”
Bracken swirled a finger at his side and we heard a guttural grunt across the street.“It’s not nice to spy on people,” he said, holding out his elbow for me to take.“Let’s go check on your aunt.”
It was a steady day.Sundays were calmer than Saturdays.Midafternoon, I checked in with everyone, then excused myself to the hot shop.I wanted to work on the light fixture for the dining room.I ran up to the loft above my studio to change into work clothes, then got started.
A few hours in, I saw movement on the deck out of the corner of my eye.It was Hernández this time.I shouted, “Give me a few minutes!”She nodded, moving to one of my benches.
I finished the piece I was working on and got it into the annealer before going out onto the deck.I closed in the heat behind me, hoping this would be a quick visit and I could get back to work.
Detective Hernández sat beside a Native man I’d met before.His name was Kaknu.He was Ohlone and a falcon shifter.He sometimes worked with Osso, Nick, Declan, and me on our supernatural crime fighting crew.He did not, however, work with Orla.Apparently, raptors didn’t get along well.It had something to do with their other natures attacking one another in the wild.Orla, as an eagle-owl, was one of the largest raptors in the world, so the one time they met, Kaknu took off quickly.
