Page 54

“Not the time, Carolina.”

Mack stepped over the splintered remains of the door before she could answer. He wore faded jeans, heavy boots, and a black Kingston Security jacket over a wrinkled T-shirt. Audrey followed him in leggings, sneakers, and an oversized sweater, her hair dragged into a hasty ponytail. She carried a medical bag in one hand and wore the expression of a woman prepared to file a formal complaint against magic itself.

“Jesus, Logan,” Mack said. “You told me you were holding steady.”

“He’s not taking calls.”

“Good. I was talking to you.”

Audrey set the bag beside the couch and pushed the blanket away from my legs. Her mouth tightened when she saw the bruises.

She was human, but she possessed the brisk competence of someone who had adapted to supernatural disasters because the alternative was allowing them to ruin her schedule.

“Can vampire bones break?” she asked.

“Everything breaks if you’re creative enough,” Mack said.

“Helpful, honey.”

“It’s one of my gifts.”

Carolina hovered beside the couch, her hands clenched. “This is my fault.”

Audrey looked up sharply. “Did you cast the curse?”

“No, but...”

“Did you force a grown woman with more power than common sense to behave like a vindictive asshole?”

“No.”

“Then stop volunteering for blame that belongs to your mother.” Audrey unzipped the medical bag. “Women inherit enough bullshit without stealing extra.”

Carolina stared at her.

Then a small, broken laugh escaped.

Mack crouched beside me, and the teasing disappeared from his face.

“The portable emitter bought us time last night,” he said. “It wasn’t enough. I’ve rebuilt it, and I’m adding perimeter wards. They won’t stop a High Priestess forever, but they’ll alert us if her magic crosses the boundary. They’ll also make her work harder to reach you.”

“You’re putting company resources on my apartment?”

“I own the company. The resources go where I say.”

“Very billionaire Batman of you.”

“Batman couldn’t turn into a bear.”

“Missed opportunity.”

Mack gripped my shoulder carefully. “You aren’t doing this alone anymore.”

The words should have comforted me.

Instead, they scared the shit out of me.

Jacqueline had already hurt Carolina to reach me. Now Mack and Audrey were deliberately placing themselves inside the blast radius.