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“You just don’t want me to kill anybody without you.”
A cruel smile curves his mouth. “That too.”
Elara frowns. “You said ‘they’. Who else do you think will be there?”
I look to the raven. “Did you see any wolves or other witches?”
“Since Sebastian returned with the address five minutes ago? No.”
“Saucy bird.”
“I can’t believe Summer is a Caron and never told anyone,” Nadine says.
“I can,” Elara says. “Her aunt Gisele helped Claudette and Lilian with the Unity Ritual. I heard that after the dust settled and witches realized the outcome, the Dumonts, Beauchamps, and Carons were in the crosshairs of all paranormal camps.”
Sebastian grunts. “There was a mass exodus of witches from New Orleans in the weeks that followed. Since Summer only came back once she was already married, there was no way to know.”
Nadine and Elara lower their hands and step back from Sebastian in unison.
“That should do it,” Elara says. “But just to be sure maybe we?—”
Sebastian is gone in a blur.
“—should work on the warding before you go outside.”
Nadine blinks. “Is he crazy?”
I hurry the witches out in front of me, and we race down the road. When we arrive at the old Caron home, Elara and Nadine get straight to work on the warding while Sebastian smolders in the shade of the covered porch.
“Your impulses are going to get you fried one day, Bas.” Damn, the steam coming off his body is making me cringe.
“Nonsense. I have faith in the ladies. The shroud will hold until we get inside.”
The air sizzles with both Bas’ skin and tension as Elara and Nadine focus on the shimmering ward that encircles the old century home.
I move to stand beside Sebastian to stay out of the way. The witches’ hands move in intricate patterns, their voices weaving a chant that vibrates through the morning air.
The ward is a pulsating barrier of electric currents, repelling everything foreign. As Elara and Nadine’s magic intensifies, the barrier’s energy fluctuates, pulsing erratically like a heart racing towards its final beats.
I scrunch my nose and give Sebastian a side-eye. “You smell like burnt chicken.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“True, but you still smell.”
After a long moment, the energy begins to flicker and waver, distorting the air around us. There’s a noticeable drop in the atmospheric pressure, and then the ward collapses.
The energy dissipates with a hiss and a faint echo of magical discharge. The abrupt cessation leaves a temporary vacuum, and the sudden absence of resistance is our cue to move.
Without wasting a second, Sebastian and I bust through the door with vampire speed. We race through the empty halls, me taking the main floor while Sebastian heads upstairs.
My senses are on high alert, scanning for any signs of Fintan or a trap that might have been left behind.
As we search, the urgency is palpable.
Now that we’re inside, Finn’s energy resonates over the bond. He’s weak and hurting.
“Upstairs. I have him.”
