Page 63 of Scout’s Honor

Angie looked up and adjusted her glasses. Bonhi smiled, but the pleased recognition Bonhi had expected did not cross Angie’s face. Instead, her voice remained professional. “Ms. Candor, do you have an appointment?”

Bonhi opened her mouth, then closed it again, not sure what to say. Angie was acting strange.

“No,” she finally said. “I’m dropping off a key.”

Bonhi turned around to look at Dallas and he nodded once, his face somber.

Bonhi whipped back around, feeling shocked. Her friend was under control of vampires. For how long? Did it hurt? Had a vampire touched her? Drank her blood? Bonhi scanned all of Angie’s exposed skin and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Angie reached out an open palm and Bonhi retrieved the key from her pocket, handing it over. Angie’s whole body twitched, and Bonhi’s heart ached. She stared at her friend, trying to think what to say.

The door to Judge Sturn’s chambers opened and the woman herself came out, wearing a navy-blue pantsuit. She smiled at Bonhi. Bonhi’s mouth dropped open. She’d never seen Judge Sturn smile at anyone. Bonhi looked at Dallas and got another solemn nod.

Deep anger filled Bonhi. How dare anyone, including vampires, mess with a judge? That was like messing with the law itself. A dark desire to find whoever had done such a thing twisted through her psyche, making her hope she was a switch. That would mean she had the man, the magic, and the means to fix this.

She stood tall and said quick goodbyes, then rushed to Dallas, motioning him out of the room. In the hallway, she pulled him against a wall. “How long does it last for?”

Dallas shrugged. “Not sure. Might be a while unless the charm is removed or they get knocked on the head.”

“What will the vampires do to them?”

“Hopefully nothing if they get what they want—the key.”

Bonhi nodded. “I left it with Angie.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Dallas pulled Bonhi toward the exit. Just outside, they met up with Aven and Dakota.

“Where are you going to go?” Aven asked.

“I don’t know, where’s good?”

“I would go a mile away to be safe. Maybe just drive and park on the side of the road.”

Dallas grunted. “Good plan.” He kissed Bonhi’s fingers, then placed a hand on Aven’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes, his expression serious. “I need to tell you two something,” he said, pointing at Dakota for a moment. “I didn’t want to tell you on the phone, but it involves ‘The Cause.’” He shook his head, his eyes on the ground like he didn’t know how to start. “Mama Soline—she did some crazy-ass magic and Warrior Woman showed up. She had a message for me, and so d-did… f—” He stumbled over his words, looking around.

Bonhi smiled at him, trying to lend him the same strength he always gave her. He smiled back and went on. “—And so did Fate. The message was, I am the Scout, like Jameson is the Keeper.”

A smile pierced Aven’s face. He looked impressed, saying, “And like Carick is the Steward.”

Bonhi, Dallas, and Dakota all looked at him, confused.

“Who?” Dallas asked.

Aven waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll meet him when he comes back. You’re the Scout?”

Dallas nodded and backed up a little, stroking his short beard. “I think I’m supposed to find switches before they’re ‘switched on’, because why else would I see them glow before you?”

“Shit,” Aven said, “I can believe that. But what if you’re also supposed to lead Belief Coven?”

A thrill went through Bonhi and she studied Dallas. He was staring at Aven, his brows pulled low.

“Think about it,” Aven said. “Jameson’s the leader of ‘The Cause’ because he’s the Keeper and he’s been guarding some ancient book for years. He’s the leader of the Resperanza shifters because he’s the leader of the Cause—but he can’t effectively lead us. He lives in Resperanza, we live in Credence. He won’t know what’s going on with us unless we report to him.”

Dallas shook his head. “I don’t want to report to him.”

“Which is why I say maybe the Scout is the leader of Belief Coven.”