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“Are you okay being alone with him out here?” My gaze shifts to the shotgun poking up next to his ear. “If I can’t snuff out his life force, you can’t shoot him.”
He grunts in acknowledgment, and I return to my salt circle.
“Sure would suck if my finger slipped on this symbol.” Xander draws the next part of the spell with jerky swipes. “If we weren’t trying to stop an apocalypse, I’d be so tempted to fudge this job.”
“But you wouldn’t.” I grin over my shoulder at him. “That’s why you’re the headmaster and not me.”
Reese nods in agreement. “I’d have killed him the second he stepped into the Yard. The sign at the entrance would have absolved me.”
“Don’t think I didn’t consider it.” I’d have been more than happy to let Pen drag his ass out of the Harbor and toss him to the wolves. “I keep reminding myself we don’t want to hurry along the Wild Hunt’s arrival.”
“So what’s the plan?” Reese sprinkles a handful of iron shavings over my salt line. “Lock him up here until after the eclipse?”
“Pretty much.” I straighten and rub the ache in my back from being bent over. “If the sacrifices aren’t met, the gate won’t open, and there won’t be a hunt.”
Reese squints at the setting sun. “Sounds too easy.”
“We’re banking a lot on Xander’s salt and iron.” I blow out a hard breath. “Marc’s fire is a last resort.”
Xander pauses at the end of another part of the spell. “Way to put the pressure on.”
“Don’t toot your own horn unless you’re ready for the attention.” Rolling my shoulders, I bend to continue the salt line, the beginning of the line within sight.
Reese and I finish our circle before Xander finishes painting the wards onto the cabin, and we share coffee from a thermos while we wait.
His ugly little familiar crawls out of the SUV where Anny snoozes to launch himself into the air and glides down to curl around Reese’s neck. Our familiars had sat this one out for the comfort of the quiet, sun-warmed vehicle.
Reese reaches up to rub one finger on his snout as he chugs down his cup.
I sip mine more slowly, drawing out the burn of caffeine sliding down my throat. The lack of sleep is catching up on me, and I stifle more than one yawn.
Marc will have it worse as he takes the first watch. Darius will come tomorrow to relieve him. He had offered to take the first round of babysitting, but after almost extinguishing himself to bring Pen back, he needs a few hours to rest and replenish his inner flames.
When at last Xander traces the final symbol on the siding, a hum of energy snaps into place, strong enough to raise the hairs on my arms.
Despite the reason for the job, pride fills me as I assess the glow of ley line magic now surrounding the safe house. Each symbol’s straight, precise lines pulse with power. There’s no doubt in my mind these wards will stand against any magical attack.
If they can’t keep the black dog out, nothing can.
I clap Xander on the back. “You do good work, headmaster.”
He wipes beads of sweat from his forehead and accepts the bottle of water Reese offers. “That little cabin is now reinforced to withstand a siege.”
“We’ll see.” I refill my coffee cup. “It will be put to the test soon enough.”
It just needs to hold for three more days, and then Bailey will be out of our lives.
play4u
- Pen -
I press the red pin into the murder board to mark the location of the judge’s sacrifice from two nights ago.
“Here.” Sharpe holds out a little tray of different colored push pins. “We can use an orange one for the attempt to kill Bailey.”
I dig through the pointy collection to find the right one and add it to the map.
“It doesn’t make sense.” Sharpe’s brow furrows as he studies the map. “All the previous kills have been spread out across the city. So why did the black dog go after Bailey?”
