Kaeli nodded.Before she tried again, she said, “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For spending time with me, for helping.I didn’t have that with my old coven.They never saw me as anything but a failure.”
“They were blind to your true potential and idiots, too.But it’s my pleasure to help you in any way that I can.Knowing there’s a witch in our midst who can help keep us all safe and that we’re not without protection while I’m pregnant is a blessing.You’rea blessing.”
Kaeli’s eyes stung suddenly.No one had ever called her that before.
“You are to me, too.”
She turned her attention to the firepit, called her magic forward, and watched as a dancing flame appeared in her hand.Touching her earth magic, she twined it with her fire, the two pulsing together, and then she spoke the spell and sent the fire forward.
Just as it hit the logs and they burst into flame, Cinder’s phone beeped, and she took it from her pocket.
“Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?”Kaeli asked.
“This morning, before dawn, the convoy to the dealership was attacked, and everyone was knocked unconscious.Leo just woke up.They took Mira!”
Kaeli pulled the fire back to herself and extinguished it.“Get in the house, we could be in danger,” Kaeli said.She watched her friend run to the house, then took off for the security office.She pushed open the door, locking eyes with Solan.“It’s true?Those anti-shifter people took Mira?”
“Yes,” Solan said.“We’re going to gather the team that’s out of commission and try to find Mira.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said.
“Abso-damn-lutely not,” Solan said with a snarl.
“Hey!You need me.I can cast a location spell; I just need Leo.I saw it in the book Lorene gave me yesterday.”
Solan’s upper lip curled, and she could see the indecision in his eyes.
“Solan,” she said.“Please.Let me help.”
“Fine, but you’re by my side like glue.Got it?”
“I promise.”
In minutes, they were on the road, another group of security team members with them, including Adam.The pack was urged to shelter in place as the remaining security team would be stretched thin keeping watch over the town.
Solan drove, and Adam was in the front seat.Kaeli rode in the second row with Dove and Linus.She stared down at her spellbook.Location spells were fairly basic to witches, and now that she’d been working on spellcasting for a couple of days, she was feeling more confident.But she was nervous, too.If she couldn’t cast a spell to locate Mira, they’d have to reach out to the coven and ask for help, and that would delay things.
The attack site was halfway between Thorn Hollow and the dealership and looked like a bomb had gone off.The pack’s vehicles were off the road, many damaged as if they’d been hit by other vehicles, and two were toppled on their sides.Leo and a couple of security team members were standing on the side of the road when they arrived.
“Come on,” Solan said when he parked.“Stay close, babe.”
“I will.”
They exited the truck and moved to Leo and the others.He was bleeding from a head wound, his eyes amber as he growled when he talked about waking up and finding Mira gone.
“It was so damn fast,” Leo said.“The two scout vehicles radioed that everything was safe on the route, but when we caught up to them, we were attacked.They came at us with some kind of grenades that put out tons of smoke.That’s all I remember until I woke up and Mira was gone.”
Kaeli’s stomach twisted.Mira must be so scared.
She reached out and put her hand on Leo’s arm.“I can help find her.”
“How?”he asked.
