“You fucking brats,” Finch roared. “This ends now.”
“I agree.” Diaz leapt into the fray with his sword drawn. “Can’t let these interns show me up, now, can I?”
Diaz jumped at Finch, sword aimed, and enchantments glowing. The pair clashed, Diaz moving faster than I’d ever seen before. His enchantments enhanced his reaction time, but they stalled Finch’s reflexes, and after several careful slashes, Diaz brought Finch to his knees.
Finch’s eyes turned glossy and returned to their normal brown. Smoke sizzled and wafted from his body, taking with it the animal traits that’d enhanced his skills.
Diaz hit Finch in the back of the head with the butt of his sword. When the witch keeled over and passed out, Diaz summoned rope from one of the symbols of his sword.
“Whoa, how’d you do that?” Gael asked, fully recovered from the venom scare.
“It’s important to make sure your certified enchantment weapon is stocked with all the best supplies,” Diaz explained as he hogtied Finch, restraining the Celestial Coven enemy. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you all the best enchantments to add to your weapon. If, of course, you decide to keep it when you enter the field.”
“Oh, definitely,” Gael said with glee.
After Diaz dealt with Finch, he messaged Global Guild superiors for his next move. Since the station he guarded wasn’t set up for Finch, he didn’t know if he had the authority to bring in the detained witch.
I contemplated reaching out to him, warning him that something had trapped my core self inside. But if other witches from the Celestial Coven arrived, I’d need to ensure Diaz held this line. It turned out he and his interns were quite capable.
“Woohoo,” Gael yelled. “Impressive as hell, Texas Daddy.”
“Thanks, kid.” Diaz tipped his hat. “You and your familiar were pretty amazing yourselves. You two should be very proud.”
Gael grinned. “You hear that, bestie? We’re the frickin best.”
“I mean, we pretty much saved the day,” Zoya said, planting her hands on her hips. “But yeah, take all the credit.”
“Gladly.” Gael grinned, shooting her a wink, which of course made the girl blush.
I buried the memories that surfaced in each of their minds of the nights they spent getting to know each other.
“Not that I’m not grateful for your timely arrival, but what are you three doing here?” Diaz asked.
“Gladiatrix sent us here,” Carter answered. “She’s meeting with the others from the top ten before bringing them to this facility.”
“Well, that was the plan,” Vik added. “But if the Celestial Coven is here…”
“Then she’s probably kicking their asses all over town,” Zoya said.
“Those idiots picked the wrong time to attack Chicago,” Gael said. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”
Gael went to pick King Clucks up but faced the wrath of the bird’s swift pecks.
“Ow, ow, ow…” Gael backed away. “Let’s hope those pheromones wear off soon.”
“Agreed.” Diaz sighed.
“Hey, where’s Priscilla?”
“Oh, no worries,” Diaz said. “Even without our bond, I know her hangry face. I lured her into the nearby sushi place, told them to clear out, and left my card. Christ, Vanessa’s gonna kill me.”
“Yikes.”
“Here’s hoping the Global Guild covers it.” Diaz chuckled.
Despite everything, it seemed they had things under control. I needed to move inside and find my core self. Hopefully, I could assist in whatever release from a trap my core self needed.
As I drifted inside, I found the typical wards were already stripped. A convenience for me, but bizarre that someone managed to remove every single protection without triggering a single alert.
