Presuming, of course, that person was indeed Lanie or Orion, and we weren’t as yet sure of that.
“I don’t believe?—”
She stopped. A heartbeat later, I heard it too—a soft but insistent beeping.
“What’s that sound, Cathy?”
“Perimeter alarm. Come in—slowly, or I will shoot you.”
Atticus, check with Ginny.
Am. She’s not seeing anyone, which could mean magic is involved.
Damn.To Cathy, I said. “I’m a witch, not a shifter.”
“And this arrow will nevertheless kill you before you can cast a fucking spell.”
“Except, of course, if I’ve already formed one.”
I immediately spun the repelling spell around the corner. She grunted as it hit, her bow and arrow clattering to the floor as the spell threw her violently back. I ran in, scooped up her weapon, and continued on, placing one foot firmly on her gut and holding the arrow at her throat.
“If I let you up, you will behave. Understood?”
She scowled but nodded. I took a couple of steps back but held the silver-tipped arrow in front of me like a knife. Once she was on her feet, I said, “Now, let’s go investigate that alarm, because it’s not my partner causing it.”
Her scowl deepened but she turned and strode toward the far end of the long storeroom. I followed, silently creating a leash spell, because I did not trust the bitch one iota.
In the back corner were three desks that formed a U-shape, while a bank of screens lined the wall behind them. They showed camera views of not only the front of the building—she had definitely seen us arrive—but also the rear parking area, the back lots of the buildings on either side, and views of the upper floor.
She walked around the desks and stood in front of the screens, scanning them quickly. “I’m not seeing anything unusual—maybe it was a rat. We have them around here.”
“If it was a rat, my partner would have seen it.” I frowned up at the screens for a few seconds and caught the faintest shimmer approaching the back door. Magic. Concealing magic.
Not one concealment, but three.Atticus paused.One crawls through the upstairs window.
Human or demon?
Smells human. Shall I smite? I really need to smite.
Not dead. To Cathy, I said, “You have visitors. Two are almost at the back door and the other is currently crawling through the upper back window.”
“What?” she said, her head snapping around, her eyes wide as she stared at me. “Why can’t I see anything?”
“Concealment magic. I suggest you hide under your desk and keep still. The minute you move, they’ll have you.”
Her face paled, and she scrambled to obey. She had no sooner gotten under when two things happened: One, a fierce storm of magic erupted from upstairs, Atticus and the man—witch—who’d crawled through the window doing battle, and two, the back door exploded inward.
There was little more than a faint shimmer to show the position of the two men who came through it, but that’s all I needed. I flung my repelling spell and spread my fingers, casting it wider to take in both. As the spell tumbled toward them, the shimmering fell away, revealing two thickset men who were, unfortunately, running in opposite directions. I swore, flicked the spell at the nearest one, and started casting a containment shield for the other.
It was then I saw the gun.
Raised. Aimed at my heart.
Adrenaline surged, and I dove over the desk, falling awkwardly to the floor on the other side. Felt a sharp burn across my right calf, saw sparks fly as the bullet ricocheted off the wall directly ahead and ended up god only knows where.
Footsteps echoed, running toward us, barely audible over the furious caterwauling and blows of magic coming from upstairs. I wanted to run up there and help, even though Atticus was more capable than I was of dealing with that sort of stuff. Another bullet cut past me, sparking off the metal desktop one foot away, dragging my attention back to the more immediate danger.
I had to stop these men—now—and I had no time for finesse; no time for anything complicated. I quickly created and then cast a shielding spell, encircling the entire desk. It wouldn’t stop bullets—though these types of shields certainlycouldif the witch had a decent amount of construction time, and the benefit of spell stones to anchor it—but it would stop the men from getting too close, and it would give Ginny and Atticus time to get here.
