Page 57 of Blood and Trouble

I ushered them out of the palace and into the limo, checking that my gun was loaded as I climbed into the backseat next to Lycan. Locust and Bow were already in the front, and as soon as the door closed, they took off.

“Are you sure that was her?” Ava asked.

“I smelled her as soon as we walked in,” I said. “I just couldn’t find her. She had some disguise on, something to hide her.”

“How is that possible?” Ava asked, glancing between us.

“The woman was a witch,” I said. “She’s been using glamor magic to hide herself, choosing when to make an appearance.”

“What did she tell you?” Ava asked.

“Repeat back to me word for word,” Lycan snarled.

I did, including what she’d said about the hotel being unsafe and her ridiculous demand that I leave. I wouldn’t do it, of course. It was insulting that she thought I might. Lycan sat back in his seat and ran his tongue over his canine, a predatory move designed to warn off threats, as his rage echoed down the tiny thread connecting us.

“What does she mean, she’ll give you the wolf?” Ava looked at Lycan. “You?”

Lycan pursed his lips. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“If one witch can get inside Poe’s head and hold him, what can a coven do?” Ava asked.

I shuddered to think of it. “We’ll reach out to the Royal Harlots in Asheville.”

They were a group of powerful witches who had recently formed a sister MC to the Bastards. If anyone could help us, it would be them.

“I don’t get it,” Bow cut in from behind the wheel. “If she’s after Ava, why not attack us? She’s known where we were this whole time.”

“She’s taunting us,” I said, “like a cat. Trying to draw us out. Waiting until we make a mistake.” I spoke from instinct, from what I understood about her so far and what I’d seen in those unsettling red eyes. “For the fun of it.”

It was the only thing that made sense. She had the upper hand tonight. We didn’t recognize her. We didn’t see her coming. She could have taken Ava in the midst of the crowd and disappeared before we even realized what happened. She could have sent her witch after us, but that would ruin the chase, and in her mind, it was more fun if she had us running for our lives before she swooped in for the kill.

Or maybe…maybe I’d been right. Evelyn was waiting for something. The witch had made a passing comment about a half-formed bond, and I pretended like that meant nothing to me. There was no bond, no matter what that insipid witch thought.

“The clock’s running out,” I finished. “She said I had until the full moon.”

“We should head to Bastard territory tonight,” Locust said from the passenger’s seat. “The hotel isn’t safe. We need reinforcements.”

“I agree,” Lycan said.

“Maybe we should cut the trip,” I said. “Go back home.”

“We can’t,” Lycan said. “The full moon is tomorrow. We’re stuck here until after that.”

“I only have three partners,” Ava said. “I can’t come home without all of them. And I need Scott.”

I rubbed my fingers over my tired eyes and sighed, seeing no other choice and knowing we’d be better protected on Bastard territory.

“Okay,” I said, giving Lycan a nod. “We go tonight.”

He reached for his phone, brought it to his ear, and called Kodiak. I shifted my attention to Ava, who fixed her features into a stoic stare before looking out the window to watch the world pass us by.

CHAPTER 12

Lycan

Poe and I sat at a table in the Bastard clubhouse, talking to Bas, Thurjin, and Viggo, the Copenhagen president, about Evelyn. Kodiak, Orion, and Guin were on speaker from Montana.

“So we’ve confirmed she wants Ava,” Orion said. “And she’s got a witch who can paralyze shifters and invade their minds.”