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“And you’ll not tell Aiden what I’ve said?”
Surprise flitted across his features. “Aren’t you two involved?”
“Yes, but I want to find the right time to tell him, and that time isn’t now.”
He frowned but nevertheless agreed. The relief that swept through me was so strong my knees threatened to buckle.
&n
bsp; I swallowed heavily and said, “How safe will it be to leave the circle as it is until the Canberra witch gets here? I know we’re basically in the middle of nowhere, but I wouldn’t want anyone accidentally tripping the damn thing.”
“I’ll put a repelling spell around it to stop anyone investigating too closely. Are the rangers on the way?”
“Tala’s already in Rayburn Springs, so she shouldn’t be too long.”
“Good. You want to head up to the road to ensure she doesn’t miss us? I’ll get working on the barrier around this thing.”
It was a dismissal, but one I was more than happy to obey. In all honesty, the more distance I put between me and the brutal, bloody death and lingering threads of dark energy that lay in the protection circle, the better.
By the time I found my way back to Ashworth’s truck, my head was thumping and my arms and legs had gained a new array of bloody scratches. I found a medical kit in a back storage unit and quickly cleaned them all up, then took a couple of painkillers. The blow I’d taken to my head had left a lump, but it wasn’t that large and there was no accompanying cut. And, hopefully, no concussion.
It’d be the mother of ironies if Aiden got the all clear only for me to be similarly incapacitated.
It was fifteen minutes before I heard the sound of an approaching truck. I pushed away from Ashworth’s truck and walked into the middle of the dirt road so that I’d be easier to spot. After a moment, a green-striped white SUV—the standard-issue vehicle for reservation rangers—came into view.
Tala halted beside Ashworth’s truck and climbed out. She was a Sinclair, and had the traditional dark skin and black hair of that pack, though her hair was shot with silver that gleamed brightly in the late afternoon sunshine. She was only half an inch or so above my own height, but had an air of authority that made her seem so much taller.
“The boss isn’t going to be happy about this.” Her expression suggested she wasn’t all that happy, either. “Not this close to Christmas.”
“I’m not exactly doing a dance of joy over here, you know,” I bit back. “Nor am I giddy with excitement over the fact we have another magic-related death on the reservation.”
She glanced at me sharply. “I thought the victim had been shot?”
“He was.”
She hauled her kit out of her SUV and then said, “Mac and Ciara are on their way—can you wait here for them? Mac will take your statement when he arrives.”
Mac was another of the seven rangers who worked in this reservation, and Ciara the coroner. She also happened to be one of Aiden’s sisters. He had eight siblings all told, including Katie, who might not be flesh but was still very much a part of this place.
“Do you need me to guide—”
Tala snorted. “No—the trail you two left is very evident.”
I left her to it and retreated to the truck’s cabin to wait for the other two. Ciara arrived first; she looked no more impressed than Tala.
“Seriously, we need to stop meeting like this.” She hauled her kit out of her truck. “Couldn’t we do coffee and cake like normal people?”
“I’d love to, but given your council left the wellspring unprotected for too damn long, I’m afraid events like this are going to keep happening.”
Her gaze shot to mine, surprise evident. Which made me wonder just how much Aiden had told her about the wild magic and the reason for the recent influx of supernatural creatures.
“So we’re not dealing with a shooting?”
“We are. But the dead guy was also a witch.”
“Oh, great.” She glanced around as another green-and-white SUV appeared. “That’ll be Mac. I’ll head in.”
Mac had the typical rangy build of a werewolf, with brown skin and hair that suggested he hadn’t originated from the three packs within this reservation. He greeted me cheerfully and got down to work, quickly taking my statement. Ashworth appeared just as I’d finished. Once his statement was taken, we were cleared to leave.
