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“Basically, a secret society of witches, werewolves, and vampires who work behind the scenes to right wrongs and bring justice to those who escape it.”
“Sounds more like a vigilante group than anything else.” And while I wanted Clayton and my father out of my life, I didn’t want them dead. Even if, in the deepest of my dreams, I imagined Clayton dying in a thousand different, horrible ways.
“It’s… whatever it needs to be,” Ashworth said. “They mostly don’t go as far as vigilantism, though.?
?
Mostly also meant it wasn’t totally off the books. “It can’t be too secret if you and Eli know about it.”
“We know because my sister is one of its matriarchs.” Ashworth grimaced. “Of course, she doesn’t know I know.”
“She will if we ask for her help,” Eli said, amused. “And she won’t be pleased.”
Ashworth waved his hand. “She owes me a favor or two.”
I frowned. “I don’t want either of you to get into—”
“Lass, I took an oath to uphold the law. What happened to you is not only against the law, but also against common decency. Even if we weren’t friends, I’d be helping you.”
I blinked once again against the sting of tears. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Eli nodded. “We’ll start putting out feelers tomorrow. We can formulate a plan of action once we’ve got everything in place.”
“What about Monty?” I asked. “He’ll want to help—”
“No doubt,” Ashworth said, “but he’s your cousin, and given they obviously suspect you’re in this reservation, any move or request he makes will be analyzed and checked. It’s far better if he remains out of the loop as far as this goes.”
“He won’t like that.”
Amusement crinkled the corners of Ashworth’s eyes. “Aye, he won’t, and I can’t say that makes me unhappy.”
I smiled and scooped up the last of my cheesecake. “He spent a good deal of time with Daniela today, so I’ll get the lowdown on her from him tomorrow. He might have picked up something useful.”
“Unlikely,” Eli said. “Aside from the fact tracers are very good at playing their cards close to their chests, she’d have come here knowing who all the players are, what their relationships were, and who she needed to keep an eye on.”
“Meaning she’ll be watching the café?” I asked.
“And most likely tracking your movements. At least for a few days in order to confirm or deny her suspicions.”
I snorted. “I don’t do a whole lot more than work in the café and spend time with Aiden. Spelling isn’t a major part of my life.”
“If she’s a strong tracer, she doesn’t need to see you perform magic; she just needs to be close enough to see it within you. The deeper kernels of your power signature haven’t altered—”
“Well, they have,” I cut in, “because the wild magic is now a part of me.”
“And if you’re right about the reason for your ability to use it,” Eli said, “It means it was there from the day you were born. It’s just that no one ever picked it up. But a tracer’s specialty is seeing the power grid within every witch—she’ll see what others have missed for so long.”
“Which is just another nail in the coffin of any failing hope I might have of avoiding what I sense coming.”
“Together, we’ll get over this, lass. Have no doubt of that.”
I smiled, even as doubt stirred deep within. But that doubt was based on fear—on the memories of a sixteen-year-old betrayed by the man who should have protected her. I wasn’t that child, and it wasn’t just Belle and me facing this threat now. Whether in the end it would be enough, I couldn’t say. Not even my prophetic abilities, as vocal as they’d been about this looming confrontation, could envision the outcome. But we had a chance, however slight, and that was what I had to hang on to now, not the fear twelve years in the making.
I finished the rest of my coffee and then rose. “I’d better get back before it gets too late.”
“Do you want a lift?” Eli asked.
I shook my head. “It’s only a short walk. I’ll be fine.”
