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“Okay, it’s removed.”
His gaze dropped to my fingers, even though he couldn’t see the spell. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Nothing.”
His gaze jumped back to mine. “Why not?”
“Because it still presents our best means of trapping her.”
“Not if this death is the Manananggal’s doing. It means she’s given up on her quest to kill grooms.”
“Not necessarily. She’d be down on strength and probably had to kill to replenish. This”—I lifted my fingers, then remembered he couldn’t see the tracker—“is an easy means of quenching her need for revenge.”
“What if it activates while you’re here alone?”
“If it does, I’ll deal with it.”
“But—”
I placed a finger against his lips. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”
He made a low sound deep in his throat, then wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, holding me still as he kissed me soundly.
“I promise to be back as quickly as possible to finish what I started.”
“You’d better, Ranger, or I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”
He laughed softly, kissed me again, and then gathered his things and left. I glanced down at the spell still hanging from my fingers. I didn’t want it in the house; if it activated when I was asleep, then I could be in all sorts of trouble.
I studied the darkness beyond the glass. I could attach it to a tree or something… but that might only send her rampaging through the nearby houses. I couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt.
I sighed. My best bet was to wrap a sensor spell around it. That way, if it was activated, I’d at least have time to prepare for her arrival.
I carefully placed it on the coffee table
, then took a deep breath and began the spell. It didn’t take long, as it wasn’t a particularly hard spell. I added an audible warning as well as the usual light flash, given I wouldn’t see the latter if I was upstairs.
With that done, I did the dishes, then watched a few hours of crap on TV before heading to bed. I wasn’t sure what time Aiden came home, as I didn’t feel him crawl into bed.
He did, however, keep his promise. It was a glorious way to start the day.
“So, what happened last night? Was it the Manananggal, or something else?”
We were eating a leisurely lunch in front of the open fire. He’d given himself the day off, though he’d spent most of the morning writing up reports.
“Something else, though it was nevertheless pretty traumatic. A kid got hold of a rifle his father had stupidly left loaded and shot his younger brother.”
“Is he dead?”
“Yeah.” Aiden scrubbed a hand across his eyes. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen—it’s a tragic situation that won’t be made any better by the father being charged. It’s the council’s decision, thankfully, not mine.”
I twined my fingers through his. “Why is it the council’s? Aren’t there laws regarding the safe storage of guns?”
“Those laws—or rather, the penalties—are somewhat more flexible within the reservation.”
“Even with a kid dead?”
“Even with.” He was silent for a moment, his expression briefly haunted. Then, with a visible effort, he smiled and said, “Let’s talk about something a whole lot happier—like setting a date for you moving in.”
