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“They kidnapped the wrong witch,” Erik says with a shrug. “Luciana MacPherson. They took her and turned her into a demon, then stuck her in a secret lab in Costa Rica that they were operating as a blood bank for hybrid blood.”
I shake my head. “Demon? Hybrid blood?” Confusion and horror wash over me.
“Hybrid blood from two or more supernatural species is extremely valuable on the black market. They made her into a witch-demon hybrid and put her in a coma just so they could harvest her blood.”
My brain can’t even process how atrocious that is. I shake my head again and set down my glass of wine, wrapping an arm around my torso.
Erik continues. “But Luciana’s friend Ven, another witch, went looking for her. Ven and her boyfriend Ryder rescued Luciana, and in doing so, they found out who’s running things at the Guild.”
He pauses, and my heart pounds loudly in my chest.
“They are ancient beings who have existed before time, before humanity, before witches and shifters and all of us.” Erik’s expression is grim. “Siblings. Darkness and Light.”
I’d heard of the Night Guild before, of course. Everyone in the supernatural community knows about them, kind of like knowing famous mafia bosses, like Al Capone. But never had I thought that it was run by actual… goddesses, gods? I’m not even sure what Darkness and Light would qualify as. It’s like something out of old Viking legend.
“Isn’t Light supposed to be good, though?” I ask, frowning.
Erik sighs. “Something else we’re trying to figure out. It seems somehow the balance of good and evil has been tipped. They’re not supposed to work together.”
A wave of exhaustion moves over me. The stress of this bodyguard showing up, paired with our grueling magical battle, and now this?
“I need to sit down,” I say, walking past Erik down the hall to the sitting room.
He follows me. I sit down on the sofa and he stands across from me, arms folded over his chest.
“You’re welcome to take a seat,” I say, waving toward the chair opposite me.
“That’s okay.” He shakes his head.
“Do you just like to stand, or is it a bodyguard thing?” I cock my head to the side. “I won’t think it’s unprofessional if you sit down a minute.”
“And to think, less than an hour ago you were letting me collect snow on your doorstep.” He grins.
I’m still a bit unsure why I let him get out of our agreement. I chew on my lip as I contemplate it. Not many people surprise me, and fewer still get me to change my mind.
Erik had done both. First by making me realize he actually did know how to perform spells pretty well, and then… well, I don’t know why I caved. I’d fully intended to send him packing, right up until the moment words started spilling out of my mouth.
I haven’t had a man in my life since Lilli’s dad died. And I haven’t wanted one, either. I’ve been too busy raising her on my own and watching out for the two of us to even think about romance. But something odd had happened out there in the snow, dueling with the dragon shifter. The idea of someone fighting for the chance to protect me… someone who believes in being honorable, doing the right thing…it caused an odd tickle in my stomach. A very stupid tickle. Because I don’t need to be over here swooning like a schoolgirl.
“Actually, it might be helpful if you could show me the layout of the house,” Erik says, breaking me from my thoughts. “I figured out most of it from the exterior, but seeing the inside would be useful.”
I nod and set down my glass of wine, grateful for the distraction. “Follow me.”
We walk toward the front door, which is visible from the sitting room where we just were. From there I turn down the hallway. I point out my office on the left, flipping on the light switch so he can see it. I notice his eyes drift to each of the two windows, and also to the closet door in one corner.
After that, we walk back down the hall again toward the kitchen at the back of the house. “You’ve seen this, of course,” I say.
Erik nods, his expression neutral.
From the kitchen I lead him down a second hallway, past the dining room and the living room. A set of stairs at the back of the hall lead to the second floor. I walk softly so as not to wake Lilli, and I gesture for Erik to do the same. Though it’s really not necessary—he moves lithely like a tiger or some other sort of jungle cat. His feet make almost no sound on the wood floors at all.
When we reach the second floor, I walk to Lilli’s door and quietly open it. Moonlight shines through the window, making her golden hair glow like she’s some sort of angel. Her soft snores carry across the room to my ears. Erik gazes around the room quickly and nods to indicate he’s done.
Lastly, I turn and lead the way into my own bedroom. I flip on the light so he can see better. His eyes dart around the small space. Is it my imagination, or does he examine my personal space longer than he had the other rooms? There’s nothing terribly exciting about the room. Just my giant sleigh bed with a big poofy down-filled comforter, an overstuffed sitting chair, and a small reading table, my dresser, and my bookshelf. Which, of course, is chock full of spell books and runic texts.
When Erik gives a nod of approval, I lead him back downstairs. At the base of the stairs, he pauses and jerks his head toward the door behind us. “Where’s that go?”
“Oh, just an old wine cellar,” I say.
“May I?” He gestures toward it.
“Of course.”
The scent of earth and stone greets me as I open the door. I rarely go down here. The wooden steps creak beneath my boots as I stride down them. Amber light shines from a row of ancient bulbs running along the ceiling. At the bottom, I turn and wave a hand at the space.
It’s almost as big as the house above. Wine racks run along two of the walls, filled with dusty bottles left by the previous owner of the house, and a few newer ones of my own. Along the other wall stand more bookshelves. This place serves as my overflow library. The fourth wall, on the far side of the room, is hung with historical artifacts I’ve collected over the years.
I turn to Erik. “As you can see—”
At that moment, a flash of light pulses across the room and Erik tackles me to the floor.
