Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Aphra looks terrified, but she nods. “I’m ready to get on with my life.”
I sneeze again and Jase is on the move.
“I’m taking her home,” he says.
Or they could move this meeting indoors!
I protest verbally, letting out a loud single bark, but I am feeling like garbage. These plants are probably growing as we speak and making me feel worse.
“Gotta take you home, Bay,” he mutters.
I growl at him.
My brother laughs. So do some of the others.
Obviously, my wolf isn’t intimidating. But I’m ticked off.
Jase carries me off, telling them he’ll be back.
While taking me home, he explains, “They need to get this all looked after fast so it doesn’t begin to affect me and everyone else. You’re a distraction right now, but more importantly, you’re feeling like this? You need out of the open air.”
I want to argue that he could’ve asked them to take the meeting indoors but of course I can’t do that. He’s right, but I still sulk while he carries me, walking me across the bridge and back to the house.
Once we’re indoors, he sets me and my clothes on the couch and says, “Shift, Bailey.”
“You could’ve asked them to move that meeting indoors,” I complain.
He rolls his eyes and leans over, getting right in my space. “Your eyes are watering, your nose is running, and I can see and feel that you’re feeling worse by the minute. Stop worrying about missing something, for fuck’s sake.”
“Grr!” I say as human and I know it doesn’t have the same effect as a wolf’s growl does. I grab my clothes and stomp up the stairs to go to the bathroom to get dressed again and blow my nose.
When I see my reflection, I’m alarmed. My eyes are bloodshot; my nose looks red and raw. But I’m already feeling a bit better.
I’m glad Aphra is going to help. I’m also happy she’s ready to move forward past this stage, which must be awful. I can’t imagine how much she worries about her daughter. We certainly know by what happened with my brother and all that happened with his birthmother how powerful half shifter / half witches are. This led Soleil Young to try to get her hands on Stacy to siphon the twins’ energy. This is at least partly why Aphra hides her half-shifter daughter Halla from her family. Judging by what happened with Aviva Starling as well as now with Alta, the dark-magic hunger runs rampant in that coven.
***
We’re snuggled up on the couch. I’m reading an e-book on my phone.
“What are you reading?” he asks.
“I’m just re-reading an old favorite.”
He frowns. “You’re not interested in reading any of those books you got on our first date?”
“I can’t focus on a new book. I’m too stressed,” I say.
He looks at me like I’ve got two heads.
“You need to be a reader to understand. An old favorite is comfort. It’s like an old friend.”
He’s been coiled and ready for action. And also a little grouchy despite the fact I’ve told him I’m feeling better.
I have a feeling I know what would cheer him up, but I’ll test out my powers of seduction another time when someone isn’t out to get us.
His phone rings and we both straighten up. Erica’s calling.
“Erica,” Jase greets, putting her on speaker.
“How’s Bailey?” she asks.
I answer, “I’m okay. Better now that I’m inside, thanks. What’s happening?”
She replies, “Alta and her stepsons are behind the drone. Alta’s behind the spelled flowers. She’s a green witch with significant knowledge about toxic plants and she’s known for using gray magic. Fabio, the younger of the two, is a hacker, so we suspect the combination of her magic and his hacking skills meant she found you guys in Rome, attaching a locator spell to the council here instead of to Dani. Their magic could mean the growth catches up with their planned schedule, not normal growth cycles so we’re on alert.”
“Hacking what?” Jase asks.
“Joel says there haven’t been any breaches on any networks within the village; he’s got strong security protocols. But possibly through the airlines to find out you were flying to Bucharest. Aphra knows him and it’s what she thinks he probably did.”
“Okay… so how is Alta still pulling strings with the sanctions?” Jase asks.
“That’s a good question,” Erica replies. “We think she either set it all in motion before her magic was taken, she still has her magic, or she’s working with someone. We can’t tell.”
“What now?” I ask.
Riley pipes up through the phoneline. “Now, we wait.”
“What about the flowers?” Jase asks.
Erica answers. “Aphra merged a new spell with Alta’s. Everything’s now frozen in terms of toxins, but not growth. This might be the last intervention Aphra can perform on a Starling spell; Anya can easily figure out she’s back in the grid, so to speak. Aphra’s work should mean the flowers won’t cause any harm, that they’ll still grow as they’re supposed to do. If Alta sees them full-grown, she’ll think they’re weakening all the shifters here and she’ll make her move. Can you test that out, Bailey?”