“We have at least twenty minutes before Monty gets here,” he murmured eventually, his breath hot against my lips. “What say we make full use of it?”
“Tempting, but I need a coffee and a shower, and not necessarily in that order.”
“You smell perfectly fine to me.”
“You would say that, given it’s your scent all over me.”
His hand slipped down to my rump and pressed me against his erection. “What if I promised to be quick?”
“Tempting, but given the way my luck has been running of late, evil would strike just as we reached an interesting stage of proceedings.”
He sighed. The sorrowful sound was spoiled by the glitter of amusement in his eyes. “My woman has a will of iron.”
I wish that were true … I forced a smile and kissed him again. “No, she’s just being cautious. You know, that thing you keep urging me to be.”
He laughed and released me. “Never thought those words would come back and bite me.”
I stepped back and pointed toward the door. “Begone, wolf. Your woman needs sustenance.”
He made a flourishing bow. “Your wish is my command.”
“I will remind you of that at an opportune time.”
He laughed and headed out. By the time I’d taken a shower and gotten dressed, the rich aroma of coffee and toast rode the air. I quickly raised the muting spell Monty had taught me and then drew it back into my flesh. We knew it worked, because it had been tested against the best in the business—my father and ex.
Once I’d shoved on my boots, I headed out and clattered down the stairs, but stopped abruptly near the bottom step, my head snapping toward the wall of windows.
Evil was close.
Far too close.
Magic flickered across my fingertips, a repelling spell so fierce its sparks spun through the shadows, firefly bright. I scanned the wall of black beyond the windows, but I had no sense she was hunting us.
But she was hunting someone.
“Do you want vegemite or walnut toffee spread on your—” Aiden stopped abruptly. “She’s out there?”
“Yes.” I swallowed heavily and glanced at him. “How well do you know your neighbors?”
He frowned. “As well as anyone does these days. Why?”
“Is there a divorced single man among them?”
“I don’t think they were married, but Jo and Mal recently split up, and I think Mal is still living in their rental. It’s the second house back from the main road.”
“I think that’s where our spirit might be heading.”
“Meaning she hasn’t attacked yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Then let’s go.” He moved across to the gun safe in the corner and unlocked it. “You haven’t got your backpack with you—will that be problematic?”
“Only in that I can’t hit her with either holy water or my silver knife.”
“Either require you getting entirely too close, in my opinion.”
“In that, we agree. So I’ll just cast a cage around her and hope it holds until Monty gets here.”
“Will that actually work, given she’s capable of magic?”
I shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”
“So much for being cautious,” he muttered.
I smiled, despite the gathering tension. “Hard to be cautious when there’s a life on the line.”
“A truth I cannot deny. Lead the way.” He must have seen my surprise, because he added, with a somewhat wry smile, “You’ll sense this thing before me, and you’re better equipped to handle it. I may be an alpha, but I’m also more than willing to cede the lead in a situation such as this. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, of course.”
“Oh, I think that goes without saying.”
I pulled on my coat and headed outside. The wind hit hard, forcing me back several steps before I managed to catch my balance. I tugged the hood down to keep the rain out of my face and then went right, heading for the path that led around the lake.
Evil didn’t need a path. She was coming straight across the water.
I clenched my fingers against the press of energy. The last thing I needed was for this thing to sense the presence of my regular magic now that I’d concealed the inner wild stuff.
I ran past several houses before cutting across the grass toward the man’s rental. The place was shrouded in darkness, though that wasn’t entirely surprising given the hour. I stepped onto the porch and strode toward the door. A sensor light clicked on, the sudden brightness making me blink rapidly.
“Is our specter close enough to see that?” Aiden asked.
“She’ll probably see the glow, but I don’t think she’s close enough to actually see us. Too many trees along the shoreline.” I motioned to the door. “You want to employ some muscle and force that open?”
“Why not just knock? Or magic it open?”
“Our spirit might sense the latter and, well, if I can smell the booze, surely you can.”
His nostrils flared briefly, and his gaze narrowed. Though I could see the questions in his eyes about the sharpness of my olfactory senses, he didn’t give them voice; he just stepped back, raised his foot, and kicked the door as hard as he could. It sprang open with little resistance, crashing back against the wall with enough noise to wake the dead.
But not, apparently, the drunk.
Mal lay on the sofa, one leg on the floor and his arms wrapped around a large bottle of Jack Daniels. If he’d gone through that entire thing tonight, he was damn lucky to be alive. Aside from the whole alcohol poisoning prospect, he was on his back and could have very easily choked on his own vomit.
“Bloody fool.” Aiden plucked the empty bottle from the man’s grasp, then quickly shifted him onto his side.
A staggeringly loud snore was the only response.
I shut the door as best I could, given the lock was broken, then walked down to the kitchen area. After a quick check through several cupboards, I found the salt container and raced upstairs, pouring a thin line along the edges of the bedroom and bathroom windows. Thankfully, the rental was smaller than Aiden’s and only had the one bedroom up here. It at least meant there weren’t as many avenues for our spirit to enter. Not that she’d shown any tendency so far to enter via windows—apparently all she had to do was knock on the front door, and her victims let her straight in.
Either her illusionary form was absolutely stunning, or her magic made her victims as horny as hell and willing to forgo all common sense.
I clattered back down the stairs. Aiden was on the phone, but hung up as I walked over to our target. He was still out to it.
“Monty is still ten or so minutes away. How do you want to play this?”
I hesitated. “I’m thinking this could be the perfect opportunity to attempt a trap of our own.”
“With me as the bait, I take it?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Well, you are a potential heartbreaker, so it’s rather apt.”
He snorted. “There will be no heartbreak for you when it comes to Mia, trust me on that.”
Which wasn’t a denial that heartache did lie in my future where he was concerned. “Let’s get Mal upstairs, out of the way.”