Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

T he force of the explosion tore Monty's hand from mine and sent us both flying through the air. I hit the ground with a grunt and slid forward several feet. I swore, but nevertheless twisted around to see what had happened. The front corner of the house—the section containing the smaller bedroom and the stairwell down into the cellar—no longer existed. There wasn't even the skeletal remains of joists or wall, though, rather weirdly, the roof remained intact. The stumps supporting that section of the house were also gone, as was the stone wall link. In their place was a crater.

Fuck—Roger.

I scrambled upright just as Ashworth and Eli reached me. "I'm fine."

"You're bleeding," Ashworth said, "so that's obviously not true."

I glanced down and saw that I'd skinned not only my palms but also my knees—the latter fairly badly. I accepted Eli's offer of a handkerchief and wiped away the worst of the grit. It hurt, but it could have been far worse— would have been far worse—had Monty not thrown that knife and saved my ass.

I motioned toward the house. "Where the hell is Roger?"

The two men studied the remains, their expressions grim. "Well," Ashworth said, "if he was in that cellar, we'll probably find bits of him scattered all about the yard."

"Why would Marie kill him like that, though, when him being alive and slowly draining Maelle of strength plays to their benefit?"

"I would think the explosion was aimed more at you than Roger, given only you and Jaz even heard the incoming spell," Eli said. "They gave you just enough time to get out."

"Um, no, they didn't," Monty said, returning my rather beaten-up pack to me. "The magic in the cellar was somehow thickening the air and slowing her movements."

"And I'm only standing here thanks to my clever cousin's quick thinking."

"I can do quick when the occasion calls for it," he said with a grin.

Belle dropped a kiss onto his cheek. "From the bottom of both my heart and hers, we thank you."

His eyes twinkled devilishly. "You can thank me in a more appropriate manner later."

"Now that Monty has his evening activities booked," Jaz said, her tone dry, "is it safe to approach that house and examine what's been done? Or is our ghost going to retaliate, given what's happened?"

Belle's gaze went to the house and after a moment she said, "He's pissed about the destruction but he can still watch his show, so he's not going to lash out at us."

"Well, I'm glad he's not been put out at all." Jaz's expression was amused. "Though how on earth did the explosion not affect the wiring?"

"Apparently his mom had things rejigged when she went into the nursing home so that the electricity is only connected to the front room," Belle replied. "She didn't want to risk kids or mice causing damage in the disused portions of the house and causing an electrical fire."

"Sensible mom," Jaz said. "What about the magic?"

I scanned the broken remnants of the house. "I'm not feeling anything. Anyone else?"

"There's a bit of broken thread floss floating about, but nothing active," Ashworth said. "It'd still be worth approaching cautiously."

I refrained from saying my usual "cautious is my middle name" because it was very blatantly obvious that cautious was the one thing I hadn't really been here.

You can't hog all the guilt on this one , Belle said. This explosion is a result of inattention from us all. Maelle warned us there would be traps and concealments layered within the spells surrounding Roger, but none of us for a moment considered that might mean a simple shadow spell pinned onto a solitary spell stone.

I guess I can't argue with that logic. Which didn't, of course, in any way ease the sense of guilt.

We walked across to the ruined house and stopped just short of where the corner section had been. The crater was twice the width of the cellar, and from where we were standing there didn't appear to be a bottom. It looked for all the world as if a monster had risen out of the earth and taken a bite of the end of house.

And maybe it had .

It would certainly explain the high-pitched screaming and the way the house had begun to shake.

"That's a bloody deep hole," Jaz commented. She had her phone out again, recording the scene. "I'm not smelling much in the way of blood, but there's definitely a faint whiff of mustiness coming from that crater."

"What sort of mustiness?" I asked. "Animal type?"

"More snake."

My gaze shot back to the hole. "If we were dealing with another basilisk, surely there'd be bits of it scattered all about."

"Basilisks are demons and can't be killed by an explosion," Eli said. "This was more likely to have been some sort of caged spirit."

I frowned. "Spirits are no more killed by explosions than demons, though."

"Depends on the type of explosion, and what else was contained in that weave of threads," Ashworth said. "Given there's no trace of either spirit or thrall, I'm thinking erasure of both was included."

"With me as the side bonus if I happened to be caught," I muttered.

"Indeed, lass."

Monty glanced at Jaz. "Have you any objections to us going down there to investigate?"

"Not as long as you're wearing booties and gloves," she replied. "Hang on while I go retrieve them."

"If you've any climbing gear in your SUV," Eli said, "it might be worth grabbing that as well."

Jaz nodded and left. I bent and pressed a hand against the ground. The whispers responded immediately. The blood had gone. The body had gone. The earth no longer held the taint of either.

Which basically confirmed that Roger had indeed been killed.

I drew in a breath and released it slowly. "I'm thinking I might need to ring Maelle."

"She would have felt Roger's death if he was caught in that explosion," Monty said. "Why poke the crazy vampire any more than necessary?"

"Because the crazy vampire is crazy, and we need to do as much as we can to stay in her good books. We don't want her coming after us, rather than Marie and Jaqueline."

"Good point."

Jaz returned with the promised booties, gloves, and also a couple of ropes. As Monty and Ashworth kitted up, I tugged my phone from my pack—noting that only one bottle of holy water had survived being thrown onto the ground—then made the call.

It rang on and on. I was about to hang up when she finally picked up.

"He is dead."

Her voice was cold. Unemotional. As scary as fuck.

"Yes."

"She took Augustine from me, and now she has taken Roger. She will pay. Everyone will pay."

I had a bad, bad feeling that "everyone" might well include us. "Who is Augustine?"

"My great-great-grandson—the one Marie turned against his will."

"The one who triggered the coven's destruction, in other words."

"Yes." She paused for a long moment. "What happened exactly?"

"We unwittingly triggered an explosion." I hesitated. "I'm sorry, Maelle. We tried."

"Indeed." The silence that followed was so long that I started wondering if she'd forgotten I was still on the phone. "I am not surprised, and it is for the best. I would most likely have had to dispose of him myself had you succeeded in rescuing him, and that would have been … hard."

Hard, but not impossible. God, this woman… "Because he was a drain on your strength?"

"It is more what they did to him. For one such as he, a wound made of white ash is unhealable. His existence would have been one of never-ending agony."

"Ah. Sorry." I hesitated again. "Does his death release you from the bonds of your vow not to attack her?"

"If I could attack her, I would not be standing here talking to you."

"It's daylight?—"

"That is no impediment for the likes of me and her."

"Sunning your toes is a far different prospect to stepping fully into sunlight, though. Not even the most ancient vampire can survive that."

"The most ancient vampire probably couldn't," she replied, tone coldly amused. "But we are more than merely ancient vampires."

Ah, fuck …

I opened my mouth to reply, then stopped, unsure what to say, and in that brief silence, I heard it.

The rattle of chains. The shuffle of feet. A low rumble rising from a throat that wasn't human.

The hairs along the back of my neck rose. "Maelle, what's that odd sound?"

"That is my vengeance." Just for an instant, there was a crack in her coldly calm tone, and I very much suspected it was the only sign we were ever likely to get that her sanity had well and truly tumbled. "It will be unleashed on all eventually."

Dear God, no … I swallowed heavily and somehow said, my voice thankfully void of the horror churning through me, "You've got the átahsaia leashed at the club?"

"Where else could I keep it? I can hardly send it back when its work here isn't done."

I closed my eyes and wearily rubbed my forehead. We needed to end this, quickly, before things really got out of hand—and certainly before she could unleash her monster on all of us.

On me.

I shivered, but did my best to ignore the trepidation tripping through my soul.

"Now, dear Elizabeth," she continued, "do please find Jaqueline and bring her to me. I will not be best pleased if these delays continue."

The restrictions that apply to you hunting Marie do not apply to your daughter, so why don't you damn well do it, I wanted to say but wisely didn't. The truth was, she basically had us over a barrel. We would do anything in our power to keep the reservation safe, and she was well aware of that. She'd always had the capability to cause havoc, but had been held at bay by her vow to the council not to cause harm to anyone living in the reservation. And while she might have inferred that breaking the vow would have dire consequences to herself, I suspected that, with Roger gone, she was no longer overly concerned about repercussions.

"I will try, Maelle, but?—"

"Don't try. Do."

"Why?" I asked. "What do you want with her? I would think it's far too late to get back into her good books now, especially if, as you say, she has inherited your ability to hold a grudge."

"What I intend with my daughter is none of your business."

"It is if I'm leading her to her doom."

"Her doom and her fate have always been mine to decide. She knows this—why do you think she wishes me dead? It is a desire that stems not from the need to avenge a lover, but rather a need to shatter an agreement made before she was born."

"What sort of agreement?" I asked, even as something within me twisted. In very many ways, there were echoes of my own situation in Maelle and Jaqueline's. I just had to hope that the resentment the daughter had for her mother wasn't one of them.

"That is also none of your business."

And with that, the bitch hung up on me again.

My grip tightened on the phone, and it was all I could do not to throw it in frustration. I swung around and returned to the house, stopping beside Belle. Ashworth and Monty had descended into the pit, with Eli and Jaz manning the ropes.

I stepped forward carefully and peered over the edge. It really was a long way down. "Anything?"

"The remains of some sort of snare down at the base of the hole, which suggests we were dealing with some sort of spirit." Eli grimaced. "But aside from a few bits of hair and bones, there's nothing left of Roger. How did Maelle take the news?"

"With scary-as-fuck calm. Our next mission—which we have no choice but to accept—is to find Jaqueline. Or else."

"She can't do ‘or else' or she'll break her vow to the council," Jaz said.

I glanced at her, surprised. "You know about that?"

"Aiden told us some time ago. He believed we needed to know."

And they definitely did. "Well, I'm afraid Roger's death means any governance she'd had over her impulses went with him."

"In normal circumstances, I'd suggest we go in there and arrest her ass, but that?—"

"Will likely end in bloodshed," I cut in. "The punch monster that did all the damage up in Moonlight Flats is currently residing in her nightclub."

" What? " Jaz and Eli said as one.

"Yep. It's chained, but I'm thinking it will be a quick-release system." I grimaced. "And with all the protections she's now got ringing that place, I very much doubt the five of us could break in."

Eli scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Maybe it's time it stopped being just us. Maybe we need to call in the high council."

" Our council won't ever agree to that," Jaz said.

"And besides," I added, "we dare not risk them learning about the wild magic. It may be protected but it's certainly not restrained, and we can't let anyone from the council know its sentience is growing."

"I know that." Eli's expression was grim. "It's just that I'm not sure the five of us can withstand what's coming."

"But it's not just the five of us, is it?" I said.

"I wouldn't be relying on the wild magic or the Fenna," he said grimly. "I suspect their agenda has nothing to do with the safety of this reservation."

"No, but by necessity, they have to help protect it because I live here and I'm carrying the very first Fenna to be created in God knows how many centuries."

"What the hell is a Fenna?" Jaz asked, confusion evident.

"Long story," Belle chimed in. "Best told over several long beers. Or, in Liz's case, several hot chocolates."

"We're coming up," Monty called from the bottom of the hole.

Eli and Jaz braced, and the two men climbed up. Both were sweating by the time they were hauled over the edge, but that wasn't surprising given the depth of the hole and the fact the wind—what little was stirring—wouldn't have reached that far.

As they climbed out of the harnesses and ropes, Ashworth said, "There's nothing down there that we can use to trace our vampires."

"But the spirit or demon or whatever the hell was doing that screaming is definitely gone?" Jaz asked.

He nodded and glanced at her. "Sadly, it won't stop them conjuring another."

Jaz glanced at me. "We can still use that pin stone we found to track them down, though, can't we?"

"We can."

"I'm not sure that's an entirely good idea," Eli said. "Given what happened the last time we used one of Jaqueline's spell stones to find her, it's likely that she'll be waiting for such an immediate response. Better to wait a day, and let her think the stone either didn't survive or that we didn't find it."

I frowned. "If it doesn't belong to an actual spell stone set and is just a solitary pin, why would she feel me trying to trace her through it?"

"Technically, she should not, but I don't think we can take the chance."

I hesitated. "Tomorrow morning, then, nice and early."

He nodded. "You can make the attempt in your reading room and then we can all head out to hunt her."

"Plan," I said. And it would give me time to do some much-needed paperwork for the café and also ring Mom to ask what she knew about astral connections, if indeed that's what Marie's nightly summonings were. The more I knew about that, the easier it would be to turn it to my advantage.

Easy being a relative term only when compared to all our other problems.

The wail of sirens grew louder than the gentle groaning of the building and the nearby hum of traffic. Jaz looked around "That's probably the SES and Mac."

"There's no need for all of us to remain here," Monty said. "I can stay?—"

"It's probably best if I do, too," Belle cut in. "Just in case our ghost decides he doesn't want all these people sniffing around his house."

"I'll drop by later to grab your statements, unless the boss decides they're not necessary," Jaz said, then held up the glove containing the solitary spell stone. "You want me to keep this safe?"

I hesitated and then nodded. "There's a very minor chance the stain of darker magic we sense is some sort of locator spell, so it's probably best she believes it's in the hands of you rangers rather than me."

"Will us holding on to it present any danger?"

"Unlikely," Monty said. "Spell stones like that are a dime a dozen, so even if there is a locator spell, they're unlikely to attempt retrieval."

"Ah, good." She tucked it back into the evidence bag.

I glanced at Eli. "Do you mind dropping me off at the café?"

"Of course not," he replied, then hooked his arm through mine. "We have a few things we need to discuss anyways."

"We do?"

"Indeed, lass," Ashworth said, as he fell in step beside us. "We're needing a date, you know, because we need the roses to be at their peak when you get married."

I laughed. "Your garden is pretty with or without the roses in bloom."

"Aye, but you canna beat a rose for the romance of the whole thing."

"Does that mean you and Eli got married in a rose garden?"

"Not just any old rose garden, but the one at the Werribee Mansion," Eli said, voice wry. "It would be fair to say there was rose overload."

"What can I say?" Ashworth's amusement was evident. "Under this weather-beaten, grungy exterior there beats a romantic heart."

"Grungy being the operative word there." Eli's voice was dry, and I laughed.

"We've made some enquiries, and it's looking likely to be either New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day, but we wanted to check both dates with you first before we decided."

"Valentine's is always a romantic choice," Eli said. "But the roses will likely be at the end of their blush by then."

"We're good with either, lass, but you'll likely struggle to book a celebrant at such short notice, though."

"We've already spoken to a couple and have an appointment with one on Friday."

If, that is, all this vampire shit didn't get in the way of it.

"Let us know what you decide, but in the meantime, we'll start tidying the gardens in readiness."

"That would be awesome. Thank you."

"It's our pleasure, lass." He paused and opened the rear door of his car for me. "Never thought I'd be having the pleasure of walking a daughter or granddaughter down the aisle, so it's an honor to be doing so for you."

"As granddads go, you two are the best." I dropped a kiss on his cheek before climbing in, and saw him blink rapidly. He really was an old romantic.

Back at the café, I checked in with Penny to ensure everything was okay and to grab a list of what we needed, then headed upstairs to do the ordering and accounts. It was close to six when my phone rang, the tone telling me it was Aiden.

"Hey," I said, by way of greeting. "That was one hell of a long council meeting."

"It was actually over in a couple of hours, which is quick in the scheme of things according to Rocco. Apparently they do all like waffling on."

"So, you're at the station?"

"No. We got a report of a fire over Joyces Creek way as I was heading back, and we ended up having to block some roads while the brigade dealt with it."

"Was it deliberately lit?"

"Uncertain at this stage, although there was some evidence people had been camping at the reservoir there, so it could simply have been a campfire that hadn't been put out properly. Anyways, I'm ringing to see if you're hankering for something particular for dinner."

"Aside from you, you mean?"

He laughed. "We both know which hunger has priority these days, and it isn't the sexual one, even if it's a close second."

That was a truth I couldn't deny. I considered my options for a moment then said, "A burger with the lot, sans beetroot. And chips, with chicken salt of course."

"Of course." His voice was dry. "I'll be there in about half an hour."

"I'll have a cold beer waiting for you."

" That would be appreciated."

He hung up. I shut the computer down, checked there were indeed a couple of beers in the small fridge up here, then grabbed a quick shower. After dressing in a loose shift dress rather than my usual shorts and tank top, I grabbed a cold bottle of water, then settled back on the sofa and rang Mom.

She answered almost immediately. "Lizzie," she said, her voice warm. "This is a surprise—is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, but unfortunately, the reservation has been infested with vampires and they're looking at going to war."

"And you're ringing for help?"

"God, no—the last thing this reservation needs is to be inundated by the high council."

"My fellow councilors would never venture far from their lofty halls without good reason, and they would never consider a vampire war that."

Surprise flickered through me. "They never asked you about the wild magic I unleashed up there?"

"Oh, they asked, but I feigned ignorance. It is best the council be kept in the dark when it comes to your control over the wild magic, Elizabeth. Such knowledge would not only mean too much attention being placed on yourself, but also our family in general. And with your father the way he is…"

I was well aware she never meant that last bit to sound like she was once again putting my father and family fortunes above—or at least, at the same level—as mine, but that's nevertheless how the inner me, who hadn't one hundred percent forgiven, read it.

"He's seen no improvement then?"

"No." She hesitated. "I personally believe what the wraith stole will never be returned, but he refuses to accept that."

Because, for a man like my father—who'd bathed in the glory of being one of the most powerful witches in Canberra—the loss of his magic would be a bitter pill to swallow.

I had no idea what Mom actually thought about his loss—even now, her voice gave very little away—but I continued to hope he remained without magic. He'd spent most of his life belittling me and walking over others for their so-called magical "lack," so this bit of karma was very well deserved. And if you asked me, a year—which was how long the few doctors he had seen believed it would take for his magical prowess to be restored—was certainly not punishment enough.

An absence that stretched over the rest of his lifetime might not heal all the harm he'd caused over the years, but it would at least go some way to satisfying the ghosts of pain and heartache, be they within me or others.

Of course, there were plenty of people who'd consider that a horrible thing to wish on a parent, but my father hadn't really been much of a parent.

"What I'm actually ringing to ask is a couple of questions—first, what do you know about gray-area blood spells making you more susceptible to the call of dark witches or mages?"

She sucked in a sharp breath. "This has happened to you?"

"Sadly yes, though it appears that while they can summon me, they can't control me."

"That is at least something." She paused for a second. "I'm not personally familiar with the implication of gray blood spells, but I know someone who is. I shall ask him and get back to you."

"Thanks."

I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she said, "And the second?"

"Do you know anything about astral summoning?"

"Other than what is taught in university, I take it?" She was obviously forgetting I'd never finished high school, let alone gone to university. "As it happens, I did dabble in the practice when I was much younger."

"You did?" I asked, surprised.

Her soft laugh ran down the line between us, briefly stirring memories of Christmases when I was a kid. Not all of my childhood had been bad, and I needed to start remembering those times more.

"I was once a bit of a wild child, though many might find it hard to believe these days."

"Well, I had to have gotten my rebellious streak from somewhere, because it sure as hell didn't come from Dad."

"No, although he did have his moments before we were married." Her soft sigh spoke of gentle regrets. "My dabbling involved a boy I was rather attracted to. I would have been only nineteen or twenty, so well before your father came on the scene."

They'd met in their third year of uni, I knew, and while their marriage had definitely been a financial arrangement designed to benefit both families, there'd also been a deep attraction, even if it had now devolved into nothing more than a working partnership.

"And was this boy someone you shouldn't have been associating with?" I asked, my smile growing.

"Oh indeed, my parents would have been mortified." She lowered her voice, sounding conspiratorial and so much like Catherine—the sister I'd lost when I was barely sixteen, and who was now a spirit guide-in-waiting—that tears stung my eyes. "He was a Sarr, after all."

And that probably went a long way to explaining why she'd never held the same prejudices as either her family or my father's when it came to Belle. She'd been in lust with a Sarr. Who'd have ever guessed that?

"So how did the whole astral summoning come about?"

"Our … liaisons were by necessity rare, but he was not only a spirit talker but a spirit walker. Which meant he could astral travel and fully interact with those who joined him on the plane."

"Fully interact, as in sex?"

My voice was somewhat incredulous and her soft laugh decidedly wicked. "Indeed, and astral sex is … well, quite satisfying."

"Well, that's good to know, but I have absolutely no intention of fucking this vampire, astrally or not."

She laughed again. "Of course not. The point, though, is that while I couldn't initiate an astral session, once I was summoned, I could fully interact with those on the plane. Rodrik theorized the skill had to lie in my bloodline somewhere, even if somewhat diluted. That would make sense, given the psi skills you inherited, which certainly did not come from your father's bloodline."

And he'd certainly made his opinions about those psi skills very clear over the years. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd have ever married Mom had he been aware that the "stain" of humanity—the only way psi talents could enter a witch bloodline was via a witch either marrying or having a child with a psi-gifted human—was in her family's past.

"Astral travel isn't one of them, though."

"It could be latent, or it could be reactionary, like mine."

"How do I stop it?"

"If it is reactionary, you probably can't. Not unless you uncover how you are being called."

I frowned. "Meaning?"

"Rodrik summoned me via a lock of my hair. When our relationship ended, I took that lock back."

"I don't believe any of them has something like that."

"A personal item is not always necessary. Sometimes, all it takes is an understanding of a person's resonance."

"Resonance as in magical or spiritual being?"

"Either. Were you placed in a situation recently where the vamp that calls you was able to taste the rhythm of your magical or psi aura?"

I frowned again. "I did get caught by one of them when I used psychometry to track her down via her spell stone, but she isn't the one calling me out."

"If she is closely connected to the vampire who is calling, then it's possible they could have shared the information."

"Would a master and her fledgling be considered close enough?"

"I would think so."

"Damn." I blew out a frustrated breath. "What if it's a latent skill? How would I go about initiating an astral journey?"

She hesitated. "According to Rodrik, one must travel with intent. So, visualize where you are and what you want to achieve on the plane, then relax your body and gain a meditative state. Once your energy has been centered, imagine a rope hanging from the ceiling and use it to pull yourself out of your body. If successful, you will be able to see your body beneath you."

"And to get back?"

"Imagine your body, feel the weight of each breath, and express the wish to return."

Seemed easy enough and was no doubt the exact opposite. "If I can't stop the summoning, what do you suggest I do?"

"Control the direction of the astral meeting."

"How? She's a blood mage and far stronger magically than me."

"You have wild magic in your very DNA. There is no one stronger magically than you."

"Yes, but using the wild magic in real life is very different to using it on the astral plane—especially when I'm not the one in control of the whole thing."

And yet, I had used it, if only very briefly, in that first dream to move myself against her orders. If I could do that, I could do far more.

"Astral walking is not so much about power but will," Mom was saying. "You might never have been the strongest magically, Elizabeth, but you were always the strongest of our children both physically and mentally."

"I had to be, didn't I?" I couldn't help the trace of bitterness that crept into my voice, and I hoped she didn't catch it. She might have been somewhat absent when it came to parenting me—at least, that's what it had seemed to the younger me envious of the attention Cat and Julius had been getting—but she had never been uncaring.

"Perhaps," she was saying, "but that does not alter the fact that you and Belle, two somewhat naive sixteen-year-olds, managed to outsmart and outrun all the forces that your father and Clayton could bring to bear for over twelve years. If the younger you could achieve that, the older you can certainly beat a couple of vampiric mages."

Again, those silly tears touched my eyes. Being pregnant was really playing havoc with my emotional equilibrium. "I like the confidence with which you say that."

"Given you outwitted a wraith who'd been plotting his revenge for over a decade—a creature who killed your brother and destroyed your father—I have every reason to be confident."

I wish I shared that confidence but then, lack of said confidence in my own skills was definitely one of my stronger traits. "So, how do you suggest I take full control of these astral meetings? Our tête-à-têtes to date have been nothing more than her warning me to not get involved and me throwing sass back at her. She's not going to answer any questions she doesn't want to, and I can't force her?—"

"Actually, you probably could."

I blinked. "How, when I'm not the one initiating the meetings?"

"Initiation doesn't mean control. Rodrik always initiated our meetings, but I more often than not led proceedings afterward. You simply have to bring the force of your will to bear, and if it is stronger than the initiator's, you will gain control."

"Meaning I could force her to answer my questions?"

"Possibly, though if I were you, rather than verbally ask, I would use your psi talents. It is a far subtler approach."

"Subtle is not a word many would associate with me," I said dryly.

She laughed again, and again memories stirred. Perhaps one day, my memories would be dominated by the good times more than the bad. "Then do unsubtle."

It was certainly something I'd try if Marie did drag me back onto the astral plane—though with Roger now dead, there was no real reason for her to do so. Unless of course she was using the meetings to somehow keep tabs on me…

I frowned and asked, "Could she use these astral meetings to gain information about me? Without actually questioning me, I mean?"

Mom hesitated. "Is she psi capable?"

"I don't think so."

"Then it is unlikely. However, please do ensure that your physical body is well protected when these events happen," Mom said. "It's possible she could use them as a means of distraction—with your spirit on the astral plane, your physical self has no means of reacting to any sort of threat. Being killed in the astral plane is rare and difficult, but your spirit's absence leaves your body entirely too vulnerable."

"Oh, trust me, not only does the café have more protections around it than the high council's chambers, there's my werewolf to contend with."

There was a brief moment of silence. "How goes the relationship? You never said anything while you were here, but I got the impression that things were … unsettled."

"They were, but we finally sat down and talked." I paused. "He asked me to marry him."

"And you said yes?"

"I did. I love him, Mom."

"Which is all any mother could want for their child, and I am extremely happy for you both." She paused. "When is the big event?"

"We haven't decided between New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day yet, but I'll let you know as soon as we do." I paused. "Father is not invited."

"Utterly understandable." She paused again, this time longer. "I would also understand if you do not wish me?—"

"Don't be daft, Mom," I cut in.

She laughed, though it was a slightly relieved sound. "It's not daft, Elizabeth, given you have reason enough to ostracize me for what I didn't do or see?—"

"We can't change the past, but we can at least move beyond it. I want you there."

"Then I will look forward to hearing more—and to finally meeting your wolf."

Awareness shivered across my senses, and I glanced toward the stairs. "Speaking of which, he's just arrived home with dinner, so I will say goodbye and speak to you later."

"I look forward to it. Goodnight, be careful, and remember I'm here if you do decide you need extra magical help. It is not a long flight down to Melbourne."

"Thanks, Mom."

She hung up. I rose and walked toward the kitchenette to grab the tomato sauce and Aiden's beer. He appeared a few seconds later, looking tired, sweaty, and smelling faintly of smoke. "You look like crap, Ranger."

He laughed. "It's been a bit of a crap day. One thing I had not considered about being an alpha was the tedium that comes with council meetings and policy discussions. I'm not sure how Rocco has stood them for so long and remained sane."

"Rocco's made of stern stuff." I grinned. "Just as well I met you first because, hey, he's definitely worthy of attention."

"Hmm" was all he said to that.

Grin growing, I sat down beside him and plucked a chip free from its packaging. "Did Jaz update you on Roger and the explosion?"

"Yes." He handed me my burger. "What sort of retribution can we expect from Maelle?"

"Well, for one thing, she has the thing that punched the holes through those people up in Moonlight Flats leashed in her club."

"Of course she does." He shook his head. "I'm gathering there's nothing any of you can do about that?"

"Getting through all the protections she's ringed the club with might well take all our time and magical energy, and that would leave us wide open to an attack by either her monster or her."

"Well, that's off the table then. I take it we concentrate on finding Jaqueline instead?"

"That's our best option. Jaz has the spell stone we found in evidence at the station, so I'll need you to grab it for me in the morning."

He nodded and motioned to my burger. "Eat before it gets cold."

"Well, if you'd stop asking questions, I would."

He nudged me lightly with his shoulder. I laughed, picked up my burger, and ate. Over dessert—banana bread with cream-cheese frosting for me, a brownie for him—he drank his beer and updated me on the council meeting. Then, when his beer was gone, he offered me his hand and said, "I need a shower."

I ignored his hand, amusement twitching my lips. "And this concerns me how?"

"I want you in the shower with me."

My pulse rate leapt in anticipation, but I didn't move. "Sadly, I've already had a shower."

"On days such as this, one can never have too many showers. Besides, hot sex and cold water is a delicious combination."

I laughed, placed my hand in his, and let him pull me to my feet. "I thought cold water was detrimental to certain parts of male anatomy?"

"It is unless there happens to be a hot naked female in the near vicinity. Lust will always win out in such a situation."

"I believe this is a theory we need to check out."

He grinned, swooped me up into his arms, and carried me into the bathroom, where we did prove that cold water was no impediment to a man's capabilities of getting an erection, or indeed hot sex.

We spent the rest of the evening snuggled on the couch, watching TV, then went to bed. But as sleep descended, I was once again called onto the astral plane.

Not by Marie.

By Jaqueline.

Once again the summoning followed the same pattern—I walked barefoot through the forest as the wild magic spun around me. Figures I couldn't see walked either side of me, but once again I was alone when I entered that forest clearing ringed by purple mage fire. In the middle of the clearing lay a body. This time, it wasn't staked, and it wasn't Roger. It was just an insubstantial, indistinguishable figure that was neither male nor female. A ghost of what might yet be.

Jaqueline stood on the far side of the clearing, in the same spot that Marie had been.

"Stop," she said, her voice holding the whip of command backed by magic.

My magic stirred in response, and her order skated over my skin with little impact. Mom had been right—they might be able to summon me, but my actions on this plane remained my own. Relief stirred but I clamped down on it, wary of it showing in my expression, and stopped as ordered. There was little point in revealing their lack of control just yet.

"Why have you summoned me, Jaqueline?"

"To pass on a message."

"I'm not your or Marie's personal postal service," I replied evenly. "If you've a message for your mother, pass it on yourself."

"Given she wishes to kill me, that would be unwise."

"She's your mother. She does not wish to kill you." And had indeed almost leapt across a table to rip my throat out when I'd asked why she'd bother leaving her daughter alive. That definitely wasn't the action of a woman who planned to kill her offspring.

But even as I thought that, doubt stirred.

Jaqueline waved a hand, the movement eloquent. "Perhaps before the madness descended that might have been true."

"Then why ensure that descent happened?"

"Because disorder is something she abhors, and it is delicious to watch her unravel."

Maker, mother, daughter—they were all certifiably crazy. "Maelle told me that your doom and your fate were always hers to decide—what did she mean by that?"

A frown flickered across Jaqueline's almost too-perfect features. "I could not tell you."

"Then perhaps you had best ask Marie."

"And perhaps you interfere in business you should not."

"You fuckers made it my business when you came to this reservation and decided to go to war. I didn't start this shit, but I will?—"

"Finish it, blah, blah, blah," Jaqueline cut in, in a bored sort of tone. "It is no truer on this plane than it is in real life."

I called to the inner wild magic and imagined myself standing in front of Jaqueline, inches from her face. Before I could even blink, it happened. I reached out and wrapped a hand loosely around her throat. My psi talents roared to life, and I caught a glimpse of a street, a building, a room. Of her, lying in bed alone, though the dented pillow beside hers suggested that until very recently that had not been the case.

Grabbing her by the neck definitely wasn't subtle, but it had certainly worked.

"Well, well," she said, her voice even despite the startlement that briefly flickered through her expression. "Aren't you full of surprises."

"More than you will ever know." I let my hand drop and stepped back. I had what I needed. Now I just had to keep her from realizing that. "What do you really want, Jaqueline?"

"As I said, I'm here to pass on a message, but not, as you presumed, to my mother."

"Then to whom? Because really? These little tête-à-têtes that do nothing more than give me warning not to interfere are getting a little tedious."

"Then you will be pleased to know this will be the last of them."

"Oh?" I raised a casual eyebrow even as alarm ran through me. "Have you finally accepted their uselessness?"

A vicious light ignited in her eyes, and the alarm boiled over to fear.

"No. They simply end because you will no longer exist to call onto this plane. Enjoy your final minutes on this earth, Elizabeth Grace."

And with that, she flung me off the plane, back into my body.

Straight into chaos.