“That lack of choice did lead you to the best choice,” Monty said immodestly.
Amusement lurked around the corners of Aiden’s eyes. “The best of a bad bunch isn’t really something to boast about.”
“You’ve obviously been hanging around Ashworth far too much.”
Aiden’s smile broke loose. “He does have a way of cutting through the bullshit that I quite like.”
Monty rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to mine. “While I think it unlikely Clayton will break his vow, I’m also aware that we can’t ignore your premonitions—even if they’re fear based. Which means we need a—”
He stopped at the sharp ringing of a phone. Aiden grimaced and said, “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.”
He rose from the table and walked a few yards away.
“That,” I said, watching the tension ripple across his shoulders, “isn’t good news.”
“Another death?”
“I think so. Whether it’s related to our recent ghoul attacks or something else, I can’t say.”
“Just as well I’m back to take up the investigating reins, then,” Monty said. “I doubt you’re up to visiting a crime scene right now.”
“Actually, it’d probably take my mind off deeper, darker matters.” I sipped my coffee and half wished Belle had been a little more generous with the whiskey. “Did you get any information from the friend you went down to Melbourne to meet?”
“I did, but I’ll have to update you tomorrow.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee and rose as Aiden approached. “We’ve got another one, I take it?”
“Uncertain.” Aiden’s gaze met mine. “Are you sure you don’t want me to return tonight?”
I nodded. “Even with tame judges in their pockets, it’s going to take a few days to get the annulment. We have breathing space.”
His gaze remained on mine; judging my words, looking for lies. Eventually, he bent and kissed me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“For breakfast?”
“That would be appreciated.”
“It really would,” Monty said.
I grinned. “You’re usually here for breakfast these days anyway, so I just took it as a given.”
“Excellent.” He slapped Aiden’s shoulder lightly. “Shall we go hunt us up a ghoul?”
“When it comes to hunting, I prefer rabbits and foxes.” Aiden sent a wink my way, then turned and walked out.
Once Belle had locked the door behind the two of them, she said, “Are we really staying here tonight?”
“I think we’ll have two safe days up our sleeves; after that, it’s all bets off.”
Belle plonked down and nursed her coffee mug between her hands. “Surely it’s in your father’s best interests to keep an eye on him? Especially if you’re right and he’s already formulating plans to pair you off to a more suitable blueblood beau?”
I shuddered at the thought. “You’re forgetting how long they’ve been friends. It’ll never occur to my father that a witch of Clayton’s standing wouldn’t honor a vow.”
“So, what are we going to do?”
I shrugged. “Given we can’t afford to close the café—”
“If there’s one thing I’m certain of,” Belle cut in, “it’s the fact he won’t attack us where there’re witnesses.”
I grimaced and drained my mug. The alcohol within the coffee didn’t really do a whole lot to ease the inner tension. But I doubted even a full bottle of whiskey would do that.
“I actually don’t think he’ll attack me at all. I think he’ll go after you first. And if he can’t snatch you, then he’ll go after Aiden or Monty. They’ve been following us for a week, remember? They know our movements and ties.”
“We could camp up at Katie’s wellspring,” Belle said. “If we’re not safe there, we won’t be safe anywhere.”
I hesitated, then shook my head. While we now had permission to enter the clearing whenever necessary from the Marin pack—on whose land the wellspring was situated—I doubted they’d be too happy about us camping there for any length of time. Werewolves were notoriously protective of their privacy and their compounds. Humans found wandering around without permission soon found themselves spending quite a bit of time in jail. Unlike most in the reservation, I’d been privileged enough to see both the Marins’ and O’Connors’ inner sanctums, but only because they’d needed the use of my psi skills. Even though I was Aiden’s girlfriend, I was not—and never would be—fully welcomed into their midst.
“I don’t want him or anyone else from Canberra finding that wellspring. Besides, the final confrontation will get nasty, and we can’t afford to shed blood in that place.”
Belle blinked. “I’m not liking the fact your premonitions have jumped from revenge to bloodletting.”
“It was always going to come down to that. It’s just a matter of whether we’ll all survive said letting.” I pushed up from the table. “And on that cheery note, I’m going to bed.”
Belle’s concern ran through my mind. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just dead tired.” I paused and added with a somewhat wry smile, “Which is better than being dead any day.”
She snorted and flicked a leftover bit of cake at me. I dodged it with a laugh and headed upstairs. The spell across the top was still intact, which at least meant neither my father nor my husband had snooped. I set the alarm on my phone, then stripped off, climbed into bed, and was quickly asleep.
And dreamed of destruction, bloodshed, and death.
Whose was the one point the dreams refused to answer.
* * *
I shivered in my coat and then slammed the SUV’s door shut. The stars were bright overhead, but the moon was on the wane and her power little more than a distant hum. The mountain was an indistinct shadow that loomed above us, and the surrounding scrub was filled with the scrabbling of small animals, though whether they were bush rats, possums, or some other kind of nocturnal hunter, I couldn’t say.
Belle flicked on her flashlight and shone the beam on the barrier that signaled the end of the dirt road and the beginning of the goat track that led up to the wellspring’s clearing.
“I’m not looking forward to doing this in the dark,”
