“There’s been no reports of missing or murdered persons as yet,” Aiden said.
“If she went remote, would there be?” Monty asked.
“There’s nowhere truly remote in a werewolf reservation,” Aiden said. “The scent of blood and death can carry quite a way.”
“Well, if she didn’t feed last night, she’ll have to tonight.” I reached across the table and stole a bit of bacon from Monty’s plate. He chased my fingers with his fork, his expression one of mock outrage. “How are we going to trap her if we can’t use magic?”
Aiden frowned. “Why can’t you use magic?”
“We suspect that’s how she knew we were tracking her—she felt Liz’s spell entwining around her blood.”
“Which leaves attending the weddings to keep an eye on things as our only real option—especially given the Manananggal has to be tracking her victims via some sort of spell—”
“Why?” Aiden cut in. “The first victim was attacked when he was alone at the reception.”
“Which could have been just an unfortunate matter of timing on his part,” Monty said. “He’d been going to check something in the car, remember. Maybe our ghoul was in the process of casting her tracker spell when he made his appearance.”
Aiden frowned. “Why would she be placing spells on vehicles when she can separate and fly?”
“I’m guessing because she has to keep her lower body safe when she’s separated—as evidenced by that damn clearing where Liz found the blood.”
“If that’s the case,” Aiden said. “Then we simply have to watch the cars and grab her before she places the spell.”
“It might be better to let her place the spell,” I said. “Monty and I can then exchange places with the intended victims and bring this bitch down where there’s less possibility of innocent bystanders getting hurt.”
“Good idea except for one thing—she’s magic capable,” Monty said. “It’s possible she’ll sense our presence.”
“How close would she have to get to do that?” Aiden asked.
Monty shrugged. “She’s obviously a strong witch given what she did on that ridge; it’s totally possible she could sense our presence from quite some distance.”
“Not if we both shield our magic, surely?” I said.
“There are some witches who can sense a shield almost as easily as they can magic—and this witch isn’t exactly regular flesh and blood.”
“Then perhaps it would be better if Liz and I act as bait, and you and my team wait for the Manananggal to appear from a safe distance,” Aiden said. “That should split up the power output and lessen the prospect of her sensing you too early.”
“It could work.” A devilish glint entered Monty’s eyes. “But you two will need to keep alert. No role playing while on duty, please.”
“We rarely even kiss when he’s on duty,” I said, voice dry. “So that’s not going to be a problem.”
“And for good reason.” Aiden’s expression hadn’t changed, but there was a subtle edge in his voice as he added, “People don’t get hurt that way.”
My eyebrows rose. “That very much sounds like the voice of experience speaking.”
“Not mine, but a friend’s.” He gently squeezed my thigh. “I vowed to never get caught in the same situation. I’m doing my best to keep that vow—though it’s been a whole lot more difficult of late.”
‘Difficult’ is such a romantic word to use, Belle commented, mental tone wry. And why hasn’t he mentioned this before now?
Because the friend is probably a werewolf, which means it slips into the ‘can’t share with the human’ basket. But hey, at least he did admit it had been more difficult lately. That’s something, right?
As far as morsels go, it’s pretty poor.
Given how reticent the damn man is about verbalizing his feelings, I’ll take any morsel I can get. Out loud, I added, “What time does the wedding start?”
“Ceremony is at four, reception at seven.”
“She’s unlikely to trouble the ceremony,” Monty said. “Sunlight kills her, remember?”
“We don’t know that for sure,” I said. “But it’s likely she’ll use a proxy of some kind. She knows we’re onto her now, so she’ll be extra careful.”
Monty frowned. “Everything I’ve discovered about Manananggals suggest they’re loners by nature—”
“Given the level of supernatural nasties we’ve been attracting of late,” Aiden cut in, “I don’t think we can rely on this thing following the general script. To be on the safe side, I’ll get Jaz and Mac to tail the bride and groom from their accommodation to the church. I also think you should be there, Monty—you are the reservation witch, after all.”
“I like the way you remember that fact only when it suits you.” Monty’s voice was dry. “Do we know where they’re staying the night?”
“In one of the cottages in the venue’s grounds—it’s a winery.”
“Are there guests in the other cottages?”
“The bride’s parents, who are up from Melbourne, and some interstate guests.”
I frowned. “So how is our ghoul going to find her victims? Putting a tracker on the car is one thing, but that’s not going to help her once she’s at the venue. It’s not like being newly married has a specific scent.”
“Actually,” Aiden said, “it does. It’s generally a heady mix of sexual pheromones, thick desire, love, and excitement.”
“Is that why werewolf weddings tend to be held within compounds?” Monty said. “The scent gets everyone high and shenanigans ensue?”
“Let’s just say that there’s often more than one relationship cemented at a wedding.” Aiden raised his coffee, but it failed to hide the amusement flirting with his lips. “But back to the topic—I’ll arrange for the guests in the other cabins to be evacuated—”
“Have emergency accommodation at the ready, by all means,” Monty cut in, “but don’t make the final decision until we know what kind of spell she—or her proxy—puts on the vehicle.”
I frowned. “How is that going to help?”
“Because there’re spells that can be passed from an object to a person on touch,” Monty said. “Although if that’s what she’s using, we’ll have to make sure one of you snares it rather than the couple.”
“Which means Liz
