“If that were true, I wouldn’t be—”
He cut the rest of that sentence off, leaving me wondering just what he was about to admit. I had imagination enough to believe he’d come close to admitting his feelings for me. And yet the fact that he’d cut the declaration off meant that no matter what his heart might be saying, his mind had other plans.
And they currently didn’t include a crimson-haired witch. Not in the forever together, white picket fence and babies kind of way, anyway.
The truck’s com system buzzed, breaking the brief but tense silence. Aiden pressed a button on the console and then said, “Jaz? Is there a problem?”
“No—just giving you the heads-up; the bridal car is about to pull into the church’s driveway. Do you want us to remain here or shall we move across to the reception venue?”
“Head on over to the venue and keep alert.”
“Will do, boss.”
Once she’d signed off, he contacted Monty and updated him. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait that long for trouble to stir.
The wedding cars had barely driven past our driveway to park in the allocated area when my instincts prickled. I frowned and glanced around, but there was no one in immediate sight, either in the church’s grounds or on the street ahead. I flipped down the sun visor and looked behind me.
An oddly dressed man walked toward us. While he was wearing black dress pants, he’d teamed it with an orange cardigan and a green cravat. He was also wearing mismatched shoes—one was black, one was brown. He moved in an almost robotic way, reminding me somewhat of a marionette. And while I couldn’t immediately see the strings of magic, they were obviously there. The distress in his face, the panic in his eyes, all spoke of a man who wasn’t in control.
“Our proxy is approaching,” I said softly.
Aiden twisted around. “The oddly dressed man?”
“Yes. I can’t see a spell, but he’s definitely under one.”
Aiden picked up his phone from the center console. “Warn Monty. I’ll send some pics to Tala and get her to ID him.”
I sent Monty a text and continued to watch the stranger. Though he didn’t turn his head or look at us when he neared our car, his expression twisted and his mouth moved, as if he was desperately trying to say something. But the creature that held his leash kept him moving forward.
My gaze slipped down to his hands, and after a second, I spotted a telltale shimmer. The spell had been concealed—that’s why I hadn’t seen it earlier. I narrowed my gaze and tried to push past the blockage, to no avail. But that wasn’t really a surprise; the magic of someone capable of bringing down half a mountain was never going to be easy to unpick—especially by someone as untutored as me.
The colorful stranger disappeared behind the fence line. Aiden’s phone beeped, and he glanced down. “Our suspect has stopped a few meters away from the cars and is studying the area.”
“The Manananggal is suspicious.”
“Which isn’t surprising now that she knows she’s facing at least one witch. I’m actually surprised she’s remained in the reservation.”
“As you’ve already noted, when has a supernatural nasty ever done the sensible thing here?”
“I keep hoping that one of them eventually will.” His phone beeped again. “Okay, suspect is now making his way toward the bridal car. Monty’s unable to see what sort of spell is involved from where he’s standing.”
At least it wasn’t just me. I studied the fence, wishing for X-ray vision or at least a lower fence.
Aiden’s phone beeped again. “The spell has been placed. The suspect is heading our way again.”
He’d barely finished saying that when our oddly dressed gentleman appeared in the driveway, did an abrupt turn, and walked back up the hill. I twisted around in the seat to watch him, instincts twitching. “I might follow him.”
“I don’t think it’d be wise to go alone—not after what happened at the ridge.”
“Monty has to check out the spell, and you have to touch the thing so it transfers to your hand rather than the groom’s. I’m all that’s left.”
“And you’re sure he needs to be followed?”
“My instincts are.”
He blew out a frustrated breath, then twisted around and grabbed a green windbreaker and a beanie from the back seat. “Take these. I’ll track you down once we’ve dealt with the spell.”
I grabbed the coat, beanie, and my backpack, then scrambled out of the truck. Our oddly dressed gentleman had already disappeared into what looked to be a pedestrian laneway between two houses. I chased after him, damn grateful for flat shoes rather than heels.
I swung into the lane, saw him at the far end, and immediately slowed. I had no idea how the Manananggal was controlling him or whether she had access to his senses, but the last thing I wanted was for him to look around and spot me. He’d seen me sitting in the truck outside the church, and while he might not think much about that, the Manananggal’s suspicions would rise if she noticed I was now tailing him.
He turned right and disappeared again. I broke into a run to close the distance, keeping to the grass that lined the edge of the old stone path so that my footsteps didn’t echo. I paused at the end and peered out from behind the safety of a scrubby-looking bush. My quarry was striding down the middle of the road, seeming oblivious of the footpath that ran along the left of the street.
I sent Aiden a quick text and then pulled on his coat, tucked my hair up into the beanie, and stepped out into the street. The wind swirled around me, filled with the scent of rain and promising yet another cold evening. But it also held a thick thread of fear and uncertainty.
The stranger didn’t want to go wherever the Manananggal was forcing him to go.
The footpath gave way to rough stone and a steep
