“Yes.”
“Which means we have time. The other two must still be too weak. We could have years before they’re strong enough to retaliate. In the meantime, we can strengthen our wards. It won’t stop them from getting onto the grounds, but it will weaken them while they’re on our land.” She nodded to herself. “There are precautions we can take. Jessie, can you ward this house and the cabin?”
Jessie nodded. “I’ll go get my supplies.” She headed off.
Anna turned to me. “Cora, you’ll be safe during the day, but you can’t be alone at night.”
“She won’t be,” Tor, Leif, and Rune said in unison.
My gaze flicked to Jasper to find him watching Anna with narrowed eyes. “And what happens when these vampires are strong enough? What happens when they’re ready to attack?”
Anna lifted her chin and met his gaze levelly. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Not good enough,” Jasper snapped. “I heard your little meeting with your fellow elders. Some of them want to hand Cora over. What was it they said?” He tapped his chin. “Oh yes, she can be the anchor whether she’s here or there.”
A growl erupted from Tor’s throat and Leif stepped in front of me. The air crackled with tension, and the scent of pine and earth filled my nostrils. The guys’ wolves were close to the surface, and the threads that bound us thrummed in warning.
Anna must have sensed it too because she backed up, hands in the air in a placating gesture. “I would never do that. You must believe me.”
Tor’s chest rumbled; he was clearly unconvinced.
“I believe you,” Elijah said.
“And that makes it okay?” Jasper snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t drop my guard.”
Elijah sighed, shooting Jasper a wry glance. “The Sons of Adam could drain Cora and shatter the seal. Handing her over is too risky for the coven.”
“Exactly.” Anna smiled gratefully at Elijah. “Our purpose is to protect the seal. To maintain the barrier. We will not compromise that.”
The rumble in Tor’s chest stopped and his hand came to rest on the small of my back, a welcome brand of heat seeping through my shirt.
Anna’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I swear to you that the anchor’s life is our priority. We cannot risk it.”
“Especially when you no longer have any potentials to take her place,” Jasper said dryly.
“Yes,” Anna said simply. “Especially now.”
Wow, at least she was honest. I respected that.
“But.” Elijah’s gaze flicked to Jasper. “We need to be proactive, not reactive.” Jasper nodded in agreement. Elijah focused on Anna. “Where’s their base?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Any accounts we may have had of their whereabouts were lost in the fire.”
Jessie returned. “All set. I’ve etched the runes. I just need to adjust the central wards back at the mansion.”
“I’m sorry,” Anna said to me, “for everything. But I promise you, we won’t allow any harm to come to you.” Her gaze lifted to Tor’s. “Nighttime will be when they might try to take her. Be vigilant.”
“We’ve got this,” Tor said.
“She won’t be alone,” Leif added.
Anna took her leave with Jessie, but Elijah lingered. “Can I have a word, Cora.”
I followed him out into the lounge, leaving Jasper in an eye-off with Tor. They’d be fine, right?
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Elijah said. “I want you to know we would have been there if we could.”
“We?”
“Jasper and I were magically locked in my office. By the time the spell broke it was too late. The attack had already taken place and been dealt with, and you were gone.”
“Wait, Charlotte locked you in your office?”
“Yes. We just finished interrogating her, actually.” His mouth turned down. “Bramble wanted to be there, but Anna vetoed the idea, so she left.”
“Oh fuck, where did she go?”
His chest heaved and he shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure, but I believe she needs time to grieve the loss of the mother she knew and reconcile to the fact she was used as a pawn.”
Poor Bramble. She adored Charlotte. Trusted her. Loved her. “I need to see her. She needs to be with friends.”
“She needs some time. Give it to her. She’ll come back when she’s ready. What Charlotte did was unforgivable, and it’ll take time for Bramble to process that.”
Charlotte betrayed everyone, but it wasn’t all black and white.
It never was. “She did it for the love of her mates, the family the coven gave her, the one she’s loved for a century.” I gave Elijah a wry smile. “The coven did this. They put her in an impossible situation. They gave her everything she could ever want and then they said, sorry, time’s up. Time to take it all away and you can watch it burn. Thanks for your service, love.”
His brow crinkled in a frown. “You empathize with her?”
Fuck me. I guess I did. “I don’t agree with her actions. She put a lot of lives in danger for selfish reasons, but yeah, I get why she did it.” I pressed my fist to my chest. “It’s why I’ll never let my heart get invested in this. I made the decision before, but Charlotte’s actions have made me even more determined. Loving my mates is too dangerous.”
My stomach went hollow with the words, as if protesting. But in this case, I’d be thinking with my head, not my heart.
Elijah studied me for a long beat, his turquoise gaze drifting over my face. “I’m proud of you, Cora.”
“Eh?”
“Your resilience and determination and the way you’ve adjusted to all this.” His gaze dropped to the bandages on my neck. “I promise you I’ll do everything I can to stop the Sons of Adam. I’ll find a way to protect you from them.” He grazed my cheek with his fingers, and my eyes fluttered closed briefly beneath his touch. “Stay with the wolves. Stay safe.”
My pulse hitched in understanding. “You’re leaving?”
“I won’t find the answers I need here. And we can’t rely on reacting. We need to be proactive.”
Foreboding
