Page 40 of Enchanted

If I had to guess, this ward had been spelled in a similar way. I nudged at it with my power.

Nothing happened.

Straightening, I cast a quick compulsion net in case anyone glanced out of their windows.

Then, I unleashed my lightning.

It bounced off of the wards, ricocheting through the air. I tried again. And again. And again.

There was no breaking through them.

What the fuck? Just who had set these? And why?

I paced up and down the path, wracking my brain. Maybe a supe had lived here previously and hadn’t lifted them? Or was it perhaps one of the Southampton demons? If Ethan was still in touch with one of his friends from there, it’d make sense that they’d extend their protection to him.

Problem with that was I knew all of their signatures. The one on these wards wasn’t similar to any of them.

Fear crawled along my spine. Who was it, and why hadn’t I come across them before?

I came to a halt, trying to figure out who to call first. There was no chance I was walking away and leaving my mate somewhere I couldn’t reach him. Not when I didn’t know why these wards had been set.

It explained a lot about why I hadn’t been able to find him before the day he almost died though. If Ethan didn’t go out often, the opportunities the bond had to lead me to him would’ve been limited.

What it didn’t explain was when these wards had been set or why.

Ethan’s safe. He’s marked. Anyone sensible would recognise your claim and steer well away from him.

My attempt at reasoning with myself wasn’t successful. It wasn’t the sensible supes I was worried about. It was the daredevil ones. The ones who might see a marked human and take it as a challenge, a way of attacking the Seraphim without having to face off against us.

By taking out Ethan instead.

No. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk him.

Question was, what the fuck could I do? Wasn’t like I could go knock on his door. Couldn’t see the fucking thing, for a start.

Benji. That was who I needed to call. He knew the most about warding. He was the most logical too. If anyone could talk me down, it’d be him.

I fired off a quick text before prowling around the property once more. As far as I could tell, Ethan’s house was the only one in the terrace that had been warded. It extended all the way down to the path at the front and covered the entirety of what I assumed was a small back garden.

Wings beating the air greeted me as I arrived back at the front of the property. Benji landed beside me, head already cocked in interest. “Why is there a house missing?”

“It’s warded.”

“This is where Ethan lives?”

I nodded once. “Can you break them?”

Benji pursed his lips. “I can try.”

My skin felt tight over my bones as Benji scrutinised the wards closely. From the thinning of his lips, I was guessing he was also unfamiliar with the signature. He spent far longer studying them than I had before stepping back with a sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be able to lift them.”

“Try anyway,” I said through gritted teeth. “I can’t have my mate somewhere I can’t get to him.”

“He’s unlikely to be hurt in his own home, especially now he’s marked.”

My fury was quiet, but deadly nonetheless. “Ethan is my mate, Benji. Someone has warded his home, and I want to know why. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving without knowing it’s my own wards here, or at the very least, with some answers.”

“I was just attempting to reassure you,” he said as he rolled up his sleeves. “Your worries are likely unfounded. But I get it. All of you seem to lose common sense when it comes to your mates.”