Page 39
"A Crowe," the woman says, her posture turning defensive. "What are you doing here?"
"Mrs. Grimshaw, you need to listen carefully. Your family is in immediate danger."
Outside, the shimmering perimeter suddenly turns a violent, suffocating red as the attackers breach the perimeter with a localized siphoning spell. That's when the wards explode.
A blinding flash erupts across the property as masked figures materialize from the treeline, their movements coordinated and ruthless. The coven found us. Perhaps we found them.
"Get inside!" Serenity shouts while shoving the woman back through the doorway as hexed daggers slice through the air where she'd been standing.
I shift partially and let my wolf come forward enough to enhance my speed and strength. Three attackers converge on the porch, but Serenity's already moving—using the defensive techniques I taught her, staying low and mobile while knitting protection spells between her fingers.
She pivots, her athame flashing in the afternoon light, and strikes like I showed her. She channels moonish energy straight through the blade instead of allowing it to spiral out of control. The lethal mastery impresses me even as terror coils through my gut, watching her fight.
An assassin lunges with enchanted restraints. Serenity sidesteps, grabs his wrist, and redirects his momentum straight into the porch railing. Supernatural force shatters the wood to splinters.
"Behind you!" I roar while taking down two more attackers while keeping her in my peripheral vision.
She spins, eyes blazing, and unleashes a controlled burst of power that sends the remaining coven members retreating into the woods. The entire fight lasts maybe three minutes, but watching her risk everything to protect strangers does something permanent to the walls around my heart.
We secure the house, help the Grimshaws pack emergency supplies, and get them to Kellan's safe transport within the hour. We work seamlessly, exactly how these operations should run.
But as we walk back toward our vehicle, Serenity stumbles. "You alright?"
"Fine, just tired." She blinks rapidly as she shakes her head like she's clearing cobwebs. "Did you see that woman by the car?"
I check the empty driveway. "What woman?"
"Platinum blonde with a white dress. She was watching us the entire time." Serenity's response possesses a strange, distant quality.
Ice forms in my veins. "There's no one there, Serenity."
"Of course there is. She's—" Serenity turns, pointing at empty air. Her face goes pale. "She was right there."
I survey the area, confirming total quiescence—the air holds only pure oxygen, baseline room temperature, and complete atmospheric clarity. Whatever Serenity saw existed only within her mind.
That realization makes it infinitely worse.
I guide her into the SUV with a hand on her back while taking one last look at the treeline. The pines stand motionless, empty and indifferent. But the description—platinum blonde, white dress—lodges itself firmly inside my memory, remaining an unreachable irritation.
Someone is inside her head. And I have no idea how to fight what I can't see.
15
SERENITY
The woman's image fades almost immediately, but the lingering unease twists in my gut. I know she has to be real, but I shove the thought aside and instead throw myself into the task at hand.
Estella owes me answers.
Darius and I climb back into the SUV, and the low rumble of the engine beneath us becomes a hypnotic, reassuring thrum. I attune to its rhythm and find a momentary calm within the chaos. The road ahead blurs in my mind, much like the visions that assaulted my senses earlier.
"We need to go to Estella. I deserve to know the truth."
Darius keeps his eyes on the road, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "You really think she’ll be honest this time?"
"She will," I promise myself more than him. "She has to."
As we approach the Crowe estate, the familiar sight of intricate iron gates greets us, towering and imposing against the setting sun. They creak open, whispers of ancient power circulating through the air, a reminder of everything hidden beneath the veneer of this place.
