Page 63 of The Warlock's Trial

“We may have more investigating to do tonight than we thought,” I said. “Onyx, Miles, I need you to take Mandy and Tate back to the safe house. Then the rest of us are going to investigate what’s in this journal.”

I didn’t give anyone a chance to ask questions. I tucked the journal under my arm and hurried out of the house, gesturing to the others to follow. We passed the ward, and I waited until we were concealed in the trees behind Lilian’s house before I cast a portal. The forest near the safe house appeared in front of us.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” I promised Onyx and Miles.

“Wait!” Chloe called. She grabbed Miles and pulled him into her arms, planting a passionate kiss on his lips. The two started making out, putting on quite the show, before they finally drew away from each other.

“Stay safe,” Miles said.

Miles and Onyx led Mandy and Tate through the portal, their cats following behind them.

As soon as the portal closed, Chloe whirled on me. “All right, smart guy. Why’d you send my boyfriend away? You better have a damn good excuse why we aren’t all returning to the safe house with them.”

“Mandy and Tate need help, and I figured Miles and Onyx were the best equipped to care for them right now,” I said. “What we’ve just found is going to require at least one member of each Cast.”

“What exactly do you think you’ve found?” Talia asked.

I held up the journal. “This Elementai ran across something he shouldn’t have, and the priestesses were going to execute him for it. I believe he found where the priestesses have hidden the Alchemy and Seer Wands, and using this journal, we’re going to get them back.”

“How do you know this guy?” Grant asked.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. “Because Nadine and I saved his life.”

Chapter Ten

NADINE

Five Months Earlier

The air was warm, and the stars twinkled above us as Lucas and I snuck through the trees. The safe house was far behind us, and I wondered how long it’d take Grammy to notice we were missing. We’d left a note, but I didn’t think that’d stop her from worrying.

It was mid-June, and our friends had left over a week ago to visit other supernatural societies. We hoped they might learn something about the Oaken Wands, but so far, we’d received no word from them.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I took in the crisp night air. “It’s nice to get out of the house.”

Lucas squeezed my hand as he led me through the forest. “I love your grandmother, but I just want one night where she isn’t breathing down our necks.”

“Agreed!” I laughed. “She was following me everywhere yesterday. I can’t believe she walked in on us when she did. Can you imagine if it was a minute later? I don’t know why she wanted to vacuum our room anyway. She already vacuumed earlier this week.”

“And the way she asked us what we were doing, like she didn’t already know,” Lucas added.

I snickered. “Grammy can handle a few hours alone without us. I told Isa to distract her. Where are you taking me?”

Lucas gestured down the mountain. “There’s a waterfall not far from here. I wanted to take you there, if you’re okay with it. It’s outside the boundary of the wards.”

I listened to the forest intently, but I heard nothing except crickets and the distant hoot of an owl. “No one knows we’re here. We can cast our own ward around the waterfall once we get there, so we’ll be safe.”

We walked for another fifteen minutes, until we came upon a beautiful waterfall with a calm pool beneath it. The sound of trickling water was soothing, and a woodsy scent surrounded us. The light from the quarter moon glistened off the water.

We cast our ward, then turned to each other. My heart hammered as Lucas wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in closer. We hadn’t been intimate in a while now, since Grammy was always right there.

My fingers roamed up his arms, and my eyes danced around his body, savoring his presence.

His hand came up to cradle my face. “I want to make love to you in this pool.”

My breath caught. “Lucas, if you get me out of these clothes, you can do whatever the hell you want to me.”

His lips were on mine a second later, and my fingers tangled in his hair as our bodies crashed together. He grabbed my ass, pulling me close to his erection. One hand slid under my shirt to cup my breast, and heat pooled between my thighs. He reached for the hem of my shirt to take it off.

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