Page 59 of Bait N' Witch

He paused, listening. Then he ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up, and Rowan lifted a hand only to drop it back to her side as his shoulders drooped forward in defeat. “You don’t understand. You need to get her back here.”

He blew out a long breath as he rubbed at his chest, then turned and headed back to his office.

“Because I love her, dammit. That’s why.” The words floated back to Rowan down the hallway. “I need her more than anyone else could possibly…”

Even here where everything—sensation, emotion, life—felt far away, a pale reflection like her form, a multitude of emotions slammed through her, lighting her up and dragging her down at the same time.

Had he just—?

Did he really say—?

Rowan turned to Essie, who still hovered in the corner. “Did…did you hear that?”

The old woman rolled her eyes. “You’re both hopeless. But that’s not what you need to worry about right now.”

Despite the numbness of the realm, a trace of that prickly sensation walked down the back of her neck. Only one other thing could be more important. “The wolves are still coming?”

“They’re not coming.”

Rowan practically floated to the roof with relief.

“They’re here.” Essie pointed out the window.

Light flared outside, illuminating the dark, an instant before a series of explosions from outside boomed, splitting the silence with a crash of sound. The windows shattered, glass flying everywhere. The reverberations slammed through Rowan like shockwaves, even in the ethereal realm. Immediately, heavy black smoke poured into the room.

Upstairs, one of the girls screamed.

…

Grey shook his head as his ears rang following the blast. His lungs screamed in protest at the heavy smoke, his eyes watering. His house was under attack.

The wards would hold off whatever was out there, but not indefinitely.

I have to get the girls to the panic room.

He’d save his magic for when he absolutely needed it. Most likely multiple assailants were involved, and the possibility of them being magical was high. He needed to preserve his energy. Even small spells would reduce his ability to fight, weaken him, and leave him vulnerable.

He sprinted through the house and up the stairs, shouting as he ran. “Girls!”

Immediately, doors were thrown back, and he sucked in a big breath of relief as all three appeared.

“Dad! What’s happening?” Atleigh cried.

“Get them out of here, Grey.” Rowan’s voice echoed in the hallway, bouncing off the walls and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his heart shrinking in on itself.

“Rowan?” Lachlyn asked, glancing around.

So he wasn’t the only one who’d heard her.

Suddenly, the ghostly image of the woman he loved materialized before his eyes. See-through in grays and whites, her long hair floated around her head almost as if she were underwater.

What. The. Hell? Panic stronger than anything he’d ever felt left him reeling. “Rowan?”

She grimaced. “There’s no time to argue or explain. There’s a group of wolf shifters attacking. They are after me, not you. Get the girls to safety. I’ll do what I can to hold them off.”

Before he could stop her, she disappeared.

“Daddy?” Chloe’s trembling voice pulled him back to the most important task.

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