Page 50 of Shield of Fire

I shoved my arms through my jacket’s sleeves, then hastily tugged my hood over my head just in case Loudon decided to look back. He didn’t. He simply strode down the street, every step seeming to vibrate with annoyance. He obviously wasn’t happy with whoever had sent him here or perhaps what he was here to do.

He disappeared into a small, single-story building that sat between a bubble tea store and red-painted coffee shop. I glanced up at the sign propped on the building’s roofline and my stomach twisted.

Enchantments by Einar.

It couldn’t be, I thought. The witch I’d seen in Gloucester had told me the Eve token had the resonance of a man from the Einar line, and that he’d come from Swansea rather than Cambridge, which was where most of them lived these days.

Granted, she’d also said the Einar line had originated from this area, so there was likely to be more than one Einar in the area, but still...

I pulled the token out of my purse, then gripped it in my hand, said, “Take me home,” as the witch had directed, then placed the token on the hood of the nearby car. For several heartbeats nothing happened, then energy stirred, and the token vibrated lightly. The snake that sat at its center came to life and shifted into an arrow-like position.

It was pointing straight at that little building.

“Where’d he go?” Eljin said from behind me.

I jumped and half turned. “Damn it, you scared the hell out of me.”

“Why?” He glanced past me and saw the token sitting on the hood. “What were you doing with that?”

“The token has a location tracker on it. It was made inside that shop, the very same shop that Loudon went into.”

“Could be a coincidence.” His expression suggested he no more believed that than I did. “How do you want to play this?”

I glanced across at the lane that ran between the bubble tea place and Einar’s. There was one of those metal bins on wheels sitting across most of it, barring entry, but there looked to be enough space remaining between it and the wall to slip past without having to move the thing and risk drawing attention.

“I’ll head down the lane and see if there’s a rear entry. Luck might be with us and let me hear what they’re discussing. It might be innocent.”

“I think we hold the same opinion on that possibility.” He pursed his lips for a moment. “It could be dangerous, though. Maybe I should?—”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got my knives?—”

“You’re carrying knives? Why?”

I grinned. “They’re special knives. I never travel anywhere dangerous without them.”

“We weren’t exactly going anywhere dangerous today.”

“Let’s just say that visiting a witch’s place of business has proven rather dangerous in the past.”

“And what do these special knives actually do?”

“They counter magic.”

“Handy, though I was more worried about a physical attack than magical.” He held up a hand to counter the argument I was about to make. “I know, I know, you can handle yourself. But just remember, few women, no matter how strong or skilled they are, can counter the sheer strength of one equally skilled man, let alone two.”

Loudon hadn’t struck me as a man who was in any way skilled at fighting, but that didn’t make Eljin’s comment any less relevant. I might have fought off multiple attackers in past escapades, but the truth was, that probably had been more luck than skill.

“If they attack in unison, I’ll run.”

“Is that a promise?”

I half smiled. “Maybe. Probably.”

He looked decidedly unhappy but after a moment, growled, “Fine, but please, promise me you’ll remain in the lane. Anything else could be dangerous. I’ll keep watch from out here and send a text if he comes out.”

“If he comes out, follow him.”

He frowned. “And abandon you?”

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