Page 61 of Signs and Wonders

Nightmares woke Evan several hours after they had turned in for the night. He found Seth propped up next to him, intent on his e-reader.

“Couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Evan asked, groggy.

“Nah, I didn’t like what I saw every time I closed my eyes,” Seth admitted.

He and Travis had told the others about the shifter in the tunnel, although Seth had tried to downplay the effect it had on him. That didn’t fool Evan, who couldn’t imagine anything worse if their roles had been reversed.

“You know that wasn’t me in the tunnel,” Evan said quietly, moving to put his head in Seth’s lap.

“It looked like you, sounded like you,” Seth replied, voice ragged. “I saw the reaction to silver, but I just couldn’t shoot.”

“I’m glad Travis was there,” Evan said. In the darkness, their low voices took on a confessional tone. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I don’t think I could have shot either if the situation was reversed.”

“I was so afraid we’d be too late,” Seth carded his hand through Evan’s hair. “Or that we couldn’t get into the ritual room, or that we wouldn’t be strong enough to stop Swain.”

“We did it—together,” Evan reminded him, trying not to think about almost drowning. “All four of us and Travis’s ghosts. Swain might have known how to fight off an attack by another witch, but we came at him with stuff he never expected. Ghosts. Fire. Runed bullets. Little stuff that added up.”

Seth nodded. “I think the warlocks have gotten used to putting all their trust in their magic and dismissing everything else as too minor to count. So while we were technically outgunned, it actually worked in our favor because he didn’t have a defense.”

They were quiet for a while. Evan took comfort from the warmth of Seth’s body and the gentle touch of his hand.

“I was scared,” Evan said finally. “I was afraid you wouldn’t know things had gone wrong until it was too late, or that you wouldn’t be able to get to us. Or that you’d get hurt trying to protect me.”

Evan had seen a hundred scenarios play out after waking, tied up in the ritual chamber, trying to get free. He hadn’t known whether Brent had managed to send for help or if he had also been incapacitated.

Cameron’s terror spurred Evan to come up with a plan, however unlikely, to delay the ritual even if he couldn’t stop it. Evan had been resigned to die but intended to go down swinging despite the odds.

“Thank Danny’s ghost,” Seth said. “He saved the day by letting Travis know you and Brent were in trouble. The other ghosts made great spies, so we knew what to expect inside the ritual room. That helped a lot. And by the way—you and Cameron were badass.”

Evan felt relieved that the cave-in had removed all evidence, requiring no awkward explanations about bullets fired from Seth’s gun or Swain’s missing body. Still, he was very ready to leave Buckhannon in the rearview mirror.

“Now that Cameron and Tyler know about the supernatural side of things, do you think they’ll get involved with hunting?” Evan asked.

“I hope not. Someone deserves a normal life,” Seth replied. He was silent for a few moments. “I know you worry that I won’t be able to let this go once we’ve stopped the coven. That there will always be one more monster and one more after that. But I swear, when we’re done, we’ll be done for good. Someone else can take a turn. I want us both to live long enough to grow old together.”

Evan pulled Seth’s hand down and kissed his palm. “Me, too.”

Sometimes, the adrenaline of the fight translated into hot sex. Tonight, the dangers still seemed too fresh, the things that could have gone wrong too close. Evan felt the relief of surviving without the exhilaration of victory.

Near-death experiences were real cockblockers.

“Before we take on the next witch disciple, we need time off,” Seth said. “They already know we’re gunning for them. A few extra days won’t make a difference for the fight, but it will for us.”

“I’m definitely in favor,” Evan replied.

They stayed tangled up together until just after dawn. Seth dozed off, nearly dropping his e-reader. Evan shifted to avoid a crick in his neck, but they remained curled around each other for reassurance.

In the morning, they woke to the smell of coffee and bacon and the sound of Drake whistling in the kitchen.

“Gonna have to re-provision after this,” Drake said as Evan and the others stumbled in, drowsy and rumpled. “You never know when you need a safe house.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do next?” Brent asked as Drake put a platter of bacon onto the table.

“Quit the Bureau if I haven’t been fired already,” Drake replied with a sigh. “I figured it was better for me to deal with the authorities at the lodge than to let any of you get dragged into it. But I can’t imagine my boss will be happy since this definitely wasn’t one of my assignments.”

“Thank you for that,” Travis said. “You saved us a whole heap of trouble—and paperwork.”

“It worked out to just let you all blend into the crowd,” Drake replied. “Made for a lot fewer questions.”

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