Page 102 of Midnight Auto Parts

Eyes widening at her concern, he blinked too late to conceal his surprise. “Yes.”

“Okay.” She pointed at me. “Don’t move.”

Behind her back, Kierce’s brow gathered wrinkles like bees gather pollen.

“Looks like you made a friend,” I teased him. “Feels good, huh?”

“Her care for me is out of concern for you.”

“Maybe.” I couldn’t say for sure, since my friendship with her was new too. “Maybe not.”

There was no salvaging the remaining witches, Carter told us after she returned with an update.

“They’re alert, but they’re not all there.” She crunched on a cheddar puff. “What next?”

“Kierce?” I sawed my teeth over my bottom lip. “Any ideas?”

“You and I can attempt to drain the ward in this section.” He held his palm out to the magic, testing how it responded to him. “Working together, we might create a hole large enough to fit through.” He pursed his lips. “Without the witches’ help, if one of us isn’t holding it open, assuming it works at all, then the other will be trapped inside with the rest.”

A loud caw announced Badb before I saw her. She landed on my shoulder, back to Kierce, even though it meant putting her tail in my face. Lord. What a drama corvid.

“We have to try. We can’t leave those people trapped in there.”

“I’ll take volunteers,” Carter decided. “If you two can get it open, and hold it, they can begin an evacuation.” She locked stares with me. “Are my people safe in there?”

“From the glimpses I’ve gotten, Anunit hasn’t taken more than the curse demands from innocents, but I can’t make any promises. She did attack Rosalie Morgan, but that might have been personal. Still. The thieves are corralled for the time being. The curse can pick among them at its leisure. If we can get through, if we change that, she may react with violence. There’s no way to know.”

“Then I’ll ask forbravevolunteers.” She dragged a hand down her face. “And I’ll go in myself.”

“Josie isn’t going to be happy about that.” I restrained myself from grabbing her arm. “Neither am I.”

“I can’t ask these officers to do what I’m not willing to.” Her lips twisted with old bitterness. “This is a prime example of why relationships don’t work for me. I can’t make promises. I won’t. Not if I can’t keep them.” She shook her head. “I can’t prioritize your sister and also do this job to the best of my ability.”

“Does that mean you want to prioritize her?” I hesitated. “Is that the problem?”

For a second, I thought she might confess…something…but she only steeled her resolve.

“I’ll be back.” She pivoted on her heel. “Don’t budge.”

“She’s bossy today.” I checked to ensure the sticks I used to mark the opening remained in place. “And it sounds like Josie’s plan to wear her down is working like a charm.” I squinted at the ward, hoping to find proof the witches had made progress, but I saw none. “Too bad Carter’s not happy about it.”

Kierce made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat, but his attention was elsewhere.

Probably he was bargaining with Badb to get back in her good graces.

I wished him luck with that.

Since Kierce and I had been taken off the bench, I broke Carter’s order and trudged back to the wagon. It had seemed pessimistic to bring my bag into the woods with me and undermine the witches’ confidence, but there was nothing for it. Kierce and I needed those supplies. Which meant I had to fetch them.

When he fell in step with me, I wasn’t surprised but pleased to have a man who felt like a partner. There was no hesitation in him. Where I went, he followed. If I had a problem, he helped solve it. And that was…nice. Really nice.

Kierce never made me feel like a damsel. He saw in me the potential to slay my own (metaphorical because what kind of monster would kill actual) dragons, and he sharpened a blade to press into my hand. Then he noticed I had no clue what to do with it except wave the pointy end at threats and taught me how to defend myself rather than shove me behind him while he drew his own (again, metaphorical, because I wasn’t thinking about hisactual) sword.

(Not even a little bit.)

We sidestepped Carter giving a rousing speech to her gathering of officers, and they each scanned us as we walked past. I wasn’t sure what she told them, but several of them stepped forward, volunteering, as we gathered our supplies then returned to where Carter had left us.

“If Vi saw me do this, she would spank me so hard I couldn’t sit for a week.” I stuck bone-white candles in a perfect arc in the dirt. A circle, which would have been better, was an impossibility. That left me a half circle with the ward cutting down the middle. “This is risky, but I don’t see another way.”

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