Page 109 of The Monsters We Are

“We’re here to cash in on the bounty,” Xavier declared. “We brought Wynter Dellavale.”

There was a distinct pause.

“Where is she?” asked Tito.

“In the trunk,” Xavier replied.

“You’re managing to keep a witch contained in a trunk?”

“She’s bound and gagged with magick. She’s not going anywhere or she’d have escaped by now.”

Another short silence. “Out of the vehicle. Both of you.”

Metal creaked as the doors opened, and the jeep rocked slightly.

“So you’re from Devil’s Cradle?”

“Yes,” Xavier simply replied.

A grunt. “Your girlfriend will stay right here. Quick warning, if she does anything stupid, my friend over there will put a bullet in her brain. Now move.”

Wynter heard two sets of footfalls make their way to the rear of the vehicle, so she had to assume that Tito had gestured for Xavier to head that way. Her pulse kicked up, and she licked her lips.

“Open it,” said Tito as the footsteps paused outside the trunk.

“I need the key fob for that,” Xavier told him.

An annoyed sigh. “Wood, use the damn key fob to open the trunk.”

Wood, huh? Wynter remembered him, too. The mage had been a friend of the boys who killed her when she was just a child.

There was a jangle of keys, a slightsnick, and then a low whirr as the trunk slowly opened, moving higher and higher.

Delilah pounced in a flash of movement, shifting mid-air into a monstrous cat and slamming Tito’s body to the ground, burying her iron claws into his chest. Screaming, Tito fired his gun, but the shot went wide.

Wynter moved a mere millisecond after Delilah, lashing out with magick, sending an ultraviolet orb smashing into Tito’s skull. Still a cat, Delilah tore out his throat before he had the chance to retaliate.

Wynter turned to see Xavier impaling Wood on his rapier sword. The keeper had claw marks on his face that she guessed came from Hattie’s talons. The crow was now perched on Anabel’s shoulder.

“Anyone hurt?” Wynter asked, relieved when everyone responded in the negative.

Hearing voices calling out in the distance, they looked to see a cluster of people racing their way who’d no doubt heard the shot firing. Good. Because that had been the whole point—lure keepers their way and take out as many as possible before they stormed Aeon.

“Move,” Wynter barked out.

She and her coven quickly huddled behind the jeep—and not a moment too soon. The vehicle jiggled as bullets and orbs of magick crashed into it again and again. Her heart pounded in her chest as footfalls thundered along the ground toward them.

Anabel squeezed her eyes shut. “So this is how we die.”

“Don’t start with that shit. The plan will work.” Wynter looked at Xavier. “How many are coming at us?”

He peered through the windows. “Eight.”

Knowing some would carry swords that she’d enchanted, Wynter briefly chanted beneath her breath to swiftly disable the runes.No onegot to use her own magick against her or her coven.

Xavier launched two balls of magick over the jeep and then ducked down again. The colorful flashes of magick would wonderfully act like freaking flare guns to any nearby keepers.

Her monster stirred menacingly, wanting to surface and attack. But a cautioning brush of air from Kali stayed it.

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