Page 16 of Blood & Ice

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Someplace safe. We need to talk.”

Chapter Eight

Maverick

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, tapping the manilla folder spread out on Tally’s kitchen table. “How the spell did Aurea get it in my car? Her aura should have set off every ward in the coven house. The warning shots alone would leave her extra crispy.”

Taliyah pursed her lips in distaste but didn’t comment. I knew she personally disapproved of some of the nastier traps I’d set on the property, but she couldn’t complain. Her job had net us both a lot of enemies, and I’d rather turn a rampaging werewolf into a grease stain than risk harm to any of the people I cared about.

“Could we refrain from talking about justifiable homicide?” she asked with a wince. “As much as I’d like Aurea to get what’s coming to her, I can’t condone revenge. We have to do this the right way. And besides, the boys should be home soon. They don’t need graphic details about what your magic is capable of.”

That was fair enough, I supposed. Her kids seemed to accept what we both were at face value, but that wasn’t the same as understanding it. There were aspects to Tally’s position that they couldn’t begin to grasp. Parts of her job were so frightening it would give them nightmares for years to come. She stood as a stalwart shield against it, keeping the worst details of our world away from sensitive eyes and ears.

Taliyah bent to check the casserole in the oven. The French toast casserole smelled amazing. I had a hunch Poppy had baked it. She’d been horrified to learn Tally rarely had time to eat a cold-cut sandwich, let alone make something filling and nutritious. As I understood it, Poppy had been prepping meals for Tally ever since, taking the worry off Taliyah’s shoulders.

Okay, I could grudgingly admit Poppy was a decent person.I’d never eat crow in front of my cousin, but I could finally see what Wanda liked about her. She was a kindly little barnacle, latching onto the people she cared about and refusing to let go.

It was admirable, even if it wasn’t smart. Loving people made you vulnerable. In our business, that could be deadly.

“Be that as it may, Aurea’s trespassing should have been noted. How did she weasel around our wards?”

“Mirrors,” Taliyah answered, leaning one hip against the counter. She had oven mitts ready when the casserole was through baking. “We got to Blood Rose through a mirror. She’s got a talent for that kind of magic, right?”

“Right. So?”

“So, the rearview mirror is still a mirror. It’s big enough to slip the folder through if she got creative. It’s about the size of a mail slot.”

It wasn’t often that I wished my beautiful wife was wrong. If she was correct, it meant I had even more work to do this week than I’d initially thought. On top of stitching spellwork for Wanda, catching bad guys for Tally, and tutoring Astrid on potions, I now had to set up wards on every car that the coven owned. If Aurea could toss a folder into my car through the mirror, she could toss in a grenade just as easily. I didn’t want to become red mist in the front seat of the car, leaving a twisted hunk of metal for someone to deal with.

I cursed under my breath. “Perfect. Just perfect. More warding.”

“Don’t be so hasty,” Tally responded. “I’d rather send word through the Council that people need to monitor their mirrors with cameras, if possible. If we can catch her in the act, there’s a chance this entire farce could end without bloodshed.”

Not likely. Even if the headmistress was arrogant enough to stroll into the Hollow, she wouldn’t leave it in one piece. No one threatened my family without consequences, and I had thereceipts to prove it. Anyone who’d ever hurt someone I loved was dead.

“I’m warding your place. That’s non-negotiable.”

Taliyah rolled her eyes, but couldn’t quite hide her smile. “Worry wart.”

“As your husband, I take threats to your life seriously. If that knife is the genuine article, it would kill you instantly.”

“And you,” she said quietly, fiddling with one of the oven mitts. She wouldn’t meet my eyes directly. “The bond could drag you down with me. Maybe you should—”

I pushed away from the table, crossing the room in two long sides. Taliyah’s breath caught when I caged her in against the counter. I captured her pointed chin and tugged her face up, forcing her to look at me.

“Don’t finish that sentence. I don’t care what the bond costs me. Keeping you safe is worth whatever price I have to pay.”

Taliyah blinked rapidly, tugging her chin out of my grasp so she could turn away from me. I let her. She’d never forgive me if I watched her go to pieces. “I don’t understand that.”

It’s because I love you, woman,I wanted to scream at her. Was she blind? Could she really not see what was only inches in front of her face? But the words got lost somewhere between my brain and my lips. What came out was an underwhelming, “I know.”

Tally risked a glance up at me, her expression almost shy beneath all the bluster. I’d never wanted to kiss her more than I did at that moment. Any vulnerability she showed was a gift. She cleared her throat awkwardly and pretended to tuck a lock of loose white hair behind one ear to disguise the single tear track she wiped away.

“Okay, this has officially gotten uncomfortable. How about we get back to that folder.” She breathed in deeply and then nodded, like she’d gotten ahold of herself. “What’s inside? Youdidn’t say.”

“Because I haven’t looked. It’s a large Manilla folder sealed closed with witch wax. I recognized Blood Rose’s crest on the seal.”

---