Page 86 of Cupcake

“It takes a minute to get used to the stench,” Gavin said, his fingers digging into Dean’s shoulder, holding him steady.

Noah was on his knees gagging.

Lucifer had a hand over his nose.

Dean now how a good idea of what the coven was using the shifter blood for. “They’ve put protections around the entire canyon.”

“This was as close as I could get,” Gavin confirmed. “The protection even goes up into the air.”

“They are taking their last stand,” Lucifer commented.

Dean agreed. “They’ve probably used up all their resources. They don’t have any more shifters to drain.”

He walked to the edge of the rocky landscape to peer down at the small town below. Cabins littered the area, a gorgeous lake, and vegetation. This was nothing like the towns they’d left behind. This area was thriving.

Closing his eyes, Dean sent his magic out. He probed at the protection barrier, surprised to find that the coven was guarding against shifters, not other magic. Not very smart. Was it a trap or was the coven that sure about their abilities? They had to know that something was happening to the coven members that Dean had already tracked down.

Carefully, he pushed his magic out farther. He tested the river, dug under the soil, wrapped around the cabins. Yes, the coven planned on staying here. Each cabin held a small number of people. Dean recognized their magic signatures. Of course, the coven leaders, the darkest signatures were right in the middle. For protection.

The cabin to the right had Dean hesitating. His mother, brother, and sister, and an older male. It appeared it was the day for family reunions. Not something that Dean was looking forward to.

“Your family,” Noah said as he rose although he still looked rather green in the face.

Dean waved his hand over his head, blocking the blood magic from affecting any of them. He should have thought about doing that before.

“Appreciate that,” Noah told him. “But your family?”

“We’ll have to…deal with them.”

Lucifer came to his side. “I’m sorry, Dean. If they’re here…there is a good chance they are involved.”

Dean had the same though. Except he knew his family’s limitations. “None of them are strong magic users. I got the talent. Not them. I always thought the coven kept them around to lure me back.”

“Even after all this time?” Lucifer questioned.

The truth was that Dean didn’t know the answer to that.

Gavin cleared his throat. “I haven’t seen any children. Not even teenagers. The few people I have spotted appear much older.”

“Children wouldn’t be something that the coven wanted to spend time or resources on. Not unless they were powerful children that could be manipulated and used,” Dean explained.

“The more I learn about this coven, the less I like them,” Gavin commented.

“Wait until you get home and talk to Logan.” That reminded him. “You should go. These spells are designed to capture your shifter side and drain the magic from you.”

Frowning, Gavin shook his head. “I’m not leaving you three without having someone watch your back. I can’t get through the barrier, but I will keep watch up here. Get help if you need it.”

“I’m in constant contact with the dragon alpha, alpha of the hellhounds, and vampire.”

Dean jumped. No one else was there. His magic didn’t pick up any other signatures but their own.

Gavin snorted before motioning to the tablet nestled in the trees. “He kept calling.”

“Stryker.” Dean walked where he could see the masked man on the tablet.

“And they have names,” Gavin told Stryker. “I’ve said them repeatedly.”

Stryker waved that away. “How often do I get to say dragon? Or hellhounds? Vampires!”

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