Page 106 of Wicching Hour

Turning, I found Declan far back. Robert was trying to pull him along, but Declan, eyes wolf gold, appeared rooted to the spot.

“I can’t move,” he growled, “but don’t you think about going without me.”

I walked back and studied him a moment, considering. “It seems like her spells are especially difficult for shifters. None of the wicches had issues with looking at the property, but you did.”

Hands fisted, biceps bulging, he ground out, “You’re not leaving me.”

I stared up into his super sexy scowl and said, “You’re cute when you’re angry.”

“Arwyn.”

I held up a hand. “Let me think a second.” I turned to the other two men. “How are you guys doing with this ward?”

Bracken shrugged. “I hadn’t noticed anything.” He looked at Robert. “Are you experiencing discomfort as well?”

Robert nodded. “It’s not as bad for me as it is for Declan, but it feels like I’m pushing through a wall of molasses.”

“I think I know what it is, then,” I said, and Bracken nodded. “As my great-uncle here is probably holding the only demon blade in the human realm, we need to think of something different to get you two through. Let’s see if fae magic helps.”

Just like when I had built my new wards, I pulled from the ocean I was sitting in and let it swirl within me. When I held up my hands, I realized I was so used to gloves being a part of who I was, I’d put them on my shadow as well. Pulling them off, I dropped them into oblivion and then touched both Robert and Declan’s hands.

Both were suddenly sopping wet, as though a huge wave had swamped them. Declan blew water out of his mouth and Robert wiped at his eyes.

“Sorry about that,” I said, shocked it had worked. “Can you move now?”

Declan yanked his foot up and started forward, with Robert following.

I walked to the bushes and forced my way through until I found a tall stone wall. “I don’t believe this is real,” I called back. “It’s a powerful ward, though, that will take precious time to unwind. And my guess is that all those sticker bushes I just went through are there to cut and bleed anyone who gets too close, helping to power the ward.”

Bracken pulled the blade from his pocket. “This is hardly a noble use for this blade, but it is apparently necessary.”

Pushing my way back through the bushes, I stopped him and held out my hand. “May I? It can’t take my blood because I’m not here right now.”

“Of course.” He handed it to me. “That makes more sense.”

As I wasn’t sure what would happen, my movements were tentative at first. The blade cut through the bushes like a hot knife through butter. If anything, the bushes almost seemed to cringe away from the blade. After I cut a doorway through, I handed the blade back to Bracken.

It was very weird walking through a green doorway. Looking left and right, I scanned the path before turning back to assess the men on my quest. “I’m afraid this is pretty narrow. Bracken and I should be okay, but Robert and especially you, Declan, are going to have trouble. I don’t want to leave you out there, though?—”

“We stick together,” Declan said.

I blew out a breath and looked down the narrow passage again. “Okay, let me see if I can find a weak point in this ward for us to burrow through. Unfortunately, that means you guys are going to need to do whatever you can to touch neither the sticker bushes nor the wall. I haven’t touched the wall, but my guess, based on the dead birds and squirrels I see rotting on the ground around it, is that it’s electrified in some way.”

Robert and Declan shared a glance and then moved forward.

“Robert and I can do a blunting spell,” Bracken suggested, “to try to make the bushes less of a problem. Declan, you bring up the rear.”

Holding one hand a few inches from the wall ward, I walked between it and the bramble, with the men following slowly behind. When I made it to the front of the property and the wall cut to the left, I continued, right past what looked like a tall wooden gate. At one point in its history, this property must have been visible to the public.

“The Shades,” Bracken said.

I stopped and looked behind me. Bracken pointed to a black metal plate affixed to the stone wall. Really old properties in Carmel and Monterey often didn’t have addresses. They had names.

I smiled. “You were right. It was the name of the house.”

“Sorry,” Bracken said. “I didn’t mean to distract you.”

Declan was walking by that section that looked like a gate, trying to see through slats.

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