Page 85 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“Someone needs to have your back while you rescue your mate—or you need to havemyback while I rescue your mate. Given your family, I assume you have more powers than me.”

“Did you not hear me?”

“Yes. I heard you. But you can’t take on Kamaris and his minions alone.”

“This is so dangerous. I can’t ask you to go up against a marquis of hell. I need you to locate other witches and recruit them into the cause. Witches will win this war.”

“Witcheswillwin this war. That’s why they’ve sent us into hiding, why the covens have been attacked. They are scared of us. But look around. Where I liveisdangerous. I face it every single day.”

“But—”

“How did you find me?”

Okay, this question got me a bit confused. “I opened my senses to finding you.”

“But with all the witches gone into hiding, how did you know I’d be here?”

Oh, I got it. “My cat visited me in a dream and told me to search for you.” Yeah, it sounded stupid to me too.

“Your…cat? Do you not think that the universe led you to me?”

“I never thought about it.”

“We all have a destiny. Your cat sending you to find me is far from coincidental. We are tied. To refuse my help is to deny me my destiny.”

“You could die. You get you could die, right?”

“If that is my destiny—if my death brings safety to my nieces who are in hiding with my sister, then I will accept this. I have no children of my own, but my nieces mean as much to me as any ever could. I will do anything to protect those girls.”

“I still don’t like this…”

“Neither of us like this. But what choice do we have? Evil is sending the witches into hiding—a greater evil than that of mankind. If you were sent a protector as your mate, then we need to save him. He is a part of this. You must fight with him at your side if you have any hope of emerging triumphant.”

No truer words.

“You will sleep now,” she went on. “The herbs in the tea will help you to rest your mind and body in order to heal.” Then Shafira walked out of the room. She came back with a pillow and a throw, placing them down on the sofa. “Please”—she gestured to the makeshift bed— “lie down. We will go once you have your strength back.”

Sleeping seemed like the last thing I needed to be doing, but the woman had a point. We needed my power back to full strength if I stood any shot at rescuing Connor. I stood from the ugly chair, stretching, and then walked the few steps over to the sofa, where I lay down.

The sleep took me just about as soon as my head hit the pillow. Fatigue eased from my body and I felt that sense of floating again. This time, I knew the drill. A door opened up and my consciousness floated through. I found Simeon and Madigan on a bed, sleeping. It had to be an old motel. It looked abandoned but still had the old furniture. In Michigan, where I lived, there was this State Highway, M-13. It led up north and was the road hunters especially had used before the construction of I-75. All along the highway, you’d find these little motels tourists and hunters stayed in for the night or longer. Once the interstate went in, most of those little motels had gone belly up. But the buildings remained, as did the furniture inside.

This reminded me of one of those.

“Sim?” I whispered, not wanting to wake up Madigan—and then I laughed at myself. She wouldn’t see me; she wouldn’thear me. Simeon’s eyes blinked open and his consciousness rose above his body.

“Simone—oh, god, we’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m okay. How are you?”

“Unhurt. Whatever you did—there was this flash of bright light and I grabbed on to Madi just in time. We were flung into a different place.”

“Lily Joy?” I asked, worried and hopeful at the same time.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. We got separated.”

My heart sank. “Where are you now?”

“I don’t really know yet. We found this place and thought it best to hide out until nightfall.”

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