Page 68 of Cast in Shadow
Emerson pinned me with a knowing look, his lips going flat. “No.”
“I’m the obvious choice.”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Don’t go all chivalrous on me now. It hasn’t even been a full day since you brought me to my knees testing my abilities. And like you said, power is a magnet.”
“I don’t like this idea either,” Shay said quietly. Her hands fisted the hem of her hoodie, and she curled her legs beneath her, like she was trying to make herself small.
The last thing I wanted to do was cause her more trauma, but the longer we waited to take Megan down, the riskier the whole situation would become.
I held up my hands in question. “Who has a better plan? I’m open to alternatives.”
“We could keep an eye on her and wait until she’s vulnerable,” Dennis offered.
“That’s one idea.” I shifted my attention to Nguyen.
He tipped his face to the ceiling and blew out an irritated breath. “Senna’s right. Watching and waiting leaves us scrambling to confront Megan on her terms. If we want to control the situation, the location, all of it, we need to bring her to us.”
I cast him a grateful look. “Does anyone disagree?”
Shay and Dennis shook their heads, but Emerson just sat there with a look in his eyes I couldn’t read.
“My issue isn’t the trap,” he finally said. “It’s the choice of bait.”
Dragging my hands down my face, I searched for patience deep within me. I was the logical choice. There wasn’t a witch on the continent more powerful, at least not that I knew of. Andeven if there was, it wouldn’t be right to pull an unsuspecting soul into this fight.
“Then give me a better option.” Yeah, I heard the snap in my voice, but I didn’t care. We both knew I was right.
I smoothed my expression and perched myself on the arm of the empty club chair beside me while I waited for a response.
“This is dangerous,”Emerson whispered in my mind.
Oh, there was no question about that. “I will not be using anyone else on my team as bait, and we’re not going to capture another witch for the sole purpose of making her a sacrificial lamb.”
“What about you?” Nguyen asked, throwing a sharp look at Emerson.
He looked at the other man for a few seconds. “If I thought there was a chance the witch would believe I was a viable target, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
“Why wouldn’t she go for you?” Dennis asked.
“He’stoopowerful. She’s getting bold, but she’ll still be looking for a fight she thinks she can win,” I explained. “Plus, he wears his power on his sleeve. He can’t help it. Mine is a little more nuanced.” A fact that had come in handy more than once.
Shay shifted in her seat. “How?”
This was another one of those things I would much rather keep to myself, but hey, apparently today was all about sharing. “It’s two-fold. The first part is like dimming a bulb. I can bury my power. It’s still there beneath the surface, but I can turn down how much shines through. The other part is that I can call on more power if things get really dicey, which gives me an advantage over most beings in this realm.”
Emerson’s eyes went wide. “You can call the ribbon?”
“Sometimes. When it’s close.” I gave him a half-shrug. “And sometimes it lends a hand even when I don’t reach for it.”
“This morning in the parking lot.” He shook his head with understanding. “It came to your defense, didn’t it?”
“Essentially, even though I was trying like hell to keep a leash on my power so it wouldn’t.”
That seemed to soothe Nguyen, a little, but Emerson’s head tipped slightly to one side. He studied me in silence.
Well, outward silence.
