Page 118 of Catapult

“Why are you so distraught about this? There will be other opportunities.” Elizabeth frowned as I began pacing.

“It gets harder to track people when they know they are being tracked. That was our best shot, and a good team should have been able to get our family members and find out what the fuck Fafnir’s plan is and where he is.”

I blamed whatever weird tension was in the air for my sudden flare of temper, but in all fairness, I’d been as good as gold for our little vacation away from the action. Everyone else had had a breakdown. Surely it was my turn to have a wobble.

“Charlie, are you well?” Zaide asked.

“No. I’m not fucking well.”

He stood and put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me mid-pace. “You are a catapult, Charlie. Take a deep breath and make a new plan.”

Despite being angry and frustrated, I smiled.He’s the best boyfriend-in-law a guy could ask for.“New plan,” I repeated. He nodded and sat back down.

My leg began vibrating, and I pulled my phone out to see Adam’s name.He has great timing.I needed a win. I pulled my phone out and waved it at them. “I need to take this. But I’ll be back with food.”

They nodded, and I headed out of the room. “Adam?” I answered.

But Adam’s voice wasn’t the cheerful, triumphant call I expected. He whispered quickly, “Charlie, listen, I don’t know how much time you have.”

My stomach dropped, and I rushed down the stairs of the main house and out the front door. “What’s happened?”

“Your seek-and-destroy turned the tables on us,” he breathed. “They hacked me, found the location of your call, and they are on their way.”

“No.” I froze. “How the fuck?”

He groaned as he explained, “I’ve no clue. I managed to get the bare minimum on them and went to bed. I woke up to this shit storm. I don’t know how long you’ve got before they come calling.”

“Jesus, fuck.” I crouched and buried my head in my hand.

Do the wards stop technical tracking as well as magical? Is the island invisible if they manage to turn up here? God, I should have asked more questions about them.

“I’m sorry, Charlie. I don’t know what kind of organization these people work for, but they’ve got mad resources to beat my security in such little time.” Adam’s voice was like a quiet buzz in my ear now as my mind raced.

“Thanks for the warning, Adam.” I wanted to hang up, but I knew how people like this worked. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ve got things in place for this kind of thing. Don’t worry about me. Just get yourself out of there and lie low. Text me when you’re safe so I know you’re still alive.”

I swallowed thickly. “I will. Thanks again.”

“Good luck.”

I hung up and almost threw my phone. “Fuck!” I yelled.

“Trouble?” a voice asked curiously.

“Karin. Shit. Yes. Maybe.” I ran my hand through my hair and tried to calm down enough to think clearly. “We need to get everyone together. Strengthen the wards.”

“It’s okay, Charlie.” She smiled sweetly, and I was so in my own head it didn’t even occur to me that it was weird. “Whatever it is, we’ll sort it.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Where are the council?”

“Come with me. I’ll take you to the council, and they’ll help you.” She started walking, and I automatically fell into step next to her.

Panic battered at me. My head was spinning, my heart racing. I felt sick to my stomach that I’d lead the hunters right to us. I was so cocksure.And now look at what you’ve caused.The witches here didn’t need this panic. Sigurd certainly didn’t need to be hunted when he was the very thing stopping Fafnir from terrorizing the other realms.

I wasn’t concentrating on anything, too involved in my own head, the panic and guilt overwhelming me, to see where I was going. But it was when the door behind a small cabin closed that I realized I was standing inside a large salt pentacle that I knew I’d fucked up. Suddenly, a transparent wall flew up around me, and I was trapped.

“What the fuck is this, Karin?” I tried to stay calm. I really did. But the last thing I needed was to deal with whatever Karin’s agenda was as well as hunters.

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