“Patrick. It’s been a long time.” Gloria said and I remembered she’d told me about a man named Patrick who wanted to kill the girls of the trinity. I jumped up from my seat, my skin tingling as my body instinctively tried to protect itself. I fought the feeling, trying to think rationally.
“He’s not going to hurt you.” Milo stood up with me, his hand out toward me. “He realized he was wrong a long time ago. He’s on our side.”
I sat back down slowly, the adrenaline draining out of me. Apparently I was still jumpy from our recent altercation with my father. Sinclair pointed to my arms which she could see clearly now that I was standing.
“What happened to your skin? You look like you’ve been burned.” She asked, her expression concerned. I glanced down, having forgotten the raised blisters on my arms. Dane smoothed his hand over my arm, healing them.
“Mitchell and his coven.” I answered absently, the cooling sensation distracting me as it relieved the burn. “Evil people burn my skin.”
“Or just being around evil. It’s like an early warning system.” Dane added as he healed my other arm. Sinclair and Kincaid exchanged glances at that tidbit.
“I see shadows.” Sinclair told me baldly. “And Kincaid smells them.”
I looked at them blankly, not entirely certain what she meant.
“I think she needs a little more detail, Sin.” The guy next to her mentioned, the one who’d laughed about Garvin. He caught my curious look and gave me a wide smile. He was clean shaven, with a buzz cut. I had the impression of military from him, but his most remarkable feature were his eyes. They were the darkest blue I’d ever seen. “I’m Luke. I’m with Sinclair. Not a witch or warlock.” I got the feeling he was a little uncomfortable with the magic aspect and his next words cleared up the reason why. “I’m a detective.” He exchanged a glance with Sinclair and a familiar sappy smile appeared on his face. “I got roped into this world cause of her.” He jerked his head toward Sinclair, but there was affection behind it.
“And you’ve never been happier.” Sinclair said with utter confidence. “But back to what you asked or didn’t ask, I can see shadows around evil people. The more shadows the more evil they are. Kincaid, well maybe you should explain.”
“It smells like sulfur. Very distinctive. The stronger the smell, the closer I am or the worse they are. It can be kind of hard to tell sometimes. I think Sinclair got off easy.”
“Maybe, but it’s creepy.” She assured us, but I was distracted by the sight behind her. She trailed off as she saw my eyes widen.
“That is the biggest dog I’ve ever seen.” I exclaimed as it padded into the kitchen.
Wolf. Thank you very much.
The thought drifted through my mind and I knew it was the animal…wolf who’d given me attitude.
You’re a guardian, I answered him mentally, wondering if it would work like it did with Dane.
You heard me?
I smiled at his surprise and the fact that I actually got to meet a true guardian. The way Dane had described them I thought they were nothing but myth.
Myth…legend. Both can be used to describe me.
I laughed out loud when I caught the implication of a wink as he said legend.
I’m Kai and you must be Quinn. Kincaid hasn’t stopped shouting about you since you showed up.
Ah, so you belong to Kincaid? I asked, and he snorted.
I belong to no one. I’m a lone wolf. Here only to guide her with my wisdom and knowledge.
“Hey, baby. I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you?” Kincaid cooed, reaching for the last of the roast beef to give to the ‘lone’ wolf.
This is a tad embarrassing. He said as he leaned his head in for Kincaid to scratch behind his ears.
Yeah, Mr. Lone Wolf.
There was no mistaking my sarcasm and I swear he narrowed his eyes at me. Eyes that were unnaturally blue for a wolf.
“This is Kai.” Kincaid introduced us and rolled her eyes as she said, “Yes, okay. Kai would like you to know he’s a wolf, not a dog.”
Hey, don’t mention the communication thing, okay? I don’t want the rest of these bozos to start thinking they can start chatting me up and thinking I’m their fetching boy.
I snorted, but nodded to him and said with a smile, “Nice doggie.”
Not funny.
I thought it was pretty damn hilarious. I pushed back before being distracted by a cat walking along the table.
Oh, great. Here comes little Miss I’m too good to talk to you. You know cats and dogs have a very long history of not getting along, but am I allowed to act on the traditions of my ancestors and chase the little hussy? Nooooo. I have to be a good Kai and not chase the cat.
I blinked as he ranted and started to wonder if I could turn our little telepathy off.
My eyes crossed as the cat came right up to my face and then head butted me. She rubbed her head against mine and my vision went to shades of gray and I saw the lawn outside. A second later I appeared with the rest of the coven and I realized she was showing me my arrival. I tried to pull back, but she pushed closer, not letting us lose contact. The scene she showed me changed slightly as she prowled closer to us, and since her perspective was lower I saw the man on the ground, half hidden by a bush, a man who had to be from Mitchell’s coven since he wasn’t one of us. I watched as he tucked himself out of sight and realized he was alive and on the property.
Satisfied she’d shown me enough, the cat sat back and began grooming.
Kai, how good are you at tracking? I sent the thought, unsure how far the guy would have gotten by now. There was a good chance he hadn’t left the property if Garvin had guards around the perimeter.
Bloodhounds ain’t got nothing on me. What we tracking?
A warlock from Mitchell’s coven. I answered, before thinking about the danger it might put him in.
Oh, this’ll be fun. I heard the violent delight in his voice and realized the only one that needed to be worried was the dark warlock.
“One of Mitchell’s men came back with us.” I told the others urgently. “The cat showed me our arrival, and the man hid himself in some bushes. We need to find him. Kai can track him down.”
“There are about a dozen things wrong with what you just said, but we’ll sort them out after we get the asshole.” Dane replied, jumping up from his seat and quickly followed by the others. We glanced at the rather large hunting party and Dane added, “It might be best if some stayed here.” He nodded to his sister and grandmother, “Stay here for now.”
I shook my head before he could even say it. Vincent was right behind him and he didn’t bother to tell him to stay either. Sinclair, Luke, Kincaid, and Milo all stayed standing. Portia, Scott, and Patrick sat back down.
Garvin realized we were staring at him and shook his head.
“Oh, no. I’m not going. I like this shirt.” He told us, smoothing his hand over the vibrant yellow. I cracked a smile because that shirt could be seen five miles away, in the dead of night. “I’ll inform the guards there is an intruder and not to let him off the property. That will mean shot on sight.” He gazed at us steadily. “If he’s a bad ass warlock then he’s dangerous to humans.”
“Shoot away, just don’t shoot us.” I told him, completely okay with the asshole dying. One less for team Mitchell.
“I would like the chance to question him.” Luke interjected. “We’ve been fighting blind, but if this guy knows anything…it could be helpful.”
“Spoken like a cop.” Vincent growled, clearly not a fan of the police. Dane shot him a look and he held up his hands. “But I see your point. Non-lethal magic.”
“Follow me.” Sinclair said, taking us out a different way then we’d come in. “Do you know where he was last? So Kai can pick up a scent?”
“Yeah, it was from the cat’s perspective, but I would know it if I saw it.”
“The cat is named Serafin. She’s mine.” Sinclair told me. “It’s unusual for her to take such an
immediate liking to someone.”
Understatement of the year. Kai growled in my head to which I replied, Upset little Serafin doesn’t like the big bad wolf?
Ha, you think its funny, but I’m always the one being accused of being a bully! You know how many times she’s scratched my nose? Huh? Your nose is a very sensitive part of your body! It hurts when it gets scratched.
I made sympathetic noises as we went outside. I headed straight for the place I’d seen in Serafin’s mind, but Dane tugged me back.
“It could be a trap. Better let us go ahead.” He said, forming a protective line with the other three guys in front of us. I exchanged a glance with my sisters, all of us thinking the exact same thing. Men.
We headed over to the spot, but the interloper was long gone. Kai was able to detect a faint trace of an unknown scent so we followed it for a short distance before he lost it.
Bloodhound, huh? I scoffed, as he sniffed the ground in circles, unable to tell where it went.
It’s not easy, you know! He barked back in my head. There’s birds, possums, raccoon. Squirrel! His tail went nuts and he barely stopped himself from running after it.
You were saying? I asked dryly.
So tracking might not be my number one skill. But to be fair, there’s not much human scent here.
“I’m getting a whiff of hellfire.” Kincaid said, her eyes wandering as she looked for the source. I gave her a curious glance and she explained. “That’s what I call it. The sulfur smell. It could just be lingering. It’s not strong enough to make me think it’s an immediate threat.”
A caw drew my attention and I saw the raven sitting in the tree above us. My eyes narrowed on him and I stalked over.
“Which side are you on, bird?” I jabbed my finger at him, suspicious now.
He tilted his head, peering at me with one beady eye. Suddenly, he hopped off the branch and glided to my shoulder. I stood still, uncertain of his intentions. For all I knew, he planned to peck my eyes out. He cawed again, but I could swear he was laughing at me. I glared at him and then the name Edgar drifted through my mind.
“Edgar?” I raised my right eyebrow. “Like Edgar Allan Poe? How cliché can you get?”
He bounced on my shoulder flapping his wings lightly, and giving me a sharp caw as he tightened his little bird claws.
“Ouch! Okay, Edgar, great name.”
Everyone was staring silently as I carried on a conversation with the raven on my shoulder. I figured crazy was relative as I’d already held a conversation with a wolf and shared visions with a cat.
“Any chance you saw where the evil dude went?” I asked finally, and got a warm sense of approval from Edgar. Apparently I was on the right track. Suddenly, my vision doubled and I was soaring through the air, the ground way too far below me for comfort. Dane grabbed my hand and I realized I was still standing there, but like Serafin I could see through Edgar’s eyes. He was showing me what I asked. “A warning would have been nice.” I muttered and Edgar pecked me lightly on the head. Guess not then.
“Quinn?” Dane’s voice echoed in my head, but I couldn’t really see him, my eyesight taken over by Edgar. “Your eyes are glowing.”
“Edgar is showing me where the guy went.” I managed, feeling the drop in my own stomach as Edgar swooped lower to the ground. “I think I might be sick.” Figured, I’d get motion sickness from my familiar, having figured out that’s what he was. Kincaid had Kai, Sinclair had Serafin, and I had Edgar. We didn’t even have alliteration going for us.
Finally, I spotted the guy. He’d followed us to the house and was peeking in windows. Of course he’d be a fucking peeping Tom. He moved around the side of the house and went to hide in some fancy garden that had high shrubs.
“He’s hiding in the bushes.” I managed to say before I threw up. Dane held me up as I emptied the contents of my stomach and Edgar stopped sharing his bird’s eye view.
“Better?” He asked, finding a napkin in one of his pockets so I could wipe my mouth.
I straightened up to find everyone still staring at me, but I did feel much better.
“Yeah, actually.” I pointed to Luke. “You mentioned questioning him.” He nodded, and I turned to Vincent. “But you think he won’t talk.”
Vincent shook his head and said, “He won’t. He’ll die trying to kill one of us. We’ll be lucky if he hasn’t already told Mitchell where we are.”
“But he doesn’t actually know where we are.” I said, since I didn’t know where we were. I wasn’t even sure we were still in Tennessee. Looking around, I’d guess Georgia or Louisiana, but it didn’t really matter. The point was the guy didn’t know, at least not yet. He was probably sitting there awaiting his next order. Which lead me to my next point.
“Sinclair,” I said, and she gave me an alert look. “You said you cast illusions?” She nodded curiously. “Can you make him think Mitchell is calling him? Maybe to give him his orders?”
She smiled as she grasped my intention. “Yep, easy as pie. Just need to get him in my sights and close enough to hear what he has to say.”
“Maybe we can figure out what he knows, see what he may have already spilled.” I added, and hoped my plan worked. I was tired of sitting in the dark wondering what the next move would be.
Chapter Thirteen
We made our way back to the house, skirting the far side so we’d come up behind the guy. It didn’t take us long to get close and I watched Kincaid’s nose wrinkle. Seconds later I felt heat crawl up my arms and a glance down revealed the start of another sunburn. It wasn’t painful, more a warning this time. The guy wasn’t actively trying to hurt me, but he wasn’t here for anything good either.
Sinclair raised her finger to her lips as she settled cross legged on the ground. We could make out the guy’s outline through the shrubs and I thought it was a minor miracle he hadn’t realized we were there. Sinclair’s face assumed an expression of concentration and I studied her, wondering what illusion really meant.
A moment later I heard a faint buzzing and the guy in the bushes fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a phone.
“Mitchell,” he said, swallowing hard, nerves on full display. When there wasn’t a reply, the guy started talking to fill the silence. “I was about to call you. It worked and I was able to hijack the girl’s jump. Wicked powerful magic.” He paused, but again silence so he rambled on. “The place is a fucking mansion, not really sure where. Guards on the property, but all three of them are here. You want me to take them out?”
A direct question.
My eyes darted to Sinclair, but a second later I heard Mitchell’s reply and it was such a perfect imitation of the man I had so recently met that my eyes widened.
“Do you think yourself capable?” The words were faintly mocking and entirely dismissive.
“I…” was the stuttered reply.
“No, I don’t want you to do anything but watch.” Mitchell’s voice cut him off curtly.
“Cause you have other plans for them.” Dumb ass was cocky now, feeling like he was important.
“And what do you know of my plans?” I knew it was only Sinclair projecting, but the sound of his voice still sent a shudder through me.
“That…that you want them to complete the trinity and then kill their lovers, weakening them. Then you can siphon their power with the help of the coven. You wanted the youngest one to lure the other two to you, but that didn’t work. But I could kidnap her.” He finished eagerly.
“And how do you hope to hold her? It’s very clear what her magic is. Simple chains won’t hold one such as her.” The silky voice replied, the tone clear he thought he was dealing with a moron.
“Uh, yeah, I could grab another one. The seer, maybe.” The guy tried to recover, but only a wicked laugh was his response.
“How long you want me to wait here?” He whined, slapping a bug. “Not till the Red moon?” He asked, horrified. I exchanged a glance with the others, mouthing, “Red moon?” They shook t
heir heads, no more familiar with it than I was.
“And what do you know of the Red moon?” Mitchell asked him curiously.
“That’s what you’re waiting for, right? For when you are strongest and they’re at their weakest.” He was confused by the question and we figured it wouldn’t have been one Mitchell would have asked. “So, how long am I supposed to sit around here and wait?”
“Until you die.”
The phone went dead in his hand and as he sat looking at it in puzzlement, he never noticed the hands that came through the shrubs and snapped his neck.
Kincaid settled back with a sigh.
“Maybe we will test out Garvin’s body disposal plan after all.”
“I want to know when this Red moon is.” Vincent mentioned as we stood up. “It sounds familiar but I can’t quite remember….” He shook his head. “Gloria will know.”
“If she doesn’t my father will.” Milo added, shoving his hands in his pocket. “Think we should grab his phone? Mitchell may not even call him. GPS on the phone will let him know right where he is.”
I darted to the dead man and grabbed his phone. It wasn’t dead like it had appeared, so another of Sinclair’s tricks. I glanced up and smiled.
“Be right back.” The tingle was immediate and I found myself standing at a lookout on the Washington coast. We’d vacationed here once when I was a kid and thought it was the end of the earth. I dropped the phone in a lonely trashcan, and sent myself back using Dane as my focus.
Seconds later I was standing next to him to the open-mouthed surprise of my sisters.
“I think I’m getting better at this.” I told him with a cocky grin.
“Could you not just disappear like that? My heart can’t handle it.” He answered, rubbing his chest with one hand as he threw his other arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go fill the others in.”
“And eat.” I added, needing more fuel since I’d upchucked and teleported since the last meal. I leaned my head around him and asked Sinclair, “Where are we, by the way?”
The Trinity Sisters Page 46
