her ex-husband standing outside. No wonder she was stressed.
She hadn’t picked up when he had called, so he knew she wouldn’t welcome him standing at her door either. He placed a hand on the door’s smooth surface and scanned the interior. Her distress beat at his senses.
Okay. He didn’t dare cast a calming spell in her direction. As subtle as they could be, she had already picked up on the other subtle influence spells he had cast, and she wouldn’t welcome another one right now.
He only had one real option. Digging deep for his own Power, he cast a wider cloaking spell—one big enough to encompass Molly’s space on the other side of the door and also conceal him from other guests. Carefully, he built the spell around them so that none of his magic brushed against Molly’s.
As the giant bubble formed, he held his breath.
Nothing happened. She didn’t charge out spewing accusations. The hallway remained empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, he slid into a sitting position in front of her door. Then he pulled out his phone and sent a group text to Anson and the others.
How is that? Better?
Their replies came back in the affirmative.
Anson asked in the group conversation: Do you still want us to evacuate?
Yes, he replied. They had invested too much time and care in entering Atlanta under the radar of their dangerous prey, and he didn’t want to blow it by being careless now. I’ll keep watch here. If nothing happens over the next two days, it should be safe enough for you to return.
Roger that.
After the exchange, silence settled in. Molly believed she was alone, and her internal crisis continued. This could be a long damn night, but at least maintaining the cloaking spell would cost less strength than the initial casting. He relaxed against the door, forearms braced on upraised knees and phone clasped in one hand, but he didn’t receive any further texts.
As it turned out, her upheaval didn’t last all night. She didn’t have the training or experience to sustain a large output of energy. After another hour her chaotic Power began to subside. As soon as it had lowered to a level that he deemed safe enough, he released the cloaking spell and stood.
Molly, Molly, he thought. What a spectacular inconvenience you’ve turned out to be.
He shook his head, then wryly headed for the exit. At least he should be able to get some sleep at the safe house tonight, which was good because his new job hadn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
And Atlanta’s new DA had a big agenda and a lot to do.
The next day began as hectically as he’d suspected it would, but he had practiced law for a very long time, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred that was beyond his capacity to handle.
Midmorning, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and surged out of his chair to close the door to his office. He recognized that number. It was the same one that had shown up when he spelled the phone call to Molly.
Hitting Accept, he held the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
He heard traffic in the background. She was slow to speak, but he could muster a wealth of patience when it mattered.
“Josiah.”
Take it easy, son, he told himself as he relaxed back in his chair. Don’t scare her away again. “Molly. Good to hear from you. What can I do for you?”
She demanded, “How did you spell my phone last night?”
He found his lips curving in an amused smile. She was obviously still mad about it. “Have lunch with me, and I’ll tell you. Better yet, I’ll show you. It’s easy.”
“I can’t have lunch. I’m across town from your office.”
“Then have dinner with me. I have plans, but I’m happy to cancel them.”
“Maybe.” Her reluctance came through loud and clear.
His smile widened. “Such enthusiasm. It’s a good thing I have a healthy ego, otherwise my feelings might be hurt.”
She snorted. “Listen, you’ve done too many things to try to influence me, and I don’t trust you.”
“Ouch,” he said, his amusement turning rueful. Over the years, he had grown so used to using small influencing spells in order to get his way he often cast them without giving it a second thought. But she was too intelligent and sensitive, and he had been too heavy-handed. “I deserve that. Does it help to know I only cast spells that would give you an encouraging nudge in the right direction?”