think maybe someone, probably a boundary witch, collected a whole bunch of ghosts and shoved them into a bottle. And it created a kind of . . . psychic bomb.”
“A psychic bomb,” Mary repeated.
I didn’t really blame her for being skeptical. I could picture it clearly in my head now, thanks in part to Sam, but I struggled to explain it with words. “Sort of like an EMP, but for life force instead of electronics. It killed the vampire who was closest, and wounded another vampire who’d been standing behind him. I was between Tobias and the bomb, but I think it still hurt him, because he started to change. You guys do that when you’re really hurt, right?”
“Yeah, or if there’s immediate danger, or if he just lost control.” She started to say something else, but I overrode her.
“I don’t have time; listen: I need to know if he’ll hurt me.” I didn’t have any silver now, not that I’d use it on Tobias anyway. This wasn’t his fault.
There was a beat, and then Mary said, “Honestly, Lex, I don’t think so . . . but I can’t promise without seeing him.”
I was about to suggest a video call—maybe seeing Mary would help him anyway?—but at that moment I heard the first sirens. I was out of time. “Good enough. I’ll call you back.”
Without waiting for her response, I hung up the phone.
Be careful, Allie, Sam’s voice cautioned. You can’t stink of fear.
She was right. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. After Sam’s murder, I’d hated and feared werewolves for a long time. I needed to push that down and remember that Tobias was my friend. I took a breath, opened my eyes, and cracked the door open. “Tobias?”
He was already trotting over to me, claws clicking on the floor and intelligent blue eyes searching my face and body for messages. I forced myself to relax my body language. If it had been anyone else, I might have just yanked the door shut and begged Beau to handle the situation. But this was Tobias, who usually insisted on putting his paws on my shoulders and panting with happiness whenever he saw me in his wolf form.
He’s one of yours, Sam said in my head, and I understood what she meant. I hadn’t really put it in words before, but Tobias was one of the people I considered under my personal protection. Even if the idea of me protecting him seemed ridiculous at the moment.
I opened the door all the way, and he immediately darted forward and thrust his head under my hand. He wanted reassurance, I realized. He was probably worried that I’d been hurt too. I felt stupid.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I’m not sure what happened, but I’m perfectly fine, and so are you now.”
He licked my hand, gazing up at me with worried, contrite eyes. “That was definitely not your fault,” I added. “I didn’t even know that was possible, and I’m a witch.”
Beau appeared at my side, taking in Tobias with a glance. “I’ll take care of the authorities,” he said briskly. “You two should go out the back.” He gestured to the left, away from the lobby. “Go down the stairs and through the emergency exit. You’ll have to hop a fence.”
I nodded and started in that direction. I could climb a fence just fine, and I’d seen werewolves jump pretty fucking high. There was probably some sort of surveillance on the property, but Beau would have that locked down.
Before I’d gone a full step, though, Beau touched my arm. “I don’t know if this was directed at me or you, or even Warton,” he told me, his shoulders stiff with tension, “but I would be deeply grateful if you’d go straight to the manor to check on Odessa.”
I didn’t have to think about it. “Absolutely.”
Flashing emergency lights were suddenly bouncing through the glass doors of the lobby and partway down the hall to my right. I remembered to scoop up Tobias’s clothes and boots, and the two of us hurried the other way, following Beau’s instructions.
In seconds we were sprinting toward the rental car—well, I was sprinting. Tobias was barely at a trot. I unlocked the car with the remote and opened the back door for Tobias to jump in, shutting it behind him with a sigh of relief that he hadn’t been seen.
I’d already pulled onto the road before I realized what I was doing.
This was still Atlanta—and I no