challenge.”
Austin nodded. “He probably sends people he thinks capable of easily besting you. No one in the history of magic learns this quickly and is this potent after less than a year. I bet you blindside him every time he goes up against you. That can’t sit well with him.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “This one didn’t totally make sense, though, did it? He attacked at the same time as someone else. We were all thinking it was so he could protect his interests, but Ivy House largely took care of the front yard attack. The two parties didn’t have anything to do with each other at all. At least not here. Since no one was left alive from the front yard attack after Edgar caught the last, we can’t very well research if there is some other connection. Regardless, it was more like Graves’s guy was using the front yard attacks as a distraction to get me alone.”
Austin turned just a bit, looking back into the woods. “He certainly wouldn’t have been able to do much with the people at his disposal. They weren’t fighters, as we’ve discussed. Maybe they thought we’d have to expend more resources on the other attack. It might have been another way to gauge Ivy House’s strength—your strength.”
I shrugged. “Hard to know.” I took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. At least I’ve identified two spells that make Ivy House vulnerable. The others are listed in that book, and we know which ones Elliot is aware of so far. If I work with Edgar, I can set up some booby traps to find anyone sneaking around. We just have to figure out a way to target those particular spells. I don’t want to accidentally blow up a hiker who’s unintentionally trespassing. In the meantime, we’ll work together to fortify the town and house.” I paused, then added, “Oh, hey, I was thinking. I can’t use those gargoyles at the hotel on my team here. Or Cedric. I only have a certain number of seats available in my council, and I don’t want them all to go to the same magical species, but couldn’t you use them? Some fliers in your pack wouldn’t go amiss, as long as you have someone monitoring them closely. They are lazy as hell if you let them be.”
His mouth turned downward as he thought. Finally, he said, “I could find a use for them if they stay. I’ll get back to you.” He reached out and gently squeezed my upper arm. “Time for me to go. I have a lot of work to get to, so I’ll be away for a while. I’m getting things in place before I buy that winery, so…I’ll talk to you about that at a later date. If you need me…” He paused, dropping his hand to his side, his robust muscles flexing, popping out all over his torso. “I’ll see you around, okay? Call me if…you get into trouble.”
I watched him leave with mixed emotions, wanting desperately for him to stay. Although I knew he had to get back to his life, especially since he was still in the early stages of building his territory, it had been nice to have him around. Nice but also dangerous, because any longer and I would’ve forgotten why I was supposed to keep my hands off him. His comforting presence around the house calmed me in ways nothing else did. Pleased me, if I was being honest. Feeling him curl around my body, or his lips on mine…
I blew out a breath, tore my eyes away, and marched into the house. That guy was special, he was incredibly handsome, he was one of a kind, and he was not looking for a dame on his arm. I might be willing to peel back my regulations about work and pleasure, but he clearly wasn’t planning on it, and that was just fine. He was too hot for the likes of me, anyway. Down with hot people—they made you feel like you had to try harder. I wanted to keep trying very little, thank you very much.
Back in the house, I found my mother in the kitchen, tidying the counters. Time to clear the air.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, stopping at the counter. I felt Mr. Tom upstairs in the doll room, repairing those that had come back without arms, eyes, or a head. The intruders hadn’t been as scared of