Charlie to even notice I no longer followed her.
I shook my head and hoped that, when I finally did have kids, I had the good sense to set a few more boundaries and rules.
Of course, a daughter born to a witch and a werewolf was likely to be strong-willed in the extreme… I smiled. Talk about wishful thinking.
I pushed away from the SUV and began to pace, suddenly unable to stand still. Or, if I was being at all honest with myself, unwilling to think about a future that didn’t involve Aiden.
Fifteen minutes later, headlights appeared, pinning me briefly in brightness before the driver dropped the high beam. I covered my eyes and saw the yellow paintwork and the lights on top of the cabin. The RACV.
“Hey,” the driver said as he jumped out of the vehicle. “Got yourself into a bit of a pickle, I hear?”
“The wheel nuts are too damn tight.”
“Yeah, that’s a common problem with new cars. We’ll have it fixed in no time.”
He retrieved a heavy-duty hydraulic jack and a battery-powered wheel nut wrench from the back of his van and in very little time had my tire changed.
He hefted the flat into the back of my SUV. “I have to say, I don’t think this was an accident.”
My pulse rate briefly stuttered, and then leaped into a higher gear. “What makes you think that?”
“This.” He pointed to what looked like a burn mark. “Someone’s deliberately weakened the wall of the tire so that it would blow out under stress. If you’ve been driving along any of the rough old tracks that run off this one—”
“And I was.”
“Then that explains it. We’d best check the rest, just in case.”
He immediately did so. I ran my fingers across the damaged bit of the tire and felt the faint caress of energy. No human hand had done this. A chill rose, and I quickly scanned the area. The sooner I got out of here, the better.
Thankfully, the rest of the tires showed no sign of damage, though that might not mean anything given the source of the attack was supernatural in origin. Once I’d signed his paperwork, the repairer jumped back into his van, turned around, and drove away.
I did a quick check just to ensure there was no more magic to be found, then quickly jumped into the SUV and followed him down the road. But as it curved around to the right and took the van from my sight, the SUV shuddered a second time, and then the vibration and flapping sound started again.
I tried not to panic; after all, while the tires had been checked, it was possible that something had been missed, especially if the weakness was on an inside wall.
Possible, instinct whispered, but not likely.
I pulled to the side of the road and immediately locked all the doors even as the memories of just how little it had protected Byron stirred. In the twin beams of the headlights, dust stirred, but there was little else to be seen in the night.
And yet…
I grabbed my backpack then climbed out of the SUV and walked around to the back. It was once again the left rear tire—the one we’d just changed.
I looked around in alarm. While I couldn’t sense or see anything untoward, I had no doubt she was out there, somewhere close. Watching. Waiting.
I swallowed heavily and got out my phone. Aiden answered second ring. “If Joel hasn’t arrived yet to change your tire, I’m going to kick his butt tomorrow.”
“He’s been and gone, but I’ve got another flat.”
Something cracked in the trees to my right. I jumped around, magic dancing like fireflies across the fingers of my free hand. Again, there was nothing to see, but that sense of danger was growing.
“They’re new tires—this shouldn’t be happening.”
“I know, and I don’t think it’s an accident.”
“I’ll ring Joel immediately and get him back—”
“And put him in the firing line? No way, Aiden.”
He swore softly. “Then I’ll grab Ashworth and be out there in twenty minutes. Have you got your spell stones with you?”
“Yes.” But they wouldn’t do any good. The elder Empusae had already proven capable of breaking into my protective circle. I rather suspected that, after getting a feel for my magic, she’d be even more prepared the second time around.
“Then use them. Just keep safe until we get there.”
“I will.”
He hung up. I stared at the phone for several seconds, suddenly feeling very alone and out of my depth.
Which was ridiculous. I