a two-cake problem.”
I smiled and reclaimed my chair. Once our coffees were refreshed and the additional cake had been served, Ashworth said, “Right, first things first—we need a means of tracking their movements.”
“They’ll fly rather than drive,” Eli commented. “And they’ll no doubt get their secretaries to make the bookings.”
“Unless they want to keep their visit to Melbourne secret,” I commented. “Few people know about my marriage, remember.”
“It’d be interesting to discover just how they managed to bury the documents,” Eli said. “All marriages by law have to be entered into the witch registry, and that’s an open document that’s regularly checked to ensure there’s no close blood ties. If your marriage was buried, then they either bribed or spelled someone—and the latter would be an extremely dangerous step for someone who values their reputation as much as either Clayton or Lawrence.”
“I have no doubt my father is arrogant enough to believe his actions would never be questioned.”
“While it’s true both he and Clayton hold great power, they are also not without enemies, and some of those are not to be messed with.” Ashworth scooped up the last bit of black forest cake and munched on it contemplatively. “All the same, I have a friend who works in the registry office; might see if he can discreetly follow it up. It’ll be a handy thing to know come the confrontation.”
A shudder ran through me, and I hastily gulped down whiskey-fueled coffee. It didn’t do much to chase the chill away.
Eli reached across the table and briefly squeezed my hand. “The other thing we need is a warning they’re on their way, and that may be harder.”
“Unless, of course, we can discreetly rope in the Black Lantern Society,” Ashworth said.
“Who are?” I asked.
“Basically, a secret society of witches, werewolves, and vampires who work behind the scenes to right wrongs and bring justice to those who escape it.”
“Sounds more like a vigilante group than anything else.” And while I wanted Clayton and my father out of my life, I didn’t want them dead. Even if, in the deepest of my dreams, I imagined Clayton dying in a thousand different, horrible ways.
“It’s… whatever it needs to be,” Ashworth said. “They mostly don’t go as far as vigilantism, though.”
Mostly also meant it wasn’t totally off the books. “It can’t be too secret if you and Eli know about it.”
“We know because my sister is one of its matriarchs.” Ashworth grimaced. “Of course, she doesn’t know I know.”
“She will if we ask for her help,” Eli said, amused. “And she won’t be pleased.”
Ashworth waved his hand. “She owes me a favor or two.”
I frowned. “I don’t want either of you to get into—”
“Lass, I took an oath to uphold the law. What happened to you is not only against the law, but also against common decency. Even if we weren’t friends, I’d be helping you.”
I blinked once again against the sting of tears. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Eli nodded. “We’ll start putting out feelers tomorrow. We can formulate a plan of action once we’ve got everything in place.”
“What about Monty?” I asked. “He’ll want to help—”
“No doubt,” Ashworth said, “but he’s your cousin, and given they obviously suspect you’re in this reservation, any move or request he makes will be analyzed and checked. It’s far better if he remains out of the loop as far as this goes.”
“He won’t like that.”
Amusement crinkled the corners of Ashworth’s eyes. “Aye, he won’t, and I can’t say that makes me unhappy.”
I smiled and scooped up the last of my cheesecake. “He spent a good deal of time with Daniela today, so I’ll get the lowdown on her from him tomorrow. He might have picked up something useful.”
“Unlikely,” Eli said. “Aside from the fact tracers are very good at playing their cards close to their chests, she’d have come here knowing who all the players are, what their relationships were, and who she needed to keep an eye on.”
“Meaning she’ll be watching the café?” I asked.
“And most likely tracking your movements. At least for a few days in order to confirm or deny her suspicions.”
I snorted. “I don’t do a whole lot more than work in the café and spend time with Aiden. Spelling isn’t a major part of my life.”
“If she’s a strong tracer, she doesn’t need to see you perform magic; she just needs to be close enough to see it within you. The deeper kernels of your power signature haven’t altered—”
“Well, they have,” I cut in,