“Not a chance,” Brody says. “You guys are in crisis here. I’m sticking around in case you need help. Hey Bailey.”
He reaches as if to pat my head but Jase growls and Brody’s hand stops mid-air. “Sorry, Jase. Reflex.”
I shoot Jase what I hope is an annoyed look and give Brody a chirpy sort of yip and a wag of my tail. He smiles even bigger.
Linc rises. “I’ll go grab you a chair, Brode,” he offers.
“No need,” Jase replies and plucks me up off my chair and sets me on his lap.
My dress, bra, and underwear fall to the patio, so Jase cusses, snatching them up.
I’m not sure if a wolf pup can roll its’ eyes but I’ve just tried.
Aphra looks nervously at Erica as Brody sits down.
I don’t know her all that well, but I do know she’s got major issues with her coven, which led her to where she wound up stuck with Wyatt Meadows for a time. Against her will. I also know she was looking forward to going to the new property, to being part of Brody’s pack so her half-shifter daughter can grow up with shifters.
We offered her a place here in Arcana Falls, but her daughter has friends from Brody’s pack and Aphra doesn’t want to disrupt that. She already told us Halla is as excited about their new land as the others in the pack. I also know Brody was happy to have a witch be part of his pack.
“Aphra,” Erica says, “We know Brody brought you up to speed on what’s happening here. And we also know how much you don’t want your coven to know where you are, but I’ve already talked to Dr. Blakely about your situation and explained that you’re under a cloak so they can’t find you or Halla, but yet if youturn that cloak off, you’ll be tapped into the coven’s grid so you could detect magic and potentially deconstruct spells.”
Aphra says, “They can’t turn my access off while I’m cloaked. But the second I’m on the grid, Anya will take action, I’m sure of it.”
“I’ll help keep you safe, lass,” Dr. Blakely says. “If you want to supply details of why you’re in hiding, we can levy sanctions against your coven, ensuring they know we’re watching if they attempt to take any action against you or your daughter.”
She shakes her head. “Thank you, but the Starling high priestess prefers to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Her asking for forgiveness might mean harm comes to my daughter. I won’t put her at risk. She’s my only priority. I know I owe you guys, but…” She winces. “I’m terrified.”
“Can I run our idea by you?” Erica asks.
“Okay,” Aphra whispers.
Erica says, “We want to know what they’re doing. What their end game is. And if we can figure that out, not only can we stop them, but also with Mitch here, he can ensure the Supernatural Council takes action against them as a key witness. If you report your concerns, extra safeguards can be taken. But bottom line, we want to ask you to lift your cloak so you can deconstruct the spell, and give us those details. And while you’re doing that, Ronnie can lay hands on those plants and maybe glean more information.”
Greyson says, “Just wanna say, Aphra, we know the cloak hides your location, but chances are that they suspect you’re still here.”
I sneeze.
Shit.
“True,” Aphra says softly. “The cloak also protects me and Halla from Starling magic. And I have thought about that. It keeps me up at night, but I feel safer with all of you and I have worried that Anya will cause trouble for Brody once we move. If I lift it and tap into anything related to the coven, she’ll know about it and will cut me off, so in terms of coven magic, I’ve probably only got one chance.”
“If you use that one chance to help us, we’ll do whatever we can to help you going forward. You won’t be left hanging. You have my word,” Riley tells her.
“And mine,” Dr. Blakely says.
“And ours,” Erica adds.
“Exactly,” Grey agrees. “You’ve got lots of help, Aphra. Pack means everything and you’re part of Brody’s pack. Brody’s one of us so that makes you one of ours, too. You’ve got all of us against that witch.”
“A powerful witch without a conscience,” Aphra whispers.
I sneeze again. And again. My eyes are now burning and I don’t feel well.
Jase turns me so he can look at my face. He’s looking me over with concern. He gets up, holding me. I twist, trying to see what’s going on, because Aphra is extending her hand toward Ronnie.
“I trust you all, but first, Veronica, you can read me. I want you all to know I have nothing to do with this. Also, if anything happens to me, someone will have some of my story.”
Ronnie leans in and grasps her hand.