Muriel straightened and started walking again. She had to figure this out, one way or another, and Brandon was her best chance of getting answers. He was kind, knowledgeable, and seemed sincere. He was also the only other magic-wielder she knew.
But what if he had ulterior motives? She hadn’t missed the way lightning seemed to flash in those sky-blue eyes of his as he looked at the book, nor the subtle pulse of his magic in the air around them.
It hadn’t been unpleasant. On the contrary, she wanted to lean into it. Surrender to it as it wrapped itself around her and?—
Gah!She needed to think. To process, without the distracting scents of cedar, sandalwood, and hints of ozone with subtle undertones of amber messing with her senses.
Her phone buzzed in an example of perfect cosmic timing.
Jessie:Is everything okay?
Muriel:I don’t know how to answer that.
Jessie: That’s not cryptic at all. Do I need to kick some ass?
The text made Muriel smile, despite her near panic.
Muriel:No. I’m heading back now. We need to talk.
Jessie:I’ll be waiting.
“So,don’t keep me in suspense. What did Brandon say?” Jessie asked a short while later. They sat on the large deck, Muriel trying to organize her thoughts into something coherent while Jessie watched the cubs playing in the sprinkler in the big backyard.
Where to begin? Brandon’s terrifying revelations or her equally terrifying attraction to the mage himself?
“Brandon believes the man who came to my house is a Collector,” she said finally.
“What’s a Collector?”
“Apparently, they’re the hit men of some secret magical governing body called the Magisterial Consilium. They hunt natural witches for their magic.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah,” Muriel agreed. “And every time I have a surge, I'm basically sending up a flare announcing exactly where I am.”
“Like the one you had in the kitchen yesterday?”
“Yes.” Muriel set down her iced tea before she could spill it. “Which is exactly why I need to leave. I'm putting you and your family in danger by being here. If the Collectors are tracking me?—”
“No. That’s not how this works. We have alwaysbeen there for each other, and that’s not going to change now.”
“But you have a family.”
“Yeah, and you’re part of it,” Jessie said firmly. “This is non-negotiable.”
“But—”
Jessie held up one hand in a stop motion and grabbed her phone with the other, her thumb moving quickly over the screen. “Dani, are you with Matt? Good. Tell him I need him to watch the kids for a few hours. I’m calling an emergency meeting of the SLUT club. I’ll explain later.”
“Thewhatclub?” Muriel asked as Jessie started texting.
“S-L-U-T,” Jessie said with a grin. “Supernatural Ladies of Ultimate Terrificness. Think of it like a support group for the mates of alpha males, which, for the record, is not limited to shifters.”
Muriel shook her head. “I’m not a mate.”
“Trust me, you qualify. Don’t make it weird.”
An hour later,Muriel found herself in Jessie's car, winding up a narrow mountain road as the afternoon sun filtered through thick canopy. Her palms were sweating despite the air conditioning.