Jacob slammed the brakes. He quickly uttered an incantation, and a steady wind pushed against the car and allowed them to slow and stop before they jumped the curb and ran into someone’s front yard.

  “What was that?” Amanda’s gaze went left and right, and she turned to look over her shoulder. Her chest rose and fell quickly with each anxious breath. Her right hand was on the door handle.

  “Wait...” Jacob placed his hand over her left one, invoking a hastily constructed ward. “Defendat…”

  The warmth of magical power rose from his gut, up through his torso and arms, and spread out as if he were exhaling a long breath. He felt the warmth leave his body as it surrounded them and the car. Another red light hurtled toward them from above, crashing against them, but it only made the protective ward groan.

  “Jacob! It’s the Guardians! Look.” Amanda jabbed a trembling index finger in the direction of the driver side window.

  Four masked men, all in dark clothing, slowly surrounded the car. Each of their hands glowed a fiery red, and they approached with a clear intent to launch another attack against them.

  “Praevolatis!” Jacob’s heart pounded in his chest as he spat out the incantation. The four wizards flipped backward and landed several feet away.

  He motioned for Amanda to finally exit the car. There was no use in being pinned down in there and not having a means of escape if needed. She ran to join him on his side as he got out of the driver side, her breath heavy and her eyes locked on the attackers.

  The four men were back on their feet, floating and propelling themselves forward. One of them raised his glowing hands, and a stream of fire came at Jacob and Amanda. She yelled out in shock, and Jacob quickly extended the magical ward that already hung around the car so that it would cover them as well. The fire crashed against Jacob’s invisible force field, crackling and turning into small flames until it dissipated.

  Two of the wizards made gestures with their hands still aglow. The air above them howled and groaned, as if something heavy was pressing against the top of the force field, threatening to break it.

  “Stop this!” Jacob yelled. “You’re fighting the wrong people.”

  “Traitor,” the one who had launched the fire retorted. “You’re the reason other wizards are suffering here. You’re too busy kissing the asses of people who would rather see you dead.”

  “And you expect me to join you like this?” Jacob asked. “Back off.”

  The fourth wizard pulled two daggers from his belt. Jacob could sense a curse of poison infused into the weapon. “Assure us that you’ll protect wizards, that you’re on our side, and we will walk away.”

  “I do protect wizards,” Jacob answered. “But I won’t punish innocents to do it.”

  Amanda pulled out two pistols and pointed them at their assailants. “You heard Mr. Wolfe. Between his magic and these guns, you all aren’t going to walk away unless you leave us alone.”

  The fire-throwing wizard chuckled. “You sure you know how to handle that, little miss?”

  Amanda glared at them. Damn, she looked amazing when she was pissed off. “When you’re the police captain’s daughter? Hell yeah.”

  Two of the wizards exchanged glances. Jacob used their momentary pause to cast another spell. This time, his hands lit up with a glow, but it wasn’t red and malevolent like theirs, but soft and yellow—and every bit as dangerous. He quickly extended his hands and shot out balls of magical energy. The four wizards scattered to avoid the attack. One of them was hit in the shoulder though, and he screeched as he fell to the floor, skin, and clothing burned.

  Amanda fired a shot at the fire-wielder, and he hobbled toward a parked car. Jacob voiced another incantation, and he sent all four wizards went tumbling back down the street and toward the intersection.

  “Get in the car, now!” He opened the driver side door and basically shoved Amanda in. She scooted over to the passenger side.

  As soon as he got in, he started the car again and hit the gas pedal, speeding and making a right-hand turn. Just to be sure they weren’t followed or seen by the four men, Jacob made a few extra turns and circled a different block before finally making it to Lexington Street and Amanda’s house.

  “Are you okay?” He parked the car and instinctively surveyed the quiet neighborhood, even taking a final look through his rearview mirror. He wasn’t as surprised by the ambush as he was by the wizards’ hesitance when Amanda identified herself as Captain Lewis’s daughter. Why?

  “Yeah, Mr.—uh, Jacob. I’m all right. You?”

  “I’m good. Do you need me to stay a while?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll call my dad and have him send a car over.”

  Shit, those masked men were cops. “Don’t do it.”

  “What?” She gave him a quizzical look.

  “You saw the way those guys paused when you told them who you were?”

  “Yeah? So?” She sighed and opened the car door. Jacob rushed out from his side and made it over just in time to help her out.

  “Amanda, those were police officers. Wizards who are with MFPD.” He walked through the front yard in step with Amanda. They went up the porch steps and stopped at her front door.

  Amanda furrowed her brows, shaking her head. “That doesn’t make sense. It’s no secret who I am.”

  “Unless those guys are new and didn’t know. It’s not like you leave my office and go prancing around the police station.”

  Although Amanda didn’t hide the fact that she was Captain Lewis’s daughter, she also didn’t advertise it or wear it like a badge. She had gotten her job with the previous mayor based on her own merits, and she clearly resented when someone wanted to give her (or deny her) something based on who her dad was.

  Amanda nodded as she dug through her purse and pulled out her house key. She unlocked the door and opened it, beckoning him to come in. As she turned on the lights, he extended his magical senses, checking for the presence of any other wizards or spells. Satisfied there were none, he quickly added a protective ward around her house.

  She motioned for him to take a seat on her plush gray sofa. Her monochromatic living room looked like it belonged in some modern home decorating magazine. “But Jacob, that means the Guardians have infiltrated MFPD. What if some of your task force members are involved?”

  He imagined his own expression matched the one she gave him—disappointment and worry. She had a point. If this was the case, this was a more significant problem than he had first thought.

  “Do you know anyone who we can trust? Completely?”

  She went over to her wine cabinet and poured herself a glass of Moscato. “Aside from a handful of good guys that I know, I can’t be sure. But you said they were new to the force since they didn’t recognize who I was. Why don’t we compile and go through a list of new officers hired within the last few weeks, especially if they’re not originally from Miracle Falls.”

  “That’s a good idea.” He accepted a glass of wine from her and gulped it down. Probably not the best move, since he needed to eventually drive himself home.

  “I’ll call George and Jameson. I’ve known them since I was a kid, they’re like family. They can come over and stay with me.”

  He nodded and set his wine glass down. “We’ll figure out what to do long term, but I’m hoping we end all this soon. There’s no way this can go on; we can’t have a war on our hands.”

  “Like I said, we aren’t going to let that happen.” She eyed him with concern. But then, her expression shifted to one of…admiration?

  His cheeks warmed. “You were pretty badass tonight.”

  “Thanks.”

  After a long, awkward pause, he asked, “Do you need me to stay until George and Jameson get here?”

  She grinned at him. He wasn’t an idiot, it was a flirtatious one. “It’s up to you. I’m assuming you already placed a protective spell around this house.”

  “Yep.”

  She laughed. “I thought so. Just go home and get some rest. I’ll be fine.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded and picked up her cell phone and punched in a number. “Yeah, I’m calling them now. They can be here in less than ten minutes.”

  After she finished her calls, he stood and let her escort him to the front door.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  “Mr. Wolfe, I just might take you up on that.”

  This time when she called him Mr. Wolfe, it wasn’t stiff, nor formal at all.

  But he was supposed to have his first date with Aria this weekend…or at least something close to it. So why was he all flirty with Amanda? Maybe it was the stress or wine. Hell, he needed to get out of there and go home before he said or did something he shouldn’t. It was all a little confusing, and honestly challenging. He hadn’t dated anyone since his wife had passed away, and sometimes he felt he was out of the loop when it came to dating etiquette. Slowly but surely, he’d try to put himself back out there.

  “Goodnight, Amanda. Stay safe.”

  She grinned at him, though that touch of concern for him was still in her eyes. “You too.”

  By the time he made it to his car, Officers George and Jameson had pulled up. They waved to Jacob, and he greeted them in return. He jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. He pulled out and drove away, his stomach knotted over the idea that some officers in the MFPD were compromised. The Guardians were just as dangerous as the Watchers, and both organizations needed to be dismantled. He’d make sure of that, one way or another.

  6

  Harry

  Harry sat in his car, eyeing the building that his brother Vernon had directed him to. It looked like any other nondescript federal building, about five stories high and probably had several basement levels, too. So, this was where the magic happened. This was where they kept Cedric Astaroth locked up like an animal.

  “Good riddance,” Harry mumbled to himself as his cell phone buzzed in his jacket pocket. Aria was calling. He stepped out of the car, locked the door, and headed outside the parking structure.

  “Harry,” Aria’s voice sounded relieved. “Are you okay?”

  He felt the damp chill of a November evening breeze and stuck his free hand in his pocket. He jaywalked across the street to the LAWT facility. “I’m fine. You sounded worried for a second.”

  “Mira showed up and tried to ambush Mom and me, but we fought her off. I was afraid she’d try and come for you next.”

  Harry made it to the entrance and pressed a yellow comm button right below a monitor that sat at face level and was attached to the wall. He waved at the monitor and waited until the security officer buzzed him in.

  “I’m inside the LAWT facility, where Vern works. I doubt that bitch is crazy enough to come storming through here.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Yeah, how’s it going on your end?”

  “We’re on our way to Hecate’s House to speak with the manager, Susan Waters. She can point us in the right direction on finding Edwin and the sin eaters.”

  “Good, good. As soon as Susan tells you, let me know so we can join up. And don’t try to go hunting for Mira without me.” He mouthed hello to the security guard at the reception desk as he approached. He presented his driver’s license.

  “All right,” Aria sighed on the other end of the line. “Just be safe. And don’t forget—”

  “You know I won’t.” He hung up and thanked the security guard when he handed him back his photo I.D. He walked over to a plush-looking seat and slid into it, waiting for Vernon to show.

  Almost subconsciously, he reached into his jacket pocket and rolled the glass vial between his fingers, as if ensuring it was still there. Of course, he wouldn’t forget to do this for Aria. He’d get the vampire’s blood, and Clare will have the final ingredient to cast the Undoing spell, which would strip Mira of her powers. For good.

  Harry’s gaze focused on the elevator doors across from him, which slid open with a whoosh. Vern stepped out, still dressed like a G-man, and he was as tall and fit as Harry. Even had similar features, except Vern liked to remain perfectly shaved. Harry used to feel flattered when they were younger, and people would ask if they were twins—in a good way. He may not have been a male underwear catalog model, but he figured he was nice to look at. Now when he looked at Vern, all he saw was the brother he had harmed, though Harry hadn’t meant to. He had never seen Vern as angry as the night he threw Harry out that window—but, he’d deserved it. Sitting at the Thanksgiving table together in a couple of weeks was going to be awkward.

  “Ready?” Vern approached and then halted just a few feet across from him. No grin, no hug, no handshake. But at least he was willing to help, which said something.

  “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

  He fell in step with Vern and got into the elevator with him. When the doors closed, his brother gestured toward the small TV screen just above the button panel. He punched in a code, and the screen began playing a video displaying the central offices of the building, along with smiling people in business attire. A voiceover came on, talking about the importance of government administration, yadda-yadda-yadda.

  “This facility’s first four floors are public—what we want the world to see, which is a non-descript bureaucratic office. The fifth floor houses our call center, but the real LAWT is down in the lower levels.” He punched in another code, and the elevator began its descent.

  “So,” Harry said, sucking in a quick breath, “this seems like an interesting place to work. And all this time I thought you were sitting behind a desk pulling numbers out of your ass to justify where my tax dollars are going.”

  Vern smirked. “Harry, you haven’t paid taxes in three years.”

  Damn, I’d better not get audited. “I’m actually visiting my accountant tomorrow, so…”

  “Yeah, you do that.” Vern actually chuckled. It made Harry feel a little glad.

  “Listen, Vern, I appreciate you doing this for me. And…you probably don’t want to hear it, but I’m sorry—”

  Vern waved his hand through the air. “I know. It was Vlad. The curse, not the real you.”

  Harry’s cheeks burned, and he shuffled his feet. “Do you still speak with Shana?”

  His brother shook his head. “Nah, after that night, I woke up with the engagement ring on my nightstand and all her stuff gone.”

  Harry’s stomach clenched at the hint of pain in Vern’s voice. He was supposed to be celebrating his brother’s and would-be sister-in-law’s engagement that night at their apartment. Shana had even cooked a meal from scratch. They were excited to have Harry over. Except it wasn’t Harry who showed up—it was that bastard spirit, Vlad, possessing him under the Imperare curse, and he went straight for Shana. That night, Harry learned two things: first, that Vern had an impressive arsenal of weapons to combat magic-wielding folk, and second, that being thrown out of a window after getting blasted by a mental disruption gun was a notable way to make a possessing spirit shut the hell up and let the host take back control.

  Poor Shana had bruises around her neck, and her clothing was torn. Her tears had been mingled with an expression of shock and fear he’d never forget. He felt like shit that night—in more ways than one. Maybe it would’ve been better if Vern lived on a higher level so Harry wouldn’t have survived that fall.

  “That’s why I want to end this, Vern. I want to make things right.”

  The elevator jolted to a stop. “We’re here.”

  They stepped out into a large, dimly lit, open area. The right side was sectioned off with cubicles, some occupied and some empty. The left had a kitchen area with a stove, fridge, table, and seats. Across from them was some sort of data or computer area where some geeks were tapping away at their keyboards, and the back wall had another elevator.

  “How far down are we?” Harry asked, taking in the view.

  “About six floors down. Below this is our security level, through which everyone going down further, or coming up, must pass through.”

  They approached the second elevator and entered. Harry felt a brush of warmth press against his body from head to toe. “Did we just get scanned or something?”

  Vern nodded. He punched in a code, and they went down a level, stepping out into the security area. There was a large desk toward the center with an agent wearing tactical gear, who viewed several security monitors while sipping on a cup of coffee. Past him was a set of double doors where more armed agents and guards came in and out. They either went down one of the hallways or toward the elevator.

  “From here, we can go to the holding cells, where the vampire Cedric Astaroth is.” He nodded to the left.

  Harry pointed to the right. “And where does that hallway lead to?”

  “The Red Lab. It’s where we do experiments and test out stuff.”

  “Neat.” That was probably where they invented the mental disruption gun Vern blasted him with. He raised his hand in greeting to a few armed agents standing guard at the hallway leading to the Red Lab. Vern led him toward the other hallway that would lead them to the holding cells.

  “Good evening, Agent Storm.” An attractive female agent with her auburn hair pulled back into a bun smiled at Vern. She stood guard at a secured door.

  Vern gave her a nod of acknowledgment. “Agent Karsten, how are you?”

  “Well, sir. Who’s this?”

  “My brother, Harry.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Harry said, eyeing her up and down. Maybe he should join LAWT.

  She arched a skeptical eyebrow but went ahead and shook his hand. She pulled out a key card and held it at the security panel that controlled the door. The top button glowed with the word ACCESS in large red letters. Vern pulled out his own key card and held it at the panel, next to Agent Karsten’s. The ACCESS button turned green, and there was a click. She opened the door for them.