Cursing, Ice conjured a bit of human money and left it, grabbing a few scones and muffins. He made for the French doors near the back, exiting onto the street once more and rounding the first corner.

There. His little witch was occupied. Ice stopped, watched as she stood near a human male, drawing him close to her. Young, strapping, he smiled, looking dazed by her beauty. In turn, she sent the man a welcoming smile, punctuated by a flip of that golden hair Ice ached to feel across his chest, over his cock. She reached out to touch the male’s hand. The male gripped her hand in return.

Ice snapped. Sabelle might not belong to him, but by God if she was going to touch another as he watched.

Hell-bent, he stalked across the car park. “Sabelle.”

She whipped her gaze in his direction and gave him a go-away glare. Like hell.

He barreled toward them, pausing mere inches from her. Unwisely, she still gripped the human’s hand. To his credit, the man tried to pull his hand from the minx’s grip, but she held firm.

“This is James,” she said before he could warn the man to get the hell away from his woman. “He’s very graciously offered to let us borrow his car for a few days.”

When she held up the keys, Ice dragged in a deep breath. She’d done it for escape. To be fair, faithlessness wasn’t a question, since she had not committed to him. Even so, he could barely stomach the sight of another man’s hand on her. But in allowing a stranger she would never see again to hold her hand and be influenced by her siren abilities, she had secured a new car that would not trouble them with the authorities. That one touch allowed them to escape and continue their quest.

He should feel thankful, not homicidal.

“Nice to meet you.” James’s voice shook as he extended his free hand in Ice’s direction.

Ice did his best to suppress his scowl and took the man’s hand. Sweaty. Shaking. Rather liking the idea of James’s fear, Ice smiled, not nicely.

“Ice is my very protective … cousin.”

“Cousin?”

Just like that, his tolerance snapped. Cousin was one step from brother, and he hoped to hell Sabelle didn’t see him in that light. Hard to imagine when she’d allowed him to strip her bare on a table and wrap his lips around those tight, berry red nipples. He would have no problem ensuring she saw him as a man once they were alone again.

James glanced nervously between Ice and Sabelle, as if he sensed something wasn’t quite right, but the witch’s grip on his hand muted his logic. Self-preservation kicked in.

“I’ll see you when we bring the car back.” Sabelle leaned close to the human male, lips pursed.

Ice scented the lust pouring from James and, gnashing his teeth, grabbed Sabelle’s arm to jerk her away. Touching her was a mistake. For that moment, she shot him a wave of soothing peace that smothered his jealous rage. In that instant, she planted a soft kiss on James’s cheek.

Wearing a dreamy smile, James nodded. “Take as long as you need, love.”

“Thank you for your kindness. Isn’t he lovely?” Sabelle turned to Ice. When he failed to respond on the spot, she elbowed him. “Isn’t he?”

Only to prevent annoying James, who might leave with his auto, did Ice nod. “Indeed.”

Sabelle elbowed him in the ribs again.

Moments later, James left them, looking euphoric and happily confused. Sabelle watched, palming his keys.

“Let’s go. Did you reach Duke?”

“No answer.”

Concern darkened Sabelle’s face. “What do you think that means?”

“Could be anything.” He shrugged, trying not to think the worst. “Like us, he may not have had his phone with him when Mathias attacked.”

“He did, on his belt.” She bit her lip. “Do you think they were captured? Killed?”

The possibility so terrified her. Ice wasn’t about to mention that had crossed his mind at least a dozen times as well. “They are able to teleport, which is a huge advantage. We’re still alive, so it’s likely they are, as well.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m not certain we can fight Mathias alone.”

You can’t, he wanted to say. He’d tried, after all, taking down nearly a hundred Anarki by himself. Yes, that had been two hundred years ago, and he’d been much more rash and stupid. He’d been lucky to escape with his life, though that hadn’t been his intention. And he’d learned a valuable lesson: Mathias’s army was like an octopus. An evil that could reach in all directions to drag a wizard in and devour him whole if he hadn’t the proper tools and allies.

Which is why you can’t make a bloody big deal about this car, he reminded himself. Escape. Getting Mathias. Lopping off as many arms of the monster as possible should be uppermost in his mind. Claiming the woman? Foolish and ill-timed. She would never say yes, and he shouldn’t expect her to in the midst of crisis.

Time to move on . . .

“Let’s retrieve Bram and get on the road again,” he commanded.

Sabelle nodded. “Did you get food?”

Indeed. But when he looked down at his fist, he realized that witnessing Sabelle touch James had made him angry enough to turn the scones and muffins into little more than crumbs for birds.

With a curse, he dropped them. “We’ll find something in the next town.”

Around midday, Sabelle and Ice arrived at the outskirts of Ludlow. Thomas MacKinnett lived in a renovated nineteenth-century estate about five kilometers from Stokesay Castle. The golden sun burned through the haze to shine in a perfect blue sky. Everything here was lovely in a stark, December sort of way, and she had no reason to shiver. But she did. The air felt disturbed. Even without seeing the house yet, she knew something was wrong.

“It’s quiet out here.” Ice frowned. The farther up the winding dirt road she drove, the more his frown deepened.

Too quiet. Ice may not have said it, but he likely thought it. “Indeed.”

“MacKinnett had no children other than Auropha?”

“No. And his mate died over a decade ago. Other than servants, he lived alone.”

“Perhaps that’s why it’s so quiet.”

Sabelle wasn’t convinced. She stepped on the accelerator and moved their borrowed car farther up the muddy lane. When the house came into view, she slammed on the brakes.

Sun filtered through the clouds, sending down patchy rays of light playing on the battered roof. Age stains and ivy crawled across the stone facade. MacKinnett had closed the shutters over every window.

The house seemed frozen, as if terrified to even take a breath. Utterly unmoving. Even the trees didn’t dare sway with the breeze.

“Bloody eerie,” Ice murmured.

“Indeed. Do you sense any magic protecting the house?”

Ice paused, and his frown turned to a scowl. “Nothing. Hardly the actions of a paranoid sort of bloke.”

“Exactly. Bram wondered if the tottering old man had gone completely mad with grief. But he was never reckless. We were here a few weeks ago. He had magical protections all over the house, up the lane. Early warning sensors … Now, nothing.”

It worried her.

Gripping the steering wheel, she directed the car to the front of the house. Columns lined the wide porch. Elegant plaster designs hinted at wealth. The well-manicured garden looked dormant … neglected. She shivered.

Parking the auto, she peered under the shadowed eaves and finally caught a glimpse of the front door. It stood wide open.

“I think we’re too late,” Ice muttered with a curse.

Silently, Sabelle feared he was right. “We’ll have to enter with caution. Maybe … he’s left? After all, Mathias knew he lived here. Perhaps someone warned him in advance, and he fled before he could be slaughtered.”

Ice nodded slowly, then turned to her. She tried to stop trembling, but she didn’t believe a word she said. Clearly, neither did he. Fear permeated her.

“You all right?” he asked, taking her hand in his. Warm. Protective. Engulfing.

Sabelle placed her other hand over his, so very grateful for his strength. “Fine. Let’s have a look around.”

He shook his head. “You stay here. Wait in the car. Keep the motor running. Guard Bram. I’ll take a look inside. If it’s safe, I’ll come for you.”

Not a chance. Sabelle stepped away from the car and toward the waiting tragedy she feared was just beyond that gaping door.

“I’m coming with you.” When Ice opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off. “I feel safer with you than sitting in the car by myself.”

While the appeal played to his protective nature, it wasn’t altogether untrue. Ice had this air of invincibility about him. At the very least, she knew he would fight with all his considerable skill and power to ensure the book remained out of Mathias’s hands. At the moment, she couldn’t hope for more.

With a sharp nod, Ice exited the car, placed some protections around Bram and the car, then began the trek uphill to the waiting house. It wailed in silence, seeped an odd sense of suppressed violence and distress. What would they find inside?

At her side, Ice gripped her hand. “I’ve got you.”

She sent him a distracted smile. “Thanks. Do you sense anyone else here?”

He shook his head. “No one. It’s feels like a battleground after the fighting is over. Filled with ghosts. Stay close to me.”

He’d get no arguments from her on that score.

Together, they stepped onto the porch, past the stately plaster columns, through the open door, into the foyer.

Chaos everywhere. Furniture overturned, walls smashed, glass shattered and littering the stone floor. Evil lingered in the air, bled from the walls. There was no doubt Mathias had been here.

“Oh God,” she murmured, her heart pounding roughly as she pulled the straps of her backpack tighter to feel the book closer to her body.

“Shh. Hopefully MacKinnett escaped. It’s possible he did.”

Maybe. She hoped. Or … she didn’t want to think about the or.

“The problem is, if Mathias wanted to eliminate a Council member so he could put himself in the wizard’s seat, he would have to either eliminate the Councilman’s entire family or murder one without issue. Thomas MacKinnett, having had his daughter and brother murdered earlier this year, had no remaining heirs.”

In other words, a prime target.

“Fuck,” Ice muttered.

Sabelle never said the word. But at this moment, she couldn’t agree more.

She bent and retrieved a smashed picture of Thomas and his late daughter, Auropha. The frame was bent, the glass in pieces. The picture had clearly been taken during happier times. She held it to her chest and shoved back an inconvenient onslaught of tears. Now was hardly the time.

Ice took her aside and wrapped his arms around her. “This is hard for you.”

He didn’t ask; somehow, he knew better. She was grateful for his intuition.

“I’ve known him most of my life. Thomas and my father were good friends. I remember him visiting shortly after my transition. He brought me biscuits and candy and told me to regain my strength.” Her voice cracked. “That magickind had just inducted one of the most important witches ever. Nonsense, but such kind words when I was feeling so weak and overwhelmed.”

The tears welled again, and she tried to focus on where to search next: upstairs or cellar? The choice filled her with irrational fear.

“Was he one of Bram’s allies?”

“Since Mathias’s return? one of the few, yes.”

She swallowed when she thought of those implications. Sabelle had known that Bram was on the evil wizard’s hit list. But seeing MacKinnett’s noble estate in shambles somehow made it more real.

“Only MacKinnett would believe that Mathias had returned,” she murmured. “He could hardly deny it, since the bastard had taken his daughter from him and used her so callously she bled to—”

“I know,” Ice cut in and tightened his grip around her. “But we cannot stand here like targets. We must check the rest of the house.”

She knew that, but the prospect terrified her. “Maybe we shouldn’t leave Bram alone in the car.”

“He’s protected, and it’s a calculated risk. We can search the house more effectively without him. If we need to fight off the Anarki, we won’t have to protect him or ourselves with our hands full, so to speak.”

True. She just didn’t like it.

“If you’d like to wait in the car, I’ll check the house alone.”

And leave Ice to face the fear and danger alone? No. She wasn’t a coward or the sort of witch to let others do the difficult work on her behalf, like her mother. She wouldn’t start that rubbish now.

She shook her head. “Let’s go upstairs first.”

With a squeeze of her hand, Ice led her upstairs. She was ridiculously grateful for his support. He was like a rock. As much as being here frightened her, Sabelle knew she would be ten times more afraid without him. And he shouldered her fear without comment or question. Ice would make some witch a wonderful mate someday, and she cursed the fact it couldn’t be her.