Page 39 of Witch Unexpected
“Which won’t happen unless Torsten gets his ass back here.” I arched a brow.
“She has a point,” Leif said. “We need this binding to work. I’ll go with her.”
“I can take care of myself.” I allowed my hands to light up with a crackle.
“Power doesn’t always do the trick,” Leif said pointedly.
He was referring to the varga attack. Had he told Anna? No, she would have said something. I needed to make sure he kept his mouth shut.
“Only in exceptional situations.” I arched a brow. “And if all ends well, there’s no need to make a big deal out of it.” I slid my gaze toward Anna, then back to him, hoping he’d get the hint and keep his mouth shut.
“Agreed,” he said.
“What am I missing?” Halle said, looking between Leif and me.
“The slau,” Leif said without taking his gaze off my face. “The slau is immune to magic.”
Oh crap, he had a point. It was the slau that was after me.
I looked at Anna. “So, give me something to keep it at bay.”
She sucked in her cheeks. “We have wards. We had them on the potentials’ hideout, but they proved defective. Maybe an error in the enchantment… But they’ve always worked in the past.” She gnawed on her bottom lip. “Do you really believe you can bring him back?”
“Look, I don’t know this guy, but I know me, and I can be very persuasive. It’s either this plan or we use a non-primal alpha and risk the seal blowing up.”
She nodded. “I’ll get a personal ward commissioned for you. It’ll take a couple of days, but you can take that time to get familiar with the coven. Charlotte wishes to meet you too.” Her eyes grew sad. “She’s taking visitors tomorrow.”
Charlotte? Bramble had mentioned her too. “Is Charlotte the current anchor?”
“Yes,” Leif said. “A formidable woman.” He sounded genuinely fond of her. “You have some big shoes to fill, Cora.”
It was the first time he’d said my name, and it rolled off his tongue in a way that made my stomach flip, but I was an expert at hiding my emotions.
I met his gaze levelly. “I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, Leif.” I said his name softly, hoping I’d pronounced it right.
A strange expression crossed his face.
“What? Did I say it wrong?”
“No.” A small smile played on his lips. “Then we have that in common.”
His words gave me a warm rush.
“I’ll take my leave,” he said. “I have a hunt to lead. I’ll see you soon, Cora.”
Rune brushed past me, and then he and Leif vanished into the darkness.
Halle lingered, looking torn, like she wanted to say something.
“What is it, Halle?” Anna asked. “Spit it out.”
“What if Torsten doesn’t come back? What if Cora fails?” She glanced at me. “No offense.”
I shrugged. “None taken.”
“Do we have a Plan B?” Halle asked.
Anna’s expression was grim. “Yes. We do.”
