Page 35 of Witch Untold
She shook her head and reached into her pocket, pulling out another scarf and handing it to me. “You’ll need this.”
Leif took it from her and wrapped it carefully around my neck, tucking it in before pulling up my hood.
“Be safe.” He kissed my forehead.
I headed toward The Elite. “Lauris?”
“Should be here any—”
“I’m here.” Lauris melted out of the shadows, making me jump.
“Fuck, dude.”
He grinned. “Ready to kick some undead ass.”
“They’re not actually undead,” Sloane corrected.
“Whatever. It sounded good, though.”
“Wren come, too?” Wren asked again.
Sloane’s gaze flicked to me in a question.
I reached over my shoulder and gently dislodged Wren, swinging him round to settle on my hip. “We discussed this.”
He pouted. “Cora didn’t discuss. She ordered.”
“Can you please do this for me? Stay here so I don’t worry about you?”
“But then Wren will worry about Cora.”
I didn’t have time for this. “It’s how it has to be, Wren. You can’t come.”
Was that a flash of defiance in my little buddy’s eyes?
“Come on, Wren.” Leif approached and held out his arms. “I’ll bake your favorite cookies and we can watchSupernatural.”
Wren sighed and nuzzled into me before climbing down my leg and padding over to Leif.
“You got the portal?” Sloane asked me.
I pulled the coin from my coat pocket and handed it to her.
“It’ll stay open, but it’ll be safe on the grounds,” she said.
A gust of wind hit me in the face. The beat of wings followed and then Bador landed by the gazebo. His wings retracted and melted into his back. He folded his arms and swept his dark gaze over us.
Another beat of wings, and another figure landed on the opposite side of us. A gargoyle I hadn’t seen before.
“What’s this?” Leif looked from Bador to the unnamed gargoyle.
“A precaution,” Bador said in his rumbling voice. “Anna’s orders. An open portal must be monitored.”
“Good point,” Sloane said.
“Can we control where it comes out?” Lauris asked.
“The silent sisters will have made sure it’s a hidden, secluded spot.” Sloane flicked the coin into the air. It flipped, winking silver in the moonlight, and then flashed bright before tearing a mystical doorway into the fabric of our world. There was little finesse to this portal. Unlike the other portal the sisters had provided, this one wasn’t an actual door but a swirling whirlpool of silver and purple that crackled with energy.
