Page 11 of Enchant the Dawn

“How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure, but it would take a powerful wizard to undo another witch’s spell.”

“So, where’s this Jasper now?”

“I have no idea, but he’s a nasty piece of work. I suspect he’s under the thumb of whoever freed him. Be careful, Dom. Jasper is stupid but dangerous.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know.” She patted his thigh. “You should get some rest.”

“Yeah.” Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek. “You be careful, too.”

Ava smiled as he rose and left the room. She loved the boy dearly. Heaven help anyone who caused him pain.

Chapter 5

Jasper paced the floor, wringing his hands as he waited for the Elder Knight. What did Gregory want now? He came to an abrupt halt when the Elder Knight entered the room.

“I have a task for you,” Gregory said.

“You have only to ask.”

“There are Hungarian vampires living in New Orleans. I am looking for one in particular. His name is Dominic. When you find him, I want you to learn everything you can about him: who he is and why he is there. And if he’s alone.”

“Yes, my lord. Shall I dispose of him for you?”

“No. I want that pleasure for myself. Leon 48 is also searching for this particular vampire.”

“Yes, my lord.” Vampires, Jasper thought. He hated the lot of them. “Why are you seeking this vampire out of all the others?”

The Elder Knight glared at him. “My reasons are my own. Do not fail me.” Pivoting on his heel, the Elder Knight strode out of the room.

Jasper stared after him. He owed the man a great debt for releasing him from the witch’s dreadful spell, but he hated being indebted to anyone. It gnawed at his vitals to be in subjection to another man. Any man.

In his own quarters, he packed a leather satchel with the implements of his trade—a wand made of hickory, a silver-bladed dagger, a scrying mirror, a pentacle, a chalice, and a shaker filled with salt. He added a change of clothes, as well as an ancient spell book, and closed the valise with a snap.

New Orleans, he thought. Not his favorite city.

* * *

The Elder Knight paced his quarters. He had known the witch called Ava when she worked with the Knights of the Dark Wood. Once considered an ally, she was now viewed as a traitor. He knew she was incredibly powerful, as was her granddaughter, who had not only produced a male child, but a female as well, something unheard of among Hungarian vampires, who sired only sons.

And he wanted the son.

Chapter 6

Maddy sat at the kitchen table, her breakfast dishes pushed to one side as she checked for available jobs in the area on her cell phone. Sadly, she didn’t qualify for most of them, and she was not yet desperate enough to work at a fast-food chain. Of course, at the moment, she didn’t really need to work at all.

Pushing away from the table, she rinsed her dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, then went to read her email, which was mostly spam. Sitting back in her chair, she put her slippered feet up on the desk and let herself daydream about Dominic—her knight in shining armor. If someone had asked her to paint a picture of the perfect man, he would have been the ideal model. Tall, black hair, broad shoulders, muscular arms . . . she’d always had a weakness for men with nice arms. And his eyes . . . a dark gray that reminded her of storm clouds on a winter day.

She enjoyed his company, his laughter, his protective instincts. Sure, she was supposed to be a liberated woman. She even had a T-shirt emblazoned with the words A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. But she still liked it when her dates held the door for her or insisted on buying her dinner. She preferred hunks like Chris Hemsworth, she thought. Give me an Alpha male every time.

And she preferred Dominic to any of the men she had ever dated. He had offered to spend last night guarding her house to keep her safe. She had assured him it wasn’t necessary. Maybe that had been a mistake. Maybe he would think she didn’t want to see him again.

With that depressing thought in mind, she went for a walk, hoping a morning stroll through the park at the end of the block would brighten her mood.

Maddy had been walking about ten minutes when she passed an elderly woman sitting on a bench. When the woman smiled at her, Maddy automatically smiled back. She was very pretty, Maddy thought. There were a few streaks of silver in her hair, which had probably once been golden-blond but was faded now. But her blue eyes were still bright. No doubt she had once turned men’s heads wherever she went.

---