Ray strode up next to me. “I’m going to settle myself on the roof. Just in case.” His voice was calm, but he was on edge. We were all on edge. This was a Hag we were dealing with, someone with an insane amount of power.
It didn’t matter how much I felt like I knew Juanita. It was clear I’d never really known her. But I was happy to get a chance to ask her the questions I needed answers to—which was basically everything.
The little house was shuttered. We couldn’t see in. There was only one door, and it was situated on the side facing us. I walked up and tentatively touched the round handle. It was clear.
“Okay,” I said, “this is it. It’s either Juanita or Enid inside. We either gain an advantage or we fight.” I glanced around. “Everyone ready?”
They all nodded. I knew they would defend me to the death and it was humbling.
“Spread out,” Rourke ordered as I turned the knob. “I want every inch of this cabin surrounded.”
I put my other hand on my mate’s chest one last time. “This is going to be fine,” I murmured. “I’m not getting any strange vibes or a warning of any kind. My wolf is on board and anxious to get this over with. Rourke, we need this information, as much as we can get. Tally is still missing and things are happening in Europe.”
“I know,” he growled, “but I don’t like it. I’ll never get used to you walking into an unknown risk.”
“It’s a calculated risk,” I reminded him. “I have to believe that one of us would feel if something was off. There are eight of us here, all strong, powerful supernaturals. This is going to be fine.”
He nodded, leaning down to kiss me. It was a fierce, protective kiss that seared my insides. “I’ll be right outside,” he whispered into my ear. “Call out to me if you need me. And like I said, I want an internal message signaling you’re okay every five minutes. If I don’t get one, I’m coming in. I don’t care what she says.”
“Fine by me.” To my wolf I said, Are you ready for this? She barked once firmly, bringing her muzzle down in a let’s get this over with gesture.
The door opened freely. I gave Rourke one last kiss and slipped inside, shutting it behind me.
“Oh, Chica, I’m so happy to see you!”
28
“Wait a minute.” I stopped in my tracks. This was not the guesthouse. “How did I get here?” I looked around me, bewildered. I’d just walked into Juanita’s apartment. The one that sat across from my own back home. It was the same layout as mine, except her furnishings were bright and cheerful, yellow tables, red accents, and green throw pillows. It even smelled like her cooking. How could that be?
Juanita shot up from her seat at the kitchen table and came to greet me.
As she clacked toward me in her four-inch heels, she appeared exactly how I remembered her. She wasn’t more than five feet four inches tall—in her heels. Her hair was perfectly done, as always, her nails painted the same bright red. She wore a pink sleeveless top and red skinny jeans. “I don’t want you to worry, Chica,” she said in her heavily accented Latina accent, “but I had no choice. Your family will break in soon, but they will find you peacefully sleeping on the sofa. Once they do, we will have limited time.” She embraced me in a big bear hug and then gestured to the kitchen. “Come, sit down.”
“How are you doing this?” I asked as I followed her to the kitchen table. It felt completely real, right down to the garlic bread smell lingering in the air.
“We are meeting inside your mind right now, but I assure you, this es very real. I could not risk coming to you, but you are safe, as es your familia.” She tugged me gently to a chair and I sat. “But we must hurry. There es not much time. I am taking a great risk by bringing you here, but we must speak.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. There was so much I wanted to ask, so many things I needed to know. I settled on the most important thing running through my mind at the moment. “Is Rourke going to think I’m dead? Please say no. I can’t fool him like that again. He’s already been through too much and we’ve only been mated a short time. I don’t want him to panic.”
She shook her head and reached out to grab my hand. Electricity shot up my arm as she held it, patting it on top with her other hand. “No, your vital signs are functioning normally. You are breathing peacefully. The witch should guess what es happening, but I cannot lie, your mate will have a problem with this. It cannot be helped. And just for you, I will make my spell tangible.” She flicked her wrist. “You see, all es well. Now the witch will know exactly what has happened.”