Kylie blinked at that assessment and quirked an eyebrow. “Really? So he tried to kill me just because he doesn’t like to work on Thursdays? That seems a bit of an overreaction.”
“The attack came from the Order, but they used an innocent to make it happen.” His gaze scanned the room and caught sight of the half-open window in the corner. “They must have been watching the house. When he opened the window, they seized the opportunity to cast a spell. They hexed him, bringing his mind under their control and commanding him to kill you. And they nearly succeeded.”
“They can do that?” Even Kylie thought she sounded horrified, but that was nothing compared to how she felt inside. “If they can force any innocent bystander to take a shot at me, I’ll never be able to leave the house again. I won’t be able to trust anyone.”
“You can trust me.” Dag closed the window, then returned to loom over her, his expression solemn, but lacking the deliberate blankness he had shown her for the past week. “I have sworn to protect you. You can trust Knox, as well. As a Guardian, he too would be able to break the hold of the Order on one such as this and end the spell. And if your friend the witch has even half the talent of a trained Warden, you can trust her, too. She will recognize the danger and act accordingly.”
Kylie shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking about you. About them. Of course I can trust them. But what about the other techs? Maybe you were right. Maybe letting them inside was a bad idea.”
And didn’t admitting that chap her ass a little? Kylie hated to think that Dag’s paranoia had been closer to the mark than her own laissez-faire confidence. It would be a long time before she felt comfortable allowing another worker into her house. Maybe she could learn to view those cracks in the plaster as character features.
“No.” She could hear his reluctance to admit it, but he forced the word out nonetheless. “The system is a good addition to ensuring the security of the house and everyone in it, especially with the others coming. If these humans did not come to install it, others would have. It must be done, and none of the others were affected by the hex.”
“How can you be sure?”
He hesitated, and for a moment, Kylie almost thought he looked … sheepish?
“When I heard you scream, I became concerned for your safety, so I gathered the other three and left them bound in the empty room near the kitchen.”
“You tied them up and left them in my dining room? Dag, one of them is going to get free and call the cops on us!”
She hurried out of the room and headed in the direction of the Guardian’s captives only to have him stalk after her, shifting his form on the go.
“I made certain they were unconscious,” he protested. “I am not foolish.”
“Oh, so you knocked them out and left them tied up in my dining room. That’s going to make the police so much happier. Happy to add more charges, you shlemil.”
“I do not know the meaning of that word, but your tone indicates it was not complimentary.” He followed her into the dining room, but took her arm before she could rush over and unwrap the still figures from about three thousand feet of plastic-coated wire. “The humans are unharmed and will remember nothing when they regain consciousness. Do you think that in the thousands of years of our existence, Guardians have never had to deal with humans seeing us and jeopardizing our secrecy?”
Okay, that eased her panic. A little. “Fine, but they still need to be untied before they wake up, right?”
“I can see to it in a moment. First, I need to know if you sustained any injury.”
Confused and impatient, Kylie shook her head. “I’m fine. King David—A broch! King David!”
Kylie tore away and flew back to the office, heading straight for the closet where the cat had been thrown. She found him struggling to free himself from a tangle of hoodies she had stacked inside for cold days. She reached for him, earning herself a sharp hiss, followed by a plaintive mewl when he realized who she was.
“Oh, bubeleh, I am so sorry,” she crooned. “Come here, boychik. Let me see what that mean man did to you.” The sudden dimming of the area told her that Dag had followed and stood in the doorway, blocking the light from the room. “The tech threw King David in here after he jumped on his face and nearly clawed his eyes out. I need to get him to the vet and have him checked out. If he’s hurt, I’m going to rip that nishtgutnik’s putz off and feed it to him.”
She finally managed to untangle the cat and picked him up, cuddling him briefly to her chest. He endured the affection for a moment, even head-butting Kylie’s chin and purring before squirming out of her grip and dashing toward the nearest exit.
“Bubbee, wait,” she called after him, scurrying to follow. Dag put a hand out to stop her.