Impassion (Mystic) (44 page)

“That will have to do,” Agro mumbled. “You’re my new lieutenant. Get these imbeciles organized. When we approach the community, I want half of them to enter the trees and fly ahead of the rest. They’re to take up post behind the houses while we make our way to the lawn. If any of the coven members try to sneak out, I want them apprehended and brought to me. But no one is to harm the family without my say so, or they’ll find themselves digging their own graves. You have one minute to gather the unit and prove yourself worthy, or I’ll kill you and find another deputy. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Guthrie agreed, ushering Silestra into his sleeve.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Agro barked “Go.”

Guthrie hustled away, and Agro huffed as he resumed his pacing.

Patience was vital in his quest, but his nerves had never been so thin. “I will not butcher her family until the witch is in my hands,” he vowed. But the fire in his eyes threatened to burn everything around him to the ground.

Oregon (Conn/Kavanagh coven)

A rainbow of shiny mist dazzled Quin’s retinas as he awoke in the middle of the night, his mind oddly alert. His head lay on his left bicep, and his right arm cuddled Layla to his chest, her rhythmic breaths pulsing over his pecs. Though her bright aura flowed peacefully, Quin’s spine straightened under the sting of agitated nerve endings.

He raised his head and looked around the dark bedroom, searching for the cause of his unease. A quiet shuffle echoed in the hallway, and Quin flipped his gaze to the open door as a faint glow illuminated the dark wood.
Finley
.

Quin threw the comforter over Layla’s top half and soared from the bed, landing toe to toe with the intruder. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Layla jolted awake and rolled over, finding Quin and Finley locked in each other’s line of sight, their crimson auras bulging from their tense and feral frames.

“Cool it,” Finley hissed, sucking his blazing haze back in. “Agro’s here and he’s going to search the houses.”