Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats 1)

Kiarra took a deep breath and moved toward the stairs, but Jaxton kept a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked up at him and said, “Let go of me, Jaxton.”

“No.”

“I—”

Jaxton shook his head. “At this point, we don’t know anything about her and I won’t risk it. I said I’d protect you, and I meant it.”

The look in his eye and the set of his chin told Kiarra nothing would change his mind. So this is what it’s like to have someone care about your well-being.

She tensed. Jaxton had said nothing about caring for her; she was a duty, an obligation. It was delusional to think otherwise. He was simply following Neena’s orders.

Or curious about Cam’s abilities.

Whatever the cause for his apparent concern, she wouldn’t fight his orders right now. Cam was not the ten-year-old girl she remembered. Something had hardened her, made her tough, and it wouldn’t hurt to have someone like Jaxton at Kiarra’s side.

Of course she wasn’t about to let him know that. “Fine, protect me, whatever. But let’s go before I start getting gray hairs.”

Jaxton gave a barely audible snort. “As you wish, pet.”

By the time Jaxton and Kiarra reached the living room, Marco was already there. He stood on the opposite side of the room from Cam, silent with a flush on his cheeks. Jaxton wondered what had happened between the two, especially since Marco was never quiet around women. Given the chance, he could charm the knickers off of the Queen.

When Marco noticed them, he put on his customary smile, probably hoping to fool Jaxton. “Aislinn confirmed Camilla’s story. Neena sent her here to patrol the area, along with two others.”

Jaxton looked to Cam. “Will the other two be joining us?”

Cam narrowed her eyes at Marco before looking at Jaxton. “That depends. We need to talk, and preferably without your horny sidekick.”

Marco’s face turned even redder and Jaxton cleared his throat to avoid laughing. “Marco, do a scan of the nearby perimeter and see if you can find anybody else hiding nearby. Make sure to update Darius and Taka on the situation.”

Marco said, “Right, boss,” before muttering something in Spanish and exiting the room.

Cam’s frown vanished and she crossed her arms over her chest before raising an eyebrow, the cue for him to start talking. But he ignored her, w

anting to take care of Kiarra first.

He guided her to the couch, sat down next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He told himself he was only keeping her close in case he needed to push her out of the way of danger, not because it felt right. Kiarra leaned into his touch as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded, and when she placed a hand on his chest, Jaxton felt a flare of heat beneath her palm, similar to the heat he’d felt when he’d touched her bare skin at the foot of the stairs.

Focus, Jax. He squeezed Kiarra’s shoulders and eyed the woman responsible for her unease.

Cam’s gaze flitted to his arm around Kiarra’s shoulders and back to Kiarra’s face. The two women stared at each other, but said nothing. Jaxton decided he would have to be the mediator.

“How did you get past our security?”

Cam switched her gaze to Jaxton. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about. I wanted to warn you that a lot of people connected to the AMT, both official enforcers and hired hands, are heading this way. The shadow-shifter was just the first of many coming to try and haul Kiarra back to the AMT.”

Shit. They’d been careful, but not careful enough. A thousand ideas started to form in his head of how to handle the situation, but before he could ask Cam any more questions, Kiarra’s brows drew together and she said, “Why are so many coming after me? Is that normal for an AMT escapee?”

“No,” Jaxton said, “it’s not. They probably want you because of what you told me while training.”

Kiarra had known the AMT would come after her, but she had never expected Feiru with strange abilities to be part of the retrieval team. It was almost as if the Feiru stories she’d heard as a child were coming to life.

She looked at her sister, but Cam’s face was blank. It seemed strange that Cam wouldn’t ask for the details behind Jaxton’s cryptic response. As a child, Cam had always asked a zillion questions; the woman in front of her was a stranger.

Questions raced through Kiarra’s brain, but she lacked the nerve to ask them. Instead, she would focus on being practical. “How many people were sent after me and how much time do we have?”

“At least a dozen. And my latest intel suggests that the shifter was just a scout and that the rest of the retrieval team will be here late tomorrow night.” Cam looked at Jaxton and then back at Kiarra. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not in charge here—but I’d say we need to move quickly, in shifts. A single exodus will draw too much attention.”

Kiarra looked to Jaxton, waiting to see if he would agree with Cam. He paused a moment before saying, “Where are Kiarra’s parents?”