“Hey, hey, hey.” I glared out the windshield. “How would your dad know about that?”
Aside from the people I trusted most in this world, I hadn’t breathed a word of my suspicions that the director had decided to produce an offspring, my father, with a daemoness. Even fewer of them knew what I had done to Aedan. I knew they wouldn’t have betrayed me, certainly not to Asa’s father, so…
“The hand-chopper-offer.” I sighed. “It spies for your dad.” I thought about it. “You weren’t there when I bound Aedan, so yours wasn’t present. Do you think my new best friend was already hanging around?”
“I could scent Aedan on you,” Asa reminded me. “The y’nai must have too.”
So, when Asa stormed the castle to kiss me senseless, his sidekick figured its master would be interested in knowing my allies and sneaked off to confirm the bond before scuttling off to tattle about its findings. I wasn’t thrilled with the reminder his dad always had eyes and ears on us.
Just like that, Colby and I got another project added to our not insignificant to-do list.
For Asa and me to ever truly have privacy, for reasons, we first had to determine how the y’nai could mimic his magical signature. How else could it be fooling the wards? It ought to be repelled at the gate, stopped as soon as it brushed against my magic, but it sailed through with Asa.
Worse was knowing there were now two of them. A matched set. Practically an infestation.
“Why is my life so complicated?” I thumped my forehead on the steering wheel. “Seriously?”
“You started dating,” Colby stated matter-of-factly. “Clay says men are nothing but trouble, that I should trust him, because he is a man, and he knows what he’s talking about.”
Boys weren’t an issue I expected to face when it came to Colby, and I hoped my dating Asa didn’t give her any ideas. There was too much potential for heartbreak when anyone she met was bound to take issue with never being allowed to meet their girlfriend in the flesh.
“What I need to know is, is the hand-chopper-offer still here? Like in the car? With us?”
Asa didn’t answer right away, which convinced me I was being spied on.
“Hold on.” I set my phone down and muted it. “We’re going to do a quick spell that will check for any unwanted guests we might have in the vehicle.” I walked Colby through the process. “Now we wait.”
Five minutes later, we saw no glowing auras that represented other creatures were present.
That got me thinking how some lesser fae were unable to ride in cars because of their low iron content. I could spare us the headache of tinkering with the wards if y’nai were repelled by metals, herbs, or gems. Asa would have to fill me in on their strengths and weaknesses, so I had a better understanding of them.
“Now what?” Colby fidgeted worse as the blood dried in her fur. “Can we keep him out?”
“That’s the plan.”
Together, we warded the vehicle, preventing the lesser daemon from joining us or listening in.
“There.” I sat back, satisfied, and unmuted Asa. “We’re secure.”
“Are you heading home?”
“Yes.” I glanced down at myself. “Colby and I require showers, stat.”
“Then we’re building Camp Aedan,” she chimed in. “Right, Rue?”
Rue was hoping to mix up cookies, read more about a seal and great white shifter, and call it a night.
One good thing about the recent chaos? I was so tired all the time, I blinked out like a light when I got two minutes to rub together.
“Sure.” I couldn’t say no to that squishy moth face. “Why not?”