was? It was under his control and sent to capture me.”
“It was a demon, though not one I’ve ever encountered. Come back in the
house, and we’ll figure this out.” Laurel’s voice seemed like a placid lake, but
that was just a well-controlled veneer concealing a torrent of anger that made
the hair on my neck stand on end. Her signature was oppressive—bees
buzzing in my mind and a choking scent of spices. How Savannah could
stand to be around them, I didn’t know.
I pushed my alpha presence toward Savannah, trying to calm her unease.
“Clearly, Kahanov is capable of far more than blood magic. I warned you that
staying here would be dangerous. You should come back to Dockside, and
I’ll put you in a safehouse with an armed detail.”
Casey gave a bitter laugh. “No way in hell is she going back to Dockside
with you. She’s safer here, and you know it. Bullets and claws aren’t going to
do shit against that kind of thing.”
I spun on him and snarled. “You annoyed it. I ripped its throat out.”
“All the more reason she’s not going with you,” he retorted.
Savannah stepped forward, fists tightly balled. “Stop talking about me
like I’m not here! Both of you!”
Casey flinched.
Laurel moved to the railing of her porch. “I can show you a way to
protect yourself, Savannah, so that never happens again.”
“How?”
; “When we trained this morning, you took cover in a circle of protection. I
can make one around your bed that will shield your mind—that includes your
dreams as well as protection against mind reading and scrying. It’ll take time,
but I can show you how.”
My wolf rose in protest, but I reined it in. As much as I wanted to take
Savannah away from there, I couldn’t guarantee that Kahanov wouldn’t
hijack her dreams again.