Wizards have crossed over recently.”
“And I’ll set up some monster traps outside,” Rafe said,
grinning.
They headed to the door and disappeared in opposite
directions down the corridor.
“Do you trust them?” Cassie asked in a low voice.
“I trust they’ll do everything in their power to catch
him.” Alise patted Ben’s back as he came to her, begging for a scratch. “Right
now, they’re the best option we’ve got.”
Chapter Nine
The page took forever to load, taking five minutes to only
load the search engine page. So there was no chance in hell a website as
complex as the one belonging to the university would ever load. Cassie threw a
murderous glare at her laptop screen as she sat next to Alise on the sofa. They
had moved into the study, a smaller, darker, and more intimate room.
“Arghhh…”
Picking up her iced tea from the coffee table, Alise went to
stand by the window. She stared out into the garden. Flowerbeds in all colors
alternated with patches of green and bushes also covered in flowers. Cassie’s
uncle might not spend a lot of time there, but his gardener did.
“Have they returned?” Cassie asked.
“Not yet,” Alise said. “They’re still working on protecting
the grounds.”
“They’ve been at it all day.”
In the distance, Alise spotted the golden top of Rafe’s
head, popping up from behind a row of bushes almost as tall as he was. She had
been watching the Guardians all morning and still couldn’t escape the feeling
that something was off. Maybe they appeared fast to Cassie, but Alise knew they
could move faster than that. They should move faster. They had no
interest in staying outside too long, so why did they? She hadn’t paid
attention to it earlier, but now that she had more time to observe them, she
couldn’t help but notice their dynamic was off. It was as if a part of them was
missing.
Rafe looked up, and their eyes met. Despite the distance,
the intensity of his gaze made her skin tingle all over. For once, he wasn’t
doing anything to cause such a reaction. He just stared at her. She forced
herself to look away and turned around to face the inside of the room.
“What’s the hurry?” she asked Cassie.
“Umm … I need to go into town,” Cassie said. “This piece of
junk isn’t working.” She pushed the laptop away. “There’s an internet café at
the bottom of the hill. I can connect to the library from there and get the
materials I need.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you think they’ll go with
me?”
“No.” Alise smiled, amused that Cassie had considered it.
“You can forget that idea.”
“But I’ve got an exam on Friday. I have to study.”
For everyone else, the girl’s thought process would have
been mind-boggling, but Alise wasn’t surprised. She had spent a lot of energy
making Cassie ignore everything related to magic ever since they had first met,
and she kept doing it without thinking about it. The courage elixir helped,
too.
“Forget it, Cassie. You won’t make it to that exam,” Alise
told her. “No one is leaving the house until they say so.”
Cassie’s eyebrows furrowed. “So we’re under house arrest?”
“Something like that…” Alise turned her eyes to the garden.
The sigil in the middle of her back itched. She couldn’t leave even if she
wanted to. They would find her anywhere she went, the same way Gorem would. It
was better to stay put and let the others do the fighting for her.
“Will it work?”
Cassie’s question made Alise give the girl a puzzled look.
“What they’re doing … those traps… Will they work?” Cassie
repeated the question.
Alise set the glass down on the windowsill. “It won’t stop
him, but it will set off some alarms. We’ll know when he gets close.”
“What will happen when he does?” Cassie asked.
“Are you afraid?” Alise softened her voice in an attempt to
calm her down, even if there was nothing to be calm about.
“Aren’t you
“And I’ll set up some monster traps outside,” Rafe said,
grinning.
They headed to the door and disappeared in opposite
directions down the corridor.
“Do you trust them?” Cassie asked in a low voice.
“I trust they’ll do everything in their power to catch
him.” Alise patted Ben’s back as he came to her, begging for a scratch. “Right
now, they’re the best option we’ve got.”
Chapter Nine
The page took forever to load, taking five minutes to only
load the search engine page. So there was no chance in hell a website as
complex as the one belonging to the university would ever load. Cassie threw a
murderous glare at her laptop screen as she sat next to Alise on the sofa. They
had moved into the study, a smaller, darker, and more intimate room.
“Arghhh…”
Picking up her iced tea from the coffee table, Alise went to
stand by the window. She stared out into the garden. Flowerbeds in all colors
alternated with patches of green and bushes also covered in flowers. Cassie’s
uncle might not spend a lot of time there, but his gardener did.
“Have they returned?” Cassie asked.
“Not yet,” Alise said. “They’re still working on protecting
the grounds.”
“They’ve been at it all day.”
In the distance, Alise spotted the golden top of Rafe’s
head, popping up from behind a row of bushes almost as tall as he was. She had
been watching the Guardians all morning and still couldn’t escape the feeling
that something was off. Maybe they appeared fast to Cassie, but Alise knew they
could move faster than that. They should move faster. They had no
interest in staying outside too long, so why did they? She hadn’t paid
attention to it earlier, but now that she had more time to observe them, she
couldn’t help but notice their dynamic was off. It was as if a part of them was
missing.
Rafe looked up, and their eyes met. Despite the distance,
the intensity of his gaze made her skin tingle all over. For once, he wasn’t
doing anything to cause such a reaction. He just stared at her. She forced
herself to look away and turned around to face the inside of the room.
“What’s the hurry?” she asked Cassie.
“Umm … I need to go into town,” Cassie said. “This piece of
junk isn’t working.” She pushed the laptop away. “There’s an internet café at
the bottom of the hill. I can connect to the library from there and get the
materials I need.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you think they’ll go with
me?”
“No.” Alise smiled, amused that Cassie had considered it.
“You can forget that idea.”
“But I’ve got an exam on Friday. I have to study.”
For everyone else, the girl’s thought process would have
been mind-boggling, but Alise wasn’t surprised. She had spent a lot of energy
making Cassie ignore everything related to magic ever since they had first met,
and she kept doing it without thinking about it. The courage elixir helped,
too.
“Forget it, Cassie. You won’t make it to that exam,” Alise
told her. “No one is leaving the house until they say so.”
Cassie’s eyebrows furrowed. “So we’re under house arrest?”
“Something like that…” Alise turned her eyes to the garden.
The sigil in the middle of her back itched. She couldn’t leave even if she
wanted to. They would find her anywhere she went, the same way Gorem would. It
was better to stay put and let the others do the fighting for her.
“Will it work?”
Cassie’s question made Alise give the girl a puzzled look.
“What they’re doing … those traps… Will they work?” Cassie
repeated the question.
Alise set the glass down on the windowsill. “It won’t stop
him, but it will set off some alarms. We’ll know when he gets close.”
“What will happen when he does?” Cassie asked.
“Are you afraid?” Alise softened her voice in an attempt to
calm her down, even if there was nothing to be calm about.
“Aren’t you
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