Protector

Chapter 3-2

After leaving the house the warlocks had so briefly occupied, Alex and his mother took Caitlin back to the store. Just for a few minutes, enough so he could tell Manuela that family business had come up and that she’d have to keep an eye on things for him, and so he could trade the shirt he wore, the one with Caitlin’s b****y handprints on the sleeve, for the fresh one he kept hanging in the office, just in case he spilled something on himself during the workday.

Manuela nodded and said it was no problem, but he could tell from the inquisitive gleam in her eyes that she really wanted to know what was going on, and would probably be on the phone the second they left, trying to ferret out what she could from the family grapevine.

Good luck with that, he thought, because no one else knows anything about all this. Except Valentina, and she knows how to keep secrets.

His mother had already asked him to drive, so they all got into his shiny black Pathfinder, Caitlin in the passenger seat, and his mother in the back directly behind her. As they pulled out of the parking lot, his mother said, “Caitlin, I can cast a small illusion to hide the stains on your clothing. Or would you rather we stopped at the mall on our way out of town, so you can buy something new?”

In the seat next to him, Caitlin brushed at the bloodstains on her jeans. “Couldn’t you just take me back to the condo? All my luggage is there.”

Luz hesitated, then said, “I suppose that would work as well. But we will need to be on our guard, just in case the warlocks who took your friends have gone there for some reason.”

From the way Caitlin paled, Alex guessed she hadn’t considered that particular angle. But she lifted her chin and replied, “I hope they have. Then we can catch them and put an end to all this.”

“Perhaps,” Luz allowed.

Alex doubted it would be that simple. Still, he cast the spell of protection around the three of them once again as they got out of his SUV and followed Caitlin to her rented condo. It was a nice one, not some cramped studio, but a regular one-bedroom with a full kitchen and a shaded patio. Scattered around the main living space were various bits of luggage; it looked as if the three girls had just dumped their suitcases and gone out looking for a good time, figuring they could always unpack later.

For some reason, looking at that abandoned luggage upset him, since it seemed to bring home the reality of the situation, that two of the girls who’d brought those suitcases here to Tucson might not ever need them again.

You don’t know that, he told himself. What those warlocks were doing was terrible, but from what Caitlin said, it didn’t sound as if they intended to kill those girls.

Yet, anyway.

Looking pale and grim, as if a similar thought had crossed her mind, Caitlin gathered up two of the suitcases and disappeared into the bedroom. She shut the door quietly behind her.

Alex glanced over at his mother. “Are you going to tell her about abuelita?”

Jaw tight, she shook her head. “She will see for herself soon enough. Perhaps we shouldn’t have kept so quiet about this, but….”

“Grandmother said she didn’t want the news to get out. The situation isn’t the same as it was two years ago, but you know she still doesn’t want to appear weak.”

“I know.” His mother, usually so serene, so calm and in control, now just looked tired. Shadows seemed to have appeared from nowhere to touch the smooth skin under her eyes. “And we’ve all respected her decision. But no secret can remain hidden forever.”

That much was true. And how much more of the burden would his mother have to carry now, with this latest crisis? He didn’t know. She was strong — everyone in his clan was strong — but he knew she’d always believed she wouldn’t have to take the mantle of prima from her mother for many years yet to come.

“At least relations between the clans are very good now,” he ventured, but she appeared far from reassured.

“They have been. But once the McAllisters and the Wilcoxes learn of what has happened to their daughters while visiting our territory?” Her shoulders lifted, and he realized then how she had lost weight over the past few months, how those shoulders now seemed much thinner and narrower.

“That was not our fault,” Alex argued. “No one could have foreseen anything like this happening.”

“You can say that, and in our case, it is partially true. We have no seers among us right now. Even so, there was a time when mamita could have sensed a strange witch or warlock entering our territory and given the alert. The prima of the McAllisters and the primus of the Wilcoxes both know she had this ability once upon a time, and so they will want to know how such a thing could have occurred now.”

It still sounded strange to think of Angela and Connor in such a way, but he knew his mother referred to them by their formal titles as a sign of respect. Alex couldn’t claim to know Angela well. However, he’d interacted with her enough to believe she’d listen to what the de la Pazes had to say for themselves and wouldn’t immediately think the worst. Connor he didn’t know at all, but the reports seemed to indicate he was fairly level-headed as well, and more or less the polar opposite of his brother, who’d always been quick to take offense and never met a scheme he didn’t like.

The door to the bedroom opened then, and Caitlin emerged, looking far more in control than the disheveled girl who had left them five minutes earlier. She’d changed into a fresh pair of jeans and another one of those peasant-style tops, this one a fresh yellow with turquoise embroidery, and she’d brushed her hair and put on a little makeup, some lip gloss and maybe mascara. Gold hoops gleamed in her ears.

She was stunning.

Alex realized he was staring and said, his tone probably too casual, “You ready?”

If she’d noticed the way he was looking at her, she didn’t give any indication of it. “Yes, thank you. I feel — well, not all the way better, but better.”

“Good,” Luz said in approval. “Then we should be on our way.”

Caitlin made a strange abortive step toward the coffee table, then stopped and shook her head. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just — I was about to grab my purse, and then I realized I left it back at the warlocks’ house when I ran. So now those bastards have my phone and my wallet, my debit card….” She trailed off, looking so worried that Alex had to fight the impulse to go and give her a hug, to tell her it was all right.

Instead, he stayed where he was and asked his mother, “Shouldn’t Caitlin call that in? They could be using her credit cards.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Luz said, so emphatically that a little of the worry seemed to leave Caitlin’s face. “If they use any of her credit cards, then they will give away their position. And what they have in their favor right now is that we don’t know where they are.”

“I should still call, though….”

“Later.” Luz appeared to hesitate, then went on, “My dear, I would be more worried about any personal items you had in your purse. With the dark magic these warlocks are using, it’s possible they could use something as innocent as a strand of hair from a brush, or a family photo, to attempt to do you harm.”

The color seemed to drain from Caitlin’s cheeks, making the bit of blush she must have applied while freshening her makeup stand out against her white skin. But her voice was firm enough as she said, “I did have a hairbrush in there. I’d just changed out my wallet, though, and hadn’t transferred over a lot of the personal stuff. So they won’t find too much, unless they want to a***e my Walgreens reward card or something.”

Hearing this, Alex wanted to smile. Yes, she was scared, and worried, but he could tell she wasn’t going to lie down and give up. Those McAllister witches were tougher than they looked.

“That’s good to hear,” Luz said. “But let’s gather up your things and bring them with us. That way, when we are done at Maya’s house, you can go directly to Alex’s place. Do we need to wait for you to pack anything?”

“No,” Caitlin said. “I put everything back as I used it. Just give me a sec to go get my bags — I left them sitting on the bed.” She headed back into the other room.

Alex gave his mother a sharp look, and she smiled. “Worried, my son?”

“Worried” probably wasn’t the exact word. Disturbed…on edge…unsure of himself. Was he ready to have a beauty like Caitlin McAllister camped out in his house for the indefinite future?

“I’m fine,” he said shortly.

Right after that, she came back in, a hard-sided suitcase in one hand and a smaller weekender-style bag in the other. She lifted her chin, and her shining hair fell over her shoulders as she announced, “I’m ready.”

Once again Alex wondered what it would feel like, those rivers of molten copper slipping through his fingers, and a not entirely unpleasant shiver went over him. This wasn’t good. He shouldn’t be attracted to her. He couldn’t, not with his mother inviting her to come stay with him so she would be safe.

All right, maybe she’d be safe from those unknown warlocks if she was staying at his house.

The question was, would she be safe from him?