“Whatever,” she muttered and looked away.
“Let’s prepare,” Barb called, thankfully putting an end to that discussion.
Yuri sighed and moved further into the room as he’d been instructed to do the night before.
The women surrounded him and his eyes sought Aurora’s. Her hands were up and white-hot and burnt-orange sparks were glittering between them. All the witches started muttering, chanting, so mote it being and then the sparks burst forth around him, glinting on his clothes and against his skin before they were gone.
“Right, that’s done. Let’s roll,” Barb ordered, and everyone moved to the door. Barb looked to Yuri. “You’re in van two, driving. Aurora is with you.”
He said nothing. Only when he felt and smelled Aurora coming to his side, did he murmur, “Why the lot of them consistently remind me of things I know, I cannot imagine.”
“They’re nervous,” Aurora murmured back.
Excellent. Nervous witches.
They were fucked.
A vampire never got nervous. Or at least Yuri never knew one to do so, including himself.
Therefore, he calmly climbed behind the wheel of one of the three black vans parked at the front of Aurora’s house. Aurora climbed in beside him as four witches climbed in the back.
Their convoy was on their way before Aurora remarked, “I’m prepared to go in with them. Do my bit.”
“You’ll wait until you’re cleared to do so,” Yuri replied.
He knew she’d turned to face him when she stated, “I know what they’re up against and I’m not afraid.”
She was lying. He could smell it.
However, she was brave. He could smell that too. And in that moment, facing whatever they were to face that night, he wanted to stop the van, gather her in his arms, and absorb both until he knew he’d never forget either, even if he lived until the sun fell from the sky.
He gave no indication these were his thoughts. He kept his eyes on the road as he returned, “That may be so, but you’ll wait until you’re cleared.”
Her voice held a soft snap when she shot back, “Yuri, I’m not a child.”
That was when he looked at her. “No, you’re not.” He returned his gaze to the road but kept speaking. “However, you’re young. You have much life ahead of you and that life, God willing, will be beautiful. Your mother loves you, she wants that for you, she’s worried about you, and she does not need to face that coven with her mind on you. So you’ll wait until you’re cleared.”
She made an adorable exasperated sound but said no more.
Yuri joined her in silence, and within an hour, they arrived at the designated stopping place. All alighted from the vehicles and Barb and Jane approached Yuri as Aurora made it around the van and stopped at his side.
“Hopefully, they’ll only have three or four guarding the implements,” Barb said to him. “But word on the witch vine is that they hang here so we’ll undoubtedly be facing more. You need to get close so you can sense us. If things turn, that spell we cast on you will deflect two, at most three direct hits from them. You take them running and get my daughter out of here.”
Yuri nodded.
Barb turned to her sisters and called quietly, “We ready?”
She got a lot of “Yeps,” “Yeahs,” and “Readys,” and they moved.
Yuri took hold of Aurora’s elbow and trailed up the rear.
After some trudging, the witches stopped at a bank of trees and looked back at them, which was when Yuri knew that was where he and Aurora were to stop. He tugged gently at Aurora’s arm and she came to a halt beside him.
“Careful, Mom,” she called.
“Always, sweetheart,” Barb called back.
“Love you,” Aurora went on.
“Same,” Barb finished.
The witches moved into the shadows.
Yuri looked through those shadows and saw the house. Not a hovel, not a mansion. It was nondescript, old, established, comfortable looking, alone in the middle of nowhere, and not something that would catch attention.
Not that it would, having a lane off a narrow rural road that meandered half a mile to the house.
It was several minutes after the witches disappeared when Aurora whispered, “Okay, I’m a little freaked.”
He’d known this since she’d visited his suite, but he was pleased she had the courage to admit it.
He slid his hand down her forearm to catch hers and murmured soothingly, “Calm, button.”
Her hand spasmed in his, and still whispering, she asked, “Button?”
He looked to her. “You. As cute as.”
There was no spasm of the hand at that. Her fingers simply tightened their grip and didn’t let go.
Yuri returned the gesture even as he returned his attention to the shadows, listening, feeling.
“Anything?” Aurora asked after more minutes passed.
“No.” He squeezed her hand.
More minutes passed.
“Anything?” she repeated.
“No, my sweet,” he murmured.
More minutes passed.
“Any—” Aurora began just as a shaft of violet light shot from a window of the house and pierced the dark sky, straight to the heavens.
And that was when it hit him in a wave so violent, it knocked him back on a foot.
Fear.
And agony.
“No no no no no,” Aurora chanted, and he knew it was strong enough, she’d felt it too. Then came a terrified, tormented, “Mom.”
“Fuck,” Yuri bit out, took the van key from his pocket and turned to her. “Back to the van. Get in, start it. You get a bad feeling, go.”