He was training werewolves there, she reported. These were different. Larger, stronger, and more bloodthirsty. Rowan wondered if magical engineering was at work and if what Kiera had seen was part of Project Pack 013.

Kiera had managed to scout out the area without getting captured, though the place had been heavily monitored, so she was certain someone had seen her. “Not because I was visible, because I wasn’t,” she had reported. “The alarms there can sense strong uses of magic.”

She’d given this report to Stacy without sparing so much as a glance at Rowan, then declared she was going to bed. Rowan knew he needed to patch things up with Kiera soon. They had started down that path, so she must have known about his call to Wraith. Why else had she acted so cold toward him since?

Rowan shoved the thoughts from his mind. He came here to do something more important. He spoke the incantation, allowing his magic to flow through his body and into the ground. They appeared one by one in wisps of shadow, more ebbing colors of smoke than solid forms.

The guardians rose high above him, peering down. “Thank you for coming,” he whispered.

“What have you come to request of us, Rowan of the Grove?” a sweet-sounding female voice asked.

Rowan dipped his head in reverence to her. “I come asking for your protection and for the power of my ancestors to be with me this night.”

Whispers passed between the guardians. Rowan waited, his magic still pouring into the earth. The more he gave of himself, the more likely they were to answer his plea. He wished for them to guard the estate while they were gone, to assist those Khan sent to protect it. He wished for their blessing to go with him in the fight.

“We are guardians of this land and of Catherine Thorn,” the female voice stated. “Not this untested youth you have sworn yourself to.”

“She is worth protecting,” Rowan promised. “She will wear Catherine’s mantle well. She is untested, yes, but tonight, she has a great test ahead of her. Be with me and with her, that she might pass and earn your favor.”

A lengthy pause followed. Rowan heard the rustle of wind in the trees, the buzzing of crickets as night fell, and his shallow breathing. Finally, the female voice spoke again. “We have considered your plea, Rowan of the Grove. If not for your long-held dedication, we would have denied it, for we do not know this witch you serve. For your sake, however, we give our blessing and protection for tonight. May your charge do well and earn our favor.”

“Thank you,” Rowan murmured. Slowly, each wisp of smoke vanished into the night. Without the guardians here, Rowan suddenly felt the chill of the wind. He stood, drawing in a deep breath. “Let’s do this shit.”

“I know you’re watching me,” Miles Ironwood remarked as he allowed the vines snaking over the ground to cease. He turned as Kiera stepped from the shadows, arms folded and sharp eyes scanning the grounds beyond him. “Something to say?” he asked, noticing how violet her eyes looked in the dying light. He’d learned over the years that the darker her eyes became, the deeper she was thinking.

“Only waiting. We should be going soon,” she replied. Miles noted the forced nonchalance in her tone. She must be truly bothered to come talk to him. She jerked her head toward the grove of trees. “After Rowan finishes whatever he is doing.”

Mile’s brown eyes sparkled. “Are you ready to slaughter more wolves?”

He hoped this would earn a smile from his old friend, but Kiera remained somber. “The wolves I saw were…different. I wonder if their senses are enhanced, too. That will be a disadvantage to us.”

Miles waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll take care of that with my seismic traps.”

“Tricks and traps might not be enough,” Kiera told him.

“We won’t know until we try.”

They lapsed into silence that Miles broke after a few heartbeats. “Are you happy we came here, Kiera?”

She opened her mouth and paused, then finally exhaled. “I’m not unhappy.”

“But?”

She finally met his gaze. “I know Rowan called Wraith.”

Miles stilled.

“I fucking heard you two talking.”

Miles rubbed the back of his neck. “Rowan thought it was necessary. Amy needed⁠—”

“I know,” Kiera interrupted quietly. “She needed healing, and Wraith is the one to do it.” Her violet eyes moved from Miles to a grove of trees, unwavering from whatever she sensed there. “I only wish he had told me first.” Her voice was so quiet that Miles almost didn’t hear her.

“You still care for him.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course I do,” she returned sharply.

“Then tell him that. Frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of you two circling one another.”

“I—” Kiera broke off, and Miles strode toward her.

“Don’t think for one moment that Rowan calling Wraith for a favor means he plans on getting into her bed.”

“Wraith has her tricks.”

“And Rowan isn’t an idiot.”

Finally, Kiera produced a small smile. “It’s stupid to be upset about this. We have far more important things to be concerned about.”

“It’s not stupid,” Miles returned, then produced a grin. “Well, maybe a little.”

“Are you happy here, Miles?” Kiera asked.

He chuckled. “Careful there. It almost sounds like you care. But yes, I am. I feel a sense of purpose here that I haven’t had in years. Maybe it’s being around you and Rowan again, but there’s something special about Stacy, too. I know you agree. You’ve never warmed to a person faster in your life.”

“I see myself in her.”

The seriousness of her tone gave Miles pause. He knew about Kiera’s hurts, her regrets and traumas. He had a shit-ton of his own, many of which she knew.

Kiera turned to head for the house, but Miles’ voice stopped her. “Ki?”

She shot him a death glare.

“Kiera.”

She paused, waiting.

“Rowan might have called Wraith for a favor, but you’re his number one. You always have been. You were the one he called to work here. You are the person he trusts to protect Stacy. Isn’t that worth something?”

It was, and Miles saw the realization in Kiera’s face. She didn’t say anything, though. She simply turned and strode into the house.

Stacy stood in the armory and sensed someone behind her. She turned to find Kiera descending the stairs with shadows rippling around her. She motioned at the shadows with the feeling they were their own sentient being, simply controlled by the sidhe fae. “Does that always happen?”

“My magic builds up and needs release from time to time,” Kiera replied as she reached the lower floor.