Chapter 16 #2
For a long moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then Lina moved closer, her lynx form graceful and deliberate.
She circled him once, sniffing his fur delicately, learning him in this form.
Her smaller body brushed against his flank, and his lion rumbled deep in his chest. It wasn’t a threat, but more a recognition of her cat by his.
She paused at his shoulder, pressing her face against his mane, and made a soft chirping sound that went straight to his heart. His lion responded with a low chuff, rubbing his massive head against her smaller one in return.
Their cats understood what their human sides had been dancing around for days. They were meant to be. And nothing—not duty, not danger, not even the difference in their species—would keep them apart.
But first, they had work to do.
Liam broke away reluctantly and padded over to where they’d set down the sensors. He picked one up carefully in his jaws, the small device fitting easily in his mouth. Lina did the same with the second sensor.
They moved through the woods with the silent efficiency of natural predators.
Liam went first toward the eastern perimeter where Rich wanted additional coverage.
He found the spot easily. Rich wanted this sensor stuck to a large maple tree.
Using his paw, he scraped out a small depression at the base, placed the sensor carefully, then covered it with leaves and debris until it was virtually invisible.
Across the property, he could sense Lina doing the same with her sensor at the western edge. Even separated, he was aware of her presence and could track her location through some sixth sense he’d never experienced before.
Next, he padded silently to the camera that needed adjustment.
It was mounted chest-high on an old-growth pine, angled slightly wrong.
Liam reared up on his hind legs, massive paws bracing against the trunk, and used his nose to nudge the camera’s position.
It took three careful adjustments, but finally, the angle looked right.
He dropped back down to all fours. That would have to do.
He had no way of checking in with Rich while he was in his lion form.
A soft sound made him turn. Lina had returned, her lynx form materializing from the shadows like smoke. She made a quiet sound and tilted her head in question.
Liam chuffed softly in response. Done. On to the next task.
Slowly, they made their way around to the cardinal points on the perimeter of where the tower used to stand.
One by one, they dismantled the little piles of leaves, stones and twigs in exactly the manner Mrs. P had explained.
Disrupting a particular part of the design by swiping a leaf or twig away with his paw nullified the entire thing in such a way that it couldn’t be easily re-established without starting over from scratch.
Liam did the dismantling while Lina kept watch.
He’d taken on that task since he was bigger and possibly more immune to magic than Lina’s lynx form, should something go wrong and the glyphs discharge their power at him.
But nothing like that happened, and before too much longer, they had all the glyphs broken and without power.
They still had time before high tide, which would be the best time to work the spell, according to Mrs. P and her colleagues in the coven.
If Mrs. E was going to show tonight, it would happen right around high tide, or in the hour thereafter.
Until then, they would prowl the grounds and keep an eye out for her.
In the dark, in their fur, they blended so well into the trees and shadows that they were almost impossible to spot.
Glyphs neutralized, Liam and Lina fell into an easy rhythm, prowling the grounds in parallel.
Liam took the northern perimeter while Lina covered the south, both of them staying well back in the tree line where shadows were deepest. His lion senses were on full alert.
He analyzed every scent and sound, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
The property was quiet. No human presence, except for Mike’s team in their distant perimeter positions. No magical disturbances beyond the glyphs they’d already documented. No sign of Mrs. E.
But she would come. Liam was certain of it.
The pull of the full moon was strong, the convergence of ley lines beneath the old tower site practically hummed with power even he could feel.
A witch as experienced as Mrs. Entwistle wouldn’t miss this window.
But she might not come tonight. Tomorrow was the optimal time, Mrs. Peabody had claimed.
So, tonight might just be a dress rehearsal, so to speak.
If so, that was good too. They could use the time to get more familiar with the field of battle and be ready when she finally did show up.
He circled back toward the central area, his massive paws silent on the forest floor.
The tower foundation was clearly visible in the moonlight, the depression in the earth marking where Tesla’s grand dream had once stood.
That was the focal point. That was where Mrs. E would come to work her spell.
Lina emerged from the southern edge of the trees, her spotted coat camouflaged perfectly in the dappled moonlight. She joined him at the edge of the clearing, both of them settling into concealed positions with good sightlines to the ritual space.
Now came the hard part. Waiting.
Liam’s lion wanted to pace, but discipline won out. He lay down in the underbrush, his body hidden but his view unobstructed, and forced himself into the patient stillness of an apex predator waiting for prey.
Beside him, Lina did the same, her smaller form tucked into the shadows. She was close enough that he could feel her warmth, catch her scent on the night breeze. His lion found it comforting and arousing in equal measure.
The hours ahead would be long. But they were ready. And when Mrs. Entwistle finally showed her face, she’d find two very large, very determined cats waiting to end her plans permanently.
Liam’s ear flicked as he caught a sound in the distance. Just an owl, hunting its own prey. He settled deeper into his position, eyes fixed on the tower site, every sense alert.
The hunt was on.