Chapter 9 #2
Seth shifted his position slightly, his jackal eyes fixed on the lit window above for a moment.
He could hear Petra’s voice. She was reading something aloud to Katja, probably going over documents for tomorrow’s meeting.
Her tone was steady, with none of the trembling uncertainty he’d heard that first day when she’d arrived at the castle.
She’d changed so much in just a few days. Or maybe she hadn’t changed at all. Maybe she’d always had this core of steel beneath the mousy exterior, and circumstances had simply forced it to the surface.
His jackal made a soft sound, almost a purr of approval. His beast half liked her. More than liked her, if Seth was being honest. Every time he caught her scent—vanilla and old books and something uniquely Petra—his jackal wanted to move closer. To protect. To claim.
Seth pushed that thought firmly away. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of complication. Petra needed an ally, not a shifter who couldn’t control his instincts. But damn, she was getting under his skin.
It wasn’t just that she was brave, though she was.
It wasn’t just that she’d chosen to fight when running would have been easier and safer.
It was the way she looked at him sometimes, like she saw past the mercenary facade to something deeper.
The way she’d trusted him almost immediately, despite every logical reason not to.
The way her face had lit up when he complimented her, pleased but also slightly embarrassed by his attention.
The way she made him want to be the kind of man who deserved her trust.
Seth had worked with a lot of people over the years.
Shifters, humans, and magical beings of various types.
He’d protected civilians caught in bad situations more times than he could count.
But none of them had affected him quite like this quiet librarian who’d inherited a nightmare and decided to clean it up.
A light went out in another window a short while later. Katja’s room, probably. The lawyer was settling in for the night. Smart woman. She’d need her rest for tomorrow’s legal battle.
Petra’s light stayed on longer. Seth could picture her sitting and reading, making notes and planning. Preparing for the tough meeting ahead. Refusing to let fear paralyze her even though he knew she was scared.
Yeah. He was in trouble here. The jackal settled more comfortably onto the grass beneath her window, content to watch through the night from his sheltered position behind a bush that was part of the landscaping around the castle.
Whatever happened tomorrow, whatever came in the days ahead, Seth would make sure Petra survived it. She deserved that much.
She deserved a hell of a lot more than that, actually. But survival was a good place to start.
The night stretched out ahead, full of shadows and possibilities.
Seth stayed alert, ready for anything, while Petra planned her strategy inside the castle walls.
Tomorrow would bring lawyers and legal maneuvering.
The day after, new household staff would start arriving.
And at some point in the next few days, the Venifucus would make their move.
But tonight, all was quiet. Seth could hear Petra moving around her room through the open window, steady and determined despite her fear. That steadiness gave him hope. She was going to be all right. They all were.
A few hours later, Seth saw two sets of familiar feline eyes looking out at him from the perimeter of the forest. He sniffed the wind and caught the scent of two of his best friends and most trusted members of his mercenary team.
Ari and Pax Rojas had arrived. The fraternal twin jaguars were making their presence known.
He caught the luminous circles of their eyes and blinked a recognition code that they’d established for use when they were in their shifted forms.
Pax blinked back, then Ari. He then continued with a blink pattern that meant they were going to do a perimeter sweep and Seth blinked his acknowledgment and agreement.
He could rest just a little bit easier knowing at least part of his team was on-site and ready to back him up, if needed.
He didn’t think the enemy would move on Petra tonight, but it was a possibility.
It felt more likely to him that they’d make their move in the next few days.
As soon as staff started being fired and new people moved in, there would be upheaval, but with the electronic surveillance they had in place, things might continue as they are.
Of course, when the tech specialist got here and started dismantling the systems, things would definitely start to heat up even more.
Seth fully expected a confrontation, and as soon as they were sure there was no one watching or listening, he was going to begin teaching Petra a few tricks to help protect herself.
If they did this right, they could protect her now and into the future by ending the threat of the mages who had used Kettering’s castle with impunity, once and for all.