Chapter 11
Seth made it three steps down the corridor before he had to stop and lean against the wall.
His jackal was going absolutely insane.
Go back, his beast half insisted, pacing restlessly in his mind. Stay close. Protect. Claim.
“Not helping,” Seth muttered under his breath.
He’d been around attractive women before. Had worked with plenty of competent, brave women who’d earned his respect and admiration. But none of them had affected him quite like this. None of them had made his jackal this agitated, or this desperate to get closer.
The way Petra had looked at him during lunch had charmed him.
He liked those quick glances she thought he hadn’t noticed, and the flush that had crept into her cheeks when their eyes met.
It had taken every ounce of his self-control to not reach across the table and touch her.
To reassure her that whatever she was feeling, he was feeling it too.
But that would have been spectacularly bad timing.
She was in the middle of a life-threatening situation, and she’d only known him for a few days.
And despite the small touch of magic in her family line, she was human.
She didn’t know how things worked in the magical world at all and especially not among shifters.
Seth pushed off the wall and headed for the closest exit. His team was waiting, and he needed to brief them before the technical specialist arrived. Personal feelings would have to wait.
He found Pax and Ari Rojas exactly where he’d told them to meet him, in the tree line beyond the formal gardens, far enough from the castle to avoid the security cameras but close enough to respond quickly if needed.
The twins were in human form, dressed in dark cargo pants and T-shirts that blended with the forest shadows.
Paxton leaned against a tree trunk, his golden hair catching light that filtered through the leaves.
The scars on his face—souvenirs from an IED in Afghanistan—gave him a dangerous look that had served them well on more than one operation.
His twin brother Ari stood a few feet away, all dark hair and smooth features, his eyes scouring the perimeter, always on alert.
“About time,” Pax said, though his tone was teasing. “We were starting to think you’d gone soft, spending all that time inside a cushy castle.”
“The castle has surveillance in every public room and staff who likely report everything they see to the enemy,” Seth said. “Nothing cushy about it.”
Ari looked at him. “How bad is the situation?”
“Bad enough that I called in the whole team.” Seth gestured for them to follow him deeper into the trees. “The heir wants to shut down a Venifucus workshop that’s been operating in the castle’s lower chambers. The mages who’ve been using it are scheduled to return in three days, possibly less.”
“Mages,” Pax said flatly. “Why is it always mages?”
“Because they’re the ones who like making trouble.” Ari’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Do we get to blow anything up?”
“Maybe. Depends on how things go.” Seth pulled out his phone and showed them the castle’s layout that he’d been mapping.
“The workshop is here, in the foundation level. Medieval stone, reinforced doors, probably warded to hell and back. I haven’t been able to access it yet because the current staff have been watching me pretty closely and would likely report any snooping in that particular area immediately. ”
“Current staff is compromised,” Pax said, understanding immediately.
“All of them, as far as I can tell. Butler’s been here thirty-two years and definitely has connections.
Cook is loyal to the previous owner’s memory.
Maids are too well-trained to be innocent domestics.
” Seth zoomed in on the perimeter. “I need you two to run security for the grounds while I work inside. Sam’s sending domestic staff we can trust, and Mark’s got a tech specialist coming to sweep the surveillance equipment. ”
“So we’re babysitting while you play house,” Ari said, grinning.
Seth shot him a look. “You’re providing tactical support and early warning if the Venifucus decides to move early. The heir is a civilian with no combat training who’s trying to do the right thing. She needs protection.”
Something in his tone must have given him away, because both twins exchanged glances.
“The heir,” Pax said slowly. “This wouldn’t be the same heir you mentioned was brave and determined?”
“Her name is Petra,” Seth said, keeping his voice neutral. “And yes, she’s both of those things. She’s also terrified and completely out of her depth, but she’s refusing to run, and that takes guts.”
“Uh-huh.” Ari’s grin widened. “And she’s pretty?”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“So yes, definitely pretty.” Pax pushed off from the tree. “This is going to be fun to watch.”
“I’m not paying you to watch me,” Seth growled. “I’m paying you to secure the perimeter and make sure no one gets close to the castle without us knowing about it.”
“We can multitask,” Ari said cheerfully.
Seth was saved from responding by the distinctive sound of vehicles approaching on the access road. Two SUVs, by the sound of it.
“That’ll be the rest of the team,” he said. “Let’s get them briefed and positioned.”
Over the next hour, elements of Seth’s mercenary company assembled in the forest like pieces of a well-oiled machine.
Mark and Daniel, wolf shifters from Montana who specialized in perimeter security, familiarized themselves with the boundaries of the estate.
Yuki, a snow leopard shifter whose small frame hid terrifying combat skills, manned the front entrance.
Nobody was driving in or out of the castle grounds freely anymore.
Every entrance and exit would be logged and the vehicles stopped to ascertain the identity and business of the people inside.
And Kira, a red fox shifter who could slip in and out of places without being seen, was scouting the outside of the castle for any sort of hidden doors, which were her specialty.
Seth briefed them all on the situation, assigned positions, and established communication protocols. By the time he finished, the castle was surrounded by some of the best tactical operators money could buy.
“The heir, Petra, doesn’t know about most of you yet,” Seth said. “As far as she’s concerned, I’m here alone with Pax and Ari as backup. Let’s keep it that way for now. I don’t want to overwhelm her. She’s already got a lot on her plate.”
“Protective,” Pax murmured to his twin, just loud enough for Seth to hear.
Seth ignored him. “I got a text from Mark. His tech specialist might be able to get here earlier than originally projected. I’ll know soon if that’s a go or not. Once he clears a secure room, I’ll be able to brief the heir properly.”
The team dispersed with the silent efficiency that came from years of working together. Seth made his way back toward the castle, his jackal settling slightly now that he knew Petra had a few more layers of protection around her.
His phone buzzed again. It had been doing that most of the day as he coordinated with all the new people coming in. This was another text from Mark.
MARK: Tech specialist en route. Name is Oliver Guthrie. Former MI6, specializes in electronic surveillance, particularly Kettering products.
SETH: Sounds good. ETA?
MARK: Thirty minutes. He was closer than expected.
Well, that was good news. The sooner they could clear a space to talk freely, the better.
Seth needed to brief Petra on everything he’d been able to put in place so far.
She should know the team positions, the security improvements, and the plan he’d devised for handling the staff transition.
And he needed to do it without every word being recorded and reported back to the Venifucus.
He circled around to the main entrance, very aware that he was probably being watched by multiple cameras. Let them watch. Let them see that Petra had serious protection now. It might make them think twice about moving against her.
Or it might accelerate their timeline. Hard to say with the Venifucus. They weren’t always rational.
Herr Müller opened the door before Seth could knock. “Good afternoon, sir. Frau Haas is in her room resting. Frau Brenner is in the library working.”
“Thank you. I’ll wait in the entrance hall. I’m expecting someone to arrive shortly.”
“Of course, sir.” Müller’s expression remained neutral, but Seth caught the calculation in his eyes. Another visitor. More changes to the established order. The butler definitely didn’t like it.
Good.
Seth positioned himself where he could see both the main entrance and the driveway through the tall windows.
Twenty-eight minutes later, a nondescript sedan pulled up.
A man in his late thirties got out, carrying what looked like an ordinary laptop bag but probably contained several thousand euros worth of specialized equipment.
Oliver Guthrie was average height, slim build, with black hair and cunning blue eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like an IT consultant, which was probably the point. Nothing threatening, nothing that would raise alarms. Just another boring tech person doing boring tech things.
Seth opened the door before Guthrie could knock. “Oliver?”
“Seth?” Guthrie’s British accent was crisp and professional. “Mark sends his regards.”
“Come in.” Seth stepped aside, letting Guthrie enter while Herr Müller watched from his position near the stairs. “I’ll show you to the library. We can start there.”
Guthrie followed without comment, his eyes cataloging everything they passed with the practiced assessment of someone trained in intelligence work.
When they reached the library and Seth closed the door, Guthrie immediately pulled out what looked like a smartphone but was actually a spectrum analyzer.