after his mother died.
“I left Miss Ross at my home. She is under my sleep spell , and a guard is posted outside her door.” Garrett sat quietly. He knew too much emotion at this point wouldn’t get him what he wanted—custody of Ella. Since she was his Destined One, he had no difficulty going against Guardian policy by keeping her at his residence instead of bringing her in to be questioned.
“ She needs to be charged with accessory and questioned. The council is worried about all these blood cults springing up and wants to make an example of her.”
“Well , they can find another scapegoat. Her aura is clean. She’s never been in the presence of blood magic. I know I’m asking a lot, but Gabriella Ross is my Destined One. I will protect her any way I can.”
“Your Destined One? Well, that is inconvenient.” Mabel got up and paced behind her desk, the soles of her boots echoing on the tile floor. “At the very least, she will be fined for owning the property where blood magic was practiced. Her magic house will be fined as well. We have to do something to stop this madness.”
“I have money, and so does my father. I’ll pay her fines.”
“I’ll have to clear this with the council. I only hope that having your father as one of its members will help your cause. A few of the councilmen feel that we need to have tougher consequences to stop this deviant behavior. If we don’t get a handle on these groups, the human police will start to take notice. Then, we risk the world finding out about us.”
“Are you sure that’s a bad thing? This is the world of J.K. Rowling and the Wizards of Waverly Place. We might be welcomed.”
“This is also the world of radical extremists, and we could immediately become a target. There would be witch hunts all over again.”
“We live in this world right next door to humans. Do you really think that they would turn on us?”
“This discussion is for the council to decide. Right now, our job is to stop these maniacs without endangering our people. I am going to do everything in my power to make that happen.” Mabel paused in her pacing and leaned over her desk at him.
Garrett stood and moved closer to his side of th e desk. Mabel needed to know he was serious. “You have my full support. This group murdered an infant in their last ritual. I want to catch them as badly as you do.”
Mabel looked Garrett in the eye, then smiled. She was beautiful when she smiled, and as any other man would, Garrett took notice. But Mabel, seven years older, was his friend. He thought of her as an older sister, and she treated him the same way.
“C ongratulations on finding your Destined One.” Mabel walked around the desk to stand in front of him. “You know how rare that is, right? I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
“Thank you, Mabel, and thank you for understanding.”
Mabel pulled him in for a hug. Garrett hugged her back, thankful that this talented witch had his back. “Please be careful. If her siste r i s in this cult, sooner or later, Gabriella will be on their list to eliminate. Now, walk me out. I need to go talk to the council. Good thing they have a morning meeting on the docket.”
Garrett obediently went to the door and waited for Mabel to gather her things. When she finished, she looked like an average businesswoman on her way to a meeting, briefcase in hand.
He opened the door , and she preceded him into the reception area.
“Garrett, Mabel,” a voice called. Garrett turned to see Angeline Penwick Mikhailov , the Guardian’s new office manager. Angeline hurried over and handed Mabel a stack of folders. “Here are the files you requested Ms. Avery. You were right. With five reports being filed, there has been a definite increase in blood-magic activity in the last six months. Before that, you might have one or two instances in a year.”
Angeline had mated with Tolya, the first lycan to be chosen as a Guardian in the history of the