Protector(52)

That made some sense, although she wondered at the way Connor and Angela had gone into Santiago territory several years ago, with no one apparently warning them about what they might be walking into. It was possible that no one had worried too much, because the combined power of a primus and a prima was certainly nothing to mess with.

“So what do you think Matías is up to?” Caitlin finally picked up her sangria and took a swallow as well, mostly because contemplating a new threat in the shape of the entire Santiago clan had left a definite bad taste in her mouth.

“Like I said, I don’t know for sure, because I didn’t see what you saw. But generally when a witch or warlock is doing blood magic, it means they’re calling up something to assist them in casting a black spell. That would’ve been the mist you saw beginning to rise from the floor.”

“You mean…it was alive?” she asked, her voice barely more than an aghast whisper. Yes, Luz had mentioned that the warlocks were summoning something, but at the time she’d been so shaky and out of it that she hadn’t really processed the statement and its implications. Although it was warm enough in the restaurant, a river of ice suddenly seemed to run down her spine.

“Sort of, if not exactly the kind of thing most of us think of when we say ‘alive.’ But it was some kind of spirit…entity…energy…whatever you want to call it.” He picked up a chip from the basket and broke it in two, but didn’t eat either piece, instead staring down at them as if he wasn’t sure what he intended to do with them.

“What were they doing with it?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure my mother went back to that house with someone who knows more about that kind of magic, but if they discovered anything else, she hasn’t told me.” He hesitated then, as if he’d been about to say more but had decided to stop there, for whatever reason.

Caitlin thought she could guess the reason why. If Luz and whoever was helping her had dug up something really terrible, she might not want to frighten her son…or the unpracticed seer he was supposed to be protecting.

Another shiver moved down her spine, but then she had to sit up and act halfway normal, as the waiter showed up with their meals. She thanked him and stared down at the food on the plate before her, hoping she could reclaim some of her appetite. Right then her stomach was churning with an uncomfortable combination of worry and fear.

“It’s all right,” Alex said, apparently noticing her unease. “We’re safe here. And even if something were to happen, you know I would protect you.”

Well, that was true. Or at least she hoped it was. She’d seen the odd shimmering sphere that Alex could cast to surround himself and anyone near enough to him, but she’d yet to see anyone or anything challenge it. Luz had said nothing could get through it. Did that include strange mist-like entities called here from the Goddess only knew which dimension?

“Right,” Caitlin said, and forced herself to smile at him, even though she knew it must have looked watery and weak. “I guess I’m just not used to this kind of thing. I mean, Damon Wilcox did some terrible stuff, but he’s gone, you know? I suppose it was naïve of me to think there wouldn’t be someone or something equally awful out there.”

Alex nodded, but she noticed how he’d barely looked at his food, either, although his left hand was resting on his fork, as if he’d intended to pick it up and then got distracted. “Well…you McAllisters do tend to be kind of isolated. In a way, that’s good. You’re focused on your own clan, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there are a lot of other clans out there, some good, some…not as much, for whatever reason. At least with Damon, you knew exactly why he did the things he did, even if they were terrible. But this?” His shoulders went up, and at last he retrieved his fork and stuck it into the mound of chicken on his plate, even though he didn’t make a move to lift it. “I can’t figure out what their game is. Kidnapping a couple of witches from clans that are bound to retaliate isn’t exactly the smartest thing to be doing.”

“But we aren’t retaliating, are we?” Caitlin asked, and Alex gave her a considering look.

“Not yet. But don’t tell me that Angela and Connor won’t do something about it, or at least try to, once we’ve located Matías and his buddies. I know I would.”

Any protests she might have made died away as Caitlin considered Alex’s point. Neither Angela nor Connor was the type to go flying off half-cocked, but they also both had a strong sense of right and wrong, and the unwritten rule of the witch world was that if someone messed with your clan, you found some way to bring them to justice. No matter what.