Seduced by Danger by Stephanie Julian

plan were hammered out.
    Everyone but Michael had agreed that Cara needed to stay by his side. He’d fought long and hard against it.
    Easier to determine had been who was staying behind—Justin, Scarlata , Antonin , Ellie, Rosie and Lacey. They’d stay with Aron and Sal here at the house.
    Cam, Teo , Rio, Stella, Cara and Michael would go to Long Island, where Bennett was located.
    Cam hadn’t been too eager to take Stella but he hadn’t argued as much as Michael had about Cara going.
    Cara understood his reluctance. Really, she did. But she saw his desire for her to stay at home as suicide.
    And that was making her crazy.
    While everyone continued to discuss the situation, she slipped out the side door of the house into Sal’s small courtyard to think. Aron was completely engrossed in building block towers with Rosie and Rio and knocking them down. He never seemed to get tired of that.
    While he was occupied, she needed a little space to think and Sal’s courtyard was the perfect place for a little private introspection.
    Enclosed on all sides by a tall fence, the area was shaded from the prying eyes of neighbors by an oak tree planted in the center. Its branches covered the entire small patio and beautiful border garden. Cara felt invisible there, the serenity of the garden easing into her psyche and calming her.
    She didn’t know how long she sat there, breathing in the late-summer perfume of basil, oregano and rosemary in Sal’s herb garden. A few fat bees buzzed around the hydrangea blooms and the rudbeckia , and the late-afternoon sun gilded everything with a golden haze.
    You’d never know Sal lived in the middle of a city. She barely heard the rumble of traffic and wondered if Sal had a dampening spell around the area.
    She’d lived in New York City but had never been allowed to walk the streets. She and Lacey spent any time outdoors on top of the building, where the Mal had created a garden larger than Sal’s but less welcoming.
    That rooftop garden had been full of straight lines and trimmed trees and grass. Perfect tea roses bloomed from spring through fall and she’d never seen a dead blossom. Ever. For all its perfection, the garden had been static. Joyless.
    Here…here she could be happy for days. She could lose herself in the scents and the textures.
    Too bad she couldn’t stay here forever.
    The door on the side of the house that led out to the garden opened and Michael walked out. His expression was set in smooth lines. No hint of stress showed but his eyes… In his eyes, she saw a wildness he couldn’t hide.
    He walked out the path between the fence and the house but stopped at the edge of the garden.
    “Are they finished making plans?” she asked.
    Michael sighed before nodding. “Yes. Teo and Cam left to get weapons. When they get back, we’ll leave.” He hesitated. “Cara, please reconsider. I’m begging you—”
    He broke off, confusion evident in his furrowed brow.
    Cara frowned as well. “Michael? What’s wrong?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know. I thought I felt…something…”
    She stood, brushing off the seat of her denim shorts before walking over to Michael. “Felt what?”
    “I’m not sure. Look, let’s go inside and—”
    Michael’s eyes widened and fear traced shivers up her spine. Or had she felt something brush past her? A spell?
    She laid her hand on his arm and tried to get him to turn back to the house, but he seemed frozen in place. “Michael? What is it? What—”
    He took two steps backward, away from her, and held out his hands to stop her from coming closer. “No! Stay back, Cara. Gods damn it—”
    And he vanished.
    * * * * *
    The disorientation of the powerful translocation spell left Michael with a wicked headache and violent nausea.
    When he rematerialized, he fell to his knees and lost the contents of his stomach on the hardwood floor.
    His mother was going to be pissed.
    Of course, it would serve her right if he just died right there