Wicked Release by R. G. Alexander Page A

chest, drawing Callie’s unwilling gaze to his lean, muscled physique. Her mouth went dry. Damn Abbott men. Did they all have to be so stunning? How could she get a good hate on for someone she wanted to lick?
    His sigh drew everyone’s attention. “My dear, sweet sister. That’s exactly what I came here to do. Help. Show a little gratitude.”
    “He knows?” Callie crossed her arms defensively. She didn’t like the way Tyghe was looking at her.
    “I had no other choice.” Harrison wrinkled her nose. “Tucker was already gone on his annual hike into the wilderness before the first attack. Besides, he definitely wouldn’t approve of us trying to catch this guy on our own. And Lorie…well, you know Lorie.”
    She did. Lorie was a good guy when he was around, but he wasn’t the most dependable member of the Abbott family. The dreamer, his mother often called him. Since they were children, he’d rather find some remote corner in a dusty Magian library and read then be apart of any of their adventures.
    Tyghe came closer. “ I know that for once Harrison is right. Each one of the attacks, from what I’ve been hearing, has gotten successively worse. And the lack of evidence makes them highly suspicious. Even those of us who don’t have a Nancy Drew complex,” he looked pointedly at Callie, “still know something is wrong. We can’t take a chance that my sister could be the psycho’s next target. I’m just not sure she’s thought her plan through. Using a human as bait is all well and good, but getting the bait inside is only half the battle. She wouldn’t be able to participate in the seeking process. Not unless the men she was with were in on it.”
    Men? Bait? “Okay, time out. Is Tyghe right, Harry? You want me to go in undercover and flush this guy out?”
    Jenner glared at Tyghe before gripping Callie’s elbow comfortingly. “He’s never been known for his subtly, but he has a point. We have no intention of using you as bait, dear. We, Harrison and I, both trust your instincts. You may see something our kind has missed. But you would be in danger. Just of another sort. We can get you inside, but with the magic Harrison will cloak you with, you’ll also have to deal with potential suitors as you search for clues.”
    “And they will love her. Those big, innocent eyes? That naïve sensuality? The sharks would start circling in no time. And her cover would be blown.” Callie’s chin jerked sharply at the compliment. At least, she thought it was a compliment. From Tyghe, she could never be sure.
    “I wasn’t planning on leaving my best friend alone in that place,” Harrison grumbled. “Jenner and I would be there with her at all times. All she’d have to do is use that intuition of hers—an intuition not even Tucker can match by the way, and I would zap the son of a bitch until he squealed.”
    Callie felt her lips twitch. She’d seen Harrison angry, seen the electricity she could generate when she gathered her power close. She knew her friend would protect her. Maybe she’d get in a few good punches herself. What kind of creep went around terrorizing young females? Witches or not, those women had no doubt been at their most vulnerable, searching for love. The last thing one of them would expect was an attack by another Magian at such a sacred event. “I’m in.”
    “So am I. That’s what I’m trying to say. I can attach myself to Callie as a potential suitor, even with the distant cousin story you’ve decided to run with. I’ll turn away any thirds I find unsuitable, which will be all of them, and keep an eye on my troublemaking sister at the same time.”
    Callie and Harrison made sounds of denial, but Tyghe wasn’t backing down. “Ask Jenner. This is the only way your plan will work. Either I join you for her preparations and the Triune, or I will call in the rest of the family. Your choice.”
    Jenner tilted her head, a small sparrow studying Tyghe with a strange, knowing