Jase bowed his head. “With all due respect, Polemarch, I call on my right to stay with my mate.”

Stefan looked like he wanted to smack Jase, but instead he said, “Of course. You may stay with your Seer.”

“And I’m going with Scout,” Charlie added.

Stefan’s eyebrows shot up just as my jaw dropped down. “I’m sorry,” Stefan said. “I did not realize you made a declaration.”

“Not as her mate,” Charlie said, stepping forward and bowing his head, just as Jase had. “I owe her a life debt and will remain with her until it is paid as honor requires.”

I glanced over at my father, surprised to find him looking relieved the boys were coming along for the ride. Stefan? Not so much. Actually, he looked like he was regretting being placed on teenager arrest duty.

The four of us were allowed to pack an overnight bag to take with us, although each of us was assigned an overseer to ensure we didn’t pack anything unnecessary, like our guns. Snake Man and All American Joe headed off with the boys, while NBA stuck close to Talley. I was honored with Stefan’s watchful eye.

After another round of goodbyes to Dad and Angel, and a brief phone call to Mom, we were herded outside to the SUVs. Charlie and I were escorted to one, and Jase and Talley were herded to the other.

“Isn’t this the preferred mode of transportation for rap stars and drug dealers?” I asked Charlie as I stowed my bag in the back. “What does Stefan do when he’s not marching poles or whatever?”

“Being the Alpha Male is pretty much a full time job,” he said, shooting me a look.

Stefan was the Alpha Male? Awesome. Why couldn’t someone have mentioned that to me earlier? Was the pretentious ancient language really necessary?

“So, how is it he can drop so much cash on two sets of wheels?”

“The Alpha Pack’s finances are covered by a tithe collected from all Packs.”

“Like Shifter taxes?”

Charlie nodded as we crawled into the backseat.

“What is it I’m being accused of?” I asked Stefan as NBA started the vehicle. “It’s not tax evasion, is it?”

Stefan turned in his seat so he could see me. “I’m surprised it took you so long to ask.”

“It’s Shifter business. It didn’t seem wise to discuss it in front of an audience.” Plus, the less my dad and sister knew, the safer they would be.

“The official charge is Thaumaturgy.”

I waited for someone to explain what that was, but no one volunteered.

“Thaumaturgy?”

“That’s a pretty serious charge,” Charlie answered from the other side of the backseat, which was approximately three miles away. “Did the accuser offer any evidence to support the claim?”

This time when Stefan smiled he did nothing to disguise the malevolence. “I believe she provided ample evidence of witchcraft last night, don’t you?”

Charlie’s only response was a bulging of the muscles in his jaws.

“Witchcraft?” Although, that did clear up any doubt as to who turned us over to the Alphas. Mr. Matthews all but called me Goody Osborne and doused me with Holy Water during his little visit. “You’re taking me away from my family and putting me on trial for being a fictional entity?”

“The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he did not exist,” said a rich baritone voice, thick with a British-type accent, from the front seat. So, not so much African American as African.

“Many Shifters and Seers believe in the existence of Thaumaturgics and Immortals,” Charlie informed me quietly. I think the idea was for the comment to be a private one, but there was really no point. We all had super-hearing. If Jase and Talley had been talking in the other car I would’ve heard it.

“Thaumaturgics being witches?”

“Yes.”

“And Immortals being… vampires?”

“What is it with girls and vampires?” Charlie asked, trying to smile.

“They’re pretty and they sparkle in the sun, just like unicorns.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “No, Immortals aren’t vampires. They can hang in the sun without becoming a disco ball, there are no garlic allergies, and blood isn’t part of their daily menu. They simply don’t die.”

“Ever?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really know. Our family doesn’t believe in that stuff. To us, they’re more like legends and bedtime stories than an actual people walking around.”

“What about you, Mr. Vasile? Do you believe in witches?”

Instead of turning around, Stefan peered at me through the rearview mirror. “My belief is that you should take advantage of what I believe is called the right to be silent in your country. Feigning ignorance to gain information will not be looked upon as favorable by our queen.”

I didn’t like Stefan. I had absolutely no desire to impress or please him. I knew that my situation was fairly dire, and I didn’t even understand what it was I had done wrong. I wanted to press on, ask questions until I had a firm grasp of what was happening, but eighteen years of being a good girl who does what she’s told doesn’t get undone in a single moment, or even a single summer. So, I shut my mouth and stayed silent for the remainder of the trip.

I didn’t, however, put away my phone.

They think I’m a witch, I texted to Talley.

You’re not, she hit back.

Of course I’m not!

It will b hard 2 prove.

Y? That wand in my room came from Harry Potter World in Orli. Is so not real. Also, I do NOT weigh the same as a duck.

THIS IS SERIOUS!

I know that.

Then stop being so flippant.

I’m always flippant. This is Scout, remember?

I’m scared.

Well, crap. There went any amount of calm I had managed to achieve.

Me 2. I followed up that oh-so-not-shocking announcement with, How is Jase?

Freaked. Charlie?

I looked across the vast expanse of the back seat and saw not the boy who I’d been working on getting to know again over the last few weeks, but the one from the beginning of the summer.

Not good.

Where do u think we’re going?

Alcatraz?

Scout…

Sorry. Coping mechanism.

Just as I was hitting send, the SUV lurched to the left. I glanced out the window and realized we’d somehow made it to the Serenity Shores Cottages. There are tons of rental properties in Lake County to accommodate the summer tourists. Most of them run the gambit of rustic to modern, the cabin equivalent of roach motel to Holiday Inn, but Serenity Shores catered to a much more affluent market. According to Meg Jamison, who worked in the office over the summers, the cheapest cabin rented out for over $2,500 a week.