We were pulling up to the mall. Rathe had broken all the road rules to get us there this fast. “Where would she have parked?” he asked. I pointed to the right side of the food court entrance.

“That way,” I instructed. When we turned the corner and one of the three cars sitting in the large, otherwise empty parking lot was Margo’s, I sighed in relief. However, that was short lived because then I started fearing she’d been taken from the parking lot.

“Call Heath and tell him that her car is here. I’m going to run inside and use the restroom,” I said reaching for the door handle before he even came to a complete stop beside her car. I needed to look inside and make sure she wasn’t in there.

The second the car stopped, I swung open the door and jumped out. There was no sign of Margo inside her car, but her purse was there. Why would her purse be in there? I reached to open the car door, but it was locked. Staring down at it, I attempted to unlock it like I had mine yesterday, but nothing happened. I was too worked up for my mind to focus properly. “Reserare ianuam,” I whispered and squeezed the handle expecting it open. Again nothing. It wasn’t unlocking.

“It’ll take a little more than that simple cast to get it to open,” the deep familar voice said, startling me. My head snapped up to see my stalker standing there on the other side of the car, leaning on it as if he’d been there the entire time even though I knew he hadn’t.

No. Nononononono. Why was he here? Why was he near Margo’s car?

“Why? Where is she?” I asked both questions remembering then that I wasn’t alone and Rathe wasn’t in the car this time, so I couldn’t lock him inside again. He was behind me. His scent and warmth were close by. Very close. I had to think, but I was panicking and that made it harder to think. If he’d taken Margo, then he’d have no problem trying to hurt Rathe, too.

“She is sleeping, safely. Relax, Catalina,” the man replied, shifting his gaze over my left shoulder. He gave Rathe an odd almost threatening smile. I moved to stand completely in front of Rathe and my panic was being replaced with anger real damn quick. He might had taken my friend, but he was not about to do anything to Rathe.

“I want Margo. Now,” I said with my own threat clear in my tone.

The stalker shifted his eyes back to me. “There’s that shit I like to see. You’re nothing like the damn Kamlocks. Pansy ass bunch of witches,” he said, then walked around the car watching us both. I didn’t want him getting near Rathe.