“I have to, don’t I?” After hanging up, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and faced the intruders. “Did you hear that?” she added.

“What the hell is going on?” Trev asked.

Frankly, he sounded calmer than she probably would be under these circumstances. “I’ll tell you everything soon,” she promised. “I’m sure you can put some of it together, but if you can’t, it will be resolved today.”

“Leanne Vanderpol-Montgomery, you have violated—”

“I have not. In fact, you precipitated this whole situation with your incautious behavior. But since you started this, I’ll finish it. I just spoke to a current council member, who’s convening an emergency meeting. Now sit the fuck down and wait.”

To her astonishment, both enforcers took seats at the dining room table, keeping a wary eye on the room. Leanne crossed to Trev, and as expected, the shield allowed her to phase through it. Such a relief. She hugged him because she could, feeling the warm pulse of protective energy around them.

“I’m super confused right now,” Trev said. “But first, I want to say that was absurdly hot. Next, I have some theories, but most of them are, like, pretty out there.”

“How far?” Leanne asked.

“Like, Salem the talking cat?”

“Huh. You’re in the ballpark. That’s all I can say now, though. Otherwise, I’ll be guilty of what they’re currently trying to pin on me. And that’s not happening.”

He actually broke into soft laughter and nuzzled his face into her hair as magic shimmered all around them. “My life has gotten so damn interesting since I met you.”

How can anyone be this precious?

“I hope that’s a good thing,” she whispered.

“So far it is. Provided I don’t get turned into a cat for knowing too much or something.”

“Is that really the only comparison you have?” she asked.

“I’m stressed! And I play video games more than I watch paranormal TV.”

“Fair enough.” Leanne moved away from him, keeping an eye on the enforcers as she grabbed her laptop and opened her email. As Gladys had said, there was a link waiting for her, and she beckoned to the enforcers. “Let’s do this in the other room.”

“I’ll just…chill here, then,” Trev said.

Before she clicked the link, she quickly cast the illusionary spell as instructed. All council members were supposed to use this to keep their identities secret. How that was supposed to work with two enforcers watching her do it, she had no idea, but that wasn’t her biggest problem. Probably, they’d get their memories adjusted after she sorted out this mess, presuming she got enough votes in her favor. It was hard telling how this would go or who would show up for this meeting. Might even be a blending of the incoming members and those who were ending their terms of service.