Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I will, of course," he replied nonchalantly, holding my gaze stare for stare.

"Absolutely not!" I replied, folding my arms stubbornly, knowing this was an issue I wasn't going to budge on.

"Why not?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow, actually seeming surprised by my reaction.

"Well, let's see," I began, feeling the heat of my frustration creeping into my cheeks. "You've been running from him your whole life. You lost your mom and Marsha because of him, not to mention the fact this coven has spent the last two years of their lives trying to keep you hidden from him. Now you want to just waltz in for a family reunion? No! It's too dangerous. I don't want to risk him hurting you."

I stared, waiting for him to say something, but he just returned my stare. After a moment passed, I faced the rest of the group.

"I'll be the bait," I offered, stepping forward, knowing the coven needed another option or they might actually consider his suggestion.

"What?" he said loudly, grabbing my arm and turning me. "No! Absolutely not!"

"Well, now you know how I feel!" I shouted back, my eyes flashing in anger as I returned his angry expression.

"Kids! Kids!" Dad spoke above us. "Relax! Let's calm down and talk about this together."

Vance and I both stood there glaring at each other, neither one wanting to give in.

"I think Portia would be a good person to use in the trap," Dad said, surprising everyone in the room.

"What?" Vance and I both said in unison, as we glanced at him.

Dad sighed as he shook his head slightly in frustration. "I'm saying I think your idea to reel him into a trap is a good one, Vance, and I think Portia should be the bait."

"Not a chance!" Vance argued, stepping protectively in front of me as he now glared angrily at my father.

"Listen to me," Dad said, holding his hands up, to calm him down. "I have no intention of putting my daughter in any real danger. We'll just use her to draw him out, so we can get him alone somewhere—into a position where we can contain him."

"Contain him? How? And if you manage to succeed, then what?" Vance asked, not letting his guard down for one second.

"I don't know! That's why we're having this get together," Dad replied in irritation as he waved his hand around at the rest of the group.

"I'd rather you use me as the bait," Vance said in a steely determined voice, not willing to let it go.

"Think about it, Vance," Grandma said suddenly, standing and coming to put an arm around his shoulders. "We've been protecting you all this time, and your dad knows it. He sent your mom after you. You killed her, and disappeared. If all of a sudden you show up right in front of him, in a different country no less, don't you think it'd make him a little suspicious?"

Vance's jaw muscles worked back and forth the entire time she was speaking to him, as he clenched his teeth together in agitation.

"All right! I see your point," Vance said, folding one arm across his chest and resting his opposite elbow on it as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He began rubbing across his eyebrows as if a headache were staring.

He sat there with his eyes closed for several moments before he spoke again, looking directly at my dad.

"So if I agree to this—and I mean if—what do you have in mind?"