Six

Iris stole a sideways glance at Arlo as he stared out the window of The Armada. He hadn’t said a word since they left the heiress’s mansion, but then again, neither did she. Iris drummed her fingers on the steering wheel to a beat only she knew. She was visibly antsy.

“So … how ’bout the weather, huh? Forecast said it’s gonna be clear for the next few days … so, that’s good,” said Arlo, breaking the silence. “But I’m guessing the weatherman doesn’t take any of the fog and rain from witch activity into account,” he nervously chuckled.

Iris stared straight ahead with laser-like focus. She was preoccupied with the murder of the actress, not to mention her odd visions. Something was tugging at the fringes of her brain, something out of place.

“I hear there’s some good movies coming out this weekend,” Arlo tried again. “Lots of apocalyptic thrillers. I love me a good ‘end of the world’ flick.” He paused. “Hey … are you okay? What happened in there?”

The words struck Iris, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “An innocent person was killed today on my watch and it’s all my fault. And that witch at the party was being a total beotch!” Iris growled and jerked the wheel to the right, skidding to a stop on the side of the road.

Arlo gritted his teeth and clung to his seat belt, only letting go when the car had stopped moving. “Well, call me crazy, but I’m getting the vibe that witches aren’t really nice to anyone. I mean it doesn’t seem like we’re dealing with Glinda here,” Arlo said softly. “And how is all of this your fault?”

“Because I was the one left in charge of the protection detail, which I rarely get to do by the way, and somehow, a witch got by me, and it just doesn’t make any sense.” Her eyes broadened.

“Maybe it wasn’t a witch?” Arlo offered, shrugging his shoulders.

“No, it was,” she huffed. “You don’t even know the worst part. Belinda killed America’s freaking sweetheart.”

“Who?”

Iris pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen, pulling up a picture of the slain actress. “It was her,” she said, showing Arlo the photo.

Arlo bit down on his knuckles. “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!”

“I wish.” Iris put her head in her hands and sighed.

Arlo gently placed his hand on Iris’s back, sending a delightful shiver down her spine. Arlo jerked his hand back.

He gave her a soft look. The look wasn’t meant to be pitying, but to Iris, it was. Her sorrow began to diminish and rage found her with a vengeance. She perked up.

“I’m gonna prove that it was Belinda and kill that witch myself. I don’t know how exactly, but I’ll figure it out.”

“Wow.” Arlo seemed taken aback. “So, you’re pretty badass, huh?”

“Not quite as badass as I thought,” she said, letting out a long sigh, desperately trying to put today’s murder in the back of her mind. “So, you ready to go to the Fortress?”

“Well, since the only other option is death, yes, I’m ready to go to the Fortress.” Arlo grinned. “Take me to your leader.”

Iris giggled uncomfortably. “That would be my brother.”

“You mean Knox? The S.F. Hunters showed me a picture of him. Isn’t he a little young to be leading all you Witch Hunters? I’m assuming there’re lots of you.”

“Yeah, there’re lots of us. And Knox is eighteen, so yeah, he may be a bit young, but he’s been hunting witches since he was old enough to hold a weapon.”

“And how long have you been hunting witches?” asked Arlo.

Iris bit down hard. “I just started this year. I’ve been wanting to hunt for a while, but my dad was always opposed to it. But once he couldn’t deny anymore that I had the gene, there was nothing he could do. Let’s just say not all the Hunters were glad to have a girl on the team. It was definitely a first.”

“So you’re the only girl on the team?”

“I’m the only girl, period,” she spewed. “Women don’t usually carry the gene for whatever reason. There’re tons of women who live at the Fortress though. Wives of the Hunters are expected to cook and clean, and do whatever the Hunters say.”

“Wow. I didn’t know I was back in the forties.”

She laughed. “Neither did I.”

After climbing to the top of a tortuous road in Hollywood Hills they arrived at a towering metal gate threaded with twisting vines. The shrubbery created a natural camouflage and kept the home concealed from anyone outside the gates. Iris rolled down the window and punched in a code. The gates lurched open with an eerie moan.

“Before we go in, I just wanted to say thanks for, you know, not harping on me for, you know, getting an actress killed and—”

“Don’t say that, Iris. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

Hearing her name on Arlo’s lips was sweeter than she imagined. She became lost in his emerald eyes but quickly looked away once she realized she was staring.

“Thanks.” She grinned. “You seem like a nice guy.”

“Just remember that if Knox tries to kill me. Don’t be shy about steppin’ in now.” Arlo chuckled.

“I won’t. I promise.”

She circled a large, ornate fountain and smiled as she watched Arlo stare, slack jawed, at the cathedral of a home. But the Bently Fortress was more than a home really. It was a castle, with impenetrable stone walls, gray tile ceilings, and looming spires at each corner. The driveway was filled with lush green shrubbery sprinkled with California poppies.

“Okay,” he said. “This is by far the sickest house I’ve ever seen!”

Iris spotted her brother Knox as he emerged through the enormous double wide front doors, sauntering down the steps like the hero from some action movie. He was wearing the typical Hunter attire: mirrored aviator sunglasses, a black leather jacket covering his black T-shirt, black tactical pants, and of course, black boots.

As Knox neared The Armada his cool smile faded into a snarl and he hastened his step. “Are you kidding?” Knox bellowed. “This can’t be the new recruit!” His voice seemed unnaturally loud, even from inside the Hummer.

“He knows I can hear him, right?” Arlo turned to Iris.

“Just ignore him.”

“My God,” Arlo said, pointing toward Knox. “Do all Hunters have the ‘I’m downing creatine’ look?”

Iris chuckled. “Pretty much.”

Iris stepped out of the Hummer and Arlo followed after her. “Knox,” Iris said. “This is the new recruit, Arlo Green.”

Knox gave Arlo a once-over. “You sure we got the right recruit? I feel like this guy is more teen heartthrob than Hunter. Not like that’s a bad thing. I mean if it gets you—”

“Just please don’t say ‘teen heartthrob’ again. This isn’t the eighties,” Iris quipped. “And I’m not an idiot, Knox. This is the guy. I actually think he’s going to make an excellent Hunter.”

Arlo sent over a halfhearted wave. Knox glared at Arlo.

“All right. We done with the stare off?” Iris said exasperatedly. “What’s with you?’

“Dad called,” Knox said with a nervous sigh.

“Oh god. What did he say?”

“Well, he messed up our base jumping session, but more importantly he wants us to figure out what witch killed the actress, like immediately. And … he wants to talk to you.”

“About?”

“You know what it’s about.”

Iris threw her hands up. “Great. Look, we know it’s Belinda. Let’s just go to her lair right now and confront her.”

“Confront Belinda? At her lair? Have you lost your freaking mind, Iris?”

“No, I haven’t,” she spat. “Plus, with the Oras in our jackets she won’t be able to spell us.”

“The protective spells in our gear won’t work on their ground. You know that.” Knox huffed and scratched his face. “Also, Gerald Wexler is gone.”

“Gone?” Iris squinted her eyes in confusion.

“Yep. No one has seen him since Dad left for Wales. I asked Deacon about it, and he had nothing.”

Gerald Wexler and his son Deacon were probably Iris’s least favorite Hunters. They looked more like twins than father and son. They were both short, blond, had loads of freckles, and were annoyingly narcissistic. But even so, it was odd for Gerald to just disappear after leaving Iris in charge today, and even more odd for his son to know nothing about it.

Iris flared her nostrils and kicked at the ground. “Well, I’m going to the lair to confront Belinda, and Arlo is coming with me.”

“Whhhaat?” Arlo jolted. “Do I even have a say in this?”

“No!” Iris and Knox said in unison.

Knox removed his sunglasses in the most Hollywood-ish of ways and stared at his sister and new recruit. He tapped his pointer finger against his chin and gazed up at the dark sky.

“Fine, we’ll go to the lair. But Arlo stays. I’m not putting him in danger like that. He hasn’t been trained and it’s a bad tactical move.”

Iris was silent as she contemplated her brother’s words. She had to hand it to Knox, he always put his team first. Despite his unending bravado, he was actually a pretty good leader.

“You’re right.” Iris turned toward Arlo and forced a smile. “You’ll be totally fine here. My cousin Dex will take you to my room—”

“Your room?” Knox shouted, shaking his hand in disapproval. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t make it weird,” she said. Her face tightened. “I’ll stay in Mom and Dad’s room. I mean, do you really want to throw him to the wolves without us there?”

Knox bobbed his head. “Good point.”

As Knox texted Dex to come up, Iris moved closer to Arlo. “Just try to get some sleep, okay? Everything will make sense tomorrow.”

“Sleep? It’s only like ten. I’m a night owl. My head won’t hit the pillow ’til around three a.m.”

Iris grinned. She was a night owl too. “Well, you’re welcome to anything in the house. Just stay on the main level. We’ll be back before you know it.”

A moment later, Dex marched through the front doors. Arlo’s eyes widened. “Good Lord, what are he and Knox twins?” He asked Iris.

“No. But they’re twice as annoying when they’re together.” She chuckled.

Iris gave Arlo one last smile before buckling herself into the passenger seat. Knox strapped himself in behind the wheel and turned the key.

Suddenly, bright blue lightning ripped through the night sky. Iris and Knox exchanged a knowing look as another bolt wildly zigzagged its way through the darkness before striking the same place twice.

The Hollywood Sign.

The witches’ lair.