Free Defensive Magic: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Tale (Lost Library Book 3) by Kate Baray Page B

Maybe brainstorming with Logan hadn’t been the best idea.
    “About that scent void, how does that work?” Logan asked.
    “As best John and I can determine, it traps scent close to the body. But it still must let air in and out somehow, or the person using it would suffocate.”
    Logan nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Well, it’s not offensive casting, but it would be a neat trick to keep something specific—say someone—out of that same kind of bubble, wouldn’t it?”
    “Sure.” But she wasn’t sure where this was going.
    He must have caught the hesitation in her voice, because he said, “A shield. What if the bubble acted like a shield?”
    Lizzie was swiftly caught up in a memory—Worth being shot at and the bullets ricocheting off him. She shook her head. Too uncontrollable. She was pretty sure that was how John had been shot: a bullet glanced off the shield that Worth had created and struck him.
    Logan’s voice jolted her to the present. “What are you thinking?”
    “I saw Worth use one to deflect bullets. It wouldn’t work in most circumstances, because of the risk of ricochet. But…” She twisted the concept a little in her mind. Maybe. “What if the shield could encapsulate me—without smothering me—and it could stop people. Now that would be pretty cool.”
    He nodded in agreement. “And I’m not sure why a shield deflecting gunfire is problematic.” He pulled a small pad of paper and pen out of his shirt pocket. Sketching quickly, he showed her what he meant. “See, if your attackers are situated here, here, or here” —he made several X-marks at points north of an east-west line, then made circular marks south of the horizontal line—“and your people are there—then I don’t see a problem.”
    “That’s a lot to consider when there’s gunfire all around.” That sound and that feeling wouldn’t soon fade from her memory.
    “True enough,” he agreed. “And it certainly would be useful to have a more broadly applicable shield.”
    “Now to figure out if I can actually do that.”
    Before she had a chance to dwell on the improbability of her success, John came home, sweaty and grim-faced. Lizzie knew with one look that something bad had happened.
    “What’s wrong?” Lizzie asked, her pulse leaping in her neck.
    He gave her a weak smile. “Everything’s going to be fine.” He dropped into a chair next to Logan. “But I just received a challenge.”

Chapter 11
    J ohn wiped the sweat from his face. Carlos had approached him during his run. The bastard had brought an enforcer, probably thinking John would feel at a disadvantage without the trappings of his position—half-dressed, no enforcer, on a country road—but John couldn’t give a shit about that. What bothered him was the cheek the fuck had demonstrated when he’d challenged him.
    “So soon,” Logan said. Not a question, just a resigned statement.
    “What? I thought you expected this.” Lizzie’s glance pinged between the two men.
    “Hmm.” He wasn’t going to lie, but he also didn’t want to tell her that this was fast. Too fast. “I’m thinking that your conspiracy theory is looking less unlikely every day.” More accurately, he was beginning to feel like a trap was closing in around him.
    Lizzie scrubbed both hands over her face. “I guess we need to call Harrington and get IPPC involved.” She gave him a guilty look. “I’m sorry. I haven’t talked to Harrington today. I was procrastinating until you came back.”
    He couldn’t help a small laugh. Sometimes Lizzie was so predictable. “Easier to say no to him when I’m around, huh?”
    “Yes,” she said sheepishly. “But now I’ll ask if they’ve had any hits on Worth, or maybe have any other likely candidates. But seriously—why you, of all people?”
    Logan said, “It’s not John. It’s the Texas Pack that would be the actual target—assuming there is a larger picture plan at work. We’re on the cusp of a serious shift