"And what if she's dead?" It was difficult to even contemplate what I had just said.
"Then…" —she leveled her gaze at mine—"I'll have to live with it."
The sadness in her eyes reminded me of everything she had been through and I felt guilty for being so hard on her. Her father had brutally abused her. Just after her father had been killed and we had all discovered the reason why she had gone along with her evil father's plan, it had been too late to save her mother. Years of physical abuse had taken its toll and I had stood beside her as a friend when she had buried her.
There was a sound outside the door before Claire rushed in. I stood up. She was in a state and something had clearly upset her.
"I need to talk to you," she said. I nodded my head to her.
"Keri, please, could you excuse us?" I used it as the perfect excuse to get Keri out of my study.
She nodded before leaving us alone.
"Sit down," I instructed her gently, and she sat down. She clasped her hands together anxiously.
"What's wrong?" My eyes narrowed, taking in her nervousness. It was so unlike her.
She pressed her lips together as she put her one hand to her forehead. She was acting really strange.
"Tell me so I can help you," I told her gently.
I respected her and would do anything to ease the worry that was etched deep in the lines on her face.
"James told me there was human blood found at the new murder scene," she explained. The more she spoke, the more upset she seemed to get. My eyes narrowed as I took in her strange behavior.
I nodded, which seemed to distress her more.
"He also told me it was…female blood," she croaked.
"Yes. That's right." I nodded again.
She paled. Concerned, I stood up and walked around to her. I bent down on a knee, which put me level with her.
"I don't understand why you're so upset." I spoke calmly with a gentleness to ease her growing panic. I took her frail hands in mine, as they were shaking.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them again and released the breath.
"I have to tell you something."
In my mind I was trying to figure out what she had to say that would tie in with the deaths of the rogues. I nodded. "Tell me."
She looked at me for a few moments.
"I'm scared the human blood found…is Crystal's."
I frowned. "But that's not possible. She's a werewolf," I explained, ready to brush off her concern.
She looked like she was hiding something, and my frown deepened. Something more than I knew was going on here.
"Why do you think it might be Crystal?" I asked, the gentleness in my voice gone as the foreboding feeling uncurled in the pit of my stomach and swirled to life.
"She came to me for help," Claire began to tell me. Her hands clasped together, increasing her visual agitation.
"When?"
"She was at my cottage when the guards came to fetch me."
I stood up and turned away from her, reeling, trying to make sense of what she was telling me. Crystal had been here.
