Traffic into the parking garage was semi-frequent as well, but someone stopped every car that tried to enter. It went far beyond normal apartment security. In addition to the ground patrols, I occasionally caught the glint of metal on the roof, likely from a rifle or a set of binoculars.
By the time I’d watched for an hour, my scent masked by the odorous refuse (which was also burning my poor nostrils), I was convinced I’d need help.
My best option was to find Shan and Caspian, which felt a bit like a betrayal. She hadn’t asked them for help. Why should I? It didn’t take me long to decide I cared more about her safety than her feelings, though. Freya had already thrown herself into Kylan’s arms. We might as well trust the investigators poking around her murders, so she didn’t end upbeingmurdered next.
I teleported back to where I’d last seen them.
Finding Caspian and the one they’d called Emmett took a while. They were wandering around town, no doubt trying to scent track her. I caught up to them when they took a break at their hotel, but opted to follow them for a few more minutes before revealing myself. When it became obvious they wouldn’t find her on their own, I sighed and stepped out into the open as they weaved through the alleys.
Caspian froze, and I meowed.
He was still wary around me, and I found it absolutely hilarious.
“Cas?” Emmett asked, turning around when his companion was no longer at his side. “What is it?” His gaze followed Caspian’s to meet mine, and he blinked. “A cat in an alley isn’t worth pausing for.”
“It’s Freya’s familiar,” he explained.
I stepped forward, closer to them, before sitting back on my haunches and cocking my head to the side. Words would be fucking nice right now. Em inhaled a deeper breath, catching my not entirely feline scent, and regarded me curiously. “Why isn’t he with Freya?”
“I’d ask him, but as you can see, he’s a cat.”
“Shouldn’t she have called him? Isn’t that what familiar-bonded witches do?”
“Freya isn’t exactly normal,” Cas said. “And neither is Oswald. They’re not codependent. Freya might have been hoping he’d be able to help her escape…”
He trailed off. I meowed again. Maybe, if I waited a hundred gods damned years, they’d figure out why I was here. The wheels turned in his head until he grabbed Emmett’s hand in his, winding their fingers together. He was grinning. “Ozzy knows where she is. He wants us to help her escape.”
Bingo!Took them long enough.
Unfortunately, Emmett was wary. His big form wrapped around Caspian and pulled him protectively against his chest. “Are you sure, Cas? It could be something else that he wants. Should we trust him?” he asked, giving me a contemplative once over.
I rolled my eyes and twitched my ears, keeping an ear out for something I could nod my assent to.
“Freya wouldn’t do anything to hurt us, and Oswald is her familiar.”
Caspian was right, but his naivety was concerning for someone who was supposed to be a professional. This was why he always had Shan attached to his hip. To make sure he didn’t trust the wrong person. Emmett sighed, looking between the two of us. I did my best to look utterly non-threatening. I was cute and fluffy, damn it.
“You just told me they act independently,” Emmett said. “We have no way of knowing if he’s going to act the way he would in front of her.”
“Come on, Em, he’s the only one who can find her. What we’re doing isn’t working so far. I doubt Shan is having luck either, or he would have called us.”
Keeping himself pressed close to Cas, Emmett looked at me one more time. I saw his resolve shatter. He was weak to Caspian’s desires, and since Caspian desired Freya it was benefiting me. I was a little surprised Cas was willing to come along with me, considering he’d called me evil on multiple occasions, but I would take it.
“We’re going to meet Shan first,” Emmett said. “This will need the whole team, especially with the chances of us walking into a trap.”
Perfect. We’d need Shan if we were going to sneak past the guards, and that would still be a stretch.
Emmett pulled a phone out of his pocket and dialled. I listened to the faint ringtone as the sun rose above the horizon, the world outside of our alley getting busier. It rang until it hit voicemail. He tried again.
They tried five more times, on each of their phones, until a woman came out the back door of a building and shooed them away for loitering. She was much kinder to me, tossing a piece of cooked fish in my direction and trying to urge me close enough to pet. I didn’t allow her to do any such thing, but I ate the fish.
By the time I caught up with Em and Cas, they were rushing to their hotel room to check if Shan had been back. I internally groaned. If they couldn’t contact Shan, we might be fucked. There was no way we would get to Freya before she was assaulted or worse, marked against her will. A mark was forever. Even if she killed Kylan, and she would, there would be no going back.
Being unable to voice my concerns was beyond irritating. I fucking hated being a cat. There had been novelty to it at first, but it had worn off real quick.
They’d started ignoring my presence, but I slipped in through the doors before they closed and perched on the hotel bed while they checked the room. I knew he hadn’t been here in a while and Emmett had surely figured it out too. His scent was too faint. They called him again.
He still didn’t answer.
