“Lovely history lesson,” I grate out. “How do I find the woman? Bram might recover if I could locate her.”
“Aquarius has been looking since the first time I called. She tried tracking down Emma’s previous flatmates, her professors—anyone who might know where she’d run. Bram’s mate used to work for a human who dealt in rare antiquities. But Aquarius’s attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful. She peeked into the store’s windows and saw only clutter and chaos. I fear Mathias found him whilst looking for the book.”
Entirely possible. Probable even, since Mathias has been hunting for the magical book. Could Emma have died inside the shop? No, Bram’s magical signature would reflect his loss, and so far, hints of Emma’s personality shine in earthy greens and shimmering yellows inside the bold slashes of Bram’s magical aura.
The woman is alive somewhere. I have to find her.
“Has Aquarius tried to call Emma?”
“At least a hundred times. Number’s been disconnected. It’s like the woman deliberately erased herself from existence.”
If Mathias is hunting her, I can hardly blame Emma for going to ground. But I must find her soon. Bram will die without her.
Reality hits me square in the chest like a battering ram, stealing my breath. The room suddenly feels too small, the air too thick. Each second that passes feels like an eternity. Everything happening now… It’s too much.
Ice—my brave, protective wizard—bleeding in some dungeon cell because he saved me. Bram dying by inches while his mate remains lost. Mathias gaining Council power while I stand here helpless, watching everything I love slip through my fingers like smoke.
If, by some miracle, I manage to save everyone who matters to me, I will hunt him down with every bit of my determination. Then I’ll make him suffer the way he’s made all of us suffer. I’ll strip away everything he values before I end him.
“It’s all right.” Olivia curls an arm around my shoulders, her warmth seeping through my jumper. The human comfort should soothe me, but it only emphasizes how cold I feel inside—as if Ice’s absence has frozen something vital in my chest.
My throat burns with the effort of holding back sobs that want to tear free. It’s only then I realize I’m crying—not the controlled tears of earlier, but the raw, desperate weeping of someone whose world is disintegrating.
The tears come hot and fast then, scalding my cheeks. I can’t afford them, so I swipe at my tears with the back of my hand, the gesture sharp and angry. My body rebels—exhausted muscles demanding rest while my mind races, desperately planning. Coffee won’t fix this bone-deep weariness, but maybe caffeine can fuel me through whatever comes next.
“Sorry for my outburst. I can’t spare the time to wallow in self-pity. I have to keep searching, hoping, trying…”
“Don’t apologize. You need sleep. It’s nearly midnight.”
There’s no way I’ll sleep, knowing that Ice is enduring hell—if he’s even still alive.
“I’m all right. I need coffee, and I need to talk to Duke. Are they still belowstairs?”
Olivia looks as if she wants to argue but nods. “I’ll stay with your brother. He was a good friend to me when I first moved to London. I miss his smart-ass remarks.”
I miss them too, even though they usually made me want to throttle him. “Find me if there’s any change in his condition.”
Sydney squeezes my hand. “And I’ll keep trying to reach Emma. Someone, somewhere, knows where she is.”
Yes. I just hope that someone isn’t Mathias and that I find her before it’s too late to save everyone I love.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
When I reach the bottom of the stairs, a group of angry warriors awaits me. Damn it all. Apparently, Sydney didn’t talk fast enough to keep me out of trouble.
Duke and Marrok glower like concerned fathers. Caden and Tynan both glare at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Perhaps I have. Raiden and Ronan Wolvsey, whom I have not seen in seventy-five years, smirk, clearly not at all surprised to see me in trouble. And Lucan… I wince. Pure rage—and not that of a parent, brother, or friend. He’s taking a more personal interest in this evening’s events.
“We overheard Olivia and Sydney talking,” Duke begins, his usually smooth voice rough with weariness and censure.
“You fucking went to Shock?” Lucan explodes.
“Without allowing us the opportunity to talk some sense into you? Or at least accompany you?” Duke raises a dark brow that suggests he finds my common sense lacking.
Lucan lunges closer, teeth bared. “Without even bloody telling us?”
“I’m neither a child nor a fool, and being female does not make me helpless. I had a gut instinct that Shock wouldn’t hurt me, and I was correct. Unfortunately, he was also no help, so?—”
