Darcy gestured for one of the men to drive, then he opened the door for me and scooted in after me. The tires screeched on the wet road as the driver pulled onto the street.
Shivers racked my body, and I wrapped one arm around myself.
Darcy scooted closer until our linked arms were barely touching. I closed the remaining distance, pressing my arm against his like it could stop the fact that I was shaking so badly it felt like I might fall apart.
His warmth sank into me, slowly easing my trembling and making it easier to think, to detach myself from the situation and figure out why someone would target me. My life was nothing unusual. I had roommates, a job, four sisters, an overly nosy and ambitious mother, and a sick dad. The only things that set me apart were my job as a reporter and my status as a half-witch, half-fae.
I stiffened. Could someone have been trying to kill me because of what I knew? Or, more accurately, maybe they had tried to kill me because of what they thought I knew either from my work as a journalist or from my Portent. It was probably the first since only a handful of people in Austen Heights knew about my fae ability.
Maybe word had leaked that I was writing an article on the murder.
The pounding of the rain on the car mixed with Darcy’s heat, lulling me into a false sense of security. His magic wasn’t anything like what I’d seen him use before, bringing back my earlier theory that his magic was unusually strong.
Darcy called Charles and put the call on speakerphone before filling him in on the attack.
“Are you okay?” Charles asked me, his usually cheerful voice grim.
“I’m fine.” My response was impressively steady considering the nerves still fizzing in me.
“That lightning had magic directing it, Charles. It was meant for her.” Darcy’s grip was tight on my hand. “I could feel its intent before it struck.”
“But why?” Jane cried.
“Maybe the killer knows that you’re looking into Easton’s death, and they want to stop you,” Darcy said.
Jane gasped. “You need to stop, Lizzy. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can’t.” I shook my head, my wet hair clinging to my neck. “My job is on the line if I do.”
“Your life is on the line if you don’t,” Darcy said.
“Even if I stopped, there’s no guarantee that the killer still wouldn’t silence me since they can’t know what I know.” A shiver raced over me from the rain’s chill seeping into my bones.
“Whatdoyou know?” Darcy rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand. I wasn’t even sure he was aware that he was doing it.
“Not much,” I said. “Nothing worth killing me over, but I guess they don’t know that.”
“We just got back,” Darcy told them as the gate swung open.
“We’ll be there soon,” Charles said. “Don’t leave the house again without me.”
“We won’t.” Darcy hung up and turned to me. “Let’s go to my room.” He followed me out of the car and into the house, then he led me down the same hall as last night, his shoulders stiff.
“What on earth is going on?” a shrill voice stopped our progress.
I looked away from Darcy’s broad back to find Caroline and Louisa gaping at us, probably just getting back from town too. It was hard to tell what they were more shockedby: me being in their home, us being soaked to the skin, or that Darcy was leading me into his bedroom. At least they didn’t know it wasn’t my first time.
“Perfect timing. Would one of you get some clothes for Elizabeth? We were caught in the storm, and she needs something dry to wear while we… talk.”
Again, his awkward pause made it sound like we would be doing something besides talking, even though that was exactly what we would do. How could men be so smart in some ways and utterly clueless in others?
My face burned. “We really will be talking.”
“Right.” Caroline’s narrowed gaze swept over me before she and Louisa stalked down the hall.
“Thank you.” Darcy didn’t wait for more of a confirmation before he led me into his room and closed the door. He pulled me into his walk-in closet and let go of my hand as he rummaged through his impressive collection of ties. The silence brewed between us much like the storm outside, but my thoughts were as shaken as the rest of me.
Someone had tried to kill me.
