“I’ve seen her a few times. Not many.” I look at Tofi and she taps her legs again.
Amari’s expression shifts when he turns back to me. The warmth is still there but it’s guarded now. “What brings you toMedina Shadow? If you’re looking for Carla, she’s not here. She’s in limbo for three days.”
I look around the hall, then back at him and Tofi. “No, actually. I’m here to see Uncle Jo.”
Tofi flashes one word—trouble—then turns and skitters off down the hall. Amari watches her go and his brow pulls together.
“Hmmm.” He tilts his head. “You’re here to see Josiah?”
I sigh and shrug. “Yeah. He’s the only one I know who can help me right now.”
“Is there anything I can do?” He steps closer. “Bobby? Nicole? Surely?—“
“Unfortunately, no.” I wish I could tell him yes, wish this was something his soldiers could handle or Nicole could talk me through. But it’s not. I hold his gaze. “I’ve made a big mistake, and I’m about to put the people I care about in danger. I love Jo too, but I just know…”
Amari nods. He doesn’t need me to finish.
He gestures toward the stairs. “Second floor, to your right. Double doors at the end of the hall.”
I tip my head to him and grab Mara’s hand. Amari calls out before I pull her away.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Aaron.”
I don’t answer that.
Mara follows me up the staircase to the second floor and down a long, quiet hallway. The air is cool and still. The only sound is our footsteps and the soft swish of Mara’s tail. We pass closed doors on both sides and I don’t hear a thing behind any of them. Mara’s fingers tighten in mine and she flinches when something creaks overhead—probably the castle settling, or a vampire moving through the floor above.
“It’s so quiet here,” she whispers. “Like there’s no life in this place.”
“Vampires love the quiet.”
“Hmmm.” She presses into my side and I wrap my arm around her.
We reach the double doors at the end of the hall and I knock, even though Josiah and Layla already know I’m here. Part of me wants to turn around, take Mara home, and deal with this alone. But I can’t. Not anymore. I turn the knob and step inside.
The room is large. A long table runs along the far wall, lined with dollhouses in various stages of completion—some barely started, some finished down to the tiny curtains in the windows and the miniature furniture inside. The detail is insane. I can see tiny bookshelves through the windows of one, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling of another, wallpaper in a third that has a pattern so small I’d need a magnifying glass to make it out. Layla has her back to us, her attention fixed on a new build. She’s wearing an evening gown that hugs her curves and falls to the floor, the fabric pooling around her feet, and she’s leaning over the table with a small piece between her fingers.
“There are pieces missing again.” She sets the piece down and straightens. “This is the second time.”
Josiah appears out of nowhere and walks over to her. He looks at Layla like she’s the only person who’s ever existed. He picks up one of the finished dollhouses and turns it in his hands, inspecting every angle, then opens the front panel and peers inside. He sets it down and turns his attention back to Layla, his fingers tracing gently over her bare arm.
“That sounds very disappointing, my love.” He flashes her a smile. “A mistake once, fine. I can overlook it. But a mistake twice…” He shakes his head. “‘When a pattern of failure repeats, it is no longer a mistake but a declaration of character.’ Chapter nine.” His eyebrow lifts. “Do you want me to kill the owners in your honor, beautiful Layla?”
She looks at him and his grin widens, fangs on full display. She grins back.
I clear my throat. There’s no way they don’t know Mara and I are standing here, but Josiah doesn’t rush. He’s never in a hurry when it comes to Layla. I’ve seen vampires move faster than my eyes can track, but Josiah stands here brushing his thumb over Layla’s wrist like they’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to do but this.
He doesn’t look away from Layla, just watches her, waiting for her answer.
“Not this time, honey.” She turns back to her dollhouse. “Next time though, yes.”
He picks up the box the kit came in and turns it over, reading the label on the bottom. His lips move over the manufacturer’s name and he sets it back down with a nod.
“Discard this one or save it for extra parts?” He turns back to her. “I’ll overnight you a new set.”
“Thank you.” Layla smiles and Josiah kisses her lips, before he turns to face us.
He straightens his cuffs as he crosses the room and the warmth he gave Layla doesn’t follow him. Up close his scar is more pronounced and his smile sits differently on his face, wider and sharper, nothing warm in it. Mara’s fingers twist into the back of my shirt.
