“Mirza’s right,” Rye agreed. His eyes met Embry’s. “The second Oakley was nominated for court, Balthazar knew he had his opportunity.”
Embry’s heart quivered. It was so hard to believe: That charming, handsome sorcerer had been this calculating on his own, collecting all the pieces to this very specific, very violent puzzle on a random, beautiful September day while dressed up as Cinderella’s Prince, in breeches and ruffles, but here they were.
“That very same day he swindled me out of the coven coin,” Embry said, her voice dropping as the truth of it washed over her in one nauseating wave, “he was laying the groundwork for drawing out Oakley’s family so he could kill them, too.”
“Hot damn,” Fairfax muttered as they all stood there, staring at the armored bag.
That pretty much summed it up.
Over the next hour, they’d decided that Ames and Fairfax would take the bag (made temporarily invisible by Embry’s spell) back to Raven’s Head with them and dump it in the lake. That way, either it would be found if the Table dredged the water, looking for clues, or it would just sit there not hurting anyone. It certainly couldn’t remain in Embry’s possession, and planting it back in Oakley’s already-searched room would be a mistake.
And at this point? With the coven under such scrutiny? They couldn’t afford to make any of those.
CHAPTER 38
HUNTED DOWN
EMBRY WOKE EARLY AND DRESSED IN RUNNING CLOTHES.
Daddy said to act as if it was business as usual. And though he was still healing and definitely not up to the 5K loop they did every weekday before this mess began, she sure was.
As she smoothed her hair into a ponytail, Embry realized that perhaps she shouldn’t go running alone with Balthazar out there, trying to make a murderer out of her.
Magic sparking at her fingertips, she leaned in and scried in an arc above her face in the mirror:You up, Knighton?
His response was immediate:Yes.
Then:You OK? Lazarus OK?
Embry:Fine. Want to run with me?
Rye:Be there in five.
He actually made it in four minutes.
And Embry immediately understood why he had been looking in the mirror the moment she’d scried her first message. “You shaved?”
“Lazarus said business as usual.” Rye circled his smooth skin with a pointer finger. “This is business as usual.”
“I was beginning to like the scruff,” Embry admitted. She might have been imagining it, but Rye’s bare cheeks were suddenly quite rosy considering they weren’t yet running. “Not that I didn’t like it right away! It just took some getting used to.” Rye was looking down at his shoes now, his hands propped on his hips. Embryreached out and swiped a finger along his chin.So. Soft.“All I know is the business as usual.”
Rye’s eyes lifted under crashed-together brows. “Think I should grow it back?”
“I think you should do whatever you like,” Embry replied, her voice suddenly very hoarse. Her thumb and forefinger sank into the silky-smooth edge of his jaw.
The black of Rye’s pupils seemed to swallow the sea-glass green of his eyes for the barest of moments, only making the color in his freshly shaven cheeks more striking.
Embry dropped her hand, feeling her own skin flush.
Rye cleared his throat.
She suddenly found she needed to retie one of her shoes. When Embry was finished, she addressed Rye while not actually looking at him, but instead out, down the long drive and the tall gate. “Um, so I thought we could take the route I do with Daddy? You know, business as usual?”
“Perfect,” Rye answered, stepping into an immediate jog.
They cleared both the gate and the wards, then ran down their shared street to the waterfront. They were on the ocean side now but would loop around to the harbor side by the end. To start, though, they jogged wordlessly together, side by side, as a heavy morning breeze rolled off a horizon of water tinged with the first fingers of dawn.
Blood pumping and cheeks now definitely flushed from exertion and the whipping wind at a mile in, Embry had the overwhelming urge to use this moment for an apology.
