“Some people are good at hiding their emotions.”
“I don’t want to be gullible.”
“You aren’t gullible. Unless you have a trace of evil within you, you can’t understand evil in others.”
Making my way through the busy pavement was a lesson in patience and control. I forced myself not to flinch every time someone brushed too close to me, but my abdominal muscles contracted painfully, and an involuntary quiver coursed through me.
“Move on the left.” She pointed at the wall. “I’ll walk next to you and shield you from the people on the other side.”
I sucked in a breath in surprise. She was the first person who wanted to protect me. Darius cared about me, but Irene’s simplesolution to make me comfortable awakened something in me I’d thought had died with my body.
“Thank you.” I sounded more gruff than I meant.
With the wall on my left and Irene on my right, the tension pressing to my chest eased. I was the strongest—and currently the only—vampire in town. But Irene assumed I needed protection.
“Mrs. Talbot’s house.” I stared at the modest three-storey townhouse with red-brick walls and small bay windows. Nothing impressive, but the clean steps, orange curtains, and pots of geraniums made me think a happy family lived there.
Mrs. Talbot opened the door. Her brown hair was tied in a low bun, and her apron had flour sprinkled on it. “Ravenhill.” She nodded to Irene. “Miss.”
“What news?” I handed her an envelope with a few hundred pounds.
She slipped it into her pocket. “Mr. Sean Lewis vanished. After he emptied Lord Mansel’s safe, all his traces disappeared.”
“His office?” I rubbed my chest as the bond with Irene became taut. She must be upset, thinking about Sean.
Mrs. Talbot shrugged. “Empty. He vanished without paying the bills, and apparently the office was destroyed by a fire. The owner died in it. I’m sorry I didn’t find more.”
Irene’s shoulders stooped. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Mrs. Talbot said.
A child’s voice came from the house. “Mama? The cake is bubbling!”
She flashed a timid smile. “I have to go. Good day.” She quickly got back inside.
“We expected Sean to disappear, didn’t we?” I went down the stairs next to Irene.
“That means I have nothing to go on. No name, no address, and no clues.”
The second ride in the carriage was easier for me because I was getting used to her presence, but more difficult for her. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she clenched her fists in her lap.
“We’ll find him.” Although I hadn’t found Riley, so I wasn’t that hopeful in finding Sean.
She wiped her cheeks quickly and squared her shoulders. “I’m sure we will.”
At least she trusted me with this.
28
TRACES OF MAGIC
Alex
Seeing Harlowe House with broken windows and charred walls was a shock to both of us. I remembered the pretty curtains, clean walls, and pots of flowers.
The front door, once glossy and sturdy, had been butchered down, and its wooden boards jutted out in every direction like broken bones.
A note from the police pinned to the doorframe read that the building was being investigated.
