“I knew he’d set fire to the house.” Irene’s voice cracked. “But watching the result is horrific.”
She entered with uncertain steps, but I couldn’t cross the threshold. An invisible force blocked my passage.
“I need you to invite me in.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It’s part of my curse. I can’t enter a house without an invitation. That’s why Mrs. Talbot didn’t invite us in. She wants her house to be inaccessible to me, to protect her family.”
“Interesting.” She stretched out an arm towards the ruined entrance hall. “Alex, you’re welcome in my home.”
The invisible force lifted, and I entered.
A memory flickered in my mind. “I invited my sire to my flat. He was an impressive man, elegant, strong, and with a foreign accent.”
“Would you like to see him again?”
I shrugged. “I’m afraid I might attack him if I see him again. He’s likely a rogue or on the way to becoming one, and he cursed me. That’s enough for me to want him dead.”
Her luminosity dimmed. “Then I hope you don’t see him. He must be extremely powerful.”
“Are you worried about me?” I felt taller at the thought she might.
“Of course I am.”
The floorboards creaked when we stepped deeper into the hall. The stench of smoke hung heavily in the air, and there wasn’t a piece of furniture, wall, or door that wasn’t blackened or deformed.
Irene paled, and her lower lip quivered. “What kind of monster does that?”
“If it’s too much, we can leave.”
“No. I owe this to Papa and the servants who were part of my family.”
Green streaks like scratches marred a doorframe. A foul smell wafted from them, tickling my memory. I’d seen those scratches before.
She paused in front of the dining room, or what was left of it.
“Did it happen here?” I moved closer to her, my version of holding her.
She nodded, her gaze on the charred floor.
“That bastard.” Anger brought out my power, and my senses sharpened. “He deserves to die a slow, painful death.”
She didn’t contradict me, which was good.
A brown stain smeared the part of the carpet that wasn’t scorched. Despite the fact the stink of smoke permeated everything, the scent of her blood was still distinguishable.
We advanced down a corridor slowly as the wooden tiles popped and squeaked, threatening to break at any moment. Along the hallway, chunks of the floor were missing, exposing the servants’ hall underneath.
“Any memories?”
She shook her head. “I’m confused.”
“Look.” I pointed to a wall the fire hadn’t completely blackened. The wallpaper had been ripped, showing deep green ruts. “I saw them in the entrance hall as well.”
She touched them. “What are these?”
I traced the scratches. A fine green powder covered them. “Darius’s blasts leave a residue like that.”
