Page 47 of Violet

The only things I know about the troll are tidbits I learned from Betty: how he cooks the most ‘hearty’ meals. How he’s kind and caring. How dedicated he is to the police force. None of which mean he’ll believe me... or agree to help.

If anything, he’ll probably side with the town mayor. Who—I suddenly realize—probably thinks I’m the one who kidnapped Violet.

“Hello?” Liam demands, his tone curt. Angry. Annoyed. Frightening. Sexy. Tempting. Ah, hell, here goes nothing!

I shift into my old friend so he’ll recognize my voice. “Liam, it’s Violet.”

“Violet? I’ve been trying to reach you all morning!”

“You have? Why?” For a split second, I think he heard I’m not actually eighty, and he wants to give our relationship a chance. Then I realize there’s a much more likely explanation: that there’s an APB out on me and he’s trying to apprehend me.

“I can’t tell you anything over the phone,” he says, which isn’t suspicious at all. “Can you meet me in front of Jewels Cafe? In ten minutes?”

I know I shouldn’t. My gut’s telling me something is really wrong... and that I need to skip town before it’s too late.

But Violet’s still missing, and I already know that I’m going to do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means taking a stupid risk... like this one.

“I’ll be there in five,” I tell him and hang up before he can say anything else. Then I ditch Violet’s phone, in case the police are tracking it, and race out the door.

The actual flight to Jewels Cafe takes less than a minute—and I do mean flight, since I get there in homing pigeon shifter form. I land on the roof and change into a blue jay shifter, in case the mayor or cops are looking for pigeons, then flit to the nearest light post.

My vantage point gives me the perfect view of my sister, who’s flirting with her mate Julian while the two of them clean the counter. Their easy, comfortable way of working side by side makes me think of Nole and the sting of his betrayal. And speaking of Nole, his older brother, Wes, is sitting at one of the tables, chatting comfortably with her third and final mate, Chase. Amber says something, and when they all laugh, my tear ducts get the best of me. Stupid evolution.

I manage to pull myself together just as Liam drives up. I expect to find Bert in the passenger seat, but the vampire’s conspicuously absent. Shouldn’t the troll’s partner always be with him? Does this mean it’s a trap? Is there an army of witches inside that car, casting a cloaking spell so I’d think it’s safe to approach?

Liam looks around impatiently, and I know I have a decision to make... but it’s not really a decision, since I don’t have a Plan B. I mean, what else can I do? Go inside the cafe and beg the sister who abandoned me for help? If birds could roll their eyes, I would.

I land next to the car and shift. Into myself, which I instantly realize is a mistake, and then into the older version Liam will recognize.

The moment he sees me, he leans across the passenger seat and throws open the door. His arm muscles bulge, and the door swings all the way out, nearly hitting me in the chest. It’s only pure luck that I’m standing far back enough.

“Sorry, Violet,” Liam says with a grimace. “But please hurry. Get in.”

I do as he says, and he doesn’t even wait for me to finish doing up my seatbelt before peeling away from the curb. He proceeds to drive down Main Street like a maniac and takes a right turn so fast I’m surprised the car doesn’t flip.

My best guess is that he’s heading to the police station so he can turn me in... but he turns again, taking us in the opposite direction.

Before I know it, we’re on the road to Scarborough. Liam doesn’t say a word, his hands tight on the wheel at nine o’clock and three o’clock, just like I learned in drivers ed. His eyes keep darting from the road to the rearview mirror, to the side mirrors, then repeat, every few seconds like clockwork. Apparently cops take the rules of the road very seriously.

We’re about halfway to Scarborough when Liam suddenly turns left. He takes an unnamed dirt road, and then another, and another, until suddenly pulling to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

And this is where he murders me.

“I don’t think anyone followed us,” he says, turning to face me.

And this is where he definitely murders me.

“Violet? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

I nod. Then I shake my head. Because how can I be okay when Violet’s missing?

“I—”

“What is it? Are you not feeling well?” He reaches forward and touches my forehead, like Violet always does when she’s checking for a fever. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

Which is when I realize I still look eighty, and somehow, despite the very public scene at the library this morning—a scene his grandmother witnessed—Liam still doesn’t know.

Which is why I do the only thing I can think of. I shift.