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He nodded and took out his phone, but his hand was shaking so badly he had trouble calling up the number. I reached for his phone. “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks.”

I quickly called Ren’s parents and asked them to come and collect Clayton’s mother.

“I’m so sorry for dragging you into this,” he said to me when I ended the call. “But recently…well, Mother had lost a lot of friends. And along with all the other fucking awful shit that’s happened, we found ourselves rather isolated.”

“How did she lose friends?”

Clayton blinked down at me. “You didn’t hear?”

I shook my head.

“My trial,” he said, waiting for me to catch on.

“I’ve heard nothing.”

He sat forward, his throat working. “I was paired with Johnston Avery. His family is large and powerful, and everyone assumed he would beat me, and easily. There was a marriage counting on it. John was promised Asuka if he won. A joining of two magically powerful families.” He gave me a look, but thankfully didn’t mention the similar deal he’d offered me. “But I won, and the marriage was taken off the table. We’ve been blacklisted, ostracized, they said I cheated, and some believed the lies.” His mouth twisted. “Mother was humiliated. I may not be as flashy as some witches, but I am a lot more powerful than many realize. I sure as hell don’t need to cheat. They underestimated me, they always have, that was their mistake.”

So that’s why Asuka’s engagement ended. “I didn’t know.” I gave his arm another squeeze. “I’ve been so busy with my own task, I had no idea what was happening with everyone else. I’m sorry, Clay.” I’d left the ball so quickly, I hadn’t noticed if people were treating Clay and his mother coldly. I didn’t get it, why the hell would someone want to be part of that?

Clayton’s eyes flashed, and he shot to his feet. “Avery did this. He murdered my mother.”

“I’m not so sure.” I stood. “My sister was attacked as well, and in a way almost identical to your mother.” I gave him the details and watched his reaction closely.

He sat up straighter. “Is she all right?”

I studied him, searching for a sign that he wasn’t telling me all he knew. But there was nothing, and after seeing him in his mother’s bedroom, I couldn’t believe he’d done it. There was no missing how much pain he was in. His aura looked like Rebecca’s.

“A hex doll?” he asked.

“I’m sure of it. I managed to break the bind before they slit her throat…” My heart raced faster at the memory, my palms growing clammy. “But they meant to kill her.” Hex dolls were created using hair or nails, sometimes fabric cut from the victim’s clothes then a spell was used to link the doll with the victim. After that, any damage inflicted on the doll was felt by the person whose image it was created in.

“I don’t understand,” Clayton said. “Why would the Avery come after your sister?”

“They have no reason to, not that I’m aware of. I’m not convinced they’re the ones who killed your mother, Clay.”

Warrick and I stayed with him until Sally and Calum arrived, and I promised to call Clay as soon as I knew anything, and he promised the same.

I was walking out when Sally stopped me, pulling me aside.

“Have you seen my boy? Or heard anything?”

She looked exhausted, beside herself with worry over Ren, and I hated that I had nothing for her. “I’m sorry, Sal. I will find him. I promise you that.” I shouldn’t be making promises, but I couldn’t take the agony in her eyes, eyes identical to Ren’s.

She squeezed me in a tight hug. “I know you will, Wills. You’ll bring our boy home.” Then she walked into the living room to speak with Clayton, and I rushed out, because suddenly I felt like I was suffocating.

“You touch him too much,” Warrick said when I reached the bottom of the steps.

I drew in a steadying breath, trying to avoid hyperventilating. “His mother has been murdered. I was comforting him.”

Embers danced in his eyes. “I didn’t like it, dove.”

Seriously? What did the guy want from me? I couldn’t deal with his jealousy. He’d offered me sex, that’s all. Nothing more. I appreciated all he was doing for us, but that didn’t mean he could act this way. I didn’t care if it was some possessive animal instinct thing. I wasn’t an animal, and I couldn’t deal with his crap on top of all the other crap I had going on. “You’ll just have to get over it.” There was so much more I could say, but I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for it right then.

He growled, and I ignored it, climbed into the Morris, and headed out.

Chapter 20