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“It’s not that,” I said.
“We might see Jeremy. He’s very…” Victor couldn’t seem to find a word. “He’s not what you’re used to.”
“So I keep hearing.” She blew on her fingers to warm them up. “Well, more people on our side is a good thing, right?”
I took her hand in mine, painfully aware of the fact all three of us kept looking over our shoulders. We hurried back to Byron’s house in record time. Vira and her weirdo brother had left, but that didn’t mean others hadn’t snuck their way into town. It wasn’t like we could stake out every point of entry into the country.
Back at Byron’s, a couple of pack members were handing casserole dishes full of food over to Jeremy for Zara’s sake. He was probably already tired of the constant visitors because he looked slightly pissed off as he accepted their offerings, though he didn’t show it in his words. The way he spoke reminded me of Byron, and that made me think that Jeremy was acting like their alpha on purpose.
He noticed our approach and waited for us with the door open. He looked at Margo, sniffing the air like a dog. “This is the one the harbingers are coming for?” He made a scornful face. “How the hell did none of you notice something was up with her when she first arrived in town?”
“Dorian did,” Margo said at once, a sharp edge to her voice. Jeremy had that effect on people.
“And he did nothing about it,” Jeremy scoffed. “Predictable.”
I held back my response, squeezing Margo’s hand in the hope she didn’t snap back. I didn’t want to cause trouble.
“Dorian saved Perdita and caught Dom,” Victor said, although not particularly loudly.
Jeremy acted as though he didn’t hear him. “What are you lot doing here anyway?”
Amelia came up behind him. “I already told you they’re here to help me.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “They had better be quiet. Zara’s napping.”
“You two had better start getting used to noise,” she said snidely. “You’ve having a baby, not a pet rock.”
He made a face at her, but he went inside at last. Some of the tension in my shoulders eased.
Amelia watched him go then turned back to us. “Come on,” she said in an irritable tone. “Before anyone else decides to drop off food or state an opinion on something that’s none of their business.”
She led us to what I had always thought of as a library, thanks to the overloaded bookcases lining the walls. It was technically a living room, but it felt like more of a reading room. The furniture matched Byron’s office, all dark wood panelling and leather seats. The cold-looking furnishings didn’t vibe well with the immense number of colourful fuzzy cushions and warm throw-overs that had managed to accumulate over the years. The floor, however, was now covered in books, candles, and bags of disgusting smelling herbs.
I wrinkled my nose. “Been busy?”
“Testing out a few things.” Amelia sighed as she took in the room. “Looks overwhelming, doesn’t it? I’m glad you lot are finally here.”
“We promised Margo’s mam we would study, too.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose I can work with that.”
Margo gestured towards the items on the floor. “What are you working on?”
“I’m thinking about ways to harness your gift, or at least understand the power and where it’s coming from to use it—or to protect ourselves from it.” Amelia frowned, her hands on her hips as she took in the room. “I’m not sure if I can make it work, but I want to at least try. Will you be okay to do a few things with me later? I’m not going to make you hunt down death, rather try to evoke some of the feelings so that I can get a handle on it. I heard about a kind of ritual to absorb power into an object, and it probably won’t work, but I’d like to try anyway.”
“I’ll be up for that,” Margo said without hesitation.
“But you’ll stop if anything goes wrong,” I said.
“Deal,” Amelia said. “I’m not trying to push our luck, I promise.”
We attempted to study, but we didn’t get much done. Our real exams weren’t so far off anymore, and I was pretty sure none of us were ready for them.
“I have a strong feeling I’m going to have to repeat this year.” I closed my book then stretched. “My brain doesn’t want any more information. It’s refusing to learn.”
“I can’t focus on anything either,” Margo admitted, glancing over her shoulder to see what Amelia was up to. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, she looked engrossed in a dusty-looking book that I could smell from across the room.
“Let’s move on to research,” Victor said. “Those books look old though.”
