AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why was she here?” Theo asked, gaze scanning the landscape. “There’s no sign of a triggered ward, right? Why come to Cadogan House otherwise?”
“Maybe she thought there might be a ward and a Cornerstone,” I said. “There’s a lot of magic in and around Cadogan House. Maybe she just guessed wrong.”
“That’s logical,” Petra said. “But why toss the House? What does she get out of it? Maybe it was a defensive move when she saw you walk up?”
I liked the word “toss.” It made this feel more like a puzzle and less like a horrifying tragedy.
“We didn’t see her,” Connor said. “There was no need for a defensive move.”
“So she wanted the House gone,” Roger said. “Why?”
“There were powerful people in that House,” I pointed out.
“And powerful things,” Lulu said. “The library.”
“The library,” I said slowly, nodding. “And the spells Paige and your mother were going to translate. But she couldn’t know what’s in the library. Not in any detail.” I looked at Roger. “Did she ask you about it?”
“No,” Roger said. “But it’s easy enough to figure out the House has a library. That information is public and online. If she’s been preparing all this time, and knew at least one of the defensesexisted, she might have been researching the city, trying to figure out where...” Roger trailed off and closed his eyes as we all realized the implication.
“Which is one of the reasons Rose was talking to you,” Theo concluded. “She wanted to know where to look.”
Roger’s jaw tightened, and he held up a hand, then walked a few feet away, paced. Still feeling guilty about Rose, I guessed. I opened my mouth to tell him not to blame himself, but Theo put a hand on my arm.
“Let him work it out.”
Petra cleared her throat in the awkward silence that followed. “Oh, I forgot to tell you—the CPD found the Cornerstone by the South Gate.”
That wasn’t the good news I’d have preferred to hear, but it confirmed we were on the right track. And that was something.
“Where was it?” Connor asked.
“Buried in the median,” she said with a grin. “The easement is still on record. The CPD has uniforms around it.”
“Can we search for similar easements?” Connor asked.
“Unfortunately not. I mean, we can search the records, but there are literally tens of thousands of easements in the city, and this one wasn’t searchable in any unique way. We only found it because we were looking at that particular plot of land. But we can check the property records for Cadogan House just in case there’s something unusual.”
“Do that,” Roger said, walking back to us. Then he looked at Lulu, Connor, and me in turn.
“I’m sorry again for whatever part I’ve played in this. For whatever help I gave her.”
Lulu stepped up to him, pointed a finger. “No,” she said, eyes still red and swollen. “You don’t take the blame for this.Shetakes the blame for all of this.Shedoes.”
Then she turned and strode toward the House—where theHouse had been—and screamed at the top of her lungs into the chilly darkness.
“We are going to find our parents, Rose, and bring them back! And then we’re going to find you, and you will never see the light of day again!”
I’d have sworn I felt magic in her words.
***
Connor took on the miserable task of explaining to the Pack that its Apex had disappeared—while also grieving the loss of his parents. Alexei accompanied him back to Pack HQ, and I expected the Pack’s reaction would be... strong. Not just the worry or pain, but suspicion that vampires had been the cause. And the interlopers would probably add their own conspiracies.
Because my coworkers were kind and generous people, they offered to help out any Cadogan vamps who’d been away when the House disappeared, taking their home and belongings with it. They’d be grieving, too, and would need clothes, food, and shelter from the sun’s inevitable rise.
I was too numb to do anything but stare at the spot where the House had been. Lulu sat cross-legged on the sidewalk that led to the House’s portico, staring at it like she might simply conjure it back into existence. I stood beside her like a guardian. I don’t know how long we waited, watching for some change as members of the CPD moved around us, carefully recording the scene and canvassing the grounds for any sign of Rose.
I jumped when vehicle doors slammed, and looked back to find a cadre of strangers coming toward us. This time, it was vampires. Given my recent experiences with unfamiliar vamps, I went on alert and put my hand on my sword.
