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Itwasn’t“nothing.”
I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall. From the snatches I could hear, someone had gone missing, andthatmade me wonder if they’d ended up on the wrong end of a blood summoning ritual. Fate did tend to do things like that in this reservation.
Aiden hung up on the promise to be there in forty minutes, suggesting whoever had gone missing lived a good distance away from Castle Rock. Maybe even as far out as Blackwood.
Meaning it was totally possible he or she were those bits of flesh we’d found.
“Do you need a hand?” I asked.
He hesitated. “I’m not sure what we’re dealing with yet. It might be unrelated to earlier events.”
“Very possibly not, but if you lose the scent trail, I could probably continue the search using psychometry. Besides, it at least gives us a bit more time together, even if not in the manner we’d been hoping.”
“At this point, I’ll take all the time with you that I can get.” His quick smile was decidedly wicked. “But do be warned, I intend to spend as much time in bed with you as I can over the next few days.”
“Just in bed?” I tsked. “Ranger, your imagination has slipped in the time we’ve been apart.”
“Not that far, I can assure you.”
I laughed, caught his face between my hands, and kissed him soundly. “I’ll go grab my kit from the reading room.”
“I left the truck at the station, so I’ll go get that. I’ll meet you out the front in five.”
I nodded, kissed him again, this time more briefly, and then all but bounced down the steps. The air sparked briefly as I entered the reading room, a clear indication the spells encircling and protecting the room were active. The warm scent of cinnamon, clove, lemon, and sandalwood—all of which provided either protection or enhanced focus and concentration—lingered in the air, a leftover from the steady run of customers Belle had yesterday. It seemed a fast-approaching Christmas brought a melancholy need to seek comfort or forgiveness from the dead for many folks.
I walked over to the bookcase that covered the entire right-hand wall, shifted a pottery dragon, and placed my hand against the rear panel. Magic immediately crawled across my fingers. A heartbeat later, there was a soft click, and the wooden panel slipped to one side, revealing an eight-inch hidden compartment—one of thirty-six we’d had built behind the bookcase. A witch could never be too careful when it came to certain magical implements, even if it was very unlikely that anyone intending no good—be it witch, demon, or even a human—could cross the barriers that now protected this place.
I reached in, carefully retrieved my blessed silver knife, then closed the door and tugged my backpack free from the bottom shelf. Once the knife was securely tied in place, I grabbed a couple of cake slices, then closed all the windows before grabbing my keys and purse and heading out to wait for Aiden.
I didn’t have to wait long. He stopped out the front of our building, then leaned across the seat to open the door for me. Once I’d belted up, he took off, doing a quick left at Barker Street and accelerating away. He put the lights on but left the siren off, thankfully.
I handed him a chocolate brownie—his favorite—then began to munch on my chocolate caramel slice. I normally would have considered it too rich for breakfast, but my hormones had other ideas.
“Where are we headed?” I asked round the mouthful of gooey deliciousness.
“Creswyn.”
Which was almost as far away from Castle Rock as Blackwood was. “And who’s missing?”
“Rosie Jackson. Connie said she woke up a few hours ago and discovered her gone.”
“She just walked out?”
“Apparently. She left the back door open, but didn’t take their car or her purse.”
“Why is Connie only ringing you now?”
“Because she went looking for her first.” The gaze he briefly cast my way was somewhat wry. “Connie’s a werewolf, Rosie is human. The pair were ostracized from the Raines pack in the Northern Territory some fifty-odd years ago because of their relationship.”
Them being from the Raines pack explained his wry expression. His former girlfriend—the one his mother had invited back not so long ago in the hopes she might pry his heart away from mine—had come from that pack.
“People weren’t as accepting of gay relationships back then,” I said. “Throw in the fact one of the pair was human and, well, it’s not as bad as being a witch but it would have come damn close to it back in those days. They were probably better off elsewhere.”
He nodded. “From what I understand, they traveled around for ten or so years before coming here to settle in Creswyn.”
“Why there?”
He shrugged. “Connie’s brother married into the Sinclair pack.”
