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Blaise and Sierra lean against the far wall, next to Sylvan, each of them looking as grim as the other. So many questions swim in their eyes.
Maddy’s stomach crunches in her middle and her knees begin to buckle, but she doesn’t stop pacing. She’s hungry, and it’s not going to get better. However, stopping isn’t an option. How can she? Caleb’s somewhere else, without protection, trying to save Nim.
None of them know where either of them actually are right now. When Caleb gets back, Maddy can eat. Until then… She licks her upper lip, surprised by the teeth points as her tongue smooths over her vampire fangs. Eating needs to be a priority, but the blood bags from the cooler don’t sound appetizing for some reason.
She turns to Sylvan. “Do you know where they would go?”
Sylvan presses his lips into a tight line and crosses his arms. “It’s probably a portal to someplace Fae, but I cannot be certain. It’s as much to do with the reader of the page as it is anything else. I cannot be sure of what was in Nim’s mind.”
“And how are we sure Caleb went where Nim went?”
At first, he doesn’t answer, and Blaise throws out a long series of curses, each one landing like a grenade in the middle of the room.
“So, we don’t know. We can only hope.”
That knowledge makes everything in Maddy angry, infuriates her in a way she’s never felt before. Red fills her vision, and she grits her teeth to keep from screaming. Caleb shouldn’t be there alone, vulnerable and unprotected. He should have gone there, grabbed Nim, and been back already.
Her thoughts careen to a halt.
It hits her, and she freezes. How is he getting back? They hadn’t discussed that detail at all. She groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.How?How had they not at least discussed that at all? He has no planned way back. He’d gone, just assuming he would find the way while he was over there. He never should have used the book and portal. She drops her hand and gives Sylvan a dark look.
Maddy marches toward the book, everything still covered by the red haze of her anger. “I’m going to find him.”
Blaise rushes toward her and wraps her arms around Maddy, yanking her back into the room. “I don’t think so.”
Maddy pulls Blaise’s arms away from her and takes another step toward the book on the table, but Nim’s partner doesn’t let go. Then Sylvan joins Blaise’s attempts to keep her from following Caleb.
“Let go.” Maddy jerks out of their grasps, but they latch on once more. Neither release her.
Blaise’s hands tighten almost painfully. “You can’t go, Maddy.”
“Fae magic will hurt you because you’re a vampire,” Sylvan adds.
Sierra waves her hands. “Shh! Shh! Somebody’s coming.”
The scuffle stops, and the trio turns to look at the entrance to the library’s private reading room.
Kenna strides in with her eyebrow arched high. “What’s going on?”
Maddy glares at Caleb’s aunt. “We’re cleaning up the mess you made.”
Kenna blinks and draws back in surprise. “What mess?”
The red in Maddy’s vision grows stronger, and she puts her hands on her hips. She’s sohungry, and it’s like a creeping madness. But she pushes it aside.
Instead, she says, “Caleb portaled himself somewhere else so he could find Nim and bring her back. But he hasn’t returned, and now he’s in a dangerous place, vulnerable and unprotected. Becauseyoudecided to turn him into a human again, Kenna.”
Kenna places her hand on Maddy’s forearm. “We did what we had to. It was necessary.”
“How can you say that? Orion’s been freed.”
Kenna’s eyes flash. “We’ll kill Orion now that he’s out.”
“Do you even know where he is?” Maddy demands, not backing down. Kenna may be the leader of the Order, but Maddy’s now a vampire. One who’s terrified she’s lost her mate.
“As far as I know, he’s laying low at one of the properties owned by Merrick Group of Industries.”
“But do you know which one?”
