“Look, I’m sorry about last night, but you looked miserable.” He leaned forward in his seat, almost angrily. “And I couldn’t just leave you alone like that. I had to stay and help you. I needed to.”
Of course. Last night. I wanted to smack my forehead. Instead, I took a calming breath and offered him a grateful smile.
“No, you were right. I did need the hot springs. And I’m sorry for what happened, but you were great. Not many people would have had the sense to turn me away like that.”
“Hot springs. Right.”
Confused by his annoyed tone, I watched him wearily lean back in his seat.
“Is something wrong? Girl trouble?” I asked, realizing he might have problems of his own that he was dealing with.
“You could say that. I don’t think this is the right time to talk about it, though.”
“Okay.” I looked around the room, trying to think of a suitable subject change. One came to mind, and I wrinkled my nose.
“Do I smell any different today?” I asked.
His expression lost a little of its dejected cast.
“Different how?”
“You know, is the brownie batter smell gone?”
A slow grin spread across his lips, and he crooked a finger at me.
“Come on. Let me have a smell.”
I got up and crossed to his desk. He turned in his seat and tugged me closer so I stood between his knees.
“I could smell the soap when you walked in,” he said. “But is it covering up your little friend’s present, or did it remove it?”
“Just get on with it already,” I said impatiently.
His hands settled on my hips, and my pulse hitched. When he leaned in, my insides went hot. It was a dumb idea to have him smell me. As dumb as asking the druids to get rid of my mom. When was I going to learn?
Yet, seeing his dark head so close to my chest made me hungry for so much more. I lifted my hand, itching to run my fingers through his hair.
The door opened, and LuAnn poked her head in. Her glance caught it all. Fenris’s nose planted between my boobs. My hand hovering inches from his hair. My black eyes.
“I wasn’t going to touch him,” I said quickly, pulling my hand back.
“It’s okay if you do, dear. I’ll leave you two to it.”
The door quickly closed.
Face flaming, I glanced at Fenris. His grin was so wide I was pretty sure I could see his molars.
“You weren’t going to touch me, huh?”
“Shut up, Fenris.” If possible, my face grew warmer.
“Oh, now I gotta know where.”
“Nowhere.”
I tried to step away, but his hands stayed firmly planted on my hips.
“Hmm, let’s see. It’s snowing outside, and ‘tis the season…were you thinking of my jingle balls?”
I wanted to disappear, but his hold wouldn’t allow that. Staring down into his thoroughly amused gaze, I wrinkled my nose at him.
“I’d like to unfriend you now.”
He laughed then leaned in to sniff my chest again.
“It’s still there,” he said after a moment. “Try wiping it with lemon juice tomorrow. The acid might help cut some of the smell. And the glow.”
He released me and leaned back.
“This whole thing just made your day, didn’t it?” I said, noting his unrepentant grin.
“You have no idea just how much.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re amused.” I returned to my chair with a scowl. “No doubt LuAnn will report this to Adira, and that giant pain will find some new way to twist our lives around because of this.”
“Would it be so horrible if she found ways for us to spend more time together?” he asked. Though he was wearing his usual smile, I could sense the hurt I’d inadvertently caused.
“No. Of course not. I do like spending time with you, Fenris. I just don’t like being forced to do anything. No one does.”
Once the bell rang and the distraction that was named Fenris wasn’t in the immediate area, I focused on finding Ashlyn. The druids were nowhere to be found during lunch, and Ashlyn’s car was still in the parking lot when I checked.
Debating my options for only a moment, I sent Adira a text.
Ashlyn wasn’t in second session, but her car is in the parking lot. Should I be worried?
I’ll look into it. Focus on your studies.
I rolled my eyes and went to the next session, watching the clock until the final bell rang. When I went out to the parking lot, Ashlyn’s car was gone.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I went home. It wasn’t until I pulled into the driveway that I remembered Mom.
I parked in the garage and turned off the car but didn’t go in. I stared at the kitchen door and tried to sort through what I felt. Yes, I was sad. I wished my mom hadn’t sided with Adira’s crazy idea that I was dying and needed to hop in bed with someone to save myself. But mostly, I was relieved. It was hard enough fighting Adira’s manipulations, but facing Mom’s disappointment and worry day in and day out would have been too much. I would have given in eventually and hated myself for it.
It was better this way.
I repeated those words in my head as I left the car and made my way into the kitchen. Mrs. Quill was by the fridge and turned at the sound of the door.
“Eliana,” she said with a smile. “Dinner will be ready at six. I’m making something special to celebrate.”
“That sounds good. Thank you, Mrs. Quill.”
I managed a return smile, and as I hurried away before she could say more, I told myself her excitement was a good sign. It meant everything had a chance of going back to normal. But why did her good mood make me feel like I was on the verge of tears, then?
The house seemed so empty as I made my way upstairs. Too quiet.
I’d barely had the thought when I heard a laugh ahead. My steps slowed. Further down the hall, the steady, familiar beat of music started.
“Mom?” I called in disbelief.
She stepped out of her room and came to me with arms wide.
“Baby, you’re home.”
Stunned, I didn’t fight her welcoming hug.
“I’m so proud of you. I knew the moment I smelled him in that restaurant, he would be just what we needed to tempt you from your hunger strike.”
I pulled back in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
Mom smoothed her hand over my hair, still smiling at me.
“The lusty werewolf boy that Adira paired you with in your Self-Discovery class. Was he able to walk after your feeding?”
I jerked out of her arms.
“Fenris? You think I fed off of Fenris?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that to him.”
She sighed.
“That’s disappointing, but don’t worry. I’m sure things will go better tomorrow. And if not him, maybe I’ll find someone else whose scent is a little more potent. The way you avoided eye contact, I thought for sure he’d be the one.”
I stared at her for a stunned moment.
“You? You’re the reason Fenris was suddenly in my class?” I covered my face with my hands, so frustrated I could scream. “You shouldn’t even be here anymore.”
“Baby, I told you, I’m staying until I know you can take care of yourself. We’ll work through this together. After I eat, I’ll go out and—”
“No. I don’t need you to go out looking for my next meal.”
“Apparently you do, or the Council would have found a reason to force me out. But they haven’t. Instead, they offered me, the ravenous pregnant lady, a deal. What does that tell you, baby? You have a lot of people worried about you. I’m staying until I know, without a shadow of doubt, that you’ve finally embraced who you are.”
Angry, I walked around her and shut myself in my room. The spell had obviously gone all wrong if Mom was still here and Ashlyn was missing.
A thought stopped me. If mom was here, then maybe Ashlyn was outside the barrier. Maybe she was finally free. I hoped that was the case. I needed to be sure, though. I checked my phone again and saw I still had no message from Ashlyn. I sent her another text.
Starting to really worry. Let me know when you get this.
I paced from my door to the bed and back again. Stupid druids and their stupid spells.
As much as I wanted to believe Ashlyn was outside Uttira and happy, I knew better. The druids had made it clear that getting mom out would depend on her having the mark of Mantirum that allowed her to leave. Ashlyn didn’t have the mark. That meant she was somewhere inside the barrier. I could check the perimeter, but there wasn’t a road circling the thing. And because the area’s size was magically altered to give us more space, it would take me weeks to walk the entire perimeter. There was also another reason not to bother with searching on foot. She would have texted me back if she was wandering around inside the barrier.
Mom called out to me when I hurried past her partially open door, but I didn’t stop. Jogging down the stairs, I yelled that I’d be back later then cut through the kitchen with a wave to Mrs. Quill.
The drive to Ashlyn’s house wasn’t long enough. When I pulled up to the curb, I still hadn’t decided what I’d do if she wasn’t there. However, the sight of her car in the open garage gave me hope.
Not lingering in the car, I rushed to the door and knocked.
It was opened several moments later by Anne Regan, the new liaison officer.
My hope shriveled.
“Is Ashlyn here?”
“No. I’m looking for her, actually. When was the last time you saw her?”
“This morning just before the first session bell. Was her car here when you got here?” I asked.
Anne shook her head. “The Council asked me to move it. I heard you’re the one who brought Ashlyn’s absence to Adira’s attention.”
I nodded, feeling sick.
“Yeah. She wasn’t in second session. She’s almost always there. The one time she wasn’t, she left a note to explain why. She didn’t this time. It’s not like her to just disappear.”
“Do you know anyone who’d want to harm her?”
I blinked at the woman.
“Uh…everyone? This is Uttira,” I said.
“Right. I meant, is there anyone who has a personal reason to harm her?”
“Not that I know of,” I said. “Where should we look next?”
“We aren’t going to look anywhere. You’re going to go home while I continue my search.”
“Miss Regan, it’s dangerous for her to be anywhere but her home, her car, the Academy, or the Roost. She doesn’t have a lot of time.”
“You seem really worried about her.”
“I can count the number of friends I have on one hand. She’s one of them. She’s suffered so much but has always been there for me. I need to be there for her.”
Anne nodded.
“If I don’t find her at the Roost, I’ll contact the Council and recommend we organize an official search. Now go home. Let me take care of this.”
I reluctantly returned to my car. The chances of Anne finding Ashlyn were as slim as me finding her. Ashlyn was the proverbial needle in a haystack at the moment. I needed to focus on finding the druids. But where to start.
A knock on my window startled me from my thoughts.
Looking out, I saw Anne, so I quickly rolled down the window.
“I’ll follow you home to make sure you get there,” she said.
“What about Ashlyn?”
“I just called the Roost. They haven’t seen her all day. It’s time to talk to the Council.”
I rolled up my window and started the engine as my thoughts raced. I felt certain Ashlyn’s disappearance was a result of the spell this morning. Had the druids guessed the same? If so, that would explain why they’d suddenly vanished from school as well. It frustrated me, though, that they would run instead of staying to determine what went wrong with the spell and where it might have sent Ashlyn. They were our best bet at finding her right now.
If I told the Council what happened, would it be easier to locate the druids or harder? I recalled how they’d easily memory wiped people at the Roost and decided it would be harder. At least, the liaison was looking for Ashlyn in the meantime. While she did that, I’d keep looking for the druids.
Despite my decision, the sick feeling in my stomach grew the closer we got to the Quills’ home.
I parked in front of the house and let Anne in through the front door. Using the intercom, I asked Mr. and Mrs. Quill to meet us in Mr. Quill’s office.
Anne didn’t say much as we walked upstairs, but I could sense her fear. I wondered if it was fear for Ashlyn or fear for herself. Neither would help her find my friend. Both could attract predators while she was out searching, though.
I brushed my hand against the petite blonde’s hand and pulled a healthy amount of her negative emotions from her.
“Don’t let yourself feel fear,” I said when she glanced at me. “Be wary. Be smart. Don’t be bait.”
She slowly nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Just find Ashlyn.”
The office door was open when we reached it. Adira and the Quills were all inside. Anne walked in first, and I boldly tried to follow.
Adira portaled, appearing just beside the door before I fully entered.
“We’ll talk later, Eliana,” she said, closing the door in my face.
I stared at the wood. Then, deciding I didn’t care if I was caught or not, I pressed my ear to the panel.
“Miss Regan,” Adira said. “It’s good to see you. Any update?”
“I wish I had good news. I’ve checked the girl’s home and don’t see any signs that she was there since she left it this morning. I think it’s time we organize an official search. We need to recruit as many friendly creatures as we can to help find the girl.”
“We appreciate your determination to find her,” Adira said. “However, I caution against using that method. If you spread the word that a human is missing, it won’t only be friendly creatures out looking for her, and our chances of recovering the girl whole will rapidly fade.”
“What do you propose then? Do nothing? Her chances of being found whole are already rapidly fading.”
“I’d like to suggest we make Raiden aware of the disappearance. He is discreet and trustworthy. And he’ll be able to use her scent to track her.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Fine. But we contact him now. If he can’t start immediately, then we find another trustworthy nose to sniff her out.”
I thought of Fenris and moved away from the door. Should I involve him? If both he and his father were looking for Ashlyn, they might find her faster. Faster still would be getting more information from the druids. I chewed on my lip then started back down the stairs, believing that finding the trio was still Ashlyn’s best bet.
Before I reached the door, the air shimmered, and Adira appeared. She looked surprised to see me.
“Eliana. Are you going out for the evening?”
“Probably. Any news about Ashlyn?”
“Don’t worry about Ashlyn. Just focus on your classwork and your friends.”
“Ashlyn is my friend.”
“Ashlyn is food, Eliana. Protected and treated well, but still food.”
I stared at her, wishing I was strong enough and fast enough to strangle her.
“I’ll be sure to share your opinion with Megan,” I said.
Adira nodded, not looking the least bit threatened.
“I’m so proud of the progress you’ve made in the past few days. I can see having your mother here is a very positive influence on you.”
“Positive?” I sputtered.
Someone knocked on the door, and she answered it, cutting our conversation short.
“Raiden,” Adira said in greeting to the tall, dark-haired man. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Of course.” He looked at me. “Eliana. It’s nice to see you.”
“You too.”
His gaze swept the room.
“Nicolette is upstairs,” Adira said. “She’s not the reason I called you.”
I could sense his relief as his guilty gaze locked with mine for a moment.
“Don’t worry. I don’t want her around either,” I said.
“Eliana,” Adira scolded. “Your mother loves you and is here to help you.”
“No. She’s here to help you. Not me. Good luck, Raiden,” I said before walking out the door.
I got in my car and headed to Megan’s, debating my next move. One thing was certain: I couldn’t do nothing.
At Megan’s, I sent Fenris a text.
Can you meet me at Megan’s? Alone?
I probably didn’t need to say alone because he was always looking for a reason to leave his girls behind, but this time I needed to be sure.
Be there in ten, he sent back.
While I waited, I went inside to feed Elbner. The house was dark and quiet, though.
“Elbner?” I called.
No answer.
After I mixed up his meal, I went in search of him, turning on lights as I moved from room to room. The house was amazingly clean. It smelled good, too. Even the guest room, which had been a little creepy to sleep in, had web free, shadowy corners. However, there was no sign of Elbner anywhere. Had he left now that he’d shared the information about his previous master?
I was just about to text Megan to see if she’d heard from him when shouting erupted outside.
The kitchen door slammed behind me in my rush to see what was going on.
Two heads swiveled my direction.
Elbner looked furious, and Fenris looked amused. And barely dressed. He stood in the snow, barefoot and only wearing a pair of low riding jeans that made my stomach clench.
“Did you bring a shirt?” I asked.
“I can only fit rolled up jeans in my mouth,” he said.
“Why don’t you come inside?” I offered.
“The mongrel is not allowed in this house,” Elbner said. “Or this yard. Go, tramp!”
Fenris’s grin widened.
“Elbner, Fenris is Megan’s friend. Mine, too.”
“The mutt is no friend of Elbner’s. Leave now, or I will neuter you.”
“Try it, bite-sized,” Fenris said.
I hurried between the pair, hands out to keep them apart.
“What is going on?” I demanded, looking at Fenris.
“I was wronged!” Elbner shouted, shaking an angry fist. “You and the fury are both lucky I’m still here.”
“How were you wronged?”
“I wasn’t fed yesterday.”
Fenris snorted.
“You little liar. I fed you your oats and milk.”
“Oats on a plate and milk in a cup,” Elbner said with a scowl at me and a gesture at Fenris as if to say, “see what I have to deal with?”
“Elbner, I’m sincerely sorry,” I said. “I’m pretty sure Fenris slept through the caring for helpful creatures lecture and missed the part where the oats and milk were supposed to be mixed in a bowl and topped with honey.”
“Ignorance is no excuse.”
“I completely agree. I swear to properly educate him if he ever needs to fill in for me again. I have your oats ready for you inside if you want.”
Elbner considered me then Fenris.
“Fine. I will continue to serve Megan, but this is a black mark against her care for me. Don’t let it happen again.” He started for the house. “And the dog still can’t come in.”
The door slammed closed behind him, and I looked at Fenris. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“So, you’re going to educate me?”
“Try to educate you. How do you not know how to feed a goblin?”
“Oh, I know how. I just chose not to when he accused me of trespassing after hitting me in the head with his shoe.”
I groaned.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault he’s small and unstable.”
“It’s my fault for not warning you he likes throwing shoes at uninvited guests.”
Fenris’s smile vanished.
“Did he hit you with his shoe?”
“Calm down. It didn’t hurt me any more than it hurt you. We have bigger issues to deal with.”
“We do?”
“Ashlyn is missing.”
“How? When?”
I wasn’t yet ready to talk about how so I focused on when.
“I saw Ashlyn this morning before first session. But she wasn’t in second session and hasn’t answered any of my messages all day. She doesn’t do that.”
“Have you told Adira?” he asked, tucking his hands into his jeans.
“She’s with your dad now. They want him to try to track Ashlyn. But we both know how big this place is. It might take him longer than she has.”
“You have a different idea, don’t you?”
“Maybe. There were these three druids Ashlyn and I talked to the other night in the Roost. Meg, Anne, and Lauv. I think they can help find Ashlyn faster, but I don’t know where they live. Do you?”
“No. I can ask around, though.”
“Discreetly,” I said.
“Don’t want the Council catching wind of the fact you’re thinking of using magic?”
“No.”
“A location spell is a good idea, though. And probably something better left to more experienced druids. You might want to mention it to Mr. Quill.”
“I will. But just in case they don’t think one human worth the expense of hiring a professional, can you still ask around?”
“Of course.”
He removed his hands from his pockets and raised his brows expectantly at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Am I going to have to chase you down every time?”
“Chase me? Why?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I understood. “Oh, right. Forget the missing human and the fact that my mom’s still in Uttira and that Adira purposefully put us together in Self-Discovery because said mom thought your lust-smell would do me good. Fenris needs his hug.”
“That’s right, I do.”
He wiggled his fingers and squatted down a little.
“I’m not running into your arms.”
“Come on. Bring it in hard and fast, lightweight. Don’t you want to see if you can knock me over?”
At the moment, knocking his grinning face to the ground did sound a little fun. But I took the dignified route and walked into his embrace.
“One of these days, you’ll come running for a hug,” he said into my hair.
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Oh, I’m not.” He inhaled deeply. “New shampoo?”
“Are we done hugging yet?”
“The timer doesn’t start until your hands are on my back. Or lower. Whatever’s more comfortable for you to grab.”
I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around his waist. It felt good to be hugged by Fenris.
“So we have your mom to thank for getting us out of real work at the Academy?” he asked against my hair.
“Not that I’d call any of the work there real, but yeah. It was her. And don’t thank her. You should be as upset as I am at being manipulated.”
“I dunno. She got me what I wanted.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, warily easing out of his hold.
“An hour of freedom. Celebrate the small stuff, Eliana. Don’t let the big picture worries drown you.”
