My gaze flicked to Grey, who was clearly chewing on something inside his mind. He recognized something about this.
I rubbed Mary’s shoulder. “Beth wasn’t the only one abducted last night, and I’m already trying to find who’s responsible. What are you and the guild doing?”
“Searching spells, mostly. We’re scrying to try to find her, but it’s not working.”
“Keep it up,” I said. “Anything helps. And I’m going to start looking for Beth immediately.”
“Thank you, Carrow.” She hugged me tight. “I knew you would.”
“Of course. Beth’s my friend.”
Mary stood, still shaking, and disappeared down the street.
Grey moved aside so he could leave the garden but didn’t come to sit next to me. I stood, staring at him. “What do you know?”
“I know who’s responsible for the kidnappings—or at least, whose goons did the dirty work.”
Elation jumped. “Tell me!”
“Not here.” His gaze flicked to the wall of roses behind me.
I looked back at the gorgeous flowers, my skin prickling with wariness. The walls have eyes. The old saying came to mind, and I rose. “Come on. We’ll go back to my place. I’m waiting for Mac to come back from the other crime scene.”
He nodded, and together we strode down the street toward my flat. We walked in silence, which was for the best.
About halfway to my flat, I said, “We’re not far from Hangman’s Alley, are we?”
“Only a couple streets over.”
“Let’s check it out real quick. Maybe I’ll get something.” I cut through the streets, grateful for my sense of direction. I didn’t know the entire town yet, but I knew a lot of it, especially the part around my flat.
Hangman’s Alley was a tiny little thing, an empty alley devoid of shops or bins. I definitely wasn’t surprised that it was frequently used as an impromptu loo by drunken kids.
We reached it a moment later, and I slipped into the cool, dark space. It was only a few feet wide, so narrow that it seemed pointless. And, of course, it smelled of wee.
I held my nose and ran my hands along the stone wall.
Please, please show me something.
4
Carrow
The alley wall was rough under my fingertips as I used my magic to try to read the stones.
What happened here last night? Who abducted Beth?
Red exploded in my mind, brilliant and violent, the color so blinding that it made my brain ache. Amongst the swirling bright red fog in my mind, a figure stood. I couldn’t see them clearly, but they were there. The power that radiated off the figure nearly sent me to my knees.
Screams of pain and the clash of steel sounded in my head, bringing with it the scent of mud and blood.
War.
A connection formed, something fierce and strong that pulled me toward the figure.
“Come to me.” The voice was deep and low in my head, blasting through me. Violence made audible.
Repulsion filled me.
I couldn’t go to this figure. Never. It would be the death of me. The death of so many.
Suddenly, the redness faded. Calm descended, white and pure. There was still a figure hidden amongst the mist, but they remained invisible.
“You must resist.” The voice was no longer terrifying. Instead, it was desperate. “You must stop this.”
What the hell was going on?
Two strong hands appeared on my shoulders, pulling me back. The connection broke. I gasped, stumbling against Grey’s strong chest. He clutched me close, keeping me upright.
“What happened?” he asked.
I pulled away, mourning the loss of the connection, and turned to him. “I don’t know. I just had the strangest vision. Like I was standing with someone.”
“You went totally still, like you went somewhere else.”
I turned back to the wall. “Maybe I did.”
His hand lightly touched my shoulder. “Your magic has grown.”
I shivered, feeling it race through me. Whatever had just happened had been different than the other times I’d used my skills. But why? My power was growing in such a weird, convoluted way. There was no pattern.
I looked at Grey. “I don’t what I just saw, but it has to do with the kidnappings.”
“And it made your power grow?”
I shivered, worried. “I don’t know.”
“But this is linked to you, somehow.”
“I don’t know.” My throat felt tight. “It was all so fast. It’s all just feelings. How am I supposed to learn anything from that?”
“Powerful magic follows no rhyme or reason, somehow.”
The words were no comfort. But I had to get Beth back. If that terrible voice was somehow connected to these kidnappings, I needed to find her soon. I looked up at Grey. “Let’s get back to my place. I want to hear what you know.”
Together, we hurried through the city. By the time we arrived at the street across from my flat, my skin was prickling with anticipation. The kidnappings and Grey’s presence fought to dominate my thoughts. We might have broken the fated bond between us, but we hadn’t broken the attraction.
I stepped off the pavement and into the street, my gaze on my flat. The motorbike came out of nowhere, going so fast that it seemed to appear from the blue.
Grey moved like lightning, gripping my shoulders and spinning me around, putting himself between me and the bike.
It nearly hit him, missing by a margin of inches. My heart thundered as I panted, looking up to meet his gaze. Concern flickered in the depths.
“Are you all right?” he breathed.
“I don’t know where my mind was.” On you.
We stood so close that the heat of him radiated through me, his firelight and whiskey scent wrapping around me like a blanket. Protectiveness radiated from him.
He swallowed hard and stepped back, letting go of my arms. “Come.”
He turned and looked both ways. The street was clear, so he crossed. I hurried after him, my gaze riveted to his broad back.
He’d put himself between me and danger always.
I knew it like I knew my own name. The bond between us was broken. It had taken with it some of the familiarity that I felt with him, some of the natural fit that we felt.
And yet, I still wanted him. We were more strangers than we’d ever been, but . . .
I still wanted him.
We reached the green door that led to the stairs up to my flat. As I unlocked it, Mac came careening around the nearby corner, her eyes brightening at the sight of us.
“You’re back.” Her short blonde hair was messy from the wind and her run. Her gaze flicked to Grey. “Did it work? Why is he here?”
“Third person, Mac.” I raised my brows.
“Yeah, yeah. Apologies, Devil. But is the bond broken?”
“It is.” His voice was stiff.
Relief flooded her gaze, then it landed on me. She frowned. “You look white as a ghost. What’s wrong?”
“Beth was abducted.” Just saying it made my stomach pitch.
“No.” Mac whitened. “Really? From where?”
I repeated what Mary had told me.
“Shit.” Mac frowned..