“Has Callum been found?” I asked, recalling when I’d last seen him at the Bone Temple.
“He’s missing in action,” Kieran stated.
Casteel took my hand. “Let’s return to Wayfair.”
As he led me through the alley, I felt a faint charge and looked behind me. Kieran stared straight ahead, but I had a feeling he and Casteel were communicating again. I started to ask what they felt they needed to speak privately about but was interrupted.
“Hey,” Malik called from the mouth of the alley. “You all back there?”
“Yeah,” Kieran answered. “We’re heading back now.”
Casteel squeezed my hand.You okay?he asked in my mind.
I nodded.
Malik hadn’t gone far when we walked out from between the homes, but he wasn’t alone. Naill had returned. Somehow, he looked even more disturbed than he had earlier.
Casteel sensed it, too. “Do I even want to know?” he asked.
“Something…is happening.” Naill pivoted. “I’m not sure what. But you have to see.”
Without saying another word, we followed Naill into one of the homes we’d first investigated. I quickly looked down as we passed through the small entryway. Three pairs of shoes. One set small. Gods. I didn’t want to see them again.
Casteel squeezed my hand and stopped just inside the dark hall. “I can take you back to Wayfair,” he offered. “Kieran and I can deal with whatever is going on here.”
“We can,” Kieran confirmed.
“No.” I pulled on my hand.
Casteel held on. “I know this is getting to you,” he said, his voice low as Naill moved ahead of us. “It’s getting to me.”
“It’s getting to everyone,” I said. “And I’m no different than anyone else.”
“I beg to differ.”
My chin lifted as I met his gaze. “I don’t expect you or anyone else to do what I am unwilling to do myself.”
His mouth opened and then snapped shut, his nostrils flaring. “That’s the most idiotic ideology ever.”
“Really?” I said dryly. “Because I learned it from you.”
A quiet, low laugh came from Kieran, drawing Casteel’s glare.
“Hey.” I tapped his chest with my other hand and waited until his golden gaze returned to mine. “This is one of those moments when you need to remember that I don’t need to be protected.”
Kieran’s earthy mark brushed against my thoughts.I don’t think such a moment exists for him.
He was right, but I ignored him, thankful he hadn’t said it aloud.
“I’m not trying to protect you in that way,” Casteel said. “I’m trying to prevent more nightmares.”
My breath caught as my fingers curled into the chest of his cloak. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at him, but that would be really inappropriate, all things considered. “Thank you for thinking of that,” I whispered.
“But?”
I didn’t need to say anything else.
Casteel sighed. “Let’s go.”
