“Hey! I’m doing something. I did a lot of somethings and then came in here to yell at him when my search yielded no results.” Sin stood straight and gestured at me like I’d have any kind of helpful response.
“She’s probably hiding in a bloody tree and nursing her wounded heart. Give her time and she’ll come around.”
The two of them looked at me like I’d just suggested we braid each other’s hair or shave each other’s balls. With a straight razor.
Now I was the one who shuddered.
“Listen,” I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face. “We know she’s on the premises because there hasn’t been a breach of the wards. She’ll calm down, and then we’ll deal with it like adults. Until then?—”
“Get your bloody arses down here!” Malice’s shout sent a bolt of icy panic straight through me.
Without another thought, I materialized in the foyer where Malice stood, heaving for breath, expression stricken. Chaos and Sin followed only a heartbeat after me, both of them tensed and ready for a fight.
“What is it?” I breathed, but I already knew the truth.
Deep down, I knew.
Malice steeled himself, eyes locking on mine. “The wards have been breached. Merri is gone.”
Chapter
Two
MERRI
The scrape of ceramic across wood pulled my focus from the surreal beauty of the lake beyond the window. A mug of cocoa, complete with melting marshmallows, sat in front of me, steam curling from the top.
“Here, drink this. My mom always said hot chocolate could fix almost anything.” Cole’s voice soothed my frayed nerves.
I accepted the cup with a mumbled, “Thanks,” stealing a few surreptitious glances at my new housemate. He was way more handsome than I had expected, but not in a knock you over way like the horsemen. Cole was normal guy handsome. He was giving Henry Golding vibes. Like polished and cultured, but it wouldn’t be weird to see him doing DIY projects around the house. Business suit in the streets, but he has flannel sheets.
“Are you okay? You looked rattled when I answered the door.” He took the seat across from me but didn’t move to touch me. I probably seemed a lot like a scared stray cat at the moment.
“No. I’m not. Not by a long shot.”
“Do you?—”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet.”
He held up both his hands in a placating gesture. “No worries. I’m down to listen whenever you’re ready. In the meantime, why don’t you enjoy the hot chocolate, and I’ll get back to work. When you’re ready, you can come find me, and I’ll give you the nickel tour.”
I cocked a brow. “Nickel tour?”
He smirked, flashing me a heretofore unknown dimple. “I just meant there’s not a whole lot to see. Grand tour felt like it would be misleading.”
A genuine smile graced my lips for the first time since I’d had my heart crushed by Grim. “With a view like this, it's already pretty grand.”
He turned and looked out the window at said view. The lake water was so still it resembled a mirror, reflecting the fire-streaked sky. It was as beautiful as it was eerie. Nothing was in bloom, but the evergreens made up for the lack of foliage. Due to the lake, their roots must have had enough water even with the raised temperature.
Just like at the château, there was not a flake of snow to be found. So much for winter.
“You should have seen it a week ago,” he said, still looking out at the lake. “The snow all melted because of the heat, and the whole thing was overflowing.”
I peered out the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Looks normal to me.”
“Yeah, now. All the runoff evaporated. Who knows what it will look like next week.”
“Sounds like par for the course with an apocalypse,” I muttered.
