I exhaled fully for the first time since arriving in the present.
We were back—safe. Louise was still there, Claude too. No one would possess Eva and me as long as they stayed put. Everything we’d gone through with La Voisin had been worth it.
Tears sprang into my eyes as I took in the familiar living room. My mom’s mid-century modern flair and love of plush throws and blankets shone through in the decor. Bits of Dad were present too, in the hints of red, his favorite color.
Where were they?
My pulse quickened as I listened for Mom and Dad. The house seemed quiet, hollow. It was also a little dirty. A fine layer of dust coated the side table, and now that I was noticing it, the air smelled stale.
Standing, I moved over to the alarm system in the hall. They’d set it to “stay,” the setting my parents used when they were home but wanted to be alerted if anyone stepped onto their property.
On a whim, I moved over to the nearest oil diffuser and popped it open. It was bone dry inside, something Mom didn’t permit unless they were away on vacation.
My stomach sank at the mixed messages the alarm and the diffuser gave off.
“Mom?” I yelled. “Dad? Are you here?”
Hunter groaned. “Keep it down, will you? The room is rotating.”
“Oh, sorry.” I lowered my voice and pointed to the seat nearest him. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Just sit down until the spins wear off.”
Morgan had reminded us that if someone hadn’t timewalked recently, which the guys and Diana hadn’t, they might feel disoriented and nauseous for a brief spell.
“You sure? Hunter blinked rapidly. “I feel like I just slammed one too many beers or something. It wasn’t this bad the first time.”
I wasn’t so sure he was remembering correctly. When we arrived in the past Alex had been a wreck, and Hunter had definitely been off for a few hours. The girls had reacted to timewalking a little better, but our magic had been wonky. Still, there was no point in reminding him of that now. “Positive. You should be okay in an hour tops.”
My gaze traveled over the others. Eva had more experience timewalking and looked unruffled. Surprisingly, Diana looked fine too. That girl was tough as nails. Alex, however, looked out of sorts. The poor guy couldn’t seem to catch a break.
“Babe, lie on the couch. Let me help—”
Alex shook his head and hauled himself on top of it. I supposed that after days of being bedbound, he wanted to do it himself.
“So glad we don’t have to do that again soon.” Hunter gripped his head and allowed Eva to help him into a chair.
“Are they here, Odie?” Eva asked. “I can’t hear anything.”
“Me either, but the alarm tells me they should be here. If they left, they’d arm it ‘away’. I don’t understand.”
I began searching the house. With each passing minute, my heart rate ratcheted up as a new troublesome possibility entered my mind. Had someone taken them? If so, how had they gotten past the wards my parents set? Were they still in the house?
I shuddered at the last thought, but found nothing to reinforce my worry. The house was tidy, not a dishcloth out of place.
“I have no idea where they are!” I walked into the living room and threw up my hands. “There’s no sign of a struggle.”
“Hmmm.” Eva had been getting the guys water, but now she looked around the room.
“Maybe they had to flee after the Hellgate broke open,” Diana suggested. “I wonder if they left a note? Mother used to do that when she went out.”
Because the academy didn’t allow them, my phone was still locked away at Spellcasters, probably long dead. I checked the spot where my parents charged their phones, and found nothing. They weren’t on the tables and counters either.
We’d always been more of a call or text family, but Diana was right. It seemed that an old-fashioned note was my only hope.
Where would Mom or Dad put one? Especially if they wanted only me to find it?
Mentally, I moved from room to room. Right away, I disregarded my room. Too obvious. As was any place where leaving messages would be normal. If they didn’t want someone to find them, which I had a hunch was the case, it had to be somewhere smart. Somewhere other people wouldn’t consider.
I gasped. “I have an idea!”
