Curious. I didn’t like leaving my home much and couldn’t imagine splitting my residences between three places. Ben didn’t seem like a typical Lord, and I wondered if that had something to do with his reticence to live at the Keep full time. He wasn’t a wolf, nor was he a bear…maybe the difference made him uncomfortable?
Shaking my head, I tugged my jacket closer and looked outside the window. Caelan and Pax both had their faces out the window sniffing like German Shepherds. The sight of it amused me, and I wished we were here on something much more mundane than finding a lost Lord.
Ethan had escaped with our intervention, though he didn’t know we were the reason for his reprieve. But Ben could be anywhere. I interlaced my fingers together and sent a whisper of power out the window as Christian slowed the vehicle. Plants and trees couldn’t talk, not in the sense we could, but they could send back images and feelings.
I projected an image of Ben to the landscaping and waited for it to respond. Seconds later, a faint sigh came through my senses. They’d seen nothing of importance.
I touched them with thanks and waited as we moved on.
Christian pulled into the parking lot of a small apartment complex a few minutes later. Nondescript, taupe apartments with black doors, all the units identical. “Come,” the shifter said as he pulled into a parking spot and slid from the vehicle.
We followed, Caelan coming up beside me. His body heat beat at my skin, and I squashed the urge to burrow into him.
Christian went upstairs and knocked a few times, but no one answered. He pulled out a keychain loaded with multiple keys and, after a moment of searching for the right one, opened the door.
I knew the moment we walked in Ben wasn’t present. Christian and Pax searched every room before shaking their heads. “There’s a warehouse under Keep ownership where we conduct business sometimes. Let’s check there.”
Without a word, we loaded up and got on the road again.
This place was fifteen minutes away, and there wasn’t much around to hide our presence.
“We’ll need to park somewhere and walk in if we want any hope of stealth,” Christian said.
Caelan nodded. “How far?”
The shifter pointed to a large gray building maybe half a mile away.
“Do you want to stay in the car?” Caelan said.
I snorted. “Not particularly. I can help once we get closer. I see one large tree, but there may be more. I can try to calculate how many people are in the building before you approach.”
Christian’s eyebrows rose. “Can you really?”
I shrugged. “Trees and plants can communicate in their own way. If there’s any greenery inside, that’s even better.
His brow furrowed. “We don’t use the place to meet that often, so I don’t think so. Anything inside would have died.”
I chewed on the side of my lips. “No admin people with plants on their desks or anything like that?”
Pax spoke up. “We do have a female wolf in charge of operations. It’s very possible she has something. Should I call her?”
“Text,” Caelan ordered. “We need to get moving.” He looked at me. “Do you need to know what it is?”
I shook my head. “Approximate location would be nice to prevent anyone from sensing my magic, but if they don’t have it, I’ll make it work.”
Pax bent his head over his phone and typed rapidly as we headed over.
“Let’s get within a block. We may need someone to go to higher ground and see if anything stands out.” Caelan moved to the front, leaving me walking next to Pax.
“Pothos,” Pax said. “That’s all she has. And she said it wasn’t in the best shape. Some shit about the lighting.”
My look was disapproving. “Just like people, plants have needs that must be met, too.”
To his credit, he looked chagrined. “Sorry. I’m not used to plants being of assistance in something like that.”
I nodded. “That’s because they’re too busy keeping you breathing.”
From ahead, Christian barked a laugh. “She’s got you there.”
