My phone rattling on the nightstand wakes me.
I groan, half-asleep, and reach across the bed on instinct.
My palm finds cold sheets. No warm skin. No soft breath. No tangled hair across my forearm.
My eyes open.
The other side of the bed is empty.
I blink against the sunlight coming in through the curtains and look around the room. Her side of the bed is empty. No sounds from the bathroom. No shadow moving through the doorway.
My phone will not stop, so I grab it and squint at the screen.
Keira.
"Hello," I say, my voice rough from sleep.
"Were you asleep? Wow, I'm surprised."
I sit up and rub my eyes with the heel of my hand. "Yeah. What's up?"
"It's Shadowharbor. Their office has been calling me almost every day about that meeting."
My stomach tightens. The fog of sleep lifts instantly.
"No," I say, and toss the covers off of me. "We are not meeting with them."
"Yeah, I know. I know. But…"
I swing my feet to the floor and stand. The ground is cold under my bare soles. I take two steps toward the bathroom door.
"I'm close to fixing this, Keira," I say. "Stay away from them."
She sighs, and I can picture the face she is making.
"You keep saying that," she says. "But Cal, I feel like you're doing it all on your own. I know you're the fearless leader now and all, but we are a family, a team, you know."
I walk to the bathroom and glance inside. Empty. No steam on the mirror. No wet towels. Nothing.
"I know," I say, stepping back into the bedroom. "It'll all make sense soon, but I will make sure it's handled."
"I know you will, Cal. It's just…"
Another call comes in, and I look at my screen.
"It's Declan," I say, cutting her off.
"Oh, okay, take it. Love you."
"Love you," I say, and switch over. "What's up?"
"You need to get down here."
I freeze mid-step.
"Down where?"
"Warehouse 407."
