Gentry had been doggedly ignoring the imaginary insults, determined to stay awake so she could apologize again. So when Kit arrived, she jumped to her feet. “You’re back,” she said, unsure on what to say, “I’m glad.”
Luckily, Kit didn’t seem to care in the least about her awkwardness. He eyed the soft bundle of blankets she’d been using as a temporary mat. “So does meditating have something to do with the necromancer?” he asked.
She nodded, glad that they weren’t talking about the emotional elephant in the room yet. “Yes, it’s so I can…get in touchwith the Drayer part stitched to my soul.”
Kit flinched. “Shit, that sucks.”
“Yeah”—she pointed at the bottle—“and that’s so I can figure out his worst fears and his memories while I dream. It’s all to help Wren make a cut in the right place.”
“The smaller one? She looks a bit nutty.”
‘She is, but…” Gentry let her words trail off from the obviousshe’s my only chance of getting out of this alive.It sounded too desperate. “It’s driving me a bit crazy, just meditating, sleeping, and hoping that a friend of Clea’s will save me. I hate it,” she confessed in a gush, painfully aware of how whiny her words had to sound to the guy who’d just lost the love of his life.
Rather than look disgusted at her like he was supposed to, Kit sat down on a chair and leaned forward, his lean, dangerous body somehow making even that movement sexy. “Do you want something to keep you busy?” he asked, his eyes intent on hers.
Gentry felt a bit dizzy at the question.Busy? Surely he doesn’t mean…
Kit chuckled as he read her panicked expression, “Not that kind of distraction. A different one. The one I’ve been going away trying to solve.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “The kids. The ones we dropped off with Nona a couple days ago. They’re missing.”
Shock had Gentry scrambling to her feet. “What? When did they..?”
“We were the last ones to see them,” the assassin confirmed quietly, “and we haven’t been able to find a single damn clue pointing to where they went. Nona, my siblings and I are all worried sick.”
The next few minutes passed in a blur. Gentry bombarded Kit with questions as she switched her laptop to life. She went to work, fingers flying, only distantly aware of Kit getting ready for bed.
It was only when he tapped her on the shoulder that she looked up from the screen.
“Thank you,” he told her with a sad smile, “for everything. Telling me about Visha. Looking for the kids. You’re a good woman, Gentry. Don’t forget to take your medicine tonight. Night.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Kit then walked off to make himself a pallet on the floor so that the bed would be free like the gentleman he was.
Stunned, Gentry remained unmoving at her keyboard as she looked blankly at the satellite images of Skadra she’d brought up. She’d never expected gratitude from the witch she’d screwed over again and again. Her cheekbone burned from where he’d kissed her.
He’s just nice,she reminded herself as she started typing again,that kiss doesn’t mean anything.
But what did it say about her that she wished that it had?
thirty-nine
Kit
It turned out Kit should’ve involved Gentry sooner in the search for the kids. She’d shaken him awake a few hours later, proudly showing off a hand-drawn map she’d compiled by hacking into the magic-less surveillance cameras around the area. The piece of paper had also included a license plate number of the van she’d spotted. She’d grinned at him with that news, the shadows under her eyes making it clear that she hadn’t slept. She then showed him her work on the computer.
Kit had watched the surveillance, stunned when the masked figures snatched all ten kids up with preternatural speed. Vampyres. The kids had been kidnapped by vampyres. He nearly crumbled the very valuable piece of paper Gentry had given him in his rage.
“What next?” that absolute genius of a girl asked him.
He took a few moments before answering, really thought about it. “You’re going to take your tonic now so you’re ready for the Weavers tonight. I’m taking this information to the enforcers and my siblings.”
Although she looked a little disappointed at the idea of being left behind, Gentry stood up and stretched. “I hope you find them,” she said earnestly, “it’ll be hard to meditate today knowing that some creeps have them.” She yawned.
After reassuring her that she’d done everything possible, Kit sent pictures of the piece of paper to Mary, who immediately acknowledged the breakthrough with a thumbs up. He then put his jacket on and left the apartment, determined to beat the enforcers to the coordinates Gentry had provided. He eyed the rooms without crosses suspiciously. Had the freaks who’d taken the kids live here? Had they drained them? Were Benny and the others dead?
Vampyres and their feeding habits were strictly regulated in Skadra. All the hospitals provided them their blood bank surpluses and some covens made a killing selling them fake blood. They were all amenities so that vampyres had a chance in hell with complying with the No Feed Law. Vampyres weren’t allowed to feed from humans without consent, and the high magical population in Skadra meant that they had a hell of a time achieving that consent. Had some vamps finally snapped and decided a defenseless group of witchlings were an easy target?
The flight to the location on Gentry’s map was a fast one — only ten minutes or so. There were no other witches there yet, only the traffic of both the magic-less vehicles and of the Sky Road providing the illusion of witnesses. But Kit now knew the real witness was the shiny black camera hanging from a porch.
Those vamps were idiotic to kidnap them here,he thought,any witch could’ve seen them from a broom and it would’ve been over.
