“Drinking alone?” He helps himself to my bourbon. “That’s never a good sign.” He takes a sip and smacks his lips. “Ah. Been a long time since I could really savor a good drink.”
“Just thinking.” I turn from the window. “How’s the clan handover going with the other elders?”
“Smooth enough. They’re practical – they know that having you step into my role makes sense with everything that’s happening.” He settles into one of the leather chairs. I stare back out of the window. “You seem distracted.” Darick’s tone turns knowing. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain green-eyed witch?”
I shoot him a dark look. “She’s insufferable.”
“Mmhmm.” He smirks. “That’s not what I asked.”
“She hates our kind.”
“Can you blame her?” Darick swirls his drink. “After what happened to her sisters?”
My phone buzzes – the tech kid’s response. I welcome the interruption, ignoring Darick’s smug grin as I check the message. It’s short and to the point.
Got something interesting. Files on their way.
My mailbox pings with an incoming file. I tap a button and images flood the smart glass – security footage from various locations around the harbor and waterfront district. For several minutes, Darick and I examine the information, scrolling and stopping as we pick out anomalies.
“Look at this.” I gesture at one feed showing the old fish processing plant. “Movement here, just after midnight.” The grainy footage reveals shadowy figures slipping through a side entrance.
Darick leans forward, studying the images. “Can we enhance it?”
“Already done.” I swipe through enhanced stills. “See the way they move? Definitely vampires. And that build…” I point to one lean figure. “Could be Lucien.”
“Seems likely.” Darick’s eyes narrow. “But why would he be so careless? Security cameras aren’t exactly subtle.”
I run a hand over my hair. I’m frustrated. “That’s what’s bothering me. It feels staged – too perfect.” The footage shows clear entry points, obvious movement patterns. “He knows we’d check cameras first. This could be meant to draw us away from where he’s really keeping her.” I exhale. “It feels like we’re grasping at straws.”
“What about that charm you mentioned? The one Kara had?”
“Would’ve been useful if she’d let me examine it properly.” I scowl, remembering her fierce refusal when I’d reached for it. “The magical signature was strong – could have given us more to work with.”
Darick’s lips curve into that infuriating smirk. “I think she’s gotten under your skin.”
“She hasn’t gotten under anything,” I snap, perhaps too quickly. “She’s stubborn and difficult and—”
“And beautiful.” Darick chuckles. “These Blackwood women have a way, old friend. I speak from experience.”
“This isn’t like that.” I turn back to the wide panel of glass, changing the subject. “It’s hard to tell who’s moving through there. Any one of them could be Evelyn Blackwood.”
“Or none of them.” Darick’s brow furrows as he leans closer.
“That’s what I’m worried about. If we convince Arabella that we need to rush in there to save the witch, then get there and find nothing, she’ll think we’ve cried wolf.”
“That’s the last thing we need,” he mutters, rising from his chair. “There’s something else we need to discuss.” Darick’s tone shifts, growing heavier. “The artifacts Lucien’s been collecting.”
I set my glass down hard enough that the crystal protests. “Like the one he used on Mia?”
“Exactly. Ancient vessels designed to store magical energy.” Darick paces to the window, his reflection ghosting across the cityscape below. “He drained her power when he lured her to that meeting, storing it in that cursed receptacle.”
“And now he has Evelyn.” The implications hit me. “She’s one of the most powerful witches alive. If he taps into her power, too, he’ll have a formidable weapon.”
“Which means whatever he’s planning, it’s big.” Darick turns back to me.
I run my hand around the back of my neck, mind racing. “Hardly a surprise. We’ve suspected for a while that he’s after Arabella’s seat. But maybe it goes further. Because he’s pulling in the heavy hitters. First Mia, now Evelyn – both Blackwoods, both immensely powerful.”
“And both connected to prophecies and powerful sorcery through their bloodline.”
