‘Relax, Elena. Nothing is happening. It’s just an isolated incident,’ she said, and I checked my phone for any reports of weird attacks. Nothing.
Writing a brief message to Michael and my Executive Officer Cecil, I trusted they would dig into what was happening in the Air Lands while I attempted to learn more from the women.
The second I entered the room, they blanched and curtsied even when I was adamant I didn’t need such submission. ‘Can you tell me more about what happened?’
‘What would you like to know, my liege?’ the one scared for her family asked while brushing her hands against a piece of cloth. The women worked here.
‘When did the incident happen? And where?’
She cleared her throat, while her reassuring colleague stayed silent. ‘On the outskirts, my liege. The old windmill house by the smallest mountain.’
‘Throat cut and daggered, right?’ I made sure I remembered the details.
‘That’s right,’ she said, nodding excessively and looking relieved.
‘Give me directions to that house, please.’
Moments later, I headed back to our room with a selection of sweet pastries I was sure Ava would appreciate. I couldn’t stomach anything after what I’d just learned.
Knowing she wouldn’t either, I let her eat in peace before breaking the news about the change of plans.
‘We need to stay in town. I need to get to the bottom of what’s happened here last night,’ I said as her curious gaze snapped to mine.
She was receptive enough to notice something was off and waited for me to start the conversation. She knew me well; she probably realised I wouldn’t have said anything until I was ready anyway.
‘What happened last night?’
I sighed. Getting Ava dragged into a weird murder case wasn’t what I’d planned. 'Somebody was killed in town last night. The local chief of police is trying to solve it, but I must go and check it out.’
‘Of course.’
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tested my luck. ‘I don’t suppose you’d like to stay here and enjoy—’
‘Is that a serious question?’ She shot me a look so cold that I felt my fire flicker inside me. My mate was seriously hot when she was angry.
I smiled, but it quickly died down. ‘Okay then. I was just offering; the scene might be grim.’
Ava jumped off the bed and looked at me incredulously. ‘I didn’t think a murder scene would be entertaining, River.’
I hadn’t meant to imply that. I only wanted to spare her from that kind of gore. For the longest time, I had hoped to shelter her, to help her grow a power she would never need to use to defend herself. But lately, I was starting to see that perhaps I had been wrong.
Strength took many forms, and my mate was not meant to stand on the sidelines. As much as that unsettled me, it made me just as proud.
‘Ready to go, then?’
‘Lead the way.’
Chapter Thirty-Five
Avari
An old red-brick house came into view, and my pulse spiked. A murder. A senseless act of cruelty. The more I tried to understand what could drive someone to kill in cold blood, the less sense it made.
River’s awareness guided us to a narrow footpath cutting through an acacia forest. With no other way forward, we parked the car and continued on foot. The gravel path was narrow but mostly level, and we reached the scene within twenty minutes.
Sweat rolled down my back, pooling at my nape beneath the braid. The house didn’t look like a place where someone had died. A stream murmured beside it, too calm, too serene. It was difficult to believe something so terrible could have happened there.
I stepped toward the sound of the water just as a protective layer of River’s power wrapped around me. I turned in time to see him sprint away.
