Page 34

Lydia Aston will be the death of me.

One minute, she’s suddenly unable to formulate words. The next, she’s screaming bloody fucking murder, followed by radio silence. I shouldn’t care, but tell that to my brain that refuses to stop spinning worst-case scenarios.

Something is wrong, I could hear it in her voice. My mind is running through all the horrible possibilities as I head out toward my bike. I grab my phone and dial Riven, shoving the phone into my pocket and starting the engine. The phone rings a few times before his voice echoes over my Bluetooth helmet speaker. I take off, not wasting another second.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Riven answers.

“I need you to meet me at Lydia’s house, now,” I say, not bothering with an explanation.

“I can’t leave right now, man. Sloane and I are out of town for the night,” he says. “Is everything okay?” Shit. I nearly growl as desperation takes over.

“Shit,” I say. “I don’t know. I might need some help with something.” I don’t want Sloane to overhear and worry, so I keep the details vague.

“Uh, okay. Shit, man,” Riven says. “I-I’ll call Raithe and Kai. I’m sure they could come help you out.”

I scoff, imagining the two of them getting in my way and slowing me down. I almost decline the offer, but I don’t know what I’m about to walk into. I could honestly use any help that I can get.

“Yeah, fine. Whatever,” I grumble.

“I’ll call them, you head to Lydia’s. And Cal.” He pauses. “If you need me to drive home, say the word, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thanks, man. But no, enjoy your time away. I’ll handle it. Everything is fine. I just … need help moving something. Bye, Riv. Talk to you later,” I lie, ending the call and accelerating.

The warm night air does little to soothe the ice that’s molding itself into a fucking knife aimed right at my chest. I speed through the winding roads, not bothering with stop lights or traffic laws. I’ll beat the shit out of any cop that tries to stop me, and they’d have a hell of a time trying to catch me first.

I pull up to Lydia’s house in record time, parking my bike and nearly tripping over my own two feet to get to her door. I knock once, twice, three fucking times with no response. I pace the driveway, circling back to the living room window to peer inside like a damn creep. All the lights are on, but it’s otherwise empty. I sigh, running a hand down my face as I try to think. I can’t break into her fucking house, can I? That would be insane, wouldn’t it?

Fuck it.

The doorknob is suspiciously unlocked when I reach for it. Has it been unlocked this entire fucking time? Walking in, I shut the door behind me and decide that I should probably announce my presence in case Lydia comes barreling down the stairs with a fucking broomstick or something.

“Lydia?” I call out. “It’s me, Callum.”

I grind my molars at how ridiculous I sound. A soft jingle coming from upstairs steals my attention, the sound growing louder by the second. I instantly press myself against the wall of the stairwell, hiding from whoever might be up there. The sound grows closer and closer, and I jump as Lydia’s fucking cat leaps through the banisters and lands right at my feet.

“Shit!” I say, my voice coming out as an embarrassing high-pitched scream. “Goddamn cat,” I mutter, glaring down at the thing as it nonchalantly rubs against my ankle while fucking purring.

A knock suddenly sounds at the living room window, making me jump a second time tonight. The cat has the nerve to run back up the stairs and out of sight. I scoff at the creature as it disappears up the stairs. Glancing over at the window, I catch sight of Raithe and Kai waving at me through the glass. Shaking my head, I make my way toward the door, opening it on a heavy sigh.

“Hey, man,” Kai says, going in for a hug. I sidestep, not in the fucking mood for that shit right now.

“We’re in a mood. Got it,” he says, walking into Lydia’s house and taking a seat right on her fucking sofa like he owns the place. He glances around, leaning forward as he says, “Did I see a cat in here? Here, kitty, kitty.”

He clicks his tongue a few times in an attempt to beckon the thing back downstairs. I glare at him, earning a ‘what, man?’ look in response.

“Hey, Cal,” Raithe says, reaching his hand toward me before thinking better of it and pulling it back.

He glances up at me with a tight-lipped, awkward smile before heading toward the sofa and taking a seat next to Kai. Once seated, he starts bouncing his leg up and down. He looks almost … nervous. I haven’t forgotten the way Raithe spoke about Lydia before, and apparently neither has he. Good, I prefer his silence any day.

“What’s this about, man?” Kai asks, spreading his arms across the sofa back and crossing an ankle over his knee. “You haven’t scared your girl off already, have you?”

He laughs, fiddling with his lip ring. It makes me want to rip it from his fucking mouth. I ignore his question, walking past them and toward the staircase, heading up to Lydia’s bedroom. I don’t have time for this.

“I think Lydia’s in danger.” I deadpan, disappearing up the stairs. They follow behind me, whispering among themselves as I search Lydia’s bedroom. As expected, she’s not up here. Nothing in her room or bathroom looks out of place, and my patience is wearing fucking thin.

Where the hell is she? I don’t like what my mind conjures in response to that question. Needing a second to think, I take a seat on the edge of her bed.

“Why do you think she’s in danger?” Kai asks, strolling over to Lydia’s bookshelf with Raithe hot on his heels.