Page 113 of Reaper's Quest
Except that was all I’d been doing lately—sleeping. Plus, I still needed to mine Winter for more information.
Looking more like myself, if not truly feeling it, I headed for the stairwell.
“Remember our agreement.”
At the intruding voice near my ear, I froze mid-step. I hadn’t forgotten my arrangement with the Killian, assuming the exchange had really happened and wasn’t part of a fever dream.
“Get to work on becoming your something more. And when I summon you, you come.”
With a shiver racing over me, I peered over my shoulder once more to verify—again—that I was alone in the passage. I knew little to nothing about the Killian, and I could havesworn I felt his breath against my skin. For all I knew, he owned the power of invisibility.
Without a further millisecond of hesitation, I dashed down the stairs to the comfort and safety of a room filled with people. Or partially filled, anyway. I silently prayed the Killian wouldn’t approach me while others mingled nearby.
Winter leaned beside the bar where he waited, while Aoes attended to customers and filled the air with vociferous conversation. He looked up, spotted me, and his gaze blew wide. Abandoning his duties, he leaped over the bar and closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
“Where have you been?” He pulled me into a tight squeeze. “Everyone has been terribly worried about you.”
“If you release me so I can breathe, I might tell you.” I partially joked, but I wheezed nonetheless.
I didn’t care for the air being crushed out of my lungs, plus my body was still tender.
“Sorry.” He quickly dropped his hold, then he led me to a table where Winter joined us, and we could talk more privately than at the bar. “Out with it. Where have you been?”
I should’ve already worked out an excuse, but of the few that had come to mind during the walk to the pub, none had felt credible enough. I needed more time to decide what, or how much, to tell them all.
“Where are Aldine and Chace?” I stalled for time, but I also only wanted to explain myself once.
As in, after Chace and my elder arrived.
Aoes’s shoulders sagged, and the corner of his lips drooped. He motioned for me to take a seat. My heart clenched, and my gaze flicked to Winter. He, too,grimaced. Whatever Aoes intended to say, Winter knew.He knew! He’d known some bad news all this time and had avoided telling me.
Fire swirled in my core. And even though they had yet to open their mouths with a response, I already wanted to throttle someone.
The two males peered at one another in a silent exchange.
When they finally turned their attention back to me, Winter spoke. “Chace has been missing for a few days now.”
My mouth dropped open, and I slammed my hands on the table. Chace was missing. Had been missing. And I had been lying in bed, doing nothing to find him. I didn’t care if I had beenhealing. I should have been up, moving, searching. Finding him.
I needed to find him.
My chest squeezed unbearably tight as I glared at Winter. “All this time, you knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
Aoes’s face pinched. “When would he have told you?” he asked at the same time Winter said, “I’m sorry.”
Aoes swung his gaze back and forth between us. Our exchange of words spoke volumes. I might as well have carved the message into the wood of the table:Winter knew where I was the entire time.
Aoes’s back jerked straight. “Mr. Aldine will be so pleased you’re back. He’s been looking into Chace’s disappearance, and he could, no doubt, use your help.”
“Of course. I want to help,” I blurted, then I softened my gaze and tugged a tiny smile to my lips for Aoes’s sake.
Then I shot Winter a stern glare of disapproval.
He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled freea piece of paper. Trying not to let my anger get the best of me, I watched him wearily. He unfolded the slip with a smooth, steady motion that suggested he was in no hurry to share.
He laid the paper flat on the table.
My heavy frown pressed deeply into the edge of my mouth. A child’s drawing, and a messy one at that, covered the page.
