Page 86 of Immortal Unveiled

Again, Grayson punched in the addresses when the door suddenly opened.

Kim turned her head and saw Ryder entering, a small rectangular package in his hand.

Grayson didn’t look up but said, “Hey.”

“Do you guys need anything from the outside world?”

“Can’t think of anything,” Grayson said. “Where’re you going?”

Ryder lifted the package in his hand. “Mailing this home. It’s little sis’s birthday in two days, and I finally found that first edition of The Catcher in the Rye she wanted so badly.”

“Yeah, read that, couldn’t really get into it. If you ask me it’s over—”

“The post office!” Kim interrupted. “That’s it. She must have mailed it somewhere.”

“Excuse me, what?” Ryder asked.

“The book! When my mother realized she was being followed by a demon, she must have mailed the book to hide it.”

“Brilliant!” Grayson said and looked at his app again. “Hmm. There’s no post office on her way home from the museum.”

“Doesn’t have to be a post office,” Ryder said, coming closer now. “I’m not gonna go all the way to the post office. There’s a mailbox place not too far from here. They do the same thing as the post office. It’s just a bit more expensive.”

Kim jumped up and almost leapt into Ryder’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Then she turned back to Grayson to explain, “The receipt. When Winter had the vision, she dropped my mother’s handbag, and a bunch of receipts fell out. I’m pretty sure one of them looked like it was a mailing slip.”

She hoped she wasn’t wrong. She hoped that this was it, that this was what her mother had done to keep the book out of the hands of the demons: to mail it somewhere, where it would be waiting for her to be found. Somewhere, where the demons wouldn’t suspect it.

“We have to go to my mother’s house and get the receipt.” She looked at Grayson, pleading with him.

Grayson hesitated. “Manus said not to let you leave the compound.”

“Please, Grayson. We need to do it now. We can’t afford to lose any more time. What if the demons figure it out while we sit here and twiddle our thumbs?”

Grayson exchanged a look with Ryder. “What do you think?”

Ryder nodded. “She’ll be safe if we both go with her. I’m sure if Manus knew what you guys just figured out, he’d say the same. We’ve gotta act quickly.”

“Thank you!” Kim tossed both hybrids a grateful look and already headed for the door.

“Wait,” Grayson said. “Fine, we’ll assume Manus is okay with it considering the changed circumstances, but let’s not advertise the fact we’re leaving to the rest of the gang, okay? They might have different opinions.”

Kim knew only too well from her first encounter with Pearce and Logan that they could be pretty hard-nosed about the rules. She didn’t want to risk them delaying her. “Whatever you say.”

“And as soon as we know whether your mother really sent the book somewhere by mail, we’ll notify Manus. Agreed?” Grayson asked.

“Agreed,” Kim replied impatiently. “Now let’s go. Can we take the portal?”

Both Ryder and Grayson immediately shook their heads.

“No can do,” Ryder said. “Only Stealth Guardians can operate portals. We’ve gotta leave via normal means.”

Grayson opened the door. “Rock ‘n’ roll.”

He stepped into the hallway, and Kim followed him. Ryder was right behind her and pulled the door to the kitchen shut behind them.

“This way,” Grayson directed and pointed toward one end of the corridor.

As they walked along, Grayson suddenly said, “Shit. Someone’s coming.”