Page 91 of Dusk Macabre

My hand shook as I unscrewed the cap. Pausing a moment, I took several deep breaths, modulating my pulse and calming my heartbeat. I had no reason to believe Leander wasn’t waiting for me to return.

Once I got myself under control, I considered what to do. Previously, just possessing the gemstone, having it in my pocket, was enough. If having a vial with a scant amount of dust on my person hadn’t worked, what would?

With the cover removed, I tilted the glass and sprinkled some particles on my finger, rubbed them together, and attempted to transition. Nothing happened. With a sigh, I tried again, fighting the voice in the back of my head telling me I was trapped here.

The only option that remained was to ingest the tiny amount of material I had left. I brought it to my mouth and tapped the bottom of the container, emptying it, and concentrated all my energy into returning to the nightclub.

The act brought me to my destination, dropping me directly where I had left off, on the upper level of the club. Gripping my sword, I turned in a circle, just to be ignored by the drinking and partying patrons. Leander was nowhere to be found, and neither was Brittney. The only sign they had been here was some black feathers underfoot—a sign Brittney’s crow had come for her.

Walking up to the nearest table, I asked the seated couple if they had seen a woman with waist-length blonde hair or a crow. Either they hadn’t, or they weren’t willing to divulge that information.

Brittney’s energetic signature remained in the ether, fresh and heavy, so I knew it hadn’t been long since she was last here. Our blood bond from when I’d fed her was working as it should. Not that I would question it, but it was good to know the Fae hadn’t interfered with the connection somehow.

When I honed in on Brittney’s trail, it led me to the staircase. I stood at the top, peering down at the dance floor and bar, and attempted to locate her and any threats to either of our wellbeing. Nothing stood out.

I pushed my way through the revelers, becoming more and more impatient until I began to wonder if she had found her way back to my home. The rising worry, the concern that she’d been removed from my reach, was suffocating. There was nothing I could do if she had been taken to the Fae Realm.

Just the thought caused a sharp pain in my chest. My vision narrowed, tinged with red, while I examined everyone around me, my grip on my weapon nearly drawing blood. I didn’t want to accept that she wasn’t here, so I took out my cellphone to order a car service.

* * *

The vehicle rumbled over the dirt road, hitting potholes and skirting brush, as we approached my home. The macabre fence I had constructed still stood, a beautiful and vivid vision of death under the approaching dusk. My driver pointedly avoided looking at it as I paid my bill.

After he left, I examined what remained of my home. Not that it was in good repair before we’d left, but it appeared someone had a temper tantrum in my absence. The rubble was in further disarray than how I left it. The large, dark blocks were scattered in a wider pattern, and my hidden doorway was cracked and unstable. Thankfully, it never seemed to rain here in the Second.

For whatever reason, whoever had vandalized my property hadn’t touched the corpses. The only thing messing with them was some large ravens, busily munching away at their eyeballs.

The entryway wasn’t blocked, just broken, and I let myself in. Brittney, of course, had spent a significant amount of time here so she was all I could smell. I closed my eyes, breathing in her fragrance while I stood in the hall.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I heard. “Where were you?”

CHAPTER 32

Brittney

Kiam opened his eyes, his gaze full of relief and surprise. “Where were you?” I repeated myself. “I couldn’t find you anywhere and I didn’t know where to look.”

He strode across the floor, grabbing me the same time he sank his fangs into my neck. The pain was instant, but he quickly soothed it the way he always did. My knees weakened and he caught me in his arms, swallowing my blood in several gulps before hugging me and resting his forehead in the crook of my neck.

“Well? What happened?” I asked again.

Rather than answering, he kissed me, sweeping his tongue in my mouth, kissing me hard and deep. I pulled away after a moment and peered up at him expectantly.

Kiam caressed my cheek with a finger before he took me by the hand and led me down the hallway. “Adrian got the diamond,” he stated, his voice full of defeat.

“Oh man, I’m sorry.” I knew how much the stone had meant to him.

He shrugged. “I still have their blood, and some dust at the other house.”

“Okay, that’s good.” We walked into his computer room. “Are they gone? I stabbed Leander with the dagger and he disappeared. I haven’t seen him since. It dissolved this weird bubble type of thing he stuck us in. He called it a ‘pocket,’ it was weird, but my crow came and helped.”

I pulled the blade from the holder. “This one. It has magic?” I asked.

Kiam ran his finger along the side of it. “The rubies, they’re from here.”

“Oh, cool. Where did Adrian go? Did you kill him?” I asked as Kiam fired up his bank of computer screens.

Kiam took my hand and glanced at me. “So, they’re both gone. Interesting. They got what they came for.”