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Travis rubbed his jaw. “That’s the best idea yet.”

We all knew it wasn’t the best idea, but we were running out of options and time. Liam was getting worse, and none of us wanted anything to happen to him. In fact, we weren’t going to let it.

Gabe settled in next to me, and I laid my head down on the pillow. Randy walked around the bed and got in on the other side. He winked at Travis. “Pull up somewhere to sleep, Trav.”

Travis looked around the room. Not seeing any other place inviting, he pulled himself further onto the bed and laid across it horizontally. The three of us pulled up our feet to give him some room, and we all settled in.

“Do you think Liam’s okay?”

“He’s tougher than he looks,” Randy said. “He’ll be fine. We might not be able to get him to come out of his room again.”

“Or until we get the blasted thing off him,” Gabe supplied.

A hand covered my foot, making soft strokes over the comforter to my ankle. I swallowed and bit my lip. The pull to Travis was getting stronger and stronger. “Everything will be okay.”

Chapter Thirteen

I blinked. The sound of the bedroom door careening off the wall brought me to a sitting position. “Shit. Guys!” Randy bellowed.

Gabe burrowed into the pillow, but Travis whipped around, his black hair standing on end.

I shoved Gabe, making him at least turn over as we took Randy in. His face was pale, and his hands were fists at his sides as he stared at me. “He’s gone.”

“What?” The fog of sleep still overpowering me, I couldn’t put two and two together yet. “Liam?” I finally asked.

“He’s not in his room. I’ve called his cell phone like a dozen times and he’s not answering. It’s fucking four thirty in the morning and he’s not in his room. He’s nowhere in this house. He’s gone.”

I pushed Gabe out of my way and flew off the bed, picking up clothes as I went and tugging them on. “Where would he go?”

Randy rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know. The apartment?”

“Alright, let’s calm down,” Travis said. He stood from the bed, shirtless. His sweats hung around his hips unnaturally low showing off his ripped figure. My brain barely recognized that this was the first time I’d seen him without a shirt on, and it was worth the wait, but damnit, Liam. “He’s probably at the apartment. He didn’t trust himself to stay here last night because of what happened. He’s probably embarrassed and didn’t want to put any of us in danger. I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Then why isn’t he answering his fucking phone?” Randy asked. He was coiled up tight. One touch and he would blow.

“I knew we should’ve went after him last night. He was afraid. I could see it in his eyes. Oh my God. We just let him leave after he did that. No wonder why he’s freaking out.”

Randy’s gaze zeroed in on me, his jaw pulsing. “You’re right. I should’ve went after him.”

He ran his hands through his hair and then laced his fingers at the back of his head. I went toward him, but he backed away. I tried again. “It’s not your fault. I could’ve went after him, too.”

“I told you not to.”

Please. “Like I would actually listen to you if I really wanted to do something.”

Gabe yawned, standing from the bed lazily as he pulled on his shirt. “I don’t know why you guys are so upset. It’s Liam we’re talking about. He’s the most level-headed out of all of us. It’s not like he’s gone off to do something stupid. If anything, it’s like Travis said, he just left last night to get away from us.”

“Because he has a familiar on him, Gabe,” I said. “A demonic familiar. Does everyone need a fucking reminder about that?”

Gabe’s cheeks pinkened, and he stared at the floor. Shit. I was a terrible person. “I’m sorry. I’m just…stressed.”

Travis walked forward, putting a hand on my shoulder. The connection tying us together tightened, and I leaned into his touch. Now, more than any time before, I needed them around me.

“Meet everyone downstairs in five. Norah, you try to get him on his cell phone. Maybe he only wants to talk to you,” Travis said, taking control. “We’ll head to the apartment first and then take things from there. If he isn’t himself, we can’t have him out all over Salem.”

I took a steadying breath. The rest of the guys dispersed, jogging toward whatever they had to do to get ready in the time limit Travis set for us. I wished he’d said two minutes. Or one. We needed to find him right away. On that thought, I ran to the bathroom, threw water on my face and brushed my teeth. Looking down, I’d managed to put on a pair of jeans and someone else’s shirt, but it was good enough for me.

I ran down the stairs and paced near the front door. Randy was already down there. “I’m sorry,” I said, biting my lip. “I didn’t mean to say it was your fault.”