Page 34 of Kiss the Dawn (Order of Helsing #4)

EZEKIEL

“ O rina!” I’m wide awake in an instant, heart thumping hard with terror.

A nightmare?

No. I don’t have nightmares or even dreams when I day sleep.

There is nothing but darkness. Nothing but silence until I wake.

But tonight, something is wrong.

I feel her absence like a wound, and I’m up and prowling the empty apartment.

Her shoes and coat are gone.

She’s gone.

No note.

Where could she be? She wouldn’t leave so close to sunset knowing I would wake soon, and if she left earlier, she would be back. I know this as I know my own mind.

Something is wrong.

I hurry back into the bedroom and quickly dress. A light flash on the nightstand grabs my attention.

Her phone…

Humans guard those contraptions with their lives, taking them everywhere with them. These are their lifelines.

Why has she left her lifeline behind?

Dread grips my throat as I pluck it free of its charger and press the buttons to unlock it, but it asks for a code.

Dammit.

I throw it on the bed and rake my fingers through my hair. I need eyes on the streets. I take a breath, look inwards, and reach out to Godor.

Master?

Find Orina. She’s in the city somewhere and I think…I think she’s in danger.

I will find her.

Next, I find the nearest Raven and slip into its mind to take a flight around the apartment blocks in search of her silver head. Long minutes pass, and the knots inside me intensify as if…as if I’m running out of time.

The phone rings, and I snap back into my body and make a grab at it. The name Lorenzo flashes on the screen.

I answer. “Orina isn’t here. ”

He’s silent for a beat. “Ezekiel, I assume.”

“You assume correctly. What do you want?”

“Is everything all right?”

I don’t want to share my anxiety with this stranger, but the words come anyway. “Orina is gone. I woke, and she was gone.” I can’t put into words why this feels so wrong. Why Orina not being here right now leaves my bones heavy with dread.

“But her phone is with you?” Lorenzo says, his tone tight.

“Yes. I consider that odd.”

“It is. Indeed. That coupled with the anomalous power spike the consortium has detected in Dracul territory gives me pause.”

I feel sick. “You think it might be related to Orina.”

“I don’t know. But you must find her.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Crescent, I will.”

“Please ask her to call me as soon as she’s back with you.”

He hangs up, and I stare at the now unlocked phone. There’s an unread voice message. I tap on the icon, and a woman’s voice fills the room.

“Orina, we have a strong lead on the missing persons case. The symbol is on a boarded-up building in Brimswood somewhere near a Williams and Johns and a laundromat. We’ll investigate it and get back to you. Hope you’re healing well.”

Did Orina hear this and go there? I can’t be sure if the fact the icon was still flashing means it wasn’t listened to or not.

Either way, my gut tells me that this is where I need to?—

The phone rings again.

Lorenzo once more. “Ezekiel. I have coordinates for the anomaly.” He rattles off numbers that mean nothing, and irritation flares in my chest.

“Give me a location, dammit, not numbers.”

There’s a beat, then, “Brimswood, southern quarter is all we’re getting. It’s growing stronger.”

“It’s not Loviator. The curse is broken. She’s locked away.”

“Yes, I know, but it’s…something.”

Yes, something is coming. I felt it when I woke. “I’ll find her.”

“I’ll be with you by dawn.”

I want to tell him that he doesn’t need to come, but instead I say, “We’ll be expecting you.”

The call ends again, and I pocket the phone.

I need to find this Williams and Johns place because I’m sure it will lead me to Orina.