Page 45 of Possess Me at Midnight

“And that is…?”

“Blackbourne.”

“There you go.” Ice nods.

A chill sweeps across me. Ice’s thinking looks damned possible. And Ice has figured this out. A very intelligent theory from a supposed madman.

I’m also aware that, if I’ve misjudged even one Council member, more people will die. The weight of that responsibility settles on my shoulders like a lead cloak.

“Let’s look at the other likely scenario. If Blackbourne and Spencer aren’t colluding with evil, maybe Mathias intends to use terror tactics to muscle his way onto the Council by threatening Councilmen’s families. We should warn them of that possibility.”

Ice pauses. “It’s not that simple, princess. If we warn Councilmen who are, in fact, Mathias sympathizers, the Anarki will know we’re at MacKinnett’s manor. They’ll begin hunting us again. We’re slower, traveling by human means. We’re easy prey if they find us.”

I don’t want to risk Councilmen’s families being hurt or killed because of our silence, but Ice is right. Besides Bram, we have the Doomsday Diary to protect. If either fall into Mathias’s hands, that could mean the destruction of magickind.

“We should at least warn Camden that Mathias may have a target on his back. If Mathias is going to kill more Council members now, Camden is the most likely, both because he’s without an heir and has made no secret of the fact he despises the evil bastard.”

A sound from outside—probably just wind rattling the shutters—makes us both freeze. Ice moves toward me instinctively, protectively. I’m painfully aware of how exposed we are here, planning in whispers while surrounded by the remnants of a massacre.

Ice nods. “I agree. Warn Camden alone, perhaps enlist his help. He may be best equipped during Bram’s illness to help us understand the politics of the Council and who can be trusted.”

“Indeed.” I rise from my seat.

With a frown, Ice grabs my wrist and stays me. “It can wait until morning, when you’ve rested and feel more ready to face what’s in that house again.”

The idea to push it all aside until tomorrow is tempting. But Mathias and the Anarki are quick and remorseless. I don’t want Helmsley Camden’s blood on my hands.

“No, it can’t.”

Chapter

Eighteen

Ice

* * *

Night has fallen, along with the temperature, when we enter the manor again. I take in the devastation. All the chaos and destruction seem like the Anarki’s attempt to find the Councilman’s transcast mirror. It makes sense that Mathias would want to intercept an important, secret means of communication between magickind’s remaining six leaders.

Behind me, I hear Sabelle’s hesitant steps, sense her fear. It takes everything inside me not to drag her into my arms and comfort her. And I can’t send her back to the safety of the coach house. It’s not safe to let her out of my sight…just in case. Besides, she’ll have better luck finding and using the Council’s magical mirror since she knows what she’s looking for. I know only that the mirror is small and would be disguised, perhaps as a family crest or symbol.

The rooms on the ground floor net nothing except stark reminders of violence that make my blood boil. I hate to think of what these human women endured at Mathias’s hands. It only makes me picture my sister suffering the same brutal fate. The thought fills me with a rage so overwhelming, I can scarcely control my urge for violence, for revenge. That side of me that earned me the reputation for being mad will rattle Sabelle right now. I don’t dare show her.

For now, I take a deep breath.

“Upstairs or to the cellar?” Sabelle interrupts my musings.

I want to shield her from the bodies and the carnage. They clearly disturb her, and for all Sabelle’s strength, conviction, and courage, she possesses a tender heart. She’s beautiful, smart, generous… No wonder I wanted to mate with her after a single taste. I was half in love with her since the moment I set eyes on her.

“We divide and conquer. I don’t like it, but we’ll cover more ground more quickly. I’ll check the first door upstairs on the left and the cellar.”

Sabelle hesitates. “That’s hardly fair to you.”

“It is. If you search the rest of the upstairs, you’ll be searching twice the number of rooms.”

“But you’ll be forced to see all the bodies again.”

I shrug. She looks so pale and torn, and I’ll do anything to spare her. In fact, she looks more fragile and uncertain than I’ve ever seen her. I can’t help but cup her shoulder and bring her against me. She’s shivering, and I wrap my other arm around her, cursing when the pack containing the diary blocks my caresses up and down her spine.