Page 41

Lorcan

I paced back and forth in the jet’s narrow aisle, my muscles restless. There wasn’t enough space to move or stretch my legs. A hollowness consumed my chest—not just my chest, but my entire being. Where could she be? The incessant drone of the jet’s onboard power systems gnawed at my ears.

I had listened to it for hours as I stared at the ceiling of the ridiculous metal tube, one meant to be in the air, not sitting on the ground.

We had returned from Kirkwall several hours ago.

Although she didn’t need the sleep, Zadie wanted it.

It made her feel more human. At least they decided we could sleep on the jet instead of trudging to a hotel and wasting more time.

I grasped my phone in my hand. There wasn’t a single call—neither Patricia, Amy, nor the one I wanted most of all, from Briar.

I stepped into the galley again, a slight creak under my foot.

“Lorcan, if I open the door and toss you out, would I be able to sleep?” Joshua’s voice came from the nook beneath the storage area, where the seat converted to a bed for him. I heard him roll over and rustle the blankets.

I ran a hand over my face and closed my eyes, sighing, before turning toward the curtain that afforded him some privacy. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop wondering if she’s all right. Gods, if Aiden finds her first…”

The partition separating the bedroom from the sitting room sections of the plane slid open, framing Conall in the doorway. “Wearing a hole in the carpet will not find her.”

I folded my arms around my middle, pressing in, my stomach a mess of nerves and fear. “No, but what will?” I took two steps toward him, a flicker of hope in my chest. “Have you heard anything?”

Conall shook his head. “No. Everything’s been quiet. And I have a feeling Patricia would call you first.”

My jaw tightened again, my chest heavy. There was little in this world that annoyed me more than waiting. But Briar wasn’t the only thing we were searching for. “What about Cormac? Has he checked in?”

“He texted last night. They know they’re close but always one step behind the Cure. Humans move, and the Cure is human.” Conall gestured with his chin as he walked into the main section of the cabin. “Could you grab me water from the refrigerator before you come sit down?”

“Could I…?” I glanced around, spotted what looked to be a refrigerator, and opened it, finding a bottle of water. “Just this?”

“And a glass,” he said, sliding into the seat by the table.

“No whiskey this morning?” I said with a smile I didn’t feel.

“Not all of us are you.”

I walked to the table and sat down, handing him the water and exhaling sharply. I stared at my hands, picking at my fingernails, pulling at them hard enough to feel a sting. “This is hopeless. What are we even doing?”

He twisted the cap, the crack of the breaking seal echoing through the cabin. “Right now,” he said, “we’re going to keep looking for Briar.”

My phone rang. I jumped at the noise, although it was the best sound I could hear. “Hello?” I barely pronounced the word at all.

“Lorcan, it’s Patricia.”

I straightened, glancing at Conall. My breath hitched, and my pulse played like a rapid drumbeat in my ears. “Oh, thank God. Tell me you’ve found something.”

Patricia got straight to the point. “We finally confirmed she got off the train in Edinburgh. She didn’t go all the way to Aberdeen.”

Relief and frustration tangled inside me, and I bit my lip. Why had she gone there? She was so close, yet still slipping away from me.

“We’re calling every hotel now, trying to figure out where she might have stayed,” Patricia continued.

“We’ve also confirmed that she uses cash, so watching her accounts has been useless.

And she isn’t making reservations until just hours before she gets somewhere.

I don’t know if she is trying to stay hidden or unsure of her agenda. ”

My teeth tightened on the lip held between them until the metallic tang of blood hit my tongue. Did she know we would try to find her? “Thank you, Patricia. If you find anything else, let me know immediately.”

“We will, Lorcan. As soon as we know more.”

I hung up and raised my eyes to Conall.

The resignation on his face screamed he had heard the conversation. “So now what?”

I stared at the phone in my hand, my mind racing.

The stale air of the plane hit my lungs again, making my stomach churn.

There had to be something we could do instead of waiting next to the phone.

I raked my fingers through my hair as I tried to understand the significance of Edinburgh, but nothing came to mind.

Where was she? Maybe I didn’t know her as well as I thought.

“I know she isn’t there anymore, but you were right.

We need to go to Harrowmont Hall and the hotel where she stayed.

I swear I will compel every person who saw her to piece together her next steps. ”

The curtain beside Joshua’s bed slid open, and the vampire appeared, his hair ragged. “I guess I’ll wake Zadie and get her started on the flight plan while I make tea.” He sighed as he walked toward the cockpit.

Conall pressed his lips together.

It was nearly evening when I stood in the stark lobby of the inn Patricia told us Briar had stayed in. It had taken hours to get the flight plan to Manchester approved, then equally long to drive to Harrowmont Hall. No one there remembered seeing Briar, let alone knowing where she went.

But here… A clerk cowered in front of me, his back pressed against a sterile white wall, his eyes darting to the desk I had jumped in a single leap.

My pupils dilated as I focused on his eyes.

The sharp scent of fear clung to him, his breath turning shallow as my will curled around his thoughts.

He shivered, fighting at first until his shoulders relaxed, becoming almost limp.

I snarled. “That’s better. Let’s try this again. Where did Briar go? What was she talking about?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t know. When she arrived, she mentioned this one ancestor, the woman the Harrowmonts had erased from their history. You know, the one convicted of murder.”

“Go on.” I bared my teeth.

The man swallowed. “She kept muttering to herself, asking why she was here. Why was she trying to learn about a woman everyone wanted to forget? I think she felt like people were trying to push her away. The next day, when I came in, she was gone. The night manager said she checked out early to go to the train station, headed north. I don’t know if she knew exactly where she was going. ”

Conall stepped forward, the sound causing me to glance over my shoulder. “Brother, look at him. He knows nothing.”

I clenched my jaw. Another dead end. A waste of time. Every second Briar was out of my reach, the knot in my chest twisted tighter. I grabbed the man by his shirt as I stared into his eyes. There was something he had said. “You said people were pushing her away. What did she say?”

The man swallowed. “There was a sadness about her that no one could quite understand because she seemed to be on the adventure of a lifetime, doing what she wanted. She should have been carefree and happy to be touring England, but she wasn’t.”

I pulled him closer. “Did anyone lay a hand on her?”

The man shook his head. “No.” His eyes sparkled with fear. “No. There was no one with her. She was here alone.”

Relief hit me harder than I wanted to admit. I had no claim over her—none at all—but the thought of someone else’s hands on her made something in me burn. An icy tendril of fear crept up my spine. Was this the same possessiveness Ashdowne had felt for Isobel?

“Lorcan.” Conall’s soothing tones cut softly into my thoughts.

My brother didn’t have to say the words. I knew what he was asking.

I stared into the man’s eyes again, reaching for his mind. “You won’t remember this conversation—unless she returns. Then you’ll tell her she is to contact Lorcan.”

The man nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Absolutely.”

I released him, giving him a slight shove backward as I did. “You may go.”

He stood straighter and looked at Conall and me blankly, confused as to why I stood behind the desk. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I must check on the coffee. You really shouldn’t be back here, sir.”

“Absolutely,” said Conall with a smile. “You have a wonderful establishment here, and we will keep it in mind for our next retreat.”

I scrambled from behind the desk and looked at my brother. “There’s nothing here, Conall. What are we going to do?”

He looked out the window, and I followed his gaze.

The sky bled crimson at the horizon, dark fingers of twilight stretching toward us.

His face looked heavy and gray, his eyes darkened with circles beneath them.

He pressed his lips together. “I hate to say it, brother, but we’ll have to let Patricia and her team do what they do best—and that’s track her down. ”

“But it’s been days. We’ve missed something. I know we have.” I palmed the back of my neck and looked at the ceiling.

“Lorcan, we’ll find her. But for now, I want to return to Manchester, find a hotel room, shower, and get a decent meal.”

“No.” I shook my head and took two steps past him before pacing in front of the desk like a caged animal. “We have to think. Where would she go next? What is she looking for? If we can figure that out, then we can go and—”

Conall appeared in front of me, resting his hands on my shoulders.

“Lorcan. I can tell that you love her. But flying all over Great Britain chasing what might be is worse than searching for a needle in a haystack. Patricia will find her. And worst case, we know where she will be in only a few days.”

“A few days is too late,” I said. “Aiden is after her now.” I clenched my jaw. “And I don’t love her.” The words decayed into silence between us, hollow. They rang in my ears, making my heart lurch. I shoved my fists into my pockets like a petulant child bent on believing his own lies.

A slow smile spread across Conall’s face. “You can keep saying that all you want, brother. But I have never seen you threaten a human over touching a woman before.”

I shivered as ice in my spine spread through me before muttering, “Just like Ashdowne did.”

“You’re not like Ashdowne at all.” He put an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go find a nice room for the night. And after that, I’m going to hunt.”

I sighed. I had no choice. It was his jet, and there were no trains until tomorrow. I followed him to the car, slid into the passenger seat, and folded my arms across my chest. I stewed in silence the entire drive back.