Page 28 of Walking in Darkness

He started pacing as he scrolled through the results, anxiety ripping through him on tormented waves.

I sat forward, the sheet pulled tight against my chest as I waited. Praying that he would find something. That we coulddosomething.

A heavy exhale whipped out of Pax when he landed on something. “Think I got him. Fort Wayne, Indiana.”

Pax searched something else. “It’s about six hours from here.”

I threw off the sheets and jumped out of bed, limbs trembling as I hurried to get on my clothes.

“If we scared off the Ghorl, maybe its thoughts didn’t have a chance to take hold and the guy second-guessed his plans,” I reasoned. “Maybe we can get there to stop it before the Ghorl returns.”

My stomach tightened. If Peter was still alive? If the man had taken off?

Then we had to do something.

The problem was, Peter wouldn’t even know to be extra vigilant. Wouldn’t know that he had been directly targeted, since he was hunting in Faydor through the night. Our Laven family had spread out and covered too much ground for there to have been a chance for us to find him during the night. At least Ellis had given the warning to be extra vigilant during the day.

My hands shook out of control as I zipped up my jeans, a frenzy lighting through me as I snatched the shirt I’d had on yesterday from the floor and pulled it over my head.

There was no time to delay.

Pax dragged on his tee, too, rumbling, “There’s a number listed. Probably a long shot.”

Still, he dialed it and tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear as he sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed a boot, and shoved his foot into it.

The sound was dull, but I could hear the faint ringing on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” a man answered.

“Peter? Peter Conway?” Pax said in a rush, the words an appeal.

“You’ve got the wrong number, man.”

The line went dead.

“Shit,” Pax spat, and in frustration, he threw the phone onto the bed as he pulled on the other boot, then pushed to his feet. He took a step in one direction, then one the other, continuously dragging the fingers of both hands through the locks of his white hair.

His eyes wild.

He looked manic.

Unhinged.

Likely the same as me.

“We have to get to him before it’s too late,” I said, stuffing my feet into my shoes.

“It’s probably already too fuckin’ late, Aria. The address I found could be as wrong as the number.”

Gloom shrouded his spirit.

Rushing over to him, I fisted my hands in his tee and jerked him toward me. “Don’t give up on me now, Pax. We have to try.”

Remorse blustered through his expression, and his hand snatched my waist. “Not givin’ up on you, Aria. I just don’t know if I can protect you and the rest of our family, too. You’re what’s important.”

I shook my head, just barely. “Every single one of them is important—and they have their Nols, who love them just as much as you love me. Don’t forget that. This has never been only about us, and selfishness is not going to serve us now. We have to do whatever we can.”

The tattoos on his throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Fuck, I know. I’m just—”