Chapter 1

1

ROWAN

"Has anybody heard from Violet yet?"

"No," says Grayson, jaw tight as he watches students walk from the academy after the morning lessons.

I lean around him to look at Leif, who shakes his head.

"Has anybody spoken to either of you?" he asks.

"No. But if Holly doesn't show to class again this afternoon, people will ask where she is," I say quietly.

We sit on the gray stone wall outside the academy's main entrance, as we did yesterday when waiting for Ethan and Holly. Ethan showed. Holly didn't. The spring sunshine brightens the moods of those passing by but doesn't touch our own.

"Holly isn't going to show, is she?" whispers Leif.

Dorian's black SUV has joined Ethan's car, both parked in the graveled driveway this morning. Are they taking us back to Violet's place in Scotland? Mrs. Lorcan knows that Holly is missing and she wants me us to leave the academy with Violet to keep up the pretense that Holly traveled to Scotland as planned. Until the academy tells Holly's parents and calls the human police in to investigate, nobody can reveal the truth. Although, after Violet's tempestuous search of the academy grounds yesterday, people must already be suspicious.

Once we were forced to admit that Holly is missing from campus, Violet directed her fury at me as well as Grayson since we're the two who prevented her from killing Viktor. Not apprehending; killing. She's convinced the witch we're tracking is responsible for Holly's sudden disappearance.

I haven't seen Violet since she ended her search yesterday before walking away with Ethan and Dorian. Since then? Nothing. She hasn't replied to texts, and when I went to Violet's room to check up on her last night, nobody answered the door. I thought Violet might've returned to Scotland with her fathers, but with their cars parked outside the academy, I'm sure Violet is still here and ignoring us.

"We need to find Violet," I say. "Figure out how she's coping and what she might do. Violet's response might be extreme."

Grayson scoffs, and the vampire's startling eyes meet mine. " Might be ?"

"Holly's definitely missing, isn't she?" Leif asks.

"Looks that way."

"Uh. Grayson. If you speak to Violet about Holly, you need to sound more concerned than that," I reply.

"I am!" he protests. "And yeah, we'll go to Violet's room and check on her. All of us."

"Why? Safety in numbers?" I ask, half-serious.

Grayson bites his lip and looks the other way. I'm unsure what happened between Violet and Grayson last night at the reno house, but he received the brunt of Violet's anger over Viktor's escape.

As I'm the one who stopped Violet's heart to prevent her from killing Viktor, I'm not exactly popular with the girl I'm bonded to, either. How fortunate for Leif that she'd already knocked him unconscious—maybe she'll speak to him ?

I half-expected no answer from Violet's room again, but she answers the door in moments. Violet doesn't step back to allow us in, instead blocking the entrance despite her small stature. Hair pulled back in a ponytail, she's wearing the same short black dress and leggings as when we planned to leave yesterday, and despite the brightness in her blue eyes, Violet's expression is closed off.

The others glance at me for an answer to Violet's state of mind, but even though we're bonded, I still can't get through the foggy screen around her thoughts unless she allows me to.

"Have you found Holly?" Violet asks evenly. Silence. Nobody is brave enough to answer. "No? Then I'm busy."

Violet begins to close the door, and Grayson jams his foot in the way. "Then you need our help."

A muscle feathers in her cheek. "Help, Grayson? You've been plenty of help ."

"That's getting old, Violet," he retorts and shoves at the door with his shoulder. Violet's eyes widen, and she steps back. I glance at Leif. So much for treading carefully around Violet. "I'm not taking the blame for this. Come on. What do you need us to do?"

Violet blinks as Leif and I follow Grayson into the room. "I would rather not involve anybody else in the situation."

"Um. A bit late for that," I say in disbelief.

I wanted to hold and hug Violet the moment I saw her, but I know the look she has on her face now: nobody touch me . It's been a while since I've felt her closed down like this against me—us all—but she can't freeze everybody out altogether.

Leif doesn't share my caution and the guy seizes Violet, drawing her close until she's swallowed in his embrace. Violet's arms remain by her side and she doesn't move, as if patiently waiting for him to stop.

"Nobody else hug me," she says stiffly, ducking out of his arms and turning away.

"Are you that pissed with us?" I ask.

"No. As I said, I'm busy." She gestures at the wall between her and Holly's bed. "You're interrupting."

Once, Violet covered that white wall in notes and theories surrounding Wes's and then Rory's murders, which she later took down and replaced with her findings from the investigations into missing Madison and the tiara's connection. Violet must've worked all night to add more notes because the wall is barely visible beneath the paper.

I step forward to stand beside Violet and study her latest work, scrawled in black pen. Names. Events. Times.

"Are you okay?" I whisper and brush my hand against hers.

Her eyes meet mine. "Holly is missing."

"Yes," I say quietly and link our fingers. "We'll find her."

She stares as if I'm an imbecile. "Well, of course we will."

I half-smile. Violet and her certainty. "Then you need our help."

More silence. I've tried not to but I can't help glancing across the room to Holly's bed, neatly made and covered in her plush toys.

Violet's fingers tighten a moment. "Perhaps an extra opinion may be useful. I've made a list of all suspects." She taps a pen on the wall. "Unfortunately, there're a few to work through."

"How many?" asks Grayson cautiously.

"A number. Viktor is my biggest suspect. Hence, he's in the middle." Violet points at his name in a circle with red lines leading to other names.

Viktor Whitegrove. Mrs. Eldridge. Josef Petrescu . "Marci?" I ask, as I spot the witch's name.

"I don't trust anybody apart from the people in this room," she announces. "That mistrust extends to Mrs. Lorcan and other staff."

"The headmistress wouldn't arrange for a human to go missing from Thornwood," says Leif. "She'd lose her job if anybody discovered that she planned this."

"And what if Mrs. Lorcan isn't in control?" retorts Violet. "What if someone else is pulling the strings?"

I continue to read the suspect list. "Sawyer? Violet, you have to limit this to people who're capable of taking Holly from campus unnoticed."

" Abducting Holly," says Violet harshly.

"Unless Holly left because she wanted to." The words are barely out of Grayson's mouth before Violet has him slammed against the bedroom door, her hand twisted into his blazer jacket.

Leif darts forward and catches Violet's arm as she bares her teeth at Grayson. Okay, Violet isn't the calm, controlled girl she appears.

"Holly did not leave of her own accord," she half-spits. "Holly hasn't replied to any phone calls or messages. Even if she'd stupidly decided to run and hide, Holly would make contact to assure me she's safe."

"Violet," says Leif. "Let Grayson go."

Releasing the vamp, she steps back then pivots to face me. I'm all for backing off now that I'm aware how unpredictable she is but remain still. Grayson edges past Violet to also study her investigative wall. "Where do we start?"

I glance at Leif who's primed to intervene again, but Violet clenches and unclenches her fists. "We wait here for clues or contact from the abductor," she says.

"At the academy? Aren't you returning to Scotland?" I ask. "All of us as planned? Then we don't look suspicious."

"I am not going anywhere until I find Holly." She pauses. "Unless it's to find Holly."

"Is that a good idea?" asks Grayson. "You should take your fathers' advice."

Violet turns back, and they face each other, Grayson looking down at her which she hates. "I'm surprised you're keen to spend a few days with Dorian, Grayson," she says.

"I'd rather do that than risk you getting arrested. Who else usually gets the blame if someone goes missing or is presumed de?—?"

I jerk in surprise as, again, before he finishes his sentence, Violet has Grayson pinned to the door, this time with one hand around his throat. She breathes heavily, but he merely looks back, face calm.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," says Violet.

"Whoever took Holly wouldn't kill her, Grayson," I say. "Taking Holly may be another attempt to frame Violet, but this is different."

"How?" Grayson peels Violet's fingers from around his throat. "Look, I'm being realistic here. And if you were thinking clearly, Violet, you'd consider all possibilities."

"I am." She jabs a finger at the wall. "Multiple. I've added the results of Dorian's initial findings from last night."

"Did Dorian say any more about the Whitegroves?" asks Leif. "I know he pulled Cornelius in for questioning straightaway."

"The man denies everything, claims not to know ‘Joe Smith,' and says we have no evidence to my fanciful claims that he has a secret son who's masquerading as an electrician," she says stiffly. "Viktor's father will regret the lies. Everything ."

"And the witches who own the renovations? Did he speak to them?" I ask.

"The Brightgroves know Viktor as their electrician, Joe, but they have magical blocks in their minds for everything apart from the last ten years. Either the pair are senile, created the block themselves, or someone else did. Dorian's people plan to interview them again this morning, since they were too shocked by last night's events. I don't suppose half-dead shifters often appear on the Brightgroves' property."

"But what about Annabelle's evidence regarding Madison's death?" I ask. "You told Dorian about that earlier yesterday. Has he spoken to Annabelle yet?"

Violet takes a long, slow breath. "No."

I swear under my breath. "But Annabelle was Madison's best friend and has information that's significant. Evidence that Viktor was with her the night she disappeared."

"Madison's murder is no longer at the top of my priorities. Finding who abducted Holly is. Then, I will find and bring Viktor to justice for both crimes. If he orchestrated Holly's disappearance, or has harmed her, that moment of justice will arrive swiftly."

"What type of justice, Violet?" I ask cautiously.

"Viktor killed someone, Rowan. Draw your own conclusion."

Yeah, punishable by death, but at whose hands? Violet wants to finish what me and Grayson prevented. Is that better or worse than Dorian's justice ?

"And what if someone else knows Viktor's true identity?" asks Grayson. "Dorian will come up against powerful witches. They'd retaliate for Viktor's death."

"The witches would be ill-advised to," she says stiffly.

Leif crosses to sit on Violet's bed and rests his hands on his legs, curls falling into his eyes as he looks at the rug. "I've decided I should keep away from you all."

"Why?" she asks. "Because you fear abduction too?"

Leif's hands tighten over his knees. "Because... my mind . What if Viktor tracks everything we do? The guy told us he knows all my movements due to the spell he put in my head."

"No." Violet's firm as she walks over to Leif and crouches in front of him. She places her hands over his. "Breaking that hold on your mind is equally important to me, Leif. I'm not putting Holly above you but?—"

"But I'm not missing. I know." He half-smiles. "The first few days in a missing person case are crucial."

"Dorian's aware of Viktor's intrusion into your mind and will deal with the issue," she says. Oddly, Leif pales and he whispers something to her. "No. Dorian agreed to find a witch skilled enough to help." She pats his hand. "I won't allow my father to kill you in order to protect me."

Whoa. What? Grayson looks at me with shocked confusion. Are any of us safe?

"Yeah, I'm your consort, remember?" he says, attempting a jokey tone and falling flat.

Leif is fortunate that Violet's current self-absorption prevents her tuning into others, because if she wasn't wholly focused on Holly, Leif could never hide from Violet how scared he is. My best friend changed over the last few days—the visit to the elders and the truth about Viktor's assault on him have muted Leif. I've tried to talk to him, but Leif won't engage, as if not discussing either situation might keep the reality away.

Violet may be preoccupied right now, but I guarantee she'll sink her teeth into solving Leif's problems soon too and she won't let go until she does.