Chapter 15

Eve

Lachlan and I parted ways without another word, and I strode through the cemetery, passing my mother's headstone with a twinge to my heart. I told myself I'd visit soon, using an invisibility potion. It was a good compromise.

When I reached the main courtyard, I avoided the coffee shop that had so enticed me and headed for the main part of town. I could grab one somewhere out of shifter territory.

As I walked, I pulled out my mobile and sent a quick text to Seraphia. As both a goddess of plants and a librarian, she was the perfect person to ask. She spent most nights in the Underworld at her mate's castle. Hades would probably never adjust to living out in Guild City, but there was a portal connecting his realm to her library, so she commuted.

A few moments later, her return text informed me that she could open up early.

Thank fates.

I hurried through the streets, enjoying the quiet. I loved this town more than any place on earth, and the early morning hours were some of my favorites. The streets smelled of coffee and fresh bread as the bakeries and shops got up and running. I stopped in one of my favorites to get a chocolate pastry and a coffee, then kept moving, finally reaching Seraphia's library. It was a small building, constructed of the dark timber frames and white plaster that were traditional on Tudor structures. The ancient diamond-pane windows revealed little of the interior.

I tried the handle, finding it still locked, but Serpahia appeared a few seconds later and opened the door. Her hair was messy and her makeup undone, and gratitude welled within me. "Thank you so much for showing up early," I said.

"No problem." She smiled and motioned me inside. "Come on."

I entered the library, which was actually a massive space squeezed into Guild City with magic. The mixed scent of wood, paper, and leather welcomed me, and I breathed deeply. My footsteps echoed on the floor, and the place held the kind of holy silence that characterized the best libraries. The main atrium had a massive soaring dome for a ceiling, and hundreds of tall wooden bookshelves spread out from there.

"Do you have some paper and a pen?" I asked.

"Sure thing." She drew me over to a small sitting room by the door. The space was cozy, with a fire blazing merrily in the hearth and a little desk in front of the window. I sat at the desk and took the pencil and paper she handed me, then got to work.

"I'm just going to get a coffee," she said. "Do you want one?"

"Please." I could definitely use another. And probably a third.

I worked quickly, trying to remember every detail of the flower. It wasn't easy, but fortunately, I wasn't a terrible artist. By the time Seraphia returned, I had a good enough picture. She handed me the coffee, and I showed her the paper, which she studied, frowning. "You're no Darwin, but this isn't bad. Where did you find the flower?"

"In the trouser cuff of the killer. Stuck there like he'd walked through a garden."

"It's a Helleborensius, a magical version of the Hellebore plant. They're very rare."

"That's what I hoped. Do you know of anywhere they grow in London?"

"No, but I can try to find out." Excitement glinted in her eyes. Seraphia loved a mystery just as much as I did. "Come on."

I followed her back to the atrium, where the domed ceiling soared overhead. She waved a hand, and a massive fire flared to life, right in the middle of the tile floor.

The card catalog at Seraphia's library was just a little different than other ones.

"Could you hold this?" She shoved her coffee into my hands without waiting for a response, then pulled a notepad from her pocket, along with a tiny stub of pencil. Quickly, she wrote a message on the paper, then tore it off and chucked it into the flames. She took her coffee back and sipped. "Shouldn't be but a moment."

I watched, my breath held, as smoke curled up from the fire in a slender spiral. It drifted back into the stacks, creating a faint ribbon for us to follow.

"Come on." Seraphia started after the smoke, and I followed.

"What did you ask it for?"

"Any book that contained a mention of Helleborensius in London."

I crossed my fingers that we would find it in our city.

The smoke led us around the library, pointing out book after book, and even a few rolled-up maps stored on a massive case at the back. When we'd collected our loot, Seraphia found us a table.

Together, we searched. And searched. And searched.

It was after noon by the time we finished, and my eyes burned from trying to read the tiny text. But my heart was light.

Seraphia grinned at me. "Well, that was productive."

"Just one place in London." I grinned. "Who would have thought?"

"With any luck, he lives there."

The flower could only be found in Richmond Park, the largest Royal Park in London. It even had deer. The perfect place for a shifter to hide out.

I prayed he actually lived there. Even if Lachlan got the name of a recently released criminal that his father had put away, that still wouldn't necessarily tell us where the bastard was hiding.

"Thank you, Seraphia. I can't tell you how much this helps," I said.

She reached across the table and gripped my hand. "Of course. Anything." She frowned. "Are you sure you're all right? You've seemed off lately."

"Off?" I gave my voice a confused note, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. I felt like a fish out of water, a boat on dry land, a city after an earthquake. Things were so not right in my world.

"Yeah," she said. "Just, a little different. Stressed."

"I'm wanted for murder."

"Yeah. And that's a big deal, don't get me wrong. But…"

I swallowed hard, the words wanting to escape: I've been lying about my species the whole time. It wasn't the worst lie. I knew that. My friends were true friends. They'd understand my reasoning. It didn't matter to them what I was.

"I'll tell you when this is all over, all right?" And I meant it. The promise lifted a weight off my shoulders, and I grinned.

"All right. Just be careful, okay? Let us know if you need any more help."

"Will do. And thanks again." I left quickly, taking the tiny map of Richmond Park that we'd found. It had been made by the Royal Botanic Society about thirty years ago and showed the locations of many of the flower beds in the park. Things could have changed since then, but it was a start.

The fact that the killer was living out in human London was definitely a problem, especially if he was mad. I just prayed he still had enough sense left to keep his species a secret.

* * *

Lachlan

Glencarrough wasn't far from our ancestral lands in the Highlands. They adjoined each other at their northern and southern sides, making it easy to reach them.

Fortunately, the Alpha at Glencarrough, a regal woman named Eleanor, had agreed to meet me on our turf. I needed to see the seer again, and we were running out of time.

I waited for her by the stone circle and was grateful when she appeared on time, wearing a dark cloak that blew in the wind with her graying hair pulled up around her face. The steel in her eyes reminded me of my father. No doubt it would remind others of me.

"Eleanor. Thank you for meeting me."

She nodded, her gaze somber. "There are terrible things happening in Guild City, from what I hear."

"Two murders. My father's grave desecrated."

Sadness flashed in her eyes. "Your poor father. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Fine? Hardly." She looked me up and down. "You look like you could use a week on a beach."

"When does an Alpha ever get a week on the beach?"

She laughed softly. "Don't try to distract me. This can't be easy for you."

"It's fine." She didn't know I took the potion to suppress any errant emotions. Had no idea that I feared the Dark Moon curse, in fact. "Were you able to find the names of anyone that my father put away for a particularly long time while he was with the security force?"

"Aye. I served with him, which you might not have known."

"I didn't."

"Well, he was good at his job. There are three individuals that have been released after doing their time, though I'm not sure that any of them would have done this."

"Do you know where they are?"

"I do not. They left our land, understandably so. But their names were Finn MacCallum, Douglas Connor, and Sean Faraday."

"Thank you."

She nodded. "I'll see if I can find anything else about them, and if I do, I'll let you know."

We said our goodbyes, and she departed.

For the second time in as many days, I entered the stone circle and made the blood sacrifice required. Now that I had the three names, perhaps the seer could help more.

After a few moments, her cottage appeared, and I approached. I reached her door and knocked, waiting only a few seconds for her to open it.

Her eyes widened. "More questions?"

I nodded. "Aye. May I come in?"

"You're lucky I answered a second time." She shook her head, sorrow in her eyes. "But I can sense the tragedy that is happening in Guild City."

She stepped back and gestured for me to enter. I breathed shallowly, hating the thickly perfumed air. She shut the door and followed me deeper into her suite. "What is it?"

I gave her the three names. "What can you tell me about them?"

"You want to know if they're your murderer."

"I do."

She frowned. "You know I probably can't see that. Not without them being here."

"What can you tell me? Anything will be helpful."

She shrugged. "Let's see, shall we?"

Gracefully, she strode to a small pink couch and sat. I waited, uncomfortable and impatient, as she closed her eyes and began to hum low in her throat.

Her magic swelled on the air, the faint scent of powder and rose blossoms. Minutes passed, until finally, she opened her eyes. "One of them is dead. Just recently. Finn MacCallum has left this plane. The other two are alive, and not far from here. Both in the UK. Douglas Connor may even be in London."

I nodded. "Good. Thank you. Can you tell me where?"

"No, not specifically. But I'm certain he's there." She frowned. "He's been there a month. Perhaps a little more, but not much."

I'd take what I could get. This was further than we'd been.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked.

The question popped out of my lips before I could stop it. "The girl who was meant to be my mate. Where is she?"

Her eyes flared wide. "You've never asked this before."

Guilt stabbed me. Duty had kept me moving…but she had been my duty. Taking her as my mate had been foretold by fate itself. And yet, I'd ignored it.

I'd had to.

From the moment I'd met her—that brief flash of time—I'd known she'd be the death of me. She had the ability to make me feel so deeply that I'd fall to the Dark Moon curse.

It had been a calculated sacrifice. No matter what fate wanted from me, I had to ignore her to protect my clan. They couldn't lose another Alpha to the curse.

But now that I was starting to feel something for another, I needed to know what had happened to her.

"I know I haven't asked this before," I said. "And I had good reason. But I need to know now."

"She is your destiny, and yet, you have avoided it. I understand why. You don't want to fall to the curse the way your father did. And it was wise of you to be concerned."

Hearing her say it made ice stab me in the chest. She confirmed that the Dark Moon curse stalked me.

"I need to know," I said. "Can you find her?"

"I can already tell you no. She disappeared from my sight eight years ago."

"Dead?" The icicle in my heart twisted. That was two years after she'd disappeared from Guild City.

"I don't know. Perhaps."

"What else could it be?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. But she is lost to me."

I clenched my fist, disappointed. "Thank you for your help."

I left, returning to Guild City.

Douglas Connor. He could be our killer. He could even be in London.

After I arrived in Guild City, I ran into Eve in the courtyard outside my guild tower. Her eyes were bright, and her silvery pink hair gleamed under the sun.

I stared, entranced by her. The sight of her felt more welcome than a hot shower after a fight. More welcome than my bed after a long day. Impossible thoughts ran through my mind.

Finally, I asked, "Did you find something?"

"I did." She grinned widely. "Richmond Park."

"The big one in London?"

"The very same. This flower only grows there. At least, in London. It's a rare variety."

"Let's go. Immediately." I was going to find that bastard Douglas. "I don't have a transport charm, but it shouldn't take long to get there." I strode past her, headed for one of the city gates.

"Excellent." She hurried to join me. "What did you find?"

"Two names, still living. Both men. One in London. Douglas Connor."

"Douglas Connor. Our murderer?"

"Perhaps."

She nodded. "Let's go find him. The gate through the Haunted Hound is closest."

We hurried through town, getting several looks as we passed through the main city street. I was rarely seen with a woman, and Eve was more than just any woman.

We reached the massive gate that led out of town and took the portal to the Haunted Hound. I rarely visited human London, preferring Scotland if I were going to leave Guild City.

But Eve apparently came here often. As we passed through the main part of the pub, the man behind the bar grinned widely at the sight of her.

Quinn McKay.

The only shifter in town who had left our pack but still lived in Guild City. It was an odd arrangement, but when the Shadow Guild had appeared, it had called to him. I nodded at him. I knew other Alphas who might be territorial about a nearby shifter not belonging to the pack, but I only wanted the willing.

The girl who'd run from me had certainly been unwilling.

"Eve." Quinn smiled at her and leaned over the bar. "What can I do for you?"

"Just passing through, Quinn."

Quinn's grin widened. "Passing through my heart."

It was a ridiculous line, and most probably a joke between the two of them. Still, the jealousy rose. My wolf went wild with it, rising inside me like a beast, scrabbling to get out. I forced it back, but not before I heard a faint growl come from my throat.

Fuck.

What the hell was I doing?

Apparently, Eve and Quinn had heard as well, because they both turned to me, eyes wide.

I patted my chest. "Something caught in my throat."

Quinn gave me a knowing look, and I stared him down. After a few seconds, he diverted his gaze, forced by the chain of dominance.

"Let's go." Eve gestured me forward. "Thanks, Quinn, I'll see you later."

I followed Eve out into London proper, ignoring Quinn's stare. With shaking hands, I withdrew the flask from my pocket and took several deep gulps, praying that the stronger potion would work.

What the hell was happening to me?