Chapter 38

JAMIE

Something happened.What other reason could there be for Tobias not knowing the information he and Maeve collected last night? When the pair returned, Tobias relayed information about the growing army and recruitment but admitted he"d no further details about what Gabriella"s planning. Then Maeve added that she did—an initiation for new recruits.

What stopped Maeve and Tobias talking about this before they returned?

Maeve brushed me off, so I asked Ash if something happened to her. Ash nodded but was cagey as to exactly what. Pointless of the pair to hide what—I"ll find out. Still, I"m glad Maeve spent time with and then stayed the night with Ash. Whatever happened, sleeping with him away from reminders of magic and blood should recharge Maeve.

If she got any sleep. Bloody hell. At least our rooms are further apart at the Winterfall house. When she walks in, Maeve"s energy"s definitely lighter this morning, eyes bright and face less strained—until she notices somebody"s missing.

"Where"s Tobias?" Maeve asks and pauses.

"I haven"t seen him since last night," I say. "Maybe he went out?"

"Alone?" she asks sharply. "Isn"t that against our agreement?"

"I don"t think Tobias left, Maeve," says Ash as he scoops cereal from his bowl.

"Left? Why would he leave?" I ask. What"s happening here?

"Because he"s Tobias," Ash replies. "Y"know, leaves when he has to dealwith things."

"Tobias sent me a message last night," says Andrei from where he"s sitting in the corner—not eating. "He decided to follow up on something."

Maeve"s surge of emotion smacks me in the chest too, and I frown at how pale she"s turned as she sits at the table. "Follow up on what?"

Ash glances at her, face drawn into concern.

"The kids from the club," says Andrei. "Tobias wanted to watch where they went afterwards."

"What?" I retort. "Why didn"t you stop him from going alone?"

"I didn"t know!" snaps Andrei. "The message came late last night—he"d headed out and met Dorian but didn"t say where. Heard from him again this morning. He"ll be back in a couple of hours."

My suspicion grows. Why would Tobias message Andrei and not Maeve?

Maeve mutters something to herself, pouring tea from a pot into a mug.

"Is Tobias avoiding you?" I narrow my eyes and point at her. "Your hands are shaking. What the hell happened, Maeve?"

Ash and Maeve exchange a look and I slam a hand on the table. "What did he do?"

"There"s no need to behave like that, Jamie," Maeve retorts.

"Sorry, but I"m stressed, and now we"ve more Tobias bullshit to deal with."

Another glance between Ash and Maeve. Andrei goes deadly still.

"At the club, we met one of his old friends and I saw some things I didn"t like in the guy"s memories." Maeve sips her tea. "I didn"t deal well with the shock, but I"m better today."

"Huh." Andrei untenses and moves to sit at the table. "Reckon that"s who Tobias visited? His friend?"

Maeve gawks, and Ash smacks him around the back of the head. "Don"t be bloody stupid. Tobias left all that shit behind."

Maybe, but Maeve isn"t telling us everything.

"And he"s definitely coming back?" Maeve asks Andrei.

"Yeah. Tobias wouldn"t bother contacting us if he planned to stay away. He never messages anybody if he"s walked off to sulk." Andrei chews his lip. "Was it bad, Maeve?"

"What? The club?"

"No. The things you saw in that guy"s head."

"Someone"s lost their sensitivity today," says Ash to Andrei pointedly. "Ever think Maeve might not want to talk about that?"

"Sorry," he mutters.

"I"ve spoken to Ash. Got things out of my system a little," she says.

"Yeah, I heard that part," I say and arch a brow. Maeve turns an interesting shade of pink. "I"m just letting everybody know that the walls are thinner in this house."

"Omigod, Jamie," she says. "Stop."

Andrei smiles. "I guess that isn"t what you said to Ash last night."

Maeve"s lips go thin. "Why are we having this conversation? It"s embarrassing."

"Guys," warns Ash.

"Public service announcement, that"s all," I say lightly.

"Well." Maeve stands. "You"ve both just talked your way out of anything happening while we stay here."

Nice one, Jamie.

Andrei says nothing and looks the other way.

"Have you heard any more from Ethan?" Maeve asks Ash, in a swift subject change. "Did he examine the info you gave him?"

"He"s checked out the port. The ship we think Gabriella will travel on docked a couple of days ago," replies Ash. "Ethan"s also watching the dragons" movements. They"re smuggling high level gear."

"What do you mean?" asks Maeve.

"Arms dealing," Ash says.

"What the fuck?" Andrei balks. "They"re putting Gabriella on a ship filled with illegal weapons?"

"A mafia who"re trading in shit like that would have the tightest network and security," says Ash. "Makes sense Gabriella would choose them for help."

Andrei scoffs to himself. "Oh, well, hopefully she"ll blow herself up before the ship leaves."

"Or maybe they"re selling weapons to Gabriella?" asks Jamie.

"Nah," says Andrei. "She"s a supe and doesn"t need weapons. She"d never ask anyone to use them, either. Gabriella hates humans and anything associated with the race."

"Does Gabriella know the First intends to reveal supes to the world?" asks Ash. "Gabriella might want weapons to help?"

I shrug. "No idea, but the Dominion always intended to reveal us."

Andrei swears under his breath. "The two share the same goal. What if the First changed its mind and wants Gabriella"s help? Joins her?"

"Uh. No. Because the First wants us to kill Gabriella, remember?" says Ash.

"The First might be playing us still," says Maeve through clenched teeth.

"With any luck, she"ll add Gabriella to her collection of living dead vamps," I say.

"No. Gabriella dies," says Andrei. "We tear the head off the Dominion."

"Literally?" I ask him.

Andrei half-smiles. "Who knows?"

"The First"s silence worries me," admits Ash. "I half-expect the creature to walk through the door with more crap for us."

"And to check if Andrei"s performed his task?" I say harshly.

Andrei glares at me, and Maeve squeezes her fingers around my hand. "The First never gave Andrei a deadline."

He chokes. "Right. And what if she returns, pissed off that I haven"t… done what she asked?"

"The First is obsessed about not changing the future, right?" asks Ash. "It"s given us a deadline to perform a task, a point in time. Maeve"s change must happen after that."

"What the fuck?" Andrei shoves at Ash where he"s sitting and Ash springs to his feet. "Do you distrust me that much?"

I take a sharp breath at how Andrei doesn"t budge an inch when Ash shoves him back. "Stop that," says Maeve. "Andrei, calm down."

"I"m not saying I don"t trust you, dickhead," snarls Ash. "I"m saying that"s how the First sees the future. The one we"ll change."

Nobody mentioned Maeve"s vision and the "Jamie won"t die" topic recently. She has total confidence that won"t happen, but I don't a hundred percent share her confidence.

"While we"re waiting for Tobias to return, can we scry, Jamie?" she asks.

I frown. Maeve and I aren"t telepathic the way Matt and Amelia are, but often our thoughts coincide.

"Maybe we can find something further into the future," she suggests.

"You can"t control what visions come to you, Maeve," I say quietly. "You"ve only recently re-found the ability."

Maeve presses her lips together. "You triggered the last major vision with your thoughts and fears for the future. Focus on those emotions again and see where that leads us—Gabriella, the First, anything."

A new thought bites me. Did my frustration and fear for all our lives prompt Maeve"s vision because we connected? If that"s a skill I now have to aid Maeve"s magic, I"ve plenty more in my mind I"d love to see.