Storm and Fury(40)

But some Wardens did work with demons.

My gaze slid to Zayne and I felt my stomach pitch. Zayne had worked with demons and had even suggested that he didn’t believe all demons were evil. An uncomfortable heaviness settled over me, and I stared at him while the rest of the group talked about upping the security at the wall and sending out scouting groups more regularly in case there were plans for a second attack.

None of this had started until he arrived. Clay hadn’t tried to attack me until they’d been here for a few days, but why would Zayne or any of them be behind this? It wasn’t like they knew what I was.

At least, that was what I thought.

My heart started pounding in my chest. The DC clan knew I could see ghosts and spirits, and Zayne realized I was stronger than I looked, faster than he’d expected. I hadn’t exactly tried to hide that from him, and the whole time he’d been here, he seemed to be everywhere I was.

Zayne slowly looked over at me, his striking face unreadable as our gazes connected. A chill skated down my arms, leaving tiny bumps behind.

If I was any bit right, I still didn’t know why Zayne or his clan would be behind this, which was why I didn’t say anything. I might be impulsive, but I was smart enough to not suggest such a thing without hard-core evidence.

But was there already evidence?

Zayne was missing a part of his soul, and that could be reason enough to do evil things.



 



Jada had fallen asleep on the couch and the DC clan had retreated with Thierry and Matthew into the office. Ty had carried Jada upstairs to one of the extra bedrooms and I’d followed, going into my room. I finally stripped off the ruined dress, leaving it on the floor of the bathroom, a crumpled mess of gauze and cotton.

I never wanted to see it again.

I swooped down and picked up the ruined dress. Balling it up, I shoved it into the trash can and then backed up, looking down at myself.

My knees looked angry and spotted, like a strawberry. Twisting at the waist, I saw that my elbows did, too. That wasn’t bad. Not at all, because it could’ve been so significantly much worse.

What was happening to Misha right now?

Horrible, horrific things.

I couldn’t process what happened. This wasn’t a nightmare. This was real. Misha had been taken, and if the demon didn’t happen to know who or what Misha was to me, he would be killed.

And if Bael knew, and that was why he’d grabbed Misha?

Then there was a chance that he’d keep Misha alive. I had to think that he took Misha to use him as collateral. At least that was what I hoped, because that meant there was a chance I could get Misha back.

Steam filled the space and I stepped into the shower, hissing as the hot water pelted the raw spots on my skin. The water felt like it was only a few degrees short of scalding, but it did nothing to ease the coldness that had settled deep in my bones and marrow.

I showered in a hurry, watching the sooty water circle the drain. By the time I stepped out of the tub on shaky legs, I was exhausted. I didn’t stop to look at myself again as I dried off and changed into the clothing I’d brought into the bathroom with me. The leggings were a little hard to get on with my skin still damp, adding to my angry frustration. The shirt was easier, thank God, and when I stormed out of the bathroom, I’d already broken a sweat. All I wanted to do was lie down, but there was no time for that.

Peanut was hovering by my bed as I stalked toward the bedroom door. “What are you doing, Trinnie?”

“Going back downstairs to see what they’re doing to get Misha back,” I told him, opening the door and stepping into the quiet hallway.

Peanut followed me to the closed office door on the first floor. I knocked and Thierry’s muffled voice answered. Opening the door, I found that everyone was still in his office. The DC Wardens had found shirts, replacing the ones ruined when they’d shifted. Thierry was behind his desk and Matthew leaned against the edge of it, face weary.

Thierry didn’t look surprised to see me as I entered the office. “What is it, Trinity?”

“I want to know how we’re going to get Misha back,” I said, stopping behind where Nicolai and Dez were seated. I didn’t look at Zayne, but I knew he was standing by the window. I kept my gaze trained on Thierry.

He leaned back, the chair creaking under his weight. “We’re sending more scouts out in the morning,” he said.

“What if they’re no longer nearby?” I asked. “When the scouts went out earlier, they saw no sign of Misha or the demon.”

“That’s a good question,” Peanut chimed in.

“That doesn’t mean they haven’t holed up somewhere,” Matthew reasoned. “We will leave no square foot unchecked.”

That...that wasn’t good enough for me.

I wanted people out there right now, looking for him. “You know what Misha means to me,” I said, struggling to keep my voice level. “He’s still alive, but the longer we wait—”

“Why do you think he’s still alive?” Zayne asked from where he stood, drawing my gaze. “I hope he is and that would be great news, Trinity, but demons don’t keep Wardens alive unless...”

“They want to play with their prey first?” I finished for him, feeling my stomach twist. “Or use them to draw out more Wardens? I know what demons do to Wardens.”

“I hope they’re not torturing Misha,” Peanut whispered. “He’s always so freaked out when he knows I’m around, but I like the dude.”

Nicolai twisted around, facing me. “I know this may be hard to hear, but the likelihood of him being alive—”

“He’s not dead,” I said. “I would kn—”

“We’re not giving up on him,” Thierry said, interrupting me. “We are still going to look for him.”

A but hung in the air between us. A but that meant they would look for him, but they wouldn’t endanger other Wardens to do so. But meant that, in the end, Misha was disposable, because if he was killed, the bond would be broken but would be reassigned by my father.

But meant that Misha was as good as dead.

“We’re leaving in the morning to return home,” Nicolai was saying. “We will look for him in DC, as well.”

“So, you’ve got your reinforcements and that’s it?” I snapped, unable to stop myself. “You come here asking for our help, but when we give it, you’re just going to bail?”

“You tell them, Trinnie!” Peanut shoved his fist into the air.

“Trinity,” Thierry warned.

“We’re actually not getting reinforcements.” Zayne spoke up once more. “After the massive size of this attack, there’s no way the community can afford to send any new trainees with us.”

“Well, that sucks,” I grumbled, and he cocked his head. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Wow,” Peanut murmured. “You could sound a little more convincing.”

Then it struck me.

Zayne had said he recognized the demon, so there was a good chance that this demon would be taking Misha to DC. And now that they weren’t getting reinforcements, they still had their own problem to deal with—the problem of something killing demons and Wardens.

Nothing against Zayne or his clan—I was not going to rely on them searching for Misha, and I couldn’t go to DC by myself. I’d never been, and I had no idea where to look. Add into that the problems with my vision? I’d need help.

“I want to go to DC,” I said, and got nowhere quick.

Peanut gasped.

“Absolutely not,” Thierry said, placing his hands on the desk. “That is not going to happen.”

I ignored him, turning to Nicolai. “I can help you.”

Nicolai looked visibly uncomfortable as he met my gaze. “Trinity, I know you’re worried about Misha, but—”

“I am worried about him. He’s like a brother to me, and I’m not okay with letting everyone else look for him while I stay sheltered here,” I said, ignoring the way Thierry’s jaw hardened.

“I know you’re trained and you can hold your own,” Zayne began, walking away from the window. “And I’m sorry for what has happened to Misha. We will look for him. I promise you that. But we don’t have the resources to babysit you while you run around DC looking for him.”

“Babysit me?” I laughed, my hands curling into fists. “Are you serious?”

“Oh, no.” Peanut popped his hands on his hips. “Boy is about to get a smackdown.”

“I don’t think he meant to say it the way it came across,” Dez said.

“Actually, I did mean it that way,” Zayne said.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I said.

“I’m freely giving it to you,” he replied.

“While Zayne could have phrased that much better, he is right,” Dez continued, his voice rising above ours. “We have a significant issue at home and without reinforcements—”

“Without reinforcements, you and I both know you won’t be going out of your way to look for Misha, and there’s a good chance this demon will take him to DC. You all said you’d seen him there.” My heart started pounding as I turned to Nicolai, who would ultimately have to agree for me to be able to go with them. “You have a problem, and I can help you better than any Warden can.”