“I trust you implicitly.”
It didn’t take long to find the steps. In front of us, the skeletons spread out to either side, pressing themselves against the walls. And then, as one, they fell to the ground, bones clattering, sounding like a giant box of matchsticks being upended.
Danny slapped a palm over his heart. “Well, that was quite horrifying.” He arched a look at me. “A necromancer, you say? I suppose it’s a handy skill, but it’s too morbid for my tastes. I’ll take a blood-sucking vampire any day.”
We took the steps two at a time, trying not to lose our footing. At the top, the steel door was firmly sealed. I reached for the deadbolt and wrenched it open.
Bright sunshine bathed us as we stepped out. We both blinked.
Rourke pulled me into his arms immediately. “Thank goodness,” he murmured into my hair. “When we lost internal contact I was worried. Then Kayla saw you being hurt. Once the flashlight you were holding went out, I tried in vain to get the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. I was just about to go over the side of the bridge to try to find you.” His relief washed over me.
I pressed my lips to his neck. “I’ll make it up to you later,” I whispered as I drew back. “But it was a success. Look who I found down there.”
Tyler and Danny had just finished reuniting with a big hug. “How’d you get wet?” Tyler asked. “Decided to go for a swim in the Arno, huh?”
“Something like that,” Danny replied, his voice distracted. “Listen, do you have any information on where my mate is? Do you know where the Hag has taken her?”
Tyler looked stricken. “We thought she was with you.” He darted a look my way.
“Apparently, Enid took them separately,” I said. Ray landed by my side a second later. “Danny didn’t know she was missing until a few moments ago.”
“Damn right I didn’t know she was missing,” Danny swore. We all stood in the small space next to the jewelry store, looking like a group of tourists regrouping. If Danny had had more room, he would’ve begun to pace. “We have to find her immediately. Enid is powerful. That Hag could end her life if she wanted to! There’s no time to waste.”
“Finding her is our top priority,” I assured him. I couldn’t tell Danny about what had happened earlier. I struggled to keep the encounter completely out of my mind. My wolf picked up on it and began to help, throwing energy at me. Thanks, I told her. “Danny, I promise we’ll have more information soon. But right now, we have to head back to the Compound. There’s a reason why Enid let you go, and we’re going to have to figure out what it is.”
Tyler placed his arm around Kayla’s shoulders. She didn’t look any worse for wear after reanimating twenty dead bodies. “I’d like to introduce you to Kayla,” he told Danny. “She helped Jessica down there with the bodies.” He glanced at me, his grin wide enough to show a dimple. “How was it, anyway? As cool as I imagined?”
“Cool wouldn’t be the exact word I’d use to describe it,” I replied wryly. “It was fine—as far as hanging out with a bunch of skeletons goes.” I shrugged. “Now that I think about it, it was actually less creepy than I thought.” I addressed Kayla. “There’s a ghost down there who ended up helping me. It begged me to free it in return. I feel like I owe it a favor, but I have no idea what to do.”
Ray surprised me by replying first. “I’ll take care of it.” Without another word, he hauled open the door and walked inside.
Kayla nodded. “He’s the better man for the job. I would have to search for its body, which would take a while.”
Danny held his hand out to Kayla. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Necromancy is quite…impressive.” They shook hands. “We appreciate your assistance, of course.”
Kayla’s face was hopeful. “Do you have any news about my brother? His name is Ajax, Jax for short. I realize you weren’t with the others, but did Enid happen to mention anything?”
“No, I’m sorry. I have no news,” he said. “I never had words with the Hag.”
Kayla looked crestfallen, so I asked, “If you never spoke to her, how did you know it was Enid who took you?”
“Well…” Danny scratched his head, and errant drops of water flicked to the ground. “I’m not sure…I just knew.” He glanced up to the sky and then back at me, his face confused. “To tell you the truth, it’s all a bit hazy. I do remember the loo, then bits of the bunker, then here. But, honestly, when I heard your voice, it was like I’d just awoken from a deep trance.”
I patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I have a feeling it’s going to come back to you bit by bit. Enid wouldn’t want to show her cards all at once. We should head out.”
“Good idea,” James agreed. “Callum will be landing in a few hours, and we need to figure out our plan before then.”
Lucas pulled out a phone. “I’ll call the driver. He can pick us up a few blocks from here. Unless, that is, you’d like to go check out another museum? There are many statues we can still look for.” His voice was insinuating, and I appreciated Lucas trying to keep us on track.
“No,” I replied. “I think we’ve done enough for today. There are more pressing matters to attend to. The first of them being to figure out why Enid let Danny go.”
Nick quickly introduced Lucas to Danny, and Danny stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, mate. Are you from around here?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, I was born in Southern Italy. I am part of the Mediterranean Pack. Julian is my Alpha.”
Danny bunched his nose, cocking his head. “You don’t smell like a wolf. Well, a little bit like a wolf, but not entirely. What are you?” We were smooth when it came to sleuthing out supernaturals. It seemed we could all use an etiquette lesson…or two or three.
“I’m half Kitsune,” Lucas replied, holding up his finger as he spoke into the phone, directing the driver where to go.