Blackbird Broken (The Witch King's Crown #2) - Keri Arthur Page 0,41

“You’ll call if you find anything?”

He nodded. “Be careful, Gwen. Remember, Winter knows we took Riona, and he might hit this place hard and fast in an effort to get her back.”

“There’s not much left of the place to hit.” It was lightly said, but unease nevertheless pulsed through me.

I slammed the door shut, watched him drive away, and then headed in.

“That you, Gwen?” Mo called out the minute I opened the door.

“You already know it is, so why ask the question?”

She tsked. “You’re a bit tetchy this morning—is that sexual frustration coming out? Is that why Luc roared away, rather than come in?”

I locked the door, then headed up the dust-caked stairs. “He said he’s going over to Winchester to check the Blackbird archives for any mention of other swords, but basically, yeah, he’s running.”

Mo chuckled, a sound filled with delight. “Keep chipping away at his defenses, my girl. He’ll be yours in no time.”

“You keep saying that, and he keeps proving you wrong.”

“No man—or woman, for that matter—can outrun fate for long.”

“Tell him that.”

Mo was on the sofa, her booted foot propped on the coffee table. Surprisingly, both it and the sofa were free of the rubble that still dominated the street side of the room, and the kitchen area practically shone. “You’ve been busy.”

“I hired some professional cleaners. They’ll be back tomorrow.” She motioned toward the kettle. “And you timed your arrival perfectly—it just boiled.”

I smiled and made a pot of tea. After adding a packet of chocolate digestives—Mo’s favorite, not mine—to the tray, I carried it over and placed it on the almost new-looking coffee table. “I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the grain on this table before.”

“It is a lovely piece, but I’ve better things to do with my life than clean or polish wood furniture. Did the changeover go smoothly?”

I nodded and poured the tea. “I think Riona is a very old soul. She certainly took the situation far better than even most adults would.”

“Riona?”

My gaze rose. “Yes.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yes. But I don’t think we dare confront Max until we have confirmation that she—and her brother—are his.”

“I agree.” She sipped her tea, her expression contemplative. “It is always possible they belong to a branch of the family I do not know about.”

“Really? You expect me to believe that?”

“A truly loving granddaughter would never question her grandmother’s word.”

“She would if she was raised by you.” I sat beside her. “If they are confirmed as his, I guess the next question has to be, how deeply is he involved?”

“Deep enough that Winter has access to his children.”

“And yet he’s never come home stinking of demons.”

“We both know there’s ways and means around that.” She pursed her lips. “Have the mother and brother been located yet?”

I shook my head. “She told Riona she was taking Reign to the doctor’s, but it’s pretty obvious she’s on the run.”

“And left her daughter behind as bait, thanks to her connection to Winter.”

“Which was a pretty awful thing to do.”

Mo screwed up her nose. “Yes, but I can understand her reasoning.”

“I fucking don’t.” I took a deep breath and released it slowly. It didn’t really ease the anger. “Jason is calling in a psychic to help locate her.”

“That may not help, given Darkside are undoubtedly watching their movements.” She reached for a biscuit and then dunked it into her tea. “Shame we haven’t got something of the mother’s to do a tracing spell with.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the tissue-wrapped hair. “I do have a few strands of Riona’s hair. I figured you’d use it to find her if Darkside grabbed her, but given they’re siblings, could you also use it to trace her brother?”

“Yes.” She smiled and patted my knee. “You always were the brightest child.”

I snorted softly. “Not what you said when I was failing grades.”

“And understandably, given you always had the ability but never bothered applying it.” She finished her biscuit and reached for another. “Much like your magic, really.”

“The magic you claim I never had.”

“You tested as null—that’s very different.” She eyed me for a second, her gaze sharp and missing little. “What happened in that house?”

“I called on Nex and Vita’s power even though they were in your possession, not mine.”

“Which is why your eyes are bloodshot.”

I nodded. “It felt like a storm swept through me, and it left me drained. That force wasn’t De Montfort, Mo.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

It was said in a matter-of-fact manner, and I narrowed my gaze. “You really do need