them, she surveyed the whole of the property, her gaze finally stopping on the gate. The tall rectangle of wrought iron sat oddly. The swirls and twists of the metal were so thick and intricate, there was little space for anyone on the outside to see through. Still, she went to inspect it. And found it unlatched. From the inside.
She slipped through and checked the street in both directions. Nothing. Back inside, she studied the pond and garden again. There was no way anyone could get out of the pool once they’d gone through. Was there? She couldn’t imagine how. After Zara had designed the pit, Giselle had overlaid a numbing spell on it so that anyone inside would become too lethargic to attempt escape. She stared at the pond. She’d created that spell for humans. She hadn’t considered how long it might take to affect a fae.
Regardless, it would work. None of their gathered souls had escaped. The gate was merely an oversight. Zara was so tired lately, she’d probably left it unlatched herself. Or maybe Ian had done it. Giselle brought the bar down into the slot, secured the door and made her way back to the house.
They only had two more souls left to gather and by tomorrow, they’d have them. Now was not the time to become scared of their shadows. None of them, Zara included, needed the pressure of paranoia. One more added stress and Zara might crack. Then there would be no chaos magic at all and their hard work would be for nothing.
She went back into the house, locking the French door behind her.
Zara looked up from her tea. “Did you find anything?”
Giselle gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “Nothing at all.”
Chapter Ten
Augustine came to with every inch of his body throbbing in pain. He blinked, trying to get his bearings. Not in the warehouse anymore—
“He’s awake! Thank the Lord, he’s awake.” Lally leaned over him. “Lay still, Augie, you’re hurt bad.”
Two more faces appeared behind hers. Fenton. And Grantham. The scent of old paper and leather told him they were in the library. Being back on home turf was good, but not enough to quell his anger.
“You.” Augustine jabbed his finger at Grantham. The small movement created a wave of pain that rippled through him. “What the hell happened back there? Did you know what they were planning?”
“Look at me,” Grantham said. His right eye was swollen and his lip was split. “Do I look like I knew what they were planning? Damn Pellimento’s thugs.”
“I will kill Sutter the next time I see him. Maybe the senator, too.” Augustine swung his legs off the couch and onto the floor. New pain erupted as his feet touched down. A wash of nausea caused his mouth to water with the urge to vomit. He took a deep breath and dug his fingers into the couch cushions until it passed. Rings of red, blistered skin encircled his wrists where the iron shackles had been.
Fenton shifted nervously. “Augustine, I understand you’re upset. And with good reason. What those men did to you and Detective Grantham was abhorrent. We will find a way to make them pay, but killing one of Pellimento’s men, even threatening to kill Pellimento—”
Lally stepped in front of Fenton, hands on her hips. “Lay down, Augustine. Near as I can tell, you’ve got a couple of broken ribs, one of your horns is chipped and your face is swollen up like a birthday balloon. Fenton called the fae doctor.”
Fenton nodded. “Yes, Dr. Carlson is on his way.”
Lally pursed her mouth. “And you ain’t going nowhere till he sees you.”
Augustine stood, creating more nausea and freshening the pain that had begun to subside. “I’ll heal, Lally. Right now, Harlow’s in trouble.” He looked at Fenton. “Cy was tailing her. He called me to say that something bad was going down, but Sutter skinned my com cell off and I lost the call. Have you heard from him? What happened?” He dropped his head to look Fenton straight in the eyes. “More importantly, where is Harlow?”
“I haven’t heard from him.” Fenton paled. “And I have no idea where Harlow is. I didn’t know any of this was going on.”
“There was no way you could.” He looked at Lally. “Any sign of her?”
Lally shook her head. “She hasn’t been home all day. With Ava Mae acting all uppity, I just figured she was out doing who knows what.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “That