poor girl.”
Growling in frustration as much as pain, Augustine patted himself down. His coat and sword had been removed. “Where’s my coat? My LMD was in the pocket and I need it. I’ve got a chip on the Bentley. I can at least track the car. Fenton, call Cy.”
Fenton nodded and pulled out his LMD as he moved to a corner of the library.
Lally ran out of the room and came back with his coat. She dug in the pocket and fished out his LMD, handing it to him. “Here. Find our girl.”
“That’s the plan.” He listed to one side, righting himself with a small effort that made him wince. He definitely had at least one broken rib.
She tipped her chin at the couch. “Sit down before you fall over.”
“Augustine.” Fenton pushed his glasses up, the hand holding his LMD trembling. “Cy’s not answering.”
Augustine slumped onto the couch, his pain numbed by the soul-deep feeling that something very bad had happened. “Call Dulce. Call Sydra. Call—”
“I have,” Fenton said. “I’ve sent a text to all of them.”
A noise sounded from the back of the house. The kitchen door maybe. Lally patted Augustine’s arm. “That must be the doctor. I’ll bring him right in.”
As she left, Augustine checked the tracker he’d put on the Bentley. “The car is parked in the Quarter.” He looked up at Fenton and Grantham. “Harlow was meeting with Ogun today. You can add him to the list of people I’m going to kill if—”
“Augie! Augie! Come quick!” Lally’s joyous shrieks tore through the house. “Praise the Lord, she’s home!”
Augustine didn’t wait for further explanation. He leaped off the couch and sped to the kitchen, Fenton and Grantham behind him. He skidded to a stop, the pain catching up to him a moment later. Ava Mae stood in the middle of the room in nothing but a purple lace bra and underwear, hair wet, makeup smeared.
Lally came back into the room with a bathrobe. “Here, let’s get this on you.”
Fenton and Grantham both made awkward noises and turned around.
Augustine was as done with Ava Mae and her antics as a person could be. He was also done pretending he didn’t know that Ava Mae had taken over Harlow’s body. Anger fueled his words. “Listen to me, Ava Mae. I don’t know where the hell you’ve been or what you’ve been up to, but coming back here like this is unaccepta—”
With a soft whimper, she lunged for him, catching him off guard as she wrapped her arms around him. “It’s me, Harlow. I swear it. Ask me anything, but I promise Ava Mae’s gone. At least I think she is. She might still be in the witch’s pond with Cy and Rufus. I’m pretty sure the witches tried to kill me. Either way, they’re up to something bad. Very bad.” Harlow looked up at him, her amber eyes filled with emotion but not a trace of the bottomless black he’d come to associate with Ava Mae. “It’s so good to be me again, but it’s even better to be me again with you.” She sighed wearily. “Did that even make sense?” Her face screwed into a questioning expression. “What on earth happened to you? You look like you were in an accident.”
Harlow was in his arms. He smiled, despite the pain her hug was causing him. Hell, he’d stand this way for hours if she wanted, even if she did smell like an old mud puddle. “Yes, it made sense. I’m thrilled you’re you again. I’m not sure I understand about Cy and the witches’ pond, but we can figure that all out. What happened to me is not important. You’re home. You’re back. That’s what matters. Although, I’d love to hear how you got rid of Ava Mae. Queen Jewelia said it would take dark magic to free you.” He bent to kiss her, but reeled back as the pain almost blacked him out.
She pushed him into a chair. “Sit down before you fall down.” She cupped his face gently and kissed his mouth. “I missed you so much,” she whispered.
“Me too you,” he whispered back, the pleasure of her mouth a fair trade for the throbbing ache of his body.
“As soon as you feel able, I need to hear more about what Queen Jewelia said about dark magic.” She shivered. “That falls right in line with what—”
The doorbell rang.
Harlow looked toward the front of the house. “Who’s that?”
“Probably Dr. Carlson.” Fenton cleared his throat. “I’ll bring