keep tabs on the Atlanta pack, given their relationship to the gwyllgi in Savannah, and figured she could worm her way into their confidences given time—or enough bonuses.
“Anything else?”
“A necromancer and a vampire, both male, have walked the edge of the property. Several times. Enough to establish a scent trail. It leads right up to the back door.”
“That is interesting.” I pulled on my lower lip. “Linus would know how much land the Grande Dame owns, but it’s extensive. Unless the trespassers in question work for her, they shouldn’t be within sight of the house, let alone approaching it.”
“That was my thought.” She hesitated. “But the scents were…familiar.”
“You say that like a bad thing.” I waited, but she didn’t elaborate. “Well, out with it.”
“Boaz has been here.”
“That’s not surprising.” The Grande Dame had taken a special interest in him. “He has a working relationship with her.” Originally, she meant to keep him away from me until I locked down Linus. But, as most women regardless of age eventually do, she developed a soft spot for him. “What else?”
“It’s a who else,” she confessed. “Corbin was here.”
“How long ago?”
“Hours, is my guess.”
“Hours?”
That placed him here during my baby shower. How could he be in town and not pop in to say hello? I hadn’t seen him in months. The snub had my vision going wobbly, and I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling too.
“Aww.” She wiped my cheeks dry with a tissue. “Hormones suck.”
“They really, really do,” I agreed with a sad little hiccup. “I’m over this weepy crap.”
“You don’t have long to go,” she reminded me, stuffing a fresh tissue into my hand. “Focus on the positive.”
After blowing my nose, I reined in my emotions, hating how easily they slipped their leash. “Thanks.”
“Corbin must be here on assignment. He would have been knocking down your door otherwise.”
“Addie didn’t mention Boaz was in town either.”
“You’ve been in a relationship with Boaz. Do you honestly think he tells her everything?”
“No.” The life of an Elite was rife with secrets. “But that doesn’t mean it’s what he wants.”
“You’re still a sucker where he’s concerned.”
“And you’ll hold a grudge until the sun burns out.”
“Now you’re just being rude. I’m not that old.”
Age was a number Lethe had never shared with me. Gwyllgi lived a long time. The ones with more fae blood lived the next best thing to forever, and she was descended from an ancient bloodline in Faerie.
“This is not great news.” I rubbed my arms. “Either she suspected this might happen, or the Elite did.”
Since she hadn’t told Linus, I was betting the Elite had the inside track and had left us out of the loop.
“That’s how I interpret it.” She flagged down Hood, and he trotted over then shifted. “Well?”
“She took a ride with a necromancer.” He breathed heavily. “I lost them once they hit the main road.”
Given this new information, necromancer might mean Boaz, which was good news.
As much as I hated asking, I would rather do it without Linus present. “Blood?”
“Not that I could scent. She got in the car of her own free will, or her captor was gentle with her.”
A ransom was our best hope for resolving this situation without scandal. That would fit with a necromancer handling her with kid gloves until they contacted Linus with how many zeroes it would cost us to get her back.
The alternative, that she got in the car willingly, even with Boaz, was a puzzle piece gummed by a toddler into unrecognizable mush. It made no sense. Why leave without telling Marco? Or her maid? Or Linus?
“This is when I would suggest to Linus that he call his mother and ask her to put us in touch with Boaz.” I had no other means of tracking him when he was deep undercover, and even she had trouble locating Corbin when he was on assignment. “Since that’s not an option, we’re going to have to go at this from another angle.”
Hood wiped the sweat from his brow. “What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s check in with Linus first.” I glanced over my shoulder. “We need more details before I attempt this.”
“All right.” Lethe didn’t sound happy about it. “He still upstairs?”
“Yeah.” I huffed out a breath like I was the one who had been running. “The grand staircase might as well be a StairMaster.”
“You need to get off your feet.” She winced at them. “Your ankles look like they swallowed oranges.”
Hood appeared at my elbow with a chair