I fiddle with my fingertips as I pace back and forth in front of him.
“Where did you find this?” Wade asks, lifting his silver gaze to mine when he’s finished.
“In this,” I say, pulling the journal from under my arm and handing it to him as well. “It’s my dad’s journal.”
Wade takes it, looking up with confusion painted across his face. “How did you—?”
“Abigail,” I say, cutting off his question. “She said the only way to help my dad is to find his body and get him to the catacombs. But she felt there was information in here that might help us find out what he was doing before he died.”
“Well, she was right about that part,” Wade says, lifting his eyebrows high.
“Yeah, but there’s still nothing about where. Just a vague mention about ley lines.”
With the journal and letter clutched in his right hand, Wade steps forward, wrapping his arms around me. “Autumn, I’m so sorry. This whole thing is so fucked up.”
I lean into him, but I can’t find it in me to relax. As much as I’d like to be a normal person, dealing with my father’s death and grieving in my own way and in my own time, I can’t. I have far bigger things to worry about. My dad’s not just dead; he’s in a progressive transformation as a Lemure and there’s only so much time before he finds a way to overcome Abigail again.
And on top of it, I have a horrifying fight for my own life coming. One that begins with a family curse and ends in death. Either the Moirai—or my own.
But before I can worry about any of that, I need to find my dad’s remains and let him rest in peace.
I need to find his bones.
There’s no more time for falling apart.
“We need to find my dad,” I say, pulling back from Wade.
He nods. “All right. What do we do? Do you have a plan?”
“Abigail wants me to call the twins,” I begin.
Wade backs up, shaking his head. “No, nu-huh. No way. We cannot bring that guy back into the mix of things. Not after what he did this winter.”
“Wade, I really don’t think we have a choice. She said there’s a spell in the grimoire and they’re the best ones to—”
“Ask that guy, Dominic whatever,” Wade offers, his eyes blazing.
I snicker. “I thought you didn’t like him either.”
“I don’t. But at least he’s not trying to steal you away from me.”
I wince.
Wade runs his free hand through his dark hair and steps away from me. “Look, Dominic helped us find my grandpa and the entrance to the catacombs. He’s got skills in this area and we didn’t need a spell to do it. That’s all I’m saying. Let’s see what he can do.”
I bite on my lower lip. He has a point. If we can use Dominic’s skills to find my dad, it would be a lot faster than having to get the twins here from wherever the hell Diana Hawthorne has them.
Besides, how would that even go down. My first call to Cat since she left is to ask for a favor of epic proportions.
“Okay, fine,” I say. Pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I dial Dominic’s number. Wade’s right. He’s just as powerful at finding lost things and a helluva lot less complicated than the twins.
I step away from Wade, clutching the phone to my ear as I wait.
“Hello?” Dom says, picking up the other end of the line.
“Hey, Dominic. It’s Autumn.”
“Yeah, I know. What do you need this time?” he says, his voice thick with sarcasm.
Taking a deep breath, I swallow hard. How do I put everything into words? If I say it all out loud—and to someone who didn’t see it all go down, it makes it all so real.
“I could really use your help,” I finally say, walking over to the railing and placing my free hand on it. My gaze sweeps the entrance space, traveling to the windows and the autumn-painted trees beyond.
He snickers. “Oh yeah? Well, I’m shocked. What, not enough mojo to come in here, guns a blazing and—” he pauses for a beat, then audibly gasps. “Shit. I’m sorry, Autumn. I didn’t—”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Why are you sorry?”
“I just picked up on what happened. I should’ve realized before I started speaking…” he says, his voice softening. “What can I do?”
“Look, I need you to help me find my father’s…” I close my eyes, my voice choking out. “I need to find my dad. It’s a long story and I don’t really want to get into it right now. Will you help me?”
“Of course,” he says.
His sudden compliance is somewhat heartening, but it’s alarming at the same time. On a typical day Dom is all about what’s good for him. To have him care about anyone else for a change feels…weird.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it,” I say, glancing over at Wade’s expectant gaze.
“Where do you think your, er, dad is?” Dom says, tiptoeing around the word as much as I did.
“I’m not entirely sure. They—I mean, he—could be anywhere. I’m not even sure I know the first place to start. All I know is it has something to do with ley lines,” I say, scratching my forehead as I think.
“All right, what do you need me to do?” Dominic says.
“Can you come over?”
“On my way,” he says, hanging up the phone before I have the chance to say good-bye.
I pull the phone back, staring at the wallpaper of my phone in surprise.
“He’s on his way,” I say, shoving my phone back into my pocket.
Wade takes a deep breath. “This will work better. Dominic can be a bit of a dick, but he’s come through when we needed him, surprisingly enough.”
I nod, but there’s a gnawing sense of foreboding that tickles at the back of my mind. Abigail specifically said to use the Gilberts, and I’m defying that request.
God, I hope I’m
