"Pass the pasta," Britta said. "And another piece of that homemade bread. Martin, I have no idea where you find the time."
Martin smiled and passed a bowl of handmade pasta to Britta.
"When you're retired, you will understand," he said. "It's been a challenge to keep my mind and hands occupied since I left my position with the coven."
"Well, I don't ever plan on retiring, thank you very much," Gowan said as he stood and reached all the way over the table to load his plate with ham from the serving tray. "I still don't understand why you gave it up."
Martin didn't say a word. He simply took a sip of his pinot noir.
"He'll never tell us," Asher said with a sigh. "I've been trying to get it out of him for a while now. But we all know Martin. A man of many secrets."
I leaned back in my chair, almost too tired to eat, but so happy at the same time.
It was such a strange thing to feel so many conflicting emotions all at once. I was terrified for what might happen tomorrow and what I might have to face. Would we all survive? Would I have to fight?
But I was also sad for my new friend and the other girls whose lives were on the line. They had to be so scared. Did they know what was about to happen? Had Algrath prepared them in some way for the ritual? What conditions were they being held in?
At the same time, I was also angry at the Council for not stepping up and taking care of this a long time ago. This was their main job, and it shouldn't have taken a group of Slayers going rogue to come deal with this demon.
Finally, though, as strange as it seemed, I was also happy and grateful. Watching Slayers my parents had cared about so much, who had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, sharing stories around this cozy table made me feel warm inside.
Martin had kept me alive through my grief this past summer, but I'd also spent a lot of lonely nights crying and wondering what would become of my life now without them.
Tonight, though, I felt whole again, despite my fear.
It felt like together, we could take on anything.
"What do you say, Lenny?" Gianna asked.
I hadn't been listening, and I blushed.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"
Asher smiled. "See, I told you she was zoning out. You exhausted her."
"I was just asking whether you wanted to head back out to the clearing at first light for a little more training," she said. "I feel like we made really good progress today, but there's a lot more we could do with a few hours tomorrow."
I groaned. Everything ached. But I needed this. We had no idea what we might be facing tomorrow.
"I'm up for it," I said. "I just might need an extra cup of coffee first thing."
Martin nodded. "Of course," he said. "But for now, maybe it's time for you to rest, dear girl. I have left some healing balm in your bathroom for what's left of those burns. It should also help with your sore muscles."
"But there's still so much to do," I said, barely able to stifle a yawn. "We need to make potions and discuss strategy. We still haven't even found Algrath. We're running out of time."
"That's why we're here," Britta said. "Get some rest. You've been through a lot in the past few days."
I shook my head. Days? Had it really only been a handful of days since I first started at Newcastle High? It felt as though I'd stepped into some kind of time warp.
I started to protest again, but even the act of opening my mouth to speak made me yawn again. Everyone at the table laughed, which then set me off, too.
"Okay. I admit it," I said. "I'm tired. I'll head up."
Besides, that bath I thought of earlier was calling me.
"Sleep well, dear girl," Martin said. "We will see you in the morning."
"Sweet dreams," Gianna said.
"No nightmares about bunnies," Gowan said, winking.
I shuddered. "Let's hope not," I said. "I'm never going to forgive you for that, you know."
Martin tilted his head. "What's this about bunnies?"
I patted Gowan on the shoulder. "I'll let you tell him about what you did to me this afternoon."
As I left the kitchen and headed back to my room, laughter from the kitchen echoed throughout the entire first floor of the house.
When I'd first arrived here, it had felt so dark and lonely. Martin had done what he could to make me comfortable, but I had never really thought of this place as home until tonight.
I was halfway up the stairs and already dreaming of the bath when my phone vibrated in my pocket. There were only a handful of people who even had this number, and I smiled when Kai's name came up on the caller ID.
"Hey," I said. "Did you just get off work?"
I honestly had no idea what time it was, but there was no going back out to the clearing tonight.
"Not quite," he said, his voice low. "I decided to stay until closing. There's a lot of chatter going on in the cafe today about Julie Peterson's disappearance and the cops being at her house and all. I wanted to stay and listen, and I'm glad I did."
"Why?" I asked, sitting down on the steps.
"Because guess who just walked in with a few of her friends?"
My eyes widened. "Not Olive?"
"Yes, Olive," he said. "And she's talking about the house and her mom. I think maybe you should come down here. Maybe if we both talk to her, we can find out where her mom might have gone."
"So, she just never came home?" I asked. "I thought maybe she was the one who called the cops."
"People here are saying it was a neighbor," he said. "The parents of the girl who went missing before. LaTasha. The rumor is that they saw a strange van in the driveway and heard some terrible noises coming from the house."
I closed my eyes. That poor family. They'd already gone through so much.
"So, Bates must have gotten out of there just in the nick of time before getting caught," I said.
"Yeah, but the police are searching for him. You better hope they didn't bring his van to Martin's house," Kai said.
"They wouldn't be that stupid," I said, realizing now that I hadn't seen Bates at all since I got home.
Darius had been relatively quiet at dinner, too.
I would have to find out in the morning how his questioning had gone and where in the world they were hiding Bates, but for now, I needed to get over to Sir Bean.
"Can you come?" Kai asked. "Or are you still training?"
I groaned. I had a lot to tell him about the training.
"Nah. We just got done with dinner, and I was about to go pass out in a bathtub full of chamomile," I said. "I guess that's just going to have to wait, though."
I headed back to the kitchen to ask Martin's permission to go out, and Gianna agreed to drive me over to the cafe. No one wanted me walking alone at night, and I wasn't exactly up for it, either.
"Are you sure Kai won't mind driving you home?" she asked when she pulled up to Sir Bean.
There were surprisingly more cars in the parking lot than I had anticipated. It was only thirty minutes until they were supposed to close, but the place looked packed.
"He won't mind," I said.
And why did I suddenly feel so nervous about that? I'd been in his car alone with him several times now. Maybe it was something about being alone with him at night and having him drive me home.
Like we were on a date.
I was so stupid. He was just helping me figure this out. We weren't dating. He was probably going to leave town as soon as this was all over, anyway.
The thought hit me hard.
Dang. He probably was going to leave. It wasn't like he was really a student at Newcastle High. He could come and go as he pleased, and he had to have a life to go back to somewhere.
I still wasn't sure what had happened to his father, either. If he didn't get the answers he needed, he'd be heading out to find them.
"You okay?" Gianna asked, leaning forward to get a look at my face in the light of the giant Sir Bean sign.
"I'm okay," I said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."
"Well, don't stay out too late," she said. "And under no circumstances are you to be alone with this Olive person. Not even to go to the bathroom. Until we know her mother's involvement in all of this, we have to keep our guard up."
"I can't imagine Algrath would have taken the form of a teenage girl," I said. "Wouldn't he want to pretend to be someone stronger?"
Gianna shrugged and gripped the steering wheel. "With these trickster-type demons, you honestly can't make any assumptions," she said. "So, be careful, okay?"
I nodded. "Okay. I"ll be home in an hour or so at the latest."
She waited in the parking lot until I'd gotten safely inside. She waved and drove off just as someone touched my arm.
I jumped.
"Hey," Kai said. "You made it."
I placed a hand on my heart. "You scared me."
Wow, that little conversation with Gianna must have stirred me up. I was on edge now, as I looked around. Anyone in this place could be Algrath.
"Sorry," he said. "I've got work to do in the back to clean up, but Olive is over there by the back door talking to some friends. Don't tell her I said she was here. We don't want to seem too suspicious, just in case she's part of this."
I shook my head. "She's not," I said. "I can't believe that."
Kai shrugged. "Time will tell," he said. "It's just ticking by as we speak."
He was right.
"You know, I really hate that I didn't find out about this until now," I said. "I could have been searching for Algrath and those girls all summer."
"And putting your life in danger the whole time," he said, taking my hand. "Do you think you really would have felt up to it this past summer?"
I shrugged, not wanting to admit he was right. I was a puddle this summer.
"Maybe it would have given me a reason to get out of bed some days," I said softly. "Anyway, time is ticking. You're right about that. Let me go see what I can find out."
"I'll find you later."
"You better," I said with a laugh. "You're my ride home."
He smiled and headed back to the counter.
I found Olive, Brandy, and a few other people I hadn't met yet, huddled around a table near the back door. They looked surprised when I walked up.
"Lenny, what are you doing here?" Olive asked, wiping tears from her face.
"I was just coming in for some coffee," I said. "I saw you guys back here. Is everything okay? I tried to text you earlier. Is everything okay with your mom?"
Olive started to cry again.
"No, everything is very not okay," she said, laying her head down on the table. "This is the worst day of my life."
Brandy gave me a sympathetic look as she reached for Olive's hand.
"Have a seat," she said. "Olive can use all the support she can get right now."
"Look, we're going to head out," one of the other guys at the table said, motioning to his two friends. "Olive, if you need anything, let us know. I hope they find your mom."
"Thanks," Olive said, not bothering to lift her head off the table.
I took a seat next to her and placed my hand on her back.
"I'm so sorry," I said softly, glad it was just the three of us now. "What happened?"
"I decided to go to school today just to be around friends, because I was tired of sitting at home, worrying about Peyton," Olive said, lifting her head and sniffling. "Maybe I should have stayed home."
"No, if you'd stayed, maybe something terrible would have happened to you, too," Brandy said. "I'm so grateful you weren't there."
"Oh my gosh, you guys. What did happen?" I asked.
I kind of hated myself for pretending to know nothing about the incident, since I had actually been a huge part of it, but what else could I do?
If Olive was really Algrath, they already knew I'd been at that house. This was so messed up. It was like playing a game where the punishment for losing was death.
"I was heading out to my car after school when this cop car pulled up," Olive said. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life. They told me I needed to come with them. At first, I was terrified they had found Peyton, you know? Like what if they found her body or something and needed me to identify her?"
She sniffed and ran a napkin under her nose.
"But when they said it was about my mom, I just totally lost it," Olive said. "Basically, it looks like someone broke into our house during the day when I was at school. The police believe someone might have kidnapped mom, because her car, her purse, her keys, everything is all still at the house. The place is a total wreck, though, apparently."
"They wouldn't even let her inside to grab her things," Brandy said in a whisper, as if that was almost worse than her mother being gone.
"Where are you staying?" I asked. "What can I do to help?"
Olive shook her head and leaned back against the booth. "There's nothing anyone can do," she said. "Not unless you know where my mom is."
"Olive is staying with me and my family for a while," Brandy said. "Her dad is supposed to be coming in from Michigan in a week, but he claims he's busy with his business until then."
"I don't even really know my dad," Olive said. "I don't want to have to go live with him."
"You won't," Brandy said. "Your mom is fine. Everything is going to be fine."
I took a deep breath. This was so complicated.
The truth was here somewhere, staring me in the face, and I couldn't see it.
"I hate to ask this, but is there somewhere your mom might have gone?" I was skirting the line between concerned friend and inappropriate jerk, but I needed information. I was willing to be rude if it meant saving someone's life.
"What do you mean?" Olive asked. "You think she might have left me? She would never do that."
"Yeah, besides, her car was still there," Brandy said.
"That's not what I meant," I said, backtracking. "I was just trying to think through the possibilities. I mean, not to be rude or anything, but what if your mom went out with someone else during the day. She's single, right? Maybe she had a secret boyfriend or a place she might have gone to be alone with someone? I know I'm grasping at straws here, but I want to believe she's okay and just hasn't been able to make it home."
Olive shook her head.
"That's just not possible," she said. "Mom hasn't dated anyone in a really long time. She always says she doesn't have the time, even though she never does anything at night but bake. She also used to spend all her weekends out at the cabin her parents used to own. But she wouldn't have gone there. She hasn't been back there since last fall, because she always gets so busy getting ready for those holiday expos all over the place, trying to sell Christmas cupcakes and stuff."
I shook my head. So, maybe Bates really had been telling the truth.
"She stopped leaving me home alone on the weekends after LaTasha went missing, too, so the cabin's been empty for a long time," she said. "Do you think I should mention it to the cops? I can't even imagine how she would have gotten out there without her car, though."
Nervous butterflies danced in my stomach. Was this cabin connected?
"No, you're right. It's probably not worth mentioning to the cops," I said. "We don't want to take their attention away from their investigation and send them in the wrong direction. I just wanted to think of a way to help. I'm sorry I brought it up."
"It's okay," Olive said. "I've been trying to make sense of it or think of anywhere she might have gone, too, and nothing really seems possible or real anymore. I don't understand how I could lose two of the most important people in my life in the same week. I'm not sure how I'll survive this."
"You're going to be okay," Brandy said, squeezing Olive's hand tighter.
I put my hand on top of theirs.
"We're going to find them all," I said. "It's going to be okay."
Olive shook her head.
"No, it's not," she said, her voice suddenly so calm it gave me chills. "It's never going to be okay again, Lenny. And I think deep down inside, we all know it."
The lights flickered, and Melvin, the owner, came out.
"We'll be closing the doors in about five minutes, everyone. Time to wrap it up," he said. "Thanks for coming out."
Everyone in the cafe started moving around, scrambling to throw away their trash, order one last cup of coffee to go, or put their things together. Brandy and Olive stood, so I stood with them.
"I would invite you over for a while, too, but I think Olive needs to get some rest," Brandy said. "It's been a long day."
"Of course," I said, walking with them toward the door.
"Will you be at school tomorrow?" Brandy asked. "We haven't seen you since Peyton went missing."
"Not exactly the best start to the school year, huh?" I said with a joyless laugh. "I haven't talked about it much, but I lost both of my parents earlier this year. I guess making friends with Peyton and then losing her, too, really hit me hard."
"I was meaning to ask you," Olive said. "Did you and Peyton just meet Monday at school? Or had you known each other for a while? You moved to town this summer, right?"
"Yeah, I moved here about three months ago, but no, I didn't meet Peyton until Monday. Why?"
She looked confused for a second. "No reason," she said. "It just seems strange that you care so much about her so quickly, I guess. The day she disappeared, she was already talking about you like she knew so much about you. Like you had been old friends or something."
"Peyton was always like that, though," Brandy said, her eyes welling with tears. "Everyone she met was a friend."
I got chills for a second time, and I looked around for Kai. I wanted to talk to him and tell him about that cabin. And about Olive's behavior.
Why would Olive be so confused about my friendship with Peyton? She'd been there for a lot of it. She'd seen how close we'd gotten.
But maybe she hadn't been expecting me to get so involved in the search for Peyton. Maybe I was getting in her way.
I shuddered. I hadn't wanted to believe Olive had anything to do with this, but now, I wasn't so sure.
"So, you'll be at school?" Olive asked.
"Will you?" I asked back, surprised.
"I'm certainly not going to stay home alone, even if I am at Brandy's," Olive said. "But I guess we'll see what happens with the police."
"I might just take another day off," I said. "I don't know yet."
I also didn't know why they would care.
I was suspicious of everyone and everything, which kind of just made me angry, to be honest. A few days ago, I had thought I'd made my first true friends and was embarking on a normal teenage life.
Now, everyone seemed like a threat.
"There's my mom," Brandy said, pointing to a dark car that had just pulled up outside. "See you soon, I hope. Call me if you want to hang out this weekend."
"I will," I said. "Olive, let me know if I can do anything to help."
Olive sniffled and nodded as they walked out to the car.
"What happened?" Kai asked.
I jumped again, and he laughed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you or anything."
I turned. "It's okay. Everything has me so on edge right now."
"It's understandable," he said. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
On the way there, I filled him in on what I'd learned.
"Do you think the cabin might be important?" I asked.
"Anything could be important right now," he said as we pulled up to the house. "Let me walk you to the door."
Those nervous date-vibes came back up, but I tried to push them back.
"Tomorrow morning, I think we're going back out to train," I said. "Are you coming?"
We climbed the steps toward the door, and he nodded.
"We have to do what we can, right?" he asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I just wish I knew who to trust," I said, then smiled. "I mean, you could be Algrath, right? How would I even know?"
"Two things," he said, slipping his arms around me.
My breath caught in my lungs, and my heart beat faster.
"First of all, I was there with you when Algrath attacked," he said. "And secondly, demons don't have wings."
The memory of the way he'd wrapped those beautiful wings around me earlier this morning took my breath away.
"Yeah. I doubt the demon would have bothered to save my life," I said with a whisper. "Thank you for that."
"You're welcome," he whispered.
"Someday, you're going to have to tell me why you even care so much," I said.
"When we're on the other side of this mess, I promise. I'll tell you everything," he said. "Goodnight, Lenny. Get some rest."
"You, too," I said, a sense of loss coming over me as he released me and stepped away.
I watched him get into his car and drive away, and I wondered just what tomorrow would bring for us both.
With a sigh, I headed back inside and soon after, disappeared into a healing bath of chamomile.
Only Three Episodes Left!!! Please vote if you're enjoying the book so far! Thank you!