“Marcy, can you detect any spells?” I asked once we were clear of the van.
“Nope, but that’s not saying much. Like your mate growled earlier, Enid’s not giving away anything if she can help it.”
I turned to Rourke. “We should all enter the building at once. Strength in numbers is all we have.”
“Agreed,” he said. “We split up for now, examine the building from the outside, and wait for a signal from Ray.”
We broke into two groups, and the four of us circled around, Kayla in the lead. We cut into an alleyway halfway around. There was a large parking lot situated behind the building.
As we neared, I grabbed Kayla’s shirtsleeve, tugging her to a stop. “Which is your window?” I asked in a low voice. “Point it out to us.”
She gestured toward the middle of the top floor. The shades were drawn.
“There’s a fire escape near their unit,” Tyler said. “I can climb up and check it out.”
“Do it,” I said. “But don’t enter the building. Once we get an all-clear from Ray, we’ll decide what comes next.”
Tyler made a move to leave, but before he could go, Kayla placed a hand on his arm. He stopped immediately, giving her his full attention. “If he’s in there,” she whispered quietly, “you should be able to sense him. If he’s in distress, please call me first. I will have to…calm him down before we can enter.” Her voice held urgency. “Please.”
Tyler nodded. “No problem. If he’s there, you go first.”
My eyebrows rose as I glanced at Rourke. Calm him down? This kid has to be a serious threat. That’s probably why she’s so protective. She’s worried we’re going to freak out when we find out what he is.
I understood protective siblings.
She’s going to have to come clean sooner or later, my mate reasoned. Either way, once we catch a good scent of him, we’ll figure it out. Her secret will be out soon enough.
Somehow I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, I answered. It almost never is. Juanita said I had to find this kid to fulfill my destiny. But is my destiny really located in a tiny apartment in Baltimore? My guess is he’s not here.
Rourke shrugged, his eyes pinned on Tyler as my brother climbed up the ladder. Stranger things have happened. Maybe there’s a portal up there? Who knows?
Hah, I laughed. Well, if there is, we’re not going through it.
Famous last words.
If the kid went through a portal, chances were we’d follow him.
Tyler made it to the top in less than a minute. He crouched low as he investigated, trying to seem like he wasn’t casing the joint. It didn’t work. He stuck out like a loitering thug up to no good. He turned to us, his hand up in a wave. I don’t sense anything, he told me internally. No movement or sounds coming from inside.
Ray landed next to me in a whoosh, so fast no human could track.
I startled, like usual. Dammit. “Feeling a little jumpy there, Hannon?” He chortled at my discomfort. He was never going to give up calling me Hannon, the name he knew me by on the police force all those years ago. I’d made peace with it.
“I hate it when you do that,” I grumbled. “It’s unnatural to be able to do what you do. I know you revel in sneaking up on me, but you need to control yourself. There’s going to be a time when my fist reacts before my brain does, and I hope, for your sake, your neck is not in its path when it happens.”
“If I went any slower, I’d risk being spotted. And, please, shifting into a wild animal is normal?” he scoffed. “You’re right up there with me on the list of things that go bump in the night.” He crossed his arms, legs splayed, steel-gray flattop unmoving, looking the picture of a cop.
“What’d you find?” I asked, watching my brother as he continued to search for any signs of supernatural life.
“The roof’s clean. There’s a door, but it’s locked from the inside and doesn’t seem to have been tampered with lately. I didn’t smell anything fresh. But”—he raised an eyebrow—“something’s been up there on more than one occasion, and its scent is strange as hell. Smells like an animal—but not really. Definitely supe. Like a cross between an animal and a rock or something. I couldn’t figure out what the hell it was, but that’s not saying much since I haven’t scented that many things. But whatever it is, it hasn’t been up there in a few weeks.”
“You don’t say,” I said. Switching to internal, I told Tyler, Ray smelled something strange on the roof. An old scent trail. Head up and see what you think. When you’re done, come down and we’ll meet the others.
Will do, Tyler answered. We watched as he scaled the rest of the ladder to the top, jumping cleanly from the fire escape to the roof.
“Where’s he going?” Kayla asked, turning toward me.
“He’s checking out your brother’s scent signature on the roof. He goes up there sometimes, doesn’t he?” I said. “Maybe to get away from it all?”
“That’s none of your business,” Kayla answered, her face set, her long black hair swaying in agitation.
I sighed. “Kayla, we’re here to help you.” This was the seventeenth time I’d reiterated that particular fact. “I get being a protective sibling, I am one, too, but we need information so we know what we’re dealing with. It’s obvious you’re keeping his identity from us on purpose.” She turned away. “But with all the clues we have, it’s not that hard to put the pieces together. Tyler is known for his nose. He’s going to find what we need up there. Your brother is young and likely unstable with his magic. When it goes wrong, or he gets upset, he puts people at risk, right? Your fear is apparent. You already told us your mother was from Iceland and your father was Greek. We’ve deduced you got your necromancy from your father. Rourke mentioned in the van that Iceland was known for two things: elves and trolls. Elves don’t smell like animals or stone, as far as I know, so that leaves trolls. Would you like me to keep going?”