Page 77 of Dark Embers

I added the last bit for extra flattery, and judging by the haughty smile he offered in response, it had paid off.

“I need you to find someone for me,” he said. “Her last known location was a house in Short Grove, a small town outside ofChicago. I have sent others to do the job, but they don’t know the area as well as you do. I figured that, since Chicago was your most recent hunting ground, and you have the added benefit of being able to walk in the daylight, you might be particularly well-suited for the task.”

Curiosity won, making me furrow my brow with intrigue. “Who is it you want me to find?”

“Her name is Arya Walker,” he explained. “She’s a young girl of about seventeen. County records show that she still resides at the house, but she hasn’t actually been there for three weeks or more. I need you to put your keen sense of smell to work and sniff her out, using your knowledge of the surrounding area to predict where she might be hiding.”

I nodded, the curiosity now blazing in my chest. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, what is her importance?”

He looked down at his hands, tapping his index finger over the top of his other hand as he considered my question. “Let’s just say that her blood is of great value to me.”

I waited to see if he would elaborate any further, but he didn’t.

“Very well,” I said, pushing away from the table. “I’ll take my leave at once. If she’s still in Chicago, I’ll find her.”

He rose with me, slapping a firm hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Julian. I knew I could count on you for this job. I’ll text you her address. Let me know immediately when you find her.”

I offered an obedient but shallow bow that made me feel dirty before leaving his office and heading straight for the front doors.

To be honest, I was immensely grateful for this opportunity on a number of levels. I couldn’t stand Piper, and any chance to be free of her for even a few hours was a great boon. But also,leaving the strict confinement of these walls would allow me to get my hands on some blood bags. Short Grove wasn’t far from Chicago. I could make a stop at my apartment and sate this maddening hunger.

And…I might be able to see Shea. I had no way of contacting her on my own, and I had no idea where she lived. But maybe I could follow her scent from my apartment and…what? Just check on her, I supposed. Make sure she was alright.

Though, for her safety, it might be best for me not to leave a trail to her door for others—Marguerite, namely—to follow if they got suspicious. I wouldn’t put it past that leech to follow me on this task. I’d have to be very careful of what I did and how I operated so that anyone Hadrian might have secretly assigned to watch me would have nothing untoward to report.

*?*?*

The flight was mercifully empty, not many passengers needing to travel so early in the morning. And without an excess of human blood to distract my already fraying senses, it gave me time to think.

Caesar had said the mermaid he’d rescued had been in Short Grove. Was this the same girl I was supposed to track down? If so, what was Hadrian’s interest in her?

He hadn’t said anything about a siren or prophecy while I’d been spying on him, and certainly no mention of that when he assigned me this task. He’d only said that her blood was of great value, whatever that meant. And if this girl was, indeed, the same girl, I already knew where she was. At the shifter school.

I would make a show of looking for her nonetheless. And under no circumstances would I leave any breadcrumbs to the secret entrance of the school. I would stray before getting so close.

When I exited the airport, it was already afternoon in Chicago. I had lost much of the day, but no matter. It left me plenty of time to scope out the house at the address Hadrian had sent me before returning to my apartment for the evening to finally gorge on my supply of blood.

I took a taxi to the outskirts of town, and, from there, used my vampire speed to run the distance over the grassy fields to Short Grove, stopping in a thicket of trees before emerging in the small town’s main street. I pulled out my phone and pinged the address in Google Maps, adopting a leisurely human stroll as I followed the directions to the quaint house.

Sure enough, I caught Caesar’s scent as I approached the front door. But it wasn’t as stale as it should’ve been after so many weeks. No, it was fresh and potent. He’d recently been here, the musk of his cologne stinging the back of my parched throat. Hell, I might have just missed him by an hour or so. I couldn’t help but wonder why. Perhaps to collect some of the mermaid’s personal items?

I honed my auditory senses, listening for any movement in the house. Nothing, not even the scurry of a mouse. I turned the knob and let myself inside, two distinct scents hitting my nostrils, one of which striking me so violently that I stumbled into the back of the couch.

Shea!

Shea had been here too. Her scent was just as faint as the other, certainly about three weeks old, but just as sweet as I remembered.

What the hell had she been doing here with the mermaid? Had they known each other? Did she know Caesar? What the hell were the odds?

I tried to focus on the mermaid’s misty scent, but Shea’s was taunting me, holding dominion over my body and soul and making my fangs throb with my heightened craving for her. I needed to leave this place before I lost control and went feral.

It had been a grave mistake to come here before feeding on my stash. That should’ve been the first thing I did, but I hadn’t wanted to raise any suspicion in whomever might be following me, if anyone even was.Dammit!

I tripped out of the house, closing the door assertively behind me in hopes of cutting off that intoxicating aroma. I sucked in a breath of fresh air, hoping the smells of grass and autumn would wash away the taint of Shea’s presence.

It helped slightly, but I could still smell her, her scent oddly intermingled with the mermaid’s.Get a grip, Julian. You have a job to at least pretend to do.

Like a heroin addict, I embraced the two scent trails, giving in to the pull of following them as the urges of the hunt set in. Shea’s trail weaved in so many directions from here, and it was overwhelmingly tempting to stray from the path, to find her now and—

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