Page 80 of Soul of Shadow
“We’re going to break into his house?” Mason stared at Charlie, mouth agape. “Whoareyou?”
“It’s not breaking and entering,” she said. “He’s basically squatting there. I wouldn’t—”
“I don’t need to hear any excuses.” Her brother folded his hands behind his head. “I’m honestly impressed. Charlotte Hudson, breaking the law. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Sighing heavily, Charlie swerved the Bronco around a cluster of trees. “You have no idea what—”
The sound of a plastic bag crinkling rose from the back seat, followed by a muttered, “Shit.”
Charlie slammed on the brakes. Then, in unison, she and Mason swiveled around to inspect the back seat.
“Abigail?” Charlie asked, spying her friend hunched on the floor of the car. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Abigail, whose head was tucked under her hands, looked up sheepishly from between her fingers. “Hi.”
“How did you—”
“I left the dance to change out of my heels,” she said. “They were killing me. I brought an extra pair of flats and left them in the car, so…” She scratched her chin. “Anyway. Then you guys came storming in, and it sounded like whatever you were talking about was private, so I just kind of… hid.”
Charlie’s face fell into her hands. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I don’t know what all this ridiculous Nordic mumbo jumbo is about,” said Abigail, untangling her limbs and plopping herself onto the back seat, “but if Lou is actually in trouble, I’m coming with you guys.”
“Absolutely not,” said Charlie. “It’s too dangerous. You don’t understand the sort of creatures we’re up against, and I’m already risking the life of one person I care about—”
“Charlie.” Abigail crossed one leg over the other, leveling her friend with the kind of stare that had made many past debate partners shrivel into nothing. “You and your brother are going up against, in your own words,a fear-eating demon made of shadow, and you don’t think you need backup?”
“Hey,” said Mason, holding up the baseball bat he took out of his locker before they left, “I brought my Slugger.”
Abigail held out a hand. “Case in point.”
“I thought you didn’t believe what I said,” said Charlie.
“I don’t,” said Abigail. “But if there’s any truth to this whatsoever, I’m not letting you guys walk in there alone.”
Mason stared at Abigail, eyebrows raised. “Damn, Abby. I’m impressed. Here I was, thinking the only thing you cared about was SAT vocab.”
Abigail raised her chin. “You don’t know the first thing about me, Mason Hudson.”
“Gah.” Charlie, who had been tugging on her hair in frustration, dropped her hands onto the steering wheel. “Fine. You can come.”
“What?” Mason said, turning to his sister.
“But only because every second we spend arguing is a second that Lou’s life is in danger.” Charlie shifted the car back into drive. Mason shot her a look, probably wondering why she’d picked empty air up off the floor. Charlie ignored the question in his eyes. “It’s just a little further. From there, we go by foot.”
35
The house, as Charlie had suspected, appeared empty. No lights were on. No fire burned in the living room. Elias was no doubt far away from here, closing in on the Fenrir with every minute.
They needed to move quickly.
“I don’t understand,” said Mason behind her. “Why have we come to a graveyard?”
Charlie looked over at him in confusion. “What?”
And as she looked at the blank expressions on Mason’s and Abigail’s faces, she remembered what Elias had told her earlier that week—how he’d struck a deal with the ash wives that allowed him to disguise the house from human eyes.
“Oh,” said Charlie. “You can’t see it.”
