Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1)(53)

“You will. And… I’m sorry about Darek. Less sorry about Crowe.”

I rolled my eyes miserably. “Yeah, me too.”

She left me then, and a moment later I heard the shower start to run. Stretching, I stood up, ran a brush through my tangled hair, and paused in front of the closet, thinking of all my plans for my casting kit, the spells I wanted to practice.

Then I remembered that the man I’d wanted to protect had beaten up a guy just for looking at me funny. “Seems like he can protect himself,” I muttered, then grabbed my keys and headed out. I wanted to know if Alex or Katrina had shown up. If they had, the festival was the place they’d be.

I paused at the front door, remembering the bottle of Jack behind my bed. Should I try to dull myself down to get through the night? My fingers tightened on the doorjamb.

“No,” I whispered. This was something I needed to face. Crowe had been right about that—I had to be brave enough to push through it, and I wanted to be sharp in case I needed my actual magic. Decision made, I walked out of the house and left the bottle behind.





The lot was packed when I arrived back at the festival, and people were streaming onto the grounds for the second night. As I got out of the car, magic hung above the tents like a pollution haze, and the scents danced in the air, flickering through my awareness. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus, mentally tallying what I detected, pulling each color and smell apart.

Venemon. Animalia. Animus. Invictus. Inlusio. Locant. Arma. Terra. Omnias. I had run into each one and could now distinguish them if I was paying close enough attention. None of them smelled like the terrible smoldering stench I had detected just before Crowe and I were hit with lethal hexes. I wished I knew what it was—but I was also glad I couldn’t pick it up nearby.

“I can do this,” I whispered, shuddering. Without the benefit of alcohol, it all felt sharper and brighter, but, I admit, I also felt slightly more in control of it. I headed up the path slowly, behind crowds of people. Some were gossiping about Katrina and Alex disappearing, and some were whispering about the tension between the clubs. I quickened my steps, heading for the Medici tent. I didn’t really want to talk to Crowe, but I thought maybe Lori would be able to give me an update.

I pushed through the hanging flaps over the entrance to the tent and ran face-first into Crowe’s chest. He caught my arms and looked down at me, smiling. “Where have you been?”

I pulled myself out of his grasp. “Home. I was tired.”

He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Did the meeting go well? Any leads?”

“No leads. Killian didn’t even bother to show up, and his people claim they don’t know where he is—they’re grumbling that maybe he’s missing, too, but I’m not buying it.” His expression had gone dark and dangerous. “Especially since it turns out his prospect wasn’t missing after all.”

“Oh, really?”

He went on, seemingly too wrapped up in what had happened to detect the suspicion in my voice. “I haven’t been able to reach Flynn for the past few hours, either. I’ve got Jackson and Brooke out hunting for him. I met with the leaders of the other clubs. Ronan, Terrence, and Ren volunteered members to guard the perimeter, and I did as well. Everyone works in teams. No one goes it alone. Assuming we manage not to kill each other, it seems like the best way.”

“True,” I said. “Walking through the woods by oneself seems like a great way to get beat up.”

Crowe arched an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he said, drawing out the word. “I guess so.”

I looked at him steadily. “Did Darek say what happened to him?”

Crowe tilted his head to the side and looked at me through narrowed eyes. “He said he got drunk and ended up in a ditch, basically.”

“And everyone believed that?”

“I wanted to question him about my sister, but he insists she drove off alone. Not sure I believe him, but I can’t push it right now, not with Katrina missing and Ronan stomping around about it. I’ve got Hardy keeping an eye on him, though. If he has done something to them—”

“He was the one who was hurt, Crowe.”

“That’s what he wants everyone to believe, sure.”

“Ugh.” I turned and stalked away, but Crowe grabbed my arm and wheeled me around.

“What’s wrong with you tonight?” he asked. “I was worried about you this evening. Jane said she spoke to you. I wondered if maybe she said something, or—”

“What’s wrong with me? I thought I knew you, and then I come to find out that you’re the type of person who beats up innocent people!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Darek,” I shouted. “You jumped him in the woods!”

“Who told you that?” Crowe’s face went from confused to grim in a fraction of a second. “Oh, I get it. I saw the look he gave you in the tent last night and wondered about you guys. I mean, I knew you two hooked up last year, but—”

“Hooked up? He was my friend!” I yelled. “And believe me, I really needed one.”

Crowe held his hands up, but no magic was coming from them now. “You think I beat up your friend? That’s the kind of guy you think I am?”