Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1)(49)

“This is unusual.”

“Don’t think too deeply about it.” I had no intention of introducing Carrow. She was mine, though she didn’t know it yet, and Remington was powerful and dangerous. I didn’t want him to get too interested in her.

“I’m Carrow Burton,” she said.

I stifled an annoyed noise. I should have anticipated that Carrow would do whatever the hell she wanted. I hadn’t known her long, but I did know that.

“Remington, Sorcerers’ Guild.”

“I can see that.” Her gaze moved over the building. “Nice place you have here.”

Remington’s brows rose. Nice place.

I nearly chuckled again. That was two times she’d nearly made me laugh, two times in hundreds of years. It made my throat feel strange, and I resisted rubbing it.

“Come.” Remington turned and led us into a darkened stairwell, a magical and secret set of stairs that he’d created.

We strode up the dark, narrow steps, six stories that rose up and up, until we arrived at the roof. Remington opened the hatch at the top of the tower, and we followed him out and into the open air.

It always felt closer to the moon up here, something that I enjoyed. One of the few things I enjoyed these days. A faint breeze blew across the top of the tower, bringing the scent of rain with it. The city sprawled beneath us, ancient streets twisting alongside each other, golden streetlamps glowing.

Remington turned to us. “What can I do for you, Devil?”

I held out my hand to Carrow. “Your mobile, please.”

She pulled it out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a moment. When she handed it to me, the image of the body was on the screen. The burn mark was clear—two stars overlapping each other. I showed it to Remington. “We want to track whoever made this mark.”

He studied it a moment, a frown stretching across his face. “A necromancer?”

“We believe so.”

He grimaced. “Best find him soon, then.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Give me a moment, and I’ll get what I need.” Remington strode back to the stairs.

“He won’t be long.” I handed Carrow her mobile back.

“He’ll do the spell up here?”

“It seems so.”

She looked like some kind of ancient goddess with the wind blowing her hair back from her face and intensity gleaming in her eyes. “Why didn’t you answer my question down on the wall?”

Bloody hell. She wasn’t going to let that one go. “Are you happy in the human world?”

She frowned. “You’re changing the subject.”

“You’re quick.”

“And not susceptible to flattery.”

“Answer my question, and perhaps I’ll answer yours.”

“I don’t like the sound of that perhaps.”

“It’s the best you’ll get.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am happy in the human world.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I’d like to.”

She hesitated at that, surprise flashing across her face. “Really?”

“Very much.” My candor startled me. I rarely shared my thoughts with anyone. Unnecessary when I could get whatever I wanted. I was very good at getting my own way. “Tell me. Are you happy in the real world? The human one?”

“What is happy?”

“That’s a no, then.”

She shrugged. “It’s my home.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

She looked past me, out at the city. Her face turned wistful, and something tightened in my heart. I grimaced, barely resisting rubbing my chest.

Feelings.

I didn’t like them.

Unfortunately, around her, it seemed impossible not to have them.

“What is it about the human world that you like?”

She blinked at me, seeming confused. “My books from Beatrix, I suppose. Cordelia.”

“Who is Cordelia?”

“A raccoon.”

“What?”

“I like her, okay? She lives in the alley behind my flat. Or at least, I thought she did.”

I couldn’t do anything about a raccoon. But the books… “Your books? Surely you could bring those here.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? That doesn’t make any sense. They are just books. They can be taken from London to Guild City.”

“I’d need to go back and get them, and as it stands, I’m a wanted woman.” A shadow crossed her face. “There’s every chance the police have taken them into evidence.”

“Well, with any luck, we’ll have you off the hook for that crime soon. And we’ll avenge your friend.”

“It may be too late.”

“It’s never too late.” That was a bloody lie. It was often too late. I’d learned that the hard way. “But if that’s all you have there, I see no reason why you would stay in the human world.”

She was silent for a moment, and I could see the thoughts turning behind her eyes. “What about you? I answered you. Your turn.”