Page 87 of Waltzing With Witches

The problem is that he’s both brilliant and incredibly powerful—one of the many reasons he managed to escape being seen for what he was for so long. It wasn’t until he attacked Ever that any of us realized the extent of his treason.

And now? So many attacks in a short time. I think it’s about more than snatching his ex-mate Catherine, although he’ll obviously do that if he can. He never believed in the haven system, never wanted monsters to hide from humans.

I’m racking my brain in between fielding calls from Aberen and Evenia together and now Betmal. The first is highly unpleasant, all hissed reminders about my failure as a Keeper and son. Those comments don’t sting like they once did, though. My only concern is my people.

Betmal’s call might break me, though.

“Abe, how are you?” his deep voice floats through the comm watch.

“A male is dead,” I mutter. “And none of us knew he’d been turned.”

“Mmm,” he says. “Even the gargoyles did not sense the intruder?”

My heart clenches in my chest. “They didn’t. A black witch did.”

Silence stretches long.

“Are we speaking about your mate?”

Even hearing her title sets off something deep and primal in my chest—some insane and pressing need to immediately find her and tangle myself up in her.

“Abe?”

I clear my throat. “That’s right.”

Betmal sighs. “Know that you have our full support. Your mother is sending an—”

“Army, I know,” I snap. “First another Keeper, who also wasn’t aware of the thrall within our bounds. This is bigger than we can handle, Father.” I’m on the verge of admitting something I hate purely because I know how true it is.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to catch Leighton’s killer.

“I’m headed to Ever shortly,” Betmal says in a soft tone. It’s like he thinks I’m a grenade about to blow, and he wants to shove the pin back in before I can be set off.

“To do what? How can you possibly help?”

“I’m not coming to fix this,” he says, steel re-entering his tone. “I’m simply coming to be there with you and meet my daughter-in-law. I’m coming to be with you no matter how this plays out. I’m coming because I love you, and it has been far too long since we had time with just the two of us.”

I cough around the giant lump in my throat, but before I can respond, someone calls my name.

“I’ve got to go, Father,” I say gently. “See you soon.”

“Of course,” he says with all the usual charm he imparts. He clicks off without another word.

I turn in place to see Arkan and his father walking up the sidewalk toward us.

“Keeper! We must speak urgently,” Vikand says in that impossibly deep voice of his. “I’ve discovered something that might explain how we were unable to sense the thralls.”

Arkan gives me a wry look. “Father has already shared his idea with me, and I have to admit, it has merit. We should talk about this with Slade.”

My senses ping at that. “Dark magic?”

“Pitch-black,” Vikand says with a sorrowful sigh. “Doc Slade has long been a renowned scholar in this field.”

Arkan and I share a look, but he gives a little shrug. “We should hear him out. What can it hurt?”

I point up Main toward Slade’s cottage-turned-clinic. “Let’s walk and talk.”

A few minutes later, Arkan and I stand with our mouths open as Slade and Vikand pore over drawings in an ancient-looking leather-bound tome.

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