Anderton Cottage is dark as we approach. Rio must be somewhere else if he’s picking up my things, and I’ve sensed hostility between Tempest and Professor Morgan, so I doubt he’s sitting comfortably in the dark while Tempest unlocks the door and ushers me in.
I follow him through the home. He doesn’t turn on any lights, and when he pushes aside a painting and enters in a code, I show no surprise when the bookshelf swings open and we step through.
Tempest takes the stairs first. He stops at the bottom, waiting for me.
The gloom of the stairway doesn’t detract from the intensity of his stare as he watches me descend. His eyes are brighter than usual, more fervent. Muscles in his cheeks tic as he debates what to say.
When I join him on the bottom step, he takes both my hands in his, and says solemnly, “This is for you.”
Tempest flicks on the light.
I stare into the room and scream.