Page 95 of In the Dark

That seemed to penetrate Astix’s panic. She raised her head, as if testing the air. “Wards. The wards are down. This was no accident. Leo!” She lunged again but Aisanna held her tight.

“You don’t know if he was in there.” Karsia moved to her sisters and crouched in the snow beside them. “There’s probably nothing to worry about.”

Silently, Astix pointed to the left. Parked along the edge of the field was Leo’s black Lincoln Town Car. “My life, my house, my Leo…gone. All gone, all gone.”

“Snap out of it!” Aisanna demanded. “He’s alive. You would know if he’s dead. You’re not thinking straight.”

Astix was completely disoriented. She felt the wrongness of the situation, and part of her knew her sister was correct. The other part looked at the devastation, heard herself screaming, and wept anew.

“Look at me. Look at me!” Aisanna shook her shoulders. Stared at her pleadingly even as her voice sounded cold and detached. “I’m trying not to lose my shit. Elon was in that house, too, and I refuse to believe he’s dead.”

Astix had seen destruction before. Lived through countless ups and downs and situations no mortal woman would ever experience. All of those times she’d never been truly frightened for her future. Not so this time. This time, she was petrified.

She couldn’t speak. Only struggle to breathe. Her bloodless lips formed the words whathappened, and she felt her eyes rolling back into her head.

“I don’t know, but get back in the car. Get in the car,” Aisanna said in her dead voice.

“Leo? Elon?” Karsia queried softly. “What now?”

“We regroup.”

Karsia had never heard anything like the coldness in Aisanna’s tone. It chilled her through her bones, straight to her core.

“Morgan, help them. Help them both.” She stared at the house, at what was left of the foundation crackling in the blazing inferno. Tried to pull on every ounce of calm she possessed so she could be the voice of reason.

Then she turned away, and didn’t spare another glance back. “I’ll find who did this,” she vowed. “And I will kill them.”

Morgan led both sisters to the car, supporting them along the way. Breathing hard, he packed them into the back seat. Two hollow, emotionless shells of slightly differing sizes.

Then Karsia turned to him. And he stopped breathing. He touched her arm and her gaze met his. “Please tell me you don’t still feel the effects of…” He trailed off.

Her eyes went quickly toward his fingers. She shot him a tight smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. But this…this is the final straw. I can’t have you deny me payback this time.”

He saw that she was set to argue, and stepped between her and the open car door. “There’s no time now, and no way I’d be able to deal with this on my own. But I will tell you this. When the time comes to punish those responsible, I will not stop you. Neither will I stand behind you and watch. I’ll be at your side fighting. Trust me.”

Karsia clenched her teeth against rush after rush of nausea, her stomach turning cartwheels. “Deal.” Holding her breath, she climbed into the back seat alongside the others and drew Astix close. “Sweetie, it’s going to be okay.”

Morgan and Aisanna stared at each other for a moment before she tossed him the keys, still clenched in her fist. She stifled a shuddering gasp and leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window.

He got into the driver’s seat and flashed a glance back at Karsia.

“Get us away from here. I don’t care where, just drive. Whoever did this is still out there.” She ran her hand in calming circles around Astix’s upper shoulders.

“We’ll go to my place. Until we figure this out. I have more than enough room for everyone there. We can decide what needs to be done and make a plan.” Morgan looked to her for approval.

Karsia nodded, mouthing the words I love you. It brought a smile to his face as he threw the car into reverse.

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