Page 52 of Road To Runes

"Like I said. The grapevine."

Ugh. Talking to a private investigator was even more frustrating than talking to a cop. Shawn would keep everything to himself unless he felt it served him somehow.

"Well, I don't know who you're talking to, but they're wrong," I said. "What does that even have to do with a burglary?"

Shawn’s eyes flashed with a touch of danger, and I smiled. He had given away more than he had intended to.

"Is that what was stolen?" I asked. "A power?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." Jeez, this guy reallydidthink he was a cop. "So, you're saying you don't have a power to steal powers?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"And you don't know anyone who does?"

"Nope. Any other weird-ass questions you'd like to ask me or can I get back to my climbing session?"

Shawn shoved his hand back into his pocket. "By all means. But I may be back in touch."

"Better make sure it's not too often," I said as I walked away. "Or I might just have to get a real cop to give you a restraining order."

The bitter look on his face had me grinning. Called it. That guy hadn't quite reached his goal of joining Nexus and had settled for the next best thing.

But the smile slipped from my face once I had my back to him. Whoever had told him about my power had officially put me in the investigation's spotlight, and I would find out who if it was the last thing I did.

"Okay, that's justweird," Penny said, hanging up her coat. "You changed your name. Surely he couldn't have spoken to your family? Where's the connection?"

"Unless he somehow found out I was related to them." I took one last drag off my cigarette before flicking the butt out the front door and closing it. "They are the only people except you guys who know I have a power."

"But if he asked them, they would tell him, wouldn't they?"

I kicked off my shoes and walked toward the kitchen to grab a protein shake, and Penny followed me. "They haven't toldanyoneabout me, because if they did, they would have to reveal that I've taken all their powers."

Luckily for me, their shame outweighed their need for practicality. For months after Hecate had released my powers, and I had inadvertently taken their powers from them, I worried Nexus agents would come knocking at the front door with a warrant for my arrest. But my entire family had decided, or rather my grandmother had decidedforthem, that they couldn't reveal what had happened. The biggest motivation for this was definitely pride, as it dictated almost everything my grandmother did. Shame was her kryptonite.

To tell Shawn that I had the power to steal the powers of others meant the Franklins would find out, and there was no way my grandmother would allow that. To lose the respect of one of the most important families in the country? Unthinkable. For her, at least.

However Shawn Donnelly had found out it wasn't through the Bishop family.

"Are we sure they wouldn't-?" Penny snapped her mouth shut as Edward barrelled down the corridor and whisked her into her arms, lifting her up off the floor.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as they span, and I mimed being sick into the umbrella stand.

"Did you fall off?" Edward teased when he finally set Penny on the ground again.

"Somuch. I don't know how Bea does it." Penny cuddled up against his chest.

"I'll come with you next time and I'll catch you."

I pretended to puke even louder as I passed them, punching Edward on the shoulder.

"Ow!" Edward swiped at me but I dodged out of his reach. "Maybe instead of making a nuisance of yourself, you could check Hec. She's not been looking well today."

"Not looking well?" I frowned. Hecate never got sick. The perks of being a magical creature were many and getting ill was high up there on the list. If she wasn't well, something was seriously wrong.

I hurried up the flights of stairs to my room and burst through the door. Sure enough, Hecate lay on her side on my made bed, yowling in low tones.

"Hec, what's wrong?" I dashed over to her and made to pick her up, but she hissed at me, so I held both hands up in surrender. "Okay, jeez. At leasttellme so I can help?"

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