Page 47 of Devour the Dark

But the thought of someone else inhabiting it, that was something I could not bear, so I bought it.

“You should have told me,” Vane says. The scowl is gone now, replaced by something that looks an awful lot like hurt.

“I’m telling you now.”

He scoffs and returns to his Darling. But I know that won’t be the last I hear of it.

We continue on. Vane said the hat was in the warehouse. We only have one warehouse. It’s tucked at the end of a narrow alley just behind Vagaries and Wilcox on the northwest end of the Umbrage. On foot, we should be there within twenty minutes.

We walk in silence.

Finally, we come to Wilcox Avenue where Wilcox & Sons takes up the entire street corner, the front of it all in glass. Wilcox is known for their impeccable tailoring and imported suits. I own seven as of right now. When Vane and I ruled the Umbrage, we could walk into Wilcox any time of day or night and take what we wanted.

We cut down the alley where empty crates are stacked up outside Wilcox, the bright green logo painted over the wooden slats.

“Do you remember exactly where the hat is?” I ask Vane as the alley spills into an unloading area that proceeds the warehouse bay door.

“The cabinet, if I had to guess,” he says.

Next to the bay door is an unmarked man door with a giant padlock installed on a thick iron strap. The padlock is a combination, the wheels inside marked with the language of the Bone Society, the language of monsters.

I pick up the lock. The metal is cold in my hand, pitted with rust, but the wheels turn without complaint.

There are seven wheels, each with twenty-seven glyphs. I spin the dials, remembering the combination easily. Once it’s inputted, I yank the wheelhouse down and the lock pops open.

“How long has it been since you were here?” Vane asks.

“Years, at least.”

“Is the Variant collection still here?”

“Yes.”

He turns to Winnie Darling. “Be careful what you touch.”

“What is the Variant collection?” the Captain asks me.

“A collection of hats.” I smile at him. He is not convinced.

Wendy looks slightly intrigued by all of this. Asha is practically salivating. She’s heard of the Variant Collection. I can tell.

Winnie Darling grabs Vane’s hand and squeezes.

I push the door in.

Diffused silver light spills in through the barred windows along the back wall. There are rows and rows of crates and trunks and stuffed shelves along the brick walls.

Dust swirls in the air.

I glance down at the floor and come to a stop.

There is a noticeable set of tracks in the layer of dust disappearing down an aisle of crates.

Should have known someone else would beat us here.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ASHA

---