Page 30 of Drawn in Blood
“Mo Chroi, you’re okay,” Otto breathed, as he broke away from the chief and wrapped Ember in a hug, kissing her lovingly on the head before scooping Maeve into his arms.
Ember furrowed her brow in confusion as she nodded. Of course she was fine. Her house wasn’t the one covered in Wardens.
“You made it,” Fen said, as he rushed toward them, stopping abruptly as he narrowed his eyes. “At the same time,” he said, as he looked between the two. “Were you together?”
“Killian came over to help me learn some sign language,” Ember said quickly before Killian could chime in. “We got your Helio and came over together.”
She wasn’t sure why she was nervous, or why she felt like she was lying to Fen. All they had done was learn sign language. She was choosing to ignore the butterflies and the way her veins felt like they had molten lava running through them when Killian’s hand touched hers.
“I can’t believe you hung out without me,” Fen grumbled, as they walked toward the house.
Ember rolled her eyes. “Are you going to fill us in or complain about how we spent the afternoon?”
Fen huffed as he took a few steps away from his parents, motioning for the other two to follow him. “Mum had to go to the market, and she didn’t want us staying home alone.”
Killian snickered, and Fen shot him a glare, prompting the blond to quickly close his mouth.
“When we came home, everything seemed normal enough until Maeve went upstairs and started screaming.”
Ember winced at the thought of the terrified little girl, the little one who she considered her sister for the last year, and her heart ached. She remembered all too vividly how it felt to be a terrified seven-year-old.
“Her room was a disaster,” he continued. “Sheets ripped off the bed, window broken, door ripped damn near off it’s hinges.” He shuddered as he crossed his arms.
Ember furrowed her brow as her heart sank. “They only went in Maevie’s room?”
Fen sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And yours.”
Ember’s heart sank. She didn’t even live here anymore, so why would anyone be in her room? She shook her head.
My old room.
“Mum and Dad were worried they had gone to your house when they realized you were gone,” Fen continued. “That’s why I sent the Helio.”
Ember shook her head. “No I’m fine. Mum has some pretty strong wards.” She furrowed her brow as her eyes narrowed at Killian. “How did you get through them actually?”
Killian smirked as he cocked his brow. “Mothers love me, what can I say.” He shrugged.
Ember rolled her eyes before turning back to Fen. “Don’t your parents have wards up?”
Fen sighed as he nodded. “Da’ took them down to rework something. He didn’t feel like the ‘standard’ wards the chief suggested were strong enough. He had planned to reinforce them when he got off work.”
“Did they take anything?” Ember knew the answer before she asked the question, but she didn’t want to believe it. Out of all the break ins and kidnappings that had happened over the summer, the only thing that ever turned up missing were the children. Pearls and priceless family heirlooms were always left untouched, but they still took the most valuable thing from these families. The thought that they had gone into the Kitts’ home, with only the intention of taking Maeve, made her sick to her stomach.
“Nothing,” Fen confirmed, as he shook his head, though it looked like that thought had settled him just as much as it had her. “It was odd, though. Your room looked like a war zone, like a bomb had been dropped in the center of it. Maeve’s wasn’t as bad, almost like it was an afterthought.”
Ember shuddered as she shook her head. “Maybe they thought it was Maeve’s room. Maybe it was a mistake.”
“Maybe,” Killian shrugged as he ran his hand through his hair, “but these people don’t strike me as the type to make mistakes.”
“There’s another problem, though,” Fen whispered, as he checked over his shoulder. “You remember the O’Malley’s down the road?”
Ember nodded as she furrowed her brow. They had spent many days last summer helping Mrs. O’Malley with things around their farm while her husband was away visiting family in Scotland. She had her hands full with three young children, and another on the way, and didn’t have the time or energy to take care of the garden or livestock the way she normally could. Ember spent many mornings pulling weeds and harvesting vegetables while Mrs. O’Malley chatted her ear off and brought her honey sandwiches and moon cider for lunch.
“Kady went missing last night,” he whispered. “Plucked straight out of her bed without a sound. All of this is getting far too close to home for my liking.”
Ember’s breath caught in her chest. Fen was right, this was becoming very real very fast.
“Oh, my love,” Ember heard Eira say, as she walked up to the group of teenagers, wrapping her in a hug that felt like warmth and home and adventure all at once. “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” Eira cupped Ember’s face gently in her hands, checking her over once, twice, three times for any obvious injuries. After a moment, she wrapped her in another hug, and Ember felt herself relax in the embrace.
