Page 84 of Drawn in Blood
Her and Ember’s presents lay unopened under the tree, Eira refusing to move them when Otto suggested they put them in the closet for later, and the sight was making Killian’s stomach heavy.
“Earth to Killian,” Fen said, as he waved his hand in front of his face from the other side of the coffee table, “it’s your turn.”
Killian snapped his eyes forward to the chess board and nodded his head, moving a random piece without much thought.
“Okay, what’s wrong,” Fen said, as he furrowed his brow. “That was an awful move, and you would’ve known that had you even bothered to glance at the board.”
“Have you heard from her?” Killian asked, as he leaned back against the couch.
“From who?” Fen asked.
“From Ember,” Killian continued. “Did she ever text you back?”
The boys had sent her a text that morning, asking if she would be by for presents, or Eira’s Yule dinner, or just to hang out and enjoy the holiday, but she never responded.
Fen’s brow rose as he pulled out his phone. “No, nothing.” He shrugged, “Maybe she’s just busy? This is her first Yule back with her mum.”
“Have you tried tracking her?” Killian asked, agitation building in his chest.
“Have I tried tracking my best friend because she hasn’t texted me back in a few days?” Fen asked, as he raised his brow. “Seems a little excessive, don’t you think? She’ll call when she’s not busy.”
Killian nodded, but something about it just didn’t feel right. He hadn’t heard from her since they said their goodbyes on the last day of school. She didn’t even show up the evening they were supposed to go to Arcelia. He expected her to be enthralled with Theo during their first Yule together, but he never would’ve expected her to ice them out like this. Something didn’t feel right about it, something he just couldn’t get out of his head.
“Something is wrong,” he almost whispered, as he clutched his chest, searching for the invisible chord that connected the three of them. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel it too.”
Fen nodded as he leaned back on his hands. “I thought maybe it was just because she didn’t live here anymore, like maybe it had loosened over time and I didn’t notice. But sincewe went on break, I can’t feel it at all.” His voice was hoarse, like saying it out loud put truth to his thoughts.
“I think we should go check on her,” Killian said, as he tapped his foot on the floor. “Just to make sure she’s okay.”
“Mate, I’m sure she’s fine.” Fen forced a smiled, but Killian’s pointed stare made him pause. “But if it would make you feel better, we can go check.”
Killian nodded and pushed off the couch, not waiting to see if his friend was behind him, grabbing his coat as he made his way out the door.
The boys took the Echopoint straight to Lothbrok Manor, and from the moment Killian’s feet hit the frozen ground, he knew something was wrong. The wolf under his skin clawed and scratched, begging to be released from its prison as they walked up the quiet drive. Wind whipped around them, and Killian got the distinct feeling they were being watched. They walked up the steps, knocking quickly on the door, and stood back to wait.
Fen knocked several more times, but each time, no answer came, and dread began to pool in Killian’s stomach.
“Maybe they’re on holiday?” Fen asked, as he bit his bottom lip. “Maybe she’s just somewhere without great cell service.” He tried to sound sure of himself, but Killian could hear the worry clouding his words.
“She’s not here,” a voice sounded from the side of the manor. “They’ve all left.”
Killian and Fen whipped around to see a tall dryad—Maize—standing by the trees, Maia at his side. Killian furrowed his brow. Ember would never leave and not take Maia with her.
“When will they be back?” Fen asked, as the boys made their way over to the dryad, rubbing Maia’s snout as they spoke.
“From the looks of the house, they won’t be,” Maize replied, as he shook his head, handing over the reins to Fen. “MistressLothbrok asked that I deliver Maia to you. They couldn’t take her unfortunately.”
Killian narrowed his eyes. “Ember would never leave Maia willingly,” he said, “not without talking to us first.”
“I know,” Maize replied quietly, giving them a solemn nod. “I would have brought her to you directly, but I wanted to wait until the Winter Solstice had come to an end. They left suddenly, and there wasn’t much time for planning.”
“Suddenly?” Fen asked, as he gripped Maia’s lead tighter. “Where did they go?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not sure,” Maize said, as he shook his head. “They left no forwarding address or way to contact them. I’m to close the house and move to a new job by the end of the month.”
Killian’s breath caught in his chest. If Maize was closing the house, then they really wouldn’t be back, not for a long while anyway. This wasn’t some winter holiday. No… This was something Ember would have told them about if she could’ve.
“Is she still on the island?” Killian asked, as he flexed his hands by his side.
