Chapter 247

Agnes

“We should go,” Elijah said abruptly. “Even if that doctor doesn’t tell your stepmother what just happened, we should get Thea home where it’s safe—and check on the stone.”

He didn’t need to tell me twice. Our mission in attending this damned banquet had been accomplished, and it was wise not to overstay our welcome.

Smoothing down my skirt, I stood and followed him out of the sitting room, then back to the main banquet hall. However, as we stepped back into the party, we stopped short; it seemed all of the guests had moved to the center of the room, where a fast-paced group dance was taking place. Lena and Thea were nowhere to be found, so they had to be amongst the crowd.

I bit my lip with frustration. We didn’t have time for this—not when so much might be at risk. But we couldn’t just leave without them, of course.

“We’ll have to join in,” Elijah said, guiding me toward the dance floor. He had a smile on his face so that to anyone else, it looked like we were just enjoying the party. “It’s the fastest way.”

I nodded, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the fray. As soon as there was an opening, we slipped into the pattern, joining the swirling mass of dancers.

The dance was chaotic but there was a certain organization to it. Couples would spin together for a few measures before separating and finding new partners, then repeat the same thing. Two long lines of dancers swept into a swirling vortex in the center, and in the center of that, people broke off to twirl out and rejoin the backs of the lines.

But three partners later, I still hadn’t spotted Thea or Lena amongst the crowd. I suspected they were caught up somewhere in the center.

The music swelled, signaling another partner change, and I twirled away from a portly gentleman in a tuxedo, only to find myself face to face with none other than my father.

Fantastic.

His hands came up to grasp mine as the dance dictated, and I had no choice but to follow the steps with him, otherwise it would just raise eyebrows. And judging from the way his hands desperately gripped mine, it seemed he had no intentions of letting me go so soon.

“Agnes,” he said, leaning in so I could hear his voice over the music. “What are you doing here? Your wolf has returned—I can sense it. Your fire powers must be under control now, right? Are you here to attack your stepmother?”

I nearly missed a step, surprised by his direct approach. “No,” I said carefully, quickly regaining my composure. “That’s not why I’m here. Not yet, anyway.”

I didn’t trust him enough to say more about our plans, about what we’d learned from Dr. Rose, or about the stone. This man had chosen my stepmother over me time and again. He’d stood idly by while I’d been cast out, wolfless and grieving. While I’d been utterly broken. In fact, he had pretty much orchestrated the whole thing.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for him as I looked at his face now—pale and lined with worry, his eyes darting nervously to the side every few seconds as if checking whether my stepmother was watching.

He’d changed so much from the proud, confident man I remembered from my early childhood. The man who used to be the head of our household, who used to manage everything, who used to care for my mother and I with a heart of gold.

He was a shell now. A puppet who held his own strings, but still danced under the puppeteer’s command.

My stepmother had done that to him, had slowly whittled him down until he was nothing but a hollow version of his former self.

Still, of course I couldn’t forgive him for all he’d done—or failed to do—and I found him pathetic, really. But at least I understood a little better now. Like Olivia, he was afraid. Afraid of my stepmother and whatever power she held over him. Afraid of the consequences if he outwardly defied her. I didn’t know what went on between those two behind closed doors, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I saw no bruises, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t abusing him, physically or emotionally.

“You should leave,” he muttered, pulling me closer as we spun. “It’s not safe for you here.”

“It’s not safe for any of us anywhere,” I replied firmly. “Not with what she’s planning.”

His eyes widened slightly. “You know?”

“I know enough,” I said. The dance required us to separate briefly, clapping our hands together before rejoining. When his hands gripped mine again, I leaned in and added: “But she won’t find what she’s looking for.”

My father stared at me, then his gaze shifted over my shoulder, focusing on something—or someone—behind me. “I wouldn’t be so certain,” he said quietly. “I believe your home may have been compromised already.”

I whipped my head around, following his line of sight to the center of the dance floor. There, spinning and laughing, were Lena and Thea. Lena had lifted Thea up and was twirling her around, both of them smiling widely.

Before I could ask what he meant, the dance forced us apart again. I reached out to grab his arm, but he was already lost in the sea of dancers.

I stood frozen for a moment, feeling oddly out of place as couples continued to whirl around me. Then someone bumped into me, nearly knocking me over and jarring me back to awareness.

Compromised? What did he mean? He couldn’t possibly be suggesting that Lena…

No. That was absurd. Lena was a good friend, an ally, someone Elijah and I both trusted. She took care of Thea like she was her own daughter, for Goddess’ sake. She’d helped us find the Lunaris Stone at Richard’s territory. If she had wanted to steal it, she’d had plenty of opportunities before now.

My father was just trying to distract me. Either that, or he was sorely mistaken about her.

I pushed through the dancers, ignoring the annoyed looks as I disrupted the pattern. I grabbed Lena by the hand and pulled her out of the throng, causing her to stop laughing and trot after me with a confused expression on her face.

“What’s going on?” she asked over the music, holding Thea against her hip.

“I…” I hesitated, recalling my father’s warning. Lying to Lena felt wrong, even more so now that I considered her a friend and had told her the truth about my abilities. But I couldn’t help but feel a little wary now, so I said vaguely, “I’m not feeling well. We’re going home.”

Lena didn’t argue. Finally, we spotted Elijah near the edge of the dance floor, scanning the crowd. His face lit up when he saw us. “James is waiting by the entrance,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, we made our way out of the ballroom, through the foyer, and finally out the front doors where James was indeed waiting. The cool night air was a relief after the heat and noise of the ballroom. Thea whined, complaining that she was having fun, but we didn’t have time to waste. After promising that we’d have lots of fun another time, she settled down.

The drive home was tense and mostly silent. I couldn’t bring myself to discuss what my father had said, not with Lena sitting right there in the car with us. Instead, I held Thea on my lap, stroking her hair as she dozed off, exhausted from the evening’s excitement.

All the while, I watched Lena from the corner of my eye. She seemed perfectly normal, gazing out the window with a small smile on her face, occasionally commenting on something we passed. Nothing about her behavior set off any alarm bells. She was just her usual self. Kind, dependable… a friend. A part of the family.

By the time we pulled into our driveway, I had all but pushed aside the thoughts, chalking them up to my father either being utterly mistaken or simply lying. Lena took Thea to bed, and Elijah and I made our way to our bedroom, where a small safe was hidden in the back of our closet behind a false panel.

The safe was high-security, with both a digital code that only Elijah and I knew. The stone should be nestled safely inside, exactly where we put it after we’d used it for the unmarking ritual.

But when I punched in the code and opened the door, my stomach dropped.

The stone was gone.