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“And the large sum of money given for said tip was inconsequential, right?” Imogen stepped up beside me.
He swallowed and opened his mouth to respond, but I dropped my hand, cutting him off.
“Enough.” The room rattled along with every nerve ending in my body. “You made a spectacle over missing bovine, put a neighboring city in fear of a winged beast, when in reality you may have very well let them out yourself.”
“I would nev—”
“We are done here,” I said, turning on my heel. I stopped near Vincent. “Pay him double. Replace the creatures he so desperately cares for, and make sure he doesn’t call mortals the next time he has an episode.” I emphasized the last word, glancing toward the stack of empty alcohol bottles. I stepped into the sunshine with Imogen right behind me, the screen door slamming shut at our backs.
“That was a little harsh, even for you,” Imogen said.
“I do not have time for this.” I strode down the walkway, dirt coating my shoes.
“Storming out and being rude won’t help us find her any quicker,” Imogen nearly shouted.
I spun to face her right as Vincent left the house and jogged down the wooden steps.
“Neither will the house calls I must make over every slight inconvenience. Do you truly believe Dianna is flying around stealing large farm animals? That’s not what she is feeding on.”
My heart sank at the thought of who she may be ingesting, plaguing my brain with horrific images.
I blew out a breath and dragged my hand through my hair roughly. Imogen stood there, watching me and waiting. “She’s alone, Imogen. I know what that can do to someone. My isolation was self-imposed. A madman ripped everything and everyone from Dianna by force. She did not just lose her sister. She lost friends, shelter, and a home. Now, she has nothing and no one—”
“She has you, and that’s a lot. You have saved countless others. You’ve saved us, and you can save her, too. Just please try to be level-headed about this.”
“I am trying. That’s the problem. All I know is I feel this immense ache, and it screams at me to do something. I know it’s her. I can’t explain it, but I know it is.”
Vincent stood quietly and watched us. I expected him to shoot off another retort, but he said nothing, something stirring in his eyes that I didn’t recognize.
Imogen only nodded. “There’s still time to find her, to find him. We have not lost the battle yet, my liege.”
“We may not have, but something is wrong, and this is not helping.” I sighed, my head thrumming once more. “Nothing is.”
The last part slipped past my lips without my consent. I said nothing more before calling upon my power and shooting toward the sky, thunder rumbling ominously as my being mixed with the energy above.
* * *
I reformed outside of Silver City Guild. The balcony I’d landed on opened up to the office. The guild was busy, everyone scurrying around, trying to pick up the pieces of this now turbulent world.
I walked past the desk and into the conference room, where Xavier presided over a large pile of papers, news clippings, and laptops.
“Anything else?”
His head snapped up. He ran his hand over his hair. “Was the farm a bust?”
My brow ticked up in confusion.
“Was it a dead end?” Xavier clarified.
Cameron and Xavier adjusted so quickly to the new language here that even after only a month, they knew phrases I still tried to grasp. They were smart when not being mischievous, but perhaps that intelligence only heightened the chaos those two caused.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Yes, missing bovine from a mortal that smelled of cheap alcohol.”
Xavier nodded. “I haven’t—”
The air in the room shifted. I drew a blade, the steel tip resting at Roccurem’s throat as the fate solidified.
“One move and your blood will decorate this table. Am I clear?”
