Page 9 of Consume Me

“Where does that go?” Brex shot me a look that clearly indicated that he didn’t approve of not knowing about this.

“Only the monarch knows about this,” I explained, “until now. The King has a bit more freedom of movement than anyone outside this room knows.”

“I hope we’re all trustworthy,” Smith said. He seemed the least impressed by this revelation.

“I don’t doubt a single person in this room’s loyalty.” It was less important to say that than it was to imply what I hadn’t said.

“And the rest of them?” Georgia asked, slowly catching on to my meaning.

“I want them watched, particularly my uncle.” He’d been the one to ask Clara to handle that medication. His reappearance in my life had come on the heels of the Child Watch attack. In all honesty, it felt too easy. But if Henry wasn’t responsible, someone near him had to be involved. “Keep him in London.”

Georgia nodded that she understood the order.

“Alexander, what about Norris?” Brex asked.

I’d carefully left him out of most of our conversations, because as difficult as it was to face Clara’s disappearance, I’d primed myself to expect something to happen to her. I’d never considered that anything could befall Norris.

“Could he turn?” Smith asked. His question was met with three glares. “I guess not.”

“He would never,” Georgia said, anger coloring her voice.

Smith shrugged his broad shoulders. “I hope you’re right about that.”

“We are,” Brex assured him.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Smith sounded sincere, but he hesitated for a moment. “It’s just that if he’s not involved, where is he?”

If my heart was still in my chest, it might have hurt more to face what I knew to be true. There was only one explanation for why Norris had gone silent. But there was simply a gaping hole where it had been ripped from me and no pain left to feel. “Dead.”

“He might not…” Georgia began softly before losing conviction.

None of us wanted to believe Norris was gone. I still expected him to come striding into the room full of criticism for how I was handling the situation. But enough time had passed that I no longer believed he would. Later, I would grieve for him. Later, I would face the terrible loss. At the moment, my place was here, as his would have been. “Norris would want us to find Clara. That’s what he would be doing now.”

Georgia nodded in agreement, looking utterly stricken by the thought of his death.

“I won’t believe it until I bury his body.” Brex was as stubborn as I was, maybe more-so. I wished I could hold out some hope, but all of it had been taken from me. “Why would they kill him and not kill—“

“Because they wouldn’t,” Georgia cut him off before he could voice the fear that remained unspoken.

The air around us thickened as the words remained unsaid, until Smith finally offered a bit of logic. “Why would they kill her? It doesn’t make sense. There’s no leverage if she’s dead. Capturing her makes more sense.”

I wanted to be comforted by this, but the thought of my wife and death in the same sentence made that impossible.

“We won’t be able to do this alone,” Smith said, shifting directions. “Is it possible the Council of Ghosts is involved?”

Brex looked at him like he was speaking gibberish. “Council of what now?”

“Smith and I recently met a legend—the Council of Ghosts,” I explained. “Unofficially known as the Kingmakers.”

“You mean?” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Sometimes monarchs need to be deposed and they tend to be the ones to decide that,” Smith said matter-of-factly. It must be easier for him to consider their role in the assassinations of the rulers before me. I found it more unsettling.

“Did you piss them off?” Georgia asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “But they might be able to help. They’re powerful and they have a number of ties to people who know things.”

“I didn’t get the impression that they were interested in being your new best friends,” Smith pointed out.