11

Lachlan

 

* * *

 

After Fiona gave us the money clip, Eve and I returned to Guild City. I took her directly back to her tower this time, knowing she’d want her own space.

The sight of her collapsing at the stone circle had been enough to rip my heart from my chest. Whatever she’d experienced when she’d touched the stone had been horrific. Judging by the drawings and what Fiona had said, she was about to be in dire trouble.

We’d gone there because we desperately needed information. I hadn’t expected to hate what we found.

Fear chilled my skin at the thought of what could happen to her. Deep within, my wolf growled, anxious to protect her. Whatever threatened her felt nearly out of my reach—something that I could neither see nor fight.

I gripped the comforting weight of the money clip. It was a clue that could lead me toward a villain I could fight.

I just prayed it wasn’t my brother.

As we crossed the courtyard to the tower, Eve staggered. I swept her into my arms, and she glared.

“How are you?” I asked. “Is it worse?”

“I feel like I’ve been put through a blender.”

My heart twisted at the thought. “Will your pain potion help?”

“Yes, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

I hated this more than I had hated anything in my life. As we reached the steps to the door, it was flung open. Carrow frowned at us, worry in her eyes. “How much worse are you?”

“Same level.” Eve struggled out of my arms and moved slowly to a chair, then sank down by the fire. Quickly, she downed one of the potions. When she looked at me again, her eyes seemed slightly brighter and the lines in her forehead smoother. “Give Carrow the money clip.”

Carrow looked between us questioningly, and Eve quickly explained what we’d seen. I handed it over, and she took it, frowning. “Whoever owns this has spent time at the South London docks,” she said after a moment’s analysis. “He’s a man—a shifter, I think—but that’s all I see.”

A shifter.

Garreth?

He’d said to give him time. Was this what he meant? Could it be possible?

Wishful thinking on my part, most likely.

Carrow handed me the money clip.

“Thank you,” Eve said to her, then looked at me. “Are you going to get started on tracking that money clip?”

“I’ll get on it right away,” I replied. “But what about you?”

“I need to find out more about my past. Maybe Liora, my mother’s friend, can help me find my father. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

I couldn’t imagine that kind of uncertainty, and it made my heart twist for her. “I can ask our guild historian if we have any record of him.”

“I don’t know if he ever lived here.”

“If he did, we’ll know a bit about him. He may be on your birth certificate as well.”

“I don’t have that.”

“We likely have a record of it. We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

She nodded. “Good luck. Let me know if you find anything.”

I nodded, wanting to say something to make her feel better. But my tongue lay dead, my mind empty. There weren’t any words that could make her whole, and I hated that.

As I left, I felt Carrow’s gaze on my back. Eve’s protective friend would look out for her, but still, I’d reassign the guards to watch the Shadow Guild tower. And her, if she left it.

I made my way quickly across town and sought out Kenneth, who I found in the library once again. As I entered, he turned to look at me.

“Kenneth. Can you search for any information about Eve or her birth parents?”

My second nodded. “There’s no telling what we’ll have. At least names, I’d think, and that’ll give me a jumping-off point. Her mother is dead, but what about her father?”

“We don’t know. Hopefully alive, and with good reason for staying away.”

“I’m not sure that exists.”

“Neither am I.” It was too tall an order, certainly.

“I’ll get right on it.”

“When you’ve found something, send it straight to the Shadow Guild.”

He nodded, and I left him to it, heading back to my quarters. I needed a quick shower before heading to the docks. It was midmorning, a good time to do recon at a place that was probably quietest during the day.

I made quick work of cleaning up, then crossed town toward the Haunted Hound. Quinn manned the bar, and I gave him a short nod as I passed.

“How’s Eve?” he called out.

“Fine.” Lie. I turned to the other shifter. “Not quite fine, but she’s hanging in there.”

“She’s tough.”

I nodded and left. Tough was an understatement. Nothing kept her down, and I admired it.

It didn’t take long to find a cab in Covent Garden, and within minutes, I was making my way toward the docks, where the freighters loaded and unloaded. It was a massive place, though, and I didn’t know exactly where the gang kept their headquarters. Fortunately, I had a contact I could speak with who was familiar with London’s supernatural criminal underworld.

I found Maurice where I usually did, holed up in his shoe shop in the shadier part of town. For all intents and purposes, it looked like an Old World cobbler’s shop—shoes all along the walls and an area in the back where he repaired old pairs and made new. Shoes were hardly the only things he was selling out of the little place, however, though I’d never asked the details of what exactly he dealt in. I knew that it wasn’t anything too morally questionably, so I didn’t need to know more.

The little bell over the door rang as I entered, and Maurice came from the back room, wiping his hands on his apron. His gray beard and mustache were neatly trimmed, and his eyes twinkled behind small, frameless glasses. “Lachlan! My favorite Alpha wolf. What brings you to my door today?”

“Information.”

He smiled. “Ah, I should have known. What is it you require?”

“There’s a gang operating out of the freighter docks. The Ascending Brotherhood. I need to know where.”

“Of course there’s a gang. There are many. What does this one do?”

“So far, they help a supernatural of unknown species steal ancient artifacts.”

Maurice frowned, clearly thinking.

I pulled the money clip from my pocket. “This was left at the scene of the crime.”

He took it and frowned as he inspected it. “Convenient for you, no?”

“Maybe a little too convenient. But it’s our only lead, so I’m following it. Even if it’s false, it was planted by someone.” Maybe even my brother. “Perhaps they can lead me to answers.”

Maurice nodded. “I see your point.” He handed back the money clip. “You’re correct. That is the symbol of the Ascending Brotherhood. You’ll find them on the west side of the main docks, the ones with the freighters from overseas.”

“Thank you, Maurice.”

He nodded. “Be careful. They’re a nasty bunch. Fairly new to the area but aggressive. I heard they operate out of one of the old freighters, Mary Lou or Mary Sue or something like that. Thing hasn’t moved in years.”