Maybe the arrogance of authority is in my blood.
Whether that quality was a boon or a flaw remained to be seen.
Chase took Logan’s one-word affirmation in stride. “This Ariadne, then. We need to find her.”
“We do,” Logan said, nodding slowly. “But there’s no reason that she’d be at Rowan Estate.”
“You’re right, of course.” Chase smiled. “But it’s the only place we have access to the Searchers. It’s the only way we might be able to find someone who knows where she is.”
Logan couldn’t help but laugh dismissively again. “You and Audrey are going to waltz into Rowan Estate, kidnap a Searcher, and interrogate him or her? I had no idea you had such a wealth of special intelligence talents between you.”
“You’re doing it again,” Chase said with a reproachful gaze. “Just let me finish.”
Biting his tongue, Logan gestured for Chase to continue.
“We’ll just keep our eyes and ears open,” Chase told him. “Find out what we can about what the Searchers are up to, and if we can locate this Ariadne, all the better.”
When Logan didn’t offer immediate comment, Chase said, “You’re not wrong. We may go and find nothing at all. But you can’t get anywhere near Rowan Estate and we have to start somewhere.”
“That’s a good point,” Logan said. “We do have to start somewhere.”
And maybe Ren can give us a little help. Logan didn’t know what the rules were regarding the wolf’s movements, but if he could shadow Chase and Audrey without being noticed, it might give them a major advantage. If anyone would be able to locate Adne, it was her brother. He’d already admitted to watching her.
“Sorry for giving you a hard time.” Logan flopped onto his back, gazing at the ceiling. “It’s a good plan. Better than anything I’ve got.”
“Here to help.” Chase leaned on one elbow, eyeing Logan’s supine form. “You want to go to bed?”
“I know it’s late, but I’m not tired.” Logan frowned, glancing at the leather-bound tome that was half shoved beneath one of the pillows. He didn’t think he could bear reading any more that night.
“I didn’t say anything about sleeping.” Chase closed his laptop and set it on the nightstand.
Logan gazed at the other Keeper for several moments.
“Well?” Chase asked.
“Close the door.”
SABINE SMILED when Ethan stirred beside her. This was her favorite moment of the day. No matter the number of hours she’d spent roaming the night before, Sabine always woke before Ethan. She’d never been much of a sleeper.
She lay on her side, letting her gaze roam over the slope of his shoulders. She waited as Ethan turned over. He always followed the same pattern. First he rolled onto his back and snuck a sidelong glance at Sabine to see if she was awake. When his eyes met hers, she’d smile, and then he’d reach for her.
The first kiss of the day would be slow, sweet, wonderful.
Ethan had just slid his hands beneath Sabine’s silk chemise to touch her bare skin when frantic knocking startled them both. But it wasn’t quite knocking. Pounding was more like it.
“Stay here.”
Frustrated as she was by the interruption, Sabine nonetheless enjoyed the view as shirtless Ethan strode across the room to open the door. He’d barely turned the knob when Connor burst in.
“Get dressed.”
“Good morning to you too,” Ethan grumbled. “What the hell, Connor?”
“Get dressed now,” Connor said, and Sabine noticed the pallor of his face.
She slipped out from under the covers and crossed the room, not caring that she wasn’t really dressed.
“Sabine!” Ethan apparently did care. He even blushed a little, but Sabine just gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.
“I have more clothes on than you do,” she said before she turned to Connor. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Adne,” Connor said.
“What about Adne?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t know,” Connor answered, raking his hands through his hair. “They won’t tell me. I just know she’s at Rowan Estate and something happened to her.”
“Are they opening a portal in Haldis Tactical?” Sabine frowned, surprised Connor wasn’t already at Rowan Estate.
“Yes.” Connor grimaced. “Anika sent me to get you.”
Ethan and Sabine exchanged a look, then Sabine said to Connor “She didn’t want you to see Adne without us.”
“That’s not what it is,” Connor replied. “At least she’s saying that’s not what it is.” Connor shoved his hands into the pockets of his duster. “They need you to look at something.”
“Me?” Sabine found that surprising. The Searchers trusted her, for the most part, but some of them still regarded her presence warily. Centuries of violence between Guardians and Searchers had a way of leaving a lasting impression.
“Before you ask what, I don’t know.” Connor pivoted on his heel and headed for the door. “Just put some clothes on and meet me in Tactical.”
He slammed the door shut before either of them could speak.
“This isn’t good.” Ethan folded Sabine into his arms. She let herself lean against him, enjoying the warmth of his bare skin and his familiar, alluring scent—which had always reminded her of river stones and early frost.
Sabine cast a longing glance at the rumpled sheets on the bed before she pulled away. As much as she was sorry for the interruption, Sabine knew making sure Adne was all right had to take precedence over romance.
They dressed quickly and quietly, neither Ethan nor Sabine attempting to speculate about what had transpired at Rowan Estate. Nor did they speak of other things for the sake of distraction. It was one of the qualities Sabine appreciated the most about her relationship with Ethan. They were both comfortable with silence.
When Sabine and Ethan arrived at Haldis Tactical, a small cluster of Searchers awaited them. Anika stood facing off with a trio of men. Sabine was sorry to see the Arrow’s rather haggard appearance and her defensive stance. An anxious-looking waif of a girl stood slightly apart from the tense group.
Winning the war against the Keepers was the greatest achievement an Arrow could have hoped for, but the new peace wasn’t without its troubles. Though Sabine had tried to keep a respectful distance from the politics of the Roving Academy, Ethan had become entangled enough that Sabine heard much of what transpired behind the closed doors of Haldis Tactical. And most of it wasn’t good.