“No, it doesn’t seem so, sir. Nothing besides a few Google searches and visiting in spirit.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“Unfortunately, the severe energy drain meant he couldn’t maintain real-looking movement in the possessed body. He didn’t have stealth on his side. He also needed to get back to his body without using much energy. He didn’t have a lot left, apparently. He decided to take the ward with him.”

“He decided the best use of his time was to kidnap the wrong person,” Magnus said slowly.

“Yes, sir. He didn’t want to leave Aaron’s staffer alive because she’d likely know she’d been possessed, and you’re the only one who has both a horse in this race and access to a Possessor strong enough to manage this. Except, before he could make her kill herself, he had to flee the body or risk his energy depleting so much that he wouldn’t make it back.”

It took every ounce of Magnus’s self-control not to throw something against the wall. “I had Nancy place that Defalcator so he could get objects from the child’s staff. Amos doesn’t have anything belonging to Aaron’s staffer, does he? Or the kid he took?”

“No, sir.”

“So how the hell is Amos going to get back to her or the kid? He’s going to lead Aaron right to me, and the child with him.”

“Amos will drive there, sir. He knows the location, so he’ll physically go. It’s one of Aaron’s spy shacks, as he calls them. There was paperwork in the car with directions and enough info that we’ll be able to link Aaron’s name to the kidnapping. It’s located in the non-magical zone and didn’t appear to have been used in a long time, which was why Valens probably didn’t know about it. It’s not too far away, though. The child is already searching for the ward, in both zones, so the woman’s in a bad position. She either needs to leave the ward behind or stay put. She can’t risk being spotted with the kid. That gives Amos time.”

Magnus laughed, incredulous. He slammed his fist against the desk. “Tell him to hurry. I can’t have the child finding Aaron’s staffer or the girl alive. He’ll need to kill them in a way that makes it look like they killed each other. Or that the staffer had wounds from the battle that bled out. Whatever. After that, tell Amos to wait. Lie low. We’ll see what kind of damage this does. If a Possessor is not suspected, only then should he re-engage. In the meantime, make sure we have everything we need to pin this on Aaron.”

Gracie stood back from the chair. “Yes, sir. I’ll tell Amos right away.”

Magnus waited for a beat, feeling his anger wrap around him. He couldn’t believe how shortsighted and stupid Amos had been. Magnus knew that, under duress, a Possessor was at risk of taking on the host’s desires and goals, but Amos should’ve been past that by now.

Then again, when was the last time Amos had been in such a stressful situation? The position of a Demigod wasn’t what it used to be. These days, important things were usually decided with whispers in dark rooms, maneuvering and manipulating. There were fewer out-and-out wars. Less blades and blood.

It seemed the child upstart was skewing things back toward the old ways. Magnus had to admit that it was a little refreshing. He hated hiding behind smoke and mirrors. He had always much preferred to look in a man’s face as he shoved his blade into his gut.

But he was getting ahead of himself. The child was on shaky ground. The members of the Directorate were watching, not to mention the much larger pool of world leaders, magical and not, and the last thing Magnus needed was to be implicated in any way. That was a sure way to get his vote muted if something should come to pass.

He had to make sure Aaron’s staffer and the kid were wiped out, along with any evidence implicating Magnus. If he could eliminate the witnesses before Aaron or the child arrived on scene, there would be more questions than answers. Only a great fool would move on another ruling Demigod with nothing but a hunch.

24

Alexis

“Hey.”

Bleary-eyed, I looked up in time for Bria to come around the island. Dark circles lined her tight eyes. She squinted in the midmorning sun streaming through the open kitchen windows.

“Hey,” I replied, my gut churning with worry, hating that I was just sitting around, doing nothing, when Daisy needed me.

Kieran and the guys were at the government office, checking in with police and looking at footage from traffic cams, trying to find a trace of the car and the kidnapper. They were also getting more information on Aaron and his people. It was unanimously agreed that I needed to stay home with Mordecai, out of sight, or else risk alerting everyone that laid eyes on me that something was wrong. Kieran didn’t want this in the papers, fearing it might freak the kidnapper out enough to kill Daisy and make a run for it.

“Where’s Red and Aubri with an I?” Bria asked, grabbing the coffee pot.

“I accidentally on purpose told them to fuck off. Red only did so because I forced her to leave with my magic. I don’t think that woman is used to getting scared. I guess this’ll put manners in her.”

“Doubtful. So hey, I’m just going to break it to you. We’ve got nothing yet.” Bria filled a coffee cup before sliding it my way. Liquid sloshed over the side. “But nothing is not nothing. It means the wench is staying put. Kieran is hoping to hear about a trade.”