"Do you want me to come in with you?"

I stared at the house that would never be my home, feeling the hollowness it induced empty out my stomach like a cavern at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel. It was the same as being trapped knowing that you have no way out and no way to retrace your steps. This Manor—this prison—had no escape, though I was bound and determined to burrow my way through so that I could return to my once-normal life in Briarville. Or, at the very least, the people who had been a part of it.

"Nora?" Calin prompted again, turning in his seat to face me. "Do you want me to—?"

"No." I turned my head to look at him and forced a smile. "I am just going to go in and sleep until Monday morning. I'll be fine."

"And Devland?"

"Well, hopefully what I did yesterday is still keeping him busy. I'm sure he has a few questions to answer with the High Council."

"Yeah, like why his daughter had to do his job."

"For starters." I nodded, hoping we weren't indulging in wishful thinking.

"You're sure you're okay? You can still come to my house."

I laughed, feeling some of the emptiness within me fill with warmth like only Calin could produce, though he hadn't even had to touch me this time. The usual pull I felt for him returned and I turned my gaze away, unwilling to act on it. The tension of a few moments before returned. I looked to the steps leading into the grand entrance and sighed. Whatever was happening with Calin, I would deal with it later.

"No, I'm not sure, and if you ask me a few more times I might say yes," I said, keeping my gaze on the doorway. "But I have to go in there. I may be able to afford it, but my mom told me not to waste money, and I don't feel like shopping for a new wardrobe."

"That's..." Calin snorted. "It's a good reason, I guess."

"Yep."

Gathering my bag, I reached for the door handle and then leaned back, turning my head as I reached over the console so that I could kiss Calin on the cheek. I had to keep my hand from coming to my lips to see if the spark I felt rubbed off, but I smiled as I turned back and opened the door.

"Will you call me later so that I know everything is okay?" Calin leaned sideways before the door could close as I exited, extending his arm to keep it open.

I shrugged. "I'll call you after at least a twenty-four-hour nap. Before that, I hold no promises." I paused, then laughed. "I promise."

Without turning back, I heard the door close but knew that Calin wouldn't leave until I disappeared through the doors of the house. I took the stairs quickly, not wanting to make him wait. If I was tired, there was no doubt that Calin was, too, but my steps slowed as I reached the porch. Once, Devland had forced me to come here. Now, I knew it was a choice. I could run back to Calin and find a way to never return, or I could proceed and figure out everything that had turned my life upside-down.

I took a deep breath and regained purpose, reaching out to open the door.

It pushed me forward, across the threshold, and I didn't realize I was inside until the door slammed behind me. I jumped, turning mid-air, and then sighed. I couldn't see him, but I knew that Calin was leaving. Suddenly, I wished I had given him a real kiss goodbye, as now I felt alone. Who knew what mood Devland would be in if he was home? Perhaps it would have been my very last chance to say goodbye.

When nobody came running out to greet me, I sighed with relief and turned. I looked at the stairs, contemplating running to my room and hibernating with Onyx as I'd told Calin I would do, but I also couldn't forget about everything we'd discussed. Though I couldn't do anything to help Maible now, I could find a way to cloak her once I did. It took very little energy to find a book, though discovering the right one with a spell I could use may prove difficult. Every spell had more preparation than power, my mother had told me. This would be a part of the duties of using my abilities.

Letting Maible free with her powers so the person who had done this to her would be careless.

Lifting my bag higher, I started down the hallway, trying to keep my steps quiet so that I could pass Devland's office on my way to the library without being seen. I made it by the entry into the dining room without Mrs. Renaldi calling for me, and I was grateful that it was Saturday. Mrs. Renaldi and Miss Rose didn't work weekends unless a function was being hosted. It must still be early, though, because I couldn't smell Cyd's cooking or the telltale sign that Miss Rose wasn't there because coffee was permeating the air. That was probably for the best. While caffeine would have made me happy, I had been honest in telling Calin I wanted to sleep.

After passing the dining room, I took two more steps, then paused as Devland's voice floated into the hallway. I sucked in a breath and held until the count of three, then slowly released. Dammit.

"No, I am not going to punish anyone for what happened yesterday," he said conversationally. "It should have been done sooner, to be frank. The consequences are just."

Just breathe. I had to remind myself that the act of drawing in air wouldn't overshadow the boom in Devland's voice.

"No. That's the end of this topic, as far as I am concerned," Devland said, his tone hardening, and suddenly, I was on edge again. "Now, let's talk about what is important. Tell me about who is missing. We need to concentrate our efforts so that we can find them. Before something happens this time. Yes, I know the girl was safely returned, but she had no powers! What type of abilities did this boy have?"

Last time? I remembered the conversation I'd walked in on with my mother and how Chelsea had accused her of helping to find someone, but I thought that had been taken care of. They found the missing girl. Now there was a boy?

"Okay, I expect an update in an hour. Yes. Goodbye."

I heard the phone slam down and, before I knew what I was doing, I was walking through the door to Devland's office. I stopped in front of his visitor chairs and put my hand on my hip, waiting for him to look up from the file folder on his glass desk. A second passed, then another. The room was so bare, I had to have stood out. It irked me that he was intentionally ignoring me like a schoolgirl being catty. I cleared my throat rather than reaching across the desk to fist the collar of his shirt in my hands like I wanted, and demand for him to tell me what was going on. If I'd learned anything since my mother died, it was that secrets were deadly, and I was tired of being the one in the dark about things.

"So, what? You are not talking to me now?" I demanded, shifting my weight.

Devland slowly looked up, his eyes narrowing. "I'm trying to decide on what to say without screaming."

I shrugged. "Then scream. Not that it will do any good," I said. "Or would you rather I list what you presume to be my transgressions?"

"You didn't come home, Nora!" He went to slap his palms on his desk, then slowed at the last moment and set them down quietly, using them to push himself up. Remaining slightly hunched, Devland kept himself at eye level with me and didn't lift his hands. "I know that you have a problem with calling if you aren't coming home for supper, Nora, and I have tried to overlook your disrespect regarding that. Not calling to tell me you aren't coming home is completely unacceptable!"

"Really? Well, I was busy doing what you were supposed to! Afterward, I was too tired to walk, let alone come to the Manor." I shrugged. "You knew who I was with and what I planned on doing. You like Islene's 'little guy', remember? Besides, after yesterday, did you really expect me to give you a play-by-play of my whereabouts?"

"I expect you to follow my rules while you live here."

"Again, what did you expect? I don't want to live here, so what are you going to do? Kick me out?" I snorted. "Why don't you try doing your job and then we can chat?"

"Stop!" Devland's voice echoed around the room, if not the whole house.

I pinched my lips together, trying not to push him as far as I wanted. Having challenged him before, I had seen Devland angry. This, however, was beyond that. Devland seemed to be vibrating, he was so livid. Until I knew what he was really capable of, I wasn't going to test out what I could do against him. Given that I had just accepted that I was willing to do anything at all, it seemed wise to assume that I wasn't a match. Yet.

"What do you want, Devland? I did what I did, and it's done," I said. "The Larkin family power has been stripped, and I was just... too tired to come back to the Manor last night. I am still wiped."

Devland sat back down and averted his gaze, glaring at the files once more. After a heavy sigh, he said, "Go to your room and sleep then. We'll talk at dinner."

"I'm going to hang out in the library for a bit."

"Why?"

"Because I am trying to exhaust my brain so I can sleep."

"Whatever." Devland raised his hand and flicked the air without looking up. "I'll talk to you at dinner."

"What are you doing?" I shifted my weight again and lifted my bag higher on my shoulder.

"Working."

"On?"

"Business, Nora."

"So, not about the missing boy?"

Devland looked up, once again narrowing his eyes on me, and I felt like ants were marching across my skin. "What do you know about it?"

"Just what I overheard."

"It's nothing for you to worry about."

"Really?" I asked and tilted my head. "Because mom said the same thing when I overheard her talking about a girl missing. Then I overheard her again saying the girl was found without her abilities. Is that even possible? I mean, even if someone was stripped of their magic, you should be able to sense it a little, right? I mean, once the High Council pools their powers, anything should be possible. Why aren't you doing that to locate him?"

"No, it is not always possible, and we tried," Devland said, sounding like he was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Well, since you obviously needed help with the Larkins', let me know if there is anything that I can do. It'd be nice if this didn't continue happening since I know how upsetting it was for my mother."

"Nora."

"What?" I raised my eyebrow, half-turning to leave before pausing.

Devland paused, then shook his head. "Nothing. Don't stay in the library for too long. You need to rest if you did what you say. I'll have Cyd bring your supper to you tonight, but we will talk tomorrow."

"Fine."

*****

I spent the next couple of hours in the library trying to find a cloaking spell for Maible, but my efforts were fruitless. Even after Cyd had arrived an hour into my task with a fortifying cup of coffee, I was still struggling to keep my eyes open. With a sigh, I put the book I'd been flipping through away and left to go back to my room.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I made it to my bedroom in just a few minutes and laughed as Onyx bulldozed me as soon as I opened the door to my suite. I fell to my knees and let my bag drop on the floor beside me as I threw my arms around her, finally feeling a glimmer of happiness since coming back to the Manor. Onyx licked my face, her hot breath heating my skin. I laughed again and rubbed behind her ears.

"Okay, girl," I said and started to stand. "Let's tweak this barrier and then we can go for a nap, okay? I'm poopered."

As I stood, Onyx sat on her back haunches and panted, her tongue hanging out the side of her snout as though in a smile.

"Good girl."

I stood and turned back to the door, imagining the barrier as I placed my hand on the frame. Closing my eyes, I visualized the invisible barricade protecting me from anyone who wished to enter, allowing only those of my bloodline to pass while keeping Calin at the forefront as though he were there, walking through with my permission. While it would keep Miss Rose out, I hadn't figured out how to only give certain people consent and keep Devland from entering. At least this way, even though Mrs. Renaldi wouldn't be able to come through, I could leave the door open so that Onyx could find her while I was away.

Plus, if I had done it right, Calin wouldn't have the same restriction.

After imagining layers of concealment, I stepped back, feeling even more exhausted than when I had begun. I turned and patted my thigh as I walked towards my room, grabbing my bag that held my mother's Book of Shadows from the floor as I passed. Onyx trotted to my side and then ran ahead, jumping onto the bed before I had crossed the room. I threw my bag so that it rested between the pillows at the center and, fully clothed, laid down as Onyx curled at my side.

The moment I closed my eyes, the world became dark, and I was asleep.