“Like what kind of information?” She perked up a little.
“National Geographic.” He turned to Dillan for a moment. “I just saw that special your parents did on Plato and Atlantis. Brilliant work!”
“Your parents were on TV?” she asked.
Dillan stiffened at Constance’s excitement. Seeing my chance for some payback, I wiggled in my seat.
“Didn’t you know, Constance?” I waited for the blonde to look at me. “We’re sitting with National Geographic royalty.”
“What!” She beamed. “Can I have your autograph?”
Bingo!
Dillan twisted around and glared at me. His steely-blue eyes promised revenge. For the first time, I didn’t know whether to find him scary or funny.
“My parents are archeologists,” he said, then faced forward again. “They dig up crap, and people pay them for it. That’s their thing, not mine.”
“What’s it like to have parents on TV?” Adoration oozed from the girl beside me.
“Annoying.”
“Really?”
In another stroke of mischief, I said, “You said you’re a Swifty right, Constance?”
She nodded at me.
“Selena,” Dillan growled.
My smile stretched across my face. “Did you know she wrote a song about Dillan?”
“You dated Taylor Swift?” She squealed.
From my vantage point, I saw Dillan shake his head, wiping one side of it with his hand. The one with the leather cuff.
“Leave him alone, Constance,” Kyle said like a parent scolding a child.
“But—”
“I want to listen to music.” He glanced at Dillan.
“Since your playlist is for geriatrics, I’m taking over,” he said. I heard his relief. Huh. His highness could get embarrassed like the rest of us mortals. He handed the phone back to Kyle and took out his own.
“Wait a sec.” Kyle signaled for silence.
We all listened to the DJ announce that six more dogs had gone missing. He quickly followed up the announcement with the advice that families should keep a close watch on their beloved pooches. That a predator was on the loose. When the news ended, Kyle let Dillan sync his phone with the car’s radio via Bluetooth. In seconds, the tribal-sounding drum sequence and chanting of Bastille’s Pompeii filled the car. A corner of my eyebrow twitched. I never pegged him for someone who liked alternative rock, and a British band at that. I only recognized the song because it was the current theme of a show Penny was obsessed with. Huh. Just learned something new about him.
“Why are you interested in missing dogs?” Constance looked out the window.
“I’m more concerned about the predator,” Kyle said neutrally.
The news brought to mind a conversation I had with Penny over text last night. “You know? Mr. Collins lost one of his herd dogs.”
The car jerked to a stop. “What?”
Constance and I called out Kyle’s name at the same time. Dillan’s hands spread over the dashboard, irritation on his face when he turned to Kyle for an explanation.
“Sorry, I didn’t notice the light change.” He pointed at the stoplight ahead of us.
My stomach gave a nauseated lurch. “Concentrate! You know I can get carsick.”
“What did you say about Penny?” He made a right, headed out of town when the light turned green.
“Not Penny.” I settled back into my seat. “Her dad.”
“How’d it happen?”
“Not sure. According to Penny, they usually don’t wander off, so it’s kind of weird, but when he rounded up the dogs, one just wasn’t there.” I noticed Dillan fidget with his cuff.
Kyle followed up with: “Did they look for the dog?”
“Of course they did.” My phone vibrated in my pocket. I whipped it out.
Penny: Good luck this weekend!
Me: :(
I sent up a silent prayer for patience.
Chapter Thirteen
Dillan
Hide and Seek Isn’t for Kids
Kyle turned onto a dirt road with a sign that read Valley View Acreage as Charlie Boy by the Lumineers played. The soothing guitar plucking wasn’t enough to mask the sting of passing through wards. Dillan sat up and scanned the area. Tall pines and cedars lined both sides of the path, creating a green tunnel. His gaze darted to the car’s driver. He tried to recall the guy’s last name but drew a blank. If Selena and Constance weren’t in the car, questions could be asked. Because of the witnesses, he resorted to a different tactic. He cued up Rainer’s number on his phone and sent him a message.
Dillan: What’s Kyle’s last name again?
Boogeyman: Hilliard. Why?
He didn’t respond, caught in trying to recall if there was a Hilliard name listed in the Illumenari database. Without access to his laptop, he couldn’t log on to the restricted server. The wards were there. Powerful ones, too. They raised the hairs at the back of his neck.
Sunlight streamed through the green in soft orange rays. Making a point to explore the property and get to the bottom of why wards surrounded Valley View Acreage, he returned his thoughts to the missing dogs. Six more gone according to the news on the radio. He’d been up all night and still found no sign of the animals. Sebastian said they’d expand their search when he got back. The weekend being a complete waste of his tracking time bugged him. He’d rather be out there, helping his partner.
At the end of the tunnel, a stone monster came into view. It had huge pillars for bones and arched windows for eyes. Ivy crawled up most of the outer walls as if nature wanted to take back its territory from the invader.
Kyle eased into the driveway and parked his car outside a detached garage. Dillan slid out of his seat and headed straight for the trunk. He eyed Selena, who hovered next to him, as he and Kyle unloaded the bags and supplies. He half expected her to grab some of the bags out of his hands. She could try, but his grip would never let her. His mother taught him better. A few more seconds passed before she shrugged and closed the trunk. He caught a glimpse of her electric blue nail polish. Nice. She really got him with the National Geographic royalty and Taylor Swift dig. He half-respected her for it.
Grinning to himself, he followed the rest of their group toward a fire-engine-red door. It stretched wider than any two of them standing shoulder-to-shoulder. It reminded him of a bull’s-eye in the middle of an all-white background.
“Constance,” Kyle called, and she flitted toward him, “see that gold knocker? Will you reach in and ring the bell?”
“Why can’t we just walk in?” She eyed the lion suspiciously. “It’s you’re house right?”
“Because it’s more fun this way.” He winked at her.
Dillan rolled his eyes as Constance mastered her fear of being bitten by an inanimate object by shaking her hand before reaching in. Just as she pressed the button, Kyle poked her on the side, eliciting a girlish squeal. As a pleasant chorus of chimes echoed inside the house, Constance playfully slapped Kyle in the arm for scaring her.
In less than a minute, a woman in a navy-blue velvet dress with long, strawberry blond hair opened the door. She greeted them with a glamorous smile. Her cobalt eyes stood out from pale skin. He froze, almost dropping the bags, recognizing her immediately. Sometimes some Illumenari families used mercenaries as bodyguards. Her presence meant Kyle was an Illumenari son. He reached out with his energy toward his classmate. It was faint, but the telltale life force was there. Holy shit! Why did it take him so long to figure it out? Damn the restrictions to his powers and senses.