CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Iwoke up with a single-minded focus and a plan.
I was going to learn everything about Henry and whatever secrets he had.
I threw myself together to get to that as soon as I could, trying to work even as I fed.
The only thing that caught my eye was Alexius’ text that he was safe and had easily gotten through the day, which was good news.
Since he doesn’t need my help right now… time to be very nosy.
I was going to get into Henry’s properties tonight if I thought I had the chance.
I hadn’t put together a good plan for that before passing out with the sunrise, so it was time to do so.
I checked his work schedule, smiling to see he was, in fact, at work for the entire night.
Maria needed him from shortly after sundown to an undetermined time before sunrise.
Maria, as Mistress of the nest, could keep him all night and make him sleep in a nest location if I asked, and I considered it, but not yet.
Then the thought came to me.
What if he found me there? Would it be that bad?
It would give me a chance in a private place, standing in the middle of his lies, to confront him.
It would rob him of any more reasons to try lying to me because I would prove that nothing could hide from me.
Obviously, I couldn’t pass out at his property without protection, but with the entire night to do whatever I want…
I looked at the addresses, smiled, and knew I was going to do just that. I would take my laptop in case I needed it for anything and go dig through my uncle’s life.
I sent Alexius back a text message and got into the car, single-minded.
I just needed him to know I was about to break into Henry’s home, and if he needed me, he knew how to track my location.
As I drove, I also got three texts and four calls from my brother.
When I looked, he was asking to hang out.
Lexi was over, and he wanted peace. He missed me.
Later, Declan. Not tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you all of it.
Henry’s house was easy to find, and I looked for a moment at the park where I had sat beside him for the last time. The place where Alexius had told me to come home and talk to him.
I thought of the betrayal I had felt hearing Alexius’ words.
What was that? Two days ago? I learned. The next night, yesterday, I went to Wren and got the file from Maria. Yeah… Feels like longer and like it was ten minutes at the same time.
I let out a breath and went toward Henry’s house, parking boldly in the empty driveway. He was at work, as he was supposed to be, so the house was mine to shuffle through.
It would be protected, that much I was certain.
He didn’t have cameras, and his security system was actually a bit out of date.
It was easy, though. Everything could be sabotaged.
I found each line I needed and started cutting.
It was honestly shameful that my uncle’s security was as lax as it was, considering who his boss was.
But after a moment, I remembered how vulnerable Jacob’s had been.
I was the one who had done the vast majority of improvements to that nest based on what I saw growing up and learned while I was in college.
Once I knew opening a door wasn’t going to alert some company or alert Henry himself, I went through the back door. I had a flathead screwdriver in my work kit, along with a few other simple tools that were useful for repairs and things. It wasn’t difficult to get the door unlocked.
Wow. That’s pathetic.
I got into the house and started looking around, keeping the lights off. Declan called again, and I finally answered, getting tired of the incessant calling.
“What, Declan?” I asked, exasperated off the bat.
“Oh my God, she actually takes my calls!” Declan said, laughing. “What are you doing? Come over. I’m a few drinks in tonight. Lexi agreed to a party game. We just need you. Time for peace. Get over here.”
“I can’t tonight, Declan.” I stood in Henry’s kitchen, which only had token food to look like someone used it. His blood was stored haphazardly in a mini fridge with a keypad. I didn’t know the code or care, but I could see it, which was lazy.
“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be on vacation, not working. Remember? Are you mad at me?” Declan almost sounded pitiful at the end.
It had me smiling and rolling my eyes.
“I am supposed to be on vacation, but right now, I’m breaking into someone’s house.”
“You’re doing what?”
He was loud enough that I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second. When he was done, I tentatively brought the phone back to my ear.
“You heard me.”
“Why?” Declan sounded like he was sobering up fast.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I said, moving into the dining room, with no pictures on the walls. Nothing to identify Henry anywhere so far.
“Who?”
“You definitely wouldn’t believe that,” I said, actually laughing a bit now.
“Try me. Is it someone famous? You are in Los Angeles.”
“Declan, it’s a vampire thing. Do you really want to know?”
“I guess you can’t because that would be outing someone as a vampire, huh?”
“Not to you,” I whispered.
“I could barely hear that,” Declan said. “Say it again?”
Is it time? I need to tell him, eventually. I’m here. He should know why. Right?
I shouldn’t just drop this on him. Let me try to avoid it. He deserves the talk in person.
“Declan, you know like four vampires. I couldn’t tell you who it is unless you know them already as a vampire,” I reminded him. “Hence why I don’t think you’d believe me.”
“Spit it out!” Declan had no idea what he was signing up for.
Okay, brother. Fine.
“It’s Uncle Henry’s home,” I answered, my words softer as the truth left my mouth. I walked into the sparse living room. Nothing interesting seemed to jump out to me.
“What?” So quiet, I almost missed it, even though the world was silent around me.
“Yeah. I found him. I wasn’t going to bother you with it because after he abandoned us… I didn’t think you would want the drama. Plus, he’s also a vampire, and I’m trying really hard—”
“To keep me out of the supernatural stuff,” Declan said, cutting me off. “How? Where?”
“He’s living in California. He’s a member of Maria’s nest. Has been for a decade,” I said, shrugging as I spoke, even though he couldn’t see me. I went into the back hallway, finding doors to rooms. “Under a new name. James Henry Bishop instead of Henry—”
“James Abbott,” Declan said, his words now stiff and clipped. I could envision his clenched jaw. “Fuck that guy.”
“Yeah. Why do you think I’m breaking into his house?
I want his secrets because he’s been keeping some from me.
He and I saw each other at a supernatural café.
He recognized me, and I hadn’t been paying attention.
I was testing the waters before even considering getting you involved, if I ever did. ”
“Have you asked him why he left yet?”
“Are you sure you want to have this conversation over the phone, Declan?” I asked in return. “With Lexi there with you?”
“Honestly… you’re there right now. I want to know everything you do. Because fuck him. He walked out.”
“He didn’t. It’s actually a bit worse. Jacob banished him. Exiled. Henry couldn’t come back to us even if he’d wanted to. He went off the grid for a couple of years and then showed up in L.A. with a new identity and just fell into Maria’s nest with the help of a bit of magic.”
“Fucking shit,” Declan said, groaning, definitely sobering up now.
“Yeah. And from how Henry and my conversations went, I decided I needed to dig into him. He withheld some things and lied about others. So…”
“You broke into his house,” Declan finished, going back to that point.
“If you want to help, you were older when he disappeared. Do you remember him having any weird things he did? Some habits don't die. He probably has the same quirks.”
“He liked to show me a show box or photo box of photos of our previous generations,” Declan said immediately. “He loved that box, was really protective over it, like I couldn’t pick up any of the pictures, only view what he showed me. He never showed you. I don’t know why.”
“Weird…” I agreed, trailing off. “But good information. Where did he keep it?”
“In the nest; he kept it in his closet on the top shelf,” Declan answered.
“You went into vampire nests?” Lexi asked in the background.
“Oh yeah, our parents worked there,” Declan answered, clearly smiling for a moment. “And our uncle lived there as a vampire, remember? I told you this.”
“It’s just a culture shock,” Lexi said quickly.
I just let them talk as I walked into the bedrooms and checked the closets.
There were three bedrooms total, and it was the last that turned out to be the big primary in the back.
I checked the time, seeing it was already nearly two hours into the night.
I hadn’t made as good time as I’d thought, but there was no evidence of Henry getting home yet, so I was still comfortable.
I opened the closet and froze.
“Declan. Lock all your doors,” I ordered, causing the couple to stop talking. “And windows.”
“I got it,” Lexi said, and I heard her footsteps.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um…” I was too stunned to get anything else out after my initial, visceral reaction for Declan’s safety. “H-Hold on.” I stared blankly at it for a long time, trying to comprehend it. I took a step closer.
Pictures. So many pictures. A box on the floor, tons of them scattered around all over the floor of the closet. Me, Declan, our mother, our father, people I didn’t recognize, old pictures from the last century. Some with Henry, some without, but those were secondary.
The really disturbing thing was the wall at the end of the long closet. Clothes on either side, but not at the end.
Oh my God…
I stepped closer again, careful of the photos on the ground. I reached what I could only describe as a shrine.
Pictures of Declan and me. Every single one of them.
From all ages. I tried to figure it out.
Where they came from, when they were. I saw us both in our college years.
I saw Declan on a beach at night in California when he was just settling into the city.
There were fewer pictures of me. Only when I left Portland.
Because he couldn’t go there… while Jacob was alive.
I saw Declan and me at our mother’s funeral and wanted to be sick. Even before that, me hanging out with my human friends while Edwin was in charge. He had come back as quickly as possible once he knew Jacob was dead.
“Everly?” Declan finally broke the silence.
“He’s been stalking us,” I whispered. “Oh my God, Henry has been stalking us for years.”
“Excuse me?”
“He…” I backed up from the wall. “I have to take pictures of this, then I’m coming over, okay? We’re going to talk about this. I would take it all, but…”
I had to leave. I couldn’t bring myself to touch the shrine.
There were recent pictures. Me and Alexius at the safe house Maria lent us.
At the blood club. Me going into Declan’s building and leaving it.
There were tons of pictures of Declan and Lexi as well, all from a distance.
That’s how Henry didn’t know Lexi was a werewolf.
He’d never gotten close enough. Or he was a very good liar to me, which…
I wasn’t putting it past him.
“Oh, fuck. Okay. Lexi! Can we call your dad?”
“Oh, yeah, we can do that,” she said. “Let’s hope he’s not in a meeting. I was told he can’t mess up any more of those with our drama without trouble from Alpha.”
“Well, make sure he knows this isn’t little drama. He’ll understand how bad it is to be stalked by a vampire. Get here, Everly,” Declan said.
“I will.” I was glad Declan still remembered how bad it was.
I hung up, then, with my phone, took pictures of the shrine and the photos on the floor. Taking the evidence with me would have been a good idea, but the revulsion in me refused to let me reach out and touch any of them.
I turned on my heel and walked out, unable to keep seeing it. I couldn’t keep looking at it. I started calling Alexius as I got to the street, waiting and waiting for him to pick up. He missed it, so I called again.
I kept calling until I got into the car. Then I bluetoothed it to the car and kept calling as I hit the gas toward Declan’s condo.