“I have.” As bad as this had been, the storm wasn’t half as strong as the one I’d been in on the ferry. I kept that to myself. I seemed to have the extraordinarily bad luck to always be around when a storm occurred. If not for the fact that they were happening in other cities around the world, I’d be a little paranoid.
The sound of sirens reached us and quickly grew louder. Within minutes, the cemetery was overrun by emergency vehicles and police cars. Mom, Dad, and I talked to a police officer as the injured man was tended to by paramedics and loaded onto a stretcher. I found my cap and covered the blood in my hair so the paramedic who came to check on us wouldn’t see that my head wound was healing already.
We were still talking to the police when half a dozen agents arrived to take command of the situation. Two of them started in our direction, and I scowled when I recognized Agent Daniel Curry. There had to be a hundred agents in this city, yet somehow, I always ended up with this one.
“Agent Curry, good to see you,” said my father, who had no clue about my dealings with the man. As far as my parents knew, Curry had merely been the agent who’d rescued us from Rogin Havas’s basement. I saw no reason to tarnish their good opinion of the agent because I didn’t like him.
“I’m glad to see you both recovered.” Curry smiled and shook their hands, and then he introduced Agent Will Ryan. I’d met Ryan before and liked him despite his partner.
Agent Curry sent the police officer away to question someone else, and then he turned to me. “You seem to have adapted well to your new circumstances.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “It’s not as if I have a choice.”
“I’ve heard it takes months for new faeries to adapt to the iron in a city.” He eyed me shrewdly. “You don’t appear to be bothered by it at all.”
I shrugged. The Agency knew nothing of my goddess stone, and I intended to keep it that way. “We Jameses are very resilient. Look at my parents. They finished their treatment months faster than the doctors said they would.”
Dad smiled at me. “Jesse excels at everything she does.”
“So it would seem.” Agent Curry looked around. “You were all here when the storm hit?”
Mom nodded. “We were visiting our son’s grave, and…” Her voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes.
“Your son?” For the first time since I’d met him, Agent Curry’s businesslike mask slipped, revealing his surprise. My guess was his investigation into my parents hadn’t gone that far into their background. When he’d followed me to the cemetery in December, I’d assumed he knew I was visiting my brother’s grave.
“Caleb,” Mom said, recovering her composure. She pointed to the hole a few feet away. “That was his grave.”
Both agents turned to look at what was left of the grave, and Agent Ryan walked over to peer into the hole. “The lightning ended here. Where did it strike first?”
I pointed out the first headstone that had exploded. “The statue was next. After that, we ran and hit the ground.”
“Then we’ll start over there,” Agent Curry said. “I’m glad you’re all okay.”
Dad nodded. “We’re very lucky.”
The agents said their goodbyes and walked off. I watched them go for a moment before I faced my parents. “I’m ready to go home. How about you?”
Mom shook her head. “We have to take care of Caleb’s grave. We can’t leave it like this.”
“The cemetery has people who will do that,” Dad said. “We should get out of their way so they can get to work.”
“You’re right.” She gave the hole one more look and smiled wanly at me. “I don’t feel like going for Thai anymore. How about I make my meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner?”
“Even better.” My stomach let out a loud growl, and Dad laughed. I felt lighter when some of the old spark replaced the sadness in Mom’s eyes.
We headed for our car, which was parked on the now crowded road that cut through the cemetery. There were no less than two ambulances, three fire engines, and half a dozen police cars with their lights flashing. I spotted three shiny black SUVs that must belong to the agents and two news vans.
The police were blocking the media and a small crowd of spectators from entering the scene, so the reporters and their cameramen were forced to record from the road. One of the reporters saw us and started our way, prompting us to pick up our pace. Even Mom was laughing when we reached the car and jumped in.
Dad started the car and maneuvered around the other vehicles, but he had to stop for the people who were in no hurry to move out of the way. We had to wait until a police officer came over to herd them off the road.
A lone figure standing in the shadows beside a tall headstone on the other side of the road caught my eye. At first, I dismissed him as another one of the curious onlookers until I realized his attention was not on the area where the storm had hit. His head was turned slightly, and he was watching us instead.
The sun came out from behind a cloud, bathing the mysterious man in light. My stomach lurched.
It was one of Queen Anwyn’s personal guards.
Chapter 5
I would know that face anywhere. He was one of the two faeries who had warned me to stay away from Prince Rhys.
I stared into his cold eyes, unable to look away until the car started to move again and the faerie disappeared from view. I let out a breath and sank back against the seat, but my heart still beat a rapid tattoo against my ribs.
There was no way his presence here was a coincidence. Was he tailing us to report back to the queen, or did he have a darker reason for being in the cemetery today?
We were halfway home before I calmed my racing mind enough to remember the odd crystal I’d glimpsed in Caleb’s grave. I’d completely forgotten about it after I’d gone to help the injured man. I hadn’t thought much of it when I saw it, but now I had a chilling suspicion it had been put there deliberately. Some Fae crystals could store and generate enough energy to light a room or power an entire building. Could they also be used in other ways? Such as attracting an electrical storm full of Fae magic to a specific location?
I tucked my suddenly cold hands between my thighs. We hadn’t told anyone we were going to Caleb’s grave today, so there was no way the Seelie guard could have known we’d be there. But what if my parents and I hadn’t been the target? What if the queen had seized upon an opportunity to destroy the only physical evidence that could prove my brother was not dead? Us being there when the storm struck would have been a bonus.
I should tell Dad, but the thought of adding to his burdens made me feel sick. He was still recovering from his goren addiction and trying to cope with the truth about Caleb. On top of that, he was helping Mom, who needed him more than ever now.
We stopped for groceries on the way home, and I shivered when we pulled into the exact same spot I’d parked in the day the queen’s guard had warned me to stay away from Prince Rhys. As we left the store, I couldn’t help but scan the parking lot, afraid to find one of them waiting for us.
I was so wound up by the time we parked on our street that I jumped when Dad’s phone rang. He picked it up from the console and hesitated a second before he answered it. I knew something was up when his eyes flicked to me in the rearview mirror before he averted his gaze.