The next morning, I had come down the front stairs and was crossing the hall when Darius called out to me.

“Emerra, I was looking for you.”

My soul cringed, but I turned to him with dauntless courage and perfect confidence. “Uhhhh…yeah. Hey. Soyouseeaboutyesterday—”

He waved his hand. “Forget it. I have something more important to talk to you about.”

I couldn’t decide if I felt relieved or threatened.

I followed him back to the sitting room.

Since it wasn’t often used for sitting and visiting, Darius had claimed one corner of it, bought a lovely antique writing desk, and used it as his office for the rare times he didn’t want to work in his room or the library. His laptop was already open. I could see the glow of his screen from the door.

He pulled up a chair for me before sitting down. I joined him. Together, we looked at the website he had open.

I grinned when I saw it.

It was Christmas ornaments.

My eyes flicked down to the price listed under the images.

Expensive Christmas ornaments. These were not the cheap plastic balls I had known. They might have been made with the blood of saints.

I checked myself. You didn’t joke about something like that in this house; there was a chance it might be true.

Darius said, “Since you’ve done such a good job setting up a theme for each of the trees, I thought a few simple ball ornaments, to help compliment them, might be good.” He pointed. “These greens for the gallery. Blue. Purple. This red and pink for the landing.” He lowered his hand. “I found a few specialty ornaments as well, but I thought we could pick them up one or two at a time, to build into a collection.”

I wasn’t sure if this was a peace offering, but it felt like one. I wanted to shed a tear or two and hug him. I refrained, but I think my gratitude might have leaked out of my voice. “Count Vasil, they’re perfect.”

“I’m glad you agree.”

“How long did it take you to find them?”

“A while. But it was worth it.”

“They’re all glass, right? They have to be.”

“I wouldn’t waste money on anything else—”

He stopped. In the sudden silence, he turned in his chair and slowly scanned every inch of the room.

I’d been told my eyes were special, but I had always privately assumed that Darius’s were more special. They could see in the dark and take in amazing details at ridiculous distances. They could sense movement in a range that made him seem superhuman…which, as I thought about it, he actually was. But they also had this weight to them—a profound sense of resolution. I doubted Darius was even aware of it.

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As his gaze passed over me, all my pity was reserved for those unlucky criminals who annoyed the FBI enough they sent Darius to find them.

After slowly taking in the room, those eyes came to rest on me.

“They’re here, aren’t they?”

I glanced down at the children beside me. Anna was holding Jan’s hand as he stood on his toes to get a better look. Jacob was peering over the desk. His four small fingers were less than six inches from where Darius’s hand was resting on his wireless mouse.

“Yes,” I said.

Jacob said in the swelling silence, “Kappa’s going to love those.”

An unwilling smile appeared on my lips. Darius’s eyes were still on me, so I subdued it.

“They followed me in here,” I said. “Is that okay?”

Darius looked away.

“How did you know they were here?” I asked.

He was staring at the screen now. “It got colder.”

There were a lot of things Darius wasn’t saying. I could feel the unspoken words straining our unofficial truce. Before it could break, Mrs. Park came into the room.

She said, “Oh, good. Darius. I was hoping to talk to you.”

“Good morning.” He stood up from his chair and turned to her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

She came further into the room. “I was rather hoping that you’d ask me how things were in town.”

“Why?”

She pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and searched through her apps. “Because two people are missing. Given the two people, I might not have said anything, but…” She turned her phone around and passed it to him. He stared at it while she said, “I also found this, this morning, on the outskirts of town.”

Really, what was the point of supernatural eyes if I couldn’t see the screen at that angle? Even when I strained my neck to sit taller, I couldn’t make anything out.

A second passed, then Darius said, “Does Crook know?”

“I called her right after I took the picture.”

“How big was it?”

Mrs. Park held her hands almost a foot apart.

Darius didn’t seem to like that answer. He frowned as he handed Mrs. Park her phone.

“Send that to me please,” Darius said. “Highest resolution you can.”

He turned and put his laptop to sleep.

“Are you going back into town?” I asked.

“I want to see it for myself if I can.”

“What is it?”

He shut the lid and straightened up. “Don’t worry about it, Emerra.”

I stood. “Do you want me to come with you?”

He stopped.

The anticipation made the tips of my fingers feel twitchy, but, eventually, he shook his head.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Why? I might be able to help you!”

“Emerra, have you ever had any visions, right there, at the scene?”

I felt my cheeks get hot. “Not yet. I usually come home and dream about it later. You know that.”

“I do, and you’re already supposed to be dreaming about our other concern.”

“But—”

He put a hand on my shoulder. “Emerra, trust me. If I think I need your help, I won’t hesitate to call you, but for now, I want you to focus. I respect Jacky’s decision, but just because something has no malice, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.”

With that, he left the room. Mrs. Park, the children, and I all stared at the empty doorway.

When I felt a chill sweep through my hand, I didn’t bother looking down. It was probably Jacob. Every once in a while, one of the children would unconsciously try to take my hand. I was used to it by then, and even though it never worked, I always thought it was sweet.

Mrs. Park said, “Emerra, is everything okay?”

“Ehhh,” I groaned. “I don’t even know any more.”

She took a step closer and put her arm around my shoulders, but then she jerked back.

“Goodness! You’re so cold!”

“Yeah. I need some breakfast.”

“You need a sweater!”

“Mrs. Park, what was in that photo?”

Her loyalty to Darius made her hesitate, but we were allies in enthusiasm, and that trumps every time.

“A footprint.”