“If Meredith is helping Alex, why would she return the heart?” Silas lifted the fist-sized ruby from the bed, staring at the throbbing internal glow with stark curiosity.

“If she’s not helping Alex, why would she kill Soleil?”

Silas glanced at Grateful. “I have no idea.” He turned the events over in his head, but none of it made sense.

“Maybe she was magically compelled to do what she did, but then when the spell wore off, she returned this to me. Or she returned this to me before she was compelled, but that would mean Meredith purposefully shot Soleil.”

Grateful snorted. “Alex isn’t stupid. If he had Meredith in his employ for five minutes, he’d be sure to get that heart in four.”

Silas sighed. He didn’t like that he couldn’t draw a line from point A to point B. What did this mean? And how should he proceed with the case?

Grateful groaned and sheathed her sword. “I just thought of a reason.”

“Hit me.”

“She returned the heart to you because she wants you to use it.”

“Huh?”

“Nickelova will lead you to Alex. Alex probably needs Nickelova for the spell. She’s the dragon sacrifice. It’s a trap. He needs her, and this is a way to make sure she’s delivered.”

Silas set the heart down and backed up a step.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look so hot.” Grateful placed a hand on his shoulder.

“How could I be so stupid?” He stared at Grateful in horror. “Soleil tried to warn me. She said the heart was a trap. She wanted the heart back so that I couldn’t use it to get to Alex. She was trying to protect me. Alex doesn’t only need the heart; he needs Nickelova too. Everything that’s happened has driven us to bring Nickelova and her heart here. We’ve done his dirty work for him.”

“And Meredith killed her. She must have known Soleil had figured out the plan.”

“So what do we do? We’ve got to do something to stop Alex.” Silas’s pulse pounded like a bass drum against his sternum.

“Simple. You won’t play into his hands. You won’t use Nickelova to find Alex.”

His back pocket vibrated. With a deep breath, he answered his phone.

“Silas?” Kyle’s voice sounded annoyed.

“Yeah?”

“Can I talk to Laina for a minute? She’s not answering her phone.”

“Laina’s not here.” Why would he think Laina was with him?

“What are you talking about? You came by the cottage and picked her up. She left with you not five minutes ago. You said it was an emergency.”

Silas grabbed Grateful’s arm, fear draining all the warmth from his body. “Kyle, that wasn’t me.”

Hours later, it was evident Laina was gone. Silas, Jason, and Selene had searched the city for her while Polina attempted a locator spell. Gerty and Kyle enlisted the trees, sending word out through the forest fae to report any sight of Laina. And Rick and Grateful flew over rural Red Grove in shifts, searching for any clue to where Alex had taken her. But when they all met at Rivergate to discuss the results of their quest, Laina was nowhere to be found.

“He wants Nickelova and the heart. Alex will trade Laina for the dragon he needs,” Grateful said. She’d arrived alone, Rick returning home to watch Lucas.

“If I bring Alex his dragon fae, he’ll be able to complete the spell.” Silas rubbed the back of his neck. He had to do something. He refused to allow Alex to hurt Laina, but he wasn’t going to cave to terrorism either.

“I don’t care what he does with Nickelova. I want my wife back!” Kyle yelled. Gerty and Selene tried to comfort him.

Jason cracked his neck, a deep furrow appearing in his brow. “What if we turn the tables on his plan?”

“What are you suggesting?” Grateful asked.

“If Silas uses Nickelova to find Alex, maybe the rest of us can follow him in secret. Once we know where Alex is, we can act.”

Silas nodded slowly. “Polina, Logan said you couldn't see Alex’s future, but you can see mine, right?” He gestured at his chest.

Grateful held up a finger. “We can use Polina’s magic mirror to follow you. We’ll come to you as soon as we have a location.”

Polina nodded eagerly. “It will work. Logan can reach you in an instant.”

“Rick and I can follow from a distance,” Logan added. “We can cloak ourselves.”

“Build a trap out of Alex’s trap,” Kyle said. “It could work. It has to work.”

“I’ll go with Silas,” Jason said.

“It’s too risky, brother.”

“No, it’s too risky for you to go alone. Nickelova might try something funny. If I’m there, I can have your back.” One thing about Jason, the guy knew how to play the hand he was dealt.

“It’s a plan,” Silas said. “Jason and I will use Nickelova and the heart to find Alex. Grateful and Polina will observe us using magic. Once we lock onto Alex’s location, either Logan or Rick will come to our aid.”

“What about me?” Kyle asked.

“I need you and Gerty to stay at the cottage in case Laina comes back without us or the forest fae learn where she is. Selene needs to help here, managing preparations for the shift tomorrow. No one can know the royal family is at risk. It would cause a panic. We don’t know where he’s holding Laina. If something goes wrong, all of you are our backup.”

After a brief conversation with Gerty, Kyle reluctantly agreed. “Do this for me, Silas. Bring my wife and my baby back alive.”

“I will,” Silas said, and he meant it.

“I’ll make preparations,” Grateful said.

Polina shrugged. “My silver is ready. No preparations are needed.”

“I need to find a babysitter,” Grateful mumbled.

Silas exchanged glances with the rest of the group. “We go first thing in the morning.”