16

Cassie's world was going straight to hell. She saw and heard words of reassurance and comfort, and cared for none of it. Right now, she wanted to be as far away from this Balcoin business as possible. The news that her mother was murdered was so life altering that she couldn't talk. Her tongue was literally frozen to the roof of her mouth, and when Adam finally got the idea to take her home, she nodded mutely.

Karin and Ethan watched from the windows as they departed, and the last thing she saw was the pale oval of Ethan's face, hands pressed to the glass. As they rode out of sight of the Boathouse, Cassie felt a rush of cold truth go straight through her. "Your Dad is not what he seems," she said with absolute certainty.

"What?" was Adam's contribution as he drove straight through a four way stop and nearly collided with a slow moving truck.

"He's hiding something."

Adam sighed. "Of course he is."

She could do without the sarcasm. "He always seems so complacent."

"That's his nature, Cassie."

"Is it? I don't believe that."

He pulled up to the curb in front of her house. "I've lived with the guy for 16 years and he's always been mild-mannered."

"That's what they said about Clark Kent, and look who he turned out to be."

His response was a muffled snicker. "I swear, he's not a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"What happened to his crystal and Book of Shadows, Adam?"

Adam shrugged. "I don't know, Cassie. Maybe the elders have them."

"But Karin said there are only two or three known crystals. Where are the others?" She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at the empty windows of her house, ones that matched her grandmother's declining mental state.

"I have no idea."

"Maybe we can look for them."

He shook his head. "I don't think that's wise."

"We need to protect ourselves, Adam. It's obvious there are external forces with a thirst for power. If we can learn to channel our magic, then we'll be ready to defend the circle."

"I think there's a bigger issue here. Like what happened to your mother."

She shook her head. "I can't think about that right now."

"Diana knows, and it impacts all of us."

"Don't you think I know that? She's my best friend, and now this happens. We may never get past this, Adam."

His gentle touch settled her only slightly. "We can face this together."

Her eyes searched his, and she knew he wasn't referring to the circle. "It's getting late. I should probably go."

"Are you sure you want to be alone?"

She needed to think, and she couldn't do that with Adam close at hand. "For now."

"I don't like it, Cassie. Maybe I can make sure the house is secure." They both remembered what they'd seen in the house on Briar Hill, and there was no telling whether Rissa would show up unexpectedly with Blackwell's shade in tow.

Cassie finally acquiesced. "All right. You can come in."

Adam turned off his car's engine and followed her up the front stairs. They both stopped at the sight of the open front door, which was cracked open slightly. "What the hell?" Cassie said, pushing through the door and instantly feeling uneasy when she saw the disarray in the living room. Books were pulled from shelves and tossed onto the floor. Then she got one of her feelings, and it told her to run upstairs. "Follow me."

They went up the stairs two at a time and stopped at her bedroom door. A symbol was carved into the wood, and when they stepped inside, her room was in complete disarray. Cassie walked over to the cubby next to her fireplace, and felt around inside. "It's gone," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Your Book of Shadows?"

Her only answer was a murmured yes. She walked over to her other hiding place, and saw only an empty box. Cassie held it up for inspection and said, "They also stole my crystal."

The shock and disappointment on Adam's face was almost more than she could stand. "Since when do you have a crystal?" His voice cracked with hurt, and Cassie blinked away some errant tears.

"Since my grandmother gave it to me."

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Adam, but I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

He blinked quickly. "And now it's gone. I could have helped you safeguard it."

Cassie saw that now. "At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do."

Adam's fingers clenched in and out. "Who would do this?"

"Just about anyone."

He touched the top of her hand. "Don't worry, Cassie, we'll figure this out." And before she could say anything, he leaned in and brushed her cheek with his lips. "Good night."

She looked up and was reassured by the steadiness and warmth of his gaze. "Good night, Adam."

He lingered at the doorway. "I'll check in later, just to make sure you're all right."

Cassie smiled and nodded. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."