Chapter 55: Without You

(CORRINE)

Family lineage.

Personal backgrounds.

The victims have nothing in common.

However, I find it hard to believe that these kidnappings were random. And after they tried to take me, I found it even more improbable. If these people could orchestrate such an organized kidnapping attempt on me, there is no way they’ve just been picking out victims at random. There would be no reason to expose themselves to such a risk. No, there is some method to their madness, and if I can just pick out a pattern, it might help us.

The only common denominator seems to be the marks left around the victims’ belongings. In the human world, serial killers often leave behind a sort of signature. This looks like the same kind of thing, a sign of arrogance. None of the information that the intelligence unit has gathered mentions this being a sort of signature, but they don’t deal with humans all that much.

As I sift through the information about the victims who have gone missing, I can’t find anything in common among them. All of them seem like regular, average shifters, from all walks of life. I have to look harder. There has to be something that connects them.

Cassian, who has been helping me with the desk work, is reading through the files I handed him earlier, a frustrated expression on his face. “What are we even looking for?”

“Anything that stands out. Anything that links one of the victims with at least one of the others. I already know that career-wise, they had nothing in common. It’s not like they were all working at the palace or something. Aside from Harold, none of them held any position that would be considered close to the king. They were all ordinary.”

Cassian looks up at me. “Exactly! That’s what I’m saying. What are we expecting to find? There’s nothing interesting about these people.”

“We’re looking for anything out of the ordinary.” I take out my notebook and write down the name of the clinic one of the individuals volunteered at. “Was any blood drawn from Harold?”

Cassian shakes his head.

Why does that not surprise me? I look over at him. “I want you to find out the daily routines of the victims. Places they liked to visit, friends, and their route to work. There has to be something that connects them. How soon can you get me this information?”

Cassian looks thoughtful. “A week?”

I nod. “Okay, then.”

“What are you going to do in the meantime?” he asks curiously. I give him a faint smile. “A different kind of research.”

As I utter those words, I look out the window and see Locke standing in the distance. His arm muscles are flexed, and Finn is hanging from his bicep like a monkey. I grin at the sight of my nimble son trying to win in a feat of strength against his father. He’s desperately trying to bring down Locke’s arm while the latter watches him.

My son looks like he’s having the time of his life.

No, not my son. Our son.

“Why does Locke look so angry?” Cassian asks, following my gaze.

“He’s not angry,” I murmur absentmindedly. “He’s amused.”

“Really?” Cassian comes to stand beside me, looking dubious. “That looks like a scowl to me.”

“It’s not.”

“How can you tell?”

“I—” I snap my mouth shut, feeling a strange emotion. “I just can.”

The last part is whispered. I know how Locke is truly feeling, even though he looks irritated. How? After all these years, how am I still able to read him?

After all, Locke has changed. He’s not the same man I knew eight years ago. His eyes are the biggest indicator. They’ve become gentler, and sometimes I see something like heaviness in them, as if they’ve been carrying a hefty burden. And then there’s his behavior. He is more considerate, almost cautious around me. I don’t know how I feel about this side of him. Something about it makes my heart ache. It’s almost as if he lost a part of himself over the years.

But why did he change his mind so abruptly last night?

“Does this mean we have to leave here and go to the North?”

“No. You’re—I think you’re safer here.”

I didn’t expect Locke to say that to Finn, not after he’s been so adamant about us going back with him. And when he said it, he looked very sad.

Why is this so hard?

My decision should be simple. But he’s making it harder because I don’t like seeing the hurt in his eyes. I don’t like the way he makes me feel safe and secure. If it were only my wolf pushing for him, I would understand, but my human side is also starting to.

Finn’s laughter makes my heart twist in my chest. Locke is pretending to let him win. Our son looks delighted. Derrick is shaking his head at the two of them.

Would it be the same if I returned to the North with Locke? I’ve always wanted to keep Finn happy, to give him the best life possible. Last night, Locke expressed in front of him that we don’t have to go back with him. I should be pleased.

But I’m not. I’m not happy. I let out a troubled sigh.

I was never this indecisive before.

Locke looks up as if he has sensed me watching him. His eyes meet mine from across the vast garden, and I feel a jolt of desire go through me. I can’t help but remember last night when he loomed over me by the kitchen sink.

I’m still attracted to him. And he wasn’t a beast to me when I lived in his castle, not the way I had imagined. So, I can’t hate him. I have no reason to.

“Corrine?”

I clear my throat. “You can go deal with this. I have to talk to Erik.”

I watch Cassian leave before I take a deep breath. I have a feeling that Erik isn’t going to like my request. Opening the door, I summon one of the footmen standing around. “Could you ask Healer Jerry to come here?”

The man nods and hurries off.

I pace in the room anxiously. I need Jerry to be on my side to convince Erik. The king may be open-minded, but even he has his limits. If I can just convince Jerry…

I turn around mid-stride and see Locke entering through the window. A startled cry leaves my lips, and I stumble backward. My ass would have hit the floor if his arm didn’t loop around my waist, yanking me toward him. I hit his chest, and the breath is knocked out of me.

“What’s wrong with you?” Locke asks, concerned.

“I—you scared the life out of me!” I shove him, not that he moves. “What were you thinking, coming through the window? There’s a perfectly functioning door right there!”

“The window was closer,” he says bluntly. “Are you free now? Finn is hungry.”

“I’m waiting for Healer Jerry.” Locke releases his grip on me, and when he moves away, I feel the loss of his body heat. “And I want to see Erik.”

“Why?” His expression grows dark, and I wonder why he’s getting jealous after I’ve confirmed there’s nothing going on between Erik and me.

I rest against the edge of the desk I’ve been using. “I want to convince him to let me have an autopsy conducted on Harold.”

“An autopsy?” Locke looks confused.

“It’s a human term for cutting up a deceased person’s body. It’s a way to find the cause of death after someone has passed. It’s an invasive procedure, and I know that our kind considers it sacrilegious to tamper with the corpse of a deceased shifter, but Harold’s body could give us the answers that we need. There exists nothing that can knock us out, at least that we know of. What if the people who tortured Harold have found a way to incapacitate our kind? I need a sample of his blood. It’s been a year, but we still might be able to find some clues. There are other victims out there. I know it’s frowned upon, but we have to save those we can, and—”

“I agree,” Locke replies calmly. “At times like this, what is sacrilegious or not shouldn’t be at the forefront of an argument.”

“Y–You agree?” I stammer, taken aback by his words. “You make sense,” he says simply.

“I agree, too.” Healer Jerry enters the room, his expression drawn. “But what if Erik doesn’t?” I murmur.

“His Majesty is a stickler for some rules.” Jerry looks thoughtful. “But maybe we can convince him to change his mind.”

Not ten minutes later, we are met with a resounding “no.” It’s rare to see Erik so angry.

“I won’t hear of it!” he bellows. “His family won’t allow it. Harold may not have had any immediate family, but his extended family would be very much against this. And it’s been a year, Corrine. Even if you tried, you wouldn’t find anything.”

“But what if we did?” I argue. “You want to find the people responsible for Harold’s death, don’t you?” I press. “I need that autopsy. They managed to subdue him, Erik. That shouldn’t have been possible. There is no sign of a struggle at any of the kidnapping sites. No trace of blood, nothing. We’re at a loss. Unless the victims walked off with their kidnappers, the only possible answer is that they were given something.”

Erik looks displeased. “We have no one skilled to perform an autopsy.”

“No one in our world, true,” I meet his gaze steadily. “We need a medical examiner. Only humans work in that profession.”

Erik’s eyes tighten around the corners. “No.”

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