Nothing happened. All was still within the house. Barely even a mote of dust danced in the air. It was as if no one had been home in days.
I rocked back on my heels. The witch had helped Alvin just yesterday. I’d seen her with my own two eyes. Her witchcraft had been all over Alvin’s estate, too. Alvin had hung her wards all over the place. She’d been there to inscribe sigils into his doorframes, too.
Ryder gripped the doorknob. I watched the tension build in his muscles. Realizing what he was about to do, I jumped to stop him. When I put my hand on his arm, he looked down at me with his brows gathered into a stern peak.
“Let’s not get arrested for breaking and entering today.” I pointedly glanced at the nearby houses, where others could be watching.
If the witch informed her neighbors that she might have unwanted visitors soon, then someone might be on the lookout. This wasn’t worth a tango with the police.
“She’s not here.”
Ryder sniffed the air but didn’t look convinced. We both knew that the witch could hide scents, but I didn’t think she could manufacture this kind of stillness. She’d known that we would come looking for her. Those wire cutters had been left in the duffel bag on purpose. She’d given me the means to free myself and escape Alvin, so she’d known that I would want answers.
Apparently, that was as far as her generosity went. We wouldn’t be able to find her here, much to my disappointment. I needed to figure out how to break this curse writhing beneath my skin. If I couldn’t, then I would inevitably hurt someone.
I looked to Ryder, who was still glowering at the door. The damage that I’d caused had healed over by now, but that didn’t erase the fact that I’d been under someone else’s control. Alvin had the ability to puppet me from afar. It was only a matter of time until he figured out how to access my arcana.
Though I wanted to believe that my command was locked behind that barrier of ice in my core, I had no way of knowing for sure. Eventually, the ritual’s arcana would find its way past my barriers. It would take ahold of my command and turn that power against Ryder.
I shuddered to think of the commands Alvin might give to Ryder. I couldn’t risk being around him while the ritual’s arcana was still inside me. Ryder had been through enough already.