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I squinted at the phone, holding it away from my ear. Without my contacts, the Caller ID was blurry, but I could just barely make out the letters. The moment I recognized the name—Neverfall Academy for Gifted Students—I leaned back against my pillows and tried for force some semblance of diplomacy into my voice, even though I wanted to ask them what the fuck they meant by calling so early. It could be bad news, so I needed to clear my head and listen.

“This is Sandy. Clauson. Is everything all right?”

“Ms. Clauson, tomorrow is the Seventh Term’s elemental nature hike. We still haven’t received your written permission for Jenna to accompany the class.”

Oh crap. Last night I kept thinking I had forgotten something, and now I knew what. Jenna was my ward—at least temporarily. Derry, a friend of mine, had undertaken a world tour that would last at least two years. She hadn’t wanted to drag her daughter all over Timbuktu and beyond, so I had agreed to oversee Jenna’s welfare. Jenna lived at the Neverfall Academy for Gifted Students, and I had temporary custody. I was still getting used to the Mom thing, though I doubted I’d ever win any accolades for mother-of-the-year. While Jenna lived at the academy, she would be staying with me on some weekends. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would work out, But Derry had chosen me and nobody else but me, so I was determined to return her daughter to her in one, happy, well-adjusted piece.

“Listen, as soon as I’m up for the day, I’ll fax over a permission slip. Email me the information you need, where they’re going, and I’ll get right on that when...” I paused to glance at the time. Fucking hell. Six AM?

“Really? You are really calling me this early?” So much for diplomacy. Nobody ever called me before ten unless it was an emergency. Not even Maddy, my best friend.

“I’m sorry Ms. Clauson. We always call parents and guardians early when something like this comes up.”

“Fine...fine. Just send me the info. Thanks.” As soon as the line went dead, I slid the sleep mask over my eyes again and settled back under the covers. I was out like a light, before I could even ponder just how much this guardianship gig was going to affect my life.

***

Two hours later, I had showered and dressed. I had dressed for comfort—yoga pants, a gauzy peasant shirt, and a pair of Uggs—and I hurried toward the dining room, determined to get a clear-headed start on the day. As I passed Alex in the hall, he pressed a cup of coffee into my hand. He was swiping away on his phone.

“Here’s your coffee. Texting you your schedule for today. Your bear claw is on the table.” Alex pulled out a chair for me. “I also took the liberty of printing out the permission slip from Neverfall for Jenna’s hike tomorrow.” He slid the paper onto the table and handed me a pen. “Sign there, and there, and I’ll fax it right back to them.”

I sat down and, taking the pen, scribbled my name on the appropriate lines. “Where are they going?”

“The Wonderland Trail up on Paulson’s Peak. Elemental magic lesson—out in the wild, so to speak. How old is she again?” Alex hadn’t met Jenna yet.

“She’s thirteen and smart as a whip.”

I flipped open my tablet and, picking up the tongs, selected a bear claw, dropping it onto the waiting plate. The pastries were fresh, a yeasty, rich smell filled the room. My stomach rumbled. I loved bear claws, and cinnamon rolls, and anything else that had a thick layer of glaze on it. The coffee was Kona—deep, dark, and strong, just the way I liked it. I settled back with a satisfied sigh. “That hits the spot. Where’s Mr. Peabody?”

Mr. Peabody was my new pet. He was a skunk who had been de-scented by a previous owner, then abandoned to the wild. A few weeks ago, I had found him in a snow bank, as he desperately tried to scurry over to me. It quickly became apparent that Mr. Peabody had only ever known a domestic life, so I gathered him up and brought him home.

We got on well. He was an independent little guy, but we had our cuddles, and he was good at keeping away door-to-door salesmen. All I had to do was call him over when I answered the door, and the solicitors ran for the hills. My vet had given Mr. Peabody a clean bill of health, had microchipped and vaccinated him, and I decided to name him after one of my favorite cartoon characters. Since he’d been living with me, Mr. Peabody had developed a fondness for Alex and hung out with him during the day.

“Mr. Peabody is having his breakfast in the kitchen. His highness deigned to eat turkey gravy platter this morning. He’s decided that chicken liver pate no longer appeals to his palate.” Alex snorted. “Goofball. Anyway, as to your schedule, I’ve added a party tonight. I know you didn’t want to attend any more social events this week, but this sounded like one you really should make an appearance at.”

I wrinkled my nose. My schedule was meeting-heavy today. While I had money to burn, I wasn’t one to sit around idle. I was on the board of directors of the Sand Witches—a chain of upscale eateries my ex and I owned. We had opened them before he discovered his attraction to Robert, a twenty-two year old waiter. But as shocked as I had been, I knew better than to blame either one of us. After I had processed through the loss, I decided we might as well stay friends. We made good partners in business, and in my over three hundred years, I had learned a lot about human nature, and one thing I knew for sure: you don’t throw away people because they come late to an understanding about themselves.

Today, I had a meeting with the Sand Witches board of directors at eleven. Lunch at two with a potential benefactor for the hospital’s charity care association. At four, I was scheduled for a meeting of the Bedlam Library’s fundraising committee. Literacy was one of my favorite soapboxes.

I tapped the screen. “You forgot my hair and nails at five-thirty.” I paused. “So, a party? At eight...” I stared at the unfamiliar name. “Who is Max Davenport and why should I attend?”

Alex sat down across from me, biting into one of the doughnuts. We had been lovers for a brief time, but I wasn’t really looking for a long-term relationship, and neither was he, and before we got any more involved we decided to keep it at friendship without benefits.

“Max Davenport happens to be the owner of Time For A Change That new clothing shop on Main Street that caters to shifters.”

I had vaguely heard about the boutique. Privately, I thought Bedlam needed another clothing store as much as it needed Essie Vanderbilt, the Queen of the Pacific Northwest Vampire Nation. Which, in my opinion, was not at all. But nobody ever asked me.

“He new in town?” I paused to sip my coffee and take a bite of the Danish. The nutty, bitter taste of the coffee blended with the icing of the pastry to form an orgiastic burst of flavor in my mouth. “My gods, remind me to give you a raise for this.”

Alex laughed. “I know my pastries. And yes, Max is new, he’s single, and he’s a weretiger. He made the Hot-to-Trot column of PretCom Monthly last month.” He paused to tap the side of my plate. “You eat more than one bite of that bear claw. You can’t live on caffeine alone.”

“Tell that to my inner addict.” I studied the notes he’d provided me. Weretigers were a funny group. All shifters were odd, really, but weretigers could be volatile as hell. “So, a weretiger? And a successful one, at that, if he was featured in PM. They never mention anybody who isn’t either incredibly rich, or incredibly famous. Why do I need to meet him, again?”

“He’s going to be a power player in Bedlam. Trust me, I have a feeling.” Alex was an empathic witch, though he worked less with magic and more with divining the future and telling fortunes. He was also usually spot on in his assessment of people.

Trusting his assessment, I nodded. “All right. I take it the party is a meet-and-greet?”

“Aren’t all of Bjorn’s parties meet-and-greets?” Alex suppressed a laugh.

Bjorn Kitsa had a reputation for throwing as many parties as he could without really committing to a theme or any effort that took more than hiring a caterer. But everyone attended because he was so well liked.

I let out a chuckle. “A Bjorn affair? So I should be fabulously late and dress to the nines, or I’ll make a bad impression.”

“You nailed it.” Alex pushed himself away from the table. “I’m off to do the shopping now. Text me if you need anything.”

As the long, lean witch strode toward the door, I watched him go, a faintly wistful feeling creeping through my nether region. Alex had been yummy in bed, but our passion had run its course. No, we were right to end things before they flamed out or died in a sputtering heap of ashes. Shaking my head, I glanced back at my list of meetings, but my gaze kept roaming to the party. Weretigers were also notoriously arrogant, but if Max Davenport was set up to be a power player in Bedlam, it would do me good to be on a first-name basis.

Damn it, I thought. If Maddy hadn’t been in such a rush to take off on a winter vacation, maybe the party would be bearable. But she was off on a jaunty winter weekend with her lover Aegis, a smoking hot vampire, leaving me on my own.

Just then, Mr. Peabody toddled in and let out a snuffle at my feet. I picked him up, kissing him on the nose and he squeaked.

“Ah well.” I set him down again and gulped down the last of my coffee. “It could be worse, couldn’t it, Mr. Peabody? I could be the one stuck hosting the shindig. Or I could have to go on the hike with Jenna’s class.” Grateful for small favors, I wiped my hands, stuck my phone in the pocket of my skinny jeans, and tugged on a leather jacket.

As I stopped to glance at myself in the mirror, I thought, I cleaned up pretty nice.

“For being 347 years old, you don’t look a day over 30, Cassandra,” I said, laughing, as I pocketed my keys and headed out to my brand new custom pink Jeep.

***

The party was black-tie formal and boring as hell. I had chosen a pale sky blue dress that was old school in a glamour girl way. One shouldered, it flowed about me, draping like a Grecian toga. I had belted it at my waist with a golden chain. The color of the dress set off my hair. I slid on elbow-length opera gloves and tucked my wallet and phone into a beaded clutch. I had picked up the little number in a vintage shop. The purse had been handmade in 1928 for a famous dancer named Rhonda Renauld, who was both a witch and a stripper. Rhonda had died in a mysterious accident back in 1940, but her clothes and accessories fetched a pretty penny in retro shops and on Spell-Buy, the Pretcom version of E-Bay.

Bjorn Kitsa was sweeping in my direction, trundling a tall, burly guest by his side. It had to be the weretiger. Almost to a fault, male weretigers were all beefy hunks of man flesh, and I had to admit, this one was gorgeous. He was about five-ten, with wavy wheat-colored hair, and his eyes were the most luxurious brown I had ever seen. He was dressed in Calvin Klein, though he looked vaguely uncomfortable by the way he kept fingering his collar. A roguish scar was the only mark to mar his face. It was old—long healed, but it traced down from his left temple to almost touch his chin. But, as gorgeous as he was, he somehow managed to pale in comparison to Bjorn, who was wearing his signature white suit.

Bjorn was a kitsune, a lanky man with flaming red hair that cascaded down his back. The fox-shifter was also flaming gay, a wealthy realtor, and he happened to have a heart of gold beneath his oh-so bitchy exterior. He air-kissed me as we met and I returned the faux smooch, playing the game because Bjorn was my friend and I liked him.

“Darling, you look lovely. I don’t believe I’ve seen that dress before.” Bjorn’s smile was radiant. He might be a drama queen, but he was genuine in his appreciation for people and for things. He never gave a compliment he didn’t mean.

I laughed. “I love you too, Bjorn. And thank you, but you know full well this dress has seen a number of parties. I may be rich, but I’m not a spendthrift. Thank you for the invitation.” My gaze fluttered toward the weretiger. He was a lovely sight for the eyes.

Bjorn linked his arm through mine. “I want to introduce you to the newest resident of Bedlam. Sandy, meet Max Davenport. He’s the owner of Time For A Change—that gorgeous new boutique on Main Street. Max—may I present Sandy Clauson? She’s a member of the Moonrise Coven, and co-owner of the Sand Witch Delights Cafe chain. She’s also one of Bedlam’s most influential citizens, and throws a mean party. Much better than my affairs.”

I was an old hand by now. I knew when somebody was trying to set me up. Bjorn wasn’t subtle enough to cloak his intentions. “So, you’re new to Bedlam? What do you think of our little town?” I held out my hand.

Max smiled, and I swear, the room lit up. He took my fingers and gently squeezed them. Then, he made the mistake of opening his mouth. “So you’re a witch, huh? I bet you could really turn me into a tiger.” He winked, but it came out as a creepy leer and he immediately blushed.

I blinked. Lines like that had ceased to be amusing two hundred years ago. I paused, debating whether it was worthwhile to even bother with a come-back. Finally, I decided to be polite, given this was Bjorn’s fling, and cleared my throat.

“Welcome to Bedlam.” In the same moment, I turned to Bjorn. “Listen, love, I hate to greet and run, but I have an early appointment tomorrow morning that I can’t afford to miss. I’ll talk to you later.”

Bjorn gave me a long look that told me he knew exactly what kind of talk we’d be having. “Well, if you’re sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Trust me.” I gave Max an abrupt nod, then sought out the coat-check girl. As soon as I had my wrap, I hurried out before either one of the men could say another word.

The Boys of Bedlam, Aegis’s band, were scheduled to play three nights out of the four we were here, but only for an hour each time. Thanks to the gig, our rooms were comped and so was the food. Of course, come sunrise Aegis had to hide out in the spare coffin down in the basement so all my snow-covered walks during the day were spent with the band members. So the trip wasn’t quite as romantic as I could hope for, but sunshine had a way of playing havoc with vampires. As in burn to a crisp kind of havoc.

Bubba stretched out on the bed, arching his back to show the long swell of fur on his belly. The cjinn had insisted on coming along when he found out we were going to be gone for a long weekend, and given Bubba’s nature—he was all cat, part djinn—I didn’t feel like arguing with him. Bubba had been with me for over three hundred years. We had come to rely on one another, and even though we didn’t speak the same language, we understood each other perfectly. Bubba was as much a part of my life as Sandy was, and as much as the little bugger could be a butthead, he was also a blessing.

“We’re all here except Franny,” Aegis said. “I have to say, it’s kind of nice to have a vacation from her.”

I laughed, then immediately felt guilty. “She can’t help her complaining. She’s a very unhappy ghost. She didn’t ask to be trapped in the house and I still haven’t figured out how to help free her.” I leaned back, closing my eyes as my head sank into the pillow. I had changed into a loose flannel nightgown and was wearing fuzzy slippers. This weekend was all about comfort.

“You look delicious,” Aegis said, and I opened my eyes to find him straddling my lap, his knees on either side of my hips. His eyes flashed, and the tips of his fangs showed from below the curve of his smile. “I could eat you up,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss me.

His lips were cold against mine, but they set me off in ways that had become so very welcome over the past couple of months. He gently nipped my bottom lip as he brought his hands up to cup my breasts. As he fingered my nipples through the soft knit of my sweater, I caught my breath, shifting beneath his weight. I wanted nothing more than to strip him naked and slide on top of him, to ride him hard and fast. Yee haw, I thought. The wild witch of the west ropes herself a cowvamp...except my ‘cowboy’ was a rock star, and I might own a few blades, but nowhere in my closet did I have a pair of spurs.

We were about to move things to the bed, which of course meant chasing Bubba off, when a knock at the door interrupted our sex play. With a grunt, Aegis pushed himself off my lap and, giving me a playful wag of the finger, headed toward the door.

“Keep my place warm,” he teased me. “I’m done with the gig tonight so I’m all yours, all night long.”

As he crossed the room, I licked my lips. Aegis was delicious, all right. He was tall and muscular, and his jet hair fell to his shoulder blades. His eyes were coffee brown—rich Kona coffee, so deep they might as well be quicksand. Ringed with crimson, they reflected his moods unerringly. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, but had ditched his shirt and shoes. The only other thing he was wearing was the square gold ring with a sun in the center, and a carnelian cabochon in the center of that.

Aegis peeked through the peephole.

“It’s the bellhop,” he said, cracking the door. “Yes?”

“Message from the front desk for you, Sir.”

The bellhop handed him an envelope and Aegis fumbled in his pocket for a tip. “Maddy, do you have any change?”

Sighing—I didn’t want to get up from the comfy cushion of my seat—I opened my purse and handed him three dollars. I wasn’t sure what the going rate for tipping a messenger was, but given he was a bellhop, that should be okay.

The bellhop stared at my chest as I handed him the money, stammering out Thank you before stumbling back out the door.

Aegis laughed as he closed the door. “Leave it to your boobs,” he said, ripping open the letter. “Even behind that flannel nightgown, they’re monumental.” As he scanned the paper, his expression grew somber.

“What is it?”

He shook his head, turning on the overhead light. “I don’t know, not for sure.” He handed me the note. “What do you make out of this?”

I glanced at the handwriting. It wasn’t familiar. The letter read, “I need to talk to you privately. Can you meet me behind the gift shop?”

“Who sent you this? Do you recognize the writing?” It seemed troublesome—but then again, it could be some groupie from the dinner show, looking to get some action.

“No, I don’t. I have no idea who sent it.” Aegis shook his head. “And why meet whoever it is all the way over at the gift shop? That’s not even in the hotel. Why not just come to our room?”

“Are you going to find out, or are you going to just ignore it?” Just ignoring it seemed like a good idea to me.

“I think...I better find out what this is about.” He shrugged on a hoodie and zipped it up in lieu of a shirt. “I’ll be back in a few.” With a grin, he added, “Don’t start without me. Or if you do, don’t finish without me.”

As he exited the door, I turned off the lights again and crossed to the window, staring out at the mountain looming above us. The jagged peaks made me catch my breath every time I looked at the view. The Cascades were rugged, volcanic in origin. They had thrust up from between tectonic plates, and they were young and still hormonal. Mount Rainier—we called her the Mountain around here—was among the youngest volcanoes in the range, clocking in at about 500,000 years old. Which—in geologic time—made her a spring chicken.

The Astra Alpine Chalet was up on Snoqualmie Pass, a private resort near the summit. We were well off the freeway, along the Erste Strasse Road. The hotel catered to the Pretcom—the preternatural community. While there were several ski resorts in the area, the Astra Alpine Chalet was for those who wanted less action on the slopes, and more ambiance.

The hotel was romantic to a fault. The rooms were all large, with gas fireplaces, jetted tubs, and kitchen nooks which included mini-fridges, a microwave, coffee maker, and a cafe-style table and chairs. The bathrooms had spa tubs, walk in showers with benches, and vanity mirrors over a double sink. It was pricey but worth it.

I wondered how long it would take Aegis to find whoever was looking for him.

At first I thought, maybe it was a practical joke from one of the band members. The note had been odd, but then the boys in the band were odd and I wouldn’t put it past them to pull some sort of joke.

A motley crew, the Boys of Bedlam ran to the genres of sexy darkwave and goth folk. Recently they had actually caught the notice of an indie producer and were scheduled to make another demo when we got back to Bedlam. I joked about being Aegis’s groupie, but truth was, the band was good and their music was catching on. Aegis had both the voice and the eye candy to draw in the crowds.

“M-row?” Bubba leaped down to the floor, wrapping himself around my legs.

“I don’t know, Bubba. Aegis should be back soon.” But an odd fluttering in my stomach told me that a practical joke wasn’t behind the mysterious note. I tried to push it away. I was actually tired of paying attention to all the hunches that had haunted me lately. I just wanted to relax, have sex, eat calorie laden goodies, and forget about the stress of the past month.

Bubba let out a purp. “Mrow?”

I bent down and ruffled his fur. “Hungry, then? All right, come on, let’s get your supper.” I stopped at the counter with the coffee maker on it and opened one of the cans of food we had brought with us—Mixed Savory Beef—and spooned it onto a paper plate, then set the plate on the floor next to Bubba’s water dish. He rushed over, ignoring me as he fell to his dinner.

Cjinns were odd sorts. While he was fully aware and as intelligent as Aegis or I was—probably more, in fact—the cat instinct took over whenever it was dinner time or time to be petted or play time. He showed no sign of aging, and the research I had done on cjinns suggested that Bubba would probably outlive me, if nothing untoward happened.

I foraged in the mini-fridge and found a leftover piece of pie. Standing over the sink, I ate it straight from the package, then tossed the plastic container in the recycling container. I glanced at the clock again. Aegis had been gone for half an hour now, and I was starting to worry. He should either be back or have texted me by now. I pulled out my phone.

Where are you? Is everything okay?

I waited for a moment, then texted, Aegis? Are you there?

Another moment and I slid into my jeans and buttoned them up. I reluctantly slipped my bra back on, then pulled a long-sleeve V-neck sweater over my head. I gathered my hair into a ponytail and turned to Bubba.

“I’ll be back in a little bit, Bub. I need to find out what’s taking Aegis so long.”

Bubba rubbed against my legs, then plaintively said, “M-row?”

“I promise, I’ll be careful.”

Pocketing the hotel key card and my wallet, I headed out the door, taking care to lock it behind me. Aegis hadn’t taken his key, but I didn’t expect to be gone long. I headed down the hall, then decided to grab one of the guys in the band to go with me.

It was near midnight, and I figured that most of the band would either be in the bar, or stretched out watching TV in their rooms. Sid hadn’t brought his wife, given they had a new baby, and the other boys were sans girlfriends at the moment.

At the door of room 323—Keth’s room—I knocked. I waited for a moment, then knocked again. No answer. Jorge and Sid were sharing a room next to Keth—the hotel had only been able to comp three rooms for the band. I knocked on the door of 325 and again, no answer.

“Well, hell.” I pulled out my phone to check if Aegis had read my message. We both kept the ‘read receipts’ setting on. He hadn’t, which meant he was somewhere where reception was spotty. I decided to try the bar.

Taking the stairs, I headed for the lobby, where I crossed the carpeted hall to the bar. As I peeked inside, I saw the boys there—Keth, Sid, and Jorge.

“Hey guys,” I waved as I approached the table. “You see Aegis around?”

Sid shook his head. “Not since the gig. Why?”

I let out a sigh. “Listen, did any of you send him that note?”

Keth looked confused. “Note? What note?”

“The one asking him to meet you behind the gift shop. He left about forty-five minutes ago to find out who wanted to see him and he hasn’t been back or answered my texts. Something feels off, so I came looking. I thought maybe he ran into you and got distracted.” I was beginning to get worried.

“We didn’t send him any note, Maddy,” Sid said. “Have you asked the front desk who left the message?”

“Good idea. While I’m talking to them, will you guys try texting him?”

As I headed over to the main desk, the boys followed me, texting away. I rang the bell on the counter. The owner, Marinda, who was one of the Winter Fae Court, answered.

“Somebody gave you a message for Aegis. We’re in room 315. Do you remember who might have sent it?” I leaned against the counter.

Marinda cocked her head to the right, squinting as she thought. “We usually keep track of messages. Nothing came through the desk, Ms. Gallowglass. Do you remember who brought it to your room?”

“A bellhop—short, slight of build. I think he might have been Fae. He was blond, about five-five, no beard or facial hair.” I had a good memory, but I hadn’t paid that much attention to him. “He was wearing one of the hotel uniforms.”

“One moment.” She tapped away on a cell phone and then turned back to me. “That sounds like Anthony. I’ve asked him to come down to the desk. He might be able to tell you more. Is something wrong?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Has Aegis checked in at the desk in the past hour?”

Marinda shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. Not that I’ve noticed.”

The elevator opened and the bellhop who had brought the message stepped off.

“That’s him,” I said.

“Edwin, please come over here.” Marinda nodded to me. “Go ahead.”

‘You delivered a message to our room not quite an hour ago. Do you remember where you got it? You said it was from the front desk.” I glanced at my phone again. Aegis still hadn’t read my message.

Edwin looked bewildered for a moment. “I did pick it up here at the desk. The note was in the slot for your room.” He glanced at the owner. “You were away from the desk, Marinda. I saw it there, so thought I should take it right up.”

She nodded. “I was away for about fifteen minutes. Since it was so late, I figured we wouldn’t be getting any visitors in. I had the phone set to forward any calls to me from the front desk. Someone must left the note while I was gone.”

“Then whoever it was knew what room we were in, if it was in the proper slot. Damn, I wish I had that note right now. I could do a Divining Spell and see what I could find out about it.” I turned to Edwin. “So you didn’t see who left it, either?”

The bellhop shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t. I just saw the note peeking out of the slot and delivered it. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Marinda said. “You did exactly what you’re trained to do. But I’m concerned that some stranger came behind the desk to leave a note without permission.” She glanced at me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Gallowglass. I don’t know what to tell you.”

I pressed my lips together. It wasn’t really her fault. And quite frankly, we didn’t know that anything was wrong yet. But my unease was growing stronger. It had been over an hour now, and Aegis was nowhere in sight.

“We’ll go with you to check out back of the gift shop, Maddy.” Jorge was frowning. “It’s not like him to ignore his phone.”

“I didn’t have my jacket on, but I didn’t care. “Sounds good. Let’s go.”

While vampires were immune to most attacks and they could hold their own against most creatures, there were potential dangers that could dust a vamp quicker than a vacuum could suck up the ashes. Sunlight, being caught in a fire, accidentally falling on a pitchfork or fireplace poker—given it stabbed through the heart—all could take a vampire from the most powerful force in the room to a pile of dust. Freak accidents happened all the time.

The gift shop was on the opposite side of the lobby. It was closed, but it also had an outside entrance and so we headed out of the hotel and around to the side. I closed my eyes as the chill night wind gusted past, sweeping away my breath. Keth noticed I was shivering and he pulled off his own jacket and wrapped it around me. I gave him a grateful smile as we moved around to the back of the gift shop.

Once there, we swept the area with our phone flashlights. Nothing. It would have been impossible to tell if he had been killed—any dust or ash would have been swept away by the wind. There were no signs that we could see of anybody else. The snow to the back of the shop was scuffed up, but that could have been caused by just about anybody walking past, or even an animal.

“Well, crap. He’s not here.” I shivered, even with Keth’s jacket.

“Tell you what. Why don’t you go check the gym? Aegis likes to work out. Meanwhile, we’ll have a look around the rest of the hotel.

“I guess. All right.” I shook my head. “I’m really beginning to worry.” I tried dialing his number but the phone sent me to his voice mail. “Hell. Let’s get a move on.”

We went back inside, and I gave Keth back his jacket. As the boys veered off to check the pool and other areas, I headed to the gym.

The room had two weight machines, three treadmills, two stationary bikes, a rowing machine, and several mats. It was small, but workable. I glanced around. No sign of Aegis. In fact, by the layer of dust on several of the machines, it looked like the guests at the Astra Alpine Chalet didn’t come here to get fit.

I was about to head back to the lobby when my phone pinged. I grabbed it out. It was Aegis—texting me back. Maddy, hurry, I’m at the room. Help.